NATIONAL:
1. SCO Film Festival
Why in news – Shanghai Cooperation Organization Film Festival was organized from Jan 27 - 31, 2023 in Mumbai.
Key Points –
• It was organized by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to mark India’s Presidency at SCO.
• The opening ceremony was held at Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, Mumbai on 27th January, 2023.
• The festival was opened with a world premiere of the Tamil film ‘Appatha’.
• Total 57 Films was showcased at the SCO Film Festival from SCO countries.
• India is chairing the SCO Council of Heads of State for a year from September 2022 for the first time. India joined SCO in 2017.
• Official language of the SCO - Russian and Chinese.
2. Fossilized Dinosaurs’ Eggs
Why in news – Researchers from Delhi University have found 92 nests and 256 fossilized eggs in central India (lower Narmada valley).
Key Points –
• It belongs to titanosaurs, the largest dinosaurs to have ever lived.
• Dinosaurs nesting sites in India – Dhar (MP), Jabalpur (MP), Balasinor (Gujrat).
• Oospecies - An ootaxon, equivalent to a species, used to classify fossilised dinosaur eggs.
3. Greater Tipraland
Why in news – The demand for “Greater Tipraland” has once again gripped Tripura politics before assembly elections in 2023.
Key Points –
• Tipraland is demanded by Tripura’s indigenous communities for an ethnic homeland.
• ‘Greater Tipraland’ is envisaged as a separate state carved out of the existing state of Tripura.
• Kokborok — A language of the Tibeto-Burman family and the mother tongue of the largest tribal group in Tripura.
• Article 3 - It empowers the Parliament to make law relating to the formation of new states and alteration of existing states.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. Dam on Mabja Zangbo River
Why in news – China is building a new dam on the Mabja Zangbo river at the trijunction border with India and Nepal.
Key Points –
• The Mabja Zangbo river flows into the Ghaghara or Karnali river in Nepal before eventually joining the Ganga River in India.
• China is building another dam on Yarlung Zangbo river, which flows into Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang and then to Assam as the Brahmaputra.
2. Julie Turner
Why in news – US President Joe Biden has nominated Julie Turner as special envoy for human rights in North Korea.
Key Points –
• She is the current director of the Office of East Asia and the Pacific in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour at the Department of State.
ECONOMY:
1. Hindenburg Research
Why in news - Hindenburg Research alleged stock manipulation and accounting fraud in Adani Group in its latest investigative report.
Key Points –
• Short seller Hindenburg Research on January 25 disclosed short positions in the Adani Group.
• Short selling or shorting –
• It is a trading strategy based on the expectation that the price of the security will fall.
• The sequence of transactions is reversed in short selling — to sell high first and buy low later.
• Also, in short selling, the trader usually does not own the securities he sells, but merely borrows them.
• Long position - One buys a stock or security at a particular price and then sells it when the price is higher, thereby booking a profit.
AWARDS & HONOURS:
1. Padma Awards 2023
Why in news - For the year 2023, the President has approved conferment of 106 Padma Awards including 3 duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one) as per list below. The list comprises 6 Padma Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan and 91 Padma Shri Awards. 19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 2 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 7 Posthumous awardees.
Key Points –
• Padma Vibhushan - Dilip Mahalanabis (pioneer of ORS) (Field – Medicine, Paediatrics).
• Padma Vibhushan -Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav (Posthumous) Public Affairs, Uttar Pradesh
• The Padma Awards are India’s highest civilian honours after the Bharat Ratna.
• Two awards, the Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan were first instituted in 1954.
• Padma Vibhushan had three classes. In 1955, these were named as Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
• The first ever Padma Vibhushan awardees in 1954 were
A. Scientist Satyendra Nath Bose.
B. Artist Nandalal Bose
C. Educationist Zakir Hussain,
D. Social worker Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher
E. Diplomat V.K. Krishna Menon.
• First ever non-Indian Padma Vibhushan awardee (1954) - Jigme Dorji Wangchuk (Bhutanese king).
• The awards are not a conferment of title and the awardees are expected to not use them as prefix or suffix to their names.
• Bharat Ratna is treated as an exceptional award with only 45 Bharat Ratnas.
2. ICC Annual Awards 2022
Why in news - The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced its first individual award winners in the ICC Awards 2022.
Key Points –
• Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy: Babar Azam (Pakistan)
• Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Nat Sciver (England)
• Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year: Ben Stokes (England)
• Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Babar Azam
• Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Nat Sciver
• Men’s T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Suryakumar Yadav (India)
• Women’s T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Tahlia McGrath (Australia)
• Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Marco Jansen (South Africa)
• Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Renuka Singh (India)
• Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Year: Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia)
• Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Year: Esha Oza (India)
• David Shepherd Trophy: Richard Illingworth (England)
• Spirit of Cricket Award: Aasif Sheikh (Nepal).
3. Gallantry Awards
Why in news - President Droupadi Murmu approved 412 gallantry awards on the eve of the 74th Republic Day.
Key Points –
• It included six Kirti Chakras and 15 Shaurya Chakras.
• Kirti Chakra is India's second highest peacetime gallantry award after Ashok Chakra.
• Shaurya Chakra is the country's third-highest peacetime gallantry award.
• The awards also included three Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, one Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and 52 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals etc.
IMPORTANT DAYS:
1. International Customs Day 2023
Why in news – It is observed across the world on Jan 26.
Key Points –
• Theme - ‘Nurturing the next generation: promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing and professional pride in Customs’.
• It was first initiated in the year 1953 and was first confirmed by the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC).
• In 1994, CCC was renamed as World Customs Organisation (WCO).
• WCO Hq - Brussels, Belgium.
2. International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023
Why in news – It is marked on January 27 each year by the United Nations (UN).
Key Points –
• It is observed to honour the 6 million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust, and millions of other victims of Nazism.
• The day marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
SECURITY:
1. Exercise Pralay
Why in news - The Indian Air Force would carry out Exercise Pralay involving all its major air bases in the northeast.
Key Points –
• It would see the participation of Rafale and Su-30 fighter jets along with the transport and other aircraft.
• The first squadron S-400 missile system has been deployed in the western state of Punjab.
PERSON IN NEWS:
1. BV Doshi
Why in news - Architect, planner and educator Balkrishna V Doshi passed away.
Key Points –
• He had received the Padma Bhushan (2020) and the Padma Shri (1976).
• Doshi was the only Indian architect to have worked with two pioneers of modern architecture - Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn.
• In 2018, he received the Pritzker Architecture Prize (most prestigious prizes in the field of architecture).
• His works –
A. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad.
B. CEPT University and Kanoria Centre for Arts in Ahmedabad.
C. Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
BIHAR:
1. Padma Awards 2023
Why in news - Three personalities from Bihar would be honored with Padma Awards 2023.
Key Points –
• Awardees –
A. Anand Kumar (literature and education) – He is a mathematician and Super 30 founder.
B. Kapildev Prasad (arts) - He has given an identity to Bawan Booti art (sarees knitting). He is from Nalanda.
C. Subhadra Devi (art) - She is a paper mache artist from Madhubani.
2. Police Medals
Why in news - The Bihar Police personnel have been awarded with Police medals.
Key Points –
• 2 police medals - President’s police medals for distinguished services (PPMDS).
• 17 police medals for meritorious services (PPMS).
• 7 others in the central unit have also been awarded the police medal for their meritorious services.
POINTERS:
• Who has been appointed as the new chairman of Amul – Shamalbhai Patel.
• Which state government has recently launched “Water Conservation Scheme” for farmers – Jharkhand.
• Where has the “100 Days to Beat Plastic” campaign been started recently – New Delhi (by MCD).
• Where is the “Mamani Festival” being organized recently – Ladakh.
• Who has recently hosted the second international conference on the theme 'Use of Technology and Elections Integrity' – New Delhi.
• Hindustan Unilever has recently tied up with whom for plastic waste management initiative - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• India has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate content exchange, capacity building, and co-productions between the public service broadcasters, with which country – Egypt.
• Which player has become the number 1 ODI bowler in the world - Mohammed Siraj.
• In response to Chat GPT, Google's company Deepmind is preparing to launch which new artificial intelligence based chatbot – Sparrow.
• Centre has picked which site from 52 sites across the country to be nominated for World Heritage Site status - Charaideo Maidams (Assam).