1. India set a Guinness World Record by hoisting 78,220 tricolours simultaneously
Tags: Popular Awards National News
According to the Union Ministry of Culture, India has registered its name in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest number of simultaneous hoisting of the national flag.
On 23 April 2022, India achieved this feat by waving 78 thousand 220 tricolours together in the Veer Kunwar Singh Vijayotsava program at Dulour Maidan, Jagdishpur in Bhojpur district of Bihar.
The Veer Kunwar Singh Vijayotsav program was organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture under the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.
For this record, bands were worn to physically identify the attendees, and the entire event was video-recorded.
Earlier this world record was held by Pakistan when around 56,000 Pakistani flags were hoisted at a ceremony in Lahore in 2004.
2. Twitter confirms sale of company to Elon Musk for $44 billion
Tags: Latest Popular Economics/Business International News
One of the world's biggest deals in the tech world, billionaire Elon Musk, has taken control of Twitter. He has signed an agreement to buy Twitter for about $ 44 billion.
The deal has given the Tesla CEO ownership of the company with 217 million users.
Musk will have to pay $ 54.20 (Rs 4148) for every share of Twitter.
Twitter plays an influential role in shaping the political and media agenda on both sides of the Atlantic.
About Elon Musk
He was born on 28 June 1971 Pretoria, South Africa
Mr. Musk is the world’s wealthiest person, according to Forbes, with a nearly $279 billion fortune.
Mr. Musk began making his fortune in 1999, when he sold Zip2, an online mapping and business directory, to Compaq for $307 million.
He used its stock to become PayPal, an Internet service that went beyond banks and allowed consumers to pay businesses directly.
That same year, Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX.
The company developed cost-effective reusable rockets.
In 2004, Musk invested in Tesla, then in a startup trying to build electric cars.
Eventually he was made CEO of Tesla and led the company to astronomical success as the world's most valuable automaker and largest seller of electric vehicles.
3. Japan has described the Kuril Islands as being under Russia’s “illegal occupation”
Tags: Latest International News
Japan recently described the Kuril Islands (which Japan calls the Northern Territory and Russia calls the South Kurils) as an "illegal occupation" of Russia.
This is the first time in nearly two decades that Japan has used the phrase in relation to the dispute over the Kuril Islands.
About Kuril Islands/ Northern Territories
These are a group of four islands located between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean, north of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost prefecture.
Both Moscow and Tokyo claim sovereignty over it, although the islands have been under Russian control since the end of World War II.
The islands were occupied by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II.
Tokyo claims that these disputed islands have been part of Japan since the early 19th century.
The reason behind the dispute
Japan's sovereignty over the islands is confirmed by a number of treaties since 1855.
Russia, on the other hand, claims the Yalta Agreement (1945) and the Potsdam Declaration (1945) as proof of its sovereignty.
It argues that the 1951 San Francisco Treaty is legal evidence that Japan acknowledged Russian sovereignty over the islands.
Under Article 2 of the treaty, Japan had "renounced all rights, entitlements and claims to the Kuril Islands."
However, Japan argues that the San Francisco Treaty cannot be used here because the Soviet Union never signed a peace treaty.
In fact, Japan and Russia are technically still at war because they haven't signed a peace treaty since World War II.
4. India becomes third highest military spender
Tags: Latest Defence International News
According to the report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), America is at the forefront of military spending among all the countries of the world, followed by China and India.
According to the report, US military spending amounted to $801 billion in the year 2021, a decline of 1.4 percent compared to the year 2020.
The US, China, India, Britain and Russia are among the five largest military spenders this year, accounting for 62 per cent of the total expenditure.
Total global military expenditure increased by 0.7 per cent in real terms in 2021, to reach $2113 billion.
India ranks third in the world with military spending of $76.6 billion, an increase of 0.9 percent compared to 2020 and 33 percent higher than 2012.
China, the world's second-largest spender, allocated an estimated $293 billion to its military in 2021, up 4.7 percent from 2020.
Russia's military expenditure in the year 2021 increased to 65.9 billion, which is 2.9 percent more than the year 2020.
Nigeria increased its military spending by 56 percent to $4.5 billion in 2021 in response to several security challenges such as violent extremism and separatist insurgency.
About ‘SIPRI’
Full form - Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Formation- 6 May 1966
Founders- Tage Erlander, Alva Myrdal
Headquarters- Solna ,Stockholm (Sweden)
Director- Dan Smith
5. Bill passed in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly giving the state the right to appoint Vice Chancellors
The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a bill giving the state the power to appoint Vice-Chancellors instead of the Governor.
Bills passed in Tamil Nadu insisted that "every appointment of the Vice-Chancellor shall be made by the Government.
Presently, the Governor, as the Chancellor of the State Universities, has the power to choose the VC from the shortlisted names.
The bills also seek to empower the state government to take final decision on removal of vice-chancellors, if required.
The expulsion shall be done on the basis of inquiry by a retired judge of the High Court or at least a bureaucrat serving as the Chief Secretary.
Role of Governors in State Universities
The Governor of a State is the ex-officio Chancellor of the Universities of that State.
Its powers and functions as the Chancellor are set out in the statutes governing universities under a particular state government.
The role of the governor in the appointment of vice-chancellors has often given rise to controversy with the executive.
6. I&B Ministry blocks 16 YouTube news channels
Tags: Science and Technology National News
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has shut down 16 YouTube news channels for spreading propaganda related to the country's national security, foreign relations and public order.
Ten Indian and six Pakistan-based YouTube channels have been shut down under the Information Technology Rules, 2021.
These channels were broadcasting false, unverified information to create panic, incite communal disharmony and disturb public order in the country, the ministry said.
The total viewership of these YouTube channels is more than 68 crores.
The Indian YouTube channels which have been blocked-
Saini Education Research,
Hindi Mein Dekho,
Aaj Te News, SBB News,
Defence News 24x7, and
Tahaffuz-E-Deen India
Pakistan- based YouTube channels that have been blocked-
Aaj Tak Pakistan,
Discover Point,
Reality Checks,
Kaiser Khan,
The Voice of Asia, and
Bol Media Bol.
7. Asia’s biggest international food and hospitality fair - AAHAR 2022
Tags: Popular National News
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Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in association with India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) is organising Asia's largest International Food and Hospitality Fair AAHAR-2022 between 26 to 30 April 2022 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
More than 80 exporters from different segments of agricultural products including Geographical Indication products, processed food, organic and frozen food products will participate in the fair.
This is the 36th edition
APEDA has set up stalls for exporters, women entrepreneurs, farmer producer organisations, start-ups and exporters of millets from North Eastern Region and Himalayan states like Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
About AAHAR
It is a flagship event organised by India's premier trade promotion organisation, India Trade Promotion Organisation.
This is the 36th edition.
It is Asia's most renowned brand in food and hospitality.
The show is now a well-known destination for global vendors as well as sourcing professionals.
AAHAR is divided into 3 Major Categories-
Food Sector
F&B Equipment Sector (Preparation /Processing / Packaging)
Hospitality & Décor Sector.
8. Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 completes four years
Tags: National
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 completes four years today.
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 was launched with the aim of bringing about a transformational change in rural development processes.
About Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0
The government launched Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 in 2018, an improved version of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 1.0.
It is a flagship program of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
IIT, Delhi is the National Coordinating Institute for Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0.
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan
Formal launch in the year 2014 by the Ministry of Education
Aims - To link higher education institutions with a cluster of five villages, so that these institutions can contribute to the economic and social betterment of these rural communities on the basis of their knowledge.
In this, two major domains for the overall development of villages - human development and objective (economic) development.
9. All-India Household Consumer Expenditure Survey
Tags: National
The All India Household Consumer Expenditure Survey, which is usually conducted every five years by the National Statistical Office (NSO), is set to resume this year after a long gap.
What is the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES)?
CES is traditionally a five-year survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) of the government.
It is designed to collect information about consumer spending patterns of households across the country at the urban and rural levels.
This survey is usually conducted between July and June and this year the survey is expected to be completed by June 2023.
Usefulness of Survey
The data collected in this survey reveals the average expenditure on goods (food and non-food) and services.
It helps in estimating the household monthly per capita consumer expenditure (MPCE) as well as the distribution of households and individuals on the MPCE classes.
It is used to estimate poverty levels in different parts of the country and to review economic indicators such as GDP since 2011-12.
There is no official estimate of India's per capita household expenditure.
It provides separate data sets for rural and urban parts, and different spending patterns for each state and union territory as well as for different socio-economic groups.
This survey was last conducted in 2017-2018.
10. Vice President inaugurates Khelo India University Games
Tags: National
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the second edition of Khelo India University Games (KIUG) on 24 April 2022 at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, Karnataka capital.
The event will be hosted by Jain University, Bangalore from 24 April to 3 May 2022.
In this, 3878 players from 189 universities will participate.
Along with Mallakhamb and Yogasan, 18 other sports will also be included in this event.
The official mascot of these games is 'Veera', an elephant.
It is an initiative of the Central Government with an aim to identify young talent at the university level and then help them convert into professional athletes.
The state of Karnataka has ensured an environment-friendly system to make these sports a 'Green Sports' under which 'Zero Waste' and 'Zero Plastic' sports will be there.
Other information
The first edition of Khelo India University Games was held in Odisha in 2020.
In which 3182 players from 158 universities and colleges participated.
Punjab were the champions with a total of 46 medals, of which 17 were gold medals.
