Israel's Netanyahu Sworn In As Prime Minister for 3rd Term
Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in as Israel's Prime Minister following a vote in parliament that brought in the most right-wing government in the country's history.
Netanyahu was sworn in a few minutes after his new government was approved, with 63 deputies out of 120 voting in favour of the administration.
Netanyahu formed his government after signing agreements with ultra-Orthodox parties and parties from the far right.
NATO Chief Calls for more Weapons for Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on NATO member states to supply more weapons to Ukraine.
As per Stoltenberg, it was perhaps even more important that Ukraine receive enough ammunition for the systems already in place, adding that the need for ammunition and spare parts was enormous.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in an address to a group of Western leaders asked for a wide range of weapons and air defence systems to help efforts to counter the Russian invasion.
India-Australia FTA to Provide Relief to Indian Textile Exporters
As per the Confederation of Indian Textiles Industry, the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, which came into force on December 29, is set to provide a big relief to Indian textile exporters.
Under the pact, Australia is offering zero-duty access to India for about 96.4 per cent of exports (by value) from day one.
India's goods exports to Australia stood at USD 8.3 billion and imports from the country aggregated to USD 16.75 billion in 2021-22.
Reserve Bank of India Imposes Monetary Penalty on Mynd Solutions Private Limited
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 13.9 lakh on Mynd Solutions Private Limited citing non-compliance with certain rules.
The penalty was imposed for not complying with the guidelines on trade receivables discounting system (TReDS) updated as on July 02, 2018.
It was imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI under Section 30 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act).
This action was based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the entity with its customers.
Adani Group Acquires NDTV Promoters' additional 27.26% Stake
Billionaire Gautam Adani now owns a majority stake in Prannoy and Radhika Roy-promoted news broadcasting company New Delhi Television Ltd.
Adani Enterprises, through its indirect subsidiary RRPR Holdings, acquired additional 1.76 crore shares of NDTV for around Rs. 602 crore (Rs. 342.65 apiece) from the Roys, amounting to 27.26% in the company.
The transfer of shares was done through an inter-se transfer under the Securities and Exchange Board of India Regulations, 2011, which allows share transfer at a premium to current market price, if the company is an existing promoter group.
The Adani Group owns 64.71% in NDTV after acquiring Roy's stake.
Centre Recognises E-Sports as Part of 'Multi-Sport' Event
The Government of India gave E-sports a major boost by integrating it with mainline sports disciplines in the country.
The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, in exercise of the powers "conferred by clause (3) of article 77 of the Constitution" amended the rules governing E-sports and asked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Sports Ministry to include "E-sports as part of multi-sports events".
There had been a growing demand for E-sports to be included in the curriculum of multi-discipline events after it was included in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games as a demonstration sport, meaning medals won in the sport were not counted in the official overall medals tally.
Election Commission Proposes Remote Voting for Inter-state Migrants
Election Commission proposed introduction of 'remote voting' for domestic migrants, using a multi-constituency electronic voting machine (EVM) that will retain all security features of the EVMs currently in use. This modified form of EVM can handle up to 72 multiple constituencies from a single remote polling booth.
The initiative, if implemented, can lead to a social transformation for the migrants and connect with their roots as many times they are reluctant to get themselves enrolled at their place of work for various reasons such as frequently changing residences.
In this regard, the Commission has invited all Recognised National and State Political Parties on 16th of January next year to demonstrate the functioning of the multi-constituency prototype Remote Electronic Voting Machine. The Technical Expert Committee members will also be present in the meeting.
Army Inaugurates First 3D-printed Dwelling Unit for Soldiers in Ahmedabad
The Indian Army inaugurated its first 3D-printed house dwelling unit (with ground-plus one configuration) for soldiers at Ahmedabad Cantonment.
The dwelling unit has been constructed by the Military Engineering Services (MES) in collaboration with MiCoB Pvt Ltd incorporating the latest 3D rapid construction technology.
Construction work of the dwelling unit measuring 71 sqm with garage space was completed in just 12 weeks by utilising the 3D-printed foundation, walls and slabs.
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Headquarters in New Delhi marked the 65th Foundation Day of the Organisation, which is celebrated on January 1 every year. DRDO Chairman S. V. Kamat addressed the DRDO fraternity on the occasion. He reaffirmed DRDO's commitment towards R&D excellence and briefed about the development of cutting edge technologies for self-reliance in defence.
It is a premier defence research and development agency under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
It is working on several cutting-edge military technology areas, including aeronautics, armaments, combat vehicles, electronics, instrumentation, engineering systems, missiles, materials, naval systems, advanced computing, simulation, cyber, hypersonic technology, quantum computing and communications
DRDO's first project for the Indian military was in surface-to-air missiles (SAM) known as Project Indigo.
A Book Titled "Forks in the Road: My Days at RBI and Beyond" by C. Rangarajan
C. Rangarajan authored a book titled "Forks in the Road: My Days at RBI and Beyond". It was published by the Penguin Business (Penguin Group). The book is the memoir of Dr C. Rangarajan, an Indian economist, a former Member of Parliament, and the 19th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It discusses India's transition from its post-independence planning era to the present times. The book is divided into 3 parts. Part 1- 'RBI and Planning Commission', Part 2-'Governor of RBI' and Part 3- 'Beyond RBI'.
In this book, the veteran economist and policymaker provides a captivating account of his professional journey, starting with his purely accidental entry into the RBI in 1982.