Current Affairs - January 19, 2020 Current Affairs

Henley Passport Index 2020 was launched recently by Henley & Partners. India ranked 84th in the index. Japan has the world's strongest passport. The index was based on the data collected from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

State-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) has exited from credit information bureau Equifax Credit Information Services for a consideration of Rs 91.03 crore. In a regulatory filing, BoB sold 1,35,00,000 shares of a face value of Rs 10 for Rs 67.43 per unit.

Lt Col Yuvraj Malik appointed as the Director of the National Book Trust on deputation from the Indian Army. He will replace Sahitya Akademi-awardee writer Rita Chowdhury. He served with the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, Raj Bhawan in Jammu & Kashmir, United Nations Missions in Africa, and several operational areas. National Book Trust came under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Russia started production of S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems for India. The five units will be delivered to India by 2025.S-400 air defence missile systems. The S-400 air defence missile systems are among the best in the world. This will significantly bolster India's air defence mechanism.

Qatar scrapped mandatory exit permits for migrant domestic staff and other groups on January 16, as part of efforts to boost rights for guest workers amid scrutiny of its record.

Rocky Johnson, a former professional wrestler and father of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, has died aged 75. His death was confirmed on Wednesday in a statement released by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). No cause of death was given.

India's GM Abhijeet Gupta beat Aleksej Aleksandrov of Belrus in the 10th and final round to win the 18th Delhi Open International Grand Masters Chess Championship.

Reliance Jio has become the largest telecom player with 36.9 crore mobile subscribers in November 2019, according to the data published by telecom regulator Trai on January 16. Vodafone Idea reported a total mobile subscriber base of 33.62 crore and Bharti Airtel at 32.73 crore customers for November 2019.

Indian teenage wrestler Anshu Malik won in the women's 57kg freestyle event of the season 's first major competition, the Ranking Series in Rome. She lost to Nigeria's Odunayo Adekuoroye for the score 10-0.

Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne was named as the 2019 ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer. Labuschagne recently reached his career-best ranking and moved to the third place in the latest ICC Test player rankings after a match-winning double-century against New Zealand in Sydney.

Sakya Singha Sen from National Chemical Laboratory awarded as Merck Young Scientist Award 2019 for performing remarkable research in chemical science. Sen and his research team specializes in main group chemistry and involves in the synthesis of compounds with main group element and their catalytic application.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have developed a novel device that can be used to generate hydrogen fuel from seawater, an advance that may contribute to a cleaner energy future.

Haryana continues its dominance in wrestling at the 3rd Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati. Haryana won six of the 11 gold. Maharashtra got three gold medals in wrestling and reached 150 marks on the medals tally with 42 golds overall.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Export Promotion Council (MSNE-EPC) is organizing the first three-day summit from 17 January 2020. It is organized by the Assam state government. The aim is to aspire entrepreneurs in the North East to pave the way for the development of entrepreneurship and businesses by women and youths of the region.

Kerala govt. awards GV Raja awards to Muhammad Anas (athletics) and PC Thulasi (badminton) in male and female categories respectively

Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav - 2020 was organised by Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) in New Delhi to promote conservation and efficient.

Kuldeep Yadav became the fastest Indian spinner to claim 100 wickets in ODI during the second match against Australia in Rajkot. The left-arm wrist-spinner reached the milestone in his 58th match when he got rid of Alex Carey for 18 in the 38th over of the Australian run chase. The fastest to 100 wickets was Harbhajan Singh in 76 matches.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has endorsed a technology developed by Indian scientists to detect tuberculosis and multi-drug resistant TB in view of its high diagnostic accuracy. The WHO's Global TB Programme has included TrueNat TB test -- a new molecular test that detects tuberculosis as well as resistance to the drug Rifampicin in about 90 minutes -- in its rapid communication document on a molecular investigative procedure in laboratory medicine and pharmacology.

Delhi hosted the first-ever International Heritage Symposium and Exhibition (IHSE) at the National Museum in Janpath on January 15 and 16, 2020. The event, was headlined by a symposium featuring distinguished speakers, aims for interdisciplinary discussions that will help preserve India's cultural heritage for posterity.

Chuni Goswami, the Indian Football stalwart who led India to win the gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games in Bangkok was honoured by the Indian Postal Department, who issued a postal stamp on his 82nd birthday.