National
•The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 came into force 15 January 2016. In this regard, Union Ministry of Woman and Child Development has issued orders for enforceable of Act.
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled the ‘Start-up India, Stand-up India’ action plan in New Delhi to boost startup ventures in the country.
•Sikkim has formally become India’s first fully organic state after it successfully implemented organic farming practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land.
•India’s largest tricolour was hoisted atop the tallest pole at Pahari Mandir in Ranchi, by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. This flag will remain hoisted for 24 hours and shall be illuminated with the help of twenty sodium vapour lights at night. It is world’s largest and the highest hoisted Indian flag.
•State owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has received environmental clearance for a project in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin in Andhra Pradesh.
•The Union cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recommended imposition of President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh under Article 356 (1) of the Constitution.
•The first Solar Power operated Mini-Water Supply Plant of Maharashtra was commissioned in Hingna village of Mouda Taluka in Nagpur district.
International
•United States (US) has removed a wide range of nuclear sanctions against Iran after it has meet its commitments to roll back its nuclear programme.
•French President Francois Hollande has declared what he called “a state of economic emergency” and says it’s time to redefine France’s economic and social model.
•The first Ministerial Meeting of Arab-India Cooperation Forum was held Manama, capital city of Bahrain.
Business and economy
•Chinese President Xi Jinping has formally opened Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Beijing.
•Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Ltd has launched a new service for algorithm trading test facility for investors on its derivatives and equity platform.
•The Ministry of Finance announced the roadmap for a new set of accounting standards-the Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS)-for scheduled commercial banks, insurance companies and non-banking financial companies.
•India’s digital payment startup company TranServ has launched country’s first Social Mobile Wallet named Udio.
Sports
•World No. 22 Viktor Troicki from Serbia has won the 2016 WTA Apia International title of Tennis in the men’s single category.
•Ace Indian Shuttler Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (World No.12) has won the 2016 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold Badminton title.
Appointments
•Pro-Independence Opposition candidate of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen (59) has been elected as first female and 14th President of Taiwan.
•India’s Dinesh Sharma has been elected to the board of directors of the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
•Tata Motors has appointed former top official of Airbus Guenter Butschek (55) as its Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director. Mr. Butschek will lead all operations of Tata Motors in India and in international markets including South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa.
Awards
•Indian writer Anuradha Roy has won the on the prestigious $50,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for her novel ‘Sleeping on Jupiter’.
Science and Technology
•Chinese scientists have developed a new bio-artificial liver that can help patients to survive from liver failure long enough for an organ transplant.
•National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully launched the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Jason-3 Ocean-monitoring satellite.
•Popular messaging app WhatsApp said it will stop charging $1 per year subscription fee to go completely free for its users across the world.
Death
•Former Sikkim Governor and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ventrapragada Rama Rao passed away in Hyderabad, Telangana following an illness. He was 81.
•Renowned Kannada filmmaker and lyricist Geethapriya passed away after a battle with throat cancer in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He was 84.
•The world’s oldest man, a Japanese, died the age of 112 after suffering chronic heart problems.
•Eminent tabla player Pandit Shankar Ghosh passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal following a prolonged illness. He was 80.
Special Days
•The Election Commission of India (ECI) has celebrated the 6th National Voters' Day across the country on 25th January. Theme for year 2016 is Inclusive and Qualitative Participation.
Current Affairs: 27th January, 2016 Current Affairs Round up December, 2015.
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