National Affairs
Rajya Sabha panel submits report on child porn
An ad hoc committee of the Rajya Sabha (RS) headed by Congress parliamentarian Jairam Ramesh submitted its report on child pornography to Vice President (VP) and Rajya Sabha Chairman Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu.
The committee has suggested enabling effective action by governments and authorised to curb child sexual content & has appealed to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to raise the issue in its ‘Mann Ki Baat’ program so that people can become aware of it and curb it. This committee was formed by the Vice President to examine the issue of such widespread social concern and prepare its report.
About Rajya Sabha:
- Secretary-General– Shri Desh Deepak Verma
- Member Of Parliament & Leader of House– Thaawarchand Gehlot
Indian Railways commissions first waste to energy plant
Indian Railways (East Coast Railway zone) has commissioned the first waste to energy plant at Carriage Repair Workshop, Mancheswar, in Bhubaneswar.
It has been built at a cost of Rs 1.79 crore and has the capacity to dispose 500kg waste, including plastic and e-waste. This waste-to-energy plant uses a patented technology called ‘Polycrack’.
This process will produce energy in the form of light diesel oil which is used to light furnaces.
State Affairs
Kolkata
India’s first underwater metro, ‘Kolkata metro’ to be opened by March 2022
Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) is set to complete its East-West Project, which runs partly under the Hooghly river, West Bengal, by March 2022. It will be India’s first underwater metro. The new metro rail is expected to carry about 900,000 people daily & will take less than a minute to cross a 520-meter underwater tunnel.
74% of the East-West metro project is owned by India’s Railway & remaining 26% by the nation’s Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
About JICA:
- Headquarters- Tokyo, Japan.
- President – Shinichi kitaoka.
International Affairs
Britain unveils 50 pence coin minted to mark Brexit
Britain unveiled a new 50 pence coin minted to mark the country’s departure from the European Union, which bears the inscription “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations” and the Brexit date of 31 January 2020.
Brexit is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Finance Minister of Britain Sajid Javid, who is also Master of the Mint, was presented with the first batch of coins.
13th edition of International Children’s Film Festival inaugurated at Dhaka, Bangladesh
The 13th edition of International Children’s Film Festival was inaugurated in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The theme of International Children’s Film Festival 2020 is ‘Under The World’. The week long festival will be concluded on January 31, 2020.
It is organized by the Children’s Film Society, Bangladesh. It is the biggest film festival of Southeast Asian country and only international festival celebrated since 2008.It will feature 173 films from 39 countries including Bangladesh, India, France, Korea, Spain and other countries.
About Bangladesh:
- President– Mohammad Abdul Hamid
- Prime Minister- Sheikh Hasina Wazed
- Capital- Dhaka
- Currency- Bangladeshi taka
Saudi Arabia announces Israeli citizens are not allowed to visit kingdom
Saudi Arabia has announced that Isreali citizens are not allowed to visit the kingdom,home to Islam’s holiest sites.
This decision comes after Isreal’s Interior Ministry said Isreali citizens (Musolims and Jews) have the right to travel to Saudi Arabia for religious and business visits. Like most Arab countries, Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatioc relations with Isreal. Isreal has peace deals with only two Arab countries Jordan and Egypt.
Appointments & Resignations
Taranjit Singh Sandhu appointed India’s Ambassador to US
Senior diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to the US, the Ministry of External Affairs. Sandhu, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently posted as High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka.
He replaces Harsh Vardhan Shringla as India’s envoy in Washington. Shringla has been named as India’s next foreign secretary.
Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec resigns
Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec has announced a step-down and called for fresh elections. Earlier, he is best known as a comedian and political satirist before he launched himself as an anti-establishment politician.
The Prime minister of Slovenia is the head of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia.
Joao Vale de Almeida appointed as the 1st ambassador of EU to United Kingdom
Veteran diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida appointed as the first ambassador of European Union (EU) to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.He will assume the office on February 1, 2020 the day after the Brexit.
62-years-old diplomat was born on January 29,1957 in Lisbon, Portugal.He joined European Commission in 1982 after working as a journalist for seven years.
About United Kingdom:
- Capital- London
- Currency- Pound Sterling
ATF nominates Anil Khanna as life President
Senior Sports Administrator Anil Khanna was nominated Life President of the continental body Asian Tennis Federation(ATF). He had served as ATF President from 2005 to 2019 and also ITF Vice President from 2015 – 2019.
The ATF held the meeting of its Board of Directors in Melbourne and unanimously nominated Mr Khanna as Life President. He was also appointed Chairman of the ATF Finnace Committee.
Sachin Bansal, the independent director of Ujjivan Small Finance bank resigns from the post
Sachin Bansal has resigned from the independent director of Ujjivan Small Finance bank. He is the co-founder of Flipkart. Following the majority stake acquisition in Chaitanya India Fin Credit, Sachin Bansal has applied for a universal banking licence on January 10, 2020.
Bansal was born in Chandigarh, India, on August 5, 1981. In 2006 he joined Amazon Web Services as a Senior Software Engineer and in later 2007 along with his co-founder Binny Bansal, he started the Flipkart.
Summits & Conference
PM Modi addresses 3rd Global Potato Conclave in Gandhinagar
The Third Edition of the Global Potato Conclave (1st – 1999 & 2nd -2008) has been started at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the conference through remote video conferencing. The Objective of the conclave to highlight achievements and opportunities in the area of potato researcs,trade & industry, and value chain.
About Gujarat:
- Chief Minister – Vijay Rubani
- Governor -Acharya Devvrat
- Capital – Gandhi Nagar
Defense News
GRSE set to deliver ASW corvette INS Kavaratti to Navy soon
Garden Reach Shipbilders and Engineers (GRSE) is set to deliver anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kavaratti to the Navy.
Kavaratti is the last of the four Anti-submarine warfare(ASW) stealth corvettes built by the GRSE for the Indian Navy under Project P28.
Three of the four corvettes, INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt and INS Kiltan were commissioned in 2014,2016 and 2017 respectively.
Obituaries
Assamese linguist Golok Chandra Goswami passes away
Eminent Assamese linguist and academician Golok Chandra Goswami passed away. He was honoured with the Asam Sahitya Sabha’s ‘Sahityacharya’ title, ‘Bhashacharya’ title by Asom Bhasha Bikash Samiti and ‘Anundoram Borooah Award’ by the Anundoram Barooah Institute of Language, Art and Culture.
Arjuna awardee & Former Indian women’s hockey team captain Sunita Chandra passed away at 76
Sunita Chandra 76 years old, passed away in her hometown Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Sunita Chandra was an Arjuna awardee. She had played for the Indian women’s hockey team between 1956 to 1966. She had served as the captain of the Indian women’s hockey team from 1963 to 1966.
Important Days
January 28: Lala Lajpat Rai Birth Anniversary Celebrated
the India celebrated the legend Lala Lajpat Rai’s 155th birth anniversary. He is one of the most celebrated freedom fighters in the country. His patriotism earned him titles such as “Punjab Kesari” and “Lion of Punjab”.
He was an active participant of Hindu Reform Movements, Indian Independence Movements, Indian Nationalist Movements. Young men Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad were greatly influenced by Rai. He was also a major participant of the protests against Simon commission.
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