Today's Current Affairs 22nd January 2023

INTERNATIONAL 

Chris Hipkins to replace Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand prime minister

• New Zealand's former Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins will replace Jacinda Ardern as prime minister after receiving the only nomination from fellow MPs, the ruling Labour Party said.
• Hipkins, currently the police and education minister, will take his party into an uphill battle to win general elections in October, as it lags in latest opinion polls.

 NATIONAL NEWS

Business 20 inception meeting to be held in Gujarat

• The Business 20 (B20) inaugural meeting, which is part of the G20, began on January 23, 2023, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. 
• The inaugural meeting is attended by Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Ashwini Vaishnaw, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, India's Sherpa for the G20, Amitabh Kant, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, and a slew of national and international business executives.

Fifth Kalvari class submarine INS Vagir to be inducted into Indian Navy

• The Indian Navy commissioned the fifth Kalvari class submarine Vagir, on January 23, 2023.
• Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, was the Chief Guest during a ceremony conducted at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. 
• Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) of Mumbai produced the submarine in conjunction with M/s Naval Group of France. Four Kalvari class submarines have already been delivered to the Indian Navy.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

India cenbank to guide inflation towards 4% target by 2024 

• The Reserve Bank of India’s 2023 monetary policy objective is to hold inflation within the mandated tolerance band and guide it towards the medium-term target of 4% by 2024, it said in its monthly bulletin published recently.
• The government has mandated the central bank to keep inflation at 4 per cent with a +/- 2 per cent band.

RANKING

Jio is India’s strongest brand, ranked ninth globally: Brand Finance report

• Reliance Jio has been ranked as the strongest brand in India and placed ninth among the world’s strongest brands, according to the latest report ‘Global 500 – 2023’ published by Brand Finance.
• ‘Jio’ was placed ninth among the world’s strongest brands ahead of brands like EY, Coca Cola, Accenture and Porsche, and behind the likes of Google, YouTube, Deloitte and Instagram.

IMPORTANT DAYS

UNESCO to dedicate the 2023 International Day of Education to Afghan girls and women

• Marking the occasion of the International Day of Education, being held on January 24, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced the decision to dedicate the day to girls and women in Afghanistan who have been forcefully stripped of their basic right to education.

 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Nepalese ophthalmologist Dr Sanduk Ruit wins Bahrain's ISA Award for Service to Humanity

• Himalayan Cataract Project Co-Founder Dr Sanduk Ruit has won the ISA Award for Service to Humanity, a top civilian award of Bahrain.
• The award carries a cash prize of USD 1 million, a certificate of merit and a gold medal. Dr Ruit is pioneer in delivering high-quality microsurgical procedures in remote eye camps.
• In 2018, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri.

Vikram Dev Dutt appointed as next DGCA director general

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Saturday approved the appointment of Vikram Dev Dutt as the next Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Dutt will take over the charge as the DGCA chief on February 28 after the superannuation of Arun Kumar, the incumbent DGCA chief.
• Dutt was the last government-appointed Chairman & Managing Director of the Air India.