TODAY ON February 13, 2023
GK News Headlines

Aero India 2023 expected to see conclusion of 251 MoUs worth ₹75,000 crore
The 14th edition of the biennial Aero India which will see the participation of 809 Indian and foreign companies spread over 35,000 sqm. is expected to see the conclusion of 251 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth ₹75,000 crore during the three business days, defence officials said. At the Defence Ministers’ conclave for which 32 foreign Defence Ministers have confirmed participation, India will make a strong pitch for indigenous military hardware.

U.S. has had contacts with China over 'spy balloon': Pentagon official
The United States has communicated with Beijing on the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon shot down on February 4, after Pentagon overtures were rebuffed for days, a Defense official said on February 12. Speaking after fighter jets downed the fourth suspicious object detected in U.S. airspace in just over a week on Sunday, the official gave no details about who was involved in the contact or what they communicated.

Justice Nazeer started his life’s journey in tough circumstances in Karnataka
Justice S. Abdul Nazeer, retired Supreme Court judge and the new Governor of Andhra Pradesh, once said “he has lived a dream”. The man whose face, Supreme Court lawyers say, breaks into a “million-dollar before dismissing their cases”, started his life’s journey in singularly tough circumstances in Karnataka’s Beluvai village and later in Mangaluru.

New broadband definition highlights the plight of India’s barely connected “grey spots”
Parvez Ahmed Qureshi has been complaining to his telecom provider, Vodafone Idea, that his mobile internet speeds are unusably low, not even reaching the 512Kbps previously promised to broadband consumers. But the operator’s representatives have visited the 25-year-old’s home in the Songadh taluka of Gujarat’s Tapi district — located about 30 km from district headquarters — and concluded that the speeds are within acceptable limits, blaming network congestion for his slow internet.

India’s first Law Minister Dr. Ambedkar’s resignation letter missing from records
The resignation letter of independent India’s first Law Minister B.R. Ambedkar is missing from the official records. The President’s Secretariat has confirmed in writing to the Central Information Commission (CIC) that despite extensive search in the Constitutional Affairs Section, the document could not be located.

 Central agencies gear up for FATF mutual evaluations
Government agencies have expedited efforts to further strengthen the anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing frameworks in view of the coming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) assessment of India in the fourth round of mutual evaluations expected later this year.

The market is looking for trust, says Finland Minister on lessons from the Adani Group stock meltdown
The global market is looking for trust and the flow of money follows the direction of trust, Finland’s Foreign Trade Minister Ville Skinnari said. In an exclusive chat with  The Hindu, Mr. Skinnari, here on an official visit, responded to a question on the recent crash in prices of the Adani Group’s shares at the stock market, indicating that such incidents can be avoided through “smart policy making” at the level of the government, and digital transparency.

MGNREGS suffers as Centre’s dues to 14 States amount to ₹6,157 crore
With just little over a month left for the current financial year to end, the Union government owes ₹6,157 crore to 14 States under the material component head of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) that pays for wages and construction material for skilled labourers.

‘Unidentified object’ downed over Lake Huron, 3rd this week
An “unidentified object” was shot down with a missile by U.S. fighter jets on February 12 over Lake Huron, and it was believed to be the same one tracked over Montana and monitored by the government beginning the night before, U.S. officials said.

Ex-Minister Christoulides wins Cyprus presidential election
Former Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides was elected as the new President of Cyprus in a runoff election on February 12, pledging to revive stalemated reunification talks with the nation's breakaway Turkish Cypriots and to form a coalition government with women filling half of the Cabinet positions.

Women’s Premier League auction | Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma set to cross ₹1-crore mark
Prolific batters Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and teen sensation Shafali Verma are expected to spark bidding wars when they go under the hammer during the inaugural Women's Premier League auction, in Mumbai on February 13, 2023.

Ranji Trophy | Saurashtra survives Karnataka scare to set up final showdown with Bengal
Saurashtra entered its fifth Ranji Trophy final – third in four editions – with a nervy four-wicket victory over Karnataka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday. Saurashtra will meet Bengal in what will be a repeat of the 2019-20 final that the former won.

ICC Women T20 World Cup | Richa, Jemimah guide India to seven-wicket win over Pakistan
Experienced batter Jemimah Rodrigues produced a master class of an innings as she and youngster Richa Ghosh held their nerves under pressure to guide India to a seven-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup in Cape Town on February 12, 2023.