NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. IIT Madras develops BharOS - India's
Indigenous Mobile Operating System: IIT Madras incubated firm has developed an Indigenous Mobile
Operating System named 'BharOS'.
About BharOS:
·
It can be installed on
commercial off-the-shelf handsets.
·
It provides access to
trusted apps from organization-specific Private App Store Services (PASS).
·
It comes with No Default
Apps (NDA), which means that users are not forced to use apps that they may not
be familiar with or that they may not trust.
·
Developed by: JandK
Operations Private Limited
2. "Vigyanika — Science Literature
Festival" event to be held in IISF, Bhopal: A Science
Literature Festival 'Vigyanika' will be organized from 22-23 January
2023 at the Indian International Science Festival (IISF), Maulana Azad
National Institute of Technology, Bhopal. “Science Literature Festival” is
being organized as part of the 8th IISF. In 2023, IISF is being coordinated and
organized by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Science &
Technology, and Vijnana Bharati.
3. Aero India 2023 to begin in
Bengaluru from 13-17 February: The 14th edition of Aero India 2023 will
be held at Air Force Station, Yelahanka, Bengaluru from 13-17 February
2023. This event will be a combination of the major trade
exhibition of the aerospace and defence industries as well as an aerial
display by IAF. It will also be participated by global leaders and big
investors in the aerospace industry. This platform provides a unique
opportunity for the exchange of information, and new developments in the
aviation industry.
4. India announced 100 million
Maldivian Rufiyaa for development projects: During
the visit to Maldives, EAM S Jaishankar has announced an additional
grant of 100 Million Maldivian Rufiyaa for community development
projects in Maldives. He also witnessed an MoU between Maldivian National
University and Kochi University of Science & Technology. The agreement
included grant assistance of 100 million rufiyaa (Maldives’ currency) for the
High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP). He has also announced that
India has handed over two sea ambulances to help the Maldives National Defence
Force (MNDF). India has completed 23 out of 45 impactful community development
projects.
5. Hyderabad selected to host WEF
Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The World
Economic Forum (WEF) has chosen Hyderabad to set up
its Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution focused on healthcare and
life sciences. This will be the only centre in India thematically focused on
healthcare and life sciences. The announcement was made at the WEF’s annual
meeting in Davos. The centre will be an autonomous, non-profit organization,
leading on policy and governance for healthcare and life sciences. The
Telangana government and the World Economic Forum signed a collaboration
agreement during the Davos meeting. C4IR Telangana is the 18th centre to join
the World Economic Forum’s Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Network, which
spans four continents. Telangana is known as the vaccine centre of the world
and produces one-third of all vaccines produced globally.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Meta's WhatsApp fined $5.95 million
by lead EU privacy regulator: WhatsApp, a subsidiary of Meta' was fined 5.5 million euros
($5.95 million) by the Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC) of Ireland for an
additional breach of the EU's privacy laws. The DPC acts as the EU's lead
privacy regulator for Meta. The DPC has issued a similar order to Meta's other
main platforms, Facebook and Instagram, which stated Meta must reassess the
legal basis upon which it targets advertising through the use of personal data.
2. TCS, Infosys rank among the most
valuable IT services brands globally: According to Brand Finance’s rankings for
2023, four Indian companies have been featured in the list of
the world’s top 10 most valuable IT service brands. Four Indian companies
are TCS (2), Infosys (3), HCLTech (8), and Wipro (9). While Accenture
has succeeded in retaining its position as the most valuable IT services
brand for the fifth consecutive year. While IBM ranked fourth followed by
Capgemini, NTT Data, Cognizant.
3. NASA’s Geotail mission operations sign off after 30 years: The joint mission operations of the
NASA-JAXA, Geotail spacecraft have signed off after 30 years in orbit. Reason: Failure
of the spacecraft’s remaining data recorder. This mission was launched on
July 24, 1992. Geotail orbited Earth had gathered an immense dataset on the
structure and dynamics of the magnetosphere, Earth’s protective magnetic
bubble. It was originally slated for a four-year run, but the mission was
extended due to its high-quality data return.
4. India ranks 4th globally for Tech VC
Investments in 2022: According to
the report, released by the Dealroom and London & Partners, India
ranked 4th globally with USD $24.1$ billion worth of venture capital (VC)
investments in 2022. The United States of America (USA) with a USD $233.3$
billion tech investment topped the list, followed by China (USD 48 billion) and
the United Kingdom(UK) (USD $29.9$ billion). As per the research, USD $10.7$
billion of the total tech investment to India went into Bengaluru-based
companies.
5. India and South Korea hold Foreign
Policy and Security Dialogue in Seoul: The 5th Foreign
Policy and Security Dialogue between India and South Korea was held in
Seoul. Both
sides agreed to deepen cooperation in areas including trade and investment,
security and defense, science and technology, as well as cultural and
people-to-people exchanges.
They agreed to take
concrete steps to take bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030 from current
all-time high of $28 billion.
6. Jacinda Ardern resigns as Prime
Minister of New Zealand: Prime
Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern will step down on 7 Feb’23. Ardern
doesn’t have the energy or inspiration to seek re-election later this year.
Ardern will not also contest general elections set for 14 October. The ruling
Party will vote for a new leader, the party leader will be the Prime Minister
until the next general election. Ardern, 42, became the youngest
female head of government in the world when she was elected prime minister
in 2017, at the age of 37. A year later, she became the second elected world
leader to ever give birth while in office, following Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto
in 1990. During her time in office, she successfully navigated the country
through the Covid-19 pandemic and its ensuing recession, the Christchurch
mosque shootings, and the White Island volcanic eruption.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Friends Pushkum and Down Hill Kargil
lifted 14 CEC Ice Hockey Cup 2023: The Friends Pashkum has lifted the 14th CEC Ice Hockey Cup
2023 in the men's category, after defeating the Humas Warriors Drass.
While in the women's category, DownHill Kargil won the cup, after
beating Wakha Mulbekh. CEC LAHDC Kargil, Feroz Ahmad was the chief guest of
this event. The tournament was held in Ladakh and was participated by
27 teams, including 4 Women's teams. The efforts of the Rural Development Dept
and Youths service and Sports Dept were appreciated.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. LIC unveils Jeevan Azad limited
premium payment plan: The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India has launched Jeevan Azad (Plan No. 868) to offer an attractive
combination of protection and savings. Aim: To offer
Individual savings and life insurance It is a
limited-period payment
endowment plan. It provides financial
support for the family in case of unfortunate
death of the life assured during the policy term. The minimum age of entry is 90 days completed and the maximum age at entry is 50 years.
2. PNB launches credit card against
fixed deposit (FD): PNB becomes
the first public sector bank to launch credit cards against fixed deposits
digitally. Aim: To offer for those account holders, who don’t meet the
eligibility criteria for regular credit cards. The bank offers RuPay or
VISA credit cards digitally against single or multiple FDs with 80%
credit limit. PNB has raised the Interest rates on term deposits below ₹2 crore between one year and three years by 50 basis points to 6.75%.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Dr Sanduk Ruit conferred with
Bahrain's ISA Award for Service to Humanity: Dr Sanduk Ruit (Nepalese ophthalmologist) was
awarded the top civilian award of Bahrain, the ISA Award for Service to
Humanity. He is a co-founder of the Himalayan Cataract Project. He is a
pioneer in delivering high-quality microsurgical procedures in remote eye
camps. The award carries a cash prize ($1 million), a certificate,
and a gold medal He was awarded the Honorary Officer of the Order of
Australia (2007), the Ramon Magsaysay Award (2006), and Padma Shri (2018)
2. Naanera’ bagged ‘Golden Kailasha’
award in Ajanta-Ellora film festival: “Naanera”, a Rajasthani
film directed by Deepankar Prakash, bagged the ‘Golden Kailasha’
award for the best movie at the 8th edition of the Ajanta-Ellora film
festival. “Naanera” also bagged awards for best director, best screenplay, and
best editor. The best picture award, announced by FIPRESCI India jury N
Vidyashakar, included a trophy and a cash prize of Rs one lakh. Best Actress:
Akshatha Pandavapura Best Actor: Jeetu Kamal (Bengali film: Aparajito)
OBITUARIES
1. US rock legend David Crosby passes
away: US Rock singer, David
Crosby passed away at the age of 81. He was one of the most influential
rock singers of the 1960s and ’70s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame with two different groups. He was a founding member of Byrds,
and Crosby, Stills & Nash. He was known for his intricate vocal harmonies,
unorthodox open tunings on the guitar, and incisive songwriting. He was awarded
the Grammy for Best New Artist of 1969 for his debut album "I See
You".
2. Bharatanatyam dancer, guru Lakshmi Vishwanathan passes away: Renowned Bharatanatyam dancer and guru, Lakshmi Vishwanathan passed away at the age of 78. She was awarded many awards such as Kalaimamani from the Tamil Nadu government, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. She was a gold medallist in English literature from Madras University. She authored four books Kunjamma-Ode to a Nightingale (a biography of M.S. Subbulakshmi); Women of Pride-the Devadasi Heritage; Kapaliswara Temple; and Bharatanatyam: The Tamil Heritage.
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