1. Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf passes away
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Pervez Musharraf, former President of Pakistan, passed away after a prolonged illness on 5 February at a hospital in Dubai. He was 79.
An overview of the news
Musharraf was undergoing treatment for a rare disease called amyloidosis, which is caused by a build-up of abnormal proteins called amyloid in organs and tissues.
Musharraf was a four-star general who ruled Pakistan for nearly a decade after seizing power in a 1999 coup.
Musharraf had been in self-exile in Dubai since March 2016 facing trial for treason for suspending the constitution in 2007.
He was declared a proclaimed offender in the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto assassination case and the Lal Masjid Maulvi murder case.
Musharraf rose to power following a military takeover of the government in 1999 and became the tenth President of Pakistan in June 2001.
He resigned in August 2008, facing possible impeachment.
Musharraf was born in New Delhi in 1943, at the age of four his family moved to Pakistan. His father was employed in the Ministry of External Affairs, while his mother was a teacher.
He joined the Pakistan Army in 1961, participated in the Indo-Pakistani Wars of 1965 and 1971, and was promoted to the rank of Four Star General.
Musharraf is considered the chief architect of the Kargil War, which took place in 1999, soon after India and Pakistan signed the Lahore Declaration.
Musharraf as president came to Agra in 2001 for a peace summit with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but talks broke down and a treaty was never signed.
He was allowed to visit Dubai in 2016.
2. Legendary playback singer Vani Jairam passed away
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Padma Bhushan awardee legendary playback singer Vani Jairam passed away on February 4. Vani Jairam was found dead at her residence in Chennai.
An overview of the news
Vani Jayaram has sung in more than a dozen languages including Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Hindi and Bhojpuri.
She was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, ahead of Republic Day this year.
Jairam started her singing career in Bollywood and got her first break in the Hindi film Guddi (1971) directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
The song 'Bole Re Papihara' from this film brought her fame.
Born in Vellore, Tamil Nadu to a family of classically trained musicians, Jayaram's career began in 1971.
She has lent her voice to playback songs for over a thousand Indian films and recorded over several thousand songs.
She won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer thrice.
She also won state government awards from the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
3. Equatorial Guinea appoints Manuela Roka Botey as first female PM
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Equatorial Guinea has appointed Manuela Roka Botey as prime minister on 31 January.
An overview of the news
She is the first woman in the country to reach this position.
She was appointed by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo who has ruled the country since 1979.
Bote, who was the deputy minister of education in the West African country, replaced Francisco Pascual Obama Asue, who held the position of prime minister for nearly eight years.
The country of about 1.5 million people has had only two presidents since independence from Spain in 1968.
Obiang overthrew his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, in a coup in August 1979.
Equatorial Guinea
It is located on the west coast of Africa.
Capital: Malabo
President: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Currency -franc
4. Indian men's hockey team chief coach Graham Reid resigns
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Indian men's hockey team head coach Graham Reid on January 30 resigned from his post following the host nation's exit from the recently concluded World Cup.
An overview of the news
The 58-year-old Australian coach submitted his resignation to Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey a day after the World Cup concluded in Bhubaneswar, where Germany emerged as champions after beating Belgium in a penalty shoot-out.
Reid, who was appointed India's coach in April 2019, led the team to a historic bronze medal win at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
After taking over as the head coach of the Indian men's hockey team in 2019, Graham Reid went on to coach the team to a historic bronze medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
After this, under his leadership, the Indian men's hockey team was successful in winning the silver medal in the Commonwealth Games 2022 held in Birmingham and India finished third in the FIH Pro League 2021-22.
In addition to Reid, analytical coach Greg Clark and scientific advisor Mitchell David Pemberton also tendered their resignations.
5. Air Marshal AP Singh will be the new Vice Chief of the Air Force
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Air Marshal Amanpreet Singh has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of the Air Staff.
An overview of the news
He will replace Air Marshal Sandeep Singh.
Air Marshal AP Singh is currently serving as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command, Prayagraj.
Air Marshal AP Singh was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 21 December 1984.
Achievements/Services
He has served as Project Director (Flight Test) at National Flight Test Centre.
Air Marshal AP Singh has also headed the 'MiG 29 Upgrade Project Management Team' in Moscow, Russia.
He has also served as the Air Defense Commander in the South Western Air Command.
Indian Air Force
It was established on 8 October 1932. It comes under the Union Ministry of Defence.
The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Air Force.
Every year October 8 is celebrated as Air Force Day.
Chief of the Air Staff: Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Choudhary
Chiefs of other Services/Paramilitary Forces
Army Chief - General Manoj Pandey
Navy Chief – Admiral R Hari Kumar
Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) - Lt Gen Anil Chauhan
Indian Coast Guard Director General - Director General Virender Singh Pathania
Border Security Force (BSF) Director General – Sujoy Lal Thousen
Sashastra Seema Bal Director General - Anish Dayal Singh
6. Puma India signs Harmanpreet Kaur as brand ambassador
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Footwear manufacturer and designer Puma India has signed Harmanpreet Kaur as its new brand ambassador.
An overview of the news
Harmanpreet Kaur will promote the brand's footwear, apparel and accessories including select collections through the brand campaign.
With this deal Harmanpreet Kaur joins the roster of ambassadors like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Kareena Kapoor, Sunil Chhetri, Yuvraj Singh, Anushka Sharma among others.
Harmanpreet Kaur is the captain of the Indian women's cricket team.
Other recently appointed brand ambassadors
Nikhat Zareen - National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC)
Uttarakhand State (Cultural Heritage) - Prasoon Joshi
Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Drone Startup Garuda Aerospace
Sonu Sood - Mentor of the country campaign
PR Sreejesh - Kerala Tourism (Adventure)
Sanjay Dutt - Brand Ambassador of Arunachal Pradesh
7. Madhvendra Singh appointed as the first CEO of Gujarat Maritime Cluster
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Madhvendra Singh has been appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gujarat Maritime Cluster by Gujarat Ports Infrastructure Company Limited.
An overview of the news
Gujarat Maritime Cluster (GMC)
GMC was envisioned as a dedicated ecosystem of ports, ocean shipping and logistics service providers.
The Gujarat Maritime Cluster will host an array of maritime, shipping industry companies and service providers along with relevant government regulatory agencies at GIFT City in Gandhinagar.
The International Financial Services Centers Authority (IFSCA) is a unified authority for the development and regulation of financial products, financial services and financial institutions in India.
This zone will be a 'one-stop solution' for all maritime services in the region with economic development, employment generation and industry-academia coordination.
GIFT City in Gandhinagar is India's first operational Smart City and International Financial Services Center (IFSC).
8. 75th Death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
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On January 30, 2023, India is observing Martyr's Day to pay homage to all the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the country. The day is also marked as the death anniversary of the country's 'Bapu', Mahatma Gandhi.
An overview of the news
Nathuram Godse killed Mahatma Gandhi on the evening of January 30, 1948.
30th January is observed as Martyr’s Day every year in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi and his contributions to the nation.
Every year 23 March is also celebrated as Martyr's Day to pay homage to the three revolutionaries of India Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.
About Mahatma Gandhi
Birth - 2nd October 1869 in Porbandar (Gujarat)
Brief Introduction - Lawyer, politician, social activist and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India.
In South Africa (1893–1915), he successfully fought racist rule with a new method of mass movement, which he called satyagraha.
He returned to India from South Africa on 9 January 1915.
The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was the first Satyagraha movement led by Gandhi in India.
In 1918, he went to Ahmedabad to organise a Satyagraha movement among cotton mill workers.
In 1919, he decided to launch a nationwide satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act (1919).
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on April 13, 1919. Seeing the spread of violence, he called off the movement (April 18, 1919).
The non-cooperation movement was adopted in the Congress session in Nagpur in December 1920.
His Social Work
He worked for the upliftment of the untouchables and gave them a new name 'Harijan' which means child of God.
His symbol of self-reliance, the spinning wheel, became a popular symbol of the Indian independence movement.
He was instrumental in preventing Hindu-Muslim riots as tensions escalated before and during the country's partition.
Hind Swaraj, My Experiments with Truth (Autobiography) are popular books written by him.
9. Presidential election in the Czech Republic
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In the Czech Republic, retired army general Petr Pavel won the presidential election, defeating billionaire businesswoman Andrej Babis.
An overview of the news
Retired general Petr Pavel will replace controversial incumbent President Milos Zeman.
During the election, General Pavel got 58.2 percent of the votes while Andrzej Babis got 42.8 percent.
General Powell has been Chairman of the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
General Powell has been an outspoken supporter of the European Union and NATO.
Pavel has repeatedly expressed his support for providing military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine during the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
About Czech Republic
It is a landlocked country in Central Europe.
Prime Minister - Petr Fiala
Capital - Prague
Currency - Czech koruna.
10. 157th birth anniversary of great freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai
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On 28 January 2022, the 157th birth anniversary of the great freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai has been celebrated across the country.
An overview of the news
Introduction
Lala Lajpat Rai was born on January 28, 1865 in Punjab.
He is also known as 'Punjab Kesari' and 'Lion of Punjab'.
Lala Lajpat Rai, along with Bal Gangadhar Tilak of Maharashtra and Bipin Chandra Pal of Bengal, was a member of the trinity called 'Lal Bal Pal'.
Political and social contribution
Home Rule League of America (New York) founded in 1917.
Presided over the special session of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta in 1920. In 1920 itself, the first president of the All India Trade Union Congress was also elected.
In 1928, a resolution was introduced in the Legislature against the Simon Commission.
Servants of Society was founded in 1921.
Played an important role in co-founding the Punjab National Bank in 1894.
Important literary works
England Debt to India
Open Letter to The Right Honourable David Lloyd George: Prime Minister of Great Britain
The Message of the Bhagavad Gita
Unhappy india
The Political Future of India
Young India: The Interpretation and the History of the Nationalist Movement from within
Death
Due to injuries sustained in the lathicharge by James Scott during a protest against the Simon Commission in Lahore on 17 November 1928.
