1.
World’s first insured Bitcoin vault opens in UK
i. The world’s first Bitcoin storage service that insures deposits of the digital currency against hackers and accidental loss has opened in London.
ii. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that can be generated through complex computer software systems with solutions shared on a network.
iii. Although, the digital currency is gaining popularity, concerns about its security are on the rise. Online wallets used to store Bitcoins have been subject to a number of cyber-attacks and some users have also suffered from accidental loss.
iv. The new Bitcoin storage service offering insurance in U.K., named Elliptic Vault, uses “deep cold storage” techniques to secure the digital currency.
v. Bitcoin keys are encrypted and stored offline. There are multiple copies, protected by layers of cryptographic and physical security.
vi. In India, a number of Bitcoin operators have suspended their business following the recent warning by the country’s central bank against use of such virtual currencies due to potential money laundering and cyber security risks.
vii. However, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is yet to come out with a clear regulatory framework for Bitcoins.
Note: Bitcoin came into existence in 2009. It has become the world’s most expensive currency and its per unit value soared past $1,200 level or about Rs. 63,000 in November 2013.
2.
Hasina Sworn in for 3rd Time as Bangladesh PM
i. Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was Sunday sworn in as prime minister of Bangladesh for the third time along with a 48-member cabinet.
ii. President Abdul Hamid administered the oaths of office and secrecy to the 66-year-old Hasina.
iii. The cabinet includes 29 ministers, 17 state ministers and two deputy ministers.
Note: i. According to results from the Election Commission, the Awami League won 232 seats, securing a three-fourths majority.
ii. Hasina first came to power in 1996 and then defeated Zia in the 2008 elections.
3.
TN a hotspot for Japanese investors, says Consul General
i. Tamil Nadu has become a hotspot for Japanese investors and the number of Japanese business establishments in the State is likely to increase shortly, Japanese Consul General Masanori Nakano said in Chennai on Thursday.
ii. As of October 2012, over 1,800 Japanese establishments are operating in India, of which 344 are in Tamil Nadu, followed by 228 in Karnataka, 88 in Andhra Pradesh, 53 in Kerala and four in Puducherry. There are 1,000 expats in Karnataka and 800 in Tamil Nadu.
iii. The Japanese firms are also looking at other States which are offering good environment for investment.”
iv. According to Mr. Nakano, major Japanese firms have already established their units in India. Next in the line would be the entry of small and medium size firms. Some of them were waiting for the commissioning of Ascendas integrated township near Chennai. The formation of Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor was also keenly watched by the Japanese investors.
v. The Japan Government has been participating in the major infrastructure development by providing Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) loans. The major beneficiaries are Tamil Nadu Investment Promotion Programme, Hogenakkal Drinking Water Project, Chennai Metro Rail and Tamil Nadu Transmission System Improvement Project.
vi. As part of scouting for suitable destinations in south India, a host of Japanese firms will take part in the Confederation of Indian Industry 20th Partnership Summit to be held in Bangalore for three days from January 27.
4.
WB to provide 50 million dollar assistance to Afghanistan
i. World Bank will provide 50 million dollar assistance to Afghanistan to support the government's efforts to improve access to credit for micro, small and medium enterprises.
ii. An agreement to this effect was signed by World Bank country director for Afghanistan, Robert Saum and Afghan Finance Minister Dr. Omar Zakhilwal in Kabul yesterday.
5.
SBI supports charging customers for ATM usage
i. Stating that its ATM operations are making losses, nation’s largest bank SBI has said it is all for charging customers for transactions. It also said a commercially viable model is needed for ATM network expansion.
ii. State Bank of India (SBI) Chairperson Ms. Bhattacharya said barring in a few states, the ATM operations are making losses. She did not name the states where the ATM segment is making money. She said SBI cannot subsidise ATMs forever.
iii. The loss from ATMs is very concerning. I would like to roll out many more ATMs. I am ready to do that, but I need to explain also how I am going to sustain this,” she said.
Note: i. The Finance Ministry had mandated that each state-run bank would have an adjoining ATM in place by the end of the current fiscal.
ii. At present, banks allow customers five free transactions per month at other banks’ ATMs and unlimited at own bank’s. However, the home bank has to pay the other bank Rs 15 per transaction, even though the transaction may be for free to customers.
6.
National Road Safety Week being observed across India !
i. Road Transport and Highways Ministry is observing the National Road Safety Week across the country to create awareness among the people.
ii. The theme of this year’s Road Safety week is “When on road, always say Pehle Aap”
7.
3000 girls enrolled under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan in Assam
i. In Assam, 3 thousand girls between 10 to 14 years age group have been enrolled at 57 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, SSA.
ii. Official sources said that out of 3 thousand, 38 per cent minority and 33 per cent of Schedule Tribe girls have been covered.
iii. On the other hand, a total of 503 students were mainstreamed in class nine in Secondary schools from 29 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya last year.
iv. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya is a scheme launched in the year 2004, for setting up residential schools at upper primary level for girls belonging largely to the SC, ST, OBC and minority communities.
v. The Assam government has also installed solar light at two Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Karbi Anglong and Dhubri district last year .
vi. The sources further said that the Assam government will send proposal to the Centre to increase the number of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in the state.
8.
NASA discovers new potentially hazardous asteroid
i. NASA's latest sky-mapping spacecraft has discovered a new potentially hazardous asteroid, 43 million kilometres from Earth.
ii. It is the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE)'s first such discovery since coming out of hibernation last year. The spacecraft discovered a near-Earth asteroid designated 2013 YP139 on December 29.
iii. The mission's sophisticated software picked out the moving object against a background of stationary stars.
iv. As NEOWISE circled Earth scanning the sky, it observed the asteroid several times over half a day before the object moved beyond its view. Researchers at the University of Arizona used the Spacewatch telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory southwest of Tucson to confirm the discovery.
v. NEOWISE was originally called the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which had made the most comprehensive survey to date of asteroids and comets.
vi. WISE discovered more than 34,000 asteroids and characterised 158,000 throughout the solar system during its prime mission in 2010 and early 2011. Its reactivation in September followed 31 months in hibernation.
9.
Young Shetty, Ankita become TT national champions
i. Youngsters Sanil Shetty and Ankita Das were crowned men's and women's singles champion respectively at the 75th Senior National Table Tennis Championships in Patna on Sunday.
ii. No. 2 seed Shetty defeated his PSPB team mate Harmeet Desai 4-2 and No. 4 Ankita Das, also of PSPB, drubbed AAI's Krittwika Sinha Roy 4-0 to take home the winners' purse of Rs 2.30 lakh and Rs 1.45 lakh, respectively.
iii. Incidentally, Shetty is the first national champion to emerge from Mumbai after the great Kamlesh Mehta, who last won the title in 1995.
iv. Desai made up for his ineffective forehand by blocking well and employed more of his backhands. Desai took calculated risks at the long ball, his Achilles heel, and came up with several surprise winners besides playing a consistent, percentage game.
10.
Ranji Trophy: Maharashtra enters semifinals
i. Maharashtra entered the semifinals of Ranji Trophy cricket beating defending champions Mumbai by 8 wickets yesterday. An unbeaten century by Kedar Jadhav and his superb 215-run unconquered third-wicket stand with 19-year-old Vijay Zol helped Maharashtra achieve a victory target of 252 runs set by Mumbai.
ii. In the semi-finals, Maharashtra will now clash with the winners of the other quarterfinal between Bengal and Railways.
11.
India vs Germany in final Group-A match in Men's Hockey World League Final
i. India will take on Germany in their final Group-A match of the Men's Hockey World League Final at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi this evening.
ii. The Sardar-Singh led India are already out of the quarterfinal race. They lost both their Group matches against England and New Zealand and are presently at the bottom of Pool-A.
12.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Dies AT 85 !
i. Ariel Sharon, the trailblazing former Israeli general and prime minister who was in a coma for eight years after he had a stroke at the height of his power, died on Saturday aged 85
ii. Ministers in Israel's right-wing government, and the political opposition, mourned a tough and wily leader who left big footprints on the region through military invasion, Jewish settlement building on captured land and a shock, unilateral decision to pull Israeli troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip in 2005.