Current Affairs Headlines - 14 January 2019

Current Affairs Headlines - 14 January 2019 - Fifteen useful headlines - for all examinations

CA - 15 HEADLINES

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News followed by its category

1. Justice A.K. Sikri, the SC judge whose vote in the PM-led high-power committee became decisive for the removal of Alok Verma as CBI Director, turned down an offer from the government to nominate him to the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitrary Tribunal (CSAT). The government had made an oral offer to Justice Sikri last month, and media leaks recently may have put pressure on the judge to reject the offer. Demands for a cooling-off period post-retirement, again surfaced. (Constitution and Law / People and Personalities)
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2. As per veteran politician Sharad Pawar, the Bill seeking to extend 10% reservation to the economically backward among the general category was inimical to constitutional structures. He said such gimmicks by the N. Modi government just before the Lok Sabha election would have little impact on the electorate. The 10% EWS quota in education and jobs was recently passed by the Parliament. (Constitution and Law / Social Issues)
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3. U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected a Washington Post report that he has refused to share details of his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin with top U.S. government officials. The controversy is about whether Russian agents influenced the 2016 Presidential Elections in US through meddling via social media, and whether candidate Donald Trump knew about it or used it. (People and Personalities / World Politics)
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4. Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu announced in Mumbai that the UAE and Saudi Arabia had decided to use India as a base to address their food security concerns. India has a huge agriculture and horticulture production, and a lot of it goes waste as well. Agri distress to has not abated in recent years. In light of that, it may be a good move. (Agriculture / Regional Politics)
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5. The PM released a Commemorative Coin of Rs. 350 to mark the birth anniversary of Sikh guru Shri Guru Gobind Singh. He greeted the nation on Lohri on this occasion. India celebrates several festivals linked with change of season, and agriculture production cycles. (Agriculture / Religion / Social Issues)
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6. Writer Namita Gokhale has won the Sushila Devi Literature Award for her novel "Things to Leave Behind". She was awarded in the 'Best Book of Fiction Written by a Woman Author' category at the inaugural edition of Bhopal Literature and Art Festival (BLF).  (Art and Literature / People and Personalities)
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7. Gujarat will become the first Indian state to implement the 10% reservation for economically backward sections (EWS) in general category from January 14, 2019. The 124th Constitution Amendment Bill (leading to the 103rd constitutional amendment) recently got the Presidential assent as well. (Constitution and Law / Regional Politics / Social Issues)
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8. The first India-Central Asia Dialogue will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on January 12 and 13, and will be co-chaired by External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj and the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov. (Regional Politics)
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9. Saudi Arabia will establish a $10bn oil refinery in Gwadar port city of Pakistan. Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (MbS) will visit Pakistan in February to sign an agreement for the same. Gwadar is a port city located in the southwestern region of Balochistan in Pakistan, featuring the famous China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. (Energy / People and Personalities / Regional Politics)
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10. An Ahmedabad woman Ushir Pandit-Durant is now a New York SC judge! She is the first South Asian and Indian-origin woman to be elected to the position. (Constitution and Law / People and Personalities)
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11. The national security team of the White House last fall asked the Pentagon to provide it with options for striking Iran after a group of militants aligned with Tehran fired mortars into an area in Baghdad that is home to the US Embassy. No military action, however, has been initiated till date, and US has decided to pull troops out of Syria, in a signal to end its involvement with the Syrian civil war. (Defence and Military / Regional Politics)
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12. The British PM Theresa May warned lawmakers that failing to deliver Brexit would be catastrophic for democracy. Britain faces a hugely uncertain path that could lead to disorderly exit or even remaining in the bloc. Brexit was the result of a referendum on 23-June, 2016, when 51.6% of voters opted for UK moving out of the EU. The divorce has not been a smooth affair at all.  (Regional Politics)
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13. Despite recent govt. policies that might adversly affect e-commerce business of Amazon in India, it has 1300 vacancies in India, which is the highest in Asia Pacific. The government has decided to strictly enforce the rule that marketplace owners cannot hold inventories on the same platform, even through subsidiaries. (Governance and Institutions / Indian Economy)
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14. Women wearing yellow vests marched against French govt in Le Mans demanding resignation of French President Emmanuel Macron and the govt for the police violence during the nationwide demostrations of the Yellow Vest movement. The 'gilets jaunes' movement has rocked France for weeks now, with protestors demanding a rollback of many policies, and continuation of many others! (Social Issues / World Politics)
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15. The Congress announced that it was prepared to contest all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The decision comes a day after the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) announced an alliance carving up the seats between them. (Indian Politics)
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