Latest Current Affairs – January 16 2019
1. Manu Sawhney named as ICC Chief Executive
The International Cricket Council announced Manu Sawhney has been appointed as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Sawhney, the former CEO of Singapore Sports Hub and Managing Director of ESPN Star Sports, will join the organization next month before formally taking over the reins from David Richardson in July following the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
2. Stephen Constantine steps down as India coach after Asian Cup exit
Stephen Constantine resigned from his position of Indian football team’s head coach after the Blue Tigers suffered an exit from the group stage of the AFC Asian Cup 2019. India had to bow out of the tournament after they suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss against Bahrain at the Sharjah Stadium on Monday. Jamal Rashed’s 91st-minute penalty sent India on their way home, after a solid defensive performance from Constantine’s men.
3. Chennai’s Gukesh Crowned India’s Youngest Grandmaster
Tamil Nadu lad D Gukesh became the second youngest Grand Master in the world and the youngest Indian to achieve the feat at 12 years, seven months and 17 days, erasing the mark set by his state-mate R Praggnanandhaa in June last year. He achieved his third and final GM norm at the ongoing 17th Delhi International Open Chess tournament in Delhi after beating compatriot D K Sharma in the ninth round. Gukesh becomes India’s 59th Grand Master. Ukraine’s Sergey Karjakin remains the youngest-ever GM, having achieved the feat at the age of 12 years and seven months in 2002.
4. Detained Chinese lawyer Yu Wensheng wins Franco-German human rights award
A detained Chinese rights lawyer Yu Wensheng has won a Franco-German human rights award for his ‘exceptional contribution’ to the protection and promotion of human rights. Yu Wensheng, who is in pretrial detention on subversion charges, has been held incommunicado by authorities in Jiangsu’s Xuzhou city for more than a year. His wife Xu Yan received the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law on her husband’s behalf from the French and German ambassadors to China.
5. Cabinet approves expenditure sanction for Integrated E-filing and Centralized Processing Centre 2.0 Project
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval to expenditure sanction of Rs.4,241.97 crore for Integrated E-filing &Centralized Processing Center 2.0 Project of the Income Tax Department. The Union Cabinet also approved the expenditure sanction for the consolidated cost of Rs.1,482.44 crore of the existing CPC-ITR 1.0 project upto FY 2018-19.
This approval has significant benefits for the Department and taxpayers through various functionalities such as pre-filling of ITR and acceptance by taxpayer as a means to improve accuracy and to reduce refund/processing turnaround time .
6. Cabinet approves recapitalisation of Export-Import Bank of India
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the recapitalization of EXIM Bank. The details are as follows:
Issuance of Recapitalization Bonds by Government of India to the tune of Rs.6,000 crore for capital infusion in Export Import Bank of India (Exim Bank). The equity will be infused in two tranches of Rs. 4,500 crore in FY 2018-19 and Rs.1,500 crore in FY 2019-20 respectively.
The Cabinet also approved an increase in the authorized capital of Exim Bank from Rs. 10,000 crore to Rs. 20,000 crore. The recapitalisation bonds will be on the lines issued to Public Sector Banks.
7. CCEA approves Numaligarh Refinery capacity expansion project worth over Rs 22,000 cr
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has decided to expand the capacity of Numligarh Refinery in 3 Million Metric Tonne Per Annum, (MMTPA) to 9 MMTPA. The project will be completed within a period of 48 months. Mr Goyal said the decision of expansion of refinery will meet the requirement of crude oil and petroleum products in the northeast region. He said it would also generate direct and indirect employment in Assam.
8. India born, Dr. Rattan Lal honoured with 2019 Japan Prize
The Japan Prize Foundation announced the laureates of the 2019 Japan Prize, who have pushed the envelope in their respective fields of “Materials and Production” and “Biological Production, Ecology”.
Two scientists are being recognized with the 2019 Japan Prize for original and outstanding achievements that not only contribute to the advancement of science and technology, but also promote peace and prosperity for all mankind. India born, Dr. Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. is being honored for his work in identifying technological options adapted to various ecosystems through his intensive basic and applied research on processes and factors of soil degradation caused by inappropriate biological production.
9. CWG gold Medalist Mohammed Ali Qamar becomes youngest India women’s boxing coach
Mohammed Ali Qamar, India’s first Commonwealth Games gold medal winner in boxing, has taken over as chief coach for the country’s women pugilists. At 37, he became the youngest to get the top job.
Ali Qamar, will replace veteran Shiv Singh. Ali Qamar has been an assistant coach in the national camp for more than a year.
10. Bengaluru most dynamic city, Hyderabad ranked second: JLL CMI
Bengaluru is the world’s most dynamic city among 131 major established and emerging business hubs globally, followed by Hyderabad, according to the sixth City Momentum Index published by JLL today.
Closely following Bengaluru is Hyderabad that is ranked second with Delhi (4th), Pune (5th), and Chennai (7th) featuring in top 10 cities. At 15th position, Kolkata was the sixth Indian city ranked amongst top 20.
With 19 of the top 20 cities from Asia Pacific, the rankings highlight and showcase the region’s continued rapid urbanization and strong economic growth. In the 2018 edition of the City Momentum Edition, Hyderabad topped the rankings followed by Bengaluru (2nd), Pune (4th), Kolkata (5th) and Delhi (8th).
11. Tripura CM launches Rs 1,000cr forest management project
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb launched a Rs 1,000-crore Sustainable Catchment Forest Management (SCATFORM) project for local communities living in and around forest areas in the state. “The project would help improve forests in the targeted catchment areas, and the ecosystem would be conserved. It would also create livelihood of the people living in and around the forest areas,” he said.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) would bear 80 per cent of the cost and the rest would be funded by the state and central governments.
12. Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan flags off SAKSHAM awareness vans
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan flagged off SAKSHAM ( Sanrakshan Kshmata Mahotsav ) Vans to promote and create awareness among people on the need of oil and gas conservation for the future and the methods to do it. The van will travel to 30 districts to create awareness on conservation of energy for a better future.
The Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) in association with Oil and Gas CPSEs has been organising SAKSHAM as a month-long campaign to sensitise citizens about the acute need for petroleum conservation.
13. PM dedicates Kollam bypass to the nation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the 13-km Kollam bypass of National Highway 66, a project that took more than four decades to complete.
The 13-kilometre-long two-lane bypass, on the National Highway-66, has three major bridges over the Ashtamudi lake, and an underpass.
This is the first National Highway project in the country taken up on a 50:50 Centre-State partnership.
It will reduce travel time between Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram, besides avoiding traffic congestion in Kollam town.
