NATIONAL NEWS
Six die in a gas leak in Surat
Six people died and 20 others were hospitalised in a gas leak incident at a company Sachin GIDC area of Surat, Gujarat on January 6, 2022. This was informed by In-charge Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Omkar Chaudhary.
Delhi to proposes to construct twin towers at ITO as its new office building
The Delhi Government has proposed the construction of twin towers at the ITO area of the national capital as its new building to accommodate all offices of the chief minister and his top cabinet members. The proposed buildings will comprise 30-35 storeys on three plots of land, Vikas Bhawan-1, MSO and GST Buildings.
Virat Kohli drops to 9th place on ICC Test Rankings
Indian test skipper Virat Kohli has dropped to the ninth place from earlier 7th rank in the ICC Test batsmen rankings, while Rohit Sharma has retained his 5th rank. Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah has entered the top ten in the ICC Test bowler rankings by moving up three places to be ranked 9th.
Grammy Awards Postponed amid COVID Concern
The music awards gala, Grammy, which was scheduled for January 31, 2022, has been postponed because of the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the United States. As per the Recording Academy, the rescheduled date of the Grammy Awards will be announced soon. The pop stalwarts including Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, and Olivia Rodrigo were among the top leading nominees of the 64th annual awards. Last Spring’s show was the first Grammy award of the COVID-19 pandemic era. It was a more television-friendly and socially distanced show. Those awards were postponed to March 14 after the original date was postponed due to COVID. The heavily mutated Omicron variant of COVID-19 is the most transmissible to date and has been accounting for around 85% of US cases.
Uttar Pradesh Govt renames Sainik School after General Bipin Rawat
The Government of Uttar Pradesh has decided to rename the Sainik School at Mainpuri after the first Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat who died in a helicopter crash in December 2021. The news was shared by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Office. In a tweet, it announced that while paying homage to the martyrdom of General Bipin Rawat, UP CM has decided to rename the Sainik School as General Bipin Rawat Sainik School. The Sainik School in Mainpuri District in Uttar Pradesh had become functional from April 1, 2019. India’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other armed forces personnel had died after their helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.
PM Modi to inaugurate second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata
The second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute will be inaugurated by PM Modi in Kolkata on January 7, 2022, via video conferencing. The second campus has been built in line with the PM’s vision to expand and upgrade the health facilities in all parts of the country. As the institute was facing heavy load of cancer patients, a need for expansion was felt for some time. The second campus of the Cancer Institute has been built at a cost of Rs. 530 crores, out of which Rs. 400 crores have been provided by the Central Government. Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata is equipped with modern facilities and it will also work as an advanced cancer research facility.
244 Meri Saheli Teams deployed at major Railway Stations
The Railway Protection Force has deployed 244 Meri Saheli teams at major railway stations in the country in order to provide security to the lady passengers in long-distance trains, particularly those who are travelling alone. As per the Railway Ministry, the Railway Protection Force collects feedbacks from the women passengers at the end of their journeys to assess the efficacy of the initiative. The ministry also informed that other preventive measures to ensure the security of the lady passengers such as CCTV system, train escorting and regular drives against unauthorized passengers in ladies’ coaches are also being implemented. The Railway Protection Force, in 2021, had arrested more than 3000 criminals that were involved in the offences against the passengers.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Australia cancels Novak Djokovic’s visa
Australia cancelled world no. 1 Novak Djokovic’s visa on January 6, 2022 after a controversy over his vaccine exemption. Djokovic had earlier landed in Australia claiming medical exemption to play in the Australian Open. He did not clarify if he has been vaccinated or not. With his visa cancelled, the tennis player will be forced to leave the country. Australian Prime Minister Scot Morrison had said earlier that Djokovic is not a special case and same rules will apply to him as it does to everyone.
Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba to visit India on January 9th
Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will be on a four-day visit to India starting on January 9, 2022. This would be his second international visit after taking over the post of Prime Minister last year. He is expected to hold a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also attend the Gujarat Global Summit.
Sri Lanka batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa retires from international cricket
Sri Lankan batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect on January 8, 2021. The cricketer cited family obligations as his reason for retirement. Rajapaksa has represented Sri Lanka in both ODIs and T20Is. He has played 5 ODIs and 18 T20Is and scored 89 and 320 runs respectively.
