NATIONAL NEWS
S Somanath appointed new ISRO Chief
S Somanath has been appointed as the new ISRO Chief after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved his appointment on January 12, 2022. Somanath has been appointed as Secretary of the Department of Space and ISRO Chairman for a combined term of three years from the date of joining. He is currently the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. He will be succeeding K Sivan.
PM Modi to meet all Chief Ministers to discuss COVID situation today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be meeting with the Chief Ministers of all states at 4.30 pm today, January 13, 2022 to discuss the COVID situation through video conferencing. This is the first meeting of the Prime Minister with all the CMs this year. He had held several such meetings last year during the second wave.
COVID-19 caused by Omicron should not be considered as common cold: Dr. VK Paul
Amid a steep rise in COVID-19 cases, NITI Aayog Member Dr. VK Paul cautioned that COVID-19 caused by Omicron variant should not be considered as common cold and taken lightly. He reiterated that Omicron is replacing Delta variant of Covid as it is highly transmissible. He said that normally this transmission takes longer but it is rapid this time because of high transmissibility.
Ganga Sagar Mela begins in West Bengal
Ganga Sagar Mela began on January 12, 2022 with strict COVID-19 protocols after it was given a go-ahead by Calcutta High Court. The Ganga Sagar Mela was inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Mela is held every year at Gangasagar in West Bengal. It is the biggest fair in Eastern India and witnesses over lakhs of devotees every year.
Antiviral drug Molnupiravir not included in National Treatment Task Force for COVID-19
The ICMR DG Balram Bhargava clarified on January 12, 2022 that the antiviral drug Molnupiravir is not included in the National treatment task force for COVID-19. He said that the decision was taken after a long discussion among national experts. He said that they had reviewed whatever data was available after the three trials. He said that the antiviral drug has certain risks that warrant caution in its use and experts were of the view that its known and unknown harms outweigh its claimed benefits.
Gangasagar Mela 2022
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated Gangasagar Mela following strict COVID-19 protocols after receiving approval from the Calcutta High Court. The Mela is the biggest fair in Eastern India and witnesses footfall from over lakhs of devotees each year. It is held at Gangasagar in West Bengal.
15-year-old student is India’s batonbearer at Queen’s Baton Relay
15-years-old Vinisha Umashankar, a student innovator, has been selected as India’s baton bearer at the ongoing 16th official Queen’s Baton relay (January 12-15, 2022). The student innovator turned environmentalist from Tiruvannamalai district in Tamil Nadu. She had inspired the world with her solar ironing cart, which uses solar panels to power a steam iron box.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
India-US agree to advance cooperation in counter-terrorism & cyber security
India and the United States agreed to advance cooperation in counter-terrorism, cyber security and other areas including global supply chains and securing critical infrastructure on January 12, 2022. This was agreed upon during a senior officers meeting of the India-US Homeland Security Dialogue. Other focus areas of the dialogue were aviation security, maritime security, trade security and customs enforcement.
India, UK to begin Free Trade Agreement negotiations today
India and the United Kingdom will begin negatiations on the Free Trade Agreement today at an event in New Delhi. Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will meet UK’s International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan to formally kcik-start the talks. The free trade agreement deal is expected to benefit both the nations.
Nigeria lifts ban on Twitter after 7 months
Nigeria has lifted a ban on Twitter after a period of 7 months. The Government of Nigeria had suspended Twitter in June 2021 after the company deleted a tweet by the country’s president about punishing regional secessionists. Nigerian authorities had accused Twitter of siding with the secessionists; however, the government had said it will reverse the ban after Twitter agreed to the conditions including opening a local office in Nigeria. Twitter did not say that it agreed with the demands but tweeted that it was pleased to be restored in Nigeria. The latest move has allowed millions of people in the most populous country in Africa to use the platform again.
