Tag: REET

NATIONAL NEWS

COVID vaccine certificate to not carry PM Modi’s photo in 5 poll-bound states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo will not appear on the vaccine certificate in the five poll-bound states in compliance with the model code of conduct. The Health Ministry has applied filters to CoWIN software to ensure that it does not happen. The Assembly Polls will be held in seven phases in five states of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh between February 10th and March 7, 2022. The result will be declared on March 10th.

14-year-old Bharath Subramaniyam becomes India’s 73rd Grandmaster

Bharath Subramaniyam has become the 73rd Grandmaster of India, as per the All India Chess Federation on January 9, 2022. The 14-year-old teenager from Chennai completed his final GM Norm and crossed the requisite 2500 rating at Vergani Cup Open in Italy. He though finished seventh overall in the event by scoring 6.5 points from nine rounds. To get the Grandmaster title, a player has to secure three GM norms and cross the live rating of 2,500 Elo points.

Health Minister to chair COVID-19 review meet today 

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is scheduled to chair a virtual meeting today with the health ministers of five states and a union territory to review the COVID-19 situation in the states amid a sudden spike. PM Narendra Modi had also chaired a high-level review meeting to review the current COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country and the preparedness of the health infrastructure. 

SC to hear plea seeking probe into the breach in PM Modi’s security in Punjab

The Supreme Court is expected to hear a plea today seeking a court-monitored probe into the breach in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security during his visit to Ferozepur, Punjab. A three-judge bench of the apex court is likely to take up the plea comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli.

Former RBI Governor Urjit Patel appointed as Vice-President of AIIB

The Former Governor of Reserve Bank of India Urjit Patel has been appointed as a Vice-President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. It is a Beijing-based multilateral development bank. Patel will succeed the outgoing Vice-President of AIIB DJ Pandian. He was in charge of sovereign and non-sovereign lending of the AIIB in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. 58 years old Urjit Patil will join the new position on February 1, 2022, and will be one of the five Vice-Presidents of the AIIB with a tenure of three years. Patel had taken over as the Governor of Reserve Bank of India succeeding Raghuram Rajan in 2016 and had served the position till December 2018.

Noida ranked ‘Cleanest Medium City’ in India

Noida has bagged the Cleanest Medium City in Swachh Survekshan 2021. It is an annual survey of hygiene, cleanliness, and sanitation in India. The high rank achieved by Noida in Swachh Survekshan Survey 2021 is a miraculous victory as in the 2018 survey, the city was ranked at 324th. Noida has also achieved a 5-star garbage-free city rating which is a higher achievement from having received a 3-star garbage-free city rating in 2020.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Golden Globe Awards 2022 winners: ‘The Power of the Dog’ wins Best Picture Drama, Will Smith win Best Actor

The winners of the 79th Golden Globe awards were announced on January 9, 2022 by Hollywood Foreign Press Association in a private ceremony at Beverly Hilton. The event was not televised or live-streamed this year. The event did not also have the red carpet and no celebrity presenters and nominees were involved. Netflix’s ‘The Power of the Dog’ won Best Motion Picture -Drama, while ‘West Side Story’ won Best Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy. Will Smith won his first Golden Globe for Best Actor -Drama for his role of ‘Richard Williams’ in the 2021 movie ‘King Richard’ and Nicole Kidman won Best Actress-Drama for her role in ‘Being the Ricardos’. 

Full House star Bob Saget passes away

Actor and comedian Bob Saget was found dead in his hotel room in Orlando, Florida on January 9, 2022. The 65-year-old had portrayed the popular character of Danny Tanner on the American TV show ‘Full House’. Saget, who is also a stand-up comedian was found unresponsive in his room while he was on a comedy tour. 

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to four more years in prison

Myanmar’s Court has sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four years of imprisonment after finding her guilty of multiple charges. It includes the possession of illegally imported walkie-talkies and violation of COVID-19 restrictions. This is also the second round of verdicts against the former Myanmar State Counsellor.

 

NATIONAL NEWS 

Assembly polls in 5 States from Feb. 10, ECI bans physical campaigning till Jan. 15 

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced the election schedule for the Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh State Assemblies. The Commission also banned all physical campaigning till January 15 due to the increasing COVID-19 cases across the country.  Announcing the poll schedule, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said the decision was taken after taking inputs from health officials and much deliberation.  Polling for Uttar Pradesh’s 403 Assembly seats would be held over seven phases on February 10, February 14, February 20, February 23, February 27, March 3 and March 7.  Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra addresses a press conference in New Delhi to announce dates for elections in five States.    Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand will all vote on a single day, February 14. Elections in Manipur will be spread over two phases on February 27 and March 3.  Counting for all 690 constituencies across five States, where a total of 18.34 crore citizens are eligible to vote, would be carried out on March 10.  

Use only Covaxin for 15-18 age : Bharat Biotech  COVID vaccine maker Bharat Biotech has appealed to healthcare workers to be “highly vigilant and ensure that only Covaxin is administered to individuals in the 15-18 years age group”.  The appeal was issued late on Friday night and comes following reports of other COVID-19 vaccines being administered to this cohort.  Currently only Covaxin is approved for the 15-18 age group. “Covaxin received approval based on clinical trial evaluation for safety and immunogenicity in the 2-18 years age group,” Bharat Biotech said in its announcement.  Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation on Saturday called for stringent implementation of public health and social measures as COVID-19 cases increased in most countries of southeast Asia, with some witnessing an exponential rise.  

 

FCRA nod for Missionaries of Charity restored 

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on January 7 restored the FCRA registration of Missionaries of Charity (MoC), the Catholic religious congregation set up by Nobel laureate Mother Teresa.  The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration is mandatory to receive foreign donations.  The move comes just days after the Ministry issued a statement that the FCRA registration of the MoC was not renewed as “some adverse inputs were noticed”.  The registration was renewed, making MoC eligible to receive and utilise foreign funds in its bank accounts even as the U.K Parliament debated the issue, seeking to know if the British government had raised the issue of blocking of overseas funds of the MoC and other NGOs with India.   

Court documents show Novak Djokovic had COVID-19 last month 

Novak Djokovic’s lawyers filed court papers Saturday in his challenge against deportation from Australia that show the tennis star tested positive for COVID-19 last month and recovered, grounds he used in applying for a medical exemption to the country’s strict vaccination rules.  The No. 1-ranked Djokovic was denied entry at the Melbourne airport late Wednesday after border officials canceled his visa for failing to meet its entry requirement that all non-citizens be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.  Melbourne: Protesters and fans of Serbia’s Novak Djokovic gather outside the Park Hotel, used as an immigration detention hotel where Djokovic is confined in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022.   Djokovic was given a medical exemption backed by the Victoria state government and Australian Open organisers on Jan. 1, based on information he supplied to two independent medical panels, and he was approved for a visa electronically.  But it has since emerged that the Victoria state medical exemption, allowed for people who tested positive for the coronavirus within the last six months, was deemed invalid by the federal border authorities.   

‘Bulli Bai’ | Niraj Bishnoi not cooperating in probe: police 

Main accused in the Bulli Bai app case Niraj Bishnoi has tried to harm himself twice while in police custody but he is being taken care of, police officials said on Saturday.  Police said Bishnoi is trying to delay the investigation and not co-operating in interrogation.  “He had also tried to harm himself twice and is also threatening to end his life. He is being take care of while he is in custody. His medical examination has been conducted and he is stable and unharmed. This may be due to his mental condition or perhaps, he wants to delay the investigation,” a senior police officer said.   

PM Modi lauds feat of 2 crore children getting vaccinated 

Lauding the feat of over two crore youngsters in the 15-18 age group getting vaccinated against COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for continuing the momentum.  He tweeted, “Excellent! Well done my young friends. Let us continue this momentum. Urging everyone to follow all COVID-19 related protocols and get vaccinated, if you haven’t already.” He was reacting to Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s tweet regarding the feat.  “Shielding Young India against COVID-19. Over 2 crore children between the age group of 15-18 vaccinated against #COVID19 since 3rd January. Congratulations to all my young friends who got vaccinated,” he had said.  Vaccination of children in the 15-18 age group began on January 3 in the country.   

PM security breach: Union minister 

Thakur rues statements by Congress leaders, questions Sonia Gandhi’s ‘silence’ Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Saturday questioned remarks made by Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and other Congress leaders following the breach of Prime Minister’s security.  He also questioned Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s ‘silence’ on the issue.  In a major security lapse, prime minister Narendra Modi’s convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by farm protesters in Ferozepur on Wednesday.  “The states are responsible for the prime minister’s security wherever he visits. The entire country expressed concern over what happened in Punjab,” Mr. Thakur told reporters here.  The Punjab government did not take the incident seriously, he alleged.  The law will take its own course now as the matter was before the Supreme Court, Mr. Thakur said.  “But the way Punjab chief minister, the state Congress president and other leaders made comments on this issue was sad. It shows what they think and how they speak about the prime minister,” he said.  

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Google Doodle pays tribute to Stephen Hawking on his birth anniversary

The Google doodle on January 8 marks the birth anniversary of the iconic physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, who is known for his work on the origins of the universe. Hawkins was born in Oxford in England in 1942 into a family of physicians. He went on to study at the University College in Oxford and then the Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He completed a PhD degree in theoretical physics and applied mathematics.

 

India and 5 Other Nations Begin Anti-Submarine Exercise ‘Sea Dragon 22’ with US Navy

The United States (US) Navy Seventh Fleet announced the beginning of the multilateral anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise, ‘Sea Dragon $ \ mathbf {2 2} $ ‘in Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, in the western Pacific. The six nations that are participating in the exercise are the US, Australia, Canada, India, Japan and South Korea. The P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) with Patrol Squadron (VP) $-47 and Tridents of VP- 26 will Join the exercise. The ‘Golden Swordsmen of VP-47’, part of Commander Task Force (CTF) 72, are stationed in Whidbey Island, Washington, and are currently deployed to Misawa Air Base in Aomori, Japan. The ‘Tridents of VP-26’, part of CTF 72, are stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, and are currently deployed to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. Throughout their deployment, ‘Golden Swordsmen of VP-47’ & ‘Tridents of VP 26 will conduct maritime patrol and reconnaissance and theater outreach operations within the 7th Fleet area of operations.

 

 

 

NATIONAL NEWS 

Election Commission of India to announce assembly elections schedule for five states today

The Election Commission of India will announce the schedule for the upcoming assembly elections to Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, and Uttarakhand on January 8, 2022, at 3.30 pm.

India may see Omicron wave peak in February 2022: US-based Health Expert

The Director of the Institute of Health Metrics Sciences Dr. Christopher Murray has said that India will witness a peak in the number of COVID-19 cases by February 2022 with an expectation of reporting 5 lakh cases every day.

14th Round of talks between India and China to be held on January 12

India and China will hold the 14th round of Corps Commander level talks on January 12, 2022. According to the Government, the talks between the two countries will be held to resolve the ongoing stand-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Uttarakhand imposes restrictions on political rallies and protests amid Omicron scare

The Government of Uttarakhand, in view of the rising COVID-19 cases, has imposed a new set of restrictions in which all the political rallies and protests in the poll-bound state will be prohibited till January 16, 2022. All the schools and Anganwadi centers will also remain closed till January 16.

UP tops in ‘Best State Category’ in National Water Awards-2020

The 3rd National Water Awards-2020 were announced on January 7, 2022, by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh. Uttar Pradesh has secured top position in the ‘Best State Category’, followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

No new registration required to receive precautionary dose in India

The Ministry of Family and Health Welfare has announced that no new registration will be required for the beneficiaries of the precautionary COVID-19 vaccine dose. The precautionary dose will be given to the healthcare and frontline workers and those above the age of 60 years from January 10, 2022.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Child Marriage banned in Philippines

The President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte signed a law prohibiting child marriage in the country. The law came into force on January 6, 2022, making child marriage illegal in the Philippines. The latest law stipulates that marrying and cohabiting with anybody under the age of 18 can result in a prison sentence of 12 years.

Sydney Poitier, Oscar-winning actor dies at 94

Sydney Poitier, a Bahamian-American actor who won an academy award passed away at the age of 94. Poitier’s film in Arizona ‘Lilies in the Field’ in 1963 led to a huge milestone in his acting career and made him the first black winner of a lead-acting Oscar. The Hollywood star was known for films such as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night, and Lilies of the Field, for which he became the first Black man to win a Best Actor Oscar.

South Africa’s ruling party marks birthday amid divisions

The African National Congress celebrates its 110th anniversary on Saturday amid deep divisions, graft allegations and broad challenges that saw it perform dismally in local government elections last year.

NATIONAL NEWS 

MHA constitutes a 3-member panel to probe security breach during PM Modi’s Punjab visit

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs constituted a three-member committee on January 6, 2022 to enquire into the security lapse during Prime Minister’s visit to Ferozepur in Punjab. The committee will be led by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary of Security under the Cabinet Secretariat and Balbir Singh, Joint Director of IB and S.Suresh, IG of SPG. The committee will be required to submit its report at the earliest. 

PM Modi to inaugurate the second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the second campus of the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkatta through video conferencing on January 7, 2022. The second campus of the institute has been built in line with PM Modi’s vision to expand health facilities across the country. 

Omicron may be less severe but not mild: WHO

The World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on January 6, 2022 that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 looks to be less serve but cannot be categorised as mild. He said during a press briefing that, “ while Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should categorised as mild.” He said this pointing out that last week, the highest number of COVID-19 cases were reported so far in the pandemic. He added that the omicron variant is hospitalising people and killing people, just like previous ones. He also added that there is a tsunami of cases, which is overwhelming the health systems across the world. 

India closely monitoring building of bridge by China near Pangong lake

India has been closely monitoring China’s building of a bridge in the border areas that have been under its illegal occupation for over 60 years. India is taking all necessary steps to ensure that its security interests are protected. This was informed by Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindham Bagchi on January 6th. He also said that India has never accepted such illegal occupation. 

Centre directs states to set up control rooms amid surge in COVID-19 cases

The centre asked the states and union territories on January 6, 2022 to set up control rooms at the district level and sub-district levels to ensure ease of access to services for COVID Management. The centre stated in a letter that it is expected that targeted action for the re-establishment of control rooms for services such as ambulance transportation and hospital booking would have begun. 

India closely monitoring the situation in Kazakhstan 

India is closely monitoring the ongoing developments in Kazakhstan, informed External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindham Bagchi. He said that the Indian embassy in Kazakhstan is closely monitoring the situation, particularly from the perspective of the safety of Indian nationals there. The spokesperson assures that India will assist any Indians in distress. Kazakhstan is facing a national crisis after violent clashes broke out between protestors and security forces, forcing President to call for support from the Russia-led military alliance. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS  

Veteran Director Peter Bogdanovich passes away

Oscar-nominated Hollywood Director Peter Bogdanovich passed away at the age of 82 on January 7, 2022. Bogdanovich had served as a bridge between Old Hollywood and new Hollywood. The legendary director had directed the film the 1971 black and white classic, ‘Last Picture Show’, which had received 8 Oscar nominations including for best director.  He has also directed movies such as ‘Mask’, ‘At Long Last Love’ and ‘Daisy Miller.’

Sri Lanka, India Inks Deal to Redevelop Strategic Trincomalee Oil Tank Complex

On 6 “ December 2022, Sri Lanka signed an agreement with India to jointly redevelop the strategic World War II-era Trincomalee Oil Tank Complex, commonly known as the Trinco Oil Tank Farm in Srilanka’s eastern port district of Trincomalee for a lease period of 50 years. The 85 tanks out of the 99 tanks will now be under the Sri Lankan control which was previously under the control of India. The Cabinet approved the proposal to allocate 24 oil tanks to Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and 14 oil tanks to the local operators of the Indian Oil Company (LIOC) while the remaining 61 oil tanks (out of the total number of 99 tanks) are to be developed under Trinco Petroleum Terminal Pvt. Ltd, with shares of CPC 51 percent & LIOC (49 percent).

NATIONAL NEWS 

Six die in a gas leak in Surat

Six people died and 20 others were hospitalised in a gas leak incident at a company Sachin GIDC area of Surat, Gujarat on January 6, 2022. This was informed by In-charge Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Omkar Chaudhary. 

Delhi to proposes to construct twin towers at ITO as its new office building

The Delhi Government has proposed the construction of twin towers at the ITO area of the national capital as its new building to accommodate all offices of the chief minister and his top cabinet members. The proposed buildings will comprise 30-35 storeys on three plots of land, Vikas Bhawan-1, MSO and GST Buildings.

Virat Kohli drops to 9th place on ICC Test Rankings 

Indian test skipper Virat Kohli has dropped to the ninth place from earlier 7th rank in the ICC Test batsmen rankings, while Rohit Sharma has retained his 5th rank. Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah has entered the top ten in the ICC Test bowler rankings by moving up three places to be ranked 9th.

Grammy Awards Postponed amid COVID Concern

The music awards gala, Grammy, which was scheduled for January 31, 2022, has been postponed because of the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the United States. As per the Recording Academy, the rescheduled date of the Grammy Awards will be announced soon. The pop stalwarts including Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, and Olivia Rodrigo were among the top leading nominees of the 64th annual awards. Last Spring’s show was the first Grammy award of the COVID-19 pandemic era. It was a more television-friendly and socially distanced show. Those awards were postponed to March 14 after the original date was postponed due to COVID. The heavily mutated Omicron variant of COVID-19 is the most transmissible to date and has been accounting for around 85% of US cases.

Uttar Pradesh Govt renames Sainik School after General Bipin Rawat

The Government of Uttar Pradesh has decided to rename the Sainik School at Mainpuri after the first Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat who died in a helicopter crash in December 2021. The news was shared by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Office. In a tweet, it announced that while paying homage to the martyrdom of General Bipin Rawat, UP CM has decided to rename the Sainik School as General Bipin Rawat Sainik School. The Sainik School in Mainpuri District in Uttar Pradesh had become functional from April 1, 2019. India’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other armed forces personnel had died after their helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

PM Modi to inaugurate second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata

The second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute will be inaugurated by PM Modi in Kolkata on January 7, 2022, via video conferencing. The second campus has been built in line with the PM’s vision to expand and upgrade the health facilities in all parts of the country. As the institute was facing heavy load of cancer patients, a need for expansion was felt for some time. The second campus of the Cancer Institute has been built at a cost of Rs. 530 crores, out of which Rs. 400 crores have been provided by the Central Government. Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata is equipped with modern facilities and it will also work as an advanced cancer research facility.

244 Meri Saheli Teams deployed at major Railway Stations

The Railway Protection Force has deployed 244 Meri Saheli teams at major railway stations in the country in order to provide security to the lady passengers in long-distance trains, particularly those who are travelling alone. As per the Railway Ministry, the Railway Protection Force collects feedbacks from the women passengers at the end of their journeys to assess the efficacy of the initiative. The ministry also informed that other preventive measures to ensure the security of the lady passengers such as CCTV system, train escorting and regular drives against unauthorized passengers in ladies’ coaches are also being implemented. The Railway Protection Force, in 2021, had arrested more than 3000 criminals that were involved in the offences against the passengers.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Australia cancels Novak Djokovic’s visa

Australia cancelled world no. 1 Novak Djokovic’s visa on January 6, 2022 after a controversy over his vaccine exemption. Djokovic had earlier landed in Australia claiming medical exemption to play in the Australian Open. He did not clarify if he has been vaccinated or not. With his visa cancelled, the tennis player will be forced to leave the country. Australian Prime Minister Scot Morrison had said earlier that Djokovic is not a special case and same rules will apply to him as it does to everyone. 

Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba to visit India on January 9th

Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will be on a four-day visit to India starting on January 9, 2022. This would be his second international visit after taking over the post of Prime Minister last year. He is expected to hold a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also attend the Gujarat Global Summit.

Sri Lanka batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa retires from international cricket

Sri Lankan batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect on January 8, 2021. The cricketer cited family obligations as his reason for retirement. Rajapaksa has represented Sri Lanka in both ODIs and T20Is. He has played 5 ODIs and 18 T20Is and scored 89 and 320 runs respectively.  

NATIONAL NEWS 

PM Modi to inaugurate multiple development projects in Punjab today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Ferozepur in Punjab today, January 5, 2022. The Prime Minister will lay foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 42,750 cr including the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, PGI Satellite Centre at Ferozepur and two new medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur.

India’s TS Tirumurti named Chair of UN Counter-Terrorism Committee

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, TS Tirumurti has been named as the new Chair of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee for 2022. India had last chaired this committee in 2011-12. The UNSC Counter-terrorism Committee was formed in September 2001 soon after the tragic 9/11 terrorist attack to chart the way forward to fight against terrorism.

Delhi to install telemetry devices in hospitals to monitor oxygen supply

The Delhi government has issued instructions to install Telemetry devices on oxygen tanks of 53 government and private hospitals for real-time monitoring of oxygen supply in the national capital. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said, “Live monitoring will be done through COVID-19 War Room. This will help in monitoring how much oxygen is available in which hospital so that oxygen can be delivered to the needy hospital in time in case of emergency.” The telemetry device will help in transmitting live information of the amount of oxygen present in each liquid medical oxygen tank to the war room of the Delhi government. This will help the government keep track of how much oxygen is left in which hospital so that oxygen can be delivered to that hospital in time.

SBI makes online IMPS transactions up to Rs 5 lakh free

The State Bank of India decided on January 4, 2022 to enhance the free IMPS online transactions limit to Rs 5 lakh from earlier Rs 2 lakh to encourage customers to adopt digital banking. SBI will not levy any service charge on Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) transactions up to Rs 5 lakh done through Internet banking or Mobile Banking.

Centre to frame policy to know age, condition of bridges across India

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari informed on January 4, 2022 that the Centre will frame a policy to know the condition and age of all the bridges across the country. The Ministry has prepared the Indian Bridge Management System to collect information about all the bridges of the country.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Ex-Prime Minister of UK Tony Blair is now ‘Sir Tony’

 The former Prime Minister of Britain Tony Blair, along with Baroness Amos and Duchess of Cornwall, will be appointed as a member of the Order of the Garter. It is England’s oldest and most senior order of chivalry. The former PM of the UK will now be known as ‘Sir Tony’. The appointments are the personal choices of the Queen, who has up to 24 ‘knight and lady companions’. Tony Blair has become ‘Sir Tony’ from January 1, 2022, as he joins the order as a ‘knight companion’. Baroness Amos has also become the black member of the order. He is a former cabinet minister. The ceremonial order which was founded in 1348 is a recognition of significant public service and is made without Prime Ministerial advice.

Viktor Saneyev, three-time Olympic triple jump champion, dies at 76

The former world record-holder and three-time Olympic triple jump champion Viktor Saneyev has passed away at the age of 76. The Soviet Union man had won his Olympic Titles in three consecutive games, first in 1968, second in 1972, and third in 1976. Saneyev also won an Olympic Silver Medal four years later in Moscow and won two European Titles in 1969 and 1974. Viktor Saneyev was born in Georgia in 1945. He started his Olympic career at the age of 23 and made his debut by securing Gold with a world record leap of 17.39m. Saneyev later worked as a coach in Australia and passed away in Sydney.

 

North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile off its east coast

North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile off its east coast. The unidentified projectile is believed to have already landed. It was fired toward the Sea of Japan, as per South Korean military. A crisis response center has been formed under the office of the Japanese Prime Minister following the possible launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea. North had last launched a projectile in October 2021, when it test-fired a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile.