Current Affairs - January 9, 2020 Current Affairs

Two Indian origin women, Judge Archana Rao and Judge Deepa Ambedkar have been appointed as judges to criminal and civil courts. The judges were appointed by New York mayor Bill de Blasio. Judge Archana Rao is appointed to criminal court of New York.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched the Vajra Platform to make payments fast and secure. The platform is based on blockchain technology. The main objective of the Vajra Platform is to provide automated clearing and settlement of payments and drastically reduce the need for manual reconciliation.

India skipper Virat Kohli retained his top spot among batsmen while Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane dropped in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on January 8.Kohli's 928 rating points have vaulted him ahead of the second-placed Steve Smith, who sits on 911 points. Pujara was placed sixth, down one rung, with 791 points, while Rahane occupied the ninth spot after slipping a couple of positions with 759 points.

Two Indian origin women, Judge Archana Rao and Judge Deepa Ambedkar have been appointed as judges to criminal and civil courts. The judges were appointed by New York mayor Bill de Blasio. Judge Archana Rao is appointed to criminal court of New York and Judge Deepa Ambedkar is appointed to civil court in New York.

The Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah released a book titled Karmayoddha Granth in New Delhi on 7 January 2020. In his book, Amit Shah has shared the life of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

IFS officer Arun Kumar Sahu is appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the mountainous Caribbean island of Dominica. He will be residing in Port of Spain. The appointment was approved by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Former Western Army Commander Lieutenant general Prem Nath Hoon passed away on 6 January 2020. He was 90 years old. Lt Gen Hoon was admitted to Command Hospital, Chandimandir, Panchkula due to illness.

The Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar presented the Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman in New Delhi on 7 January 2020. The award acknowledged the positive role and responsibility of media in disseminating the outreach of Yoga in India and abroad.4

The World Day of War Orphans was celebrated on 6 January 2020. The day is observed every year. The day enables the global Communities to recognize the plight of a, particularly vulnerable group. The day aims to address the war orphans as it has become a growing worldwide humanitarian and social crisis.

One of India's best-known artists, Akbar Padamsee passed away in Coimbatore on 6 January 2020. He was 91 years old. Akbar Padamsee was born in Mumbai in 1928. He earned a Diploma in Painting from Sir JJ School of Art. He was one of the pioneers of modern Indian art along with S.H. Raza, F.N. Souza, and M.F. Husain.

For the first time, the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered a roughly Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of its host star, the zone of orbital distances where liquid water could be stable on a world's surface. The newfound exoplanet, known as TOI 700 d, lies just 101.5 light-years from Earth, making it a good candidate for follow-up observations by other instruments.

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 University Games provides a platform for young students to showcase their sports talent.

A Sakthivel has been elected as the Chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) by the Executive Committee for the period 2020-21. Dr A Sakthivel along with some exporters had established Tirupur Exporters Association in 1990 widely known as TEA.

The 2nd National GST Conference of the Commissioners of State Tax and Chief Commissioners of Central Tax was held on January 7 in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Revenue Secretary, Ministry of Finance.

The 31st International Kite Festival was launched at the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It was inaugurated by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. The festival will be conducted from 7-14 January in different parts of the state.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced that the State is to set up the Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center (VSCIC) in the state. The announcement was made at the Children's Innovation Festival (CIF) held at Swarnim Sankul in Gandhinagar. He felicitated top 30 idea teams, out 114 teams, led by school students in the state.

Exim Bank raises $1 bn via overseas bond sale to execute regular activities. The Export Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) on January 7 said it has raised $1 billion (over Rs 7,000 crore) through an overseas bond sale which will be used for its regular activities.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has approved Rs.650 crore for the rejuvenation of highly polluting Budah Nallah at Ludhiana. The state government has directed the local government department to ensure the timely completion of the project, within two years.

National Statistical Office (NSO) has estimated India's GDP growth rate for 2019-20 estimated at 5% on 7 January 2020. It has seen dipping to an 11-year low of 5% in the current fiscal. This is mainly due to poor showing by the manufacturing and construction sectors. The previous low economic growth was recorded at 3.1% in 2008-09.

Zoran Milanovic won Croatia's presidential election. He is Croatia's center-left former prime minister. He defeated center-right incumbent Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in a second-round vote. The presidential election was held on 22 December 2019. He belongs to the Social Democrats (SDP).