AUNG SAN SUU KYI DETAINED AS ARMY GRABS POWER
In Myanmar, a military coup was put in place on 1st February 2021, after the country’s military detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi along with President Win Myint and other members of the ruling party.
Myanmar military (also known as the Tatmadaw), took this step because they declared the November 2020 Myanmar general election results fraudulent, in which Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory in Parliamentary election 2020 to form next Government.
The military has handed over the power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and declared a state of emergency for one year.
Apart from this, former general Myint Swe would be acting president for the next year. The 2021 coup d’état is the third in Myanmar’s political history. The first two was held in 1962 and 1990.
A coup (coup d’état) is the removal of an existing government from power, usually through violent means.
NGUYEN PHU TRONG RE-ELECTED AS CHIEF OF VIETNAM
The ruling Community Party of Vietnam has re-elected its 76-year-old General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong for a third five-year term. He is serving the post since 2011.
Trong was granted an exemption to contest in the election, though he was above the age limit of 65. The General Secretary is the highest office within the Communist Party of Vietnam. Trong also holds the position of the President of Vietnam since 2018.
Vietnam has a communist government, which means that the country does not have a single strongman at the apex.
There are four main leaders that collectively run the show which includes: The Communist Party general secretary, the prime minister, the president and the chair of the National Assembly.
- Vietnam Capital: Hanoi.
- Vietnam Currency: Vietnamese dong.
- Vietnam Prime Minister: Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
UK SPECIAL VISA SCHEME FOR HONG KONG RESIDENTS
The UK is opening a special visa scheme that will allow lakhs of Hong Kong residents the opportunity to immigrate and eventually apply for British citizenship.
Visas will be issued to Hong Kong citizens and their immediate family members holding British National (Overseas) passports, and provide fast-track access to UK citizenship.
Applicants who have obtained a visa can live and work in the UK for 5 years, after which they can apply for settlement. After twelve months, they can apply for citizenship.
This move is considered the UK’s most generous welcoming of foreign workers since the entry of new EU citizens in 2004.
The move came a few months after China implemented comprehensive national security laws on Hong Kong, and is aimed at targeting pro-democracy protests that have attracted global attention since 2019.
TAMIL NADU WONS SYED MUSHTAQ ALI T20 TROPHY
Tamil Nadu beat Baroda in the final to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2020-21. The tournament was the twelfth edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and was played at Sardar Patel Stadium (Motera Stadium), Ahmedabad.
The Player of the match title was won by Manimaran Siddharth (Tamil Nadu) who picked 4 wickets, conceding 20 runs. They needed 121 runs to win, which they achieved in 18 overs with 7 wickets.
Tamil Nadu team was lead by Dinesh Karthik (captain). This is the second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) title for Tamil Nadu and their first title in 13 years. The team claimed their first SMAT title in 2006-07, that too under Karthik’s captaincy.
Syed Mushtaq Ali was an Indian cricketer, a right-handed opening batsman who holds the distinction of scoring the first overseas Test century by an Indian player when he scored 112 against England at Old Trafford in 1936.
FIRST EVER ASIAN ONLINE SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP
The Indian shooting contingent has topped the medals tally in the first-ever Asian Online Shooting Championship, organised by Kuwait Shooting Federation.
The 24-member Indian shooting contingent won total 11 medals, which included four gold medals, two silver and five bronze medals. 274 shooters from 22 Asian countries took part in the competition.
Gold Medals
- Saurabh Chaudhary – men’s 10m air pistol
- Divyansh Singh Panwar- men’s 10m air rifle
- Kynan Chenai – men’s trap
- Rajeshwari Kumari – women’s trap
Silver medals
- Arjun Babuta – men’s 10m air rifle
- Shreyasi Singh – women’s trap
Bronze Medals
- ]Manu Bhaker – women’s 10m air pistol
- ]Sarabjot Singh – men’s 10m air pistol
- ]Deepak Kumar – men’s 10m air rifle
- ]Prithviraj Tondaiman – men’s trap
- ]Manish Keer – women’s trap
BHAVYA LAL APPOINTED AS ACTING CHIEF OF STAFF, NASA
Indian-American Bhavya Lal was appointed by NASA as the Acting Chief of Staff of the US space agency.
She served as a member of the Biden Presidential Transition Agency Review Team for the agency and oversaw the agency’s transition under the administration of President Joe Biden.
Lal brings extensive experience in engineering and space technology, serving as a member of the research staff at the Institute for Defence Analyses Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) from 2005 to 2020.
Bhavya Lal led the analysis of space technology, strategy, and policy for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and National Space Council, as well as federal space-oriented organisations, including NASA, the Department of Defence, and the intelligence community.
Lal is an active member of the space technology and policy community, having chaired, co-chaired, or served on five high-impact National Academy of Science committees.
She served two consecutive terms on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Federal Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing and was an External Council member of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts Program and the Technology, Innovation and Engineering Advisory Committee of the NASA Advisory Council.
- Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States.
- NASA Founded: 1 October 1958.
ANISH SHAH APPOINTED AS CHAIRMAN OF MAHINDRA FINANCE
Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services has announced the appointment of Anish Shah as the chairman of the board, effective April 2, 2021.
Shah is already a director of the company. He is the deputy managing director and group CFO of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
Shah takes over from Dhananjay Mungale. Mungale shall continue to be an Independent Director on the Board of MMFSL.
- Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Headquarters: Mumbai.
- Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Founded: 1991.