1. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan attends Global Skill Summit at Ranchi

• Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, &Skill Development and Entrepreneurshipattended the Global Skill Summit 2019 held in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
• Governor of Jharkhand Smt. Droupadi Murmu was the chief guest in this one day Global Skill Summit, 2019 which was also attended by Chief Minister of Jharkhand Shri Raghubar Das.
• On this occasion Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said that India, with its pool of talented youth, has the potential to cater to the ever-growing demand for skilled manpower in the world.

2. Chhattisgarh withdraws general consent accorded to the CBI to probe cases in the state

• Two monthsafter the Chandrababu Naidu-led government in Andhra Pradesh withdrew general consent accorded to the CBI to probe cases in the state, the Congress government in Chhattisgarh took a similar decision on Thursday.
• The state government has conveyed the decision to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Personnel and Training.
• Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 makes the consent of the states mandatory for the CBI to exercise its power and jurisdiction in the state.

3. Mohamed Salah once again named African Footballer of the Year

• Mohamed Salah has been named African Footballer of the Year for a second successive year.
• The Egypt forward edged the same two players last year in a vote decided by the technical directors and head coaches of 56 Caf member associations.
• Among other awardees, Houston Dash and South Africa forward Thembi Kgatlana was named Women’s Player of the Year.

4. India will overtake the US economy by 2030 ; Standard Chartered

• India is likely to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2030, next only to China and overtaking the US, according to Standard Chartered’s long-term forecast released on Jan. 08.
• The UK-based multinational bank also predicts that based on nominal GDP using purchasing power parity exchange rates, China will overtake the US by 2020.
• Current emerging markets will likely make up the majority of the 10 biggest economies by 2030.

5. Lok Sabha passes DNA (Use and Application) Technology Regulation Bill

• The Lok Sabhapassed the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019 by voice vote after a brief discussion.
• It seeks to provide regulation for the use and application of DNA technology for the purpose of establishing the identity of certain category of persons including the victims, offenders, suspects, under trials, missing persons and others.
• The bill also seeks to establish a National DNA Data Bank and Regional DNA Data Banks. Speaking on the bill, Science and Technology Minister Dr Harshvardhan said the issues of privacy, confidentiality and data protection have been minutely addressed in this legislation.

6. World Hindi Day observed on 10 January

• World Hindi Day is celebrated on January 10 every year, marking the anniversary of first World Hindi Conference which was held in 1975. The first World Hindi Conference was inaugurated by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
• Since 1975, the World Hindi Conference has been organised in different countries like India, Mauritius, United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, United States.
• World Hindi Day was first observed on January 10, 2006. Since then, it is celebrated on January 10 every year.

7. Country's longest single lane steel cable bridge opened in Arunachal

• India’s longest 300-metre single lane steel cable suspension bridge was inaugurated by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu .He also laid the foundation stone for a district secretariat building.
• The bridge across the Siang river at Yingkiong in Upper Siang district has been named Byorung Bridge.
• The road to Tuting, near the China border in Upper Siang district, was 192 km before the bridge was built. The bridge is expected to benefit 20,000 people on either banks of the river, besides bolstering the defence preparedness.

8. Bureau of Energy Efficiency, CPWD ink pact for energy efficient buildings

• Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Central Public Works Department (CPWD) on Thursday inked a pact to make 150 buildings energy efficient, which would save 50 million units per annum.
• In the first stage, approximately 150 buildings will be taken under star rating scheme and to promote energy efficiency in the CPWD managed buildings.
• The star rating scheme for buildings is based on the actual performance of a building in terms of its specific energy usage in kwh/sqm/year.

9. India Ranks 79th, Japan Tops List Of Most Powerful Passports

• According to the Henley Passport Index, which periodically measures the access each country's travel document affords, India jumped two positions from 81st in 2018 to 79th this year.
• Japan retained its top spot as the world's most travel-friendly passport due to the document's access to 190 countries.
• South Korea edged up the ranking from October's index to join Singapore, offering access to 189 jurisdictions.

10. Sri Lanka's Central Bank gets $400 million swap from RBI

• Sri Lanka's Central Bank said that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has agreed to provide USD 400 million under a swap arrangement to boost the island nation's reserves.
• The RBI has agreed to provide the funds under its SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Swap Facility.
• Central Bank Governor Indrajith Coomaraswamy last week said that the nearly two-month long political crisis had an adverse impact on the country's economy.