Today's Current Affairs 25th January 2023

NATIONAL NEWS

India’s first Stack Developer Conference to be held in New Delhi

• The first India Stack Developer Conference will be hosted in New Delhi on January 25, 2023. The conference will focus on strategies and techniques to increase global acceptance of India's digital goods. 
• Over 100 digital leaders from industry, government, start-ups and unicorns, and academia will attend the conference. 
• G20 delegates and the G20 Secretariat have also been invited to the Conference.

Nagaland: 3rd edition of annual Orange festival 2023 underway in Kohima

• In Nagaland, the third edition of the annual Orange festival 2023 is being organised in collaboration with the department of Horticulture, Agriculture, Rural Development, Land Resources and Kohima Smart City at Rusoma village, Kohima district. It is conceptualised to recognise and celebrate the hard work of the orange growers while facilitating them the market linkage.

Balkrishna Doshi, pioneer of modernist architecture in India, passes away

• Dr Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, who is widely revered for his contribution in the field of architecture, has passed away. He was 95.
• For his outstanding contribution to the field of architecture, he was conferred with Pritzker Prize in 2018 and the coveted Padma Shri in 1976. 
• The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced that Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi will be the recipient of the 2022 Royal Gold Medal

 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Chris Hipkins sworn in as 41st Prime Minister of New Zealand

• Chris Hipkins was sworn in as the 41st Prime Minister of New Zealand in Wellington by the country's governor-general, Cindy Kiro on January 25, 2023. 
• Chris Hipkins stated after formally assuming office that this was the greatest honor and responsibility of his life, and he was looking forward to the challenges ahead. 
• Jacinda Ardern resigned as Prime Minister of New Zealand last week.

NASA to Test Nuclear-Powered Rocket by 2027 that will Make Space Travel Faster

• The United States space agency NASA has said the country plans to test a spacecraft engine powered with nuclear fission by 2027, an advancement seen as key to long-haul missions including a manned journey to Mars.
• NASA will partner with the US military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the nuclear thermal propulsion engine and launch it into space, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

India’s Services Exports to Cross the Goal of 300bn $ in this Financial Year

• The country’s services exports are doing “extremely well” and going by the current trend these outbound shipments would register about 20 per cent growth in this fiscal and cross the USD 300 billion target despite global economic uncertainties, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said.
• He said that on the merchandise front also, exports are so far registering healthy growth despite the world being under recession, huge inflationary pressure, and overstocking of various commodities.
• With all these stress, where every global leader is talking of “very” tough times, India’s exports rose 9 per cent year-on-year during April-December 2022-23

 IMPORTANT DAYS

13th National Voters’ Day (NVD)

• The theme for this year’s NVD, ‘Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure’ is dedicated to voters which conveys individual’s feeling and aspiration towards participation in the electoral process through power of their vote.
• Since 2011, National Voters’ Day has been celebrated on January 25 every year, to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India.
• National Tourism Day 2023
• India is celebrating National Tourism Day on January 25. The day is marked annually in order to raise awareness about the importance that the tourism industry plays in the country.
• In 2022, the National Tourism Day was part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the 75-week grand celebration marking 75 years of Indian Independence.

 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Siddharth Sharma appointed CEO of Tata Trusts, Aparna Uppaluri as COO

• Tata Trusts has appointed Siddharth Sharma as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Trusts and Aparna Uppaluri as the Chief Operating Officer (COO).
• Their appointment will come into effect from 1 April 2023.
• Sharma, the chief sustainability officer at Tata Sons, will succeed N Srinath, who stepped down from the CEO's post in 2022 following his retirement.

 Shamalbhai B Patel re-elected as chairman of Amul

• Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation that markets milk and dairy products under the Amul brand announced the appointment of Shamalbhai B Patel as its chairman and Valamjibhai Humbal as vice chairman. Shamalbhai B Patel is the chairman of Sabarkantha District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd., Sabar dairy and associated with dairy cooperatives of Gujarat.

The Elephant Whisperers has been nominated for Best Documentary Short in Oscar Awards 2023

• The Oscar nominations were announced on January 24, 2023, and India received three nominations for the 95th Academy Awards. 
• The Elephant Whisperers, a 41-minute short by Kartiki Gonsalves, was also nominated for Best Documentary Short. 
• SS Rajamouli's RRR received only one nomination in the Best Original Song category for "Naatu Naatu," despite the fact that it has a big fan base in the United States. The film did not receive nominations for Best Picture or Best Director. 
• All That Breathes by Shaunak Sen was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film.