Daily Current Affairs 30th January, 2020

Daily Current Affairs 30 January 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Indian Navy launched ‘Operation Vanilla’ to aid the cyclone-hit Madagascar
Extending support to the cyclone flood-hit nation of Madagascar, the Indian Navy deployed its amphibious ship, INS Airavat, to undertake humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief mission as part of ‘Operation Vanilla’

  • The Operation Vanilla has been launched to provide assistance to the affected population of Madagascar post devastation caused by Cyclone Diane.

World’s largest meditation centre opened in Hyderabad, Telangana
To mark the 75th anniversary of the formation of Shri Ram Chandra Mission and Heartfulness Institute, unveiled the meditation centre slated to be the world’s largest in Hyderabad, Telangana.

  • It is dedicated to the first guide of Heartfulness Lalaji Maharaj affectionately known as Daaji, the present guide of Heartfulness, in the presence of several dignitaries.

SC allows govt to bring African cheetah to suitable wildlife habitat in India
The Supreme Court allowed the Centre to introduce the African cheetah to a suitable habitat in India.

  • The apex court set up a three-member committee, comprising former director Wildlife of India Ranjit Singh, DG of Wildlife of India Dhananjay Mohan, and DIG, Wildlife, Ministry of Environment and Forests to guide the NTCA in taking a decision on the issue

Country’s 1st and biggest ‘walk-through’ aviary inaugurated at Byculla Zoo in Maharashtra
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the country’s first and biggest ‘walk-through’ aviary at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo in Maharashtra, as part of the Republic Day festivities,.

  • Spread over 18,200 sq.feet and 44 feet (or a five-storey building) high, the aviary will house over 100 species of rare, exotic and common birds, living their natural environs.


BANKING & FINANCE

Britain unveils new 50 pence coin to mark its departure from EU
The British government unveiled a new 50 pence coin to mark the country’s departure from the European Union.

  • The coin bears the inscription “peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations.“”Leaving the European Union is a turning point in our history and this coin marks the beginning of this new chapter.


BUSINESS & ECONOMY

UK Govt launches £4 Million pound Innovation challenge fund in India
The UK government has launched 4 million pound (about Rs 37 crore) fund in India to support collaborative research into emerging technologies. Innovation Challenge Fund will encourage industry and academia to collaborate and develop tech solutions for social, economic and environmental challenges in India.

  • The initiative is focused on two major tech clusters: artificial intelligence/ data in Karnataka and future mobility in Maharashtra.

India’s crude steel production rose by 1.8 % to 111.2 MT in 2019: WSA
Brussels-based World Steel Association said India’s crude steel production went up to 111.2 million tonne (mt) in 2019, showing a 1.8 per cent rise over 2018, as Asian steel producers emerged as key drivers behind a 3.4 per cent surge in global crude steel output to 1.86 billion tonne during the year.

  • Within Asia, India and China were the two countries which posted improvement in steel output during the calendar year 2019

NTPC to develop 300 MW solar power projects in West African country Togo
The Power Ministry announced that West African country Togo has appointed power giant NTPC as its project management consultant (PMC) for about 300 MW of solar power projects in the West African nation.

  • Togo is a country in West Africa and member of the ISA. The nation has set an ambitious plan to achieve universal electricity access by 2030 with focus on capacity addition in solar power generation.


SPORTS

71st International Boxing tournament Strandja 2020 held in Sofia, Bulgaria ; India bags  3 medals
Commonwealth Games medallist Indian boxer Mohammed Hussamuddin claimed silver medal at the 71st Strandja International Boxing Tournament after going down fighting in the final against Francesco Maietta in Sofia, Bulgaria.

  • India concluded its campaign with three medals. Earlier, season campaigner Sonia Lather and Asian Championships silver medallist bagged bronze medal for the country. While, World Championships silver medallist Sonia lost her 57 kg semi-final bout against Luliia Tsyplakova of Ukraine, Thapa suffered a defeat against Georgia’s Lasha Guruli in the 63kg semi-final.

New Zealand spinner Todd Astle announces first-class retirement
New Zealand leg-spinner Todd Astle has announced his retirement from first-class cricket to focus on the limited-overs formats, ruling him out of the upcoming two-match unofficial Test series against India

  • Astle, however, will sign off as the top First-Class wicket-taker for Canterbury, clinching 303 of his 334 wickets for the side.

For the 2nd straight year, India to host Barca Academy Cup – Asia Pacific 2020 in Gurgaon, Haryana
Over 650 aspiring footballers from seven countries will take part in the Barca Academy Cup – Asia Pacific, scheduled to be held in Gurgaon from January 30 to February 2.

  • This is the second time India will be hosting the tournament and it will comprise 48 teams across four age groups.


APPOINTMENTS

Diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu appointed as India’s Ambassador to US
Seasoned diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to the US, replacing Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

  • Shringla is set to take over as the next foreign secretary on Wednesday.Sandhu, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently posted as High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka.

Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani appointed as new PM of Qatar
Qatar appointed a new Prime Minister replacing Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Quoting an Emiri order, the State News Agency reported that Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdelaziz Al Thani has been named as the new Prime Minister.



AWARDS

Abhijit Banerjee conferred D Litt by alma mater Calcutta University
Nobel laureate Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee was conferred with the honorary D Litt by his alma mater Calcutta University at its annual convocation.

  • Eminent astrophysicist J V Narlikar was conferred Sir Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Medal. Scientists Samir K Brahmachari, Arup Kumar Raychaudhuri and Partha Pratim Majumder were bestowed the Sir Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray Medal.

Environmentalist Pavan Sukhdev and Prof. Gretchen C. Daily won the Tyler Prize 2020
Renowned environmental economist and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Goodwill Ambassador Pavan Sukhdev was awarded Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, recognizing his groundbreaking ‘green economy’ work.

  • Sukhdev, who received the award alongside conservation biologist Gretchen C. Daily, was the Special Adviser and Head of UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative, a major project launched by then-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Noted Theatre artist Sanjna kapoor gets French honour ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’ in New Delhi
Well-known theatre person Sanjana Kapoor receives the prestigious French honour of ‘Chevalier dans lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) for her outstanding contribution to the field of theatre in New Delhi from French Minister of Culture Franck Riester.



SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ICG commissioned high-speed interceptor boat C-448 in Mangaluru, Karnataka
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned a high-speed interceptor boat C-448 in Mangaluru, Karnataka. This interceptor boat built by L&T (Larsen & Toubro) shipyard will have a crew of 12 personnel commanded by Assistant Commandant Apoorva Sharma.

  • The boat has an endurance of 500 nautical miles at 20 knots and can reach a maximum speed of 45 knots.

Researchers at IIT-H develops essential-oil-based drug carrier to treat fungal diseases
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIT-H), have developed a novel delivery system based on essential oils in the treatment of diseases caused by fungi.

  • In addition to treating infections without running the risk of inducing drug resistance, the drug thus delivered can counter fungi that have developed resistance to conventional, anti-fungal drugs.

Dr Jitendra Singh launched ISRO’s Bhuvan Panchayat V 3.0 Web portal
The Union Minister of State (I/C) Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh launched the Bhuvan Panchayat V 3.0 web portal in Bengaluru.

  • For the first time, a thematic data base on a 1:10,00 scale for the entire country is available with integrated high resolution satellite data for planning.


ENVIRONMENT

10 more wetlands from india declared as Ramsar sites
In a major recognition towards Government of India’s effort towards conservation, restoration and rejuvenation of its wetlands, Ramsar has declared 10 more wetland sites from India as sites of international importance.

  • With this, the numbers of Ramsar sites in India are now 37 and the surface area covered by these sites is now 1,067,939 hectares. Maharashtra gets its first Ramsar site (Nandur Madhameshwar) , Punjab which already had 3 Ramsar sites adds 3 more (Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve, Nangal) and UP with 1 Ramsar site has added 6 more (Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and Sarsai Nawar).


OBITUARIES

Ex Bihar minister and RJD MLA Abdul Ghafoor passed away at 60
Former Bihar Minister and RJD MLA Abdul Gafoor died at a hospital in New Delhi. He was 60.Gafoor, who represents Mahishi assembly constituency in Bihar Assembly.

Veteran south actress Jameela Malik passed away 
Veteran South actress Jameela Malik, who has acted in Malayalam and Tamil films in the 1970s and 1980s, passed away  in Thiruvananthapuram. She was 83.

  • Jameela, who had shared screen space with doyens like Prem Nazir and Adoor Bhasi during the 1970-80 period, was the first Keralite woman to graduate from the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.


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