The Daily Brief – 22nd January, 2017

The Daily Briefs are a comprehensive update of current affairs for the day. To know more about them, read this. If you’d like to receive updates for current affairs every day, you’ll need to subscribe by entering your email address at the right side of this page. The previous Briefs can be accessed at the archives here. Also, check out our mock tests!

• The Tamil Nadu government has stepped up preparations for the conduct of jallikattu in Madurai and other parts of the State, following the Governor’s approval for the ordinance proposing amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960). Announcing that the sport will be held across the State, Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said he would flag off the event at 10 a.m. today in Madurai.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will set a record when it launches 103 satellites in one go on a single rocket in the first week of February. In June last year, ISRO launched 20 satellites in one go. It took about 26 minutes to launch all the 20 satellites. In 2008, ISRO launched 10 satellites in a single mission. The highest number of satellites launched in a single mission so far has been 37 by Russia in 2014; NASA launched 29 satellites in one go in 2013. ISRO’s workhorse PSLV (C37) with 103 satellites will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

• Bihar witnessed the ‘longest human chain ever made’ to support the prohibition enforced in the State since April last year. The State government had called for the formation of the human chain to create awareness on prohibition and alcohol addiction. Over three crore people participated in the chain, stretching 11,400 km in all the 38 districts of the State.

• Over 3.5 lakh people set a new world record by singing the national anthem at an event at Kagvad in Rajkot, Gujarat. The occasion was the installation of the idol of goddess Khodiyar at the newly-built Khodal Dham temple in the town. Earlier, 2,54,537 people had sung the national anthem in Bangladesh in 2014 and set a record.

• Saina Nehwal beat Hong Kong’s Yip Pui Yin to make the final of the $120,000 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix. At the final, she will face  Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong. 

• The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will host the final of the second Twenty20 World Cup for the Blind. The tournament will commence in Delhi, with the opening matches to be played at the IIT ground and Siri Fort on January 30, and conclude on February 12 in Bangalore.

• Scientists have posted a video on the NASA website that shows what it is like to land on Pluto, using 100 images taken by the New Horizons spacecraft.

• Donald Trump, inaugurated as the 45th President of the U.S., spent only a few minutes in the Oval Office on his first day, but signalled his determination to undo the legacy of his predecessor Barack Obama. He signed an executive order to roll back certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, a healthcare programme that he has vowed to repeal. The new White House website — that came alive moments after Mr. Trump took oath — has no mention of climate change or civil rights, issues that Mr. Obama championed.

Today’s Quiz