25th January 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

sponsored links

International Affairs

• World Leprosy Day is being observed today.
• This Day is observed internationally on 26th January or its nearest Sunday to increase the public awareness of the Leprosy or Hansen's Disease, the oldest recorded diseased in the world.  
• Obama's Visit to India
• US President Barack Obama arrived in India on historic 3-day visit today.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi received him at Palam airport with a handshake and a warm hug. He was accompanied by US ambassador Richard Verma.
• Obama, the first US President to be in India twice while in office, is visiting India on the invitation of Modi, who was until last year denied a visa to visit the US.
• Obama will also be the first US president present at Republic Day parade as a chief guest.
• India and the United States today reached "a breakthrough" on issues holding up their civil nuclear cooperation and agreed to move towards commercial cooperation of their landmark civil nuclear deal that was initialled by the then leaders of the two countries on July 18, 2005.
• US to support India's full membership of the four international export control regimes
• The two countries also decide to deepen defense cooperation.
• Both countries agreed to set up a hotline between their top leaders -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama.
• This is the first time that India and the US will have a hotline at the level of top leadership.

National Affairs

• The Fifth National ‎Voters Day‬ is being celebrated across the country today.
• The theme of this year is Easy Registration, Easy Correction.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi & US President Barack Obama will jointly address the nation in the next edition of Mann Ki Baat on All India Radio.
• The programme will be broadcast on 27th of January.
• Considering the growing penetration of Internet and smart phones, TRAI has introduced a Web-based application as well as an Android-based app for assessing customer perception of cellular services
• With this, mobile phone subscribers can give instant feedback on quality of services provided by operators to regulator Trai
• Operators will invite penalty if they fail to meet minimum service quality benchmarks set up TRAI.
• TRAI - Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

New Appointments

• Edgar Lungu has sworn in as Zambia’s new President.
• He is sixth president of Zambia.

People in News

• Bangladesh opposition leader Khaleda Zia has been charged by police of masterminding an arson attack on a bus that left 29 people injured, days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the former premier could be put on trial for recent violence
• Telangana Deputy Chief Minister T. Rajaiah, who also holds the Health portfolio, has been sacked from the Cabinet in wake of adverse reports about his functioning and failure to take preventive measures in controlling swine flu in Telangana.

Awards & Honors

• Poet Arundhathi Subramaniam has won the inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for Poetry
• He won this award for her work "When God is a Traveller".
• Wing Commander Pooja Thakur became the first woman to lead the ceremonial Guard of Honour which was inspected by the U.S. President Barack Obama at Rashtrapathi Bhavan

MOUs

• India has signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with the United States for building of smart cities in Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) and Ajmer (Rajasthan).
• These memorandums were signed in the presence of Union Urban Development Minister, M Venkaiah Naidu and United States Trade Development Agency, USTDA Director, Leocadia I. Zak. Addressing the gathering, Mr Naidu said, the people of both countries are looking forward to work for the betterment of the world.

Awards & Honors

• Padma Awards announced; Padma Vibhushan for nine including L.K.Advani, Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar, 20 personalities to get Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri. Check complete details from here.

Sports

• Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold Title 2015
• Men's Singles Winner : Parupalli Kashyap by defeating Kidambi Srikanth 
• Women's Single : Saina Nehwal by defeating Carolina Marin (Spain)

Read more Daily Current Affairs updates from here

sponsored links