First-ever Startup India Innovation Week to be held from January 10 to 16, 2022

• The first-ever Startup India Innovation Week is planned to be held from January 10 to 16, 2022 through virtual platform, as a part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to commemorate the 75th year of India’s independence.
• The week-long innovation celebration is being organized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• The programme will showcase the spread and depth of entrepreneurship across India.
• States/UTs and various departments of Government of India will take part in the programme to address key aspects of the startup ecosystem through interactive sessions, workshops, and presentations.

PM declares December 26 to be observed as ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ annually

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has declared that starting from the year 2022, December 26 will be observed as ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ every year.
• The day will be commemorated as a tribute to the courage of the 4 Sahibzades (the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji), who attained martyrdom in the 17th century.
• The announced was made by PM Modi on January 09, 2022, on occasion of the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, or the birth anniversary of the 10th guru of Sikhs and the founder of the Khalsa community.
• 26 December marks the day on which Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji and Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji (younger pair of Sahibzade) attained martyrdom after being sealed alive in a wall, at the tender age of 6 and 9 years. 
• Sahibzada Ajit Singh Ji and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh Ji (older pair of Sahibzade) attained martyrdom on December 21, 1705, fighting the enemy in battle at Chamkaur Sahib at the young age of 18 and 14 years.

International

NASA successfully completes deployment of James Webb Space Telescope

• The NASA team successfully completed the deployment of 21-foot, gold-coated primary mirror panel of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on January 08, 2022.
• This milestone achievement marks the complete structural deployment of the observatory, making it ready to study cosmic history.
• JWST was launched on December 25, 2021 in an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana.
• The Webb mission will explore every phase of cosmic history, ranging from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe
• The JWST is developed by NASA in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
• JWST is named after James E. Webb, administrator of NASA from 1961 to 1968.
• JWST will be a successor of Hubble Space Telescope.

Business

Reliance acquires controlling stake of 73.37% in New York’s Mandarin Oriental hotel for around $270 mn

• Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has announced the acquisition  of controlling stake in Mandarin Oriental New York, a premium luxury hotel in midtown Manhattan.
• RIL through its wholly owned arm Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Limited has acquired the entire share capital of Cayman Islands-based Columbus Centre Corporation (Cayman), for an equity value of approximately $98.15 million(Rs 735 crore).
• Cayman is the parent company of Mandarin Oriental hotel. It had an indirect ownership of 73.37 percent stake in the hotel.
• Reliance will also take over the hotel’s debt in excess of $115 million to take the entire deal value to around $270.
• The transaction is anticipated to close by the end of March 2022.

Appointment

Centre extends Navrang Saini’s term as interim chief of IBBI for three months

• The Centre has extended the tenure of Navrang Saini as interim Chairperson of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) for three more months till March 05, 2022.
• Mr. Saini, who is a Whole Time Member of IBBI, was assigned additional charge of Chairperson in addition to his existing duties in October 2021 for three months till January 13, 2022.
• The post of full-time Chairperson has been lying vacant after M.S. Sahoo retired upon completing a five-year tenure on September 30, 2021.

Books & Author

Gandhi’s Assassin: The Making of Nathuram Godse and His Idea of India by Dhirendra K. Jha

• A new book titled Gandhi’s Assassin: The Making of Nathuram Godse and His Idea of India, has been released on January 04, 2022.
  
• The book has been authored by a Delhi-based journalist Dhirendra K. Jha under Vintage Books publication.
• It narrates Godse’s relationship with the organizations that influenced his world view and the gradual hardening of his resolve, and the fateful decisions that eventually led to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

World Hindi Day: 10 January

• The World Hindi Day is celebrated on January 10 since 2006 to promote the language at the global stage.
• The day marks the anniversary of first World Hindi Conference which was inaugurated on January 10, 1975 by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
• However, the celebration of first World Hindi Day was commenced on 10 January 2006 by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
• In India the National Hindi Day is celebrated on September 14 every year.