7th January 2015 Current Affairs Updates

1) Terrorist attack at satirical paper in Paris: Heavily armed gunmen shouting Islamist slogans stormed a Paris satirical newspaper office on 7 January 2015 and shot dead at least 12 people in the deadliest attack in France in four decades. Police launched a massive manhunt for the masked attackers who reportedly hijacked a car and sped off, running over a pedestrian and shooting at officers. The capital was placed under the highest alert status after the attack on Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly that has sparked anger in the past among Muslims for publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohamed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack in Paris, saying it is a despicable act.

2) Google's Larry Page named as business person of the year for 2014: Google's Larry Page has emerged as the 'business person of the year' for 2014, edging past the likes of Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, according to Fortune magazine. Page, who is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder of Google, came on top in the 20 global corporate leaders' list compiled on the basis of various factors including company's performance, leadership style and total shareholder returns, the magazine said while bringing out its list. 

3) Kailash Satyarthi dedicates Nobel medal to the nation: Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi has dedicated his Nobel Peace prize to the nation by presenting his medallion to President Pranab Mukherjee. Satyarthi called on President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 7 January 2015 and handed over the medal. The President welcomed his gesture of presenting the Nobel Prize medal and said it will soon be kept on display in Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum. The President recalled that Dr C V Raman had also dedicated his Nobel Prize to the nation and seen the prize as a recognition of the scientific talent of India. The President commended Satyarthi for the excellent work he was doing and urged him to continue his endeavours in this regard.

4) Dinesh Oraon unanimously elected Jharkhand Speaker: BJP's Dinesh Oraon was unanimously elected as the Speaker of Jharkhand Assembly on 7 January 2015. Chief Minister Raghubar Das proposed his name and Social Welfare Minister Louis Marandi seconded it.

5) ICICI Bank launched India's first contactless credit and debit cards: ICICI Bank, the country’s largest private sector one, on 7 January 2015 announced the launch of the country’s first ‘contactless’ debit and credit cards. These enable customers to make electronic payments by waving the cards near a merchant terminal instead of dipping or swiping these. These cards are based on the near-field communication technology, which provides customers improved speed to complete a transaction, and enhanced security as they remain under the control of the customer.

6) Australian airline Qantas named world's safest airline: Australian flag carrier Qantas has been named the world`s safest airline in a report published by AirlineRatings.com on 7 January 2015. Using a system that takes into account audits from aviation governing bodies and governments, as well as fatality records, Qantas was named the safest and most experienced airline going into 2015.

7) South Africa retained ICC Test Championship mace: South Africa has retained the iconic Reliance ICC Test Championship mace and has won a cash award of 500,000 US dollar following its 2-0 series win over the West Indies in Cape Town. South Africa first surged to the top of the Test table in November 2009 and has held the number-one position since August 2012, following its 2-0 victory in England. This completes a hat-trick of winning the mace at the annual cut-off dates.Australia finished second, whereas England and Pakistan are at 3rd and 4th spot.