Phoebe Litchfield continued her rich vein of form with a magnificent century as Australia Women flayed India to post their highest-ever total of 338 for seven in the third and final ODI  in Mumbai  on Jan 2.

Litchfield cracked as many as 16 fours and a six to make 119 off 125 balls and put on a record 189-run stand for the first wicket with Australia captain Alyssa Healy, who also cashed in on the opportunity with an 85-ball 82 (4x4s, 3x6s).

Australia, who already have the series in the bank, were relentless with the bat from the word go and despite Shreyanka Patil's 3/57, the visitors made merry on a placid wicket that proved to be a batting haven.

Litchfield and Healy's 189-run stand is now the highest for any wicket among all the visiting sides in India in the 50-overs format, bettering South Africans Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt's 169-run partnership for the first wicket in 2021.

Q1. The famous Lagoon lake of India is  :

1. Dal Lake
2. Chilka Lake
3. Pullicat Lake
4. Mansarover
5. None of These

Q2. Which of the following passes lies in the Sutlej valley?

1. Nathu La
2. Jelep La
3. Shipki La
4. Sherabathanga
5. None of These

Q3. Where is Khyber Pass situated?

1. Bhutan
2. Bangladesh
3. India
4. Pakistan
5. None of These

Q4. Where is Panzseer valley situated?

1. Lebanon
2. Afghanistan
3. Jammu and Kashmir, India
4. Syria
5. None of These

Q5. The piligrims of Kailash Mansarovar have to pass through which pass to enter into Tibet?

1. Khardungala
2. Rohtang
3. Lipulikh
4. Nathu la
5. None of These

Answers

1------------------------------------------------------2  Chilka Lake

2-----------------------------------  3  Shipki La

3------------------------------------4   Pakistan

4-----------------------------------2  Afghanistan

5------------------------------4   Nathu la

In a major political development, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA from Ganday, Sarafraj Ahmed, resigned from Assembly membership without giving any reasons, which has triggered speculation among the political circles in Jharkhand.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Dec 31  declared the ‘Tehreek-e-Hurriyat’ (TeH), Jammu and Kashmir, as “unlawful association” for the next five years with immediate effect, saying it was involved in activities to separate J&K from India and to establish Islamic rule.

Three days ago, the Centre declared a faction led by Masarat Alam, ‘unlawful association’ for the next five years. TeH was founded by the late separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani in 2004. Many criminal cases have been registered against TeH for its anti-India messaging and efforts to sustain terrorism.

The Mamata Banerjee government on  Dec 31  appointed Nandini Chakrabarty as the second woman home secretary in the history of West Bengal’s bureaucracy. Lina Chakrabarty was the first woman home secretary of the state and she served from 1996 to 1998.

Before she was appointed as the second-in-command in the hierarchy of state’s bureaucracy, the 1994-IAS officer’s career went through peaks and valleys since the change of guard in the state in 2011. Nandini Chakrabarty, a JNU alumni, joined the civil service during the Left Front government and she became one of the favourite bureaucrat of Mamata Banerjee after the Trinamool came to power in 2011. She was appointed as the managing director of industrial development corporation and director of the information and cultural affairs department as well.

Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi has won reelection with more than 70% of the vote, the country's election commission said on Dec 31 as opposition candidates and their supporters questioned the validity of the results.

The preliminary results of the Dec. 20 election were announced in the capital, Kinshasa, amid demands from the opposition and some civil society groups for the vote to be rerun due to massive logistical problems that they said had undermined the balloting.

Tshisekedi's overwhelming declared victory was likely to fuel those concerns. The second-place candidate was businessman Moise Katumbi, who received 18% of the vote, and Martin Fayulu, who received 5%, finished third. Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, a physician renowned for treating women brutalized by sexual violence in eastern Congo, got less than 1%.

Speaking from his headquarters in the capital after the results were announced, Tshisekedi thanked his supporters for giving him another five-year term.

Domestic telecom gear maker HFCL has received an order worth Rs. 1,127 Crores from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to deploy Optical Transport Network (OTN) infrastructure. The company will upgrade BSNL’s network through OTN at over 300 large network nodes and 2000 amplifier sites.

The entire installation process is projected to conclude within an ambitious 18-month timeframe. The partnership will cover the entire spectrum of activities, including supply, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of OTN (Optical Transport Network).

HFCL has entered into a partnership with the NOKIA Network to deploy state-of-the-art optical technology. Following the deployment of these optical networks, HFCL has said that it will have a data capacity of 12 terabytes, effectively meeting its data needs for the next decade. The backbone network, spanning 310 aggregation locations, will serve as a pivotal force in empowering 4G, 5G, and BharatNet services, positioning BSNL at the forefront of India's digital revolution.

Arvind Panagariya, the former Chairman of NITI Aayog, has been appointed as the head of the 16th Finance Commission. The current Joint Secretary of Finance Ritvi Ranjanam Pandey will retain his position as an officer on special duty for the "advance cell",

The former NITI Aayog Chairman left the think tank in August 2017 after a two-year stint.