Correct Answer :   Oxford Scientists

---

The University of Oxford has launched a new clinical trial to test a vaccine against the deadly Nipah virus.

This is the first-in-human trial of the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine, being developed by researchers at the University's of Pandemic Sciences Institute - a research facility with a mission to discover, create and enable practical solutions to infectious disease threats worldwide. Fifty-one people aged 18 to 55 will participate in the trial, which is being led by the Oxford Vaccine Group within the Department for Paediatrics, and funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

Nipah virus can be fatal in around 75% of cases. Outbreaks have occurred in South-East Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh and India, with a recent outbreak in Kerala, India in September 2023. The disease is carried by fruit bats and may also be transmitted by contact with infected animals (such as pigs) or from person-to-person via close contact.  

Nipah, which is recognised by the World Health Organization as a priority disease requiring urgent research, belongs to the same family of paramyxoviruses as more well-known pathogens like measles. Despite the first outbreaks of Nipah virus occurring 25 years ago in Malaysia and Singapore, there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.

“Nipah virus was first identified in 1998, and yet 25 years on the global health community still has no approved vaccines or treatments for this devastating disease. Due to the high mortality rate and the nature of Nipah virus transmission, the disease is identified as a priority pandemic pathogen. This vaccine trial is an important milestone in identifying a solution that could prevent local outbreaks occurring, while also helping the world prepare for a future global pandemic.”

“Nipah has epidemic potential, with its fruit bat hosts found in areas home to over two billion people. This trial is a step forward in efforts to build a suite of tools to protect against this killer virus. Knowledge gained could also inform development of other Paramyxovirus countermeasures.”

The project will run over the next 18 months, with further trials expected to follow in a Nipah-affected country..

Source : OVG

Correct Answer :   Lionel Messi

---

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi won the Best FIFA Men's Player Award for the 3rd time in the last 4 years, edging past Norwegian striker Erling Haaland in a closely-contested race. Spain and Barcelona striker Aitana Bonmati walked away with the Best FIFA Women's Player Award at The Best FIFA Awards, a star-studded ceremony in London.

* Manchester City's treble-winning coach Pep Guardiola won the Best Men's Manager of 2023 award while England coach Sarina Wiegman claimed the women's best coach award for a record-extending fourth time. Guardiola beat Inter Milan's Simone Inzaghi and and Napoli's Luciano Spalletti to the honour.

* Manchester City stopper Ederson won the Best Men's Goalkeeper award while Mary Earps, the Manchester United and England No. 1, won the Women's award in the ceremony in London.

HOW MESSI WON TIE-BREAKER WITH HAALAND

* Lionel Messi won the Best Player Award in 2022 for his exploits in leading the Argentina men's team to World Cup glory in Qatar. Messi was once again in the race after having won the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain and his role in helping Inter Miami wn the Leagues Cup in his inaugural season in Major League Soccer.

* Messi edged past Erling Haaland, who scored 52 goals in all competitions in a treble-winning season for Manchester City and his former teammate Kylian Mbappe for the honour. Messi also won the 2019 Best FIFA Men's Player award and was recognised by FIFA as the leading player in the men's game on five occasions prior to that - 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015 - making this his eighth individual award in total.

* Messi and Haaland were tied on 48 points each in the FIFA rating system for the Award. However, the Argentina captain won the Award, thanks to more votes from national team captains. The best awards are decided after votes from national team captains, coaches, journalists and fans are counted.

* India captain Sunil Chhetri, Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah were among the many who voted for Messi. The Argentina skipper himself voted for Haaland ahead of Mbappe and his teammate Julian Alvarez.

* According to the FIFA rules, If finalists were tied on points, the individual with the most first-choice selections from their own group of voters (Captains in this case) would be declared the winner.

AITANA BONMATI BEST WOMEN'S PLAYER

* Meanwhile, Barcelona star Aitana Bonmati won the Best Women's Player Award for 2023 after a dream season at the club and international level. The coveted award is yet another richly deserved reward for the 25-year-old midfielder, who in 2023 inspired Spain to their maiden world title and Barcelona to a domestic and European treble.

* “I would like to congratulate all the nominees. And also to say that I’m proud of being part of a powerful generation of women who are changing the rules of the game and the world," Aitana Bonmati said in a powerful victory speech in London..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Succession

---

The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on January 16, 2024, in Los Angeles. The awards ceremony was delayed nearly four months due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. The awards ceremony was telecast from the Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, California. 'The Bear' and 'Succession' have won the most awards at the 75th Emmy Awards.

'The Bear' won six awards :

List of 75th Emmy Awards winners :

Correct Answer :   Thailand

---

The maiden Bilateral Maritime Exercise between the Indian Navy (IN) and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) was conducted from 20 to 23 December 2023.

Indigenously built Indian Naval ships Kulish and IN LCU 56 participated in the inaugural edition of the exercise. The RTN side was represented by His Thai Majesty's Ship (HTMS) Prachuap Khiri Khan.

The 36th edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) was also conducted along with the maiden bilateral exercise. Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies participated in the Sea Phase of the exercise.

With the institution of a Bilateral Exercise, both navies have taken a step towards strengthening operational synergy and progressively increasing the exercise complexity. During the maiden edition of the exercise, participating units from both navies conducted surface and anti-air exercises including weapon firing, seamanship evolutions and tactical manoeuvres.

As part of Government of India's vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with countries in the Indian Ocean Region towards enhancing regional maritime security. The Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy have maintained a close and friendly relationship which has strengthened over the years. The conduct of maiden IN-RTN Bilateral Exercise along with Indo-Thai CORPAT is a testimony to the growing bilateral relations between the two maritime neighbours and has enabled in enhancing interoperability between the two navies.

The Indo-Thai Bilateral Exercise is being named as ‘Ex-Ayutthaya’, which literally translates to ‘The Invincible One’ or ‘Undefeatable’, and symbolises the significance of two of the oldest cities Ayodhya in India and Ayutthaya in Thailand, the historic legacies, rich cultural ties and shared historical narratives dating back to several centuries..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   INS Cheetah

---

Indian Navy Ships Cheetah, Guldar and Kumbhir were decommissioned on 12 Jan 2024 after rendering four decades of glorious service to the nation. The decommissioning event was conducted at Port Blair in a traditional ceremony wherein the National Flag, the Naval Ensign and Decommissioning Pennants of the three ships were lowered for the last time, at sunset.

 Cheetah, Guldar and Kumbhir were built at Gdynia Shipyard, Poland as Polnocny class Landing Ships and were commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1984, 1985 and 1986 respectively, in presence of Shri S K Arora (Cheetah and Guldar) and Shri A K Das (Kumbhir) then Ambassadors of India to Poland. The Commanding Officers of the three ships were Cdr V B Mishra, Lt Cdr SK Singh and Lt Cdr J Banerjee respectively. During her initial years, Cheetah was based at Kochi and Chennai for brief periods, and Kumbhir and Guldar were based at Visakhapatnam.

The ships were subsequently re-based at Andaman and Nicobar Command, where they served till their decommissioning. These ships were in active Naval service for nearly 40 years, and collectively traversed about 17 lakh nautical miles whilst being at sea for over 12,300 days. As the amphibian platforms of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, these ships have conducted over 1300 beaching operations for landing of army troops ashore.

During their illustrious journeys, these ships participated in numerous maritime security missions and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations. Notable amongst them are their role during Operation Aman as part of IPKF operations and Operation Tasha a joint operation carried out between Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard in May 1990 to control smuggling of arms and ammunition and illegal immigration across Indian and Srilankan border and made stellar contributions in relief operations post 1997 cyclone off Sri Lanka and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

Indian Naval Ships Cheetah, Guldar and Kumbhir have left an indelible mark on the maritime landscape and their decommissioning marks the end of a significant chapter of the Indian Navy’s history.

Air Marshal Saju Balakrishnan, AVSM, VM, Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN), Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, AVSM, VSM, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, Flag Officers, former Commanding Officers and commissioning crew of the three ships attended the ceremonies at Port Blair. The event was also unique since three warships of the same class were decommissioned simultaneously on a single day..


Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Madhya Pradesh

---

Madhya Pradesh emerged as the overall champion at the first-ever Diu Beach Games 2024.

The landlocked state showcased remarkable talent with a total of 18 medals, including 7 golds, in a competition that featured 1404 young athletes from 28 states and Union Territories.

This victory underscores Madhya Pradesh's prowess in sports and its ability to excel even in beach games despite being a landlocked state.

Correct Answer :   Rohit Sharma

---

* Rohit Sharma created history by becoming the first male cricketer to appear in 150 T20 international matches during the second T20I between India and Afghanistan in Indore on Sunday (14th Jan 2024).

* Ireland’s Paul Stirling is second on the list of most international appearances with 134, followed by his international teammate George Dockrell with 128.

* Virat Kohli is the second highest Indian on the list, accumulating 115 appearances for the Men in Blue so far.

* In his 149 appearances so far, Rohit has scored 3853 runs at an average of 31.07. He has four international centuries in the shortest format with a highest score of 118..

Source : Sport Star

Correct Answer :   Yogesh Singh

---

Indian shooter Yogesh Singh bagged a gold medal in the men’s 25m standard pistol event at the 2024 Asian Shooting Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday (14th Jan 2023).

In a field of 20 shooters in the non-Olympic shooting discipline, Yogesh impressed with a score of 572, claiming the top honour. His scores were 187 in the 10-second stage, 191 in the 20-second stage, and 194 in the 150-second stage.

Despite Mongolian shooter Davaakhuu Enkhtaivan also achieving the same score, Yogesh finished ahead by shooting 17 Xs compared to Enkhtaivan’s seven. The bronze medal went to Kazakhstan’s Nikita Chiryukin, who had previously defeated India’s Vijayveer Sidhu for the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol gold medal on Saturday (13th Jan 2024) with a score of 568.

Amit Kumar from India secured the sixth position with a score of 565, while Om Prakash was 12th with 553. Pankaj Yadav, shooting for Ranking Points Only (RPO), managed a score of 562.

In the team standings, the Indian trio of Yogesh Singh, Amit Kumar, and Om Prakash topped the event with a total score of 1690-34x. Team Vietnam claimed the silver medal with a score of 1679-29x, and the host country, Indonesia, clinched the bronze medal.

Indian shooters have showcased exceptional skill at the continental championships this year, securing an impressive four Paris 2024 Olympic quotas from the event..

Source : DD News

Correct Answer :   Wanindu Hasaranga

---

As of January, 2024, Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga is the fastest bowler to take seven wickets in an ODI.

* The 26-year-old all-rounder set the record by taking 35 deliveries to take seven wickets against Zimbabwe in the third ODI in Colombo.

* In November 2023, Mohammed Shami became the first Indian bowler to take seven wickets in an ODI.

* Shami achieved the best bowling figures for India in a knockout game against New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Correct Answer :   IndusInd Bank

---

IndusInd Bank announced (9th Jan 2024) the launch of the UPI-enabled ‘IndusInd Bank Samman RuPay Credit Card’, in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). This credit card is specially designed for government sector employees with an aim to provide them with a range of exclusive benefits and enhance their overall banking experience.

* The IndusInd Bank Samman RuPay Credit Card is a testament to the Bank's commitment to innovation and customer-centricity. It uniquely blends the benefits of a traditional credit card with the advanced features of UPI, creating a seamless financial tool.

* The card offers a plethora of advantages, including cashback on diverse expenditures, complimentary movie tickets, no charges on cash advances, and waivers on surcharges for transactions done through IRCTC and fuel purchases. These features are not only designed to provide financial incentives but also to simplify and enrich the day-to-day transactional experience of government employees.

* Elaborating on this significant launch, Mr. Soumitra Sen, Head – Consumer Banking and Marketing, IndusInd Bank, said, “We are delighted to launch IndusInd Bank Samman RuPay Credit Card for all government sector employees with an aim to offer a superior value and convenience to them. We understand their requirements and have crafted this credit card to provide a seamless and rewarding experience, strengthening our presence within this segment and solidifying our position as their preferred banking partner."

* Speaking on the announcement, Ms. Praveena Rai, Chief Operating Officer, NPCI said, “We are pleased to partner with IndusInd Bank to introduce a novel solution on RuPay’s robust and expansive network, tailored to meet the specific needs and requirements of government sector employees.

* This significant collaboration reflects our commitment to providing user-friendly and cutting-edge payment experiences to all consumer segments. Moreover, linking of RuPay Credit Cards with UPI opens a multitude of convenient payment options for cardholders.

* The benefits attached to this card are designed to enhance the payment experience through UPI on credit card while providing the users with a rewarding credit card experience..

Source : Indusind