NATIONAL:
1. 8th India International Science Festival (IISF)
Why in news – The 8th India International Science Festival (IISF) was held at Bhopal.
Key Points –
• It was conducted jointly by Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Science and Technology and Vigyan Bharati.
• Theme - “Moving towards Amrit Kaal with Science, Technology and Innovation”.
• Vigyanika Science literature festival 2023 was held as a part of IISF.
2. Parakram Diwas 2023
Why in news – It is celebrated on Jan 23 to mark the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose (Netaji).
Key Points –
• The year 2023 marked 126th birth anniversary.
• PM Modi virtually inaugurated the model of Bose memorial on Ross Island (Andaman), (Renamed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep in 2018).
• PM Modi also participated in a ceremony to name 21 uninhabited islands in Andaman and Nicobar Islands after Param Vir Chakra awardees.
3. Deepest Metro Station
Why in news – The Pune Metro is all set to complete work on the country’s deepest underground metro station.
Key Points –
• The Civil Court Interchange station is 33.1 meters deep (108.59 feet).
• It is the only underground station that has sunlight falling on the platform of the underground station.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. Janani Ramachandran
Why in news - Indian-American lawyer Janani Ramachandran has become a member of the Auckland City Council in the state of California.
Key Points –
• She is the youngest first black lesbian woman to be elected from the Auckland City Council.
• She became the first LGBTQ and the first South Asian woman to serve on the Auckland City Council.
2. New Currency "sur"
Why in news - Brazil and Argentina would begin preliminary work on a common currency.
Key Points –
• Brazil proposed to name the new currency "sur", meaning south.
• Politicians from both countries first considered the concept in 2019.
3. USD 40 Million to Maldives
Why in news – India has extended a concessional USD 40 million Line of Credit for developing sporting infrastructure in the Maldives.
Key Points –
• Purpose - to bring “Fit India” and “Khelo India” into the ambit of the Neighbourhood First Policy.
• S. Jaishankar was on a 3-day visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
• He also inaugurated the Shaviyani Foakaidhoo Community centre developed under Indian Grant assistance in Maldives.
• Foakaidhoo is one of the inhabited islands of the Shaviyani Atoll.
REPORTS & INDICES:
1. 17th ASER 2022
Why in news - The 17th Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2022 was released by NGO Pratham.
Key Points –
• In ASER 2022, around 7 lakh candidates from 19,060 schools in 616 districts were surveyed to calculate the learning outcomes post pandemic on school children.
• The ASER, is an annual, citizen-led household survey that aims to understand whether children in rural India are enrolled in school and whether they are learning.
• ASER has been conducted every year since 2005 in all rural districts of India. It is the largest citizen-led survey in India.
• 2022 findings –
SECURITY:
1. ‘Exercise Cyclone – I
Why in news - The first joint exercise between the special forces of the Indian and the Egyptian Army, ‘Exercise Cyclone – I’ started on Jan 14, 2023.
Key Points –
• Venue - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is the chief guest to India’s Republic Day celebrations.
• This is for the first time that the president of Egypt has been invited as the chief guest
• The India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favoured Nation clause.
2. AMPHEX 2023
Why in news - The “largest” biennial tri-services amphibious exercise AMPHEX 2023 was conducted from January 17 to 22, 2023.
Key Points –
• The joint operations saw participation from Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.
• Venue – Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh.
ENVIRONMENT:
1. Orange Colour Bat
Why in news - A rare orange-coloured bat has been spotted in Chhattisgarh.
Key Points –
• IUCN - "near threatened" species
• It is also known as the 'painted bat'.
• It was found in the Kanger Valley National Park (Established in 1982) located in the Bastar district.
• In India, this bat has so far been seen in the Western Ghats, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
• The national park is famous for its limestone caves.
• Kanger river flows through this National Park.
IMPORTANT DAYS:
1. 5th International Education Day
Why in news – It is annually celebrated on January 24 by UNESCO.
Key Points –
• Theme - ‘to invest in people, prioritise education’.
• UNESCO dedicated this year to girls and women in Afghanistan who have been deprived of their right to education.
• On Dec 3, 2018, UNGA adopted a resolution co-authored by Nigeria and 58 other states to celebrate International Education Day.
BOOKS & AUTHORS:
1. “COACHING BEYOND: My Days with the Indian Cricket Team”
Why in news – The book has been written by R. Kaushik & R. Sridhar.
SPORTS:
1. NSCI All India Snooker Open 2023
Why in news – Laxman Rawat of PSPB emerged victorious in the ‘Baulkline’ NSCI All India Snooker Open.
Key Points –
• He beat fellow PSPB challenger Aditya Mehta 9-6 in a best-of-17-frame final.
• Snooker Open Crown is a snooker tournament organized by the National Sports Club of India (NSCI).
2. ICC Fell Prey to Scam
Why in news - The ICC has allegedly lost close to USD 2.5 million after becoming a victim of cyber-crime.
Key Points –
• The incident of phishing, which originated in the USA, took place in 2022.
• The route used by fraudsters to commit the financial scam was Business E-mail Compromise (BEC), also known as e-mail account compromise.
• A BEC scam is a form of phishing where companies and individuals are tricked and convinced into making wire transfers.
BIHAR:
1. Chief Minister Bihar Darshan Scheme
Why in news - An amount of Rs 11 crore has been approved under Chief Minister Bihar Darshan Yojana 2022-23.
Key Points –
• Under the scheme, school students from 38 districts of the state are taken to educational tours in Bihar.
• 5500 schools of the state have been granted Rs 20000 each.
2. Prof Siddheshwar Prasad
Why in news - Former Governor of Tripura and renowned litterateur Prof. Siddheshwar Prasad is no more.
Key Points –
• He wrote a criticism on the great poetic work 'Kamayani' of great poet Jaishankar Prasad.
• He was also a Member of Parliament from Nalanda in 1962, 1967 and 1971.
• He was also MLC from 1983 to 1989.
• He was the Governor of Tripura from June 1995 to June 2000.
• He was born on 19 January 1929. He was a resident of Bind of Nalanda.
POINTERS:
• Which telecom company will invest Rs 2000 crores to set up hyperscale data centre in Hyderabad - Bharti Airtel.
• Who will deploy hydrogen fuel cell operated trucks for mining logistics and transportation as part of its decarbonisation plan - Gautam Adani.
• Who has become the 5th Indian player to score a double century in ODIs – Shubman Gill
• Who has been elected the first woman president of Table Tennis Federation of India- Meghna Ahlawat.
• Who has become the 7th Indian to be elected as a member of the International Committee for Weights and Measures - Venu Gopal Achanta.
• 'Shanti Kumari' has been appointed as the first woman Chief Secretary of which state – Telangana.
• Which country will introduce stamp with Jawaharlal Nehru's portrait on its 75th Independence Day - Sri Lanka.
• Which country announced its plan to downsize military by half by 2030 - Sri Lanka.
• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla led a parliamentary delegation to visit Kenya and which other country – Tanzanian.
• Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Shaurya Sthal, a war memorial dedicated to martyred soldiers from Uttarakhand at which place - Cheer Bagh.