Current Affairs January 22 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 22 January 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurates 2^nd edition of ‘NIC TechConclave 2020’ in New Delhi On January 21, 2020, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad ,the Union Minister for Law & Justice, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology(IT), has inaugurated a 2-day long 2^nd edition of ‘NIC TechConclave 2020’based on the theme “Technologies for NextGen Governance” held at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
Key Points:
i.The conclave was organized by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) with the aim to promote the application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) at various levels in the Government.
ii.Experts from the IT industry in the areas of Cyber Security, Hyperscale Architecture, Design Thinking attended the conclave ,which will help in delivering high-quality citizen-centric services.
iii.Shri Ajay Sawhney, the Secretary of MeitY(Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology), Shri Sameer Garde ,President of CISCO (India and SAARC) also graced the occasion.
About Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology:
Founded– 1999
Headquarters– New Delhi.
Union Minister– Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad (Constituency- Patna Sahib, Bihar)
About NIC:
Founded– 1976
Headquarter– New Delhi
It works under Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.

70,000 crore rupees has disbursed till January 13, 2020 under MSME loan scheme: Ministry of Finance 
Under the scheme of providing loan to Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s) within 59 minutes nearly 70,000 crore rupees has been disbursed till January 13, 2020. The report was given by the Ministry of Finance (MOF).
Key Points:
i.Loan was given to 2.19 lakh applications out of 2.73 lakh applications.
ii.The government has introduced loan provision to MSMEs through a dedicated online portal- www.psbloansin59minutes.com.
iii.This portal acts as a single interface portal which facilitates in principal approval of bank loans to Micro Small and Medium Enterprises upto five crore rupees within 59 minutes….Click here to Read More

‘Youth Co:Lab- National innovation Challenge’ was hosted by Atal Innovation Mission and UNDP in New Delhi
On January 17, 2020 Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) NITI Aayog and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) hosted a three day long Youth Co:Lab -National Innovation Challenge in New Delhi.
i.The programme aims at fostering technology, promoting youth leadership and social entrepreneurship in India. This programme supports young people by catalysing youth-led innovation and empowers them through Youth Co:Lab.
ii.Around 300 teams have participated in Youth Co: Lab and over 30 teams in finalists have presented their solutions in which the four winning teams made it the list will represent India at the Youth Co:Lab Regional Innovation Challenge in Malaysia which will be held in April 2020.
iii.The top two teams will be fully funded and the next two teams will be partially funded for the final summit. The four teams will also participate in the Regional Springboard Programme and the top eight teams will get incubated at the Atal Incubation Centres and receive support from UNDP….Click here to Read More

Uttarakhand is the 1st state in the country to implement agricultural leasing policy
Uttarakhand has become the first state in India which has made a policy to lease agricultural land. After the approval of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the state government has issued the order.
Key Points
i.Under this leasing policy, instead of giving land on a 30-year lease, the concerned farmer will get the rent for the land.
ii.By this policy any institutions, company, firm or NGO can take farmlands of maximum 30 acres in villages for lease for a period of 30 years and the government land around farm land can be taken for  lease by paying the fee with the permission of the District Magistrate.
About Uttarakhand:
Capital City- Dehradun
Chief Minister- Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor- Baby Rani Maurya
State Animal- Alpine musk deer
State Bird- Himalayan monal
State Flower- Brahma Kamal
State Tree- Rhododendron arboreum

Indian Navy Signs MoU for offshore Data with Geological Survey of India
On 21^st January 2020, the Indian Navy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) for sharing seabed sediments data, products and expertise for Naval application in Meteorology and Oceanography.
Key Points:
i.Two heads Commodore AA Abhyankar, Head of Indian Navy’s Oceanology and Meteorology Directorate and N Maran, Deputy Director General of GSI have signed the MoU on 21^st of January 2020.
ii.Mangaluru based Marine and Coastal survey division has mapped 2.1 Million square kilometre of Exclusive Economic Zone and has a vast repository of offshore data. The data has been collected using GSI’s state-of-the art oceanic research vessels Samudra Manthan, Samudra Kaustubh, Samudra Shaudhikama and Samudra Ratnakar.
iii.The collected data will now be used by Indian Navy’s blue water fleet for oceanographic modelling to support the operations in Indian Ocean region.
About Geological Survey of India GSI:
Founded– 1851
Founder– Thomas Oldham
Headquarter– Kolkata
Director General– Shri S N Meshram
About Indian Navy:
Headquarter– New Delhi
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)– Admiral Karambir Singh

Central Government Notifies National Startup Advisory Council
On January 21, 2020 The Central Government announced the structure of the National Startup Advisory Council, chaired by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry(MoCI) Shri Piyush Vedprakash Goyal. The council will provide measures to build a strong ecosystem for new innovations and start-ups in the country.
AIM: The council aims to increase the economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities in India.
Key Points:
i.The council will suggest measures to develop a culture of innovation amongst citizens and students to promote innovation in all sectors of the country (including semi-urban & rural areas), by reducing regulatory compliances and cost for startup companies.
ii.Members: Some of the members of the council include the non-official members (founders of successful startups, persons capable of representing the interest of investors into startups etc.,) of the Startup Council elected for a period of 2 years.
iii.The nominees of the concerned Ministries, not below the rank of Joint Secretary will be ex-officio members of the council while the Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade will be the Convenor of the Council.

Bengaluru airport first in India to get disabled aircraft recovery equipment
On 14^th January 2020, An agreement was signed by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to acquire Disabled Aircraft Recovery Equipment (DARE) to enhance operational capabilities and to reduce downtime during runway emergencies.
Key Points:
i.The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has signed an agreement with a German based company KUNZ GmbH to manufacture, supply, commission and maintain the specialized equipment for Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru.
ii.This will make Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) the first airport in the country to acquire such facility to recover disabled aircraft up to Code F category and enabling faster resumption of operations.
iii.As stated in an order addressed by The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to the CEO’s of Mumbai airport, Delhi airport and Bengaluru airport, and Chairman of Airports Authority of India. The other Airports of Kolkata, Chennai, Guwahati, Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore are directed to procure the Disabled Aircraft Recovery Equipment (DARE).
About Ministry of Civil Aviation:
Founded– 21^st October 2016
Headquarters– Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, New Delhi
Minister of Civil Aviation– Hardeep Singh Puri

Defence Ministry approves procurement of military hardware worth Rs. 5,100 crore
On 21^st January 2020, The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the procurement of military equipment from indigenous sources worth over Rs. 5,100 crores.
Key Points:
i.The procurement of military equipment includes sophisticated Electronic Warfare Systems designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
ii.The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) also approved the prototype testing of trawl assemblies designed by the DRDO for T-72 and T-90 tanks and to the construction of six conventional submarines for Navy in India.
iii.It was the first meeting of The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) after the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat.
iv.It is a ‘Make in India’ initiative in the Defence sector.
About Ministry of Defence:
Headquarters– New Delhi
Founded– 15^th August 1947
About Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO):
Headquarter– New Delhi
Founded– 1958
Chairman– Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy

UAE has been declared ‘reciprocating territory’ by India under section 44A of CPC, 1908
The Central Government has declared the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to be a “reciprocating territory” under Section 44A of Civil Procedure Code (CPC), 1908. The order was issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Key Points:
i.By this the order  passed by the superior Courts of UAE can now be enforced in India as if they had been passed by the local courts in India, by filing a copy of the decree concerned in a District Court here. The courts so designated are called ‘superior Courts’.Superior courts in UAE:
(1) Federal Court-
(a) Federal Supreme Court;
(b) Federal, First Instance and Appeals Courts in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah;
(2) Local Courts-
(a) Abu Dhabi Judicial Department;
(b) Dubai Courts;
(c) Ras Al Khaimah Judicial Department;
(d) Courts of Abu Dhabi Global Markets;
(e) Courts of Dubai International Financial Center.
ii.Section 44A provides the law on the subject of execution of decrees of Courts in India by foreign Courts and vice versa while S.44A (1) provides that a decree passed by “a superior Court” in any “reciprocating territory” can be executed in India by filing a certified copy of the decree in a District Court, which will treat the decree as if it has been passed by itself.
iii.The decision is believed to help bring down the time required for executing decrees between the two countries.
iv.The other countries declared to be “reciprocating territories” are: United Kingdom, Singapore, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Trinidad & Tobago, New Zealand, the Cook Islands (including Niue) and the Trust Territories of Western Samoa, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Aden.
About UAE:
Capital city- Abu Dhabi
President- Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
About Ministry of Law and Justice:
Founded- 1833
Minister- Ravi Shankar Prasad
Headquarters – New Delhi

 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Guyana takes over the chairmanship of G77
Guyana takes over chairmanship of the Group of 77 (G77) for the year 2020, the year which commemorates the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN). It assumes the chairmanship of the Group from the State of Palestine.
Key Points:
i.The G77 is the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries in the UN. It was designed to promote its members’ collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the UN.
ii.Groups from Latin and Central America, Asia, Africa and the Pacific have all endorsed Guyana’s Chairmanship and pledged their support.
iii.India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Lebanon have also sounded their support.
About G77:
Founded- June 15, 1964; Members: 134 countries
Headquarters-  New York, United States (US)
About United Nations:
Founded- 24 October 1945
Headquarters- New York
President- Tijjani Muhammad-Bande
About Guyana:
Capital- Georgetown
Currency- Guyanese dollar

U.N’s decarbonisation target of Shipping industry could cost over $1 trillion: UMAS study
On January 20, 2020, According to a new study by experts from University Maritime Advisory Services (UMAS), London, England, which includes University College London’s (UCL) Energy Institute & the Energy Transitions Commission,the shipping industry must spend a scale of investment of at least $1 trillion (£0.8 trillion) on new fuel technology to decarbonise the international shipping if it is to meet UN emissions targets by 2050.

• Since about 90% of world trade is done by sea, Global shipping is responsible for around 2.2 % of the world’s CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions.
• United Nations (UN) specialized shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO),has set itself the target of reducing carbon emissions by 50 % by the year 2050.
• If shipping field was to fully decarbonise by 2050, an additional investment of around $400 bn will need in over 20 years period, bringing the total investments from $1.4 to 1.9 trillion….Click here to Read More

CDP India annual report 2019: India ranks 5^th in Carbon disclosure project 2019,US tops
On January 20, 2020, According to the “Climate and business partnership of the future: CDP India Annual Report 2019” released by CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), a not-for-profit charity running the global disclosure system for investors, companies to manage their environmental impacts, India has ranked 5^th among the countries surveyed for corporate commitments to science-based targets (SBT).
As per the report, 58 Indian companies shared details about the environment-related activities undertaken by them in 2019.
Top 5 countries with SBT companies:

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Hyderabad ranked 14th globally in Knight Frank’s Global Residential Cities Index Q3, 2019, Budapest in Hungary tops
In the Knight Frank’s Global Residential Cities Index Q3 (Quarter) 2019, Hyderabad has ranked 14th among 150 cities in the world with an appreciation of 9% in residential prices on a YoY (Year-over-Year)  basis.
i.In this index, Budapest in Hungary is at the first place with the highest annual growth rate of 24%, followed by Xi’an and Wuhan in China at 15.9% and 14.9%.
ii.According to the report, Indian cities that have seen an appreciation in home prices are New Delhi at the 73rd rank globally with a 3.2% rise, Bengaluru at the 94th rank with a 2% appreciation and Ahmedabad at the 108th rank with a 1.1% growth.
iii.Indian cities which have seen de-growth in home prices are Kolkata at the 130th rank with a decline of 2%, Mumbai at the 135th rank with a de-growth of 3% and Chennai at the 136th rank with a fall of 3%.
iv.Pune was the lowest-ranked Indian city standing at the 138th spot, registering a 3.5% decline in home prices….Click here to Read More

BANKING & FINANCE

ICICI Bank launches ‘cardless cash withdrawal’ through ATMs using ‘iMobile’; daily transaction limit set at Rs 20,000
On January 21, 2020, ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) Bank, an Indian multinational bank has launched Cardless cash withdrawal facility from its ATMs (Automated Teller Machine) with a per-day transaction limit of Rs 20,000.
With this, customers can withdraw cash from more than 15,000 ATMs of the bank through the bank’s mobile banking application ‘iMobile’.
Key Points:
i.This facility can be used for self-withdrawal when ICICI customers do not wish to carry the debit card & also enables customers to withdraw cash securely and easily from their mobile phone for everyday use.
About ICICI bank:
Founded- 1994
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra
Executive Director– Mr. Anup Bagchi
MD & CEO– Mr. Sandeep Bakhshi
Tagline– Hum Hai Na, Khayal Apka

NICL board approves its merger proposal with OICL & UIIC
On January 20, 2020, The Board of National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) has approved its merger with Oriental Insurance Company Ltd (OICL) and United India Insurance Company Ltd (UIIC). The merger would help cut down costs and achieve economies of scale.
Key Points:
i.The board of OICL and UIIC had already approved the merger at their board meetings held in Delhi, before the board of NICL.
ii.New India Assurance Company may also be involved in this merger & The General Insurers’ Public Sector Association (India) is said to approve the amalgamation.
iii.In the General Budget for the financial year 2018-19, the then Finance Minister (FM) Arun Jaitley announced the proposal for merger of the three government general insurance companies. But the merger of these companies was not done due to poor financial health.
iv.In December 2019, the government has infused Rs 2,500 crore in three insurers through the supplementary demand for the first grant for 2019-20, to add Rs 2,500 crore.
About National Insurance Company Ltd (NICL):
Founded– 1906
Headquarters– Kolkata, West Bengal
Chairman & MD– Ms. Tajinder Mukherjee
About Oriental Insurance Company Ltd (OICL):
Founded– September 12, 1947
Headquarters– New Delhi
Chairman & MD– A V Girija Kumar
About United India Insurance Company Ltd (UIIC):
Founded– 18 February 1938
Headquarters- Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Chairman & MD– Girish Radhakrishnan

For the 1^st time, RBI Releases Minutes of board meeting
On January 21, 2020, For the 1^st  time, India central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the minutes of the 579^th meeting of Central Board of Directors (BoD) held in Chandigarh on October 11, 2019 as part of the central bank’s transparency initiative.

• The disclosure of the information is considered as a measure to further enhance public awareness about the functioning of the RBI & and bring accountability to the directors.
• The minutes of the meetings of the Central Board will be uploaded on the RBI’s website under provisions of Section 4 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act,2005, which needs suo motu (on its own) disclosure of information by each public authority.
• Till now, RBI shared only the minutes of board meetings in response to queries under the RTI Act. Hereafter, the minutes of the meet will be uploaded on the RBI website within 2- weeks from the date of its confirmation in the upcoming meeting of the Central Board and on being signed by the chairman in the same meeting….Click here to Read More

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS     

Former President Pranab Mukherjee Confers ‘Champions of Change 2019’ Award to Jharkhand CM Hemant SorenOn January 20,2020 Jharkhand CM (Chief Minister) Hemant Soren was conferred with ‘Champions of Change Award-2019’ for social welfare (Aspirational Districts) by Former President Pranab Mukherjee at a function in New Delhi.
Award Contribution:The award is contributed to Hemant for his work in the Barhait and Dumka assembly constituencies in the state.
Key Points:
i.Dumka Constituency: Soren had won the Dumka constituency in 2009 and lost the constituency in 2014 election and regained it in 2019.
ii.Barhait Constituency: Soren had also won the Barhait constituency for the 2nd consecutive term.
iii.Soren dedicated his award to his father Shibu Soren (Former CM of Jharkhand) and to the people of Jharkhand.
iv. Some Other awardees are:
1.Shri Manish Shisodia (Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi),( Education)
2.Shri Anurag Thakur (Minister of State MoS Finance & Corporate Affairs), Social Welfare
3.Shri Acharya Balakrishnan ( Patanjali), Social Welfare
4.Ms.Shilpa Shetty & Raj Kundra (Swachh Bharat).
5.Smt I.Deepa Venkat (Social Welfare),Swarna Bharat Trust, Andhra Pradesh.
6.Shri Suresh Oberoi & Sister Shivani (Culture) (The Awakening of Brahma Kumaris)
7.Smt.Geeta Koda (Member of Parliament MP, Lok Sabha), Social Welfare (Aspirational Districts)
8.Shri Allu Arvind (Social welfare) – Andhra Pradesh
About Jharkhand:
Capital- Ranchi.
Governor- Draupadi Murmu.
Formation Year- 15 November 2000.

President of India Presented 14th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism AwardsOn January 20, 2020 President of India Shri.Ram Nath Kovind, presented “14th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards” at a ceremony in New Delhi.
Ramnath Goenka:Ramnath Goenka was an Indian newspaper publisher who launched Indian Express in 1932 and the award is given by his name since 2006 by the Express Group.
Key Points:
i.Award Contribution: The award honours journalists across the country from print, broadcast and digital media.  
ii.The award were presented to 23 winners in 11 categories for their outstanding work done from the year 2018.
iii.Cash Award:The awardees received prize money of Rs.1 lakh.
iv.Award Categories: Reporting from Conflict Zones, Hindi reporting, Civic-journalism, Regional languages, Environment Science Technology reporting, Business & Economic journalism, Politics &Government, Photojournalism, Investigative reporting, Uncovering India Invisible and Books(Non-Fiction).
v.The winners were chosen by an eminent jury that included Tom Goldstein (Professor and Dean, Jindal School of Journalism & Communication, OP Jindal Global University), Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner, Pamela Philipose(Journalist & Senior fellow at the Indian Council of Social Science Research) and former Supreme Court Judge Justice Bellur Narayanaswamy Srikrishna.
vi.Anant Goenka, Executive Director (EXDIR) of express group, Indian Express chief editor and author Raj Kamal took part on this occasion.

    ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS      

Food delivery startup Zomato acquires Uber Eats in all-stocks deal for $350 mn
On January 21, 2020, Zomato, an Indian restaurant aggregator and food delivery startup has acquired Uber’s food delivery business in India, Uber Eats in an all-stocks deal valued at about $350 million (Rs 2,485 crore).
Key Points:
i.As a part of the deal, Uber will now hold only 9.99 % shares of Zomato & UberEats will discontinue operations and direct restaurants, delivery partners. Further, all of Uber Eats’ customers will be directed to Zomato platform.
ii.This acquisition will boost Zomato’s position in the food delivery market.
About Zomato:
Founded– July 2008
Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana
Founder and CEO– Deepinder Goyal
About Uber:
Founded– March 2009
Headquarters– San Francisco,  U.S.
CEO– Dara Khosrowshahi
It is an ride-hailing company & has started its food delivery service in India around mid-2017.
About Uber Eats:
Formation– 2017
It was competing with Zomato as well as Swiggy in the market.  

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

In a 1st, TSEC to use face recognition app in 2020 Telangana Municipal polls on pilot basis
On January 20, 2020, the Telangana State Election Commission(TSEC) of the Indian state of Telangana, for the first time in India will use facial recognition in the Telangana Municipal polls to tackle the counter impersonation by the voters. This will be done on a pilot basis in selected 10 polling stations of Telangana’s Kompally Municipality of Medchal Malkajgiri district.
Key Points:
i.The polling held on January 22, 2020 in 120 municipalities and 9 municipal corporations.
ii.The pictorial data collected during the process will be deleted from the memory of mobile phone used and also from the server of Telangana State Technology Services (TSTS).
About Telangana:
Founded- 2 June 2014.
Capital- Hyderabad
Governor- Tamilisai Soundararajan
Chief minister- Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao.

Health ministry takes action for the recent novel coronavirus outbreak in China
On January 20, 2020 the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW) of govt. of India has initiated various measures as a precaution for the recent outbreak of the 2019 Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China. Some of the measures taken are as follows:

• Screening at airports: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has been asked to facilitate thermal screening at the international airports of Delhi, Mumbai(Maharashtra), Kolkata (West Bengal), Chennai(Tamil Nadu), Bengaluru (Karnataka), Hyderabad(Telangana) and Cochin (Kerala) under the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
• Travellers list: Details of travellers from the Wuhan city of China who have traveled to India since December 31, 2019 will have to be produced by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and also needed to counsel the applicants while issuing visa.
• JMG meeting: The Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) under the Chairmanship of DGHS has also met twice in January 2020 in assessing the risk and also to review the preparedness in combating the virus.
• WHO definition of coronavirus: A large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases….Click here to Read More

Xenobots: World’s first living, self-healing robots
Scientists of the University of Vermont and Tufts University have created the world’s first living and self-healing robots Xenobots, using stem cells from frogs. It is named after the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis from which they take stem cells.
Key Points:
i.Xenobots are new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism, which don’t look like traditional robots. These are marchines which are less than a millimeter (0.04 inches) in width and are small enough to travel inside human bodies. They can walk and swim, survive for weeks without food, and work together in groups.
ii.Xenobots could be used to clean up radioactive waste, collect microplastics in the oceans, carry medicine inside human bodies, or even travel into our arteries to scrape out plaque.

SPORTS

Sania Mirza wins 2020 doubles title at 27th WTA Hobart International Trophy in Australia Indian Tennis Player Sania Mirza and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok have won the 2020 women’s doubles title of the 27th WTA (World Tennis Association) Hobart International Trophy held in Hobart, Australia.
Cash Award: Sania and Nadiia received a cash award of $13580 as prize money.
Key Points:
i.In final, they defeated Shauli Peng and Shaui Zhang of China 6-4, 6-4.
ii.Achievement: It is Sania’s 42nd WTA doubles title and first since Brisbane International Trophy in 2007 with American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
About 2020 Hobart International: 
i.The 2020 Hobart International was a women’s tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts.
ii.It was the 27th edition of the Hobart International and part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2020 WTA tour.
iii.It took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia from 13 to 18th January 2020.
iv.Elena Andreyevna Rybakina, a Kazakh-Russian tennis player won women’s singles category of 2020 Hobart International tournament.

India wins 7 medals in UWW Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2020 held in Rome, Italy
The Indian wrestling team has clinched 7 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, and a bronze) in the 1^st UWW (United World Wrestling) Matteo Pellicone Rome Ranking Series 2020 held from January 15 – 18, 2020  in the Italian Capital, Rome. The 4-day tournament, organized by UWW, has featured all the 3 disciplines – freestyle, Greco Roman and women’s wrestling. The 2020 ranking series consists of two events: the 1st, which already held in Rome, Italy and the 2nd will held from June 4-7, 2020 in Warsaw, Poland. The ranking series started in 2019.
List of Indian winner:

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OBITUARY

Bhopal’s titular queen Saleha Sultan passed away at 80On January 20,2020 Princess Saleha Sultan also known as Dimpu, the “titular queen of Bhopal” passed away in Hyderabad due to brain haemorrhage at the age of 80. She was born on 14 January 1940 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Key Points:
i.Saleha Sultan was best known for her calm, caring and royal in her mannerisms.
ii.Saleha Sultan accomplished her research at St.George’s International School,Switzerland.
iii.She is the eldest child of Nawab Ifteqar Ali Khan Pataudi and Begum Sajida Sultan of the princely state of Bhopal and titled ‘Begum of Bhopal’
iv.She is the sister of Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the cricket legend and the wife of Nawab Bashir Yar Jung.

AC BYTES

RBI denies banning cryptocurrencies;but restriction for Banks
The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has confirmed that  not banning cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin in India during the latest supreme court hearing of the crypto case, which has restricted banks from dealing in bitcoin and crypto, due to concerns for terrorism financing.

Current Affairs Headlines: 22 January 2020 

1. Union minister Ravi shankar prasad inaugurates 2^nd edition of ‘NIC TechConclave 2020’ in New Delhi
2. 70,000 crore rupees has disbursed till January 13, 2020 under MSME loan scheme: Ministry of Finance
3. ‘Youth Co:Lab- National innovation Challenge’ was hosted by Atal Innovation Mission and UNDP in New Delhi
4. Uttarakhand is the 1st state in the country to implement agricultural leasing policy
5. Indian Navy Signs MoU for offshore Data with Geological Survey of India
6. Central Government Notifies National Startup Advisory Council
7. Bengaluru airport first in India to get disabled aircraft recovery equipment
8. Defence Ministry approves procurement of military hardware worth Rs. 5,100 crore
9. UAE has been declared ‘reciprocating territory’ by India under section 44A of CPC, 1908
10. Guyana takes over the chairmanship of G77
11. N’s decarbonisation target of Shipping industry could cost over $1 trillion: UMAS study
12. CDP India annual report 2019: India ranks 5^th in Carbon disclosure project 2019,US tops
13. Hyderabad ranked 14th globally in Knight Frank’s Global Residential Cities Index Q3, 2019, Budapest in Hungary tops
14. ICICI Bank launches ‘cardless cash withdrawal’ through ATMs using ‘iMobile’; daily transaction limit set at Rs 20,000
15. NICL board approves its merger proposal with OICL & UIIC
16. For the 1^st time, RBI Releases Minutes of board meeting
17. Former President Pranab Mukherjee Confers ‘Champions of Change 2019’ Award to Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren
18. President of India Presented 14th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards
19. Food delivery startup Zomato acquires Uber Eats in all-stocks deal for $350 mn
20. In a 1st, TSEC to use face recognition app in 2020 Telangana Municipal polls on pilot basis
21. Health ministry takes action for the recent novel coronavirus outbreak in China
22. Xenobots: World’s first living, self-healing robots
23. Sania Mirza wins 2020 doubles title at 27th WTA Hobart International Trophy in Australia
24. India wins 7 medals in 1^st UWW Rome ranking series 2020 held in Rome, Italy
25. Bhopal’s titular queen Saleha Sultan passed away at 80
26. RBI denies banning cryptocurrencies;but restriction for Banks

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