Current affairs 26 January 2024

Odisha to establish world's first Melanistic Tiger Safari in Mayurbanj.

• Odisha government plans to establish the world's first melanistic tiger safari near Baripada in the Mayurbhanj district.
• The chosen site, 15 km from the Similipal Tiger Reserve, is the only natural habitat for melanistic tigers globally, aiming to house surplus tigers from Nandankanan Zoo and those unfit for the wild but suitable for public display.

Sweden set to become NATO member as Turkey approves its membership bid.

• Turkey's parliament votes 287-55 in favor of approving Sweden's NATO membership bid.
• President Erdoğan is expected to sign the bill into law shortly, paving the way for Sweden to join NATO.
• NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg welcomes the development, anticipating Hungary's prompt ratification, potentially securing the entire Baltic coastline under NATO jurisdiction.

IICF announced construction of mosque in Ayodhya.

• The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) initiates the construction of "Masjid Muhammed bin Abdullah" mosque in Ayodhya.
• IICF considers crowdfunding as a means to finance the mosque construction.
• Supreme Court's 2019 verdict allocated separate land for the Muslim community to build a mosque after declaring the Babri Masjid demolition as unlawful.

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Cameroon launched world’s first Malaria vaccine program for children.

• Cameroon's landmark program targets 2.5 lakh children over two years, aiming to alleviate the immense burden of malaria in Africa.
• Mosquirix, the first malaria vaccine approved in 2021, offers a 30% efficacy against the deadly Plasmodium parasite, marking a crucial step in the fight against the disease.

Cabinet approves setting-up of two coal gasification plants.

• The Cabinet approves the establishment of two coal gasification plants in West Bengal and Odisha, targeting 100 metric tons by 2028-29.
• Coal India Limited (CIL) will set up the plants in collaboration with GAIL and BHEL, with total investments of ₹13,052 crores and ₹11,782 crores, respectively.
• The projects will focus on Natural Gas in West Bengal and Coal-to-Ammonium Nitrate in Odisha.