NATIONAL NEWS

Atmanirbhar Bharat Centre for Design at Red Fort, Delhi

• A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between State Bank of India, Indira Gandhi Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and National Culture Fund for Development of Atmanirbhar Bharat Centre for Design at L1 Barrack, Red Fort, Delhi.

• Atmanirbhar Bharat Centre of Design (ABCD), project aims to highlight, promote and celebrate the products that have the Geographical Indication sign, as it signifies a specific geographic origin infused with unique features of that region.

• The ABCD project is being implemented by IGNCA, an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture.

• SBI has agreed to sponsor the project under CSR with a contribution of Rs. 10 crores for the implementation of ABCD Project.

Dukaan Partners with Simpl

• Dukaan partners with Simpl to Provide Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services to its merchants.

• Bangalore based Startup company Dukaan is a platform that enables small and medium-sized businesses to set up online stores and sell products digitally.

• It has partnered with Simpl, a buy-now-pay-later platform, to provide BNPL services to Dukaan's merchants.

Gandhi Mandiram, Smrithi Vanam Built at Srikakulam

• At the Municipal Park in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, social activists created a temple for Mahatma Gandhi and freedom fighters Smrithi Vanam.

• To instill patriotism among the youth by commemorating the sacrifices of freedom fighters, social activists have created a temple for Mahatma Gandhi and freedom fighters' Smrithi Vanam at the Municipal Park in Srikakulam Andhra Pradesh.

• With donations, statues honoring independence warriors and social activists were constructed in the park.

• On Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary, the Mahatma Gandhi statue and Smruthivanam were unveiled in Srikakulam City.

'Shera': Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Mascot

• Punjab's election mascot, "Shera," was unveiled by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer.

• Its goal is to raise voter knowledge, engagement, and ethical voting in the Punjab Assembly elections on 20 February 2022.

• Shera, the team's mascot, is a lion. It is a symbol of Punjab's rich cultural heritage.

• It is promoted by the Election Commission of India's Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) project (ECI).

India's First Geological Park

• The first geological park of country will be built in Lamheta at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

• Approval for the park has been granted by Geological Survey of India, under ministry of mining, Government of India for construction of the park with an investment of Rs 35 crores.

• UNESCO has also recognized Lamheta as a geo heritage site. Lameta Formation is also called Infratrappean Beds. It is a sedimentary geological formation found in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. It is associated with the Deccan Traps. It is of the Maastrichtian age and is known for dinosaur fossils.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Sri Lanka to Buy Fuel from Indian Oil to Tide over Energy Crisis

• Sri Lanka has chosen to buy 40,000 metric tonnes of petrol and diesel each from the Indian Oil Corporation as part of the government's efforts to address the island nation's current fuel and energy crisis.

• In the midst of a severe foreign exchange crisis, Power Minister Gamini Lokuge announced that Sri Lanka will hold negotiations with the Indian Oil Corporation's local business.

• Since 2002, the Lanka IOC, a Sri Lankan affiliate of India's largest oil company, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), has been operating in Sri Lanka.

North Korea Tests Hwasong-12

• North Korea successfully tested its Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile from the Jagang Province area.

• This was the first nuclear-capable missile testing undertaken by the country since 2017. The Hwasong-12 has an estimated range of 4,500 km (2,800 miles). North Korea’s series of missile test-fires, including intermediate-range ballistic missiles, pose a direct and serious threat to us and a grave challenge to international peace and stability.

• The Hwasong-12 is classified as an IRBM with a range of 3,000-5,500 kilometers by the South Korean and U.S. military authorities.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Defence Intelligence Agency Head

• Lieutenant General GAV Reddy has been appointed as the new head of the Defence Intelligence Agency. General Reddy would be succeeding Lt Gen KJS Dhillon.

• The Director-General of the Defence Intelligence Agency is the head of the organization and is among the principal advisors on intelligence to the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff. The post of the director general is held on a rotation basis between the three-Armed services.

HPCL Launches ‘Happy Shop’ in Mumbai

• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd., unveiled its branded store “Happy Shop” in Mumbai marking its foray into non-fuel retailing.

• The store will provide home utility products including food, toiletries, healthcare products, bakery products, groceries, medicines and more.

• The core objective is to provide a range of good quality daily use products to customers at their convenience.

• HPCL has launched the platform in a purely online format by opening the Online Store at Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

• HPCL is also marketing branded packaged drinking water at its Retail Outlets across the country under the name ‘Paani@Club HP’.

• The first retail store was launched by HPCL in September 2021 in Mumbai at Company’s Retail Outlet located at Nepean Sea Road.

PNB - Pathanjali Co-Branded Contactless Card Launched

• Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Patanjali Ayurved Limited (PAL) have launched co-branded contactless credit cards in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The co-branded credit cards are offered on NCPI's RuPay Platform and are available in two variants - PNB RuPay Platinum and PNB RuPay Select.

• The co-branded cards come with a host of attractive benefits and spend-based waivers for the customer.

ABOUT PNB

• HQ: New Delhi, Delhi.

• MD & CEO: Atul Kumar Geol.

SPORTS

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award

• India’s first-ever winner of an Olympic athletics gold medal, Neeraj Chopra has been nominated as one of the six nominees for the 2022 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award.

• The other five sportspersons who have been nominated for the award are Australian Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev, British tennis star Emma Raducanu, Barcelona and Spain footballer Pedri, Venezuelan athlete Yulimar Rojas and Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus.

• 24-year-old javelin thrower is only the third Indian to be nominated for the award after wrestler Vinesh Phogat in 2019 and cricket star Sachin Tendulkar, who won the Laureus Sporting Moment Award 2000-2020.

Tata Steel Chess Tournament in 2022 

• Grand Master Magnus Carlsen, the World Champion, won with a round to spare in Wijk Aan Zee (Netherlands).

• The world champion defeated GM Fabiano Caruana to take a one-point lead in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in 2022.

• It was his eighth victory. As a result, he has qualified for the Tata Steel Masters next year. The Tata Steel Chess Tournament will be held from 13 January to 29, 2023, for the 85th time.

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

• The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics torch relay began on 02-February-2022 just a few days ahead of the opening of the international sporting event in the Chinese capital against a backdrop of diplomatic boycotts and ongoing Covid-19 outbreaks including in the host city.

• The Beijing 2022 Organising Committee had shortened the relay route because of the coronavirus pandemic and the number of torchbearers were also reduced to 1200.

• The first three runners in the relay were Luo Zhihuan, an 80-year-old former speed skater who won China’s first winter sport world championship title in 1963, astronaut Jing Haipeng, as well as satellite designer Ye Peijian, according to officials.

Women's ODI Batting Rankings

• Mithali Raj has reached the no. 2 spot in the latest Women's ODI Batting Rankings released by ICC, ahead of the upcoming ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022.

• Mithali Raj has a total of 738 points to her credit and Australian player Alyssa Healy with 750 points secured first position.

• Alongside Mithali, opener Smirti Mandhana is the only other Indian player to find herself in the top 10 rankings. Mandhana sits sixth on the list with a total of 710 points to her credit.

• In the team ranking, India is currently at the 4^th place.

IMPORTANT DAY

World Interfaith Harmony Week-February 1-7

• Following the General Assembly's designation in 2010, World Interfaith Harmony Week is held every year during the first week of February 1–February7.

• World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) aims to promote cultural peace and nonviolence.

• The World Interfaith Harmony Week is built on The Common Word initiative's groundbreaking work.

World Wetlands Day-02 February, 2022

• World Wetlands Day is observed every year on February 2 all over the world. 2022 marks 51 years of the Convention on Wetlands.

• The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2022 is ‘Wetlands Action for People and Nature’.

• The day aims to raise awareness about the crucial role played by wetlands for people and our planet.

• The day is celebrated to mark the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. World Wetlands Day was first celebrated in 1997.