IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JANUARY 5th & 6th, 2020

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JANUARY 5th & 6th, 2020

World Braille Day: 04 January
The world Braille Day was celebrated on 04 January.

1)     The day is marked remembering the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, the inventor of Braille - for people with visual disabilities.

2)     Louis Braille was born on 4th January 1809 in the town of Coupvray in northern France.

3)     At the age of just 3, he lost both his eyes in an accident.

4)     This resulted in the invention of the language of 6 dots- which is popularly known as braille.

Neutral pronoun 'they' voted Word of the Decade
Neutral pronoun 'they' has been voted word of the decade by US language experts, beating out other contenders.

1)     "They" is used in English by a growing number of non-binary individuals, people who do not identify as either male or female.

2)     They prefer the plural neutral pronoun to bypass using the pronouns "he" or "she".

3)     The recognition comes after US dictionary Merriam-Webster in December named "they" as word of the year.

India ranked 34th on world travel, tourism competitiveness index
According to WEF report, India has moved up six places to rank 34th on world travel and tourism competitiveness index.

1)     India's ranking improved from 40th to 34th, the greatest improvement over 2017 among the top 25 percent of all countries ranked in the report.

2)     Spain held on to the top spot in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) latest Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report (TTCR), which ranked 140 countries on their relative strengths in global tourism and travel.

3)     Spain was followed by France, Germany and Japan, with the United States replacing the UK in the top five.

WB Govt to provide holy water of Ganga Sagar through an app
West Bengal Government has decided to provide holy water of Ganga Sagar on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

1)     The people who desire to have holy water may apply through the designated app of the Mela.

2)     Only courier charges will be taken for this purpose.

3)     The Ganga Sagar Mela will take place on the 14th of January this year in West Bengal.

Kolkata Police to start third edition of 'Sukanya' project
Kolkata Police will start the third edition of its 'Sukanya' project to provide girls studying in schools and colleges in the city with self-defence training.

1)     The third batch of 'Sukanya' will start at 100 city-based schools and colleges situated in Kolkata Police jurisdiction.

2)     Girl students of VIII, IX, XI and girls studying in the first year at educational institutions in this area will be part of it.

3)     Sukanya is an initiative of the Kolkata Police's Community Policing Wing to provide self-defence training to girl students of city-based schools, colleges and universities.

Adani Ports to acquire a 75% stake in Krishnapatnam Port
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone on announced its decision to acquire a controlling stake in Krishnapatnam Port Company Limited (KPCL) in what would be the largest acquisition in the port sector in India.

1)     The Gautam Adani-led company will buy a 75% stake in KPCL at an enterprise value of Rs 13,572 crore after prolonged talks to obtain the all-weather port in Andhra Pradesh.

2)     Located at Krishnapatnam in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, north of Chennai, the port was developed in 2008 by CVR Group, which continues to own a majority stake.

3)     With Krishnapatnam, Adani Ports now has 12 ports and terminals across the country.

4th All India Police Judo Cluster Championship 2019
The 4th All India Police Judo Cluster Championship 2019 was inaugurated in New Delhi.

1)     The 5-day sporting event will draw to a close on the 7th Jan.

2)     The sporting event is organized by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

3)     Previous editions of the cluster have been organized by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), West Bengal Police and Odisha Police in 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively.

Iran names Esmail Qaani as new Commander
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei named the Deputy Head of the Revolutionary Guards' foreign operations arm Esmail Qaani to replace Qasem Soleimani as its commander. 

1)     Qaani is one of the most decorated commanders of the Guards during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

2)     Soleimani was killed in a targeted U.S. drone strike on 3 January 2020 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Irfan Pathan announces retirement from all forms of Cricket
Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan announced his retirement from all forms of Cricket.

1)     Irfan, who has been out of favour from the Indian team for a few years now, made his Team India debut at the age of 19 in 2003.

2)     He last played for India in October 2012.

3)     He played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is.

4)     He was part of the victorious Indian team at the 2007 World Twenty20 and was the man-of-the-match in the final against Pakistan.

Saurabh Chaudhary wins gold in men's 10 m air pistol at 63rd National Shooting Championship
Ace shooter Saurabh Chaudhary has won the men's 10 metres air pistol gold at the 63rd National Shooting Championship in Bhopal.

1)     The 17-year-old from Uttar Pradesh shot a classy 246.4 to finish on top.

2)     Second-placed Sarabjot Singh of Haryana was well behind with a score of 243.9, while world number two Abhishek Verma settled for bronze in a high-quality final.

3)     Abhishek and Sarabjot together won the team gold for Haryana.

Iran takes final step by abandoning JCPOA restrictions
In Iran, the Cabinet announced the country's decision to take the final step to reduce commitments to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), popularly referred to as the 2015 nuclear deal.

1)     Iran will observe no restrictions in operational areas including enrichment capacities, enrichment percentage, and the volume of enriched material as well as research.

2)     However, Iran will continue cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency as before.

3)     Under the 2015 accord, Iran had agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.

India Russia to sign MoUs on AK-203 assault rifles
The Army is likely to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the procurement of over 7.5 lakh AK-203 assault rifles with Russia.

1)     About 1 lakh rifles will come directly from Russia and the remaining will be manufactured by the JV in India.

2)     The rifles will be manufactured by the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) at Korwa in Uttar Pradesh.

3)     The Army has been looking to replace the indigenous INSAS (Indian National Small Arms System) rifles in use with a modern rifle.

Govt's UJALA, SLNP complete five years of illuminating nation
UJALA and Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) of the central government completed five successful years of illuminating the country.

1)     Over 36.13 crore LED bulbs have been distributed across the country through the UJALA initiative.

2)     This has resulted in an estimated energy savings of 46.92 billion kilowatt-hour per year.

3)     Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) project brought the market transformation in the energy efficiency sector.

4)     More than 1.03 crore smart LED streetlights have been installed till date under the Street Lighting National Programme.

Women Science Congress begins in Bengaluru
The Women Science Congress was inaugurated at the ongoing Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru.

1)     DRDO Aeronautical Systems Director General Dr.Tessy Thomas who is known as Missile Woman of India graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.

2)     Recalling the contribution of women in different spheres, she said, the status of women in the country is changing as their growing presence is seen in many areas of expertise.

Kochi to host global meet on marine ecosystem
Kochi will host the third international symposium on marine ecosystems challenges and opportunities (MECOS-3) from January 7 to 10.

1)     Organised by the Marine Biological Association of India, MECOS-3 will serve as a platform for discussions on a range of topics, including the impact of the climate crisis on marine ecosystems and an unusual warming of the Arabian Sea.

2)     The meet will also focus on the UN’s sustainable development goal-14 (life under water), development of small-scale fisheries, recent developments in aquaculture, eco-labelling and green fishing technologies.

3)     The symposium is aimed at reviewing the concerns involved in marine ecosystem and formulating strategies for the better and sustainable utilisation of marine wealth.

MP govt starts Mukhyamantri Karmachari Swasthya Bima Yojana
The Madhya Pradesh government has given its 12.55 lakh employees a new year bonanza by approving a health insurance scheme, ‘Mukhyamantri Karmachari Swasthya Bima Yojana’.

1)     The scheme will be effective from April 1 and will make every government employee and their families eligible for medical treatment worth Rs 5 lakh annually.

2)     For some critical diseases, the eligibility will be enhanced to Rs 10 lakh.

3)     All permanent and contractual employees, teachers, retired employees, home guards and others getting salary from contingency fund will reap the benefits of this scheme.

First-of-its kind turtle rehab centre comes up in Bihar
A first-of-its-kind rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles will be inaugurated in Bihar’s Bhagalpur forest division in January 2020.

1)     The rehab centre, spread over half a hectare, will be able to shelter 500 turtles at a time.

2)     The need to build such a centre was felt after several turtles were found severely wounded and sick when rescued from smuggles by rescue teams.

3)     Previously, rescued turtles used to be released into rivers without much treatment in the absence of any facility like the centre.

India's Forex reserves touch all time high of 457.468 billion                                      
India's foreign exchange reserves swelled by 2.520 billion USD to touch a record high of 457.468 billion USD in the week that ended on 27th December 2019.

1)     An RBI press release has informed that foreign currency assets, a major part of the overall reserves rose by 2.203 billion USD to 424.936 billion USD. 

2)     India's special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund, however dipped by 2 million USD to 1.441 billion USD, while the country's reserve position increased by 58 million USD to 3.7 billion USD.

Golden Globes Awards :2020
The 77th Golden Globe Awards were announced at the Beverly Hilton hotel in California.

Here is the full list of winners.

1)     Best Motion Picture - Drama: 1917

2)     Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama: Renee Zellweger, (Judy)

3)     Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: Joaquin Phoenix, (Joker)

4)     Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

5)     Best Motion Picture - Animated: Missing Link

6)     Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Awkwafina, (The Farewell)

7)     Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Taron Egerton, (Rocketman)

8)     Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language: Parasite (South Korea)

9)     Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture: Laura Dern, (Marriage Story)

10)  Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture: Brad Pitt, (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood)

11)  Best Director - Motion Picture: Sam Mendes, (1917)

12)  Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

13)  Best Original Score - Motion Picture: Hildur Gudnadottir, (Joker)

14)  Best Original Song - Motion Picture: I'm Gonna Love Me Again, (Rocketman)

15)  Best Television Series - Drama: Succession

16)  Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama: Olivia Colman, (The Crown)

17)  Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama: Brian Cox, (Succession)

18)  Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy: Fleabag

Former Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi passes away
Former Governor of Karnataka T N Chaturvedi passed away.

1)     T N Chaturvedi served as Comptroller and Auditor General of India from 1984 to 1989.

2)     He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1991.

3)     He was the Governor of Karnataka from the year 2002 to 2007.