Current Affairs in short : 16 January 2020

The 43rd session of the governing council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) was held in Rome with the theme “Investing in sustainable food systems to end hunger by 2030″.

Global telecom industry body GSM Association has decided to cancel the 2020 edition of the sector’s largest event Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2020 due to health safety concerns around novel coronavirus outbreak.

The fifth edition of exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior 2020’ between the armies of India and the United Kingdom commenced at Salisbury Plains, the United Kingdom.

Indo-Japan joint-exercise Sahyog-Kaijin began on 16 January 2020 at the Chennai port. This is the 19th edition of the exercise that is being conducted between the two Coast Guards.

Brazil has announced that it is to open a new research base in Antarctica. Brazil's original scientific outpost was destroyed by fire 8 years ago.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has decided that the minimum daily wage of estate workers will be 1000 rupees with effect from 1st March.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has resigned. The Medvedev submitted his resignation to President Vladimir Putin.

The festival of Maghe Sankranti is being celebrated with gaiety and religious fervor in Nepal. It is known as Maghi Sankranti in Tarai region.

SBI has publicly issued a warning of ‘Juice Jacking’ through its twitter handle. Juice Jacking is an attack carried out by hackers through a USB charging cable

People with disabilities (PwDs) and people over 80 years of age can now cast their vote in Delhi Assembly Election through postal ballot.

Saksham, a people centric fuel conservation mega campaign of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) has been launched. One month long mega campaign was inaugurated by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is set to organise the first-ever Khelo India Winter Games in the Union Territory of Ladakh in the third week of February and in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the first week of March.

The Indian Railways South Central Railways (SCR) zone has become the first zonal railway in the country to have functional “energy neutral” railway stations on the network.

‘Apiary on Wheels’, a unique concept designed by KVIC for the easy upkeep and migration of Bee Boxes having live Bee colonies, was flagged off by the Union Minister of MSME Shri Nitin Gadkari in Delhi.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) will host the first National Organic Food Festival in New Delhi. 

Ahead of Valentine’s day, ‘Pyaar ka Paudha’ (a plant of love) campaign has been launched by the Bihar government’s Department of Environment and Forest in Patna, to encourage the practice of planting trees in the state.

Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal said the first phase of East-West Metro corridor connecting Sector V with Salt Lake Stadium is dedicated to freedom fighter Sarojini Naidu on her birth anniversary.

Jammu and Kashmir allocated two AIIMS – one in Jammu and another in Kashmir. The nine medical colleges had been sanctioned in Jammu and Kashmir in addition to the two AIIMS. The new work culture of the government of working beyond vote bank politics has greatly benefitted the people.

As per the Forbes’ Real Time Billionaires’ Index, Avenue Supermarts, which is doing business as D-Mart, founder Radhakishan Damani has now become the second richest Indian with a networth of $ 17.8 billion,after Reliance Industries ltd chairman Mukesh Ambani.

The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to replace Yash Bharti Awards with State Cultural Award. Yash Bharti Award is the highest Award of Government of Uttar Pradesh.

Netherlands women’s captain Eva de Goede has been named as the 2019 FIH Women’s Player of the Year by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) was showed over 46% in Lucknow and 45.9% in Varanasi kids are unable to read or recognize numbers.

Sonam Sherpa, the lead guitarist of the Indian rock band Parikrama, passed away . He was 48.

Current Affairs in short : 15 January 2020

The US Treasury department has dropped the designation of China as a currency manipulator.

India and Bangladesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the co-production of a biopic on Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The global e-commerce firm, Amazon has announced the incremental investment of USD 1 billion in India.

President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India.This is President Marcelo’s first visit to India. The last visit by a President of Portugal to India was in 2007.

India and Portugal signed an MoU to develop a world-class National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal in Gujarat.

Indian Navy’s Sandhayak class Hydrographic Survey Ship, INS Jamuna (J16), commanded by Captain HA Hardas, arrived Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Army Day is celebrated on 15 January every year in India, in recognition of Field Marshal Kodandera M Cariappa took over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is celebrating its 145th Foundation Day on 15 January.

Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge), Chemical, and Fertilizers, Mansukh Lal Mandaviya said that Special focus on developing inland waterways will result in four-fold cargo volume increase on Ganga, while the ‘Arth Ganga’ project will boost economic activities along its bank.

The famous Parshuram Kund Mela begins in Arunachal Pradesh. Parshuram Kund is a Hindu pilgrimage centre situated on the Brahmaputra plateau in the lower reaches of the Lohit River.

Stock market regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) has extended the deadline for the separation of the posts of Chairman and MD (Managing Director) or chief executive officer (CEO) for 500 listed companies by 2 years.

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched toll-free helpline numbers 1800-180-5310 and 1800-180-5312 to solve the queries of students ahead of the Board examinations that are scheduled to begin next week.

Forest Department officials in Salem, Tamill Nadu are gearing up to prevent an unusual jallikattu, one that uses foxes (Bengal Fox) instead of bulls.

Recently, a study of inscriptions on clay tablets excavated from Moghalmari have confirmed the presence of two monasteries. Moghalmari is a Buddhist monastic site of the early medieval period in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district.

The sixth edition of the mega industrial exhibition ‘Engiexpo 2020’ is held in Vadodara, Gujarat .

Striker Rani Rampal will lead the 20-member Indian Women's Hockey team for the upcoming New Zealand tour.

Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer A P Maheshwari appointed as Director General (DG) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Puri, Odisha has been awarded for its initiatives for plastic waste management with the Swachhata Darpan Awards 2019.

World-famous Ski destination Gulmarg is all set to host a five-day national winter games event from 7th March under the banner of Khelo India.

World silver-medallist Amit Panghal has been ranked number one in the 52 kilogram category for Olympic Qualifiers, making him the first Indian pugilist in over a decade to achieve the global top position in the category.

India’s pioneering feminist scholar and activist Gita Sen, has won the prestigious Dan David Prize for her expansive work in the fields of population policies, reproductive and sexual health, women’s rights, poverty, labour markets and global governance.

Bipul Behari Saha, a noted chemist has been elected as a bureau member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) for the period 2020-23.

Senior IPS officer A P Maheshwari was appointed as Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Kerala Cartoonist and Secretary of Kerala Cartoon Academy Thomas Antony passed away at Kottackal town in Malappuram district, Kerala after suffering from heart attack.

Portuguese motorcycle rider Paulo Goncalves passed away after a crash in the seventh stage of the 42th edition of Dakar Rally 2020 which was held for the first time in Saudi Arabia.

Current Affairs in short : 14 January 2020

14 January celebrated as Armed Forces Veterans Day every year. Armed Forces Veterans Day is being celebrated since 2017. 

Sardar Patel’s 182 meter tall Statue of Unity in Gujarat included in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s ‘8 Wonders of SCO’ list. S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister has announced today

Income-Tax Department was launched 24×7 control room to monitor black money and illegal inducements in poll-bound Delhi. This facility will also host a toll-free number (1800117574).

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has developed a special class diesel conforming to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) grade for use in ships and vessels of Indian Navy.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch GSAT-30 satellite onboard Ariane-5 launch vehicle (VA 251) from French Guiana, overseas department of France.

India's flagship global conference on geopolitics and geo-economics Raisina Dialogue began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the inaugural session in New Delhi. 

Captain Tania Shergill has been selected to be the first woman parade adjutant for the Republic Day parade.

Centre has renamed the Kolkata Port Trust after Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

China operationalized the world's largest radio telescope in southwest China’s Guiyang city, the capital of Guizhou province. The FAST telescope is was launched after three years of trial operation.

The World Bank has forecast Sri Lanka’s economic growth at 3.3% for 2020 saying the growth is likely to remain below four per cent in the next three years.

Iran’s Olympic medalist, Kimia Alizadeh took to her instagram to announce that she is leaving the country.

Robert Abela has been sworn in as Malta’s 14th prime minister in a ceremony at the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta.

The Japan Coast Guard Ship ‘Echigo’ has arrived in Chennai on a five-day goodwill visit.

The Uttar Pradesh government switched to the commissionerate system of policing for Lucknow and Noida, giving magisterial powers to the top cops in both cities.

The Centre government has appointed Michael Debaprata Patra as the Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India. 

Aashman Taneja, a five-year-old boy, from Hyderabad has set the Guinness world record in Taekwondo for the most full contact knee strikes in one-hour non-stop.

Odia Filmmaker Manmohan Mohapatra passed away on 13 January in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He died due to the prolonged illness. He was 69-years-old.

Current Affairs in short : 13 January 2020

About 8,000 residents were evacuated after a small active Taal volcano near Manila spewed a massive cloud of ash.

The Australian government is to declare koalas as an endangered species after the bushfire crisis. It destroyed 30% of the habitat of koalas across the country.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is to visit New Delhi in February 2020. He will hold a discussion with his counterpart, Narendra Modi. The dates and the delegation are yet to be firmed up for the visit.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen secured a landslide victory in presidential elections with voters resoundingly handing its first female leader a second term.

Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar has said, the government is in the process of acquiring around 200 aircraft to cope with the depleting aerial inventories of the Indian Air Force.

Kaziranga recorded 96 species of wetland birds one of the highest for wildlife reserves in India, according to the second wetland bird count conducted on January 9-­10.

Private property is a fundamental right: Supreme court Judgement.

Ishwar Sharma from the UK has been honoured with the Global Child Prodigy Award 2020. The award recognized for the achievements in spiritual discipline yoga.

Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd bagged a megaproject from NTPC for a 250-megawatt solar project under the Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSU) scheme. The cost of the project is Rs.1,505 crore. It has been estimated to be completed in a period of 20 months.

The Centre after consultation with the Reserve Bank of India has increased the authorised capital of Indian Overseas Bank from Rs 15,000 crore to Rs Rs 25,000 crore.

The Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly adopted a new logo, reflecting the distinct identity and culture of the state. The new logo consists of the national emblem and foxtail orchid (Rhynchostylis Retusa), the state flower.

Rajasthan will shortly get its first biotechnology park and an incubation center, for which a memorandum of understanding will be signed with the Centre’s Department of Biotechnology. The park and incubation center is expected to enable the State government to take up research in the field of biotechnology and provide employment to the youths

Assam's Dibrugarh district won the Plastic Waste Management Award 2020. It was awarded for being the best district of India in the plastic waste management category during Swachhta Hi Sewa 2019.

Youngster Shafali Verma is all set to receive the best international debut for a woman player (2018-19) at the annual BCCI awards. Verma has so far played just T20Is for the Indian side. In the nine matches, the 15-year-old has scored 222 runs with the highest score of 73.

World number one Kento Momota won the Malaysia Masters after easily defeating Denmark's Viktor Axelsen 24-22, 21-11.

Lt Col Yuvraj Malik has been appointed the Director of the National Book Trust (NBT). He has taken over from Sahitya Akademi-awardee writer Rita Chowdhury.

Veteran broadcaster, poet and academician Obaid Siddiqui has passed away due to health related problems. Siddiqui, 63, was quite unwell due to multiple ailments and was undergoing treatment.

Current Affairs in short : 12 January 2020

National Youth Day or Yuva Diwas is observed on 12 January across India. The day is celebrated every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the 23rd National Youth Festival (NYF) 2020 on January 12, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Visakhapatnam will host International Naval event ‘MILAN‘ in March 2020. The theme of the exercise for the year 2020 is ‘Synergy Across the Seas’.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurates the country's first Cyber Crime Prevention Unit AASHVAST in Gandhinagar.He also launched Video Integration and StateWide Advance Security-VISWAS project.

Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Textiles, Smriti Irani launched Yashaswini Scheme for Women entrepreneurship in Goa.

Crime in India has increased by 1.3% in 2018 compared to 2017 with the registration of over 50 lakh cognisable crimes, reveals 2018 edition of ‘Crime in India’ statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Malappuram (Kerala), Kozhikode (Kerala) and Kollam (Kerala) were the only three cities to make it to the top 10 of the world’s fastest-growing cities.

Haryana, Karnataka and Kerala have topped the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019.

The Nandyal-Yerraguntla section in Guntakal Division of Andhra Pradesh has been declared as the first solar section in South Central Railway. In 2016 August Indian Railways opened Nandyal-Yerraguntla section in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh.

The UP Cabinet approved a proposal to set aside Rs 234 crore for construction of a zoological garden named after Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan in Gorakhpur. The zoo will come up across over 121 acres. The objective was to attract tourists and increase employment opportunities.

India has deployed its aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya in Arabian Sea. The aircraft carrier was deployed amid the Pakistan-China naval exercise “Sea Guardians” taking place in North Arabian Sea.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander has said his unit accepts full responsibility for the accidental shoot-down of a Ukrainian passenger plane.

By December 2021, Kashmir will be connected to the rest of the country through the Indian Railways network as the government has set a new deadline for completion of the world’s highest railway bridge – Chenab bridge.

The Forest Advisory Committee, an apex body tasked with adjudicating requests by the industry to raze forest land for commercial ends, has approved a scheme that could allow “forests” to be traded as a commodity. If implemented, it allows the Forest Department to outsource one of its responsibilities of reforesting to non-government agencies.

MohdHaitham bin Tariq al-Said took over as Sultan of Oman after the death of long-time ruler Qaboos.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will now allow consumers to give an e-mandate for recurring payments made through Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

Tamil Nadu Assembly passed two Bills to name a fisheries university and a music varsity after late Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa.

Mortgage lender HDFC has completed the acquisition of majority stake in Apollo Munich Health Insurance for Rs-1,495.81 crore.

Pacer Jasprit Bumrah received the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award for being the best international cricketer (2018-19) at the BCCI’s annual awards.

Agri-cooperative leader and Rajya Sabha MP Chandra Pal Singh has been unanimously elected as Chairman of Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd (KRIBHCO).

Eminent Agricultural Scientist Dr M S Swaminathan and well-known social worker, Dr. Gutta Muniratnam were respectively chosen as the first recipients of ‘Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award for Excellence’ and ‘Muppavarapu National Award for Social Service’’.

Current Affairs in short : 11 January 2020

Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that it has successfully developed a laser-based air defense system.

India is planning to double crude oil imports from the US. The move is a part of its effort to reduce dependence on the West Asia region.

India is currently erecting a new non-cut steel fence along its sensitive border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It aims to plug vulnerable and infiltration-prone patches.

A prototype of the naval version of the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas successfully completed the test trial. It landed and took off from India's aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya on 11 January 2020.

The eight States of the Northern Eastern Region will participate in a big way during the Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat due to be held in the first week of April this year.

The Supreme Court has declared access to the internet a fundamental right.

The annual bird census will commence in the Corniga Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) and surrounding wetlands in the Godavari mangrove cover on the east coast from Saturday.

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant likely to be commissioned by 2021.

The “Paperless Licensing Process” has been launched by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), for Petroleum Road Tankers.

Centre appointed 2 joint secretaries, 13 deputy secretaries, and 25 under secretary-rank officials to the newly-created department of military affairs.

Union Home Minister has inaugurated the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) located in New Delhi.

The Reserve Bank of India has released a report “National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI): 2019-2024“. The National Strategy for Financial Inclusion for the period 2019-2024 has been formulated by RBI under the aegis of Financial Inclusion Advisory Committee (FIAC).

The Andhra Pradesh Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the representatives of a German firm, KFW for `Zero Budget Natural Farming’ (ZBNF).

India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the nodal body for the country's pulses trade and industry  announced that the fifth edition The Pulses Conclave, will be held from February 12-14in Lonavala, Maharashtra.

Apparel Export Promotion Council of India (AEPC) said it has appointed A Sakthivel as the new chairman of the organisation.

Ministry of steel in partnership with CII and JPC is organizing the launch of Purvodaya-Accelerated Development of Eastern Region through an Integrated Steel hub, in line with Prime Minister's Vision for focused development of the Eastern States.

The longest serving ruler of Oman Sultan Qaboos bin Said passed away. He was a charismatic and visionary leader who transformed Oman into a modern and prosperous nation. He was ruling Oman since 1970.

Jasbinder Bilan wins UK children's book award

Jasbinder Bilan, a schoolteacher who writes in her spare time, has won the Costa Children’s Book Award for Asha & The Spirit Bird, a tale set in the Himalayan foothills where the author was born and inspired by her late grandmother.

Jasbinder Bilan wins UK children's book award

“Wow! We unanimously lost our hearts to this gorgeous book,” was the response of the judges who began with 144 entries and announced the eventual winner in London on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, the organisers added an intriguing footnote: “Did you know that this is the only book prize to be won by Roald Dahl? He won the Children’s Novel Award in 1983 with The Witches!”

Jasbinder, who now lives near Bath with her husband and her two sons, was not even two when her family moved to Nottingham from India. “But we kept India alive by continuing to talk about our farm and all the funny things that happened there during the big family gatherings we had.”

She said she said she always loved writing and received encouragement from her primary school teachers, who even entered her early poems for competitions. Her father, meanwhile, ensured all his six children used the local library.

Jasbinder recalled one of her treasured books was

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, which “opened up a world of imagination, adventure and possibility”.

She said: “When I went back to India for the first time since I was born there, I made sure I took along a pretty notebook.”

She added: “It was at that point that all the stories my grandmother told me throughout my childhood made sense, because this was where they were first told.

“The story of our monkey Oma taking my brother off to the neem tree and rocking him to sleep in her arms suddenly sprang to life when I stood under that very tree. I could almost hear my grandmother’s laughter and imagine her walking about the house.

“It was these diaries that I went back to when I began writing Asha & The Spirit Bird.”

“I wanted to capture the essence of India in my story and for my reader to be transported to its heart.”

The plot of her novel is as follows: “Asha lives in the foothills of the Himalayas. Money is tight and she misses her papa who works in the city. When he suddenly stops sending his wages, a ruthless moneylender ransacks their home and her mother talks of leaving.

From her den in the mango tree, Asha makes a pact with her best friend, Jeevan, to find her father and make things right. Guided by a majestic bird which Asha believes to be the spirit of her grandmother, she and Jeevan embark on a journey to the city, across the Himalayas, to find her father and save her home.”

In 2017, she entered her manuscript for The Times Children’s Fiction Competition for unpublished writers. She was selected for a publishing deal and the novel came out in February 2019.

Jasbinder said: “When my sons were younger, story-time was always something we looked forward to. One of our favourite picture books to share was Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell. We also loved sharing anything by Michael Morpurgo and we adored White Giraffe by Lauren St John. Books I loved as a child were The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, The Greek Myths and The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aitken, all of which are great for sharing.”

Jasbinder and the winners of the other four categories – novel, first novel, biography and poetry – who all win £3,000 are now considered for the £30,000 Costa Book of the Year which will be announced on January 28.

There has been one other Indian winner before – Kishwar Desai, whose husband is the Labour peer, Meghnad Desai, won the first novel category for Witness the Night, about sex trafficking, in 2010.

source : Telegraph India

Current Affairs in short : 10 January 2020

World Bank has released Global Economic Prospects report. In its report, the World Bank has projected India’s growth rate at 5% for fiscal year 2020.

The Global Investors Meet: ASCEND 2020 was hosted by Kochi, Kerala. ASCEND 2020 showcased 18 mega projects with over Rs 100 crore investment each and offering direct employment to over 9,000 people.

Scientists found ten songbirds, five new species and five new subspecies, near Sulawesi, have officially joined the scientific record. One among them is a Togian jungle-flycatcher was found in the Wallacean islands off Indonesia's east coast.

The scientists from the University of California discovered the smallest clumps of dark matter ever identified called cold dark matter using a new technique using the Hubble Space Telescope and a feature of general relativity.

Kerala State Government launched a wage subsidy scheme for the first five years for new ventures getting registered from 1 April 2020.

Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the submarine cable works on laying between Chennai – Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

India under Narendra Modi is the fifth biggest geopolitical risk of 2020, said Eurasia Group, world’s leading political risk consultancy.

Seven students from Jammu Division have been selected for the 3rd edition of the Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020 programme which will be held on 20 January 2020.

Henley Passport Index 2020 has been released. The Indian passport ranked 84th in the world’s most powerful passport index 2020. Which is a drop by 2 places as it ranked 82nd in 2019.

The Reserve Bank of India has revised the Know Your Customer (KYC) norms for banks and other lending institutions.

In a first, HDFC Bank launched myApps application on 9 January 2020. The app aims to boost digital payments in India.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry amended the export policy for rice export to the European Union (EU) members on 9 January 2020.

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant is currently under phase-3 which involves setting to work of machinery and other equipment and to be commissioned by early 2021 in Indian Navy.

The 27th edition of South Asian Trade and Travel Exchange Expo (SATTE) 2020 was held in New Delhi. Expo was supported by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and sponsored by Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Department.

World Hindi Day is celebrated globally on 10th January every year. The day is celebrated every year to promote the use of Hindi language worldwide.

Odisha's High-Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) approved a new greenfield alumina refinery unit. The project was proposed by Aditya Birla Group-owned Hindalco Industries.

The third edition of Prime Minister’s Interaction with school students, "Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020", will be held at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on 20th of this month.

The Kerala State Health department had issued in connection with confirmation of H1N1 infection in Kozhikode district.

India-born author Jasbinder Bilan has bagged a coveted UK children's book award for her debut novel.

M Nagaraj has been appointed the company’s Chairman and Managing Director of State-owned Housing and Urban Development Corporation (Hudco).

Veteran Odissi Danseuse Minati Mishra passed away. In 2012 she was honoured with the Padma Shri.

Current Affairs in short : 9 January 2020

The Ukrainian aircraft “Boeing 737” boarding 176 people crashed in Tehran, Iran.

The Union Cabinet was apprised of the agreement on cooperation in polar science between the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and the Ministry of Education and Research, Sweden.

The Union Cabinet chaired by the PM Narendra Modi approved the ratification of the Migration and Mobility Partnership agreement signed between India and France.

The Union Cabinet approved an agreement between India and Mongolia on cooperation in the exploration and uses of outer space for peaceful and civilian purposes.

India continued to be the top sourcing market for Sri Lankan tourism with Indian tourists constituting maximum 19 percent of total tourist arrivals to the island nation in 2019.

Country's largest public sector bank, State Bank of India has announced a 'residential builder finance with buyer guarantee' (RBBG) scheme.

In Leh-Ladakh, the home teams won the 5th Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) National Ice Hockey Championship -2020 in both Boys and Girls categories.

The government has set a fresh deadline for the completion of the world’s highest railway bridge that connects Kashmir to the rest of India by December 2021.

A panel, set up by Union Minister Piyush Goyal approved to 150 private trains on 100 routes. Railway Board chairman VK Yadav flagged off private trains in the Centre’s 100 days’ agenda.

Visakhapatnam, the City of Destiny is to host MILAN 2020. The International Naval event has been scheduled to be held in March 2020.

The 8th edition of Odisha Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) International Trade Fair 2020 began in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

For the first time in India, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has developed a viable scientific method to cultivate Indian Pompano fish in ponds. Pompanos are marine fishes.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated every year to mark the contribution of overseas Indian community in the development of India. It also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on 9 January 1915.

The Union Government has authorized the amount of Rs 5559 crore for 1656 Km long Indradhanush Natural Gas Pipeline Grid project.

The Central Government has started a Scheme to set up 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) across the country.

The Supreme Court on ordered that mining leaseholders should be held responsible for re­-grassing mined areas so that biodiversity gets a second chance in these scarred landscapes.

IP based Video Surveillance System being installed by Indian Railways at railway stations to enhance security

The 5th edition of the Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference (APDRC5) held in Pune, Maharashtra.

The famous chariot festival of the Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple, the southern most major temple in Tamilnadu, is being held today with great camaraderie and devotion.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will inaugurate “Advantage Maharashtra expo 2020” in Aurangabad. The Exhibition has been organised by the Marathwada Association of Small Scale Industries and Agriculture (MASSIA).

The Kerala State Youth Commission has scheduled a state-level Adalat to be held at Thiruvananthapuram. It aims to encourage the transgender community to open up about various issues faced by them and for speedy grievance redressal.

Indian equestrian Fouaad Mirza became the first Indian to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics officially.

A Sakthivel has been appointed as the new chairman of Apparel Export Promotion Council of India (AEPC) for the period 2020-21.

Jasbinder Bilan has won the UK based Costa Children’s Award 2019 .

Indian wrestler Harshvardhan Sadgir won the Maharashtra Kesari title in the 63rd wrestling event at Balewadi near Pune on 7 January 2020.

Current Affairs in Short : 8 January 2020

The Iranian parliament approved a triple-urgency bill which designates the US army and the Pentagon as a terrorist entity.

A ten-day-long art exhibition commemorating 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was inaugurated on Tuesday in Dhaka.

India and Oman will conduct 12th edition of bilateral maritime exercise ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ in Mormugao Port, Goa. ‘Naseem-Al-Bahr’ (or sea breeze) is a naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the RNO, being conducted since 1993.

Indian Navy starts 1st Maha-Navy Connect 2020 Tri-Dimensional Expedition started from Mumbai, Maharashtra.

China successfully launched a new communication technology experiment satellite with Long March-3B carrier rocket from Xichang city in southwest China.

The Union Cabinet approved the agreement signed between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of Mongolia on 8 January 2020. 

Ladakh lifted the 7th National Ice Hockey Championship Women trophy. The match was held at the Karzoo Ice Hockey Rink.

ISRO is planning to set a new satellite series called the Indian Data Relay Satellite System. It aims to ring its own era of space-to-space tracking and communication of its space assets in 2020. 

The Union Cabinet chaired by the PM Narendra Modi approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and the United Kingdom on 8 January 2020. 

Union Health Minister has launched NetSCoFAN, a network of research & academic institutions working in the area of food & nutrition.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla  attended the Standing Committee Meeting of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) in the Canadian capital Ottawa.

The first edition of Khelo India University Games has been scheduled to be held at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Bhubaneswar.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the year 2019 was recorded as the seventh warmest year since 1901.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar conferred the first Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman to 30 media houses in New Delhi.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has enabled select banks in India to offer round-the-clock (24×7) trading in the Indian rupee to allow Indians to safeguard their foreign exchange (Forex) risks at any time.

President Ram Nath Kovind laid foundation stone to Lakshadweep's first Super Specialty Hospital at Kavaratti.

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr. Jitendra Singh chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials of the Gujarat Government to review preparations for the mega festival of Madhavpur Mela in New Delhi on 8 January 2020.

The 4th edition of ‘Buxa Bird Festival’ has started in Buxa National Park in West Bengal’s, district Alipurduar.More than 50 birdwatchers from pan India and abroad have registered in the festival.

The Cabinet approved conferring the status of Institution of National Importance to a cluster of Ayurvedic institutions at Gujarat Ayurved University campus in Jamnagar.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli surpassed Rohit Sharma to become the highest run-scorer in T20I during the match against Sri Lanka.

In Jharkhand, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator Ravindra Nath Mahto from Nala constituency was unanimously elected as the new Assembly Speaker.

Weightlifter Sarbjeet Kaur has been banned for four years by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) for a doping violation.

The 19-year-old Rugby player Sweety Kumari has been crowned as the ‘international young player of the year.’

Union Home Minister released a book ‘Karmayoddha Granth’ on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

One of India’s best-known artists, Akbar Padamsee passed away in Coimbatore

77th GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS 2020

The winners of this year's Golden Globe Awards have been announced at a ceremony in Los Angeles, California.

Here is the full list of winners and nominees:

Best motion picture - drama

• WINNER: 1917
• The Irishman
• Joker
• Marriage Story
• The Two Popes

Best actress in a motion picture - drama

• Cynthia Erivo - Harriet
• Scarlett Johansson - Marriage Story
• Saoirse Ronan - Little Women
• Charlize Theron - Bombshell
• WINNER: Renée Zellweger - Judy

Best actor in a motion picture - drama

• Christian Bale - Ford v Ferrari
• Antonio Banderas - Pain and Glory
• Adam Driver - Marriage Story
• WINNER: Joaquin Phoenix - Joker
• Jonathan Pryce - The Two Popes

Best motion picture - musical or comedy

• Dolemite Is My Name
• Jojo Rabbit
• Knives Out
• WINNER: Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
• Rocketman

Best actress in a motion picture - musical or comedy

• Ana De Armas - Knives Out
• WINNER: Awkwafina - The Farewell
• Cate Blanchett - Where'd You Go, Bernadette
• Beanie Feldstein - Booksmart
• Emma Thompson - Late Night

Best actor in a motion picture - musical or comedy

• Daniel Craig - Knives Out
• Roman Griffin Davis - Jojo Rabbit
• Leonardo DiCaprio - Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood
• WINNER: Taron Egerton - Rocketman
• Eddie Murphy - Dolemite is My Name

Best motion picture - animated

• Frozen 2
• How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
• The Lion King
• WINNER: Missing Link
• Toy Story 4

Best motion picture - foreign language

• The Farewell
• Les Miserables
• Pain and Glory
• WINNER: Parasite
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Best actress in a supporting role in any motion picture

• Kathy Bates - Richard Jewell
• Annette Bening - The Report
• WINNER: Laura Dern - Marriage Story
• Jennifer Lopez - Hustlers
• Margot Robbie - Bombshell

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• Ricky's best jokes... and other Golden Globe highlights
• Golden Globes: The red carpet in pictures
• Globe wins for Fleabag and Olivia Colman

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Best actor in a supporting role in any motion picture

• Tom Hanks - A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
• Anthony Hopkins - The Two Popes
• Al Pacino - The Irishman
• Joe Pesci - The Irishman
• WINNER: Brad Pitt - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best director in a motion picture

• Martin Scorsese - The Irishman
• Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
• Bong Joon Ho - Parasite
• WINNER: Sam Mendes - 1917
• Todd Phillips - Joker

Best screenplay - motion picture

• Noah Baumbach - Marriage Story
• Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won - Parasite
• Anthony McCarten - The Two Popes
• WINNER: Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
• Steven Zaillian - The Irishman

Best original score

• Motherless Brooklyn - Daniel Pemberton
• Little Women - Alexandre Desplat
• WINNER: Joker - Hildur Gudnadottir
• 1917 - Thomas Newman
• Marriage Story - Randy Newman

Best original song - motion picture

• Beautiful Ghosts - Cats
• WINNER: I'm Gonna Love Me Again - Rocketman
• Into the Unknown - Frozen 2
• Spirit - The Lion King
• Stand Up - Harriet

Best television series - drama

• Big Little Lies
• The Crown
• Killing Eve
• The Morning Show
• WINNER: Succession

Best actress in a drama series

• Jennifer Aniston - The Morning Show
• WINNER: Olivia Colman - The Crown
• Jodie Comer - Killing Eve
• Nicole Kidman - Big Little Lies
• Reese Witherspoon - The Morning Show

Best actor in a drama series

• WINNER: Brian Cox - Succession
• Kit Harington - Game of Thrones
• Rami Malek - Mr Robot
• Tobias Menzies - The Crown
• Billy Porter - Pose

Best television series - musical or comedy

• Barry
• WINNER: Fleabag
• The Kominsky Method
• The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
• The Politician

Best actress in a television series - musical or comedy

• Christina Applegate - Dead to Me
• Rachel Brosnahan - The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
• Kirsten Dunst - On Becoming a God in Central Florida
• Natasha Lyonne - Russian Doll
• WINNER: Phoebe Waller-Bridge - Fleabag

Best actor in a television series - musical or comedy

• Michael Douglas - The Kominsky Method
• Bill Hader - Barry
• Ben Platt - The Politician
• Paul Rudd - Living With Yourself
• WINNER: Ramy Youssef - Ramy

Best television limited series or motion picture made for television

• Catch-22
• WINNER: Chernobyl
• Fosse/Verdon
• The Loudest Voice
• Unbelievable

Best actress in a limited series or TV movie

• WINNER: Michelle Williams - Fosse/Verdon
• Helen Mirren - Catherine the Great
• Merritt Wever - Unbelievable
• Kaitlyn Dever - Unbelievable
• Joey King - The Act

Best actor in a limited series or a motion picture made for television

• Chris Abbott - Catch-22
• Sacha Baron Cohen - The Spy
• WINNER: Russell Crowe - The Loudest Voice
• Jared Harris - Chernobyl
• Sam Rockwell - Fosse/Verdon

Best actress in a supporting role in a series, limited series or a motion picture made for television

• Meryl Streep - Big Little Lies
• Helena Bonham Carter - The Crown
• Emily Watson - Chernobyl
• WINNER: Patricia Arquette - The Act
• Toni Collette - Unbelievable

Best actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television

• Alan Arkin - The Kominsky Method
• Kieran Culkin - Succession
• Andrew Scott - Fleabag
• WINNER: Stellan Skarsgård - Chernobyl
• Henry Winkler - Barry