1.International Affairs
Touadera re-elected as President of the Central African RepublicÂ
Faustin-Archange Touadera has been re-elected as the President of the Central African Republic winning more than 53% votes.
The 63-year old had been in power since 2016 but struggled in gaining control of vast parts of the nation from the armed militia.
A producer of gold and diamonds, the Central African Republic has a population of 4.7 million.
Quick Fact: ‘Bangui’ is the Capital of the Central African Republic.
2.Economy
Bandhan Bank signs agreement with Indian Army unveiling account for personnel
Bandhan Bank has signed an agreement with the Indian Army to provide banking services to the personnel of the force.
The bank got the mandate to maintain a ‘Bank Shaurya Salary Account’ of the Army personnel which will have a zero balance facility offering protection for self & assets.
The services include unlimited free RTGS/NEFT transactions, free personal accidental insurance up to 30 lakhs, air accident cover up to 1 crore, and much more.
Quick Fact: Bandhan Bank is headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal.
3.Sports
Abhishek Yadav appointed as AIFF’s first Deputy General Secretary
Former Indian striker Abhishek Yadav has been appointed as the First Deputy General Secretary of All India Football Federation (AIFF).
The 40-year-old former International player has been serving as the National Team’s Director since January 2018.
Yadav also served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the 2017 U17 Indian World Cup Team collaborating closely with head coach Luis Norton de Maros.
Quick Fact: Praful Patel is the President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
4.Person in News
Elon Musk overtakes Jeff Bezos to become the World’s Richest Person
According to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has overtaken Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to become the World’s Richest Person.
A 6% rise in Tesla shares took Elon Musk’s net worth to about 188.5 billion USD.
A more modest rise of less than 2% in Amazon’s shares put Jeff Bezos’ net worth to about 187 billion USD.
Quick Fact: Tesla is headquartered in California, United States.
5.National Affairs
Nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive to begin from January 16
PM Narendra Modi chaired a high-level committee to review the status of COVID-19 in the country, kicking-off the vaccination drive from January 16.
Emergency Use Authorisation has been granted by the National Regulator for two vaccines- COVIDSHIELD & COVAXIN, establishing safety and immunogenicity.
The roll-out of the vaccine will provide priority to healthcare and frontline workers followed by those above the age of 50 and the under-50 groups with co-morbidities.
6.Economy
Central Bank of India signs MoU with NABFOUNDATION
The Central Bank of India (CBoI) has signed an MoU with NABFOUNDATION to provide working capital to all self-help groups.
The cheap & collateral-free credit will support rural women and promote the ‘My Pad My Right’ project.
NABFOUNDATION is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NABARD.
Quick Fact: Pallav Mohapatra is the Chairman of the Central Bank of India.
7.Miscellaneous
IREDA signs MoU with NHPC for renewable energy projects
IREDA signed an MoU with National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) for providing its technical expertise in developing renewable energy projects.
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Under the MoU, IREDA will undertake Techno-Financial due diligence of Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and conservation projects for NHPC.
The MoU was signed virtually by IREDA’s Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Pradip Kumar Das, and NHPC’s CMD, Abhay Kumar Singh.
Quick Fact: The full-form of IREDA is the ‘Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency’.
8.Person in News
Fashion Designer Satya Paul passes away
Ace Fashion Designer, Satya Paul who was known for giving Indian Saree a contemporary touch, breathed his last at the age of 79.
Paul started his journey in the field of retail and expanded to exports of Indian handloom products to high-end retail stores in Europe & America.
In 1980, Paul launched the first ‘saree boutique’ in India named L’Affaire & founded the eponymous fashion clothing brand with his son in 1986.
