Today's Current Affairs 17th January 2023

INTERNATIONAL

China's population falls, heralds a demographic crisis

• China’s population fell last year for the first time in six decades, a historic turn that is expected to mark the start of a long period of decline in its citizen numbers with profound implications for its economy. The drop, the worst since the Great Famine of 1961, also lends weight to predictions that India will become the world’s most populous nation in this year. The population dropped by roughly 850,000 to 1.41175 billion at the end of 2022. Long-term, UN experts see China’s population shrinking by 109 million by 2050, more than triple the decline of their previous forecast in 2019.
• Last year’s birth rate was 6.77 births per 1000 people, down from a rate of 7.52 births in 2021 and marking the lowest birth rate on record. The figures also logged the highest death rate since 1974, registering 7.37 deaths per 1000 people compared with a rate of 7.18 deaths in 2021.

 NATIONAL

PM shares snippets titled 'Your Exam, Your Methods-Choose

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared snippets titled “Your Exam, Your Methods-Choose Your Own Style” from the Exam Warriors Book and has urged students to share how they prepare for exams. PM Modi in his message shared that in the book Exam Warriors, one mantra is “Your Exam, Your Methods-Choose Your Own Style”.
• He also urged all the students to share their interesting experiences while preparing for the exams. The Prime Minister has shared that it will surely motivate Exam Warriors.
• Exam Warriors is a book published by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018. Exam Warriors is written especially for young students to help them deal with the stress of exams.

 SPORTS

Barcelona wins Spanish Super Cup after beating Real Madrid 3-1 in final hosted by Saudi Arabia

• Barcelona have won the Spanish Super Cup for the first time since the competition was revamped and moved to Saudi Arabia with a 3-1 victory over Real Madrid. Robert Lewandowski, Gavi and Pedri scored a goal each at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh to give Barcelona its first Super Cup trophy since 2018, and the first since the tournament’s Final-Four format began in 2020 in a lucrative deal for the Spanish football federation. It was also Barcelona’s first title since former player Xavi took over as the team’s coach in 2021, and since Lionel Messi left for Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona have now won the Super Cup a record 14 times. Madrid have 12 to their name.
• The Super Cup used to be played between the Spanish league champion and the Copa del Rey winner. Now the runners-up in both competitions also participate.

Badminton Malaysia Open 2023: Viktor Axelsen Yamaguchi Akane win titles in Kuala Lumpur

• Akane Yamaguchi and Viktor Axelsen won the Malaysia Open Super 1000 women’s and men’s singles titles in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Yamaguchi, the reigning world champion, registered a come-from-behind win over world no. 4 An Se Young to clinch the Super Series Premier title. Yamaguchi won her maiden Super Series Premier title at the China Open in 2017.
• The men’s singles final saw a repeat of last month’s World Tour Finals. Axelsen, the regaining Olympic and world champion, won the Malaysia Open title in straight games, beating Japanese youngster Kodai Naraoka in 40 minutes. This was Axelsen’s ninth Super Series Premier title and third Malaysia Open crown.
• China’s Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan, the world no. 1 pairing in women’s doubles, blew away South Korea’s Baek Hana-Lee Yulim 21-16, 21-10 in 52 minutes.

'Per match value of Rs 7 cr': Women's IPL media rights for 2023-27 bagged by Viacom for Rs 951 cr

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that Viacom 18 have grabbed the media rights for the upcoming Women’s IPL for a whopping Rs 951 crore for five years, pipping other bidders, including Disney Star and Sony, in the auction. The auction for the T20 League was conducted by the cricket board in Mumbai. The global rights comprise three categories linear (TV), digital and combined (TV and digital). In the men’s IPL, separate rights are sold across regions. The inaugural Women’s IPL is likely to begin in the first week of March. Five teams will compete and all the matches will be held in Mumbai.
• Viacom18 had won the IPL digital rights for Rs 23,758 crore while Disney Star had retained the TV rights for Rs 23,575 crore for a five-year period starting 2023 during a three-day auction held in June, 2022. There will be a total of 134 matches in the five-team WIPL over five years, with 22 matches each in the first three years. The number could touch 34 matches each in the final two years. BCCI is anticipating growth in WIPL over the next few years.

 OBITUARY

Mukarram Jah Bahadur, Hyderabad’s Last Nizam passes away

• The last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mukarram Jah Bahadur, who passed away on Saturday night in Turkey, will be buried in the family vault in the Mecca Masjid courtyard. The preparation of the vault where other members of the Nizam’s family who governed Hyderabad starting in 1724 are buried was overseen by representatives of the Nizam Trust.
• Two of the most renowned dynasties in the Muslim world were connected to Mukarram Jah, also known by his title Nawab Mir Barket Ali Khan Walashan Mukarram Jah Bahadur.
• Durrushehvar, his mother, was the lone child of Abdul Majid, the final Caliph of Islam who was exiled by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk when the Caliphate was abolished.
• His father was Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan’s oldest son, Azam Jah, whose kingdom united with India on September 18, 1948.

SUMMITS AND MOU’S

B20 inception meeting in Gandhinagar from 22 to 24 January 2023

• The first 15 meetings of the Business 20 (B20) India Inception Meeting will be held in Gandhinagar from January 22nd to 24th, 2023. The Gujarat Government to host a dinner for G20 delegates followed by a delegation visiting the Dandi Kutir. India has been assumed as the G20 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The nation aspires to play an important role on the world stage by finding practical global solutions for the welfare of all. The G20 chairman for India is a historic event as it comes while celebrating the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.The 18th G20 Summit will be held in September 2023.
• Gujarat will be a part of this historic event and has prepared itself to complete facilities to conduct discussions, consultations, and meetings.The first 15 meetings to be held in Gujarat in the B20 India Inception Meeting.

Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum begins today in Switzerland

• Today marks the start of the 53rd World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The meeting will go on through January 20. The WEF meeting’s 2018 theme is “Cooperation in a Fragmented World.” The gathering of professionals, academics, investors, and political and commercial leaders will discuss and support creative solutions for some of the most serious problems confronting the world today, such as the climate change, global inflation, and the Russia-Ukraine situation.
• The prospect of a recession, the cost of living crisis, and financial strain are expected to dominate the future for at least two years, according to the WEF’s annual Global Risks Report.
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, Presidents of South Africa Cyril M. Ramaphosa, Spain’s Pedro Sanchez, South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol, Switzerland’s Alain Berset, and Finland’s Sanna Marin are among the world leaders attending the meeting.

 RANKING

Shah Rukh Khan only Indian to beat Tom Cruise, Jackie Chan and others on world's richest actor's list

• Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan with his more than three decades of work in the film industry has garnered millions of fans all over the world and an estimated net worth of ₹627 million ($770 million), making him the richest actor in Asia and fourth richest actor all over the world. Beating fellow immensely famous and cult actors like Tom Cruise, Jackie Chan, and George Clooney, Shah Rukh Khan took the fourth position in the list of eight richest actors of the world released by World of Statistics.
• The Shah Rukh Khan has made a great impact with his cameos in films like R Madhavan’s Rocketry: The Nambi Effect and Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva. Now, ahead of the release of his comeback film, Pathaan, the actor has been featured in the list of the richest actors in the world.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

States' finances are improving; gross fiscal deficit set to fall in 2022-23:RBI

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that the finances of Indian states are projected to improve in 2022-23 with the consolidated gross fiscal deficit to gross domestic product ratio seen falling to 3.4 percent from 4.1 percent for the previous year. The fiscal health of the states has improved from a sharp pandemic-induced deterioration in 2020-21 on the back of a broad-based economic recovery and resulting high revenue collections. During the pandemic years, states’ finances were under pressure due to rising expenditures and limited revenue growth.
• The debt of the States is expected to ease from 31.1 percent of GDP in 2020–21 to 29.5 percent in 2022–23, although it is still more than the 20 percent suggested by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Review Committee in 2018.
• The central bank advised governments to set up a fund for longer-term expenditure when revenue collection is strong.
• It is worthwhile considering creating a capex buffer fund during good times to smoothen and maintain expenditure quality and flows through the economic cycle, the central bank added.
• Despite a significant increase in federal government capital expenditures, which has an impact on economic growth, the report found that state capital spending expanded by just 0.9 percent from April to October of the previous year.