1. Oman ships arrive to participate in Indo-Oman bilateral Naval Exercise “Naseem Al-Bahr”.

• Oman ships arrived in Goa to participate in “Naseem-Al-Bahr”, the Indo-Oman bilateral naval exercise. RNOV are Royal Navy of Oman Vessels. RNOV al Rasikh and RNOV Khassab arrived at Goa. Along with these ships, Indian Naval Ships Shubhadra and Beas will also participate in the exercise. The Indo-Oman Naval Exercises are being conducted since 1993.
• The countries conduct regular biennial exercises between all three services namely army, navy and air force. ”Al Najah” is the army exercise conducted between the countries. “Ex Eastern Bridge” is the Air Force exercise that is held between the countries. In West-Asia, Oman is one of India’s oldest defence partners and an ally in anti-piracy campaigns. India has supplied rifles to Oman. In addition, India is considering setting up a defence production unit in Oman.

Foot Notes:
About Oman
Capital: Muscat
Currency: Omani Rial

2. Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar appointed as advisor to the Lt Governor of JK.

• IPS officer Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar has been appointed as an advisor to the Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He recently retired as the Director-General (DG) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
• The position in the paramilitary force remained vacant for nearly two months after the retirement of K Durga Prasad on 28 February 2019.
• The role of the Advisor includes assisting the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir in the effective discharge of his functions. The appointment will be effective from the date from which he assumes charge. G C Murmu is the LG of Jammu Kashmir UT since its creation on 31 October 2019.

3. 2020 to be observed as Year of Mobility by CISF.

• The CISF observes 2020 as the “Year of Mobility” for the welfare of the troops. It will focus on construction of residential units and implementation of welfare measures.
• In the year of 2020, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will aim at creating infrastructure for their families. It will also aim at focusing on sports and physical fitness leveraging modern gadgetry. It is essential to equip the forces with modern instruments as the force plays major role in the security system of the country.
• They guard civil airports, nuclear power stations, mines, thermal power stations in private domain as well.

Foot Notes:
About CISF
Headquarters location: New Delhi
Motto: Protection and Security
CISF DG: Rajesh Ranjan

4. Piyush Goyal inaugurates National Stock Exchange knowledge hub.

• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated National Stock Exchange (NSE) Knowledge Hub, an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered learning ecosystem that will assist the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sector.
• He hoped that the knowledge hub created by NSE in the national capital will fill in these gaps and help the financial sector to move into the future.
• AI and machine learning will contribute USD 1 trillion by 2035 and it was a good beginning by NSE to tap the potential of AI and use it as a tool to create a workforce in the BFSI sector in India.

5. Sucheta Satish won the 2020 Global Child Prodigy Awards.

• Dubai-based Indian girl Sucheta Satish, who can sing in 120 languages, won the Global Child Prodigy Awards 2020. The 13-year-old known is as the Dubai Indian High School's nightingale.
• Along with Sucheta Satish, 100 other Global Child prodigies across the world were honoured at the award ceremony in different categories.
• The award recognized her twin world records for singing in most languages during one concert and the longest live singing concert by a child. She had set as a 12-year-old two years ago in Dubai at the Indian Consulate Auditorium. During the concert, she sang in 102 languages over 6.15 hours.

6. Indian Grandmaster P. Magesh Chandran wins Hastings International Chess Congress tournament in England.

• India's P Magesh Chandran remained unbeaten in nine rounds to win the title in the 95th edition of the prestigious Hastings International Chess Congress in Hastings, England.
• He beat fellow Indian GM Deep Sengupta in the eighth round.
• France's Romain Edouard, who was the only player to end the tournament a half point behind Chandran, took the second spot. Four players shared third to sixth places with 6.5 points.

Foot Notes:
About England
Prime Minister: Boris Johnson
Capital: London
Currency: Pound sterling

7. UAE Cabinet approves issuance of 5-Year multi-entry tourist visa.

• The UAE Cabinet has approved the issuance of a five-year multi-entry tourist visa for all nationalities visiting the country. The decision was made during the Cabinet's first meeting of 2020.
• The move comes in a bid to support the UAE's tourism economy, and affirm the country's position as a global tourist destination.
• The country receives 21 million tourists annually and their aim is to establish the country as a major global tourist destination.

Foot Notes:
About UAE
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Largest city: Dubai
President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Prime Minister: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

8. Uttar Pradesh first state to kickstart implementation of CAA.

• Uttar Pradesh is all set to become the first state in the country to start the exercise of shortlisting migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, eligible for citizenship under the new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
• The exercise will also identify those who are living illegally in the state.
• All 75 district magistrates have been asked to track down migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have settled here for decades, without citizenship.

Foot Notes:
About Uttar Pradesh
Governor: Anandiben Patel
Capital: Lucknow
Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath

9. Two Indian banks ‘Axis Bank and ICICI Bank’ to cease operations in Sri Lanka.

• The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has permitted Indian private sector lenders Axis Bank and ICICI Bank to close their operations in Sri Lanka.
• The licenses issued to them will be cancelled once the winding-up operations are complete.
• The two banks are no longer permitted to carry on banking operations, including accepting deposits from the public.

Foot Notes:
About Sri Lanka
Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Currency: Sri Lankan Rupee
President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Prime Minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa

10. Neutral pronoun ‘they’ voted Word of the Decade.

• 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. 

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