HOCKEY WORLD CUP KICKS OFF WITH GLITTERING CEREMONY IN ODISHA

Men's Hockey World Cup, 2023 got underway on Wednesday evening with a spectacular opening ceremony at the picturesque Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, International Hockey Federation president Tayyab Ikram and Hockey India chairman Dilip Tirkey were present at the glittering ceremony to welcome members of all the 16 participating teams.

Ikram, in his address, complimented Odisha for hosting the mega event twice consecutively, the last one being in 2018, and called the state the "Land of Hockey".

Thakur thanked the Odisha government for successfully hosting the event in grandeur and said the enthusiasm of the people of India and the state showed their love for the game. He said the Centre will always extend support to states for hosting such sporting events.

Patnaik said Odisha has long been known for its hospitality and hoped every visitor takes back good memories of their stay in the state. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government for supporting Odisha in hosting the Men's Hockey World Cup twice consecutively.

The hour-long opening ceremony was preceded and succeeded by colourful cultural programmes that kept mesmerising the packed audience.

The matches will be held at two venues – Birsa Mundra Hockey Stadium in Rourkela and Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar -- from January 13 to January 29. (more on it below)

CREDIBLE GLOBAL VOICES TRUST OUR GROWTH STORY, SAYS PM MODI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said global organisations were showing faith in India’s growth story, which was exemplified by the IMF when it said it saw India as a relative bright spot in the global economy. He said the World Bank also observed that India was in a better position to deal with global headwinds than many other countries.

The Prime Minister credited India’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals for this trust and mentioned an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, which has forecast that India will be among the fastest-growing economies in the G20. Morgan Stanley, the PM said, says India was moving towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy in the next four to five years.

Addressing the Global Investors’ Summit in Indore virtually, he said the CEO of McKinsey had declared that not just the present decade, but the century itself belonged to India.

The PM gave examples of reforms related to recapitalisation and governance in the banking sector, creating a modern resolution framework like IBC, creating a system like one nation, one tax in the form of GST, making corporate tax globally competitive and exempting sovereign wealth funds and pension funds from tax.

BHARAT JODO YATRA FINALE: 21 ‘LIKE-MINDED’ PARTIES INVITED; AAP, KCR, AZAD LEFT OUT

Congress president Mallikarjun Khrage has written to the heads of 21 like-minded political parties, inviting them to join the concluding function of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar on January 30. Their presence, Kharge said, would strengthen the yatra’s message of “truth, compassion and non-violence”.

The list does not include the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) led by Telangana CM KCR, and Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP).

The invitation comes days after Rahul Gandhi reached out to Opposition parties, urging them to come together to present an “alternative vision” to the BJP.

Kharge, in his letter, argued that India was facing an “economic, social and political crisis”. He said that at the concluding event “we will commit ourselves to fighting hatred and violence, to spread the message of truth, compassion and non-violence, and to defend the Constitutional values of liberty, equality, fraternity and justice for all”.

VICE-PRESIDENT JAGDEEP DHANKHAR AGAIN, ON JUDICIARY

Stressing the need for a “perfect balance” among the three organs of the government with neither of them breaching the other’s domain, Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla yesterday lamented the striking down of the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act in 2015 by the Supreme Court and advised the judiciary to “stay within constitutional limits”. Dhankhar, while delivering the inaugural speech at the 83rd All India Presiding Officers Conference (AIPOC) in Jaipur, said the SC’s move to strike down the NJAC Act in 2015 was “a scenario perhaps unparalleled in the democratic history of the world”.

The Vice-President reiterated his views on the subject against the backdrop of a raging debate on the issue of appointments in higher judiciary. The government has been questioning the current Collegium system, while the Supreme Court has been defending it. Dhankhar had also flagged this issue during his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha as its Chairman, saying that a law made unanimously by Parliament should be final.

Showing his disagreement with the 1973 Kesavananda Bharati judgment, Dhankhar talked about the “basic structure” of the Constitution and said in a democratic society the “basic of any basic structure has to be the supremacy of the mandate of people”.

In the Kesavananda Bharati judgment, the SC barred Parliament from amending the basic structure of Constitution.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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TECHNICAL SNAG GROUNDS THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS IN US

Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the US on Wednesday following a technical failure of a key pilot notification system that resulted in the grounding of thousands of flights for several hours.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday morning that it suffered an outage of its Notice to Air Missions or NOTAMs, which alerts pilots and other personnel about airborne issues. The FAA ordered airlines to delay all domestic departures early Wednesday morning, but lifted the ground stop just before 9 am Eastern after several hours.

"Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the US following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted. We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem," FAA said in a tweet.

According to FlightAware, a flight tracking company, more than 3,700 flights within, into or out of the US were delayed and more than 600 were cancelled due to the system failure.

"There is no evidence of a cyberattack at this point, but the President directed DOT to conduct a full investigation into the causes. The FAA will provide regular updates," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a tweet.

WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL PASSPORTS: JAPAN TOPS LIST. FIND OUT INDIA'S RANK

For the fifth straight year, the Japanese passport is the most powerful among all passports in the world, as it allows visa-free access to as many as 193 countries, according to Henley Passport Index 2023. India, on the other hand, improved its position by 2 spots from last year, and is currently ranked 85th on the index. A holder of an Indian passport can travel visa-free to 59 countries.

Singapore and South Korea retained their places in joint second on the ranking, followed by Germany and Spain, and then a slew of other European nations. The US was among the top 22, with visa-free access to 186 places, matching the likes of Switzerland, New Zealand and Norway. China's allows access to 80, the same as Bolivia's. Russia's is better, providing hassle-free entry to 118 destinations, while Afghanistan's remained the weakest, with access to just 27.

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ARMED REVOLUTIONARIES’ ROLE IN FREEDOM STRUGGLE NOT GIVEN DUE RECOGNITION: SHAH

Saying that the freedom struggle led by the Congress succeeded only because of the “fire of patriotism” ignited by armed revolutionaries, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that the latter, unfortunately, did not get due recognition in India’s written history.

Shah was speaking at the launch of the book, Revolutionaries: The Other Story of How India Won Its Freedom, written by Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council.

Shah said only one story about the freedom struggle has been “repeatedly narrated”. “Only one point of view has been thrust upon people through education and history books. I don’t say that the non-violent movement had no contribution in the freedom struggle, or that it is not part of history… But this narrative that no one else had any contribution is not right,” he said.

He said many historians did not mention the contributions of armed revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Aurobindo Ghose. Shah said their efforts have been portrayed as sporadic acts of individual bravery, whereas the truth was that they were a well-thought-out, collective effort driven by a common ideology. “We have to understand it, accept it, and propagate it as well,” he said.

STAYING IN FIGHTING MODE WILL DO US NO GOOD: MORE FROM BHAGWAT’S INTERVIEW

The RSS, the ruling BJP’s ideological mentor, has exhorted Hindus against “perpetually staying in the fighting mode”.

In an interview with pro-Sangh journals Organiser and Panchjanya this week, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat cited the example of Shivaji Maharaj, who struck friendship with Muslim dynasties for the larger good and said Hindu society, having acquired enough strength, should now resolve internal conflicts and offer solution to others. “We have gained enough strength in our battles. We must now capitalise on this opportunity to resolve our internal conflicts and offer solutions to others,” Bhagwat said.

The RSS chief said to think those who fight could accomplish everything was a mistake. “We should change our language. The direction remains the same. Hindustan is Hindu Rashtra. This powerful Bharat will provide leadership to the world. If needed, we will fight by choice...but we should not change our strategy because others have challenged us,” Bhagwat said.

He said Hindu society had been at war for over 1,000 years and the fight had been against foreign aggression, influences and conspiracies. Arguing that Hindus had now awakened due to many people, including the RSS, speaking against foreign influences, Bhagwat said, “It is but natural for those at war to become aggressive.... although not desirable, provocative statements will be made.”

The RSS chief, however, advocated pragmatism citing the example of Shivaji, who, he said, “was aware of the enemy and also of self”. “Shivaji went to Golconda and established friendly relations with Qutub Shah with the condition that at least two of his ministers should be Hindus and atrocities against Hindus should stop. Qutub Shah had to accept the same,” said Bhagwat.

BIHAR CASTE CENSUS CHALLENGED IN APEX COURT

Four days after the Bihar Government launched a caste-based head count in the state, a PIL in the Supreme Court challenged it on the ground that the census was not a state subject under the Constitution.

Filed by one Akhilesh Kumar of Nalanda, the petition was mentioned for urgent hearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, which agreed to take it up on January 20.

The petitioner sought the quashing of the Bihar Government notification for a caste census in the state mainly on the ground that the subject of census fell in List 1 (Union List) of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution and only the Centre had the power to hold the exercise. He also contended the Census Act, 1948, did not contemplate a caste-based census.

CENTRE HAS DECIDED TO END DISCRETIONARY HAJ QUOTA: SMRITI IRANI

Union minister for Minority Affairs Smriti Irani on Wednesday said the Centre has done away with the discretionary Haj quota for pilgrims, in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve to end “VIP culture” in the country.

“A decision has been taken [to end discretionary quota in Haj. Prime Minister Modi had put forward his resolve to end VIP culture on the very first day of his term. VIP culture was put in place with respect to Haj during the UPA rule under which there was a special quota allocated to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Haj Committee and all those in the top constitutional posts,’’ Irani told TV9 Bharatvarsh channel, while hitting out at the Congress’s VIP culture.

Irani added that a new “exhaustive’’ Haj policy was being formulated, to reflect the Prime Minister’s resolve to take care of the needs of the poor. It will be announced soon, she said.

LAKHIMPUR TRIAL MAY TAKE 5 YRS, TRIAL JUDGE TELLS SC

It might take at least five years in the normal course to conclude the trial in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, a sessions judge conducting the trial in the case in which Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son is one of the accused, informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

On October 3, 2021, eight people were killed in Tikunia in Lakhimpur Kheri district during violence that erupted when farmers were protesting against the then Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area.

Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in which Ashish Mishra was seated. Following the incident, the driver and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by angry farmers. A journalist also died in the violence.

The top court had last month asked the sessions court how much time in normal course was it likely to take to conclude the trial, without compromising with the schedule of other pending or prioritised matters.

NO BAIL TO AIR INDIA PEEING ACCUSED, COURT SAYS ACT UTTERLY DISGUSTING

A Delhi court on Wednesday denied bail to Shankar Mishra, accused of urinating on an elderly woman co-passenger on an Air India flight, calling the act "utterly disgusting and repulsive".

Metropolitan Magistrate Komal Garg said the act has shocked the civic consciousness of people and needed to be deprecated.

The judge noted that as per the record, the accused had failed to join the investigation even after a notice was issued to him under section 41A CrPC and his presence could be secured only upon the execution of the non-bailable warrant.

“Therefore, the conduct of the accused does not inspire confidence. It has also come on record that accused has tried contacting the victim and the possibility of accused influencing the witnesses cannot be ruled out,” the judge noted.

NRIs FROM 10 COUNTRIES WILL SOON BE ABLE TO USE UPI FOR FUND TRANSFER

The NPCI has permitted non-residents from 10 countries, including the US, Canada and UAE, to digitally transfer funds using the UPI platform from NRE/NRO accounts.

Accordingly, the NPCI in a circular dated January 10 has asked the UPI participants to put in place a mechanism by April 30 under which non-residents having NRE/NRO accounts will be allowed to transfer funds using their international mobile numbers.

To start with, this facility will be available to non-residents in 10 countries—Singapore, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, USA, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the United Kingdom.

MORE ABOUT GOLDEN GLOBE FOR NAATU NAATU FROM RRR

SS Rajamouli's fast moving train RRR received a boost when the film's hit exuberant song Naatu Naatu won the Golden Globe in the Best Original Song category.

The joyous RRR team, led by Rajamouli, leapt up when the name was announced over songs from the four other films, including Top Gun: Maverick, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, Where The Crawdads Sing and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

This is the first time an Indian film song has won a Golden Globe.

The award was accepted by RRR's music composer MM Keeravaani, who said he was 'overwhelmed with this great moment happening'.

RRR was nominated in two categories, but it did not win in the foreign language film category, which went to Argentina's Argentina, 1985.

AUTO EXPO 2023: YOUTH DRIVE UP ENTRY PRICE POINT FOR NEW CARS TO RS 10 LAKH

A theme that resonates across car makers and is reflective in the choice of models at the pavilions in the Auto Expo is the steady upward shift in the price preference of customers – from a median price of about Rs 5 lakh a decade ago to around Rs 10 lakh now.

“If you see what has happened in the last 10 years, you will see that 10 years ago, the median price of the car was Rs 3.5-4 lakh; in the next five years it rose to Rs 6-6.5 lakh and today it is Rs 9-9.5 lakh. Today 60-65 per cent of customers are less than 35 years old and they are confident about their future, are optimistic and they do not want to compromise,” says Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director, Tata Motors. “The movement is towards what is the best thing they can consume and not what is their affordability.”

FORMAT OF HOCKEY WORLD CUP 2023

The FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup will get underway on January 13 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar with Argentina taking on South Africa. The final will be played on January 29.

The 2018 World Cup was held in Bhubaneswar as well where Belgium won the title, Netherlands finished runner-up.

The 2023 edition will have 16 teams taking part - divided into four groups of four teams each. The winner of each group will directly advance to the quarterfinal while the second and third placed teams from each group will play the crossover round and the winner will go through to the quarters.

The four Groups:

Pool A: Australia, Argentina, France, and South Africa.

Pool B: Belgium, Germany, South Korea, and Japan.

Pool C: Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Chile.

Pool D: India, England, Spain, and Wales.

INDICATORS

Sensex 60,105 (-10), Nifty 17,896 (-18), Trading Value NSE (Rs.crores) 44,334

Nasdaq 10,932 (+190) Dow 33,973 (+269), S&P 3,970 (+50)

(US$-Rs. 81.64 GBP-Rs. 99.14, Euro-Rs. 87.74, UAE Dhm-Rs. 22.22, Can$-Rs. 60.80, Aus$- Rs. 56.35

GBP 0.82 /US$, Euro 0.93 /US$, Jap.Yen 132.43 /US$, Aus$ 1.44  /US$, Sing 1.33 /US$, Bang Taka 102.70 /US$, Can$ 1.34 /US$, Mal Ring 4.36 /US$,

Pak Re 227.94 /US$, Phil Peso 54.92 /US$, Russian Rouble 69.26 /US$, NZ$ 1.57 /US$, Thai Baht 33.40 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 36.47 /US$)

Bitcoin - USD 18,194

Dollar Index 102.89 Brent Crude 83.17 BDI 1,096

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,878 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,596 / 5,130, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 74,000

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

We live but a fraction of our lives. - Henry David Thoreau

OFF TRACK

A smart young man has dinner at a fancy restaurant. After paying the tab, he checks his pockets and leaves his tip--three quarters. As he strides toward the door, his waiter muses, only half to himself: "You know, you can tell a lot about a man by the tip he leaves."

The man turns around, curiosity getting the better of him. "Oh, really? Tell me, what does my tip say?"

"Well, this quarter tells me you're a thrifty man." Barely able to conceal his pride, the man utters "Hmm, true enough." "And this quarter, it tells me you're a bachelor." Surprised at his perception, he says, "Well, that's true, too."

"And the third quarter tells me that your father was one, too."