International Affairs
2. PM Modi, Mauritius PM jointly inaugurate India-assisted housing project
- PM Narendra Modi and his Mauritius counterpart Pravind K Jugnauth jointly inaugurated the India-assisted Social Housing Units project in Mauritius virtually.
- They also launch the Civil Service College and 8MW Solar PV Farm projects in Mauritius that are being undertaken under India’s development support
- An agreement on extending a 190 million US dollar Line of Credit from India to Mauritius for the Metro Express Project and other infra. projects have been exchanged.
International Affairs
3. Bangladesh: First National Dance Festival to begin today
- A three-day-long National Dance Festival (first time) has been inaugurated at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka.
- It has been organized by the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in which 75 troupes from across the country will perform.
- The performances will take place at the National Theatre auditorium of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy while some organizations will also hold programs in their respective districts.
Agreement
4. Microsoft to buy gaming giant Activision Blizzard for $69 bn
- Microsoft announced a landmark $69 billion deal to buy US gaming giant Activision Blizzard, betting big on the prospects of the video game market by scooping up the scandal-hit "Call of Duty" maker.
- If the deal is confirmed, it will be the largest acquisition in the industry, far ahead of Take-Two's $12.7 billion purchase of Zynga announced last week.
- After the deal, Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.
National & International Appointments
5. Vikram Dev Dutt appointed new CMD of Air India
- Senior bureaucrat Vikram Dev Dutt has been appointed as the Chairman & Managing Director of Air India Ltd.
- Dutt, a 1993-batch IAS officer of AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territory) cadre, is at present Principal Secretary (Tourism) in Delhi government.
- The Centre had accepted Tata Son's bid of Rs 18,000 crore to acquire 100 percent of the debt-laden state-run carrier.
- The takeover has not been completed yet.
Obituaries
6. Noted ecologist and ‘Save Silent Valley’ campaigner M.K. Prasad passes away
- Noted ecologist Prof. M. K. Prasad (89-years) passed away due to complications of COVID-19
- Prof. Prasad, who had served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Calicut University, was at the forefront of environmental protection activities in the State.
- He played a leadership role in the ‘Save Silent Valley’ campaign in the state in the 1970s.
- The campaign was considered the first popular campaign for protecting a forest ecosystem in the State.
International Affairs
7. Indonesia replaces sinking Jakarta with new capital city Nusantara
- The Indonesian Parliament has passed a law to relocate the country’s capital from Jakarta to Nusantara.
- The initial relocation will start between 2022 and 2024.
- In the next decade, the government center will be relocated and by 2045, the vision of 'World City for All" will be realized.
- The plan was formulated as Jakarta is prone to flooding amid climate change.
- The sinking megacity also suffers from chronic congestion and air pollution.
Sports
8. India tennis star Sania Mirza to retire after 2022 season
- Indian tennis star Sania Mirza (35-year) has decided that she is bidding adieu to the sports at the end of 2022.
- She already bowed out of singles competitions in 2013.
- Sania has six Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles to her name.
- Her last headline-grabbing win came with Chinese partner Shuai Zhang in women's doubles at the Ostrava Open on September 26, 2021.
- Sania Mirza is married to ex-Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik.
Agreement
9. NIF Incubation Council ties up with Amazon India to boost Grassroot Innovation
- National Innovation Foundation’s Incubation and Entrepreneurship Council and Amazon India have signed an MoU for online distribution of the product of grassroots innovations, student innovations, and outstanding traditional knowledge-based products.
- These innovations have their genesis in addressing an unmet need in a particular locality.
- Amazon will also create a storefront to boost the discoverability of these rural innovations among customers.
Banking & Finance
10. RBI: Digital payments up 39.6% in Sept 2021
- The RBI’s Digital Payment Index rose by 39.64% to 304.06 in September 2021 against 217.74 in the year-ago month.
- RBI has introduced Digital Payments Index in January 2021 with March 2018 as the base year to capture the extent of digitization of payments across the country.
- This means that the DPI score for March 2018 is set at 100.
- RBI’s Digital Payment Index shows the deepening of payments through digital modes in India.
Sports
11. Indian-origin golfer Akshay Bhatia wins on Korn Ferry Tour
- Young Indian origin golfer Akshay won the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour at Sandals Emerald Bay
- The win made him the third-youngest player to win a Korn Ferry Tour event since the Tour’s establishment in 1990.
- Bhatia’s 14-under 274 marked the second-lowest 72-hole score in the event’s five-season history.
- Paul Haley II, who was second at -12, recorded his third runner-up finish and seventh top-10 in his last 35 Korn Ferry Tour starts.
National Affairs
12. PM Modi addresses National Launch Ceremony of 'Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav
- PM Modi addressed the national launch ceremony of Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav se Swarnim Bharat Ke Ore through video conferencing.
- It includes more than 30 campaigns, over 15000 programs, and events
- He flagged off 7 initiatives of Brahma Kumaris.
- My India Healthy India
- Aatmanirbhar Bharat-Self Reliant Farmers
- Women-Flag Bearers of India
- Power of Peace Bus Campaign
- Andekha Bharat Cycle Rally
- United India Motor Bike Campaign
- Green initiatives under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
Summits & Conferences
13. First BRICS Sherpas meeting of 2022 held under Chinese chairship
- The first BRICS Sherpas meeting of 2022 was held virtually on January 18-19 2022, with the members thanking India for its BRICS chairship in 2021.
- China has taken on the rotating chairmanship of BRICS in 2022.
- BRICS is a grouping of five major emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
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