SH- Current Affairs Update 26th, Feb 2018

Dear Aspirants,

 20th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers held in Fiji

Dr. Satya Pal Singh, Minister of State, Ministry of Human Resource Development; and Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India led the Indian delegation to the 20th Conference of the Commonwealth Education Ministers (20CCEM) held in Nadi, Fiji during 19-23 February 2018.

• The theme of the Conference was “Sustainability and Resilience: Can Education Deliver?”
• Dr. Singh made  a `response statement` to the presentation “20CCEM Thematic Issues” made by Dr. Rajesh Chandra, Vice Chancellor of University of South Pacific, Fiji on 21 February 2018.

Andaman & Nicobar Command to Host Milan 2018

The second week of March will witness Andaman & Nicobar Command hosting a multinational mega event MILAN 2018.

• MILAN is a congregation of littoral navies conducted biennially by Indian Navy at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
• Besides fostering co-operation through naval exercises and professional interactions, MILAN also provides an excellent opportunity to the participating navies to come together in a spirit of collaboration and mutual understanding to nurture stronger ties.

DRDO Successfully Test Flight Rustom 2

DRDO  successfully flew its Rustom 2  at its Aeronautical Test Range(ATR) at Chalakere at Chitradurga.

• This flight assumes significance due to the fact that this is the first flight in user configuration with higher power engine.
• Secretary Deptt. of Defence (R&D) & Chairman DRDO Dr. S. Christopher along with  senior scientists witnessed  the flight and congratulated Rustom team.

21st National Conference on e-Governance to begin in Hyderabad    

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India, along with the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India in association with Government of Telangana is organizing the 21stNational Conference on e-Governance on February 26- 27, 2018 in Hyderabad, Telangana.

• Union Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Y.S. Chowdary will preside over the inaugural session of the conference.
• The theme of the Conference this year is, ‘Technology for accelerating Development’.
• The Inaugural Session will be followed by 3 Plenary Sessions on Day1 based on themes: Building User Experience, Universalization and Replication and Governing e-Governance while on Day2 the two Plenary Sessions will be based on e-Governance Good/ Best Practices, Emerging Technologies.

Hyderabad hosted 15th edition of BioAsia 2018

The 15th edition of BioAsia, the annual flagship programme of Government of Telangana was held from 22-24th February 2018 at Hyderabad International Convention Center (HICC) in Hyderabad.

• Theme of BioAsia 2018 was “RIGHT TIME, RIGHT NOW”.
• For this year’s event, Ireland, Netherlands and South Africa were international partners whereas the States of Gujarat, Assam and Rajasthan were the state partners.

UIDAI introduces special blue coloured 'Baal Aadhaar'

Aadhaar is increasingly becoming mandatory to make use of most of the government schemes and other activities such as getting a new SIM card or opening a new bank account.

• Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has now introduced a blue coloured 'Baal Aadhaar' card for children below the age of 5 years.
• All children below the age of 5 don't need to give biometric details for getting an Aadhaar card.

Rahul Mahajan is Rajya Sabha TV Editor-in-Chief

Senior journalist Rahul Mahajan has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of Rajya Sabha TV, owned and operated by the Upper House of Parliament.

• A five-member selection panel, chaired by Prasar Bharti Chairman A. Surya Prakash, recommended Mahajan's appointment and Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu approved it.
• Mahajan, who hails from Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, has 26 years of media experience, including 23 years in various news channels.

Subbarayudu appointed the Ambassador of Bolivia

M. Subbarayudu has been appointed the next Ambassador of India to Plurinational State of Bolivia.

• He is currently the Ambassador of India to Lima.
• He has been concurrently appointed the next Ambassador of India to Bolivia. He will soon take up this new assignment.

PyeongChang Winter Olympics concludes

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics concluded with a spectacular closing ceremony here on February 25.

• The grand event ran through 17 days and saw 2,920 athletes competing from 92 nations.

Important:

• Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympics, while Beijing will welcome the countries for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
• Norway won a record 39 medals overall to finish on top while Germany finish second with 31 medals.

Parupalli Kashyap lifts first title in three years

Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap clinched his first international title in over three years as he overcame Malaysia’s June Wei Cheam to emerge men’s singles champion at the Austrian Open International Challenge.

• Kashyap, a former National champion and second seed, saw off Cheam 23-21 21-14 in a 37-minute clash.
• His last title came at the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships in 2015.

Sameer Verma lifts Swiss Open title

Indian shuttler Sameer Verma dished out a clinical performance to outwit former world no 2 Jan O Jorgensen and clinch the men's singles title at the $150,000 Swiss Open Super 300 tournament.

• The 23-year-old Sameer showed great anticipation and technique to bamboozle Jorgensen 21-15, 21-13 in a lop-sided contest.