NATIONAL NEWS
Sovereign Green Bonds announced in Budget 2022.
Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced during the Budget 2022 presentation that Sovereign Green Bonds will be a major part of the Central Government’s Borrowing Programme 2022-23. Green Bonds are financial instruments that are issued by any sovereign entity
Statue of Equality to be inaugurated in Hyderabad on February 5
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating a 216-feet tall ‘Statue of Equality in Hyderabad on February 5, 2022. The statue commemorates 11th-century Bhakti Saint Sri Ramanujacharya.
India first to qualify for four consecutive U19 World Cup finals
India has become the first-ever team to qualify for four consecutive ICC U19 World Cup finals. India reserved its final berth after defeating Australia by 96 runs in the semi-finals.
ISRO targets to launch Chandrayaan 3 in August 2022
Union Minister Jitendra Singh informed the Lok Sabha that the Chandrayaan 3 mission is scheduled for launch in August 2022. The mission will include a lander and a rover, similar to the Chandrayaan 2 mission, which had failed to soft-land its lander module on the lunar surface.
India to face England in U19 World Cup final on February 5th India will be facing another unbeaten team, England in the ICC U19 World Cup final on February 5, 2022. The ICC U19 World Cup final will be played on February 5th at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound in Antigua.
IPL 2022 to be held in Mumbai and Pune, playoffs likely in Ahmedabad
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly confirmed recently that IPL 2022 will be held in Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra. The playoffs are likely to be held in Ahmedabad but a formal decision is likely to be taken at a later stage. BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said that the final decision on the venues for the knockout stages will be taken later.
Yash Dhull third Indian to score century in ICC U19 World Cup
India U19 skipper Yash Dhull has become the third Indian to score a century in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup after Virat Kohli and Unmukht Chand. Yash Dhull’s century knock came in India’s semi-final match against Australia in ICC U19 World Cup 2022. Dhull along with deputy skipper Shaik Rasheed put up an incredible 204-run partnership for the third wicket. This was the second biggest partnership of the tournament. The Indian U19 skipper said after the win that the plan was for him and Rasheed to bat till the end and it worked.
Indian diplomat to skip Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 over Galwan soldier row
Indian diplomat in Beijing has decided to boycott Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 opening and closing ceremony after China chose a soldier, who fought in the Galwan Valley clash against Indian troops in 2020, as a torchbearer. India’s foreign ministry called it “regrettable” while announcing the diplomat’s decision. The Ministry said that it indeed regrettable that the Chinese side has chosen to politicise an event like the Olympics. Indian media channel Doordarshan said that it will not live telecast the opening or closing ceremony. Only one Indian athlete will be participating in the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NASA’s Artemis 1 mission to Moon delayed till March
NASA’s ‘Artemis 1’ mission, which aims to return humans to the Moon, has been delayed until March. The mission was scheduled for launch earlier in February. NASA informed that the ‘Space Launch System’ rocket and Orion spacecraft will not be rolled out for testing “no earlier than March 2022”. NASA has added additional time to complete closeout activities inside the Vehicle Assembly building before rolling the integrated rocket and spacecraft out for the first time.
NASA to retire ISS in January 2031
NASA is planning to retire the International Space Station (ISS) in January 2031 and has laid out a detailed transition plan. The space agency is planning to open the ISS for commercial activities in its final decade of operational life. NASA plans to “deorbit” the ISS and crash it into the Pacific Ocean in January 2031. Before its retirement, NASA is looking forward to a decade of results from research and technology development aboard the space station.
