Current Affairs: January 30th, 2018

January 30th, 2018

1. India to face Australia in the final of Under-19 World Cup.

• India has stormed into the final of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup with a stunning win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the semi-final at Christchurch in New Zealand. Man of the match Shubman Gill hit a century with his unbeaten 102. Paceman Ishan Porel bagged 4 wickets.
• India will face Australia in the summit clash at Mount Maunganui. Australia defeated Afghanistan by 6 wickets in the other semi-final.
• Meanwhile, the acting BCCI president C K Khanna has said that the Board will announce cash award for the Indian players for reaching the final.

2. India ranks sixth in the list of wealthiest countries with a total wealth of 8,230 billion US dollars.

• According to a report by New World Wealth, India was the best-performing wealth market globally in 2017 as its total wealth swelled from 6,584 billion dollars in 2016 to 8,230 billion dollars in 2017, registering a 25 percent growth.
• The report noted that the United States is the wealthiest country in the world as the total wealth held in 2017 amounted to 64,584 billion dollars, followed by China at the second place with 24,803 billion dollars and Japan with 19,522 billion dollars at third.
• Total wealth refers to the private wealth held by all the individuals living in each country. It includes all their assets. The report, however, excludes government funds from its figures.

3. BJP MP Chintaman Wanaga passes away in New Delhi.

• Being an advocate by profession, he was elected to the Lok Sabha thrice and once as the member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
• Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, BJP President Mr. Amit Shah and Information and Broadcasting Minister Mrs. Smriti Irani, have expressed their grief on the demise of Mr. Wanaga through their tweets. Mr. Modi said, Mr. Wanaga played an important role in building the BJP in the Thane region and did commendable work for the welfare of tribals.

4. The US lifts the ban on refugees from 11 “high-risk” countries.

• The United States has announced it was lifting its ban on refugees from 11 countries but said those seeking to enter the US would come under much tougher scrutiny than in the past.
• Applicants from 11 countries, unnamed but understood to include 10 Muslim-majority nations plus North Korea, will face tougher risk-based assessments to be accepted.
• The 11 countries, hit with a ban in October in the Trump administration’s revised refugee policy, have not been identified officially. But refugee groups say they comprise Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

5. Nation pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 70th death anniversary.

• He was assassinated on this day in 1948.
• President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to the Father of the Nation at Rajghat in New Delhi.
• Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani, former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and leaders from different political parties also paid tributes.
• An interfaith prayer meeting was organized at Gandhi Smriti at Tees January Marg in New Delhi on the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma and other dignitaries attended the inter-faith prayer meeting.

6. Anti-Leprosy Day being observed internationally on January 30.

• The day, observed every year on the Martyrdom Day of Mahatma Gandhi, remembers his selfless efforts and care for the people affected by leprosy.
• Anti-Leprosy day aims to make people aware of the real need to fight the infectious disease. A campaign named as the ‘Sparsh’ Leprosy Awareness Campaign, has been organized in all the Gram Sabhas throughout the country by the Central Leprosy Division of the Health Ministry.
• The campaign carries important information about the disease to help affected people. It includes free of cost multidrug therapy that is available at all government dispensaries, health centers, and hospitals to provide complete treatment.

7. India Open Badminton tournament kicks off in New Delhi from Jan 30th to Feb 4th, 2018.

• Top Indian shuttlers, including PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, and Kidambi Srikanth, are taking part in the 6-day event.
• In the opening round, Sindhu, who is the top seed, will take on Natalia Rohde of Denmark, while fourth-placed Saina will face another Dane, Sofie Dahl. Srikanth seeded second, will meet Lee Yiu of Hong Kong.
• HS Prannoy, B. Sai Praneeth, Parupalli Kashyap and Rituparna Das are also among the Indian shuttlers who will be seen in action in the Singles. All the three Doubles categories – Men’s, Women’s and Mixed – will also see the Indian participation.

8. The third edition of International spice conference will be held at Jaipur from February 4 to 7.

• Over 750 delegates from various countries, including representatives of international spice associations, policymakers, and farmers, are expected to participate in the four-day meet.
• The central theme of the 2018 conference would be ‘Managing Disruptions through Transformation and Collaboration’.
• Static Part: Rajasthan:- CM- Vasundhara Raje|Governor-Kalyan Singh.

9. Najma Heptulla, Ghulam Nabi Azad among 5 to be conferred outstanding Parliamentarian Awards.

• Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) has decided to confer Outstanding Parliamentary Awards to five Parliamentarians which includes senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Manipur Governor and former Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla.
• The Parliamentarians who have been chosen for the award include three MPs from Lok Sabha and two from Rajya Sabha. The awards are being given to 5persons for the years starting from 2013 till 2017. Bhartruhari Mahatab(2017), Dinesh Trivedi( 2016), Ghulam Nabi Azad(2015), Hukumdev Narayan Yadav(2014) and Najma Heptulla(2013).

10. Chhattisgarh’s first governor D N Sahay passes away.

• Mr. Dinesh Nandan Sahay began his career with the Indian Police Service and rose to the position of the DGP of Bihar.
• He became the first Governor of Chhattisgarh after the state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000.
• In 2003, Sahay took over as the Governor of Tripura and held the post till 2009.
• Static Part: Chhattisgarh:- Capital- Raipur|Chief minister-Raman Singh| Governor- Balram Das Tandon|Indravati National Park, Kanger Valley National Park, Sanjay National Park are some of the national parks at Chhattisgarh.

11. First Ever ‘Khadi Haat’ Inaugurated in Nation’s Capital New Delhi.

• Marking the 69th Republic Day celebrations, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have launched the first ever ‘Khadi Haat’ in the country.
• The Khadi Haat was inaugurated by Union Minister of State Giriraj Singh in Connaught Place, New Delhi.
• The union Communications Minister Manoj Sinha has launched a new khadi uniform for the Department of Posts personnel, including postmen and multi-tasking staff (MTS) in New Delhi.
• Static Part: KVIC Chairman:- V K Saxena|NDMC Chairman:- Naresh Kumar.

12.  Indian, Vietnamese Armies Hold First Military Exercise – VINBAX in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.

• Armies of India and Vietnam have begun a six-day-long military exercise named “VINBAX” which is the first military exercise between the two countries.
• Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was in New Delhi to participate in the India-ASEAN Commemorative summit and attend the Republic Day celebrations.
• Static Part: Vietnam:- Capital- Hanoi| Currency- Vietnamese dong.