Important Current Affairs 24th January 2018

Important Current Affairs 24th JANUARY 2018

Current Affairs 24th January 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Kerala issues circular on who can hoist Tricolour on R-Day

●    In a rerun of the last August 15 controversy, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat plans to unfurl the tricolour at a school in Palakkad on the Republic Day.
●    It defies state government's order that allows only the head of the institution to hoist the national flag on January 26.
●    The circular issued by the state says department or office heads can hoist the flag in schools, colleges and health institutions after the Governor hoists the tricolour first at 8.30 am.  

Bihar Government Sanctions Rs. 100 Crore A Year For Minorities

●    The Bihar government allocated Rs. 100 crore per annum for a scheme aimed at employment generation among people from minority communities.
●    The state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar gave its nod for an amendment in the guidelines for "Mukhayamantri Alpasankhyak Rozgar Rin Yojana".
●    As per the amendment, the state minorities finance commission will be given Rs. 100 crore every year, with effect from the financial year 2017-18.

"Refrain From Using Word Dalit": Madhya Pradesh High Court Tells State Governments

●    The Madhya Pradesh High Court has said the central and state governments should refrain from using the word 'Dalit'.
●    Petitioner's advocate Jitendra Sharma said the "order" is "binding" on the central and state governments. 
●    "The bench has used the term refrain and cautioned them (sic) from using the word Dalit," he said.
●    The court gave its ruling on January 15.

Chittor fort shut for only the 2nd time ever over Padmavat

●    "Padmaavat" may not be released in Rajasthan.
●    This is happening despite a Supreme Court order.
●    The Chittor Fort, has been shut down for a day, for the second time in its centuries-old history.
●    The Karni Sena has threatened that hundreds of women Rajput protesters will commit "Jauhar".

India among 5 worst countries in curbing pollution: Report

●    A new index has ranked India as one of the bottom five countries worldwide in terms of environmental performance.
●    India has slipped from 141 in the last ranking in 2016 to 177 among 180 countries this year.
●    The latest global Environmental Performance Index (EPI) was released by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.

77% Indian workers to have vulnerable employment by '19: ILO

●    The Asia-Pacific region will add 23 million jobs between 2017-19, aided by employment growth in South Asian nations, including India, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
●    But a lot of the jobs being created are of poor quality despite strong economic growth and some 77% of workers in India will have vulnerable employment by 2019, according to the ILO’s World Employment and Social Outlook report released on Tuesday.

Current Affairs 24th January 2018: AWARDS

Rachel Morrison 1st Oscar nominated female cinematographer

●    "Mudbound" director of photography Rachel Morrison made Oscars history.
●    She became the first woman ever to be nominated for a best cinematography award.
●    This is the second historic nomination that Morrison has garnered for her work on "Mudbound."
●    Before this she became the first female nominee for an American Society of Cinematographers Award for outstanding achievement in a theatrical release.

Current Affairs 24th January 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

China to build 'Great Wall' to prevent militant infiltration

●    China will build a 'Great Wall' along the border of the Muslim-dominated Xinjiang province.
●    It is to prevent infiltration by militants.
●    It was announced by the Xinjiang Governor Shohrat Zakir. 
●    China believes exiled separatists belonging to the minority may have links to groups outside the country. 

AI can raise global employment by 10% by 2022: Report

●    Accenture has estimated that greater investments by companies in artificial intelligence (AI) and human-machine collaboration can raise global employment 10% by 2022.
●    If businesses across the globe invest in AI and human-machine collaboration at the same rate as top-performing companies, they could boost revenue 38% by 2022.

India may get 27% GDP hike if men, women workforce equal: IMF

●    International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Christine Lagarde said that India's GDP can grow 27% if women are brought to the same level as men.
●    He was talking in terms of economic and workforce participation. 
●    She also expressed concern over high levels of discrimination faced by women in rural India. 

EU removes Panama, seven others from tax haven blacklist

●    European Union finance ministers agreed to remove eight jurisdictions from the blacklist of tax havens.
●    Barbados, Grenada, South Korea, Macao, Mongolia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates & Panama were removed from the list.
●    The move is in line with recommendations by EU tax experts in the Code of Conduct Group.

North Korea, US Clash At Disarmament Forum

●    North Korea had a “powerful and reliable” nuclear deterrent to thwart any attack and accused the United States of deploying military assets nearby under the pretext of ensuring security at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
●    Han Tae Song, North Korea’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, called on the United States to permanently halt its joint military drills with South Korea.

Mysterious 'Hot Jupiter' With Unusual Winds Discovered

●    Astronomers have discovered a mysterious hotspot 930 light years from Earth.
●    Exoplanet CoRoT-2b, discovered a decade ago by a French-led space observatory mission, is also called as "hot Jupiter".
●    Unlike Jupiter, the so-called hot Jupiters circle astonishingly close to their host star.
●    It is so close that it typically takes fewer than three days to complete an orbit.

Chinese Navy Gets New Electronic Warfare Aircraft: Report

●    China has built a new type of electronic warfare aircraft which can cover bigger combat areas such as the South and East China seas.
●    It will enhance the Navy's capabilities in modern warfare.
●    The aircraft developed for 10 years in service is equipped with the Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) pods underneath its wings.

Current Affairs 24th January 2018: SPORTS

Roger Federer reaches his 43rd Grand Slam semi-final

●    Roger Federer swept into a record 14th Australian Open semi-final with an immaculate straight sets win.
●    The 19-time Grand Slam champion, who hasn't lost in five matches against Berdych in Melbourne, will play in his 43rd Grand Slam semi-final.
●    It is a record for the post-1968 Open Era.

B'desh opener sets world record for most ODI runs at 1 venue

●    Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal, set a world record of most ODI runs on a single venue. 
●    He did it during his 76-run knock against Zimbabwe.
●    Iqbal has hit 2,549 runs in 74 ODIs at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, while Jayasuriya recorded 2,514 runs at Colombo's Premadasa Stadium. 
●    Iqbal also became the first Bangladeshi to hit 6,000 ODI runs.