WEEKLY CURRENT AFFAIRS FROM 9TH-15TH DECEMBER

WEEKLY CURRENT AFFAIRS FROM 9TH-15TH DECEMBER 2019

Most Important Current Affairs

India among top 10 countries with higher climate performances

  • India has been ranked 9th in 2019’s Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) at the COP25 climate summit in the Spanish capital Madrid. The index is jointly presented by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network.
  • The authors of the report noted that the first three places of the ranking remain unoccupied
  • While some EU countries such as Sweden (4th) and Denmark (5th), one of the best climbers, achieve overall high or very high ratings, the performance of EU countries varies largely.
  • Only two G20 countries i.e. the UK (7th) and India (9th) are ranked in the high category while eight G20 countries were placed in the worst category of the index.
  • Australia (56th out of 61), Saudi Arabia and above all the US perform particularly poor.
  • China, the largest global emitter slightly improves its ranking in the index to 30th place.

India ranks 129th in Human Development Index

  • The Human Development Index measures average achievement of the countries in 3 basic dimensions of human development i.e. life expectancy, education and per capita income. The index is released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  • India has been ranked 129th among 189 countries in the Human Development Index 2019.
  • India was ranked 130th last year in the index. Norway, Switzerland, Ireland occupied the top three positions in the index.
  • According to the report, South Asia was the fastest growing region in human development progress showing a 46% growth over 1990-2018, followed by East Asia and the Pacific at 43%.

Facts Related to India

  • India’s HDI value increased from 0.431 to 0.647, which places it above the average for countries in the medium human development group (0.634) and above the average for other South Asian countries (0.642).

 

 

  • In the Inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI), India was ranked 130th, losing nearly half the progress (0.647 to 0.477) made in the past 30 years.
  • The IHDI indicates percentage loss in HDI due to inequalities. In the Gender Inequality Index (GII), India is at 122 out of 162 countries.

ISRO Launches Earth observation satellite “RISAT-2BR1”

  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its earth observation satellite “RISAT2BR1” on PSLV-C48 from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
  • RISAT-2BR1 is a Radar imaging earth observation satellite weighing about 628 kg and will be placed into an orbit of 576 km at an inclination of 37 degrees.
  • PSLV-C48 is the 50th mission of PSLV and will also carry 9 customer satellites of Israel, Italy, Japan and USA as co-passengers.
  • These international customer satellites are being launched under a commercial arrangement with New Space India Limited.

Greta Thunberg named Time Person of the year for 2019

  • Sweden’s Greta Thunberg has been named as Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2019. Greta Thunberg is the Swedish schoolgirl who inspired a global movement to fight climate change and became popular with the “#FridaysForFuture“. She is the youngest person to be chosen by the magazine in a tradition that started in 1927. TIME is also expanding Person of the Year to reflect the full range of subjects that TIME covers. For the first time, TIME has chosen the most influential person in a range of fields

S.No            Name           Profession                 Category

1         Greta Thunberg        Climate activist                        Person of the Year

 

2         Bob Iger           Chairman and CEO           Businessperson of the Year

                               of The Walt Disney Company

 

3        The Public Servants      Federal workers of the US      Guardians of the Year

 

4       United States women’s  Women’s Soccer                 Athlete of the Year

          national soccer team

5        Melissa Jefferson   Singer                   Entertainer of the Year

(Lizzo)

Forbes Releases the list “The world’s 100 most powerful women”

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been ranked 34th by Forbes in ‘The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’. HCL Corporation CEO and Executive Director Roshni Nadar Malhotra and Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw are two other Indians who also featured in the above list. The Forbes 2019 list of ‘The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ has been topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, followed by President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde in the 2nd spot and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, ranked 3rd. Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also featured on the list on the 29th position.

S.No        Name             Country

1 Angela Merkel          Germany

2 Christine Lagarde      France

3 Nancy Pelosi              United States

4 Ursula von                   Belgium

der Leyen

5 Mary Barra                 United States

6 Melinda Gates           United States

7 Abigail Johnson         United States

8 Ana Patricia Botín      Spain

9 Ginni Rometty          United States

10 Marillyn Hewson    United States

34 Nirmala Sitharaman India

54 Roshni Nadar Malhotra India

65 Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw India

100 Greta Thunberg         Sweden

National News

  • Walmart will train 50,000 entrepreneurs from the micro, small & medium enterprises (MSME) sector by opening 25 institute hubs in India under the ‘Walmart Vriddhi Supplier Development Programe” across the nation in next 5 years which would train the MSME entrepreneurs.
  • President Ram Nath Kovind has laid the foundation stone of the memorial to be built in the memory of the Paika rebellion, a 200-year-old armed revolt in 1817 against the British East India Company in Odisha.
  • The “Duchifat-3” is an Israeli student’s made satellite to be launched from ISRO’s Sriharikota launch site. The satellite is jointly built by Herzliya Science Center and Sha’ar HaNegev High School students of Israel.
  • The external affairs ministry is organising the 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue with the theme “IndoPacific: Re-imagining the Indian Ocean through an Expanded Geography” and Delhi Dialogue XI with the theme of “Advancing Partnership in IndoPacific” in New Delhi.
  • Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has started the scheme of National award for outstanding service in the field of Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug abuse. The award will be distributed on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 26th of June 2020.
  • Jammu and Kashmir will host the workshop on Bamboo cultivation which focuses on the promotion of Bamboo cultivation in the potential Kandi areas of Jammu
  • Indian Space Research Organization has begun preparatory works for setting up a 3rd rocket launchpad in the small coastal hamlet of Kulashekhrapattinam in the Thuthukudi district of Tamil Nadu.
  • A National Tribal Dance Festival will be held in Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur.

States In the News

  • Gurgaon’s ambitious Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) has been inaugurated and will serve as the nodal point for all online data related to the Smart City applications, including CCTV-based public safety and adaptive traffic management system, smart parking system, water supply management system, pollution monitoring, property tax management system and asset management system.
  • Human Library event will be held in Mysuru, Karnataka and will generate greater human cohesion across various social, religious and ethnic diversities.
  • Odisha to set up 45 new fast track courts out of whch 21 courts would be dedicated to cases of rape and sexual harassment of women while the remaining 24 fast track courts will specifically deal with Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases.
  • The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approves the A.P. Disha Bill, 2019 (A.P. Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2019) paving the way for awarding the death penalty for the offences of rape and gang-rape and expediting the verdict in trials of such cases to 21 days.
  • Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated the Virtual Police Station at Andhra University, Andhra Pradesh.

Agreements/MoUs signed

  • An MoU has been signed between National Small Industries Corporation and Suadi Aramco (Asia) for the development of MSME Ecosystem in India in Oil & Gas Sector
  • National Thermal Power Corporation Limited has signed a term loan agreement of Rs 5,000 crore with State Bank of India to part finance the capital expenditure of NTPC.
  • Dell Technologies partnered with UNESCO MGIEP (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace) to enable school teachers to adopt technology in classrooms by using ICT tools which are developed by Dell Aarambh and FramerSpace platform.
  • The Ministry of Shipping (MoS) has announced that Mongla and Chattogram (Both in Bangladesh) have been declared as Ports of Call under “Coastal Shipping Agreement” between India & Bangladesh. The Port of Mongla is declared as Port of Call under PIWT&T (Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade ) and Chattogram port is not part of PIWT&T.
  • Maldives government has signed a contract with a joint venture of Indian companies which aims to prepare project report and the development of Addu, which is the 2nd biggest city in the island nation. The project will be financed by EXIM bank of India through line of credit of USD 800 million.

Banking/Economy/Business News

  • Export-Import Bank of India has provided $500 million (Rs 3561 crore) Line of Credit to Bangladesh for defence-related procurement in the neighbouring country.
  • Union Government informed that loans worth over 10 lakh crore rupees have been sanctioned till 1st November 2019 under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, PMMY.
  • National Stock Exchange has launched interest rate options on 10-year Government bonds maturing in 2029 with a coupon rate of 7.26% and 6.45%.
  • Xiaomi has formally launched its lending platform “Mi Credit” in India for Android phones. Under this, the individuals can avail up to Rs 1 lakh loan.
  • The Asian Development Bank has lowered its forecast for India’s economic growth in fiscal year 2019-20 to 5.1%.
  • Under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the Photo Division has invited entries for the 8th National Photography Awards. The National Photography Awards are conferred under three categories: Lifetime Achievement Award, Award for Professional Photographers, Award for Amateur Photographers. This year’s theme for Professional Photographers is ‘Life and Water’ and for the Amateur Photographers is ‘Cultural Heritage of India’.
  • Gulu Mirchandani, the founder chairman of Mirc Electronics Ltd. (Onida) has been conferred with “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association for his extensive contribution to the consumer electronics industry (CEAMA).
  • Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has received the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to achieve international peace and co-operation. This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was the 100th to be awarded.
  • Indian actress Priyanka Chopra was honoured for her 20 years of work and contribution in cinema, at the Marrakech Film Festival held at the famous Jemaa el Fna square. Hollywood actor Robert Redford, Moroccan actress Mouna Fettou and filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier were among other people who were honoured at the festival.
  • Odisha has won the ‘World Habitat Award’ for Jaga Mission which is also called Odisha Liveable Habitat Mission (OLHM). It is a slum land titling project executed for the benefit of millions of urbanpoor people living in slums.
  • The Gurugram-based startup blue Sky Analytics has created an application called ‘Zuri’ that won the Copernicus Masters Award also called Space Oscars, under the Social Entrepreneurship category.
  • The FICCI India Sports Awards 2019 has been awarded to Railway Sports Promotion Board under the category of Best Company Promoting Sports.

Appointments/Resignations

  • The News Broadcasters Federation (NFB) has elected editor-in-chief of Republic TV Arnab Goswami as the President of its governing board.
  • The National Stock Exchange of India Ltd has appointed Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as its new chairman.
  • Sugandh Rajaram has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Ghana. He will replace Birender Singh Yadav.

Schemes and Committees

  • The Puducherry government unveiled a start-up policy which aims to create a corpus fund of Rs 10 crores to support the setting up of start-up incubators and to develop co-working spaces.

Defence News

  • The Indian Air Force has decided to put tail numbers in 30 Rafale jets with ”BS” initials after the recently retired Air Force Chief Birender Singh Dhanoa. 6 Rafale trainer aircraft will carry RB series tail numbers which stands for Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, the current Chief of Air Staff.
  • The UAE and the United States has commenced a joint military exercise ‘Iron Union 12’ to enhance the combat and tactical capabilities.
  • 4th edition of International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems ‘NAVARMS-19’ begins in Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, Development Enclave, New Delhi with the theme “Make in India – Fight Category: Opportunities and Imperatives”.

Awards and Recognitions

  • Kairat Abdrakhmanov (Kazakhstan), Nicholas Emiliou (Cyprus), Frantisek Ruzicka (Slovakia), Volodymyr Yelchenko (Ukraine) have been honoured with ‘The Diwali – Power of One’ award 2019 also known as ‘Oscars of Diplomacy’ in recognition and celebration of their work, especially at the United Nations, for a secure and peaceful world.
  • Abu Dhabi (UAE) has been selected as the world’s leading Sports tourism Destination at the 26th edition of the World Travel Awards (WTA) being held in Muscat, Oman.
  • Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi was crowned Miss Universe 2019 in Atlanta, US.

Summit and Conference

  • The Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the valedictory session of the 54th edition of DGsP/IGsP Conference which was held in Pune.
  • Switzerland will be the partner country at the 17th edition of BioAsia2020 to be held with the theme “Today For Tomorrow” in Hyderabad, Telangana
  • The ‘International Seminar on Climate Smart Farming Systems’ for BIMSTEC countries began in New Delhi.
  • Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D) has organized the 37th National Symposium of Heads of Police Training Institutions in New Delhi with the theme of ‘Optimal Utilization of Resources-Through Sharing and Networking’.
  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting of the Consultative Committee of Parliament for the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi.

Ranks and Reports

  • According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the worldwide arms sales rose by nearly 5% in 2018 and the market is dominated by the United States. US firm Lockheed Martin is the world’s largest arms maker with the sales accounting for 11% of the world market.

Sports News

  • World Anti-Doping Agency has banned Russia for 4 years from participation in global sporting events including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
  • Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has inaugurated the special edition of Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League T20 cricket championship to mark Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birth centenary in 2020.
  • Praggnanandhaa from India has won the FIDE Open category of the London Chess Classic held in London. He finished joint first with Anton Smirnov of Australia both scoring 7.5 points.
  • Wasim Jaffer has become the first player in Indian cricket to feature in 150 Ranji matches. He is followed by Madhya Pradesh batsman Devendra Bundela (145 matches) and Amol Muzumdar (136 matches), who have played for Mumbai and Assam.
  • Actor Suniel Shetty has been selected as the brand ambassador of National Anti-Doping Agency NADA.
  • India has finished on top with 312 medals comprising 174 gold, 93 silver and 45 bronze in the 13th South Asian Games recently concluded in Nepal.
  • Indian match referee GS Lakshmi is set to become the first woman match referee to officiate a men’s ODI match.
  • Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal and ace pistol shooter Saurabh Chaudhary won the Sports Person of the Year awards at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2019.
  • The International Hockey Federation unveiled a new world ranking system for 2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland. It will come into effect from the 1st January 2020. The new ranking will be match-based instead of tournament-based calculation.
  • The top tier of Spanish club football “La Liga” has announced cricketer Rohit Sharma as its brand ambassador in India.

Important Days

  • ⚫ The United Nations observes Human Rights Day on 10 December every year to acknowledge the advocates and defenders of human rights around the world. The theme for year 2019 is “Youth Standing Up for Human Rights”.
  • The United Nations observes 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. It aims to raise awareness of the Genocide Convention and its role in combating and preventing the crime of genocide and to commemorate and honour its victims.
  • The United Nations observes International AntiCorruption Day on 9 December to raise public awareness of corruption and what people can do to fight it. The theme for 2019 is “United Against Corruption”.
  • The United Nations observes International Day of Neutrality on December 12 every year.
  • International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day) is celebrated globally on 12 December to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage with multi-stakeholder partners. The theme for the 2019 UHC Day is “Keep the promise”

Obituaries

  • Braj Bihari Kumar, the Chairman of Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) passed away. He was appointed as the chairman of the ICSSR in May 2017.
  • The inventor of Universal Product Code(UPC) or Barcode, George Joseph Laurer, passed away.
  • The former US Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker passed away.
  • Former Nandi Award winner and renowned Telugu actor and writer Gollapudi Maruti Rao passed away recently.

Miscallaneous News

  • Khadi and Village Industries Commission distributed 500 Bee Boxes, 500 Electric Pottery Wheels and 200 Leather Tool Kits in an event in Boondi District of Rajasthan.
  • The UNESCO-recognized Nilgiri Mountain Railway conducted a special service for foreign tourists on special steam engine from Coonoor to Ooty
  • The Federation of Indian Association has invited Super 30 founder Anand Kumar to a function on the eve of India’s Republic Day celebrations in New York. Year “2020” also marks the 50th anniversary of FIA.
  • Jammu and Kashmir’s Lt Governor Girish Chandra Murmu has inaugurated the 72-metre long Multi Cell Box Type Load Class 70 bridge built by Border Roads Organisation in Rajouri. The bridge spans over Draj nallah and connects Draj Area to Tehsil Kotranka area under District Rajouri
  • Archaeological Survey of India has identified 138 numbers of monuments as Must-See Monuments. The ‘Must See’ list of ASI features first-class Indian monuments and archaeological sites including those that feature on UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage List
  • PUMA has signed Indian men’s football team captain Sunil Chhetri as its brand ambassador.
  • PepsiCo has appointed actor Salman Khan as the new brand ambassador of its flagship Pepsi brand of carbonated beverage in India.
  • Amazon’s audiobook company Audible has launched a new app “Audible Suno” in India which features original audio series aiming to expand Audible’s reach in India’s highly competitive digital entertainment and streaming space.

Static Takeaways

  • UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. DirectorGeneral of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay.
  • President of WADA: Sir Craig Reedie; Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
  • Indian Airforce founded: 8 October 1932, India; Headquarters: New Delhi.
  • Chairman, President & CEO of Lockheed Martin: Marillyn A. Hewson.
  • President of the UAE: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Capital: Abu Dhabi; Currency: Dirham
  • Diwali Foundation USA Chairman: Ranju Batra
  • National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) established in 1955.
  • NSE’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer: Vikram Limaye.
  • Exim bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Founded: 1 January 1982.
  • Gurdeep Singh is the Chairman and Managing Director of NTPC.
  • Chief Minister of Haryana: Manohar Lal Khattar, Governor: Satyadeo Narayan Arya
  • Saudi Arabia Capital: Riyadh; Currency: Saudi riyal.
  • Finland Capital: Helsinki, Currency: Euro.
  • Odisha Governor: Ganeshi Lal; Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik.
  • Nepal Prime Minister: K P Sharma Oli; Capital: Kathmandu.
  • ISRO Director: Sivan, Headquarters: Bengaluru, Established: 1969.
  • Ethiopia capital: Addis Ababa; Currency: Ethiopian birr.
  • Odisha CM: Naveen Patnaik; Governor: Ganeshi Lal.
  • founder of Archaeological Survey of India: Alexander Cunningham.
  • Capital of Switzerland: Bern; Currency of Switzerland: Swiss franc.
  • Asian Development Bank Headquarters: Manila, Philippines; President: Takehiko Nakao.
  • Chief of the Naval Staff: Karambir Singh.
  • UNESCO formation: 4 November 1946; Headquarters: Paris, France; Director-General: Audrey Azoulay.
  • Capital of Odisha: Bhubaneswar; Governor of Odisha: Ganeshi Lal.
  • Canada Capital: Ottawa; Currency: Canadian dollar
  • Lieutenant (Lt) Governors of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K): Girish Chandra Murmu.
  • Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment: Thaawar Chand Gehlot.
  • The BIMSTEC member states ‘Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan are among the countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal.
  • Governors Puducherry: Dr Kiran Bedi.
  • Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Shipping: Mansukh L. Mandaviya.
  • FICCI stands for Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
  • CM of Andhra Pradesh: YS Jaganmohan Reddy.
  • CM of Chhattisgarh: Bhupesh Baghel; Governor of Chhattisgarh: Anusuiya Uikey.
  • ISRO Director: K.Sivan; Headquarters: Bengaluru; Established: 1969.
  • CM of Andhra Pradesh: YS Jaganmohan Reddy


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