Operation Vanilla launched by Indian Navy to provide aid to Madagascar

Indian Navy launched Operation Vanilla to support the people of island nation Madagascar, which has been hit by a Cyclone. Indian Navy Ship (INS) Airavat, which was en-route to Seychelles has been diverted to Madagascar for rendering assistance. The ship is scheduled to reach Madagascar by 30 January 2020, carrying victualing, clothing and stores along and medicines to provide clothing, emergency food, medical assistance, diving and communication assistance. The ship will also undertake transportation and evacuation of personnel using its four large and two medium-sized boats.

Bhuvan Panchayat V3 Web portal launched by Jitendra Singh

Bhuvan Panchayat V3 web Portal was launched by Union Minister of State for PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh. The web portal was launched in Anthariksh Bhavan, ISRO Head Quarters in Bengaluru. It will function with the help of satellite technology developed by ISRO. The web Portal will enhance network application of gram panchayats. The workshop on space-based information support for decentralized planning will be held to connect gram panchayats and help the flow of information.

Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdelaziz Al Thani appointed as Prime Minister of Qatar

Qatar’s Emir has appointed Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdelaziz Al Thani as the Gulf state’s new Prime Minister and Interior Minister. He will replace Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. Sheikh Khalid took the oath of office before the Emir, in a ceremony. Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani was also present in the ceremony. Sheikh Khalid had also been the head of the Amiri Diwan.

Maharashtra: Nagpur Metro Aqua line inaugurated by Uddhav Thackeray

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray through video conferencing inaugurated 18.5 km long stretch of Nagpur Metro Aqua line of Maha Metro Rail Network in Nagpur. The proposed Broad-Gauge Metro network will pass over the Ambazari lake in city and will connect the east and west parts of the city. It will connect the satellite towns like Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur near Nagpur city. The Broad-Gauge Metro Rail will consist of metro coaches with speeding capacity of 120 kilometre per hour.

Bhubaneswar: Virtual Police Station launched by Naveen Patnaik

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday launched a virtual police station along with two other transformational projects of the Odisha Police with an aim to reduce human interface with government offices. The three projects include Virtual Police Station, Road Accident Case Documents Module and Medico Legal Opinion System.

These initiatives will effectively reduce the necessity of citizens to visit police stations. With Virtual Police Station, people can now directly lodge FIR online in a hassle free manner without visiting the police station. The e-police station will function from the State Crime Records Bureau in Bhubaneswar.

India’s Esow Alben wins gold in Six Day Berlin Tournament

India’s 18 year old, Esow Alben won a gold in the men’s Keirin individual event of the Six Day Berlin Tournament, finished on top of the podium, earning 20 classification points. The event is a six-day track cycling race. Alben was followed by Czech Republic’s Tomas Babek, who won a silver while Maximilian Lev of Germany settled for the bronze.

Mizoram defeats Sikkim in ‘Northeast Dr T Ao Trophy’

Two times champion Mizoram defeated Sikkim to become the champion of the Northeast Dr T Ao Football Trophy 2020. The event was held at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Kohima. Nagaland defeated Arunachal Pradesh by 4-2 to claim the third position. The Closing ceremony was graced by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. The champion team received a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, the runners up got Rs 6 lakhs, while Nagaland received Rs 2 lakh and Arunachal Pradesh received Rs 1 Lakh with a certificate. Rhitsho Mero from Nagaland team received the golden boot for his 10 goals.

R Praggnanandhaa stuns former world champ Topalov

Young Indian Grand Master R Praggnanandhaa recorded his fifth straight win, beating former world champion Veselin Topalov in the sixth round of the 18th Gibraltar Chess Festival. The Indian players including B Adhiban, K Sasikiran, Shardul Gagare, Karthikeyan Murali and SL Narayanan are in joint third place with 4.5 points.

Film producer Vinay Sinha passes away

Veteran film producer Vinay Sinha who contributed to films like ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ and ‘Rafoo Chakkar’ passed away in Mumbai. Although the cause of his death is still unknown, as per speculations, his ailing health for a long time was the reason for his demise. Apart from movies, he has also produced some TV shows like Chor Police and a few others. 

Netherlands winger Rob Rensenbrink passes away at 72

Netherlands legend Rob Rensenbrink died on Friday. He was 72. The left winger earned 46 caps for his country. He was one of the players in the legendary Dutch squad who came so close to winning the World Cup in 1974 and 1978. He will be particularly remembered for the latter final, in which he played a leading role.