Daily Current Affairs- 9 January

Today's Current Affairs 9th January 2023

INTERNATIONAL

Kevin McCarthy elected U.S. House Speaker in vote 15 after chaotic week

• The United States Parliament has elected Kevin McCarthy of the Republican Party as the speaker of the House of Representatives after 15 rounds of voting. He is the 55th speaker of the US House of Representatives. He was serving as the House Minority Leader in the House. He has replaced Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.
• After the midterm elections held on November 8, the number of members of former President Donald Trump’s Republican Party has increased to222 in the 435-member House of Representatives. With this, President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party has come in the minority in the House of Representatives. Kevin McCarthy has become thethird most senior US position after US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
• Kevin McCarthy is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected as the House Minority Leader from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as the House Majority Leader from 2014 to 2019 under Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan. McCarthy has been elected as a member of the US Parliament 9 times. He was born in Bakersfield, California.

Manpreet Monica Singh First female Sikh judge in US  

• Indian-origin Sikh woman, Manpreet Monica Singh became the first ever female Sikh judge in the US after she was sworn in as a Harris county judge. Born and brought up in Houston, after her father immigrated to the US early in the 1970s, Singh currently lives in Bellaire with her husband and two children. In her career expanding over two decades, the newly appointed judge has been involved in numerous civil rights organizations at the local, state, and national levels.
• An estimated 5,00,000 Sikhs live in the US, with 20,000 Sikhs living in the Houston area. The state’s first South Asian judge, Indian-American Ravi Sandill called it a big moment for the Sikh community. Sandill was also presiding over the ceremony which happened in a packed courtroom.

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts again after brief pause

• After a brief pause, Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted again, spewing lava fountains and discharges of volcanic ash into the air. The eruption started January 5, 2022 afternoon at the volcano’s crater, according to a notice issued by the United States Geological Service (GSGS).lava from the volcano is contained in Kilauea’s crater, a closed section of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
• The USGS warned locals that the high quantities of volcanic fumes may still be dangerous as they travelled downstream. The Kilauea volcano is the most active of the five volcanoes that make up the Island of Hawaii. It is a shield volcano, which is a type of volcano composed of fluid lava and characterized by its vast lava flow.

 NATIONAL

International Kite Festival 2023 begins in Ahmedabad

• The International Kite Festival 2023 has began on 8 January in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The festival, which is being organised after a gap of two years, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The previous edition was held in 2020 with 153 participants from 43 countries. The festival is being organised by Gujarat Tourism on the G20 theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. Apart from Ahmedabad, the International Kite Festival will also be organised in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Dwarka, Somnath, Dhordo and Kevadia.
• After a gap of 2 years, the sky above the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad will be decorated with colourful unique kites. More than 800 kite flyers from across India and the world will participate in the festival and display their unique creations. This year kite lovers from different countries will attempt to create a Guinness World Record for the maximum number of kite flyers at the same time.

India’s first-ever coal gasification based Talcher Fertiliser plant in Odisha will be ready by October 2024: Mansukh Mandaviya

• Union Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya announced that India’s first-ever coal gasification-based Talcher Fertilizer Plant in Odisha will be ready to be dedicated to the nation by October 2024. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya visited the site on the second day and noted that the work in the plant in Talcher is in progress.
• Along with Union Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was also present during the occasion.
• Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, five out of four urea plants have become functional.
• The urea plants at Talcher which uses Coal Gasification Technology to produce urea will be ready by the end of this year.

Kerala establishes welfare board for workers under employment guarantee programmes

• The Kerala Cabinet approved a scheme to ensure those employed under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(MGNREGS) in the poll-bound state get benefits like pension and medical assistance. It has recommended that governor Arif Mohammad Khan issue an ordinance in this regard.
• The state government and local bodies will give an equal contribution and ₹50 will be deducted from a worker’s salary every month for it.
• Those who are between 18 and 55 can register for membership and they can submit their contribution every month or on yearly basis. People aged up to 75 are eligible for employment under MGNREGS.

 SPORTS

Chetan Sharma retained as chairman of selectors

• Chetan Sharma was reappointed as the chairman of the senior selection committee, exactly two months after his entire panel was disbanded by the BCCI for the Indian team’s semifinal exit in the T20 World Cup. Salil Ankola, Shiv Sunar Das, Subroto Banerjee and Sridharan Sharath are new members of the selection committee. The new committee has been picked by the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape and Sulakshana Naik. The committee further recommended Chetan Sharma for the role of Chairman of the senior men’s selection committee.
• Salil Ankola, the former chief selector of the Mumbai cricket team, played 20 ODIs and 1 Test match between 1989 to 1997. His Test debut came along with Sachin Tendulkar against Pakistan in 1989.

'Hindustan Ka Dil Dhadka Do'... Khelo India gets josh anthem & mascot

• The anthem, mascot and a ‘smart torch’ for the fifth edition of the youth games were unveiled by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union MoS sports Nisith Pramanik and state sports minister at a glittering event in Bhopal on Saturday evening.
• The 5th KIYG 2022 will be held from January 30 to February 11. There are 27 sporting disciplines on the schedule, with over 6,000 athletes competing. ‘Hindustan Ka Dil Dhadka Do’ – this is the heartpounding anthem of the Khelo India Youth Games 2022. And cheetah Asha, who was named by PM Narendra Modi, the Games mascot.
• The importance of sports and fitness in one’s life is invaluable. Playing sports inculcates team spirit, develops strategic & analytical thinking, leadership skills, goal setting and risk taking. A fit and healthy individual leads to an equally healthy society and strong nation.

 APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Paytm Payments Bank receives RBI nod to appoint Surinder Chawla as Managing Director and CEO

• Paytm Payments Bank has received banking regulator RBI’s nod to appoint Surinder Chawla as its Managing Director and CEO. The RBI, however, continues to bar Paytm Payments Bank from on-boarding new customers. Before joining PPBL, Chawla was working with RBL Bank, where he served as Head – Branch Banking and focused on expanding the CASA base, fee revenue, and cross-selling across channels. The company in its regulatory filing said that the latest appointment comes as part of PPBL’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its leadership team, enhance its technology capabilities and drive financial inclusion in the country.
• Chawla brings with him a career in retail banking spanning over 28 years across institutions such as HDFC Bank, RBL Bank, ABN Amro Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. He joins PPBL from RBL Bank, where he served as head of branch banking and focused on expanding the Current Account Savings Account (CASA) base, fee revenue, and cross-selling across channels.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

09th Jan 2023: Nation Celebrates 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or NRI Day is formally observed on 9 January to celebrate the day when Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa to Mumbai, India. The day is celebrated to acknowledge the contribution of the non-resident Indian community in helping in the development of the country. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 has conducted in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, from 8–10 January, 2023. It is important to note that this is the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, or NRI Day.
• According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the official theme of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 is “Diaspora: Reliable Partners for India’s Progress in Amrit Kaal.” The theme focuses on the importance of the Indian diaspora in the development of the country. It is important to note that every year a new theme is chosen to celebrate the day.
• The purpose of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is to give NRIs a forum to discuss their attitudes toward India and to build bridges of goodwill with their fellow citizens. It also entails informing the natives of their brothers’ accomplishments abroad and informing the foreigners of what their fellow citizens expect of them.