18th February 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is on her first official visit to oil-rich Oman.
• Today she met Omani Foreign Minister Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah and reviewed bilateral political, economic, defence and security issues as well as the regional situation.
• Both the leaders discussed strategic aspects of relations as maritime neighbours.
• She also met Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said.
• Later she met Indian community in Oman and praised them for their achievements.
• Robert Bentley, the Governor of the American state of Alabama has apologized for the brutal police assault on a 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel, who was hurt in a confrontation with Madison police while visiting relatives earlier this month.
  

National Affairs

• 132nd birth anniversary of Indian Revolutionary MadanLal Dhingra is being observed today
• Aero India 2015
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates 10th Aero India show, a biennial air show and aviation exhibition in Bengaluru today.
• Modi is the second Prime Minister to inaugurate the event after H D Deve Gowda in 1996.
  
• This is the biggest air show in Asia and is said to be the largest ever air show to be hosted so far in India.
• This show is based on Modi’s Make In India theme.
• Over 300 foreign firms along with 54 ministerial and other high-level delegations from several countries took part in this year's event.
• India showcased its indigenously made Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, radars, missiles, satellites, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Airborne early warning and control system (AWACS) .
• Foreign military aircraft that are displayed include F-15C Eagle, Lockheed F-16C, Boeing KC-135, Boeing C-17, Rafale and Embraer EMB-145I etc.
• The US with 64 companies had the largest presence at the show in which 33 other countries are taking part.
• Behind the US is France with 58 companies, UK 48, Russia 41, Israel 25 and Germany 17.
• PM Narendra Modi's monogrammed pinstripe suit with his name Narendra Damodardas Modi - forming the stripes was auctioned in Surat today.
• Rajesh Juneja, a Surat-based textile businessmen bid a whopping Rs 1.21 crore for this controversial suit  that modi wore during US President Barack Obama’s visit to India last month.
• The auction of the suit will go on for three days.
• The proceeds of auction will go to the Namaami Gange Trust Fund.
• As chief minister of Gujarat, Modi had held similar charity auctions of gifts.
• The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs is organising a week-long National Tribal Festival, ‘Vanaj 2015’, which has a host of activities lined up to showcase the culture of tribal people from across the country.

Awards & Honors

• Delhi based Indira Gandhi International Airport has won the annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award, which recognizes and rewards the best airports in the world based on Geneva-based ACI's ASQ passenger satisfaction survey.
• This airport has been adjudged the best, among the world's most performing airports in the 25-40 million passengers per annum category by the Airport Council International (ACI), with Mumbai Airport also figuring in the top five list.
• Both Delhi's IGI and Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International (CSI) airports are operated under a joint venture between Airports Authority of India (AAI) and private firms.

Deaths

• Veteran film producer and Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner, D Rama Naidu (79) passed away.
• Popularly known as "Movie Mogul", he had produced 150 films in 13 Indian languages (maximum films in Telugu).
• He held the Guinness Book of World Records for the most films produced by an individual.
• In 2009, he received the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for Lifetime Achievement in the film industry for his outstanding contribution.
• In 2012, he was conferred with the third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan.

Business & Economy

• Swiss police today searched British banking giant HSBC's offices at Geneva as part of its probe into "suspected money laundering"
• The bank has been in news for a leaked list of its account holders that included 1,195 Indian names.

Sports

• World Cup 2015
• Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 105 runs in a Group A match at Canberra.

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