Daily Current Affairs- 27 January

Today's Current Affairs 27th January 2023

NATIONAL NEWS

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya launched World’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine

• Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister, launched the world's first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, iNNCOVACC, in New Delhi on January 27, 2023. 
• Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) created it in conjunction with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance (BIRAC). 
• The vaccine was unveiled in the presence of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) for Science and Technology, and other authorities.

India elected as Vice-chair at the 12th session of FAO’s Intergovernmental Technical Working Group (ITWG) on Animal Genetic Reso

• In the recently concluded 12th Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources at Rome. India was elected as Vice-chair and represented Asia & Pacific region. In 12th Session of ITWG, implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, monitoring of AnGR diversity and preparing the 3rd Country Report were reviewed.

Naresh Lalwani has been appointed as new General Manager of Central Railway

• Naresh Lalwani has been appointed General Manager of Central Railway. He is a senior officer from the 1985 batch of the Indian Railway Engineering Service. 
• He was Senior Deputy General Manager and Chief Vigilance Officer of Western Railway before becoming General Manager of Central Railway. 
• He succeeded Ashok Kumar Misra, General Manager of Western Railway, who was also in charge of Central Railway.

National Child Science Congress to begins in Ahmedabad with more than 1400 delegates

• The 30th National Child Science Congress began in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The five-day event organized at Science City will conclude on 31st January. The program will be hosted by the Gujarat Council on Science and Technology, the Gujarat Council of Science City, and SAL Education. More than 1400 delegates including child scientists, teachers will attend the congress.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Toyota names Koji Sato new CEO as Akio Toyoda takes chairman role

• Koji Sato, the automaker's 53-year-old chief branding officer, who is also president of Toyota's luxury brand Lexus, will take over as chief executive from April 1, as Akio Toyoda becomes chairman.
• The current chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada will drop his chairman title but remain on the board. 

• Microsoft Invests $10 Billion in ChatGPT Maker OpenAI
• Microsoft Corp. is investing $10 billion in OpenAI, whose artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT.
• The deal will give a boost to Microsoft’s Azure cloud, while providing OpenAI with additional specially designed supercomputers to run its complex AI models and fuel its research.
• Azure will remain the exclusive cloud provider for OpenAI, the company said.

Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari nominated as US Air Force Brigadier General

• Indian-American astronaut, Raja J Chari, 45, has been nominated by US President Joe Biden for an appointment to the grade of Air Force Brigadier General.
• Chari is currently serving as the Crew-3 commander and astronaut at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center, Texas.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust 

• International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust is observed on January 27. It is the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. The United Nations Holocaust memorial ceremony in the United Nations General Assembly Hall will be under the theme ‘Home and Belonging’ for 2023.

 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

President approved 412 Gallantry Awards for Defence personnel

• President Droupadi Murmu has approved 412 Gallantry awards and other Defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel and others. These include six Kirti Chakras, including four posthumous, and 15 Shaurya Chakras including two posthumous. These include one Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry), 92 Sena Medal, including four posthumous, one Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry),7 Vayu Sena Medal.