India Ranks 7th in Global Climate Risk Index 2021 of Germanwatch; Mozambique Tops

1. UP becomes first Indian State to have 2 Expressway airstrips for landing & take-off of fighter planes

• In Uttar Pradesh, a new 3,300-metre-long airstrip has been constructed near Kurebhar on Purvanchal Expressway.
• With this new airstrip, Uttar Pradesh has become the first state in India having two airstrips on expressways.
• Uttar Pradesh also has an airstrip on Lucknow-Agra Expressway.
• Airstrips on expressways are designed to facilitate emergency landing and take-off of fighter planes.

 2. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan launches ‘PANKH Abhiyan’ for Girl Child

• In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched a new scheme ‘PANKH Abhiyan’ on 24 January, to mark the occasion of National Girl Child Day.
• The scheme has been launched under the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme for the empowerment and growth of the girl child.
• ‘PANKH Abhiyan’ is a year long programme. The letter in the PANKH scheme stands for:
  1. ‘P’ – protection
  2. ‘A’ – awareness of their rights
  3. ‘N’ – nutrition
  4. ‘K’ – knowledge
  5. ‘H’ – health.

 3. SpaceX breaks ISRO’s Record by launcheing 143 Satellites in a single mission

• SpaceX successfully launched its ambitious rideshare mission called Transporter-1, on 24 January 2021, carrying 143 small satellites, and created a new record of launching many satellites from a single rocket.
• With this launch, SpaceX broke the record set by ISRO in February 2017 for deploying 104 satellites onboard PSLV in a single mission.
• The SpaceX used two-stage Falcon 9 rocket for the mission, from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
• The 143 satellites included 133 commercial and government satellites and 10 Starlink satellites of SpaceX.

 4. India Ranks 7th in Global Climate Risk Index 2021 of Germanwatch; Mozambique Tops

• India has been placed among the top 10 most affected countries by climate change, in the Global Climate Risk Index 2021 published by the Bonn-based environmental think tank Germanwatch.
• India ranked as the seventh worst-hit country in terms of climate change in 2019.
• The Global Climate Risk Index 2021 is the 16th edition of the annual report and has taken into account the data available for 2019 and from 2000 to 2019.
• Objective: The index analyses and ranks to what extent countries and regions have been affected by impacts of climate related extreme weather events (storms, floods, heatwaves etc.)
• Top 3 countries : Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Bahamas were the top three most affected countries in 2019 respectively.
• Top 3 Countries most affected in past 20 years: Between 2000-2019, Puerto Rico, Myanmar and Haiti were the countries most affected by the impacts of such weather events.
• The Global Climate Risk Index indicates a level of exposure and vulnerability to extreme weather events, which countries should understand as warnings in order to be prepared for more frequent and/or more severe events in the future.

 5. China surpasses United States as largest recipient of FDI

• China was the largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2020, according to a report released by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
• China overtook United States to gain the top position in 2020. The country attracted $163 billion inflows in 2020, compared to $134 billion attracted by the United States,
• However, in 2019, the United States had received $251 billion in inflows and China received $140 billion.
• Overall, the global FDI had fell by 42% in 2020, attracting an inflow of an estimated $859 billion, compared to $1.5 trillion in 2019.

 6. Joint Tri-service Exercise AMPHEX – 21 held in Andaman & Nicobar

• A large-scale tri-service joint amphibious exercise AMPHEX – 21 was held in Andaman & Nicobar group of islands from 21 – 25 Jan 2021.
• The exercise involved participation of troops of Army, Navy as well as the Indian Air Force.
• The joint force executed multi-domain, high intensity offensive and defensive manoeuvres in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.
• The Ex KAVACH for defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands was also a part of AMPHEX – 21.
• The exercise AMPHEX – 21 was aimed at validating India’s capabilities to safeguard the territorial integrity of it’s island territories, enhance operational synergy and joint warfighting capabilities amongst the three Services.

 7. Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa wins second term

• The incumbent President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has won a second five-year term after winning the 2021 Portuguese presidential election with landslide victory.
• The 72-year-old former leader of the Social Democratic Party won 61 percent of the total votes.
• He is serving as the President of the country since 9 March 2016, and would start his second term on March 9, 2021
• Portugal Capital – Lisbon; Currency – Euro

 8. International Day of Education: 24 January

• The International Day of Education is marked every year on 24 January globally to celebrate the role of education in bringing global peace and sustainable development..
• The first International Day of Education was held in 2019.
• The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on 3rd December 2018, proclaiming January 24 as International Day of Education.
• The theme of 3rd International Day of Education is ‘Recover and Revitalize Education for the COVID-19 Generation’.

 9. India is Celebrating 72nd Republic Day on 26 January 2021

• India is observing the 72nd Republic Day on 26 January 2021, with celebrations at the majestic Rajpath in New Delhi.
• Republic Day marks the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950.
• It replaced the Government of India Act (1935) as the governing document of India.
• Every year, on Republic Day, the President of India distributes Padma Awards to the civilians of India.
• Padma Awards are given in three categories – Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, in decreasing order of importance.

 10. International Customs Day: 26 January

• The International Customs Day (ICD) is observed on 26 January every year.
• Objective: to recognise the role of customs officials and agencies and focus on the working conditions and challenges that customs officers face in their jobs.
• Theme 2021: “Customs bolstering Recovery, Renewal and Resilience”.
• The day was instituted by the World Customs Organization (WCO) to commemorate the day in 1953 when the inaugural session of the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) was held in Brussels, Belgium.
• In 1994 the CCC was renamed World Customs Organization (WCO).
• World Customs Organization (WCO) headquarter- Brussels, Belgium
• Membership- 182 countries