TNPSC Current Affairs January 14, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs January 14, 2020 (14/01/2020)

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Topic: International Events, Places in News

‘8 Wonders of SCO’

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has included the Statue of Unity among the ‘Eight Wonders of the SCO.

Key facts:

At 182 metre, the statue is 23 metre taller than China’s Spring Temple Buddha statue and almost double the height of the Statue of Liberty (93 metre tall) in US.

Located on the Sadhu Bet island, near Rajpipla on the Narmada river, the Statue of Unity is located between the Satpura and the Vindhya mountain ranges.

The Eight Wonders of the SCO are:

India — the Statue of Unity.

Kazakhstan — the Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly.

China — The Daming imperial palace complex.

Kyrgyzstan — Lake Issyk-Kul.

Pakistan — The Great Mughals’ heritage at Lahore.

Russia — The Golden Ring cities.

Tajikistan — The Palace of Nowruz.

Uzbekistan — the Poi Kalon complex.

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Topic: International Reports and Events

World’s fastest-growing cities

Three Indian cities have been listed as the world’s fastest-growing urban areas, a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) revealed.

How are the cities ranked?

Cities are ranked based on “Total % change, 2015-20 forecast”. The list is based on data from the United Nations Population Division. The Economist has listed the rate at which the populations of the “urban agglomerations” (UA) are expected to increase between 2015 and 2020.

Key facts:

Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kollam were the only three cities to make it to the top 10 of the world’s fastest-growing cities. Malappuram was ranked No. 1 in the world rankings with a 44.1 per cent change between 2015 and 2020. While Kozhikode was ranked fourth with 34.5 per cent change and Kollam was at number 10 with 31.1 per cent.

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Topic: International Events

Hormuz peace initiative

The meeting of Hormuz Peace Initiative was recently held in Iran. The meeting saw participation from key regional players including Oman and India besides Afghanistan and China.

About the Initiative:

The initiative is led by Iran. It aims to stabilise the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway for a significant amount of global oil supplies.

What is the Strait of Hormuz?

It is the waterway separates Iran and Oman, linking the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south are the UAE and Musandam, an enclave of Oman. The Strait is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just two miles (three km) wide in either direction.

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Topic: Awards and Honours

Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award to Prof M S Swaminathan

The Agricultural Scientist Prof M S Swaminathan was awarded the “Muppavarapu Venenkaiah Naidu” National award. The award was also presented to Mr Muniratnam. Mr Muniratnam was the first person to receive the award four days back.

Key facts:

The professor was made the honours during Pongal celebrations at Raj Bhavan in Chennai. The award carried cash prize of Rs 5 lakhs.

During the celebrations, the professor was titled as “Father of Green Revolution and the Doyen of Agricultural Science”.