1) ISRO successfully launches earth observation satellite, EOS-04
•Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched an Earth Observation Satellite, EOS-04 and two small satellites into the intended orbit.
•Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched an Earth Observation Satellite, EOS-04 and two small satellites into the intended orbit. This was the first launch mission of ISRO in the year 2022. The satellites were launched onboard the launch vehicle PSLV-C52 rocket from the First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
2) A book titled ‘How to Prevent the Next Pandemic’ by Bill Gates
•A book titled ‘How to Prevent the Next Pandemic’ has authored by Bill Gates will be published this year in May 2022. In the book Bill Gates has written about specific steps that can only stop future pandemics but, in the process, provide better health care for everyone around the world.
•His last book, “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need”, was released in February 2021. The book, to be published by Penguin Random House internationally and Knopf in the US.
3) Germany re-elects President Frank-Walter Steinmeier for second term
•German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been re-elected for a second term of five years by a special parliamentary assembly. This is also the final term for Steinmeier, which he won with 71% of the vote. The special assembly was made up of the members of parliament of the lower house and representatives of Germany’s 16 states. Steinmeier was first elected as the president on February 12, 2017, with 74% of the vote.
•Before first becoming president in 2017, Steinmeier, 66, served two stints as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s foreign minister and earlier was chief of staff to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Germany’s president has little executive power but is considered an important moral authority. After a messy parliamentary election result in 2017, Steinmeier helped prod politicians to form a new coalition government rather than holding out for a new vote.
4) Gita Mittal appointed as chairperson of Committee of Administrators to run TTFI
•The Delhi High Court has appointed former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Gita Mittal as the Chairperson of the Committee of Administrators which will run the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The court ordered that all communications on behalf of TTFI with any sportsperson or international sports bodies, will now take place only through the Committee of Administrators and the existing office bearers shall no longer be entitled to discharge any functions.
•The office bearers will help the Committee of Administrators, as and when requested and a monthly honorarium of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 1 lakh each will be paid to Chairperson and two members, respectively.
5) Indian Railways to set up country’s biggest Wrestling Academy
•Ministry of Railways has approved to set up a state-of-art wrestling academy in Indian Railways, at Kishanganj, Delhi. The wrestling academy will be the biggest in India and equipped with advanced training facilities to promote the sports of wrestling in the country. The project will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 30.76 crores.
•According to the ministry, the national transporter has played a key role in promoting wrestling in the country and most of the elite wrestlers in India are from Indian Railways. The academy will offer the best sports facilities to sportspersons, and provide an opportunity for many budding wrestlers to become champions in the coming time.
6) Israel became first country to allow drones in civilian airspace
•Israel becomes the first-ever country to allow drone flights in civilian airspace. The certification was issued to the Hermes Starliner unmanned system by the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority and was manufactured and developed by Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence electronics company. The UAVs will be used for the benefit of agriculture, the environment, public welfare, economic activity and against crime. For safety reasons, international aviation regulations prohibit uncertified aircraft from flying in civilian airspace, limiting the operation of UAVs to unsegregated airspace.
7) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act for 1st time
•Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau has invoked never-before-used emergency powers to support provinces in ending the blockades and public disorder that have gripped Ottawa for 18 days at the hands of participants in the so-called “Freedom Convoy.” The demonstrations shut a main economic corridor between Canada and the United States for six days before it was reopened on the 13th Feb.
•The Emergencies Act to deal with the “Freedom Convoy” protests, started on Jam 28 by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers. They have turned into a rallying point for people opposed to a range of Trudeau’s policies, including COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and a carbon tax.
8) India ranks 3rd in 9th US Green Building Council
•The US Green Building Council (USGBC) has released the 9th annual ranking of top 10 countries outside of the United States (US) for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in 2021 in which India ranked 3rd with 146 projects. It has been topped by China with 1,077 LEED projects certified in 2021, which is followed by Canada at 2nd position with 205 projects. The ranking highlights countries and regions outside the US that are doing good in healthy, sustainable, and resilient building design, construction, and operations.
9) Saubhagya Scheme: Rajasthan tops solar electrification Scheme
•Under the Saubhagya scheme, Rajasthan has the maximum number of households electrified through the solar-based standalone system. In hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir had nil beneficiaries under the initiative. Under the Saubhagya Scheme, 2.817 crore households were electrified up to March 31 last year, including 4.16 lakh through solar-based standalone systems.
•Under the Saubhagya scheme, as many as 1,23,682 households were electrified through the solar-based standalone system in Rajasthan, followed by Chhattisgarh (65,373), Uttar Pradesh (53,234), Assam (50,754), Bihar (39,100), Maharashtra (30,538), Odisha (13,735), Madhya Pradesh (12,651), Power Minister R K Singh told the Lok Sabha.
10) Ilker Ayci named as MD and CEO of Air India
•Ilker Ayci has been appointed as the new CEO and MD of Air India. He will assume his responsibilities on or before 1st April 2022. Ilker Ayci is a former chairman of Turkish Airlines. Ilker is an aviation industry leader who led Turkish Airlines to its current success during his tenure there.
