TODAY ON January 24,2023
GK News Highlights and Headlines

Highlights:

1. Prof Bharat Bhasker appointed as IIMA Director
2. Don’t go for the packet of chips: WHO warns 5 billion people are still unprotected from trans-fats and can have heart disease!
3. Microsoft adds $10 billion to investment in ChatGPT maker OpenAI
4. Honda launches Activa 2023; first electric scooter to debut next year
5. Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju during a ceremony to pay tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, in New Delhi on January 23, 2023.
6. Apple targets raising India production share to up to 25%: Goyal
7. Four die, over a dozen fall ill in fresh hooch tragedy in dry Bihar’s Siwan district
8. Maruti recalls 11,177 units of Grand Vitara to fix rear seat belt mounting brackets
9. Coal India arm MCL to set up ₹12,000-cr. power plant in Odisha
10. Four-day flower show in Shivamogga begins on Jan. 26
11. Kendriya Vidyalaya teacher dismissed for meting out corporal punishment in Vijayawada
12. Bombay HC allows married woman to terminate 32-week pregnancy, says ‘the decision is hers’.
13. Army Chief Manoj Pande visits forward posts along LAC in eastern Arunachal Pradesh
14. Visakhapatnam: Global Tech Summit’s roadshow organised in Nagpur
15. Onam kits’ distribution portrays govt.’s pro-people approach: Governor
16. U.K. petition demands independent probe into BBC series on PM Modi
17. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a meeting with his south Africa’s counterpart in Pretoria on January 23, 2023.
18. Sergey Lavrov says West prevented negotiations to end Ukraine war
19. Gold falls ₹40; silver declines ₹85
20. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bhumi Pednekar starrer ‘Afwaah’ to release on February 24
21. Sonam Wangchuk urged PM Narendra Modi to ensure safety and protection of Ladakh as studies suggest extinction of 2/3rd of the glaciers in the Union Territory. File
22. Men marrying girls below 14 to be booked under POCSO Act: Assam CM
23. A wildlife calendar that gives a bird’s eye view of Nature launched in Coimbatore
24. Russia expels Estonia Ambassador amid 'destroyed' relations
25. Pakistan suffers major power outage after grid failure
26. China wants to reduce India's influence in Indian Ocean region, say papers submitted at DGPs' meet
27. Poland to ask Germany for go-ahead to send tanks to Ukraine
28. A view of stars and the Milky Way in front of a telescope in Hanle, Ladakh, on September 30, 2022.
29. The dark sky is a natural resource, and too much light is polluting it
30. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan addresses the Budget Session of Kerala Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram on January 23, 2023.
31. NASA offers awards to spot algal blooms
32. Japan PM Fumio Kishida prioritises arms buildup, reversing low birthrate
33. HP launches new Envy x360 15 laptop series for creators
34. Parakram Diwas | 21 Andaman & Nicobar islands named after Param Vir Chakra awardees; model of proposed Netaji memorial inagurated
35. SC to hear Rana Ayyub’s petition challenging PMLA summons on January 25
36. Rupee gains 19 paise to breach 80 level against U.S. dollar
37. Spotify could cut staff as early as this week
38. Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes from Vijaypur, nears Jammu city
39. Netaji will be remembered for fierce resistance to colonial rule: PM Modi
40. Fifth Scorpene-class submarine INS Vagir commissioned into Indian Navy

Headlines:

Norovirus infection confirmed in two schoolchildren in Kerala

Norovirus infection has been confirmed in two schoolchildren in Ernakulam even as the Health authorities have stepped up efforts to contain the disease spread. The infection has been confirmed in two children of Class I and II at Bhavan’s Adarsha Vidyalaya, Kakkanad. Nearly 62 children and a few parents had earlier exhibited symptoms of the infection. Three students are under medical treatment. Their condition is said to be stable. The virus was detected in the stool samples of the two children that were sent to the State Public Health Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram.

RSS working towards Netaji’s goal, says Mohan Bhagwat

Several rallies and events were organised in Kolkata on Monday to pay tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary and the most crucial one was a gathering addressed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat.

Will take up Pandits’ issues, Rahul says in J&K

Mr. Gandhi interacted with a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits and patiently heard the issues raised by the community, including fresh migration in the wake of targeted killings by militants in the past two years in the Valley, and the J&K administration’s move to stall migrant Pandit employees’ salaries.

Left jobless, thousands of Indian IT workers scramble for options to stay in the U.S.

Thousands of Indian IT professionals in the U.S. who lost their jobs due to the series of recent lay-offs at companies such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon are now struggling to find new employment within the stipulated period under their work visas to stay in the country.

Judges don’t face public scrutiny, don’t stand for elections: Kiren Rijiju

Amid the ongoing controversy between the Executive and the Judiciary, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on January 23, 2023 said that the judges do not have to contest elections or public face scrutiny after they become judges. Though the public cannot change the judges, Mr. Rijiju asserted that judges are under being watched by the public for their judgments, delivery of justice and their conduct.

Karnataka hijab ban | SC to consider listing Muslim students’ plea before three-judge Bench

Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Monday said he will consider forming a three-judge Bench soon to hear afresh petitions filed by Muslim students from Karnataka who are seeking a declaration of their right to wear hijab inside their classrooms. Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora made the oral mentioning for early hearing of the case. She said the students were about to have their practicals on February 6.

RBI extends time for renewal of pacts for existing lockers

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to extend the deadline for banks to complete the process of renewal of agreements for the existing safe deposit lockers in a phased manner by December 31, 2023, with intermediate milestones of 50% by June 30, 2023, and 75% by September 30, 2023. The earlier deadline was January 1, 2023.

Pakistan suffers major power outage after grid failure

Pakistan faced a major power breakdown on January 23 due to a “frequency variation” in the national grid, leaving millions of people in large parts of the country, including capital Islamabad and financial hub Karachi, without electricity. According to the Ministry of Energy, the system of frequency of the national grid went down at 7.34 a.m. local time, resulting in the breakdown. “System maintenance work is progressing rapidly,” it tweeted. Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir said the restoration work was going on.

Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Pandya in ICC T20 Team of 2022

Former India captain Virat Kohli, all-rounder Hardik Pandya and shortest format’s number one batter Suryakumar Yadav were on Monday picked in ICC ‘Men’s T20I team of 2022’. The ICC also announced the Women’s Team of 2022 with four Indians in the lineup - Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh and Renuka Singh.

Ind vs NZ, 3rd ODI | Middle order in focus as India eye series sweep against New Zealand

With a series sweep in sight, the middle order will be eager to give a better account of themselves as the Indian team management contemplates rotating its bowlers in the third and final ODI against New Zealand in Indore on Tuesday. Opener Shubman Gill has been in excellent form, having scored a sensational double hundred in the opener, followed by a 40-run knock in the low-scoring second ODI. Skipper Rohit Sharma, too, is having a good run. However, the home team is aware that despite enjoying an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, Shubman and Rohit have been the only two batters among runs for the hosts.

Mary Kom to lead Oversight Committee to probe allegations against WFI president

Boxing great M.C. Mary Kom will lead a five-member Oversight Committee that will probe sexual harassment charges against Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The government-appointed Committee will also run the day-to-day affairs of WFI for the next one month. The other members of the panel are Olympic medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, former badminton player and Mission Olympic Cell member Trupti Murgunde, ex-TOPS CEO Rajagopalan, and former SAI executive director-teams Radhika Sreeman.

Parakram Diwas | 21 Andaman & Nicobar islands named after Param Vir Chakra awardees; model of proposed Netaji memorial inagurated

On the occasion of Parakram Diwas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi named 21 largest unnamed islands of Andaman & Nicobar Islands after 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees. During the programme, the Prime Minister via video conferencing also unveiled the model of the National Memorial dedicated to Netaji to be built on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep. The Ross Islands, part of the Andaman islands, was renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep by Mr. Modi in 2018, while the Neil Island and Havelock Island were also renamed as Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep respectively.

Have conveyed to PM Modi my desire to step down from political responsibilities: Maharashtra Governor Koshyari

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari said he has conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi his desire to step down from political responsibilities during the latter’s recent visit to Mumbai. In a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan on January 23, Governor Koshyari expressed his desire to spend the rest of his life in reading, writing and other leisurely activities. “During the recent visit of the Hon’ble Prime Minister to Mumbai, I have conveyed to him my desire to be discharged of all political responsibilities and to spend the remainder of my life in reading, writing, and other activities,” Mr. Koshyari said in a tweet.

Karnataka hijab ban | SC to consider listing Muslim students’ plea before three-judge Bench

Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Monday said he will consider forming a three-judge Bench soon to hear afresh petitions filed by Muslim students from Karnataka who are seeking a declaration of their right to wear hijab inside their classrooms. Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora made the oral mentioning for early hearing of the case. She said the students were about to have their practicals on February 6.

Supreme Court to hear Rana Ayyub’s petition challenging PMLA summons on January 25

The Supreme Court scheduled to hear on January 23 the petition of journalist Rana Ayyub challenging the summons issued to her by a special PMLA court in Ghaziabad in a money laundering case lodged against her by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), postponed the hearing to January 25. According to the list of businesses uploaded on the apex court website, Ms. Ayyub’s petition was listed before a bench of Justices V. Ramasubramanian and J.B. Pardiwala.

China wants to reduce India’s influence in Indian Ocean region, say papers submitted at DGPs’ meet

Chinese activities and influence in India’s extended neighbourhood have grown increasingly with the sole purpose of keeping New Delhi constrained and occupied in facing the resultant challenges, according to papers submitted at a key security meeting in New Delhi. The papers presented by Indian Police Service (IPS) officers at the just concluded conference of DGPs and IGPs submit that by providing huge amounts of money in the name of loans for developmental works in Southeast and South Asia, China wants to reduce India’s influence in the Indian Ocean region and force resolution of bilateral issues on Beijing’s terms.

Fifth Scorpene-class submarine INS Vagir commissioned into Indian Navy

The fifth Scorpène-class conventional submarine was commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS Vagir in the presence of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar at Naval Dockyard Mumbai on Monday. The sixth and last of the French-origin Scorpène-class submarines being built in India under technology transfer is set to be delivered to the Navy by end-2023. With this, the Navy now has 16 conventional and one nuclear submarine in service. It includes seven Russian Kilo-class submarines, four German HDW submarines, five Scorpene-class submarines, and the indigenous nuclear ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant.

U.K. petition demands independent probe into BBC series on PM Modi

A new online petition has demanded an independent probe into a “serious breach” by the BBC in its duties as a public broadcaster in the U.K. over the controversial documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ‘Call for an Independent Investigation into the BBC over Modi documentary’ on Change.Org, which “strongly” condemns the British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC) for failing to meet the “highest standards of editorial impartiality”, has attracted over 2,500 signatures since it went online on January 22 night.

Sergey Lavrov says West prevented negotiations to end Ukraine war

Moscow was willing to negotiate with Ukraine in the early months of the war but the U.S. and other Western nations advised Kyiv against it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on January 23. Mr. Lavrov’s remarks on a visit to South Africa were similar to those made last year by Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country was for talks but Ukraine’s Western allies prevented that from happening. The U.S. and other Western nations have said that Russia is not serious about negotiations to end the war, set to mark its one-year anniversary next month.

Pakistan suffers major power outage after grid failure

Pakistan faced a major power breakdown on January 23 due to a “frequency variation” in the national grid, leaving millions of people in large parts of the country, including capital Islamabad and financial hub Karachi, without electricity. According to the Ministry of Energy, the system of frequency of the national grid went down at 7.34 a.m. local time, resulting in the breakdown. “System maintenance work is progressing rapidly,” it tweeted. Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir said the restoration work was going on.

Japan PM Fumio Kishida prioritises arms buildup, reversing low birthrate

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, on January 23, said Japan faces the severest security environment in the region since the end of World War II and pledged to push a military buildup under a newly adopted security strategy over the next five years and beyond as well as tackle rapidly declining births so the country can sustain national strength. Mr. Kishida’s government in December adopted key security and defence reforms, including a counterstrike capability that makes a break from the country’s exclusively self-defence-only postwar principle. Japan says the current deployment of missile interceptors is insufficient to defend it from rapid weapons advancement in China and North Korea.

Ind vs NZ, 3rd ODI | Middle order in focus as India eye series sweep against New Zealand

With a series sweep in sight, the middle order will be eager to give a better account of themselves as the Indian team management contemplates rotating its bowlers in the third and final ODI against New Zealand in Indore on Tuesday. Opener Shubman Gill has been in excellent form, having scored a sensational double hundred in the opener, followed by a 40-run knock in the low-scoring second ODI. Skipper Rohit Sharma, too, is having a good run. However, the home team is aware that despite enjoying an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, Shubman and Rohit have been the only two batters among runs for the hosts.

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