February 18, 2018 - Current Affairs Quiz - Current Affairs MCQ

President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani was on a three-day visit to India from 15th – 17th February, 2018. On February 15, 2018, Mr. Rouhani arrived in Hyderabad. He chose to begin his India tour from Hyderabad as the city has a long history of cultural and religious ties with Iran. It is to be noted that, currently, around 40000 Iranians live in Hyderabad. On February 15, 2018, Mr. Rouhani addressed Muslim intellectuals, religious scholars and students at a hotel in Hyderabad. On February 17, 2018, Mr. Rouhani held a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Mr. Rouhani also gifted an animated version of Kalila Wa Demna (Farsi translation of the Panchatantra) and a copy of the Mahabharat in Farsi to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On February 18, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of Navi Mumbai International Airport. On completion, Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to ease flight operations in Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Estimated cost for constructing this airport is Rs 16700 crore. It will have two parallel runways unlike Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, which has only one runway. On February 18, 2018, Prime Minister Modi also dedicated to the nation the fourth container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai.

Kerala State Government has decided to geotag the houses and farms of over 10 lakh livestock and poultry farmers in the state. Objective behind this activity is to compile a comprehensive digital repository of the information of animal husbandry and dairying in Kerala and integrate the data using the Geographical Information System (GIS). This repository will not only help State Government at the time of financial planning but will also be useful during the time of the outbreak of any diseases among domestic animals and birds. Data collection and uploading will be done by veterinarians and livestock inspectors with the help of digital gadgets.

Assam State Government will be setting up 3 Terminal Mart for agricultural products in the state in order to give a boost to agricultural market in the state. Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board is working towards setting up such marts at Silchar, Jorhat and Guwahati. Chairman of State Agricultural Marketing Board, Palit Kumar Bora has stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed to develop Asia’s largest banana market at Darangiri in Goalpara district of Assam. Besides, 6 new Krishi Vigyan Kendras are being set up in Assam to help the farmers in various agro-based sectors

On February 17, 2018, Fiji (an island nation in South Pacific Ocean) signed a declaration of partnership with India’s The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) for assistance in tackling climate change effects and achieving environmental sustainability. The declaration of partnership was signed on sidelines of the World Sustainable Development Conference (WSDS 2018) in New Delhi. As per the terms of this declaration, TERI will provide technical assistance to Fiji in a variety of areas including waste and pollution management, remote monitoring and reporting of environmental impact assessments, developing ‘green’ energy efficient buildings and aligning Fiji’s national policies with environmental aims. In context of this news, it is important to note that South Pacific region is prone to extreme weather conditions like cyclones and floods. Besides, these conditions likely to worsen due to climate change.

On 17th to 21st February 2018, National Banana Festival 2018, is held at the Vellayani Devi Temple grounds at Kalliyoor, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated the National Banana Festival. This festival is organised by the Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action (CISSA) jointly with Kalliyoor panchayat, National Centre for Banana, Trichy, and several other government institutions associated with banana research and promotion. Chairman of the organising committee is Suresh Gopi, MP. Nearly 150 varieties of banana from the north-eastern States, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu are displayed at the exhibition. Also, value-added products and processed goods made from banana are displayed.

Amazon’s market capitalisation touched $702.5 billion. On account of this surge, Amazon became the third most valuable company in the world. Market value of a company’s outstanding shares is referred to as market capitalisation (m-cap). It is calculated by multiplying the current market price of company’s share with total number of outstanding shares. En route to grabbing third spot, Amazon surpassed Microsoft’s market cap of $699.2 billion. In terms of market capitalisation, Apple is the most valuable company with $849.2 billion market cap, followed by Google’s parent company Alphabet at $745.1 billion. Surge in Amazon’s stock prices has made its CEO, Jeff Bezos the richest man in the world. Bezos holds 78.9 million shares of Amazon. Bezos is not just the richest man in world at present, but he has become the world’s richest man ever. This record was held by Microsoft founder Bill Gates with $100 billion in 1999.

Shoaib Akhtar has been named the advisor to the chairman on cricket affairs and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) brand ambassador. Shoaib Akhtar is 42 years old. He is a former Pakistan fast bowler. He made his cricket debut in 1997. He has played 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20 Internationals. He has taken 444 wickets throughout his career. He was the first bowler to cross the 100 mph mark. He retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup.

Vinod Kumar Jain has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of Tezpur University. President of India has appointed Vinod Kumar Jain as the Visitor of the Tezpur University. Vinod Kumar Jain will work as vice-chancellor of Tezpur University for 5 years from the date on which he assumes office or till he reaches 70 years, whichever is earlier. He worked as a Scientist, Class I, in the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. He is a former Professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He joined JNU’s School of Environmental Sciences as an Associate Professor in 1985. He has been part of the panel of experts of University Grants Commission (UGC), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Public Service Commission of Himachal Pradesh and Public Service Commission of Uttar Pradesh etc.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been recognized as one of world’s best employers by the Top Employer Institute for the third consecutive year. TCS has been selected among 1,300 companies in 113 countries all over the world. It has been recognized by Top Employer Institute for its excellent employee offerings. TCS has received the Top Employers Global certification. It has received the latest Top Employer endorsement for 27 of its individual country teams in Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America and the Middle East. The Top Employer rankings are done based on nine factors: talent strategy, workforce planning, on-boarding, learning & development, performance management, leadership development, career & succession management, compensation & benefits and company culture.

On February 17, 2018, Australian tennis player Jordan Thompson won Chennai Open ATP Challenger tennis championship. In the finals, Jordan Thompson beat India’s Yuki Bhambri by 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. In men’s singles ATP world rankings, Jordan Thompson currently ranks 101st. Victory at Chennai Open was Jordan Thompson’s fifth Challenger title. Jordan Thompson got Rs. 4.6 lakhs prize money, while Bhambri got Rs. 2.7 lakhs.

On 18th February 2018, Tropical Cyclone Kelvin hit the north coast of Western Australia. Cyclone Kelvin caused strong winds and floods. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said that, the storm crossed the north coast with winds up to a speed of 150 km per hour. Cyclone Kelvin has been classified as a category two system. Some regions were warned with red alert and others with yellow alert. The winds are expected to get weaker as it moves inland. The Great Northern Highway, which connects Port Hedland and Kimberley region and Perth, has been cut. It would be closed for up to two weeks.

Ram Swarup Sharma, former MLA and Padma Shri awardee died following a short term illness, in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Ram Swarup Sharma was 92 years old. He is survived by two sons and a daughter. He was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly two times from the Mathura-Vrindavan constituency. He was skilled in ‘Rasa Lila’, a form of folk theatre. He received the Padma Shri award for this. He was also given the title of ‘Raasacharya’.