NATIONAL NEWS
PM Modi to host first-ever India-Central Asia Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the first-ever India-Central Asia Summit virtually on January 27, 2022. The virtual event will see participation from Presidents of five central Asian nations- Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic. The key focus of the summit is likely to be regional security, Afghanistan issue and trade and connectivity, culture, development partnership and people-to-people ties. This will be the first such high-level engagement between India and the Central Asian countries.
Neeraj Chopra conferred Padma Shri
Tokyo Olympics Gold Medalist Neeraj Chopra was conferred the Padma Shri on January 26, 2022, the fourth-highest civilian award of India. The 24-year-old had created history by becoming the first Indian to win Olympic gold in athletics. He also got the Param Vishisht Seva Medal by the 4 Rajputana Rifles for his distinguished service. Chopra is a Subedar in the Indian Army.
ICC ODI Rankings: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma retain second, third spot
Indian batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retained their rankings on ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings. South Africa’s wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock moved up four places and broke into the top five for the first time and batsman Rassie van der Dussen moved up 10 places to reach his career-best 10th rank after they helped their team achieve a memorable 3-10 whitewash in the ODI series against India.
Plinth construction starts at Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh
The third phase of the construction of the Ram Temple started at Ramjanmabhoomi in Ayodhya on January 24, 2022, with a laying of granite stones for the plinth. With an aim of achieving physical strength and other physical and chemical features and consequent longevity, the work of plinth with granite stone has begun. Digital instrumentation is also being used for monitoring the safety parameters of the temple and the data of these instruments will be used to study the behaviour of the structure in respect of earthquake, loading, etc. On the basis of the judgment of the Supreme Court on November 9, 2019, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was entrusted to undertake the work of Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
Ministry of State for Culture released pictorial comic book ‘India’s Women Unsung Heroes’
The Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi released the pictorial comic book ‘India’s Women Unsung Heroes’. The comic book has been prepared by the Ministry of Culture in partnership with Amar Chitra Katha. The latest comic book portrays the tales of valour of India’s forgotten women freedom fighter. It is a fitting tribute to them as it celebrates the lives of women who lit the flame of rebellion in the country. The Minister further informed that the book contains the stories of queens who had battled imperialism and also dedicated their lives to Maa Bharati.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tests positive for COVID-19
The External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar has tested positive for COVID-19. The union minister while announcing the news also urged all those who came in close contact with him to take suitable precautions. EAM S. Jaishankar shared the latest news via Twitter and stated that he has tested positive for COVID. Earlier, he had taken part in a virtual event along with the Foreign Minister of France Jean-Yves Le Drian.
G Balasubramaniam is next High Commissioner of India to Nigeria
The Ministry of External Affairs announced on January 27, 2022, that G Balasubramaniam has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Nigeria. Balasubramaniam has been currently serving as the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. G Balasubramaniam is expected to take up his latest assignment shortly.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
North Korea fires two ballistic missiles in latest tests, says South Korea’s military
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, it detected the launch of what has been presumed to be two ballistic missiles from around Hamhung, on the east coast of North Korea on January 27, 2022. This would be the sixth round of missile tests this month. The suspected missiles reportedly landed outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
SpaceX Rocket Junk to crash into Moon in March: Experts
A chunk of a SpaceX rocket, which had blasted off seven years ago and was abandoned in space after completing its mission, is expected to crash into the Moon in March 2022. The rocket was launched in 2015 to put into orbit NASA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR). The second stage of the rocket has been floating in space in a chaotic orbit, according to astronomers.
England ends face mask rules and COVID restrictions
England lifted the face mark rules and most of the COVID-19 restrictions on January 26, 2022. The move came after the British Government announced that its vaccine booster roll-out plan has successfully reduced serious illness and COVID-19 hospitalizations. Health officials in Britain have also been saying that they are planning a longer-term post-pandemic strategy that treats COVID-19 more like the flu. Earlier, the World Health Organisation had warned against the dangers of treating Coronavirus like the flu and dropping pandemic restrictions.
