18 January 2020 - Daily Current Affairs
1. Vinesh Phogat wins gold medal in Rome Ranking Series
- Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat won the first gold medal of the 2020 season at the Rome Ranking Series event in Rome on January 17, 2020.
- Vinesh downed two tough Chinese rivals on her way to the 53kg gold medal bout in which she overpowered Ecuador's Luisa Elizabeth Valverde 4-0.
- She won by technical superiority against Khrystyna Bereza (10-0) and Lannuan Luo (15-5) before getting the better of Qianyu Pang (4-2).
Sports
2. Sania Mirza wins WTA International women's doubles title
- Indian women tennis star, Sania Mirza and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok have won the women's doubles title of the WTA International trophy at Hobart in Australia.
- In the final on January 18, 2020, they beat Shaui Peng and Shuai Zhang of China 6-4,6-4.
- It is Sania's 42nd WTA doubles title and first since Brisbane International trophy in 2007 with American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Banking & Finance
3. Amazon will create 1 million jobs by 2025 in India
- World’s largest online retailer Amazon announced that it has planned to invest $1 bn in India and generate 1 mn jobs.
- This was announced during Jeff Bezos three-days visit to India.
- Also, in order to involve small and medium businesses, a mega summit called the smBhav was organized by Amazon in New Delhi.
- According to the National E-Commerce Policy 2019, the Indian E-Com market is estimated to reach $200 bn by 2026.
National Affairs
4. HURL's APNA UREA - Sona Ugle brand launched
- Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister DV Sadananda Gowda launched the APNA UREA - Sona Ugle brand of Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Limited (HURL) in New Delhi.
- HURL is a Joint Venture Company of Coal India Limited, NTPC Limited & Indian Oil Corporation Limited.
- HURL is in the process of reviving three sick urea units located at Gorakhpur, Barauni, and Sindri which are expected to be commissioned in February 2021
Defense
5. S-400 air defence missiles to be delivered to India by 2025
- Manufactured by Almaz-Antey all five units of S-400 air defence missile systems will be delivered to India by 2025. For that its production has started in Russia.
- The S-400, an upgraded version of the S-300, had previously only been available to the Russian defence forces.
- In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal to buy the air defence missile systems.
State Affairs
6. Mizoram to celebrate Chapchar kut in March 2020
- The Mizoram government and organizing committee under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Zoramthanga decided to celebrate Chapchar Kut, the biggest and most important festival of the Mizos, on March 6, 2020.
- While March 5 will be celebrated as pre-festival, which would be graced by Art and Culture Minister R Lalzirliana as "Kut Pa" or the "father of the festival".
- Theme: "Promotion of Mizos' culture and moral code"
National Affairs
7. MoU between NITI Aayog and UT of Ladakh for Infra Projects
- On January 17, 2020 an MoU between the UT of Ladakh and NITI Aayog was signed to promote the development of key infrastructure in Ladakh.
- Under this MoU, NITI Aayog will be supporting the UT’s administration through its key initiative ‘Development Support Services to States for Infrastructure Projects (D3S-i)’.
- The main purpose of D3S-i projects is creating PPP (Public Private Partnership) projects.
Honours & Awards
8. Sakya Singha Sen awarded 'Merck Young Scientist Award 2019'
- Indian scientist from National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune, Sakya Singha Sen received the first Merck Young Scientist Award 2019 in Chemical Sciences.
- Merck is a science and technology company operating worldwide.
- Merck Young Scientist Award is given to researchers with less than ten years of experience with expertise in solving some of the toughest problems in chemical sciences.
International Affairs
9. Microsoft promises to be carbon negative by 2030
- Microsoft promised that by 2030 it will be carbon negative, and by 2050 it will have removed all the carbon it has emitted since 1975.
- To become negative, the company will have to not just reduce its carbon emissions and shift to renewable resources but actually offset its carbon footprint.
- It has also announced its investment of $1 bn in a “climate innovation fund” for technology for carbon capture and removal.
National Affairs
10. Centre of Block Chain Technology sets up in Bengaluru
- National Informatics Centre has set up the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Blockchain Tech in Bengaluru to provide BC as a service and allowing all stakeholders to benefit from shared learning, experiences, and resources.
- Inaugurated by Ravi Shankar Prasad, the center will share its blockchain-based proof of concepts with govt entities.
- The center will also help different wings of the govt. to understand the potential of tech\
