DAILY TOP NEWS OF THE DAY

NATIONAL (NEWS):

• First G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group Meeting Held in Chandigarh On January 30 — 31, 2023, the first "G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group Meeting" under the G20 (Group of Twenty) Indian Presidency was held in the Union Territory of Chandigarh. India assumed the G20 Presidency for a year, from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023.

• Austrade & CII Sign MoU for Technical Vocational Education and Training Courses The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), an Australian Government agency, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to collaborate on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes. The partnership will focus on Australian training standards and delivery in sectors such as automotive, allied health, mining, information technology (IT), cyber security, renewable energy, logistics, supply chain, and water management.

• Exercise `Trishakri Prahar' held in North Bengal; IAF's Exercise Poorvi Akash held in Northeastern Region From January 21-31, 2023, a joint training exercise namely 'Exercise Trishakri Prahar (Three-Force Strike)' was held between all arms and services of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF) and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPE) in the North Bengal. Aim: To practice battle preparedness of Security Forces using weapons & equipment in an integrated environment, involving all arms of the Army, Indian Air Force & CAPFs. The IAF has started its annual mega exercise Poorvi Aakash' in the northeastern region to check its combat preparedness. The mega air drill is being held after a gap of two years due to COVID-19.

INTERNATIONAL (NEWS):

• India invited as Theme country of Madrid International Book Fair in 2025 On 1st February 2023, Jose Maria Ridao, the Ambassador of Spain, announced that India will be invited as the focal country at the Madrid International Book Fair in 2025 in Madrid, Spain. The announcement was made during the event held at the Spain Pavilion at the 46th International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF 2023) at Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal. Spain is the theme country of the 46th International Kolkata Book Fair which will be held from 31st January 2023 to 12th February 2023. A football dictionary of Spanish to Bengali is announced to be launched at the Kolkata Book Fair, containing terms and phrases used in the Spanish league.

BANKING & FINANCE (NEWS):

• RBI Partially Relaxes Restrictions on SBM Bank India till March 15, 2023; Appoints V. Ramachandra as an Advisory Committee Member of SIFL & SEFL The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has partially relaxed the restrictions it had imposed on SBM Bank (India) Limited ("SBM Bank India") with regard to transactions made under the Liberalised Remittances Scheme (LRS). The relaxation will be effective till March 15, 2023 or till further order by the RBI.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS (NEWS):

• India UK Achievers Honours 2023: Former PM Manmohan Singh honoured with Lifetime Achievement Honour Dr Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister (PM) of India and Member of Parliament (MP) Rajya Sabha (constituency- Rajasthan), was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Honour at the 2023 edition of the prestigious India-United Kingdom (UK) Achievers Honours, a first-of-its-kind celebration of the UK's Indian alumni, held on 25th January 2023 in London, UK, for his contribution to economic and political life.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (NEWS):

• DRDO Develops Unfurlable Antenna for Space Radar Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)'s lab based in Bengaluru(Karnataka), has developed an UnFurlable Reflector Antenna (UFRA), one of the major subsystems of radar. The UFRA has a significant role in both Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) and the Military.

ENVIRONMENT (NEWS):

• Asian Waterbird Census-2023: 52 Avian Species Observed in Ladakh 52 avian species were observed in the Asian Waterbird Census-2023, which was conducted in the union territory of Ladakh between 17th and 19th January 2023. The census was organised by the Himalaya project and the Department of Wildlife Protection of Ladakh in collaboration with the Ladakh Biodiversity Council, a statutory body of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Himalaya project, a joint project by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and MoEFCC.

IMPORTANT DAYS (NEWS):

• ICG Day 2023: Indian Coast Guard Celebrates 47th Raising Day - 1st February 2023 Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Day is annually observed across India on February 1 to commemorate its Raising Day of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), operating under the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Government of India(Gol). The purpose of the Day is to recognise organisations that support maritime security. 1st February 2023 marks the observance of the 47th Raising Day of the ICG.