 The International team of astronomers led by scientists at the University of California, United States(US) have discovered an Ultramassive monster galaxy dubbed as XMM-2599. This galaxy existed around 12 billion years ago just 1.8 billion years after the formation of the universe. The galaxy XMM-2599 was formed more than 1,000 solar masses a year in stars during the peak of the stars’ activity and was discovered by the astronomers during XMM-2599 inactive phase. |
 7 airports across India start thermal screening of passengers arriving from China and Hong Kong. These airports are Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin. Ministry of Civil Aviation has directed for all logistics support and arrangements to be made immediately with regard to screening of passengers arriving in India from China including Hong Kong. All passengers and crew who are healthy should be allowed to continue their onward journey. If the ill passenger or crew member is confirmed as a probable case of Wuhan Corona Virus, public health authorities should be notified about the contacts using the Passenger Locator Form. |
 The 9th International Children’s Film Festival hosted by Kolkata, West Bengal. About 250 films from 45 countries will be screened at the festival. The National Award winner Children actor, Talha Arsad Rishi inaugurates the festival. An anthology of children’s films in Bengali in the last 100 years and an exhibition on movie posters will be held along with the festival. |
 The 5th edition of Science Film Festival of India (SCI-FFI 2020) was started in Goa’s capital city Panaji. The aims of the festival are instilling the knowledge of science among the youth with the help of exhibitions, masterclasses, workshops, and other activities. Films that have been selected to be screened at the event are ‘Mission Mangal’, ‘Antariksham 9000 KMPH’, ‘Everest’, ‘Aamorie’, ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’, ‘Geostorm’ and, ‘Virus’ among others. A special workshop titled ‘Million SoUL’ will also be conducted by IIT Bombay on training about making solar lamps. The workshop is aimed at empowering people from backward communities. The workshop will also aim at teaching participants about the health, educational and environmental benefits of solar energy. |
 Union Territory Ladakh is hosting the 1st-ever Food Processing Summit to attract investors to the region. This summit is organized by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the UT Administration of Ladakh. Ladakh has vast scope for investment in food Processing Industries in horticulture products like Apricot, SeabuckThorn, Apple and agricultural produce like buckwheat and barley. The event is aimed at encouraging the entrepreneurs to begin a StartUp to tap the potential in the Food Processing Industries in Ladakh. |
 Super Senior Citizens (over 80 years of age) and PwDs now vote through Postal Ballot in Delhi Assembly Election. Till now, voting through the postal ballot was available to armed forces and those assigned in poll duties. For the first time, Delhi Metro, Northern Railway Employees and media persons covering polling can also use postal ballot facility to cast their votes. A postal ballot is a facility for those absentee voters, including those who are unable to vote due to some immobility can vote. |
 SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) stock market regulator has deferred the deadline for the separation of the posts of Chairman and MD (Managing Director) or chief executive officer (CEO) for 500 listed companies by 2 years. The date of implementation of the above regulatory provision has been deferred to April 1, 2022. SEBI aims to separate the board and the management of the top companies. In 2018 the Sebi asked the top 500 listed companies to split the post of chairman and managing director by April 2020. The rules to splitting the post of Chairman-MD are part of the recommendations of the Uday Kotak (MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank) Committee appointed by SEBI on Corporate Governance. |
| At present Many companies have merged the two posts as CMD (chairman-cum-managing director), leading to some overlapping of the board and management, which could lead to conflict. These companies including Reliance Industries, the chairman and MD are handled by the same person. The data from other stock exchanges reveal that at present Scenario, only around 50% of the top 500 listed company is in compliance with the aforementioned regulatory provision. Sebi has also received various representations with respect to the above regulatory requirement including from industry bodies like Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry and Confederation of Indian Industry. The representations are looked together with the compliance levels, highlight the present levels of unpreparedness of listed entities to comply with the above regulatory provision, according to market sources. |
 Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu to inaugurate a new Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Telugu on January 21 in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. The centre would facilitate to focus its activities for the development of this rich classical Telugu through Research, seminars, debates and various activities. The Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Telugu (CESCT) came under the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL). |
 Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the submarine cable works on laying between Chennai – Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The submarine cables will be initially laid from Chennai to Port Blair covering a distance of 1,450 kilometres. He also flagged off the ship to lay the cable at Chennai Port. At the initial stage of commissioning of the project itself, the islands can get a data speed of 400-gigabytes per second. |
 Neutral pronoun ‘they’ has been voted word of the decade by US language experts. “They” is used in English by a growing number of non-binary individuals, people who do not identify as either male or female. They prefer the plural neutral pronoun to bypass using the pronouns “he” or “she”. The selection of “they” is an indication that how a personal expression of gender identity has become an increasing part of our shared discourse. The recognition comes after US dictionary Merriam-Webster in December named “they” as word of the year. The American Dialect Society had previously named “they” word of the year in 2015. Other contenders in the decade category included #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, climate, emoji, meme, the opioid crisis and woke. |
| Source: The News on AIR |
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