Daily Current Affairs : 11 January 2015

1) PM Narendra Modi inaugurated 7th vibrant Gujarat summit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for sustainable and inclusive growth, inaugurating the 7th Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2015 in Gandhinagar. Modi said that fluctuations in the global economy is the biggest concern and we need to work for sustainable and inclusive growth to minimize the fluctuations.  Vibrant Gujarat Summit (VGS) is a biennial global business summit, being held since 2003, when Modi was Chief Minister of the state, and has always seen huge investment running into billions of dollars being announced by business leaders from India and abroad. 

2) Stan Wawrinka won Chennai Open title 2015:  Stan Wawrinka, the world number 4 tennis player got the better of Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia 6-3, 6-4 to win the Chennai Open Tennis championship on 11 January 2015. He is the first in the history of the tournament to have won the crown thrice - his earlier titles coming in 2011 and 2014.

3) Bengaluru FC won maiden Federation Cup title: Bengaluru FC lifted their maiden Federation Cup football tournament title when they edged past 10-man Dempo FC 2-1 in the summit clash held at Margao on 11 January 2015. Sunil Chhetri (10th minute) and substitute Robin Singh (65th) scored for the winners while Tolgay Ozbey (45+4) pulled one back for the home team at Nehru Stadium.

4) People from 11 countries joined Buddha Heritage Walk: People from 11 countries have taken part in First Buddha Heritage Walk in Bihar. In this heritage walk over 500 pilgrims from 11 countries walked through a 13-km-long forest trail. Over 500 pilgrims converged on Jethian in Rajgir district, around 100 km southeast of Patna, for the journey, marking the success of the first-ever Buddha Heritage Walk introduced by the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC).

5) West Indies registered record T20 chase against South Africa: Faf du Plessis blasted the second fastest century in Twenty20 internationals but it was not enough for South Africa as West Indies produced a record chase in a run-fest to win by four wickets at The Wanderers on 11 January 2015. The tourists were set 232 for victory and passed that mark with four balls remaining as Chris Gayle bludgeoned 90 from 41 balls to set up their series-clinching win. It is the highest successful run chase in Twenty20 international cricket, beating India’s 211 against Sri Lanka in 2009, with 467 runs scored in under 40 overs. Du Plessis smashed 119 from 56 balls with 11 fours and five sixes to record the highest score by a South African in the shortest format of international cricket.

6) Jaitley adopted 4 villages in Gujarat under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 11 January 2015 adopted four villages in Vadodara district of Gujarat under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana for MPs. “Today I adopted four villages — Karnali, Pipaliya, Valida, Baglipura — under the Karnali group panchayat of Dabhoi taluka in Vadodara district, as part of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana,” he said in his Facebook post. The Yojana was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech this year. The scheme encourages MPs from both Houses to identify and develop one village from their constituency as a model village by 2016, and two more by 2019.

7) Ban Ki Moon inaugurated 10 MW solar power plant in Gujarat: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 11 January 2015 praised India’s ingenuity and cutting-edge technology while dedicating Gujarat’s second canal-top 10-MW solar power project to the nation. The solar panels are arranged on top of the Vadodara branch of the Sardar Sarovar project canal, probably a first-of-its-kind project in the world to generate power.

8) Federer claimed 1,000 th win with Brisbane crown: Roger Federer brought up his 1,000th victory at tour level in style Sunday when he beat Canadian Milos Raonic in three tough sets to win the Brisbane International.Federer was forced to absorb some superb shotmaking and blistering serves from the 24-year-old before winning 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4 in two hours and 13 minutes at the Pat Rafter Arena.Federer's glittering career now includes 83 singles titles, including 17 Grand Slams, since his first victory over Frenchman Guillaume Raoux in Toulouse in 1998.

9) Former Thailand PM faces impeachment: Former Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has claimed innocence as she faces impeachment proceedings for alleged abuse of power. Yingluck's government was removed from office in a coup last May.

10) Thomas Kurian is new Oracle president: Oracle Corporation has elevated Thomas Kurian, executive vice-president, product development, to the role of president. The appointment of Kurian, 48, comes in the wake of Larry Ellison moving over from the role of chief executive officer (CEO) of the $38-billion software, solutions and hardware company to that of executive chairman, having handed the reins of the company to Safra Catz and Mark Hurd.

11) ISRO scientist chosen for Vikram Sarabhai Award: Distinguished scientist M Y S Prasad, who is director of the India space agency's Satish Dhawan Space Centre, has been awarded the Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Award for 2014-15, the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) announced.