Current Affairs - January 19, 2014

Current Affairs

January 19, 2014

National Affairs

1. The first round of Pulse polio programme for children in the target age-group of zero to five years was be held in various parts of the country today.

2. The Rajya Sabha will be reconvened from February 5 and may conclude on February 21, as part of the extended Winter Session.

3. Lauding the work of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) during calamities, including one in Japan, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Sunday said the Centre would soon recommend Disaster Mitigation Medals for the brave personnel.

4. The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) signed MoUs with FICCI. MoUs were signed to collaborate in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility Competition Law, Corporate Laws, Corporate Governance, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development of the industry and the economy.

5. Seventeen packets of heroin with street value of Rs 85 crore along with arms and ammunition were seized by the Border Security Force near the Indo-Pak border today.

6. Delhi Jal Board suspended 14 engineers against whom CBI had registered cases of alleged cheating and forgery in supply of sewerage equipment.

7. Terror outfit Indian Mujahideen is planning to kidnap Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for release of its key member Yasin Bhatkal who was arrested from India-Nepal border on August 27 last year, police sources claimed today.

8. Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community died of cardiac arrest in Mumbai. He was 102. He was the 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq or spiritual head of theDawoodi Bohras community for more than 50 years.

9. Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Sunday announced that the Centre would release Rs 915 crore for reconstruction work in Odisha following Cyclone Phailin.

10. Today is the death anniversary of Hindu Rajput ruler MaharanaPratap.

11. Assam govt approaches UNESCO to accord special status to historic 'Junbeel Mela' as a Heritage Festival & Heritage Site in Morigaon dist.

12. Odisha government has issued direction to district authorities to ensure that no plastic tri-colour is used during the Republic Day celebration on January 26.

13. Jammu and Kashmir Government today welcomed the Centre’s approval to impart training to 4,260 persons in the state under the Textiles Ministry’s Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS).

14. Tamil Nadu Governor, Rosaiah inaugurated 15th Express Technology Sabha. The annual event is an established platform to share ideas, best practices and innovations on e-governance from senior government IT officials across the India.

15. Over two lakh employees of Haryana government, unhappy over their demands not being met, will go on a three-day strike from Monday even as the state imposed Section 144 to quell the agitation.

16. The 3rd Khundongbam Brojendro Theatre Festival-2014 organised by Khundongbam Brojendro Cultural Trust and Department of Arts and Culture kicked off at Maharaj Chandrakirti Auditorium, Palace Compound Imphal. The festival is being held under the theme "Theatre for Peace and Friendship".

17. India‘s first climate change theatre opened at Pushpa Gujral Science City in Kapurthala, Punjab. It’s objective is to provide information on climate changes and global warming to school and college students and sensitize the audience about the currently debated subject of Climate Change and Global Warming.

International Affairs

18. Egypt's new constitution approved by 98.1 percent.

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Army chief who ousted the democratically elected Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in last July, is said to be eyeing the presidential office.

19. Libya's General National Congress declared a state of emergency in the country after fresh clashes erupted in the south when gunmen group seized a military base.

20. Bangladesh's gay community has launched its first magazine "Rupabaan" in a bid to promote greater acceptance of homosexuals who face widespread discrimination in the conservative Muslim-majority country, the editor said on Sunday.

21. Ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and 25 others, including liberal activists and journalists, will be tried for "insulting the judiciary", the fourth case slapped on the Islamist leader.

22. Peshawar in Pakistan had the largest number of polio cases in the world in 2013. This was revealed by World Health Organisation (WHO) in a global analysis for polio cases. Khyber PakhtunkhwaProvince, of which Peshawar is the capital and adjoining tribal districts, has been found to be the polio hotspot in Pakistan.

23. Hery Rajaonarimampianina, a former Finance Minister of Madagascar was declared as the new President of the nation. His election as the President came as the result of the elections conducted on 20 December 2013 with an aim to restore democracy in the nation.

24. US President Barak Obama has signed a $1.1 trillion spending bill that puts condition on continuation of America aid to Pakistan.

Awards and Honors

25. Taiwanese poet Yushi conferred on the Thiruvalluvar award for his contribution to Tamil language. He is the first foreigner to receive this award. It is given by the state of Tamil Nadu annually on Thiruvalluvar day (Jan 15).

26. Cyrus Mistry bags 'DSC prize for South Asian literature 2014'.

27. Kerala-based writer Anees Slim won The Hindu Prize for Best Fiction 2013 for his novel, Vanity Bagh for consistent writing and humour and imagination. The Hindu Prize for Best Fictionrecognises the contribution of Indian writers to literary culture.

28. ENBA Awards 2013 Winners

Best News Channel of the Year (English) - NDTV 24X7

News Channel of the Year (Hindi) - Aaj Tak

Best Anchor (English) - Shereen Bhan

Best Anchor (Hindi) - Punya Prasun Bajpai

Best Editor-In-Chief (English) - Rajdeep Sardesai.

Best Editor-In-Chief (Hindi) - Shazi Zaman (Group Editor, ABP News)

Best In-Show graphics (Hindi) - Pradhanmantri (TV Series) (ABP News-MCCS)

Best In-Show graphics (English) - World view-Race for White House (CNN-IBN)

Best News Producer (Hindi) - Sweta Singh

Science and Technology

29. For the first time, a team of scientists have successfully collected sperm from an Australian monitor lizard in a bid to save the population decline of the goannas.

Business and Economy

30. Air India is doling out free air tickets to its 24,000 employees, even as it expects to incur a loss of Rs 3,900 crore this financial year and has a debt burden of Rs 35,000 crore.

31. Google X Lab unveiled a smart contact lens that can help diabetics to measure their glucose level in tears. The smart contact lens has been developed in collaboration with the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) by Brian Otis and Babak Parviz.

Sports

32. The Netherlands crowned champion of inaugural Hockey World League.

33. A 16-year-old boy  Lewis Clarke, from Bristol has become the youngest person to trek to the South Pole completing the 1,129km journey in 48 days.

34. Lalita Babar completed a hat-trick of wins among the Indian women and set a new course record, while Pune-based Army Sports Institute's Karan Singh was the best finisher among the Indian men in the 11th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon at Delhi today.

35. Experienced Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene joined the 11,000 Test runs club during the fourth day of the third and final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah on Sunday.

36. The third Lusofonia Games started in Goa. The Games will hold from 18 January to 29 January 2014. It is for the first time the Lusifonia Games are being held in India. These games are organized by ACOLOP (Association of the Portuguese Speaking Olympic Committees).

Deaths

37. One of the pioneer photographers of India, who had taken pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel during the pre-independence, post-independence and post-liberalisation eras, Pranlal Patel (105) died.

38. Christopher Chataway, a former 5,000-meter world record-holder has died at the age of 82.

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