DAILY GK 12-13 JAN 2025
1. PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA
·
Nicolas Maduro Moros was sworn in as the 53rd
President of Venezuela for the 3rd consecutive term.
·
The
swearing-in ceremony was held at the National
Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela.
·
He
will be serving as the President of Venezuela for a period of 6
years until 2031.
·
In
2015, he received ‘the Order of the Liberator from Bolivia’ Venezuela’s
highest civilian award, in recognition of his outstanding services to the country.
·
Venezuela
is a country in South America.
·
Capital- Caracas
2. PRESIDENT OF LEBANON
·
General Joseph
Khalil Aoun was elected as the 14th President of
Lebanon.
·
He
won the parliamentary election by securing 99 votes out of 128 votes.
·
The
session was the legislature’s 13th attempt to elect a successor to former
President Michel NaimAoun whose term ended in October 2022.
·
He
is the fifth army commander to
become president in Lebanon’s history.
·
Currently,
he is serving as the Commander of Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
·
Lebanon Prime Minister (PM)– Najib Azmi Mikati
·
Capital- Beirut
3. JUSTIN TRUDEAU STEPS DOWN AS
PM OF CANADA
·
Canadian
Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau announced his
resignation to step down as Canada’s PM and as leader of the Liberal
Party after facing a stiff internal revolt.
·
CanadaCapital
– Ottawa
4. SECRETARY OF BCCI
·
DevajitSaikia, an advocate and a former
wicket-keeper batsman from Assam,
was announced as the new Secretary of the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI), succeeding
Jay Shah who took over the role of ICC Chairman in December 2024.
·
Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, cricket administrator from
Chhattisgarh, was also elected as the Treasurer of BCCI
·
DevajitSaikia
and Prabhtej Singh Bhatia were appointed without opposition
·
BCCIPresident
– Roger Binny
5. PRESIDENT OF CROATIA
·
Zoran Milanović, political leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), was
re-elected as the 5th President of Croatia for the 2nd
consecutive term.
·
He
won the presidential election by securing 74% of the votes,
defeating Dragan Primorac, a candidate from the ruling
party Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).
·
Croatia
Prime Minister (PM)–
Andrej Plenković
·
Capital– Zagreb
6. KERALA’S KAPPAD AND CHAL BEACHES
EARN ‘BLUE FLAG’ CERTIFICATION
·
Kerala’s
renowned Kappad beach in Kozhikode and Chal beach in
Kannur respectively received the coveted ‘Blue Flag certification’ from
the Denmark based non-profit organization ‘Foundation
for Environmental Education’ (FEE).
·
This
certification is awarded to beaches and marinas that meet 33 criteria,
focusing on environmental education, water quality, safety, services, and waste
management.
·
Kappad Beach has earned the Blue Flag
certification for the 4th consecutive year.
·
The
beach underwent upgrades in 2020, including the installation of solar-powered
lights, bio-toilets, and disabled-friendly pathways,
to meet the stringent criteria required for certification.
·
Chal Beach also secured the Blue Flag
certification, contributing to Kerala’s rising profile as a sustainable tourism
destination.
·
The
historical significance of Kappad was the site where Portuguese
explorer Vasco da Gama 1st landed in 1498 .
·
The Blue Flag certification is an
eco-label awarded to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators that
meet stringent environmental and safety standards globally as a mark of
excellence.
·
The
‘Blue Flag’ programme was started in 1987, initially in Europe and the
certification is awarded annually.
·
In
2024, over 5,000 beaches, marinas, and tourist boats across 51 countries
have received a Blue Flag.
·
India
is now the 4th country in Asia after South Korea, Japan and the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) with ‘blue flag beaches’.
·
As
of Jan 2024, India has 14 Blue Flag beaches.
·
KeralaChief
Minister (CM)- Pinarayi Vijayan
7. INDIA BECAME A MEMBER
OF UN-CEBD
·
India
became a member of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics (UN-CEBD).
·
This
membership highlights India’s growing influence in the global statistical
community and emphasizes its commitment to utilizing data and technology for
effective policy-making.
·
India
assumed membership of the United Nations
Statistical Council(UNSC) in 2024.
·
Data science is a multidisciplinary
field that combines statistics, mathematics, programming, and domain knowledge to extract
insights from data.
·
Big data refers to extremely large
and complex datasets
that traditional data processing tools and methods cannot effectively handle.
·
The UN-CEBD headquartered in New
York, was established in 2014 with
Australia as its 1st chair.
·
It
explores the opportunities and challenges posed by Big Data in
the production and dissemination of official statistics.
·
The UN-CEBD consists of 31 member
states and 16
international organizations.
·
The
Advisory Board is the management body of
the UN-CEBD.
·
The
Advisory Board members include South
Africa (Chair), the United Kingdom, Brazil, China, Rwanda, United Nations
Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Canada,
Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico, Netherlands, African Development Bank(AfDB),
Eurostat, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific(UNESCAP) and United
Nations Statistics Division(UNSD).
8. MICROSOFT CHAIRMAN SATYA NADELLA’S
VISIT TO INDIA
·
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) SatyaNadella made a visit to India on January 2025 as
a part of the Microsoft AI (Artificial Intelligence) Tour with
an aim for expansion and investment plans to make India a leader in AI.
·
IndiaAI, an Independent Business Division
(IBD) under the Digital India Corporation, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft to drive the
adoption and development of artificial
intelligence (AI) in India.
·
MoU with India AI to skill 500,000
individuals,
including students, educators, developers, and women entrepreneurs, by 2026.
·
Establish
“AI Catalysts,” a
Center of Excellence, to promote rural AI innovation in Tier 2 and Tier 3
cities and equip 100,000 AI innovators and developers through hackathons,
community building, and an AI marketplace.
·
Microsoft
Founders– Bill
Gates, Paul Allen
9.
PM NARENDRA MODI INAUGURATES Z-MORH TUNNEL IN J&K
·
Prime Minister (PM) NarendraModi inaugurated the Z-Morh Tunnel in Sonamarg, located in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
·
The tunnel, also known as the Sonamarg Tunnel, enhances connectivity to the
Ladakh region, which has defence and tourism value.
·
The
two lane, bi-directional Z-Morh Tunnel, measuring 6.5 kilometer (km) long and 10 metres(m) wide was
built between Gagangir and Sonmarg on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway (NH).
·
It
is located at an altitude of 8,650 feet above
sea level which facilitates all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and
Sonamarg enroute Leh, bypassing landslide and avalanche route.
·
The
western portal of the tunnel (towards
Srinagar) is located in the village Rezan just after Gagangir and the eastern portal (towards Sonamarg) is
located at village Shetkari.
·
The
longest road tunnel in India – ‘Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Tunnel’, also known
as the ‘Chenani-Nashri Tunnel’ measuring 9.28 km located in J&K.
·
The shortest road tunnel in India – ‘BhanwarTonk Tunnel’ measuring 1,024 m
located in Chhattisgarh.
10.
INDIA’S FIRST PRIVATE SEMICONDUCTOR FACILITY IN AP
·
Indichip Semiconductors Limited, headquartered
in Noida in collaboration with its Joint Venture (JV) partner Yitoa Micro
Technology Limited (YMTL) from Japan, has signed a MoU with the government of Andhra
Pradesh to establish India’s first private
semiconductor manufacturing facility at
the Orvakal Mega Industrial Hub in Kurnool, AP.
·
The project entails an investment of
over Rs 14,000 crores.
·
In November 2024, the Gujarat government
launched India’s first ‘Gujarat
Semiconductor Policy 2022-2027’.
·
India’s
first semiconductor will be set up in Sanand district of Gujarat.
·
India’s
first Artificial intelligence (AI) -enabled semiconductor
fabrication plant has officially started construction
in Dholera, Gujarat.
·
Andhra Pradesh CM– N. Chandrababu Naidu, Capital–
Amaravati
