TODAY ON February 10, 2023
GK News Headlines:

Mud-slinging will only help the lotus to grow: Narendra Modi in Rajya Sabha

Striking a combative note in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, saying that he was ready to take on any allegations made against him and his government. “ Ek akela kitno par bhari padh raha hai (One person is proving to be more than equal to them all),” he said. Opposition members crowded the well of the Rajya Sabha, shouting slogans about Adani throughout the PM’s reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks for President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint session of Parliament.

Will meet Adani Group soon to seek clarification on crisis: LIC Chairman

The LIC management will soon meet the top management of the crisis-ridden Adani Group and seek clarification on the crisis being faced by the diversified conglomerate, chairman M.R. Kumar said here on Thursday. "We'll be calling them in sometime soon to know how are they managing the whole crisis," Mr. Kumar said. LIC, which is the nation's largest institutional investor, is the second largest shareholder in most of the listed Adani group companies, with a cumulative investment of ₹36,474.78 crore as of January 27.

Rescuers push to find survivors of ‘disaster of the century’ as toll nears 21,000 in Turkey and Syria

Rescue workers made a final push Thursday to find survivors of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria that rendered many communities unrecognizable to their inhabitants and led the Turkish president to declare it “the disaster of the century.” The death toll topped 20,000. The scene from the air showed the scope of devastation, with entire neighborhoods of high-rises reduced to twisted metal, pulverized concrete and exposed wires.

Supreme Court Collegium recommends five new Chief Justices for High Courts

The Supreme Court Collegium on Thursday recommended five new Chief Justices to the High Courts of Calcutta, Allahabad, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Manipur to replace incumbents who have either been elevated as apex court judges or retired. The Collegium proposed Justice T.S. Sivagnanam as Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Justice Pritinker Diwaker as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, and Justice Ramesh Sinha, to be appointed Chhattisgarh Chief Justice

Gujarat High Court concludes hearing in PM Modi degree case

The Gujarat High Court on Thursday concluded hearing on a petition of Gujarat University seeking quashing of an order passed by the Central Information Commission (CIC) that directed the varsity to provide a copy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s masters’ degree to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In 2016, the varsity had filed a petition challenging the CIC order in which the university was directed to provide information on Mr. Modi’s degree under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

U.S. will not sanction India for buying Russian oil, say senior American officials

The United States does not intend to sanction India over its continued purchase of Russian oil, senior American officials have said, calling New Delhi one of their most “consequential” partners. Despite several calls to reduce oil purchases from Russia, the Indian government has repeatedly asserted that it will buy oil from “wherever” it needs to. According to the latest figures for January, India has imported around 1.27 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian Ural oil, a 30-fold jump from last January when it was around 40,000 bpd.

Chinese balloon's equipment 'clearly' for spying: U.S. official

Images from U2 spy planes showed that the Chinese balloon that flew over the United States last week was unmistakably equipped for collecting intelligence and not weather data, a U.S. official said. Detailed images taken by high-altitude U2s showed the balloon's equipment "was clearly for intelligence surveillance and inconsistent with the equipment onboard weather balloons," the senior State Department official said.

PM Modi to inaugurate U.P. Investors’ Summit as State eyes to become $1 trillion economy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the three-day Uttar Pradesh Global Investors’ Summit (GIS)-2023 in Lucknow on Friday. The summit is aimed at showcasing the State as a major investment destination. It will have 34 sessions with 10 sessions on day one, 13 on day two and 11 on day 3. Uttar Pradesh initially set the target to attract investment proposals of ₹10 lakh crore through the summit but later revised it to ₹17.3 lakh crore.

Adani Group faced margin call on $1.1 billion loan before repaying in full

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani faced a margin call of more than $500 million on a $1.1 billion share-backed loan, prompting him to repay the whole debt, the Financial Times reported, citing four people with direct knowledge of the matter. Adani Group also plans to prepay a $500 million loan due next month to a group of banks that includes Barclays, Standard Chartered and Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg News reported.

Burt Bacharach, legendary composer of pop songs, dies at 94

Burt Bacharach, the singularly gifted and popular composer and Oscar winner who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of "Walk on By," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" and dozens of other hits, has died at 94. He had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s into the 21st century, and his music was heard everywhere from movie soundtracks and radios to home stereo systems and iPods, whether “Alfie” and “I Say a Little Prayer” or “I'll Never Fall in Love Again” and “This Guy's in Love with You.”

Church of England backs blessings for same-sex couples

The Church of England’s governing body on Thursday endorsed plans to let priests offer blessings to same-sex couples, after hours of acrimonious debate highlighted deep Anglican divisions on the issue. A total of 250 bishops, clergy and laity supported the reforms, while 181 opposed them and 10 abstained, at a vote held at the Synod gathering in central London.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman urges IMF to develop globally coordinated approach to crypto asset regulations

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held a discussion with International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Kristalina Georgieva and urged the multi-lateral funding agency to develop a globally coordinated approach to the regulation of crypto assets. Ms. Sitharaman also thanked IMF for the support that it had been providing to the G20 Indian presidency on various work streams under the G20 FinanceTrack.

Delhi High Court grants bail to Chitra Ramkrishna in money laundering case

The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted bail to Chitra Ramkrishna in a money laundering case. The case, being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), involves alleged illegal phone tapping of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) employees. Ms. Ramkrishna and other persons have been alleged to have illegally intercepted or monitored telephone calls of employees of the National Stock Exchange Ltd. (NSE).

Antarctic ice hits record low for January: climate monitor

The Antarctic Ocean area covered by ice was the lowest on record for January, exposing Earth to even more planet-warming heat, scientists reported. Globally, last year was the fifth or sixth warmest on record despite the cooling influence of a natural La Nina weather pattern. Elsewhere, warmer temperatures were also recorded in the eastern United States, Canada and Mexico, the monitor said.

Women’s T20 World Cup | Australia aims for record-extending sixth trophy, Harmanpreet’s India to chase maiden title

The much-envied hegemony of Australia is likely to continue but a host of teams, led by India and England, will harbour hopes of breaking it when the ICC Women's T20 World Cup begins in Cape Town on February 10, 2023. Runners up in the last edition, India will be keen to go one step ahead and claim the title that has eluded them thus far. The 'Women in Blue' had enjoyed a stellar run at the 2020 edition before the final ended in disappointment.