1) US-Bangladesh to conduct joint air exercise ‘Cope South 22’
•The air forces of Bangladesh and the United States will conduct a joint tactical airlift exercise ‘Cope South 22’. The six days exercise has been sponsored by Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The bilateral exercise will be held at Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) Kurmitola Cantonment, Dhaka; and Operating Location-Alpha, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
•The goals of the Pacific Air Forces-sponsored bilateral tactical airlift exercise include improving interoperability with the Bangladesh Air Force and supporting the armed forces of Bangladesh’s long-term modernisation efforts in order to maintain regional stability. The goal of the exercise is bolstering bilateral ties between the two countries through tactical airlift sorties and subject-matter expert exchanges.
2) Government approves ‘New India Literacy Programme’ for Education of adults
•Ministry of Education has approved a new scheme named “New India Literacy Programme” for the period FYs 2022-2027 to cover all the aspects of Adult Education. The scheme aims to align Adult Education will all aspects of National Education Policy 2020 and Budget Announcements 2021-22. The government has now replaced the term “Adult Education” as ‘Education for All’ in the country.
3) FAITH releases India tourism vision document 2035
•Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) has released the FAITH 2035 vision document containing goals and an execution path for making Indian tourism preferred and loved by the world by the year 2035. The vision document has been launched commemorating the 75th year of Indian independence. It aims to position tourism as a ‘Social-Economic Job and Infrastructure creator for India’ as well as ‘to be a role model for creating Sustainable and Inclusive Ecosystem’.
•FAITH is the policy federation of all the national associations representing the complete tourism, travel and hospitality industry of India. It aims to position tourism as a ‘Social-Economic Job and Infrastructure creator for India’ as well as ‘to be a role model for creating Sustainable and Inclusive Ecosystem’.
4) Karnataka Bank bags three banking tech awards
•Karnataka Bank has bagged three awards at the 17th Annual Banking Technology Conference and Awards: 2020-21 Next-Gen Banking, instituted by Indian Banks’ Association (IBA). The bank has won the awards under categories: Best Technology Bank of the Year; Best Fintech Adoption; and Best Use of AI/ML & Data Analytics — all runner-ups.
•With this focus on technology and digital transformation, the bank endeavours to emerge as ‘Digital Bank of Future’ all the while retaining its core values and identity built on more than 98 years of purposeful banking history.
5) JPMorgan becomes first bank to enter the metaverse
•JPMorgan has become the world’s first bank to set up shop in the metaverse. The largest bank in the US has opened a lounge in the blockchain-based world Decentraland. Users can create their virtual avatars, build virtual spaces and roam in the lounge christened ‘Onyx Lounge’ after its suit of Ethereum-based services. The lounge also features a digital image of the bank’s CEO Jamie Dimon.
6) A book titled “Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us”
•A new book titled “Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us” has authored by Ro Khanna released. The book highlights the effects of changing lifestyle patterns of Americans due to technological progress. It also mentioned about the digital divide i.e., unequal access to technology and revenue, as it is one of the most pressing issues faced by the United States. Ro Khanna is an Indian-American who is a US Congressman representing the California district that includes the Silicon Valley region.
7) G Ashok Kumar named as India’s first national maritime security coordinator
•Retired Vice Admiral, G Ashok Kumar has been appointed as India’s first national maritime security coordinator by the government. The government of India has taken the decisive move to ensure reliability on security and its objective to strengthen the country’s maritime security. The appointment of G Ashok Kumar, who is a former Navy vice chief, is seen as part of India’s consistent efforts to bolster its maritime security following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack 14 years back when a group of sea-borne terrorists struck at the heart of the country’s financial capital.
•The NMSC (National Maritime Security Coordinator) will be working with coordination with the National Security Council Secretariat which is headed by NSA Ajit Doval. The main task will be given to NMSC to make coordination among the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard, security agencies those tangled in coastal and maritime security and 13 coastal states and Union Territories.
8) Shah Rukh Khan named as Brand Ambassador of Gaming app A23
•A23, the gaming application owned by Head Digital Works, an online skill gaming company, has named in Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador. Shahrukh Khan will feature in A23’s ‘Chalo Saath Khele’ campaign, along with a first of its kind responsible gaming campaign, which showcases all the multi-gaming platforms of A23 such as carom, fantasy sports, pool and rummy, among others.
•As the brand ambassador, Shah Rukh will support to elevate the brand among Indians who relate to using their skills to win. According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s gaming committee, India has become the largest fantasy sports market in the world with over 13 crore users playing fantasy sports.
9) Twitter tieup with Paytm to boost its ‘Tips’ feature in India
•Twitter Inc has partnered with Paytm’s payment gateway to improve the support for its ‘Tips’ feature in India. With this partnership, Twitter users will be able to use the payments facility of Paytm, including its Paytm digital wallet, Paytm Postpaid (buy-now-pay-later service), debit and credit cards, and net banking. The feature was announced last year and is one of the company’s many efforts to introduce monetisation on the platform.
