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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Andhra Pradesh bans New Year festivities in temples
Andhra Pradesh Endowments Department has issued a circular banning festivities and special darshans at temples to celebrate New Year.
Andhra Pradesh bans New Year celebrations in temples:
i. The circular was issued by the Hindu Dharma Parirakshana Trust of the Endowments Department. It bans festivities and special darshans for New Year at Hindu temples.
ii. It states that organizing new year festivities in temples is not a part of Hindu and Telugu traditions.
iii .The circular directs the temple managements and priests not to spend money for floral decorations, banners, special arrangements etc. on New Year celebrations.
Somes temples of Telangana:
♦ Sri Raja Rajeshwara temple – Rajanna district
♦ Bhadrachalam Temple – Bhadrachalam
♦ Thousand Pillar Temple – Warangal
♦ Ramappa Temple – Warangal
Two Day Regional Conference on Good Governance held in Guwahati
Two-day Regional Conference on ‘Good Governance and Replication of Best Practices’ was held in Guwahati, Assam from 22nd – 23rd December, 2017.
Highlights of Conference on ‘Good Governance and Replication of Best Practices’:
i. The conference was organized by Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) under Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions in collaboration with Assam State Government.
ii. The conference was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal.
iii. Objective of the conference was to provide a platform for experience sharing in the formulation and implementation of citizen centric governance, Good Governance Index, improving public service delivery and PM awarded initiatives.
iv. Six sessions were held during the conference on different themes including ‘Responsive Public Delivery’, ‘PM awarded Initiatives 2017’ and ‘State Collaboration Initiatives in Administrative Reforms’.
v. Delegates from 36 States and Union Territories (UTs) participated in this conference.
Environment ministry launches pilot project “Blue Flag” for beach clean-up
In a bid to raise standards of cleanliness and setting up basic amenities at beaches, Union Environment Ministry has launched a pilot project for beach clean-up and development.
Information about Environment Ministry’s Project for beach clean-up:
i. Under this project, Environment Ministry has asked each coastal state and union territory to nominate one beach which will be developed by deploying funds through the ongoing Integrated Coastal Management Programme.
ii. Subsequent to the development, attempt will be made to procure ‘Blue Flag’ certification for such identified beaches.
iii. ‘Blue Flag’ certification testifies that a beach, marina or sustainable boating tourism operator adheres to specific standards. This certification is awarded by the Foundation for Environment Education (FEE).
iv. So far, all coastal states have nominated one pilot beach in their receptive territories for development under this project.
India’s First Runway on ‘Sea Bridge’ to be built at Agatti Airport
India’s first aircraft runway on a ‘sea bridge’ will be constructed at Agatti Ariport, Lakshadweep.
More information about India’s First Runway on ‘Sea Bridge’:
i. Airports Authority of India (AAI) has got an approval to extend the existing runway at Agatti Airport, Lakshdweep by building a Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) platform on the beach and shallow sea.
ii. The existing runway will be extended on this platform and the resultant longer airstrip will enable bigger aircrafts to land and take-off from the Agaatti Airport.
iii. Estimated cost for this project is Rs 1500 crore.
iv. Earlier, AAI’s plan was to extend the runway by linking two adjacent islands. However, that plan had to be dropped owing to environmental concerns.
Parliamentary panel proposes body cameras for traffic police, RTO officials
24-member Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha, headed by Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe has recommended body wearable cameras for traffic policemen and Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) officials enforcing the Motor Vehicles Act.
Key Recommendations headed by Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe Committee:
i. Committee expects that body wearable cameras will reduce arbitrariness and corruption by the enforcement officials.
ii. It has prescribed that offences recorded through these body wearable cameras should be digitally stored and monitored in the control room.
iii. The committee has also recommended registration of vehicles by dealers and non-production of vehicles at Regional Transport Offices (RTOs).
iv. The panel made these recommendations after examining the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017.
v. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari expects the bill to be passed in the current session of the parliament.
India, Russia review economic ties in key areas
Meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) was held in New Delhi on December 23, 2017.
Highlights of IRIGC-TEC Meeting:
i. This meeting was held to undertake a comprehensive review of bilateral economic cooperation between India and Russia in the areas of trade and investment, energy, transport, agriculture, industry and space.
ii. The meeting was co-chaired by India’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.
iii. Both the countries have decided to raise the level of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on trade and economic cooperation to that of Deputy Minister/Commerce Secretary Level.
iv. Besides, India and Russia have agreed to create a mechanism to discuss and remove any existing barriers to trade and create working groups to boost ties in agriculture and pharmaceuticals.
Quick Facts about Russia:
♦ Capital – Moscow
♦ Currency – Ruble
♦ Current President – Vladimir Putin
♦ Important Rivers – Volga
Uttar Pradesh government signs MoU with South Korea
On 23rd December 2017, the Uttar Pradesh government signed a MoU with South Korea to improve cooperation in the field of tourism, skill development, culture and farming.
UP signs MoU with South Korea:
i. A delegation from Gimhae city of South Korea met Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath at Lucknow. They signed a MoU for improving cooperation in tourism, skill development, culture and farming.
ii. This is expected to provide more employment opportunities and development in these fields.
Some dams of Uttar Pradesh:
♦ Rajghat Dam – Betwa River
♦ Rihand Dam – Rihand River
♦ Dhurwara Dam – Betwa River
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
UN to mark Mandela’s 100th birthday with a peace summit
The UN General Assembly has planned to mark the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birthday with a high-level meeting on world peace.
Peace summit to mark Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday:
i. On 22nd December 2017, a resolution was adopted in regard with the “Nelson Mandela Peace Summit”. The peace summit will contain speeches by UN officials.
ii. This summit will be conducted before the annual gathering of world leaders in September 2018.
iii. The resolution highlighted the importance of Nelson Mandela’s contribution to promote conflict resolution, race relations, human rights, reconciliation and gender equality.
About Nelson Mandela:
♦ Born – 18 July 1918
♦ Awards – Sakharov Prize, Bharat Ratna, Nishan-e-Pakistan, Nobel Peace Prize, Order of Lenin etc
♦ Known for – Anti-Apartheid Movement
India, China Hold 20th Round of Border Talks
On December 22, 2017, special representatives of India and China held talks in New Delhi to discuss important aspects related to border issues.
i. This was the 20th round of border talks between India and China.
ii. Indian side was led by National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval while Yang Jiechi, represented China.
iii. Discussion during this round of talks focused on the recent Doklam standoff and other unresolved border disputes between India and China.
iv. In June 2017, Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a two-month long standoff following Chinese Army’s plans to build a road in an area claimed by Bhutan.
Quick Facts about China:
♦ Capital – Beijing
♦ Currency – Renminbi
♦ Current President – Xi Jinping
♦ Important Rivers – Yangtze, Yellow River
World’s Longest Glass Bridge Opens in China
World’s longest glass pedestrian bridge opened in Hebei Province of China on December 24, 2017.
Salient features of Longest Glass Bridge in China:
i. Length of this bridge is 488 meters, and the width is about two meters.
ii. The bridge connects two mountain peaks in Hunyagu in Pingshan County and is suspended at an altitude of 218 meters above the valley.
iii. Nearly 1077 glass panels weighing 70 tons are fitted on this bridge.
iv. The bridge can withstand weight of about 2000 people. However, only 500 visitors will be allowed at a time.
v. Earlier, a 430-metre-long glass bridge constructed across a deep canyon in China’s Zhangjiajie National Forest Park was considered as longest glass bridge.
BANKING & FINANCE
India’s GDP growth may rebound to 7.5% in 2018: Nomura
According to Japanese financial services major Nomura, Indian economy may witness a sharp recovery in the January-March 2018 quarter and its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for 2018 is likely to be around 7.5 per cent.
i. The above stated sharp recovery in January-March 2018 would come on account of ongoing remonetisation and improving global demand.
ii. For the ongoing, October – December 2017 quarter, Nomura expects India’s GDP growth to rise to 6.7 per cent.
iii. Nomura’s report has outlined that Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may tighten the monetary policy in neat future in order to contain the inflationary pressures.
Quick Facts about Nomura Group:
♦ Founded in – 1925
♦ Headquarters – Tokyo, Japan
Government Mint launches first home-grown high purity gold reference standard
On December 23, 2017, India Government Mint (IGM), Mumbai launched India’s first home-grown high purity gold reference standard – the Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND-4201).
About Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND-4201):
i. BND-4201, is the reference material for gold of ‘9999’ fineness (gold that is 99.99 per cent pure).
ii. The high purity gold reference standard has been developed through a collaborative effort between IGM, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (New Delhi) and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre — National Centre for Compositional Characterisation of Materials (Hyderabad).
iii. Gold reference standard is prominently used in gold and jewellery hall marking. Besides, it will also be useful for Collection and Purity Testing Centres to determine the purity of gold deposits under Government’s gold monetisation scheme.
iv. IGM, Mumbai, is one of the four units operated by India Government Mint. Other three units are located in Hyderabad, Kolkata and Noida.
Banks lost nearly Rs 17000 crore to frauds last fiscal: Finance Ministry
Minister of State for Finance, Shiv Pratap Shukla has informed Lok Sabha that Indian Banks lost Rs 16789 crore on account of frauds during 2016-17.
Details pertaining to amount lost on account of frauds:
i. This figure is based on fraud monitoring reports submitted by the scheduled commercial banks and select financial institutions to Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
ii. Mr. Shukla also informed that during 2016-17, several incidents of bank robbery, theft, and burglary were reported from different parts of India which involved a total amount of Rs. 65.3 crore.
iii. In the current fiscal, 393 such cases involving Rs 18.48 crore have been reported for the April – September 2017 period.
iv. In context of counterfeit notes, Minister of State for Finance, P Radhakrishnan informed that new fake currency notes of Rs 2000 and Rs 500 denomination that have been seized recently, are scanned or photocopied notes.
BUSINESS
India begins dumping probe into chemical imported from Russia
India has initiated an dumping probe on imports of ‘Sodium Nitrite’, used in industries such as pharma and food processing, from Russia.
India initiates dumping probe:
i. The Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has found sufficient evidence for dumping of Sodium Nitrite.
ii. If it is proved that dumping has caused material injury to domestic industry, DGAD would impose anti-dumping duty on Sodium Nitrite. The investigation period includes April 2016 and March 2017 (12 months).
iii. The probe would investigate on the existence, degree and effect of alleged dumping. It will also recommend the amount of anti-dumping duty, if necessary to rectify the damage on the domestic industry.
About Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD):
♦ Constituted – 1998
♦ Purpose – carrying out investigations and recommending the amount of anti-dumping duty on the identified articles
IndiGo becomes first Indian carrier to operate 1000 flights in a day
On December 22, 2017, IndiGo became the first Indian carrier to operate over 1000 flights in a day across India.
i . On December 22, 2017, Indigo’s flight 6E 185 from Mumbai to Kochi became the 1000th flight.
ii. On the same day, IndiGo also took the delivery of its 31st Airbus A-320 Neo aircraft, taking its fleet size to 150 aircrafts.
iii. Earlier, on December 21, 2017, IndiGo had launched the first ATR flight between Hyderabad and Mangalore under Central Governments regional air connectivity scheme, UDAN.
Quick Facts about IndiGo:
♦ Commenced Operations in – 2006
♦ Headquarters – Gurgaon, Haryana
Odisha recognised as ‘Champion State’ for exports
Central Government has recognised Odisha as a ‘Champion State’ for exports recording the highest growth in exports during 2016-17.
i. Announcement in this regard was made by Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry during a review meeting on the export performance of states.
ii. Exports from Odisha during 2016-17 stood at Rs 40872 crore, which marks a growth of 114% from Rs 19082 crore in 2015-16.
iii. According to Revealed Competitive Advantage (RCA) study done by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), Odisha has a competitive advantage vis-a-vis other Indian states in four categories of export items viz. iron, mineral metals, chemicals and marine products.
iv. Commencement of exports from Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Balasore, Multi Model Logistic Parks (MMLP) at Jharsuguda and Port-side Container Terminal (PSCT) at Paradip will further boost the quantum of exports from Odisha.
Quick Facts about Odisha:
♦ Capital – Bhubaneswar
♦ Current Chief Minister – Naveen Patnaik
♦ Current Governor – S. C. Jamir
♦ Important National Park – Bhitarkanika National Park
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
Jai Ram Thakur to be new Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister
On 24th December 2017, BJP announced Jairam Thakur as the new Chief Minister (CM) of Himachal Pradesh.
Jai Ram Thakur – CM of Himachal Pradesh:
i .Jai Ram Thakur will take oath as Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh on 27 December 2017. He is 52 years old.
ii. He was an active member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) when he was a college student. He was made ABVP state secretary in 1986.
iii. He joined Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in the 1990s. He was appointed as the state BJP chief in 2006.
Some National Parks in Himachal Pradesh:
♦ Great Himalayan National Park
♦ Inderkilla National Park
♦ Simbalbara National Park
♦ Pin Valley National Park
Uber Technologies appoints Barney Harford as Chief Operating Officer (COO)
On 20th December 2017, Barney Harford, former chief executive of Orbitz, was appointed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Uber Technologies.
Barney Harford – COO of Uber Technologies:
i. Barney Harford will join Uber Technologies on 2 January 2018. He will look over global ride-hailing operations, marketing, customer support and the food delivery business.
ii. He has been an adviser in Uber Technologies since October 2017. He will have to regulate Uber’s day-to-day business. He has been bestowed with the responsibility to generate profit at Uber, which has recently faced considerable loss.
About Uber Technologies:
♦ Headquarters – San Francisco, California
♦ CEO – Dara Khosrowshahi
♦ Founders – Travis Kalanick, Garrett Camp
Belgium appoints world’s first-ever female ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Belgium has become the first country to send a female ambassador (Dominique Mineur) to Saudi Arabia.
Dominique Mineur – world’s first-ever female ambassador to Saudi Arabia:
i. Dominique Mineur is currently Belgium’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. She will shift to Riyadh in 2018 summer.
ii. Saudi Arabia is one of the least gender equal countries in the world. Recently it has relaxed some of its restrictions on women.
About Belgium:
♦ Prime Minister – Charles Michel
♦ Official languages – Dutch, French, German
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
Amazon acquires home automation startup Blink
E-commerce giant Amazon has acquired a startup named Blink that builds wireless home security systems.
Details about Amazon’s acquisition of Blink:
i. Blink’s home security cameras were first introduced in 2016. Its key feature is the ease of set-up. As it can operate on batteries, it does not require wiring/plugging.
ii. This acquisition will help Amazon to create a presence in connected home video cameras market.
iii. Financial considerations related to this acquisition deal have yet not been disclosed.
Quick Facts about Amazon:
♦ Founded in – 1994
♦ Headquarters – Washington, US
♦ Current CEO – Jeff Bezos
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
China conducts maiden flight of indigenous amphibious aircraft ‘AG600’
On 24th December 2017, China successfully conducted the first flight of its first indigenous amphibious aircraft ‘AG600’, in southern Guangdong Province, China.
AG600:
i. The AG600 aircraft is code named “Kunlong”. It was launched from the Jinwan Civil Aviation Airport in Zhuhai, Guangdong. In Chinese “Kun” means enormous legendary fish and “Long” means a dragon.
ii. The aircraft is 39.6 meters long. It is powered through four domestically built turboprop engines. It was developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
iii. Its maximum take-off weight is 53.5 tonnes. Its maximum speed is 500 kilometers per hour.
iv. It is considered to be the world’s largest amphibious aircraft. It will be used for maritime rescue, fighting forest fires and marine monitoring, etc.
v. It has the capacity to carry 50 people during search-and-rescue missions. It can collect 12 tonnes of water in 20 seconds for fire-fighting.
About Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC):
♦ Headquarters – Beijing, China
♦ Chairman & CEO – Lin Zuoming
♦ Industry – Aerospace, Defence, Electronics
SPORTS
Shooting excluded at 2022 Commonwealth Games
On 21st December 2017, it was announced that shooting has been excluded from the 2022 edition of Commonwealth Games.
2022 Commonwealth Games – Shooting excluded:
i. Shooting is listed in Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF)’s optional sports. A candidate city can include a maximum of 7 sports from that list in its final programme.
ii. Birmingham, which is the host city for 2022 Commonwealth games, has so far chosen judo, table tennis, wrestling, gymnastics, diving, cycling and 3v3 basketball to include apart from the mandatory sports.
iii. The programme will be finalised by the end of 2018. So far, India has earned one-fourth of its medals in Commonwealth Games through shooting.
About National Rifle Association of India (NRAI):
♦ Founded – 1951
♦ Aim – to promote and popularize the shooting sports in India
♦ President – Raninder Singh
Vijender Singh beats Ernest Amuzu, retains his WBO Oriental and Asia Pacific super middleweight titles
On 23rd December 2017, Vijender Singh defeated Ernest Amuzu at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur for the show ‘Rajasthan Rumble’ and retained his WBO Oriental and Asia Pacific super middleweight titles.
Vijender Singh retains his WBO Oriental and Asia Pacific super middleweight titles:
i. The ‘Rajasthan Rumble’ consisted of ten rounds. Vijender Singh won majority of the rounds out of the ten. In the final round he defeated Ghana’s Ernest Amuzu.
ii. This is Vijender Singh’s 10th consecutive victory in his professional boxing career. Vijender Singh is 32 years old and hails from Haryana. He is currently ranked 6th in the WBO rankings.
About World Boxing Organization (WBO):
♦ Formation – 1988
♦ Purpose – Boxing sanctioning organization
♦ Headquarters – San Juan, Puerto Rico
♦ President – Francisco Varcarcel
India finish runners-up in SAFF U15 Women’s Championship (football)
On 24th December 2017, India lost against Bangladesh in the final and became runners-up of the SAFF U15 Women’s Championship in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
India – Runners-up in SAFF U15 Women’s Championship:
i. India was defeated by Bangladesh 1-0 in the finals of the SAFF U15 Women’s Championship. Earlier, India had lost to Bangladesh 3-0 in the group stage of the championship.
ii. The match was very closely fought. In the 41st minute the goal hit by Shamsun Nahar made the difference and India emerged as runners-up.
Some stadiums in Bangladesh:
♦ Shaheed Kamruzzaman Stadium – Rajshahi
♦ A. Aziz Stadium – Chittagong
♦ Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium – Chittagong
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Book on Gauri Lankesh’s writings “The Way I See It” launched
On 22nd December 2017, ‘The Way I See It’, a book containing writings by late journalist Gauri Lankesh was launched at the Mumbai Press Club, in Mumbai.
The Way I See It:
i.“The Way I See It” is a book containing selected works of Gauri Lankesh. It has been edited by Chandan Gowda, writer and sociologist. This book has been released 3 months after Gauri Lankesh was murdered in Bengaluru.
ii.The book consists of six sections. It consists of early reportage of Gauri Lankesh in various publications and her articles in Kannada language.
About Gauri Lankesh:
♦ Born – 1962
♦ Occupation – Journalist-activist
