ICICI lombard tie-up with Airtel Payments Bank for Cyber Insurance
ICICI Lombard General Insurance has partnered with Airtel Payments Bank to offer cyber insurance to customers of the bank. This Cyber Insurance policy provides financial protection to customers against potential financial fraud relating to banking, credit or debit card; identity theft; phishing or email spoofing etc. Airtel Payments Bank customers can purchase this cyber insurance policy within minutes using the Airtel Thanks app.
About the Policy:
- The insurance comes with zero waiting period and allows users to make multiple claims multiple times during the policy tenure, within the limits of the insured amount opted for
- The policy will provide a 90-day discovery period followed by a seven-day reporting period.
- This means that if the insured discovers an unauthorised transaction processed from their card or account on the 90th day from the transaction date, they can still report it in the next seven days to the issuing bank or mobile wallet company.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Airtel Payments Bank’s MD and CEO: Anubrata Biswas;
- Airtel Payments Bank Headquarters: New Delhi;
- Airtel Payments Bank Founded: January 2017;
- ICICI Lombard General Insurance Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra;
- ICICI Lombard General Insurance MD & CEO: Bhargav Dasgupta.
Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit named as first woman Vice Chancellor of JNU
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has appointed Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit as the new Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). She is the first women Vice-Chancellor of JNU. The 59-year-old Pandit has been appointed for a period of five years. Pandit replaces M Jagadesh Kumar, who has been appointed as Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Before this appointment, Pandit was serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Savitribai Phule University in Maharashtra.
China wins AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 Football Tournament
China PR (People’s Republic) defeated South Korea (Korea Republic), 3-2, to win the AFC Women`s Asian Cup India 2022 final title at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. This is the record-extending 9th AFC Women`s Asian Cup title won by China. India is hosting the 20th edition of the football AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 from January 20, 2022, to February 06, 2022. China now qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand.
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:
- Most Valuable Player: Wang Shanshan (China)
- Top Scorer: Sam Kerr (7 goals) (Australia)
- Best goalkeeper: Zhu Yu (China)
- Fairplay Award: South Korea
Sri Lankan fast bowler Suranga Lakmal announces retirement
Veteran Sri Lankan fast bowler Suranga Lakmal has announced to retire from international cricket, after Sri Lanka’s upcoming tour of India. The 34-year-old right-arm fast bowler and right-handed batsman aim to join the English county club Derbyshire after retirement. The Derbyshire County Cricket Club has signed up Lakmal on a two-year contract. Lakmal has represented Sri Lanka in 165 international matches across formats, in his international career spanning over 12 years.
J&K topped in India Press Freedom Report 2021
The India Press Freedom Report 2021 was recently released by the Rights and Risks Analysis Group. According to the report, 13 media houses and newspapers were targeted in the country, 108 journalists were attacked, and 6 journalists were killed. Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura topped the list of States and Union Territories where journalists and media houses were targeted in 2021.
24 journalists were attacked physically, obstructed, threatened, and harassed for doing their work. All these attacks were made by public officials. This includes police attacks as well. 17 of these attacks were police attacks. 44 FIRs were registered against journalists in 2021. Of this 21 were registered under Section 153 of IPC.
India Press Freedom Report 2021:
- The highest number of journalists or media organisations targeted was in J&K (25), followed by Uttar Pradesh (23), Madhya Pradesh (16), Tripura (15), Delhi (8), Bihar (6), Assam (5), Haryana and Maharashtra (4 each), Goa and Manipur (3 each), Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal (2 each), and Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Kerala (1 each),” the report stated.
Salesforce Global Index: India leads in digital skills readiness
Salesforce, a leading player in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), published the Global Digital Skills Index 2022 which highlights the growing global digital skills crisis and the need for action. India has scored 63 out of 100, leads the digital skills readiness, and has the highest readiness index among the 19 countries. The average global readiness score was 33 out of 100.
About the Global Digital Skills Index 2022:
- The 2022 Global Digital Skills Index, is based on a survey on around 23000 workers across 19 countries about digital skills, including their impact on the future of work, concerns about job readiness, and the significance of continuous learning.
- Three major skills gaps were identified in the 2022 global index: The everyday skills gap, The generational skills gap, and The leadership and workforce skills gap.
NASA will retire International Space Station in 2031
According to NASA, the International Space Station will continue its operation until 2031 and then crash into an uninhabited area in the Pacific Ocean known as Point Nemo. It will be replaced with three free-flying space stations to continue the work after ISS’s retirement. NASA also selected Houston-based Axiom Space to provide the ISS’s first commercial module.
For over two decades, the International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting Earth at a speed of about eight kilometres per second, while an international crew of astronauts and cosmonauts onboard conducted groundbreaking scientific investigations that have thrown open the doors for deep space exploration. But now NASA has announced that the spacecraft will cease operations in 2031, after which it will fall out of orbit and plunge into the waters of the South Pacific Ocean.
History of International Space Station:
The International Space Station was the brainchild of former US President Ronald Reagan, who in 1984 proposed building a permanently inhabited spacecraft in cooperation with a few other countries. In 1998, the first piece of the space station, a control module, was launched into space onboard a Russian rocket. About two weeks later, a crew onboard the US’ Endeavour space shuttle attached the control module with another part, the Unity node.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- NASA administrator: Bill Nelson;
- Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States;
- NASA Founded: 1 October 1958.
Africa Cup Of Nations: Senegal Beat Egypt 2022
Senegal has defeated Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations championship winning the continental championship for the first time on penalty kicks at Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Sadio Mane scored the winning spot-kick as Senegal claimed a first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title with a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over seven-time winners Egypt. The final had ended 0-0 after extra time.
Senegal had lost two finals previously, including at the last African Cup in Egypt in 2019, when Mané was left inconsolable. This time he delivered the winning moment.
R Rajamohan, who led the 1st Asteroid Discoveries In Independent India, passes away
Professor R Rajamohan, who was an astronomer at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, for decades, passed away. He is best known for his Kalki Project, which aimed to discover asteroids using the 48-cm Schmidt telescope in Kavalur VBO and discovered a new asteroid, number 4130, from India. This was the first asteroid discovered in India in 104 years.
S R Narasimhan takes additional charge as CMD POSOCO 2022
S. R. Narasimhan, Director (System Operation) has assumed the additional charge of the post of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO) w.e.f. 1st February 2022 at New Delhi. He has a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) in Finance. He has over three decades’ experience in Power System Operation spread across CEA, POWERGRID and POSOCO after an initial stint with BHEL.
SR Narasimhan has contributed to several Expert Committees at the Government and regulatory levels in different areas ranging from system operation, grid integration of Renewable Energy (RE) resources and optimization to institution building.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- POSOCO Founded: March 2010;
- POSOCO Headquarters: New Delhi, India.
‘Kabir of Karnataka’ Ibrahim Sutar passes away
Padma Shri awardee and social worker, Ibrahim Sutar has passed away in Karnataka following a cardiac arrest. Fondly referred to as the “Kabir of Kannada”, Sutar was known for his work towards spreading social and communal harmony. Ibrahim is popular among the public, especially in north Karnataka, for his spiritual discourses. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2018.
Queen Elizabeth II marks 70th anniversary of her rule 2022
The United Kingdom has marked the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s rule, the queen looked to the future of the monarchy. She surpassed Louis XIV of France as the longest-reigning monarch of a sovereign state. She became the longest-lived British monarch on 21 December 2007. In 2017, she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth II is the Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. On 6 February 1952, Elizabeth became queen after the death of her father King George VI.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Prime minister of United Kingdom: Boris Johnson.
- Capital of the United Kingdom: London.
Dr Unnikrishnan Nair named as New Director of VSSC
Scientist and launch vehicle specialist, Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair took charge as the director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). VSSC is a keyspace research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and specialises in rocket and space vehicles for satellite programs. Nair, who started his career in VSSC Trivandrum in 1985, has made significant contributions in launch vehicle mechanisms, acoustic protection systems and payload fairing areas during his tenure.
The career of Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair:
Nair has BTech in Mechanical Engineering from Kerala University, ME in Aerospace engineering from IISc, Bengaluru and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from IIT(M), Chennai. In January 2019, Nair took over as the first director of Human Space Flight Centre, Bengaluru, which is spearheading the Gaganyaan Programme. He will continue to hold this position along with his new role at the VSSC.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Founded: 21 November 1963;
- Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Parent organization: ISRO;
- Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
RPF launches nationwide “AAHT operation” to curb human trafficking
Indian Railway Protection Force has launched a nationwide operation to curb human trafficking. As part of “Operation AAHT”, special teams will be deployed on all long-distance trains/routes with a focus on rescuing victims, particularly women and children, from the clutches of traffickers. The Railways, which operate about 21,000 trains across the country daily, is the most reliable mode of transportation for the traffickers who often moved their victims on long-distance trains.
The RPF that rescued more than 2,000 women and children between 2017-21 from the clutches of traffickers intensified the crackdown on human trafficking with the increasing number of cases. The National Crime Records Bureau registers about 2,200 cases of Human Trafficking cases on an average each year.
What is Human Trafficking?
Human Trafficking, especially of women and children, for sexual exploitation, forced marriage, domestic servitude, organ transplant, drug peddling etc is an organised crime and the most abominable violation of human rights. Thousands of Indians and persons from neighbouring countries were trafficked every day to some destinations where they were forced to live like slaves. “They are also being trafficked for illegal adoptions, organ transplants, working in circus, begging and entertainment industry.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Indian Railway Founded: 16 April 1853, India;
- Indian Railway Headquarters: New Delhi;
- Minister of Railways: Ashwini Vaishnaw.
