NATIONAL NEWS
Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha to have staggered timing
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are likely to function with staggered timing during the budget session of the Parliament, which is scheduled to start from January 31, 2022 amid rising number of COVID Cases in the country. While the Rajya Sabha is likely to meet in the first half of the day, the Lok Sabha is likely to meet in the second half of the day. President Ram Nath Kovind will address the joint sitting of the two Houses on January 31st. The budget will be presented on February 1st.
National Voters Day 2022
The 12th National Voters Day was observed today to commemorate the foundation day of the Election Commission of India. The Election Commission was set up on January 25, 1950. The National Voters Day aims to encourage the new voters to enroll themselves in the electoral process.
Air India likely to be handed over to Tata on January 27
National carrier Air India is likely to be handed over to the Tata Group on January 27, 2022. The government has decided to complete the disinvestment process by then, as per sources. Talace Pvt Ltd, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons Pvt Ltd, had won the bid last year to acquire 100 per cent equity shareholding of government-owned Air India.
Health Minister to hold meeting with health ministries of 9 states/ Uts
The Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold virtual meeting with health ministers of nine states and union territories today over the COVID-19 situation. These states and Uts include Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Ladakh and Chandigarh.
President Kovind to address the nation on eve of 73rd Republic Day
President Ram Nath Kovind will address the nation on Tuesday on the eve of the 73rd Republic Day, a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique issued on Monday night said. The address will be broadcast from 7 pm on the entire national network of All India Radio (AIR) and telecast over all channels of Doordarshan in Hindi followed by the English version, it said.
Delhi HC to hear plea on PM’s security on April 30
The Delhi High Court on Monday posted for hearing on a petition on issue of safety and security of the Prime Minister on April 30. At the outset of the hearing, a Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh said petitioner Ashish Kumar could seek representation with the Central government on the issue. The Bench noted that the top court was awaiting the report of the committee appointed by it.
FCRA registration: SC to hear plea against Centre’s decision on Tuesday
The Supreme Court Monday said it would hear on Tuesday a petition which has sought quashing of the Centre’s alleged decision by which 5,789 entities lost their Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration. The FCRA registration is mandatory for any association and NGO to receive foreign funding.
More restrictions in Kerala as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. As Kerala continues to register a steep rise in COVID-19 cases, the State government on Monday said the educational institutions which have less than 40%attendance for consecutive three days will be closed for two weeks. The COVID-19 evaluation meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan virtually from the USA where he is undergoing treatment, decided to declare the educational institutions with less than 40% attendance as clusters.
PM Modi to interact with BJP workers on Tuesday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with BJP workers from across the country via NaMo app on Tuesday. The interaction comes in the run-up to the assembly polls in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, with the Election Commission not allowing physical rallies by political parties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Houses of Parliament to work in shifts
During the upcoming Budget Session, Parliament will function in two shifts, with Rajya Sabha functioning from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Lok Sabha from 4 p.m. till 9 p.m. The two Houses are sitting in shifts to enable the members to be seated across both chambers of Parliament to ensure social distancing.
Japan to widen virus measures and boost testing amid omicron
Japan’s government plans to put the majority of the country under pre-emergency status and extend COVID-19 restrictions as omicron cases have surged and threatened to disrupt basic services like hospitals and schools. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that he will tighten anti-virus measures in 18 more prefectures, including Hokkaido in the north to Osaka and Kyoto in western Japan, until Feb 20. This will be in addition to areas where similar restrictions are already in place or to be further extended — including Tokyo, Okinawa, Yamaguchi, and Hiroshima.
Saina top attraction in Odisha Open beginning on Tuesday
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal will be the star attraction in Odisha Open Super 100, the state’s first-ever international tournament under Badminton World Federation, which begins on Tuesday. Saina has been seeded first in the women’s singles while P Kashyap is the top seed in men’s singles of the tournament to be played at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium. More than 300 players from 17 countries are participating in this tournament. The event begins with the qualifying round on Tuesday and will continue till January 30. Morning Filter will return tomorrow. Follow up on the day’s biggest stories and get concise analysis by The Hindu with the Evening Wrap newsletter. Today’s Top Picks Justice Ayesha Malik takes oath as first woman judge of Pakistan’s Supreme Court What you need to know about the 2022 Goa polls | Talking Politics with Nistula Hebbar ‘Emergency’ movie review: Carey Williams’ satire on racial politics is a knockout Lucknow IPL team to be called Lucknow Super Giants Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please try hereIf you do not wish to receive such emails go here
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Meta’s new AI supercomputer to be the world’s fastest by mid-2022
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, said recently that its new artificial intelligence supercomputer is expected to be the world’s fastest by the middle of this year. The company also stated that developing the next generation AI will require supercomputers capable of performing quintillions of operations per second.
US places 8,500 troops on ‘heightened alert’ over Russia-Ukraine standoff
The Pentagon informed on January 24, 2022 that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has placed up to 8,500 troops on heightened alert to prepare them for deployment if needed amid fears of Russia invading Ukraine. This comes after Russia has amassed almost 100,000 soldiers along its border with Ukraine.
