29 JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. India Second Cheapest Country to Live in: Survey

India is ranked second only to South Africa as the cheapest country to live or retire, according to a recent survey of 112 countries.

• The survey by GoBankingRates ranked nations on the bases of four key affordability metrics provided by online pricing database Numbeo.
• Bermuda, Bahamas, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Ghana are the five most expensive countries in the survey respectively.

2. Government to set up apex cyber crime coordination centre

To deal with cyber crimes such as financial frauds, circulation of communal and pornographic contents, the Union Home Ministry is planning to set up an apex coordination centre and has asked states to establish a similar mechanism in every district.

• It has also released Rs 83 crore for setting up of a cyber forensic training laboratory-cum-training centre for police officials in each state.
• The funds were given under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children Scheme.
• The apex centre - Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) - would be set up in Delhi.

3. Siddheshwar Swami turns down Padma Shri

Karnataka-based seer, Siddheshwar Swami, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express his unwillingness to accept the prestigious Padma Shri award.

• In the letter, he mentioned that he was grateful to the Indian government, but he has little interest in awards.
• According to media reports, he has clarified that his refusal has nothing to do with politics. He has never accepted honours in his life.
• He even refused to receive Hon. Doctorate Award announced by Karnataka University a few years back.

4. ‘Aadhaar’ is Oxford’s first Hindi word of the year

The Hindi Word of the Year for 2017 is 'AADHAAR'. This was announced by Oxford Dictionaries at the Jaipur Literature Festival.

• 'Aadhaar' also becomes the first Oxford Dictionaries Hindi Word of the Year.
• The accompanying shortlisted words include Notebandi, Swachh, Vikaas, Yoga and Bahubali.

5. First ever 'Khadi Haat' inaugurated in Delhi

Marking the 69th Republic Day celebrations, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have launched the first ever 'Khadi Haat' in the country.

• The Khadi Haat was inaugurated on January 25 by Union Minister of State Giriraj Singh in Connaught Place, New Delhi.
• New Delhi Lok Sabha MP Meenakshi Lekhi, KVIC Chairman V K Saxena and NDMC Chairman Naresh Kumar were present on the occasion.

6. Republic Day Parade: Maharashtra wins best tableau award

The tableau from Maharashtra depicting the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Republic Day Parade at the Rajpath won the first prize.

• Among the three military services, the contingent from the Army's Punjab Regiment was awarded the best marching contingent trophy, while the Indo-Tibetan Border Police team won the best marching contingent prize among the para-military and other auxiliary forces.
• Among the ministries, the best tableau award went to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The tableau depicted 'Khelo India', the national programme for development of sports.
• Among performances by schoolchildren, South Central Zone Cultural Centre's 'Baredi Dance' (from Madhya Pradesh) was awarded the first prize.

7. Roger Federer wins sixth Australian Open and 20th Grand Slam title

Roger Federer won his sixth Australian Open and 20th Grand Slam title with a five-set victory over Marin Cilic.

• He beat Marin Cilic 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 3-6 6-1 to win.
• Federer, 36, becomes only the fourth player after Margaret Court, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf to win 20 or more major singles titles.
• Here is the list of winners this year:
• Men’s Singles: Roger Federer
• Women’s Singles: Caroline Wozniacki
• Men’s Doubles: O. Marach and M. Pavic
• Women’s Doubles: K. Mladenovic and T. Babos
• Mixed Doubles: G. Dabrowski and M. Pavic

8. Sandeep Lamichhane becomes first Nepal player to get IPL contract

Sandeep Lamichhane became the first cricketer from Nepal to land a deal an IPL contract when he was picked by Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing players auction.

• The 17-year-old, the only Nepal player in the IPL auction, was sold at his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
• The leg-spinner rose to prominence with a successful outing at the 2016 U-19 World Cup where he guided Nepal to a creditable eighth place.

9. Paes wins 25th Challenger doubles title at Newport Beach

Veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes won his 25th ATP Challenger level doubles title with partner James Cerretani after beating Denis Kudla and Treat Huey in the final of the Newport Beach event.

• The second-seeded Indo-American pair defeated the American-Filipino combine 6-4 7-5 in the summit clash of the USD 150,000 hard court tournament.
• Paes, winner of 11 singles titles on the Challenger Tour, had ended the 2017 season with consecutive trophies.