18 February 2018 Current Affairs
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India slides 16 spots on globalisation index
According to Global Connectedness Index 2016, India dropped 16 spots to 78 from 62 in 11 years to 2015. India’s 16-place drop was the 2nd worst change among its neighbours in central & south Asia. Georgia fared the best by moving up 43 spots to 56 while Sri Lanka was the worst, dropping 19 spots to 86. The index takes into account international flows of trade, capital, information & people.
India-Iran sign 9 MoUs to boost bilateral ties
India and Iran has signed nine agreements in order to further the bilateral cooperation between the two sides. The pacts were signed after delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Iran President Hassan Rouhani at New Delhi’s Hyderabad house. The two countries inked pacts to enhance cooperation in the areas of taxation, maritime cooperation, health and medicine, trade, agriculture and postal cooperation.
Pakistan to deploy troops in Saudi Arabia
Pakistan Army has announced to deploy troops in its close ally Saudi Arabia under existing bilateral security cooperation agreement. The decision comes after meeting between Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf. Saeed Al-Maliki at the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Shilpa Shetty’s The Diary of Domestic Diva launched
After the success of her first book The Great Indian Diet, actress cum entrepreneur, and now an author, Shilpa Shetty has released her second book. It is called The Diary of Domestic Diva. The Diary of Domestic Diva is a cookbook that contains recipes of various dishes along with the calorie intake details.
Vice President inaugurates 8th International Theatre Olympics
The Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 8th International Theatre Olympics 2018 at the Red Fort in New Delhi. He also released the festival logo. The 51-day-long theatrical extravaganza is being hosted in India by the National School of Drama under the aegis of Ministry of Culture. The theme is “Flag of Friendship” that aims to bridge borders and bring people of different cultures, beliefs and ideologies together through the medium of theatrical art. The festival will conclude on April 8, 2018 with a grand ceremony at the iconic Gateway of India in Mumbai.
Jordan Thompson wins Men’s Singles of Chennai Open
India’s Yuki Bhambri finished runner-up in the Men’s Singles in the Chennai Open ATP Challenger Tennis Championships. In the final, he was beaten by top-seeded Australian Jordan Thompson in three sets 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.
Yuzuru Hanyu retains gold medal
Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu has become the first figure skater in 66 years to win back-to-back Winter Olympic gold medals in the men’s singles event. Hanyu won the title with 317.85 points, beating compatriot Shoma Uno and multiple world champion Javier Fernandez of Spain to the second and third spots. He also became the 1,000th gold medal winner in the history of Winter Olympics.
Ethiopia declares national state of emergency
A state of emergency has been declared in Ethiopia after the resignation of Prime Minister Desalegn. Emergency has been declared as protests have caused massive displacement of citizens, destruction of properties & threats against constitutional order of the country. In August 2017, Ethiopia lifted a 10-month state of emergency imposed after hundreds of people were killed in anti-govt protests.