NATIONAL NEWS
India to resume international flights from March 27
India will resume scheduled commercial international passenger services from March 27, 2022 after a two-year hiatus. The move will now allow unhindered operation of flight to and from international destinations. The international flight operations will be subjected to strict adherence to Ministry of Health guidelines for international travel.
List of Nari Shakti Puraskar 2020-2021 Winners
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind presented Nari Shakti Puraskar for the years 2020 and 2021 to 29 outstanding women achievers at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8th. The awardees were honoured for their exceptional work towards women empowerment, especially the marginalized and vulnerable women.
RBI launches new UPI for feature phones
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das launched a new UPI service for feature phones on March 8, 2022. The new payments service has been named UPI 123Pay. The service will work on simple phones as well that do not have an internet connection. RBI has also launched a 24×7 digital payments helpline called Digisaathi.
Fortune India 50 Most Powerful Women 2021
Fortune India had released a list of India’s top 50 most powerful women in 2021 in December last year. The list comprises some of the popular female figures in India including Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who grabbed the top position. Nita Ambani is ranked second, followed by Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist of WHO.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Has Russia detached itself from ISS?
Russia recently released a video that showed its cosmonauts disconnecting the Russian ISS modules from the International Space Station. The video is reported to be a joke but can also be a silent threat, acting on the warnings issued by Russian space agency chief after sanctions were imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
European Union agrees to examine bids from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova to join the bloc.
The ambassadors of the European Union have agreed to examine the bids by Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova to join the bloc, starting the lengthy process towards accession. The French Presidency of the European Union stated that 27 Permanent Representatives of European Countries had agreed to invite the European Commission to present an opinion on each application. Two former Soviet Republics- Moldova and Georgia- applied for the European Union Republic last week in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine Military Conflict.
