- On Monday, Biden held talks with Ukrainian President Zelensky. The US President assured Zelensky that America would support Ukraine if Russia attacked his country. Biden said that in case of any hostility we will take decisive action against Russia. A few days before the talks with Zelensky, Biden also had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In this 50-minute conversation, Biden made it clear that if Russia attacks Ukraine, strict economic sanctions will be imposed against it. On the other hand, Russia has made it clear that it is not ready to bow down to American pressure. US and Russian officials are going to meet in Geneva later this month on the issue of Ukraine.
- Pakistan is all set to appoint the first woman judge of the Supreme Court after the High Power Panel’s approval to elevate Lahore High Court judge Ayesha Malik to the Supreme Court. The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, approved Malik’s promotion with a majority of five votes against four. This is the second time that the JCP held a meeting to decide on Justice Malik’s elevation.
- The market capitalisation value of Apple Inc. has reached $3 trillion and became the first company in the world to achieve this feat. Apple’s market cap reached $182.86 per share, making it the first company in the world to touch the $3 trillion mark. However soon after hitting the mark, the stock price fell below it and did not rise again until the market closed. The world’s most valuable company reached a milestone as investors bet consumers will continue to pay stash of cash for iPhones, MacBooks and services like Apple TV and Apple Music. Recent data from Counterpoint Research shows that in China, the world’s largest smartphone market, Apple maintained its lead for the second month in a row, beating rivals such as Vivo and Xiaomi.
Also read: India Approves 2 New Vaccines And An Antiviral Drug; Know All About These New COVID Weapons
- Shanghai has opened two new metro lines, maintaining its rank as the city with the largest metro network in the world. With the new lines, the total length of Shanghai’s metro network has increased to 831 km, the longest in the world. China’s Shanghai opened two new metro lines, the first phase of Line 14 and Line 18. The opening of the two new lines will bring the total number of fully automated metro lines in Shanghai to five, with an operational length of 167 km, ranking first in the world for the first time.
- Recently, Egypt has joined as the fourth new member of the BRICS New Development Bank. Bangladesh, UAE and Uruguay joined the BRICS New Development Bank in September 2021. Membership expansion enables the New Development Bank to establish itself as a premier development institution for emerging economies. The BRICS New Development Bank is a multilateral bank that was established by Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa to finance sustainable development and infrastructure projects.
- Due to heavy snowfall in the mountainous region of Murree, Pakistan more than 1000 tourist vehicles have been stranded in the middle of the roads, in which thousands of people are aboard. According to a BBC report, at least 21 people, including 10 children, have died out of those trapped in these vehicles on Saturday. At least 10 of those killed have died due to freezing while sitting in the car.
- The Prime Minister of Sudan, Abdalla Hamdok announced his resignation on January 02, 2022. The decision follows a military coup that caused a political deadlock in the country and widespread pro-democracy protests. Hamdok, 66, served as the 15th Prime Minister of Sudan from 2019 to 2022.
- Another variant of coronavirus has been detected in France, which is battling the fifth wave of corona due to Omicron. It is tentatively named IHU. Experts say that 46 mutations have occurred in the spike protein of this variant, while only 37 mutations have occurred in the spike protein of Omicron. In France, this variant has been discovered by experts from the IHU Mediterranean Infection Institute. It has been named IHU after this foundation. Based on genome sequencing, this new variant of the corona is B.1.640.2. However, no official name has been given to it by WHO yet.
Read more: Why The Existing Vaccines Are Not Effective On Omicron? Do We Need A New Vaccine?
- Oil-rich Kazakhstan is on the verge of a civil war. Herr rioters are killing policemen by slitting their throats. At the same time, the policemen are also firing bullets at the protesters. At least 48 people have died so far. The protests began when the government removed its price ceiling on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Many residents converted their cars to use LPG because it was cheaper than other fuels. On the other hand, the government said the price cap was leading to LPG paucity and it could no longer afford to boost supplies. The decision to remove the cap virtually doubled the price of fuel.
- The Iranian government has made it clear that it will not recognize the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. A spokesman for the government of Iran said that we will not recognize the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. We have made it clear earlier that the Taliban regime in Afghanistan will have to involve all parties in the government. We hope that the Taliban regime is understanding the concerns of the wo