Tag: REET

NATIONAL NEWS 

Rishabh Pant is the fastest Indian wicket keeper

Rishabh Pant has become the fastest wicket-keeper of India to reach 100 dismissals in the longest format of the match. He has also broken the former skipper MS Dhoni’s record of reaching 100 dismissals in the longest format of the game. Pant achieved the feat on the 3rd day of the ongoing first Test match against South Africa.

ICC World Test Championships Points Table 2021-2023

In ICC World Test Championship Points Table 2021-2023 Australia has been ranked at the top by thrashing England by an innings in the third Ashes Test. In the Points-table, Sri Lanka is ranked second with 24 points, while Pakistan is ranked third with 36 points. India has been ranked 4th on the ICC World Test Championship Points Table.

Alia Bhatt announced as PETA India Person of 2021

PETA India has named Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt as its 2021 Person of the Year. Bhatt has been celebrated for her work to support an animal-friendly fashion industry and for her advocacy for dogs and cats in need. She also has been actively involved in launching animal welfare activities.

PM Modi to launch projects in Uttarakhand

Prime Minister Modi will visit Uttarakhand to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 23 development projects that are worth over Rs. 17,500 crores. The projects in the state will cover the sectors that range from the road, irrigation, housing, industry, health infrastructure, sanitation to drinking water supply among others.

Corbevax vaccine gets approval for a booster dose

DGCI has given its approval to Hyderabad-based pharma company Biological E to conduct phase 3 trials of ‘Corbevax’, its COVID-19 vaccine, as a booster dose. Hyderabad-based Biological E has also become the second company after Bharat Biotech to conduct clinical trials for a booster dose.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Afghan women protests against Taliban

Several dozen Afghan women have been protesting against the new directives of the Taliban implemented in the country. The new directions put limitations on the movement of Afghan women. As per the new directive, Afghan women who have been traveling long distances by road must be accompanied by a male relative. The women must also wear a hijab to cover their heads and faces. The new directive has also banned playing music in vehicles. The women have been protesting as the Islamic Emirates are trying to keep them away from society by imposing limitations on them. The protestors have also been calling for their rights to Education, social freedom, and employment.

The United States to invite Taiwan for largest naval exercise

The United States will be inviting Taiwan to participate in the 2022 Rim of the Pacific Exercise amid the rising escalations with China. It is the world’s largest naval exercise. As per the NDAA signed by President Biden, the invitation will supplement US efforts of supporting the self-governed democratic island in the face of aggressive behavior by China. The Navy of the United States has not yet disclosed the other specific invitees to the naval exercise. It could take a variety of forms from ships to aircraft or a handful of observers.

 

NATIONAL NEWS 

Vikram Misri appointed as Deputy NSA

Vikram Misri was appointed as India’s deputy National Security Adviser on December 27, 2021. He formerly served as India’s envoy to China. He is a 1989 batch Indian Foreign Service officer. He was appointed as India’s Ambassador to China in 2019. The External Affairs Minister had recently appointed Pradeep Kumar Rawat as the next ambassador to China.

India to chair Counterterrorism Committee of UNSC in January 2022

India will chair the Counterterrorism Committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in January 2022. This Committee was formed in September 2001 soon after the tragic 9/11 terrorist attack. India had chaired this Committee in the Security Council in 2011-12. India had been asked to Chair three important Committees of the Security Council earlier this year including the Taliban Sanctions Committee, Counterterrorism Committee and the Libyan Sanctions Committee.

Haryana Cabinet Expansion to take place today

Haryana Cabinet is likely to be expanded today with new Ministers taking oath at Raj Bhawan. One MLA each from BJP and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) are likely to be inducted as ministers. The expansion may also see shuffling of portfolios. The Haryana Council of ministers has 12 members currently including Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. 

PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate completed section of Kanpur Metro Rail Project 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the completed section of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project today, December 28, 2021. The completed section of Kanpur Metro Rail Project stretches for 9 km long from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel. The Prime Minister will also inspect the Metro Rail Project and undertake a metro ride from the IIT metro station to Geeta Nagar.

Resident Doctors’ Body calls for complete withdrawal of healthcare services across country from December 29

The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has called for complete withdrawal from all healthcare services across the country from 8 am on December 29. The call has been taken “in protest against brute force by Delhi Police against doctors.” FAIMA said that the resident doctors were protesting peacefully and alleged that female doctors were brutally thrashed and lathi charged by male police personnel during a demonstration in Delhi on December 27, 2021 over the delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Singapore makes COVID vaccination mandatory from February 2022

Singapore has announced that COVID vaccination will be a mandatory condition for the approval of new applications for long-term passes, work passes, and permanent residence in the country from February 2022. The new rule will be implemented from February 1, 2022. The new order in Singapore, however, will not be applied to children below the age of 12 or those who are medically eligible to receive the vaccination. Those who are required to renew the work passes will have to be vaccinated. At the point of application, the employers will also have to make a declaration that their dependents are fully vaccinated upon arrival in Singapore. The new measures announced by Singapore are a part of the country’s adjustments to deal with the infectious Omicron variant.

Barbados to hold snap election on January 19 

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has called for snap general election on January 19, 2022. This comes just weeks after the country bid adieu to British Monarchy and chose to become a republic. Mia Mottley is the leader of the Barbados Labour Party and had become the first female prime minister of the country in May 2018 for a five-year term.

NATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi to lay the foundation stone of hydropower projects in Mandi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Mandi in Himachal Pradesh on December 27, 2021 to lay the foundation stone of hydropower projects worth over Rs 11000 crore.  PM Modi will also inaugurate the Sawra Kuddu Hydro Power Project, a 111MW project that has been built at a cost of about Rs 2080 crore.

Delhi imposes night curfew from December 27

The Delhi government has imposed a night curfew from December 27, 2021. The curfew will be enforced from 11 pm to 5 am. The announcement comes as the national capital reported around 290 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, the highest since June 10. It is for the second consecutive day that Delhi has recorded over 200 new Covid cases.  

Senior citizens require comorbidities certificate for precautionary dose

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Authority, Dr RS Sharma said that those above 60 years with comorbidities would require a medical certificate to take the precautionary dose. The medical certificate has to be signed by any registered medical practitioner that can be uploaded on the Cowin portal and also carried to the vaccination centre. 

Karnataka to establish separate directorate to raise farmers’ income

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai informed on December 26, 2021 that the state will establish a separate directorate to raise farmers’ income. He stated that agriculture will grow automatically if the economic condition of farmers improves.

Covaxin shows good immune response in children- NTAGI Chairman

The Chairman of Covid Taskforce working group (NTAGI), Dr. NK Arora said on December 26, 2021 that Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has shown a very good immune response in children during clinical trials. Explaining the decision to roll out vaccination for children between 15-18 years from January 3rd, he said that children in that age group are very much like adults. 

Muzaffarpur boiler blast: Ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh announced for kin of deceased

Seven people were killed and seven others were injured in an unfortunate boiler blast in Muzaffarpur in Bihar on December 26, 2021. The blast reportedly took place in a noodle factory.  Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also approved an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased. Those injured will get Rs 50,000 each. 

PM Modi to inaugurate Kanpur Metro Rail project on December 28

Prime Minister Narendra will be inaugurated the completed section of the Kanpur Metro Rail project in Kanpur on December 26, 2021. During the program in Kanpur, PM will also inaugurate the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project, and before that he will attend the 54th convocation ceremony of IIT Kanpur. The completed section of the Metro project in Kanpur is 9-km long from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel. He will inspect the Kanpur Metro Rail Project and will also take a ride from the IIT metro station to Geeta Nagar. The entire length of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project is 32 km and it has been built at a cost of Rs. 11,000 crores.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, Indian-Origin Philanthropist, named South African of the year

Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, an Indian-origin philanthropist and a founder of the Disaster Relief Group ‘Gift of the Givers’, has won the prestigious South African of the Year Award. It is run by the Daily Maverick Newspaper. The South Africans across the board voted for Sooliman and put Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in second place. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Sooliman called on Muslims worldwide to care for all the communities around the world in order to change the Islamophobic perceptions. ‘Gift of the Givers’ was started by Dr. Sooliman after his religious mentor in Turkey asked him to do so in 1994. Since then, the organization has undertaken relief work in more than 44 nations after natural disasters.

Switzerland government to allow Simple Legal Gender Transition

From January 1, 2022, the people in Switzerland will be able to legally change their gender by a visit to the Civil Registry Office. This has put the country at the forefront of Europe’s gender-identification movement. Switzerland has now joined Portugal, Belgium, Norway, and Ireland as one of the few countries in Europe that will allow the person to legally change gender without any medical diagnosis, hormone therapy. Under the new rules written into the country’s civil code, any individual aged 16 and above who is not under legal guardianship is eligible to adjust their gender and legal name by self-declaration. Earlier in September 2021, Switzerland had legalized civil marriage as well as the right to adopt children for same-sex couples.

 NATIONAL NEWS 

Statue of Christ desecrated in Ambala A life-size statue of Jesus Christ at the British-era 

Holy Redeemer Church in the cantonment area in Haryana’s Ambala was desecrated and the lighting inside the church premises damaged by two unidentified men in the early hours of December 26. A First Information Report has been lodged on charges of trespass and defiling a place of worship.  The incident comes close on the heels of attempts by the right-wing groups to disrupt Christmas celebrations across the State, including a private school in Gurugram on December 24 evening. However, no formal police complaints were lodged in these cases.  Superintendent of Police, Ambala, Jashandeep Singh Randhawa said the police were probing the desecration incident from all angles, including personal rivalry. He added that the pictures of the suspects in the closed-circuit television footage were being developed and secret sources were activated to gather leads in the attack. We are hopeful of a breakthrough soon, said Mr. Singh.  

Mob stops Hindus from celebrating Christmas in Assam 

A group of boys claiming to be members of the Bajrang Dal stopped Hindus from celebrating Christmas in southern Assam’s Silchar on December 25.  They also manhandled a few non-Christian revellers at the town’s Presbyterian Church near the Cachar district police headquarters, locals said.  In a video uploaded on social media, one Rangirkhari claiming to be a leader of the Bajrang Dal’s local unit, said: We have nothing against the Christians who have every right to celebrate Christmas. Our issue is with the Hindus who went against their dharma to sing Merry Christmas instead of observing ‘Tulsi Divas’ .  Since 2014, December 25 has been marked as ‘Tulsi Divas’, a day to celebrate the medicinal and spiritual significance of the basil plant.  In the video, Bajrang Dal activists donning saffron scarves and chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ also said they locked the church after 11 p.m. as there were too many people violating the COVID-19 protocols beyond the time allowed by the administration.  A similar incident happened in Silchar during Christmas in 2020 with members of radical Hindu groups preventing Hindus from participating in a festival meant for Christians only.   

Two more names added to Haridwar hate speech FIR  Uttarakhand Police on December 26 added the names of two more persons in the First Information Report (FIR) pertaining to hate speeches at a religious event in Haridwar organised between December 17 and 19, where calls were made for genocide and violence against Muslims.  Ashok Kumar, Uttarakhand Director General of Police, told The Hindu that many persons have been examined and the investigation was on. No arrests have been made so far in the case.  Mr. Kumar said that adding the provisions of the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to the existing case was being legally examined. Whether UAPA can be invoked or not is part of the investigation. It will depend on the facts of the case and we are getting it examined legally, he said.  The Haridwar Police have registered a case under Section 153A of the IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), entailing a maximum punishment of five years.  Our investigation is on from both points of view — if more number of accused are to be added to the investigation and if any other Section is applicable, Mr. Kumar said.   

Panel to look into AFSPA withdrawal from Nagaland 

Days after a botched ambush by an elite armed forces unit killed 13 civilians at Oting in Nagaland’s Mon district, a decision has been taken to constitute a committee to study the possibility of withdrawing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from the State.  The Act is said to give the armed forces personnel the license to kill.  The committee will be headed by the Additional Secretary (Northeast) in the Ministry of Home Affairs and will include Nagaland’s Chief Secretary and Director-General of Police.  A Naga holds a placard during a rally in Kohima. File   The other members will be Inspector General of Assam Rifles (North) and a representative of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), an official statement issued by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton and former Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang said on Sunday.  The decision to form the panel was made during Home Minister Amit Shah’s meeting with Mr. Rio, Mr. Patton and Mr. Zeliang along with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi on December 23.  

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

South African Anti-Apartheid hero Desmond Tutu passes away at 90

A veteran of South Africa’s struggle against the white minority rule and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu passed away at the age of 90. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 in recognition of his non-violent opposition against the rule by the white minority in South Africa. Tutu had also become the face of the anti-apartheid movement all over the world.

James Webb Space Telescope launch

The James Webb Space Telescope was launched on December 25, 2021. It is the world’s largest and most powerful space telescope. It began a one-million-mile journey to see 13.5 billion years into the past. The James Webb Space telescope will take about a month to reach its destination in the solar orbit, which would be roughly 1 million miles from the Earth.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Multi-disciplinary Central teams to be deployed in 10 states

The Union Health Ministry has sent multi-disciplinary central teams to be deployed in 10 states including Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Mizoram, Karnataka, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Punjab. The decision was taken in the wake of increasing number of Omicron and Covid-19 cases or slow vaccination pace. 

7-day mandatory home quarantine for Dubai passengers in Mumbai

In the latest order issued by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, a seven-day home quarantine has been made mandatory for those travelling from Dubai to Mumbai in Maharashtra due to the tally of Omicron cases breaching the 100 mark on December 24th. The passengers will have to undergo an RT-PCR test on the seventh day of their quarantine.

Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar market to operate on an odd-even basis on Dec 25, 26

The Delhi Government has ordered the Sarojini Nagar market to operate on an odd-even basis on December 25 and 26 to avoid it from becoming a COVID-19 super spreader. All shops and street vendors in the market have been asked to follow the odd-even rule over the weekend. 

PM Modi to virtually address Gurpurab celebrations at Gujarat gurudwara

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually address the Gurpurab celebrations at Gurudwara Lakhpat Sahib in Kutch of Gujarat on December 25, 2021. PM Modi will address the Gurpurab celebrations at around 12:30 pm through video conferencing. The Sikh Sangat of Gujarat celebrates the Gurpurab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji at the Gurudwara every year from December 23 to December 25.

President Kovind, PM Modi pay tribute to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee 

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tribute at ‘Sadaiv Atal’ Samadhi in the national capital to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary on December 25, 2021. 

India vs South Africa first test tomorrow

The first test of the 3-match test series between India and South Africa will get underway on December 26, 2021 at the SuperSport Park, Centurion. South Africa is the only country where India is yet to win a Test series. 

Decision on holding Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls next week, says CEC

A day after the Allahabad High Court requested the Election Commission to postpone the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls due to the threat of the Omicron variant, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said on Friday the EC would visit the State next week to review the situation. Mr. Chandra was speaking at a press conference in Dehradun during a two-day visit to Uttarakhand to review the preparations for the Assembly elections in the State, also scheduled for next year. The EC had visited Punjab and Goa recently for similar reviews and is set to visit U.P. next week. When asked about the Allahabad High Court’s request, Mr. Chandra said he had been informed that Uttarakhand had one case of Omicron so far. He reiterated the EC’s measures for making elections COVID-safe and said the Commission would take action as per the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

World Economic Forum annual meeting postponed

World Economic Forum 2022 annual meeting will be postponed due to the continued uncertainty over the Omicron outbreak. The meeting was scheduled to take place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland in January 2022. The meeting of the World Economic Forum is now likely to take place during early summer.

UK Queen’s Christmas speech set to be particularly personal

Queen Elizabeth II is expected to offer a particularly personal Christmas Day message to the nation this year after Buckingham Palace released a photo of the monarch recording the speech alongside a picture of her and her husband, who died earlier this year. The image provided by the palace showed the queen in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, with a framed photograph of Elizabeth and Prince Philip arm in arm in the foreground. In both photos, she is wearing the same sapphire chrysanthemum brooch. This Christmas marks the first since the death of Prince Philip, who died in April, two months shy of his 100th birthday. Coronavirus restrictions in place at the time of his funeral meant that Elizabeth sat alone – a poignant symbol of how she would spend her life going forward as a widow. The televised Christmas Day message is a tradition in Britain, a moment when the monarch reflects on the holiday’s meaning and the challenges facing the country. While recording this year’s message, Elizabeth wore an embossed wool shift dress in Christmas red by British designer Angela Kelly. An illuminated Christmas tree glowed behind her. Last year, the queen used the opportunity to convey a message of hope during the depths of the coronavirus pandemic and to praise the “indomitable spirit” of scientists, emergency workers and others who had risen to the challenges created by COVID-19.

NATIONAL NEWS 

DRDO successfully flight tests High-Speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) Abhyas

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested the indigenously developed High-Speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) Abhyas from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast, Odisha.

Prime Minister Modi asks for high-level alertness at all levels amid Omicron concern

PM Modi during a high-level meeting with the officials on the current Omicron scare in the country has asked to take stock of public health measures for the management and containment of COVID-19. He also directed to strengthen the health infrastructure at the state level.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launches National Highway Projects in Uttar Pradesh

The Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of National Highway Projects in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The 240 km highway projects are worth Rs. 9,119 crores.

Contemporary messaging app ‘ASIGMA’ launched by Indian Army

A contemporary messaging app ‘ASIGMA’ has been launched by the Indian Army. ASIGMA is a new generation, state-of-the-art, web-based application that has been developed entirely in-house by a team of officers.

Night Curfew imposed by Madhya Pradesh Govt

The state government of Madhya Pradesh has imposed a night curfew till further orders. The decision has been taken in view of the rising cases of COVID-19 in the state. The night curfew in MP will remain in force from 11 PM to 5 AM.

High-Speed HEAT Abhyas flight tested

Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully tested indigenously developed High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) Abhyas. HEAT Abhyas demonstrated a high subsonic speed trajectory at a very low altitude with high endurance during the flight test. The latest development will provide a major boost to India’s defence prowess. 

Karnataka anti-conversion bill

The controversial anti-conversion bill has been passed by the Karnataka legislative assembly amid long debates. The bill seeks to curb illegal religious conversions. Former Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah said that the anti-conversion bill is anti-Constitution and anti-human being.

Indian bowler Harbhajan Singh retired from all forms of cricket

Veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh has announced retirement from all forms of cricket. Harbhajan Singh was the first Indian bowler to bowl a hat-trick in Test cricket. He also has the fourth-highest number of Test wickets by an off-spinner after India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath.

New restrictions for Omicron in Odisha

Odisha Government has released a new list of restrictions for Christmas and New Year. The decision has been taken amid the recent rise in cases of the Omicron COVID variant. The State Government has restricted Christmas and New Year celebrations as well. As per the restrictions, all social gatherings including rallies, celebrations, orchestras in hotels, restaurants, clubs, and parks have been banned.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

United States expands interview waivers for H-1B, L-1 visas

Amid the growing concern of Coronavirus surge, the US has decided to temporarily drop the in-person interview requirement for some work-visa categories- H-1B, L-1, and O-1. The applicants for H-1B, L-1, and O-1 visas applying from abroad will not be required to do an in-person interview at a consulate. It is the final step before a visa is issued.

Belgium to close all its nuclear power plants

The Belgian Government has agreed in principle to close all its nuclear power plants by the year 2025. However, the government has decided to leave open the possibility of extending the life of two reactors if it will not be able to otherwise ensure the energy supply. The country has decided to phase out nuclear power plants while using gas as a bridge towards sustainable energy sources.

US President signs a bill banning goods from China’s Xinjiang

The President of the United States Joe Biden has signed a bill that bans imports from the Xinjiang region of China. The step has been taken over the concerns about forced labour further provoking an angry Chinese condemnation. The Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act is part of the United States’ pushback against China’s treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority in the country, which the US has labeled as genocide. However, China has denied any form of abuse in the Xinjiang region. It is a major cotton producer and it also supplies much of the world’s materials for solar panels.