Current Affairs - January 10, 2020 Current Affairs

India will be the guest of honour at the Paris Book Fair 2020 to be held in March this year. This will be the third time that India would be the guest country at the fair after 2002 and 2007.

The Indian Army began its work based on the Government Owned Contractor Operated (GOCO) model. The model will identify the potential industry partners for its base workshops and ordnance depots intended to improve operational efficiency.

Jasbinder Bilan has won the UK based Costa Children's Award 2019. She has won the award for her debut novel 'Asha and the Spirit Bird'. She will receive 5,000 pounds as prize money associated with the award.

Ladakh lifted the 7th National Ice Hockey Championship Women trophy. The match was held at the Karzoo Ice Hockey Rink in Leh. The tournament was organised by the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) in association with the Ladakh winter sports club.

The Selfie Kingdom (TSK), Dubai's first ever dedicated selfie museum, has opened its doors for photo/selfie enthusiasts of all ages. Located Close to the Expo 2020 site, TSK is an interactive space that aims to inspire creativity, art, design and promote digital content.

The Union Cabinet approved the agreement signed between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of Mongolia on 8 January 2020. The agreement aimed at enhancing the cooperation of the countries in the exploration and uses of outer space for peaceful and civilian purposes.

State-owned Housing and Urban Development Corporation (Hudco) on January 8 said that M Nagaraj has been appointed the company's Chairman and Managing Director. He has an experience of around 28 years in multitude of sectors such as housing, infrastructure finance, skill development and micro finance in social sector, and international trading.

Anil Chaudhary is the lone Indian named in the list of 19 match officials, including 16 umpires, for the upcoming ICC U-19 World Cup starting in South Africa from January 17. The 54-year-old Chaudhary has so far officiated in 20 ODIs and 27 T20Is including the ongoing series between India and Sri Lanka.

Justice A.S. Bopanna, first judge from Kodagu to be elevated to the Supreme Court, was adjudged 'Coorg Person of the Year, 2019' by a Kodagu information portal.

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr. Jitendra Singh chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials of the Gujarat Government to review preparations for the mega festival of Madhavpur Mela in New Delhi on 8 January 2020. The Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat due to be held in the first week of April 2020. The 8 States of the Northern Eastern Region will participate in the festival.

PravasiBharatiya Divas is a celebratory day observed on 9 January by the Republic of India to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community towards the development of India. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Ahmedabad on 9 January 1915.

The LIGO (Laser Inferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) detected gravitational waves due to collision of two neutron stars. This is the second time the gravitational waves are being detected.The first neutron star detection was in 2017. However, the second event that was recorded now, is not as strong as the first.

Spain's Parliament confirmed Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez as Prime Minister of the country on 7 January 2020. He will hold the office for another term at the helm of the country's first-ever coalition government since its return to democracy in the 1970s.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the year 2019 was recorded as the seventh warmest year since 1901. It also said that the heating was substantially lower than the highest warming observed in 2016.

The Union Cabinet chaired by the PM Narendra Modi approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and the United Kingdom on 8 January 2020. The MoU aimed for enabling Energy Self-Sufficiency for Indian Railways.

Japan has topped Henley Passport Index while Afghanistan is last (107th). A country's ranking is based on the number of countries its holders can enter without prior visa approval. Japanese citizens can enter 191 countries while Afghan nationals can only travel to 26 countries without a visa.

IBM has appointed Sandip Patel as MD India and South Asia (ISA) operations.Mr. Patel would be responsible for all strategic and operational matters related to IBM's sales, marketing, services and delivery operations in the region, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Kochi to host Global Investors Meet on 9-10 Jan. Kochi: An electronic hardware and a defence park in Kerala are among 18 mega projects the state government will highlight at the Global Investors Meet on 9 and 10 January.

Kia Motors India (KMI) has appointed Tae-Jin Park with immediate effect as executive director and chief sales officer to establish the company's position in the utility vehicle space.KMI has established a car manufacturing facility in Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh with an annual production capacity of about three lakh units.

After the facial recognition system is tested, the technology will be implemented across the railway network. Facial recognition technology backed by artificial intelligence has been installed at Bengaluru, Manmad and Bhusawal stations as test cases to identify and nab criminals.