Daily Current Affairs- 9th January 2025

Daily Current Affairs- 9th January 2025

INTERNATIONAL

India and the US to jointly build interoperable sonobuoys for the Indian Navy

• India and the U.S. announced cooperation on co-production of U.S. sonobuoys for Undersea Domain Awareness (UDA) for the Indian Navy. The sonobuoys are small and expendable devices used in underwater acoustics and sonar systems to detect submarines and other hostile objects and to carry out precision attacks to eliminate threats. 

NATIONAL

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launches special song for Mahakumbh 2025

• Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the special song of Akashvani and Doordarshan, dedicated to Mahakumbh 2025, in New Delhi. Prasar Bharati Chairman, Navneet Kumar Sehgal, Prasar Bharati CEO, Gaurav Dwivedi, Director General of Doordarshan, Kanchan Prasad and Director General of Akashvani, Pragya Paliwal Gaur were also present on the occasion. 

PM Modi to Inaugurate 38th National Games in Uttarakhand

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand, scheduled from January 28 to February 14, 2025, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed that PM Modi has agreed to open the event, following an invitation from the state government. Dhami also mentioned that they invited the PM to attend the winter yatra, which will coincide with the games. 

Microsoft partners with govt’s India AI Mission to skill 5 lakh people by 2026

• Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella announced a series of AI initiatives in India, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government’s ‘India AI Mission’ to skill 500,000 people by 2026. 

NIELIT Deemed to Be University inaugurated at 12 locations

• NIELIT Deemed-to-Be University, the only university under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), was inaugurated on 03.01.2025 at 12 locations. The event was jointly presided over by Shri Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Hon’ble Governor of Assam, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, and Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Assam, during a ceremony held in 

GEAPP Partners with ISA to Drive Solar Expansion and Support India’s RE Targets

• Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and International Solar Alliance (ISA) have launched a Multi-Donor Trust Fund to mobilise USD 100 million for solar projects in India. Alongside, GEAPP introduced DUET to digitalise grid systems and ENTICE 2.0 to scale innovative clean energy solutions, accelerating India's renewable energy transition
• The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) has announced three pivotal initiatives and partnerships aimed at accelerating India’s clean energy transition. The announcements were made during a high-level stakeholder convening in New Delhi. 

IT Madras launched Asia’s largest Shallow Wave Basin Research facility

• IIT Madras has launched Asia's largest shallow wave basin research facility that can cater to the Indian research and industry requirements. This state-of-the-art facility is located at the 'Discovery' Satellite campus in Thaiyur about 36 km from IIT Madras. 

SPORTS

Martin Guptill Announces Retirement from International Cricket

• New Zealand’s prolific opener, Martin Guptill, has officially retired from international cricket, concluding a distinguished 14-year career that began in 2009. Throughout his tenure, Guptill represented the Black Caps in 198 One Day Internationals (ODIs), 122 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), and 47 Test matches, amassing a total of 14,877 runs across all formats. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or NRI (Non-Resident Indian) Day    

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) or NRI (Non-Resident Indian) Day is celebrated on 9th January every year since 2003 to mark the contribution of the Overseas Indian community in the development of India. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January 1915.