The country’s first Infantry Museum has been opened for the general public at Mhow, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. This museum is the first in the country and second in the world. Before this, such a museum has been built in America.

The track Naatu Naatu from SS Rajamouli’s RRR has been shortlisted in the Best Original Song Category.

According to a personnel ministry notification, former Supreme Court judge Hemant Gupta has been named head of the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC). The NDIAC was formed to develop an independent and autonomous framework for institutionalized arbitration. The Cabinet Appointments Committee authorized the nomination of Justice Hemant Gupta (retired) as chairperson of the NDIAC, as well as Ganesh Chandru and Anant Vijay Palli as part-time members, according to the order.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has named famed former athlete and MP PT Usha to the Upper House’s panel of Vice-Chairpersons. Dhankar remarked in the House that this is the first time a nominated member has been selected for the Vice Chairman panel. Along with her, YSRC MP Vijai Sai Reddy has been nominated.

The Indian armed forces are planning to acquire the ‘Pralay’ tactical ballistic missile, which has a range of between 150 and 500 kilometres.

The Elephant Whisperers’, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, has been shortlisted in the Best Documentary Short Film category. Four Indian films have been nominated in different categories in Oscar 2023 which also includes All That Breathes for the documentary feature film category.

Chhello Show, directed by Pan Nalin, is a Gujarati-language coming-of-age story about a young boy’s love affair with a film in a Saurashtra hamlet. The film, produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur and Dheer Momaya, is on the international feature film shortlist. The “Chhello Show” crew expressed their gratitude and excitement at the Academy’s recognition of their sincere dedication to the cinematic medium.

Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia unveiled KALYANI FeRRESTA, India’s first green steel brand, in New Delhi on December 21, 2022. This first-of-its-kind steel was created by the Kalyani Group, a Pune-based steel manufacturer, utilizing renewable energy resources, leaving no carbon footprints in the environment. Scindia delivered the keynote presentation and described the event as a paradigm change in the steel sector. According to him, India is leading the countries that have committed to achieving carbon neutrality through green steel manufacturing.

The Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, has received an A grade after obtaining 3.85 points in the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading, making it the first university in India to do so. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann congratulated the institution on its achievement, saying it was the product of everyone’s hard work. He expressed hope that all of the state’s universities will emulate Guru Nanak Dev University in order to bring honour to the state.

During its current UN Security Council leadership, India created a ‘Group of Friends’ to pursue accountability for atrocities against peacekeepers. S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, declared that New Delhi would soon have a database that will record all atrocities against peacekeepers. The group’s co-chairs are India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco, and Nepal. India, one of the most significant troop contributors to UN peacekeeping, has lost 177 peacekeepers in the line of duty.

The first ship of the ASW SWC Project, INS Arnala was launched on December 20, 2022, at Kattupalli, Chennai, by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, GRSE for the Indian Navy. The ship made her initial touch with the sea of the Bay of Bengal at a launch ceremony attended by Rasika Chaube, Financial Adviser, Ministry of Defence.

Bhutan, through Druk Green Power Corporation, has entered into an agreement with PTC India, to purchase power from the Indian power market, to meet its power requirement during the dry winter season. With all approvals, Bhutan will now start procuring up to 600 MW of power, through PTC, from the Indian power market.

Lionel Messi has been awarded the Golden Ball reward in FIFA World Cup 2022. The 2022 World Cup marks Argentina’s third-ever victory and the first after 1986. Messi gets his hand on the coveted trophy and the whole Aegebtina camp is in a celebratory mood.

Sargam Koushal created history as she finally won the Mrs World 2022 title after 21 years while competing for India in the pageant. The 32-year-old won the competition in Las Vegas after defeating competitors from 63 other nations. Sargam Koushal beat Mrs Polynesia to win the title. The Jammu and Kashmir-born beauty queen previously worked as a teacher in Vizag. Her husband works for the Indian Navy. Koushal is shown beaming in photographs from her historic victory that were posted on the Mrs India pageant’s official Instagram account. “The long wait is over; the CROWN is returned after 21 years!”

Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, opened the ICMR-NARFBR (National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research) in Genome Valley in Hyderabad. NARFBR is a premier centre dedicated to the ethical care, use, and welfare of laboratory animals in research. The Centre will develop pre-clinical testing procedures for novel medications, vaccines, and diagnostics, as well as quality assurance checks.

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Earth science satellite to track nearly all the water on Earth’s surface. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft was launched atop a SpaceX rocket with a mission of three years. The satellite will measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90 per cent of Earth’s surface. This information will provide insights on how the ocean influences climate change.

Argentina won the FIFA World Cup 2022 and defeated France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw in a breathtaking final at the Lusial Stadium in Doha. Argentina won its third world cup after 36 years. The game continued for more than two hours as Argentina and France played to a wonderful draw. The score was 2-2 after 90 minutes when extra time started.

Kerala forest department has launched a ‘Vanikaran’ project to restore natural vegetation. It is an afforestation project to root out invasive plants, especially Senna spectabilis.

US scientists announced a major scientific breakthrough in the research to harness nuclear fusion energy. Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California for the first time produced more energy in a fusion reaction that was used to ignite it, which is also called net energy gain. This achievement will pave the way for developments in defence and the future of clean power.

The Group of Seven economies has established an open, worldwide climate club to encourage countries to work together to combat global warming. The decision was made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who now holds the G-7 leadership until the end of the year. Japan will take up the Presidency from Germany. The club will aim to speed the industrial transition to greener types of energy and to create more emission-reduction strategies.

Dr Jeremy Farrar has been named as WHO’s next Chief Scientist. Dr Farrar, the current Director of the Wellcome Trust, will join WHO in the second quarter of 2023. Dr Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu will succeed Dr Margaret Chan as WHO’s Chief Nursing Officer. Dr Tuipulotu, who was previously the Minister for Health of the Kingdom of Tonga and Tonga’s Chief Nursing Officer, will join WHO in the first quarter of 2023.

The Supreme Court Collegium recommended five High Court judges for appointment as judges of the top court. This is the first set of recommendations by the Collegium. It includes the recommendation for the appointment of Justice Dipankar Datta as a judge of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court Collegium also recommended the elevation of three high court judges as chief justices of the high Courts of Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and Gauhati.

In November 2022, retail inflation in India, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), fell to an 11-month low of 5.88% on an annual basis. In October 2022, inflation was 6.77%. The substantial increase is attributable to falling global commodity prices and rising borrowing rates. For the first time this year, inflation fell under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) tolerance level of 2-6%.

A Japanese space startup launched a spacecraft to the moon after several delays, a step toward what would be a first for the nation and for a private company.

UIDAI topped the Grievance Redressal Index for the fourth consecutive month in November. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has been awarded the first rank among all group A ministries, departments, and autonomous bodies for the resolution of public grievances for the fourth month in a row in November. The rankings report is published by the department of administrative reforms and public grievances (DARPG) for November 2022. This is the fourth month in a row that UIDAI has topped the said rankings. UIDAI’s new Open-Source CRM (customer relationship management) system is enhancing user experience and improving service delivery to the residents. This system can support multiple channels like phone calls, e-mail, chatbots, web portals, social media, letters, and walk-ins through which grievances can be registered, tracked and resolved effectively.

In a remarkable step, New Zealand has adopted a measure that will prohibit the sale of cigarettes to anybody born on or after January 1, 2009. New Zealand is not the only country advocating for a smoking ban for future generations. In June, the UK government commissioned a paper that advocated raising the legal smoking age each year in order to phase out tobacco use among young people.

Young Indian cricketer Ishan Kishan created many records in the third and final ODI match of the series against Bangladesh. He became the seventh batter in the world to score a double century in ODIs and fourth from India after Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Virender Sehwag. He scored a double century off just 126 balls. He became the seventh batter in the world to achieve the feat. Ishan also broke Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest to 200 in an ODI innings.

Legendary athlete Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil Usha or PT Usha was elected as the first woman president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The 58-year-old Ms Usha, a multiple Asian Games gold medallist and fourth-place finisher in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 400m hurdles final, was declared elected unopposed for the top post in the polls. The elections were held under the supervision of Supreme Court-appointed retired SC judge L Nageswara Rao. Usha emerged as the lone candidate for the top post, as nobody was willing to fight against Usha, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in July. Apart from Usha, Ajay Patel of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has been elected unopposed as senior vice-president. Olympic medalist shooter Gagan Narang and Rowing Federation of India president Rajlaxmi Singh Deo have been elected unopposed as vice presidents. Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) president Sahdev Yadav has been elected the treasurer. All India Football Federation (AIFF) president and former goalkeeper Kalyan Chaubey has been elected unopposed as the joint secretary (male).

Karnataka shooter Divya T S won her first national championship in women’s 10 m air pistol, defeating Uttar Pradesh’s Sanskriti Bana 16-14 in a tight gold medal match today at the MP Academy Shooting range in Bhopal at the 65th National Shooting Championship Competitions (65th NSCC) in Pistol events. Rhythm Sangwan of Haryana took bronze.

Venkaiah Naidu, a former vice president, has received the 25th Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award (SIES). Former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, speaking at the event in Mumbai yesterday, said the award is meant to inspire people to work hard in whichever profession he chooses.