Here are Top GKToday’s News Headlines for February 19, 2020
INDIA
- Kolkata-based GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd) delivers anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kavaratti to the Indian Navy
- India-Norway Task Force on Blue Economy for Sustainable Development inaugurated
- Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in collaboration with CII participating at the ‘70th Berlin International Film Festival’: February 20 to March 1
- There has been a decline in population of 79% of Indian species of birds: State of India’s Birds Report 2020.
- Centre renames the ‘Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses’ (IDSA) after late Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
- Foundation stone for a 50-metre high lighthouse at Dhanushkodi (Tamil Nadu) laid by Union MoS for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya
- AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy February launches Nadu Nedu (meaning ‘then and now’ in Telugu) scheme to improve quality standards in government hospitals
- Veteran Kannada actor Kishori Ballal dies at age of 82 in Bengaluru
- AICTE bars universities from offering PGDM and MBA courses simultaneously
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
- Total foodgrain production is pegged at a record 291.95 million tonne for 2019-20 crop year, higher than 285.21 million tonnes in 2018-19: Agriculture Ministry
- Soil Health Card Day to be observed on February 19; Soil Health Card Scheme was launched by PM on February 19, 2015
- Shree Cement will replace Yes Bank in the benchmark index Nifty 50 from March 27
- Supratim Bandyopadhyay appointed Chairman of PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority)
- Bain and Co. and Google release report ‘Women Entrepreneurship in India—Powering the economy with her’
- Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India starts delivery of its scooter Forza 300
WORLD
- Afghanistan’s election commission declares Ashraf Ghani re-elected President in September 28, 2019 poll
- Pakistan conducts flight test of air launched nuclear-capable cruise missile Ra’ad-II with a range of 600 km
- Australia appoints Barry O’Farrell as the next high commissioner to India
SPORTS
- Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi: India’s Sunil Kumar wins gold in 87kg Greco-Roman
- Badminton Asia Team Championships in Manila (Philippines): South Korea win men’s event; Japan win women’s event
- 48 sportspersons selected for Maharashtra government’s Shiv Chhatrapati Award for 2018-19
- 2020 LAUREUS SPORTS AWARDS
- British F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and Argentinean footballer Lionel Messi were joint winners World Sportsman of the year award
- American gymnast Simone Biles won the World Sportswoman of the year award
- Snowboarding player Chloe Kim (US) won the World Action Sportsperson of the year award
- Oksana Masters (US) won the Sportsperson of the year award with a Disability
- South Bronx United (SBU), a football programme based in New York, won Sport for Good Award
- South Africa’s Rugby team won Laureus World Team of the Year Award
- Germany’s F3 driver Sophia Florsch won the World Comeback of the Year award
- Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal won the World Breakthrough of the Year award
- German basketball great Dirk Nowitzki won the Lifetime Achievement Award
- Spanish Basketball Federation got the Exceptional Achievement Award