NATIONAL NEWS

Joshimath Declared ‘Landslide-Subsidence Zone’

• Joshimath, the gateway to Hemkund Sahib and Badrinath, has been declared alandslide-subsidence zone.

• Joshimath is a hill town located on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway (NH-7) in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.

• The city is a tourist town as it serves as a rest stop for people visiting Badrinath, Auli, Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib.

• Joshimath in Uttarakhand is currently facing landslides. Big cracks are being seen between people's houses and roads.

• Here the natural factors have been imbalanced due to vibration caused by explosions, heavy traffic etc. Lack of proper drainage facilities is also a reason for landslides.

‘Uttar Pradesh Global City’ Campaign

• A 100-day ‘Uttar Pradesh Global City campaign has been launched by the 'Uttar Pradesh Government' ahead of the Global Investors Summit and G-20 Summit.

• The campaign has been launched by the state's Urban Development and Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma.

• The campaign aims to bring urban areas in the state up to global standards, which includes improving urban amenities, air quality, cleanliness and beautification as well as proper waste disposal.

• Uttar Pradesh government will also launch ‘Brand UP’ ahead of G20 summit.

• The government will start a door-to-door garbage collection campaign from 01 February to 31 March 2023.

• ‘Swachh Virasat Abhiyan’ will be launched by the state on 14 January 2023, which will focus on cleanliness of tourism, historical and religious places.

Global Investors Summit in Indore

• The two-day Global Investors Summit will begin on 11 January 2023 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurate the summit.
• The theme of the Global Investors Summit is ‘Madhya Pradesh - a future-ready state'.
• Environmental protection has been taken care of in this summit which will be completely based on Carbon Neutral and Zero Waste.
• More than 500 prominent industrialists in the country will also participate in this summit.

National Youth Festival

• The 26th Edition of the National Youth Festival will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to celebrate the birthday of Swami Vivekananda.
• The five days event to be held for five days till 16 January 2023 in Dharwad-Hubballi twin cities in Karnataka.
• It will bring 7500 youngsters from different parts of the country to spend time and exchange thoughts and give expression to their talents.
• The event will be friendly towards the environment and are planned for the five days.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India and Panama to Sign Agreement

• External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar signed an MoU to enhance cooperation in the training of diplomats during his bilateral meeting with Panamanian Foreign Minister Janaina Tevane Mencomo in Indore.

• The agreement was signed during the visit of the Foreign Minister of Panama to participate in the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Conference.

• During the consultations, both sides comprehensively reviewed their bilateral relations covering issues such as trade and investment, pharmaceuticals, capacity building, space cooperation and consular.

• Both countries also discussed cooperation in multilateral fora.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Oscars 2023

• Vivek Agnihotri's film 'The Kashmir Files' has been shortlisted for Oscars 2023.
• Actors Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborthy, Darshan Kumar and Pallavi Joshi are also shortlisted for the best actor category.
• Originally made in Kannada with a budget of less than Rs 16 crore, 'Kantara' went on to become one of the highest-grossing Kannada films with Rs 400 crore at the box office.
• Marathi films Me Vasantrao, Tujhysa Sathi Khai Hi, Kannada film 'Vikrant Rona' and R Madhavan's 'Rocketry: The Nambi Effect' have also been shortlisted for Oscars 2023.

Golden Globe Awards 2023

• Indian film RRR's super hit song Natu Natu has won the prestigious Golden Globe award for Best Original Song.
• The history creating track from the director SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster movie is composed by MM Keeravani.
• The singers are Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj.
• ‘Naatu Naatu,’ which became an anthem of sorts for the Rajamouli fans is a dance number featuring Jr NTR and Ram Charan.
• It created waves for its elaborate choreography and musical storytelling.
• The historical epic, RRR has also been nominated in the Best Non-English Language Film category at the 80th Golden Globes. The awards are considered as a precursor for the Oscars.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Central Government Extends Term of RBI Deputy Governor

• The Central government has extended the tenure of Dr Michael Debabrata Patra as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for one more year with effect from 15 January 2023.

• Michael Debabrata Patra took over as Deputy Governor of the RBI on 15 January 2020.

• He was an Executive Director of India's central bank before being elevated to the post of Deputy Governor.

• Patra, a career central banker since 1985, has worked in various positions with the Reserve Bank of India.

DEFENCE

Bilateral Air Exercise 'Veer Guardian-2023'

• Exercise ‘Veer Guardian 2023’ between the Indian Air Force and the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) will be conducted from 12 January to 26 January 2023, at Hyakuri air base and Iruma air base in Japan.
• The aim of the exercise is to strengthen mutual understanding and defence ties between the two air forces.
• The India will be represented by a contingent of around 150 personnel. India's 1 IL-78 mid-air refuelling and 4 Su-30MKI fighter aircraft will participate in it.
• 4 F-15s and 4 F-2 fighter jets will be involved in this bilateral exercise from the Japanese side.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

World's First Vaccine for Honeybees

• The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved the world's first insect vaccine, which has been developed to protect bees from a devastating bacterial disease.

• US researchers have developed a vaccine to target a disease called American foulbrood.

• The disease is caused by Paenibacillus larval bacteria and once it reaches a bee population, it has the potential to completely destroy the colony.

• Dalil Freitak of the University of Helsinki and his colleagues discovered an important egg yolk protein called vitellogenin.

• This fundamental discovery laid the groundwork for a new type of insect vaccine, and the team's first target was honey bees.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Hindi Day

• World Hindi Day is celebrated every year on 10 January.

• It is celebrated with the aim of spreading awareness about Hindi language among the people all over the world and presenting Hindi as an international language.

• The theme for the year 2023 is 'Making Hindi the language of public opinion, without forgetting the importance of their mother tongue.'

• The Hindi language derives its name from the Persian word 'Hind', which means 'the land of the Indus River'.

• It is the official language of India, English being the other official language.

• Hindi is also a language included in the Eighth Schedule.

• According to Article 343, the official language of the Union will be Hindi in Devanagari script.