Today’s top news: 29 December, 2020 (GPN):

NATIONAL NEWS:

1. Union government on Monday invited representatives of 40 protesting farmers’ unions for talks at 2 pm on Wednesday
2. The 100th Kisan Rail of India was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 28, 2020. : The train runs between Sangola in Maharashtra and Shalimar in West Bengal.
   The train carries vegetables such as capsicum, cauliflower, cabbage, chillies, drumsticks, onions. It also carries fruits such as oranges, grapes, bananas, pomegranates, custard apples, etc.
3. A Woman Gives Life To Four People; Heart Sent Through Green Corridor For Transplant, The woman’s liver and two kidneys were also used in separate transplant procedures .: A heart harvested from a 41-year-old woman, who died after suffering bleeding in the brain, was transported from Ghaziabad to Delhi in just 18 minutes through an over 23-km green corridor and immediately transplanted to a chronic cardiac patient.
4. The Congress on Friday expelled former Assam minister and its MLA Ajanta Neog for her “anti party” activities. The four-time MLA from Golaghat constituency had recently met Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and North-East Democratic Alliance convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma.
5. Social activist Anna Hazare has threatened to go on a hunger strike if his demands on issues concerning farmers are not met by the Union government by the end of January next year , and said it would be his “last protest”.
6. National Conference president Omar Abdullah on Friday accused the police and the administration in Jammu and Kashmir of facilitating horse-trading and defections following the announcement of DDC election results and alleged that some parties were using money, muscle and government coercion to make up the numbers.
7. The Karnataka government has issued orders : No New Year parties in pubs, hotels or restaurants prohibiting DJ parties, special events, parties or any kind of performances at public places and commercial establishments like hotels and pubs in Bengaluru on New Year’s Eve in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
8. PM Modi is to inaugurate Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor Section. The section will open new opportunities for local industries such as textile production, glassware industry, block printing, pottery products, hing production, locks and hardware.
9. Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata, who turned 83 on December 28 , shared some of his thoughts going into 2021.
10. Fee charged by SBI, ICICI, Axis, HDFC Bank for unsuccessful ATM transaction :. Many customers are unaware that banks charge a fee for a failed ATM transaction while withdrawing money from an account with insufficient balance. Customers should check the balance of their account before withdrawing money from the ATM.
11. The Department of Revenue recently announced that the GST tax payers should compulsorily pay at least 1% of their tax in cash. This is to come into effect from January 1, 2021.
12. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and her son and party leader, Rahul Gandhi, both skipped the 136th Foundation Day of the party marked in the capital on Monday.
13. Madhya Pradesh will take the ordinance route to enforce from Tuesday the proposed law on religious conversion that stipulates jail term of up to 10 years for violators, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
14. The Assam government on Monday tabled a bill in the Legislative Assembly to abolish all state-run madrassas by converting them into general schools from April 1 next year.
15. Farmers’ stir: Punjab CM warns against Targeting mobile towers Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said that 1,561 mobile towers have been ‘impacted’ in the state during the farmers’ stir against the agri laws and directed the police to take strict action against vandalisation and disruption of telecom services.
16. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has selected Vishakhapatnam Municipal Corporation as the best performing civic body . Vishakhapatnam was placed under the Annual Awards for Excellence that recognises outstanding contribution of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban in 2019. The award is to be presented on January 1, 2021.
17. The Chennai Air Customs Officials seized 4.77 kg gold valued at Rs 2.47 crores under the Customs Act and made three arrests. Among the arrested are two passengers who arrived from Dubai and an outsourced staff of the airport, who had colluded with the smugglers.
18. CBSE Class 10, 12 Board Exams 2021 dates, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal announced that the dates for CBSE Class 10, 12 Board Exams 2021 will be declared on December 31 at 6:00 PM.
19. Music composer AR Rahman’s mother Kareema Begum has passed away due to ill health. Rahman (then Dileep) was raised by his mother Kareema Begum (Kasthuri Sekhar) after his father music conductor RK Shekhar passed away when he was only nine years old.
20. Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane has proceeded on a three-day visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) from December 28 to 30.
21. Naushera ka sher’ Brigadier Usman’s grave ‘damaged’, ‘heartbroken’ military veterans call for repairs & urgent for the unparalleled bravery he displayed during the India-Pakistan war of 1947.
22. Police foil another terror plot in Jammu, 1 arrested with grenades
    The Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Monday that they have arrested a suspected terrorist linked to the banned terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), who was allegedly tasked by his handlers in Pakistan to carry out grenade attacks in Jammu city.
23. COVID positive Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat admitted to Doon hospital in Dehradun
24. Coronavirus Cases:
    10,222,656
    Deaths:148,140
    Recovered:9,803,380

✈INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on his second day of visit to Qatar, called on senior leaders of the Qatar government and discussed various issue of mutual interest between India and Qatar.
2. EAM also visited Ahmed bin Ali Stadium at Al Rayyan. Indian company L&T has been developing the project with their Qatari counterpart for the upcoming FIFA 2022 world cup.
3. India, which has become the first country in the world to receive the Blue Flag Certification for 8 beaches in a single attempt, hoisted the Blue flags in all its beaches on Monday. Blue Flag certification is a globally recognised eco-label accorded by “Foundation for Environment Education in Denmark” based on 33 stringent criteria.
4. Tesla coming to India in ‘early 2021’: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and the Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Nitin Gadkari on Monday told The Indian Express Idea Exchange programme that US clean energy and electric vehicle company Tesla will “start operations” in India in early 2021.
5. In the ongoing door-to-door contact drive being conducted by the Delhi government to test UK-returned persons for prevalence of COVID-19, eight have so far been found infected with the coronavirus
6. India decided on Monday to lift a ban on onion exports from Jan. 1, as prices have fallen sharply in the last few weeks on expectations

🌎WORLD NEWS🌍

1. US President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill that calls for establishing a US consulate in Tibet and building an international coalition to ensure that the next Dalai Lama is appointed solely by the Tibetan Buddhist community without China’s interference.
2. China will hold the annual meetings of its top legislative and political advisory bodies in March next year,
3. UK military acquires heavy-duty nano drones that can fly in 50 mph winds : BAE Systems on December 28 delivered the first 30 units of nano “Bug” drones to the British Army, which it has developed with UAVTEK, a UK-based manufacturer
4. Covid-19 Vaccine: The Spanish branch of Pfizer informed Madrid of the delay in shipments to the eight nations due to a “problem in the loading and shipment process” at its plant in Belgium
5. Seventeen fishermen were missing and feared dead on Monday after a Russian trawler capsized during a storm and sank in the freezing waters of the Barents Sea.
6. The Saudi aviation regulator on Monday said that airlines are permitted to carry non-Saudi passengers outside the Kingdom , taking into account precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
7. Oman is reopening its airport and borders to travelers from December 29 after closing them amid concerns over a newly discovered strain of Covid-19. Travellers to Oman must show a negative virus test conducted within 72 hours
8. Afghan military airstrikes kill 11 Al-Qaeda, 2 Taliban terrorists Afghan Air Force (AAF) strikes launched in Helmand province’s Nawa district
9. Pak Takes Credit For Facilitating Afghan Peace: After Kabul Slams Islamabad For Violating Its Sovereignty
   Days after Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs slammed Islamabad for violating Afghanistan’s national sovereignty by allowing Taliban leaders to operate from Pakistani territory
10. Coronavirus Cases :
    81,287,766

Deaths: 1,775,149
Recovered:
57,445,237

🚣🚴🏇🏁🏊Sports:

1. Virat Kohli wins Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of Decade : Virat Kohli, who had scored 20,396 runs in all international cricket during the time period, which is more than anyone else, was also part of team India that won the ICC CWC 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013.
2. He was also named ICC Cricketer of the Year in both 2017 and 2018, so it was no surprise that he emerged as the clear jury favourite with winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade.
3. BORDER-GAVASKAR TROPHY, 2020/21, 2ND TEST

Australia 195 (72.3) , 137/6 (70.0)
Australia lead by 6 runs with 4 wickets remaining
India 326 (115.1)

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🇮🇳Facts about India🇮🇳

Brigadier Mohammad Usman MVC (15 July 1912 – 3 July 1948) was the highest ranking officer of the Indian Army killed in action during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. As a Muslim, Usman became a symbol of India’s “inclusive secularism”. At the time of the partition of India he with many other Muslim officers declined to move to the Pakistan Army and continued to serve with the Indian Army. He was killed in July 1948 while fighting Pakistani soldiers and militia in Jammu and Kashmir. He was later awarded the second highest military decoration for gallantry in the face of enemy, the Maha Vir Chakra

😀Thought of the day

Every bad situation will have something positive…Even a stopped Clock is correct twice a day…Think of this & lead ur life….

Joke of the day

Dulha Romantic Andaz Me Bola.

May I Kiss U Darling ?
😘😘
👰🏻Dulhan Sharmatae Hue Boli
Humne To Kabhi Gairo Ko Bhi Manaa Nai Kiya,
Aap Toh Fir Bhi Apne Ho..💗💓💔

😇GK Today💤

Union Territories

1. Anadam & Nicobar Port Blair
2. Chandigarh
3. Dadra nagar Haweli : Silvassa
4. Daman & Diu : Daman
5. Lakshadweep : Kavarthi
6. Delhi
7. Pondicherry
8. Leh Ladak
9. J&K

😳Why..❓❓

What is Tropic of Cancer?

The Greek word “tropikos,” which means “belonging to a turn of the sun at the solstice,” is the origin of the word “tropic.” Cancer, meaning “crab” in Latin, is the name of a constellation beneath which the Tropic of Cancer once was directly located.

LEARN Sanskrit🙏🏻

Sirisha generally means Sacred

🤔 How it works ⁉

Function of a Kidney

The kidneys remove wastes and water from the blood to form urine. Urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through the ureters. If the kidneys did not remove them, these wastes would build up in the blood and damage the body.

The actual removal of wastes occurs in tiny units inside the kidneys called nephrons. Each kidney has about a million nephrons. In the nephron, a glomerulus—which is a tiny blood vessel, or capillary—intertwines with a tiny urine-collecting tube called a tubule.

🛕 VEDIC GYAN

Bhanumati is the wife of Duryodhana, the main antagonist of the epic Mahabharata . Originally unnamed in the epic, the name of Duryodhana’s wife is found in later versions. Bhanumati has a son Laxman Kumara and a daughter, Lakshmanaa

🧬 HEALTH CARE: HOME REMEDIES🩺
( Note : These home tips followed in villages/ancient traditions, it is up to you to use it or not🙏🏻)

Rasam is a spicy soup made in south India using tamarind juice, pepper, tomato, cumin and other spices. Vegetables and steamed lentils are also added to it for extra nutrition. It is either eaten along with rice or drunk after a meal. Its distinct taste is sourness, contributed by the tamarind base.

The fact that rasam aids digestion is itself proof that it aids weight loss. When you don’t accumulate waste in your body, you’re lighter already! The spices in rasam also have a detox effect that prevent water retention and flush out toxins

🙏PLZ FOLLOW GOVT. NORMS, MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCE, KEEP YOURSELF & YOUR FAMILY SAFE🌼 ENDS