1. Bangladesh is ready to sign Free Trade Agreement with Nepal
Bangladesh and Nepal have agreed to sign a free trade agreement to increase trade between the two countries.
- Bangladesh has also agreed to allow Nepal to use Saidpur Airport located in Neelamferi district near Nepal.
- Bangladesh exports goods worth $ 38 million to Nepal and imports goods worth about $ 18 million.
2. Ashraf Ghani secured the second term as President of Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) has announced that Ashraf Ghani is a second term as President of the country.
- However, his closest rival Abdullah Abdullah denied recognizing the results and declared himself the likely winner of peace talks with the Taliban.
- Ghani harvested 9,23,592 votes or 50.64 percent of votes that took place on 28th September 2019.
- Meanwhile, the Taliban has also rejected Ghani’s win.
- This has raised a question on the US peace plan that calls for a reduction in violence following an expected settlement between Washington and the Taliban on the 29th of this month.
3. Hindi is the 3rd most spoken language of the world with 615 million speakers in 2019.
Hindi is the third most spoken language in the world after English and Mandarin, with 615 million speakers. Ethnologue brings out a yearly database of living languages of the world since its establishment in 1951.
- The 22nd edition of the World Language Database Ethnologue announced English topped the list with 1,132 million speakers and Chinese Mandarin is at the second position with 1,117 million speakers.
- Bangla is ranked as the 7th most spoken language of the world with 228 million native speakers.
4. IDSA will rename as Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
It has been decided by the Union Government to rename the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, IDSA as Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
- The decision is taken to praise the commitment and legacy of late Manohar Parrikar who was Defence Minister from 9th November 2014 to 14th March 2017.
- It will align the vision and ambitions of the premier defense institute with the contributions of former Defense Minister and Padma Bhushan Awardee.
- IDSA, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Defense, was established in 1965 as a registered society in New Delhi, dedicated to purposeful research and policy-relevant studies on all aspects of defense and security.
5. AIFF got ‘Grassroots Charter Bronze Level’ membership of AFC
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) received the “Grassroots Charter Bronze Level” membership of the Asian Football Confederation.
- The Asian sports governing body has affirmed this in a letter to the AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das.
- This declaration empowers the AIFF to promote its grassroots events and activities with support and recognition in accordance with the applicable terms of the AFC Grassroots Charter.
6. Sachin Tendulkar’s 2011 world cup moment became Laureus best sporting moment
Sachin Tendulkar was being carried on the shoulders of his teammates after India’s 2011 World Cup win, which was voted as the Laureus Best Sports Moment in the last 20 years.
- Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has conferred the trophy to Tendulkar after Tennis great Boris Becker announced the winner at a ceremony.
- First held in 2000, the annual Laureus Sports Awards honor the biggest and most inspiring sports wins of the year.
- On the awards’ 20th anniversary, the Laureus Sporting Moments Award let people vote for the most inspiring sports moment of the last 20 years.
- On the 20th anniversary of the awards, the Laureus sporting moments award allowed people to vote for the most inspiring sporting moment of the past 20 years.
7. RBI elected Sunil Gurbaxani as MD and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Sunil Gurbaxani as Managing Director and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank. He was working with Axis Bank before this appointment. He will work for a period of 3 years from the date of taking charge.
Dhanlaxmi Bank was excluded from the RBI PCA framework as it was subject to certain conditions and continuous monitoring.
The bank reported a 26% rise in net profit to Rs.21.28 crore for the third quarter ended December 2019. The bank had registered a net profit of Rs.16.90 crore during the corresponding period in previous fiscal. Also, the total income of the bank rose to Rs.285.85 crore from Rs.272.16 crore in October-December 2018-19.
Dhanlaxmi Bank:
- Founded: 1927
- Headquarters: Thrissur, Kerala, India
- Chairman: Mr. Sajeev Krishnan
The bank currently has 280 branches and 398 ATMs spread over the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.