Source: Click Here

• Turkey's parliament has passed a bill that will allow the government to deploy troops to Libya to intervene in the civil war.


• Turkish lawmakers approved the bill, with 325 in favor of 184 against.
  
• Turkey is allied with Libya's UN-backed government, which is based in the capital, Tripoli.


• The Libyan government has been fighting an insurgency by forces under Gen Khalifa Haftar, based in eastern Libya.

Source: Click Here

• The new version of the fighter aircraft jointly developed by China and Pakistan with upgraded fighting capabilities made its maiden flight in December and the first batch is set to be inducted by Islamabad in 2020.


• The JF-17 Block 3 aircraft was flown above Chengdu in southwest China’s Sichuan province last month, the Aerospace Knowledge magazine said in a report this week.


• Pakistan had said that the existing and operational version of the aircraft, known simply as JF-17, was used against the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the dogfight along the Line of Control (LoC) early last year.

Source: Click Here

• Turkish police detained seven people, including four pilots, in an investigation into how ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn transited through Istanbul en route to Lebanon after fleeing Japan, a police spokeswoman told Reuters.


• She said the other detainees were two airport ground workers and one cargo worker and all seven were expected to give statements before a court.

Source: Click Here

• The US government announced it would soon ban most flavored e-cigarettes as it tries to curb a rising tide of youth vaping, but stopped short of the full ban promised in September by President Donald Trump.


• The Food and Drug Administration said cartridge-based e-cigarettes in flavors "other than tobacco or menthol" would be illegal unless they receive specific authorization from the government.

Source: Click Here

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had said last year that he wants to see India among top 50 countries on World Bank's ease of doing business ranking, today said that his government was making similar efforts to help scientists in the country by effectively using "information technology to reduce red tape" and ensure "ease of doing of science".


• He also shared his motto for the young scientists in the country - "innovate, patent, produce and prosper".


• "These four steps will lead our country towards faster development," PM Modi said as he inaugurated the 107th edition of the Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru.

Source: Click Here

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Karnataka, addressed the 107th session of Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru today.


• "India has gone to the number 3 position in peer-reviewed science and engineering publications. It is also growing at a rate of about 10%, compared to the global 4%."


• "The growth story of India depends on its success in science and technology. We need to transform the landscape of the Indian science tech and innovation," the PM added.

Source: Click Here

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to rethink and reshape the organisation to play significant role in helping nations suffering from terrorism.


• "This is a decade which will decide what will be the strength of India and where we will be on the world map.


• This decade is all about young innovators," PM Modi said after dedicating to the nation five DRDO Young Scientists Laboratories.

Source: Click Here

• The largest open university, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), has launched three new online certificate programmes which would be offered from January 2020 session.


• The newly introduced courses are Certificate in Arabic Language, Certificate in Russian Language and Certificate in Tourism Studies.


• Candidates can register for the courses at iop.ignouonline.ac.in.


• "The advantage of the online mode is that a teacher is able to mentor each learner. Four quadrant approach is used for online mode. The material provided is rich and easy to comprehend.

Source: Click Here

• The school lecturer exam in Rajasthan has begun. The exam, which is being conducted by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC), will be held till January 13.


• The recruitment was notified in 2018 and a total of 5000 teacher posts would be filled through this exam. State Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra has wished the candidates good luck.

Source: Click Here

• The Indian economy benefited from "favourable external environment" in 2019, following which portfolio inflows into equity and debt touched a multi-year high, and if this momentum is sustained it will bode well for the country's external balance, a report said.


• According to Singapore's DBS Banking Group, notwithstanding a challenging trade outlook, conducive global drivers, such as the flush of liquidity owing to low-interest rates and stable oil prices, provided a favorable external environment for the Indian economy in 2019.

Source: Click Here

• Marnus Labuschagne hit his fourth century in just 14 Tests to guide Australia into a commanding position against virus-hit New Zealand on the opening day of the third Test in Sydney.


• The rock-solid number three, last year's leading Test run-scorer with 1104 runs at 64.94, again proved the Black Caps' nemesis with his second ton of the series to continue his remarkable scoring sequence.


• Supported by Steve Smith's 28th Test half-century, Australia reached stumps at 283 for three with Labuschagne unbeaten on 130 and Matthew Wade a breezy 22 not out.

Source: Click Here

• A 16-year-old Indian-origin mountain climber from Canada miraculously survived a 500-feet fall from the 11,240 feet Mount Hood, the highest summit in coastal US state Oregon, according to media reports.


• Gurbaz Singh from Surrey was ascending the peak with friends marking his 90th mountain climb when he lost his footing on ice and fell from a section of the mountain known as the Pearly Gates to the Devil's Kitchen area below, the CNN affiliate KATU channel reported.

Source: Click Here

• Shares of technology giant Apple reached a new record high, rising 2.3% to close at a record $300.35 apiece.


• The Nasdaq-listed iPhone maker crossed the $300-mark for the first time on a split-adjusted basis, Bloomberg noted.


• Notably, Apple had cut its sales forecast during this same period last year for the first time in almost two decades.