Top GKToday’s News Headlines- 9 January, 2020

Here are Top GKToday’s News Headlines for January 9, 2020.

INDIA

  • IRCTC to start 2 Bharat Darshan Special tourist trains from Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu): 13-day Mahashivratri Nava Jyotirlinga Special Express on February 19 and 14-day Ramayana Yatra Special Express on March 5
  • Facial recognition technology installed at Bengaluru, Manmad and Bhusawal stations as test cases to identify and nab criminals
  • Cabinet approves conferring institution of national importance (INI) status to the cluster of Ayurveda institutions at Gujarat Ayurved University campus, Jamnagar
  • ASCEND 2020 Global Investors Meet being organised by Kerala govt. in Kochi on January 9-10
  • 31st International Kite Festival being organised in Ahmedabad from January 7 to 13
  • Gujarat Govt. to set up Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center (VSCIC) in the state

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

  • CCEA approves strategic disinvestment of equity shareholding of 4 central PSUs (MMTC, NMDC, MECON, BHEL) and 2 Odisha govt. PSUs (IPICOL and OMC) in Neelachal Ispat Nigam (NINL)
  • CCEA approves 1656 km North East Gas Grid project of Indradhanush Gas Grid having an estimated cost of Rs 9265 crore
  • M. Nagaraj appointed CMD of PSU Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO)
  • SBI launches ‘residential builder finance with buyer guarantee’ (RBBG) scheme aimed at improve homebuyers’ confidence

HENLEY PASSPORT INDEX

  • Japan has topped Henley Passport Index while Afghanistan is last (107th).
  • A country’s ranking is based on the number of countries its holders can enter without prior visa approval.
  • Japanese citizens can enter 191 countries while Afghan nationals can only travel to 26 countries without a visa.

WORLD

  • Kiev bound Ukraine International Airlines aircraft crashes shortly after take-off from Tehran killing all 176 people
  • Selfie museum called Selfie Kingdom (TSK) inaugurated in Dubai
  • Jasbinder Bilan wins 2019 Costa Children’s Award in UK for ‘Asha and the Spirit Bird’
  • Spain: Pedro Sanchez of Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party takes oath as Prime Minister
  • 936-km TurkStream line for transporting natural gas from Russia to Turkey inaugurated
  • Pakistan’s Parliament (National Assembly and Senate) pass bills to give extension to Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa for three years
  • India will be the guest of honour at the Paris Book Fair in March 2020

SPORTS

  • Ladakh wins 7th National Ice Hockey Championship Women trophy in Leh

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