Current Affairs Today 08th January 2019 | Current Affairs News

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Daily Current Affairs PDF of 08th Jan 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

GST ministerial panel approved Kerala levying 1% cess for 2 years

• The ministerial panel under Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi approved levy of 1% ‘calamity cess’ by Kerala for a period of two years to fund rehabilitation work in the state hit by floods.
• The goods and services, which will attract the 1% cess, would be decided by Kerala and any other state consideringto do the same would have to approach the council.
• The council also suggested to the GST Council to allow additional borrowing over the permitted limit by states hit by natural calamity.
• The GST law provides for levy of special taxes for a specified period to raise additional resources during any natural calamity or disaster.

HRD Ministry Introduced a 70 Point Grading Index to Assess the Quality of School Education

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development has introduced a 70 point grading index to assess the quality of school education offered by states.
• State performance grading will be done wherein the states will be marked out of 1,000 scores on 70 parameters.
• This will give the correct picture of where every state stands. There will be a fair competition to improve each other’s performances

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Guatemala to withdraw from UN backed anti corruption commission

• Guatemala was withdrawing from a United Nations backed anti corruption commission and giving its prosecutors a day to leave the country.
• President Jimmy Morales accused the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, commonly known as CICIG, of polarising the country and putting its security at risk.
• The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, or CICIG, was established over a decade ago with the authority to conduct independent investigations and work with the country’s prosecutors.

USEFUL INFO
Guatemala Capital	Guatemala City
Currency	Guatemalan quetzal
President	Jimmy Morales

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

Nepal’s central bank asked RBI to Make Rs. 200, Rs. 500, Rs. 2000 currency notes legal in country

• The Nepal Rastra Bank asked the RBI to declare newly circulated Indian currency notes of denominations higher than Rs 100 legal tender in the country.
• As of now, the RBI has only allowed the circulation of Indian currency notes of Rs 100 and less in Nepal and provides exchange facilities for bills of these denominations.
• The NRB stated that country’s banking system, including banks, financial institutions and NRB, hold Indian currency denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 worth Rs 48 million.

Government allowed Iranian bank to open branch in Mumbai

• The government has allowed an Iranian bank to open a branch in Mumbai.
• Iran’s Bank Pasargad will open its branch within the next three months.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Kumar Rajesh Chandra appointed as SashastraSeemaBal DG

• Civil Aviation Security head and senior IPS officer Kumar Rajesh Chandra was appointed as the director general of the SashastraSeemaBal (SSB). The SSB guards India’s borders with Nepal and Bhutan.
• Kumar Rajesh Chandra, a 1985-batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre, is at present the director general of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
• He has been appointed as SSB DG up to December 31, 2021,

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim Resigned

• World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim has made the surprise announcement that he is stepping down after six years in the post, His resignation will take effect from 1 February,2019
• Mr Kim, 59, was not due to leave until 2022, after he was re-elected for a second five-year term in 2017.
• Kristalina Georgieva, the World Bank’s chief executive officer, will assume the role of interim president.

Alok Verma Reinstated as CBI Chief by Supreme Court

• Exiled CBI chief AlokVerma was reinstated by the Supreme Court. Three months after the government divested him of his powers and sent him on forced leave.
• The Supreme Court stated that he will not be allowed to take any policy decisions.
• A high-powered selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of India to meet and decide on his status within a week.

Malaysia’s King Muhammad V becoming first monarch to resign before completing tenure

• Malaysia’s King Muhammad V resigned, the first time a monarch has stepped down from the throne before completing their five year tenure.
• The resignation comes barely a week after the king resumed his duties after spending two months away on medical leave.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE

4th Raisina Dialogue inaugurated in Delhi

• The fourth edition of the Raisina Dialogue inaugurated in New Delhi.
• Norway Prime Minister Erna Solberg delivered inaugural address in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
• Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with Observer Research Foundation is organizing the flagship annual geopolitical and geostrategic conference.
• The theme of the Dialogue this year is “A World Reorder: New Geometries; Fluid Partnerships; Uncertain Outcomes”.
• The Dialogue will bring together over 600 delegates from 93 countries, including influential political leaders, strategic thinkers, policy practitioners, technology innovators, business representatives and academics.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Manipur student to get National Bravery Award

• A 15 year old student Wahengbam Lamnganba, from a remote village of the district has been selected by the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) for receiving National Bravery Award.
• Wahengbam Lamnganba had saved his two and half year’s old cousin brother from drowning in a pond
• The National Bravery Awards are given under the aegis of the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) every Republic Day.

76th Golden Globe Awards 2019 complete list

Motion Picture Category

Best Motion Picture Drama	Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	Green Book
Best Actor – Drama	Rami Malek for “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Best Actress – Drama	Glenn Close for “The Wife”
Best Actor – Musical or Comedy	Christian Bale for “Vice”
Best Actress – Musical or Comedy	Olivia Colman for “The Favourite”
Best Director	Alfonso Cuaron for “Roma”
Best Screenplay	Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga for “Green Book”
Best Original Score	Justin Hurwitz for “First Man”
Best Original Song	Shallow (A star is Born)
Best Animated Feature Film	Spider-Man: Into the Spider –Verse
Best Foreign Language Film	Roma (Mexico)

Television Category

Best Television Series, Drama	The Americans
Best Television Series – Musical/ Comedy	The Kominsky Method
Best Actress in Television Series – Drama	Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Best Actor in Television Series – Drama	Richard Madden (Bodyguard)
Best Actress in Television Series – Musical/Comedy	Rachel Brosnahan (The MarvelousMrs.Maisel)
Best Actor in Television Series – Musical/Comedy	Michael Douglas (The KominskyMethod)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOBILE APP AND PORTAL

Rail Kumbh Seva Mobile App launched by North Central Railway

• The North Central Railway (NCR) has launched a mobile application to help people navigate through Prayagraj city during KumbhMela starting from January 15,2019
• ‘Rail Kumbh Seva Mobile App’ will provide information regarding all the ‘Mela special’ trains that will be run during the period.
• The app will provide a link to the user to buy both unreserved and reserved train tickets
• A photo gallery, containing pictures of previous Kumbh Melas can also be accessed through the app.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.2% in 2018-19: CSO

• First advance estimates of national income released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO)
• Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.2% in 2018-19,higher from 6.7% in the previous fiscal, mainly due to improvement in the performance of agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
• The income earned by an average Indian doubled in seven years, from Rs 63,642 per year in 2011-12 to Rs 1.25 lakh in 2018-19.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS

Rajya Sabha Vice Chairman launched ‘A Crusade Against Corruption’ book

• Vice-Chairman of RajyaSabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh launched Manohar Manoj`s book ‘A Crusade Against Corruption’ in New Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Former U.S. Defence Chief Harold Brown passed away

• Former U.S. Defence Secretary Harold Brown passed away.
• Brown, a nuclear physicist, led the Pentagon to modernize its defence systems with weapons.
• He was defence secretary from 1977 to 1981 under Democratic President Jimmy Carter.

Daily Current Affairs PDF of 08th Jan 2019