Important Current Affairs December 2017 Capsule with PDF

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Awards & Honours

 Pratibha Gai get top royal honour o Scientist Pratibha Laxman Gai has been named for damehood, the female equivalent of knighthood, for "services to chemical sciences and technology". o She is the fourth Indian-origin woman conferred with the honour since it was instituted in 1917. o Gai has patented inventions in the fields of hydrocarbon catalysis/polymers, electronic ceramics, Piezoelectrics & nanocoatings for polymers & food.  K S Chitra bags 'Harivarasanam' Award o Veteran singer K S Chitra has been selected for prestigious 'Harivarasanam' award 2017, instituted by the Kerala government. o Chitra has been selected for the award in recognition of her contribution to propagate the spirit of secularism and universal brotherhood. o The award carrying a cash prize of Rs one lakh, citation and plaque would be presented at a function on January 14, 2018.  Mamang Dai wins Sahitya Akademi Award o Authors Mamang Dai & Ramesh Kuntal Megh have won this year's Sahitya Akademi award for their work The Black Hill, a novel, and Vishw Mithak Sarit Sagar, a literary criticism, in English and Hindi respectively.

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o Sahitya Akademi announced its annual Sahitya Akademi Awards in 24 languages. o The award in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh.  Ramnath Goenka Excellence Awards o The 12th edition of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards were presented. o The awards, which come with a trophy and a reward of Rs 1 lakh to each of the winners, recognise courage and commitment and showcase the outstanding contributions of journalists from across the country. o Total 25 persons were awarded in different categories.  Aakarshi won U-17 & U-19 Singles Titles o India’s top-ranked junior shuttler Aakarshi Kashyap won U-17 and U-19 singles titles at Badminton junior Nationals in Guwahati, Assam. o In Under-17 category, 16-year-old from Bhilai defeated Malvika Bansod in the final. o In under 19 categories final, Kashyap has beaten Vaidehi Choudhari.  Tata Steel Joda Mine gets Award o Joda East Iron Mine (JEIM) of Tata Steel has been honoured with the prestigious Golden Peacock Innovation Management Award for the year 2017. o They won the award for driving innovation in mines. o Golden Peacock Awards Secretariat receives over 1,000 entries per year for various awards, from over 25 countries worldwide.  Mo Farah Wins BBC's Award o World 10,000m champion Sir Mo Farah has been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2017. o The 34-year-old, a four-time Olympic champion, won his third successive world 10,000m gold medal in London in August.

o He becomes the first long-distance runner to win the Sports Personality award since Paula Radcliffe in 2002.  Satheesh Reddy won National Design Award o G. Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri and Director General, Missiles and Strategic Systems, has been conferred with the prestigious National Design Award. o He has bagged this award for his significant national contribution towards indigenous design. o He has also developed diversified missile systems, guided weapons, avionics technologies.  BBC Overseas Sports Personality of Year o Roger Federer has been voted the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year for a record fourth time after an astonishing season during which he picked up 2 more Grand Slam titles. o Federer previously won the award in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Muhammad Ali and Usain Bolt have each won it three times. o Federer is only the second person after Ali to retain the BBC prize.  Joy Goswami to get 31st Moortidevi Award o Eminent Bengali poet Joy Goswami will be given the 31st Moortidevi Award for the year 2017. o Committee, headed by poet and scholar Satya Vrat Shastri, unanimously decided to confer the award upon Goswami for his poetry collection titled Du Dondo Phowara Matro. o It is the first time the award will be given to a Bengali poet.  Jitesh Singh Deo bags Mr India title o Jitesh Singh Deo has bagged the title of Peter England Mr India 2017. Deo will now represent India at Mr World 2020.

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o The first runner up was Abhi Khajuria and the second runner up was Pavan Rao. 16 contestants from across the country were competing for the title. o The winners were felicitated by actor Kangana Ranaut.  Cannes to honour Piyush & Prasoon Pandey o Cannes International Festival of Creativity is set to honour Piyush & Prasoon Pandey with Cannes Lions' Lifetime Achievement Award. o The Lion of St. Mark is the highest honour that Cannes International Festival of Creativity bestows on creative geniuses within the communications industry.

o Pandey brothers are not only the 1st Asians to win the award, but are also

the 1st from WPP to be awarded  Lakshmi to Receive 'Power Of One' Award o 6 top diplomats, including an India's Lakshmi Puri, have been felicitated with Diwali "Power of One" award at the UN headquarters o They have been felicitated for their contribution to help form a more "perfect, peaceful and secure world". o The awards were presented on the occasion of the first anniversary of the US Postal Service's issuing of a forever Diwali stamp last year.  Finest Education Minister Award' o Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia was awarded the 'Finest Education Minister' award by former President Pranab Mukherjee. o He was presented the award at a national convention on education, The Fifth Estate, organised by an educational think tank. o Apart from being the Education Minister, Sisodia also holds the Deputy Chief Minister portfolio of the Delhi government.  PC receives Mother Teresa Memorial award o Priyanka Chopra has been honoured with this year's Mother Teresa Memorial award for social justice.

o She received the award for her contribution towards lending support to social causes, such as her recent visit to Syria, where she met and interacted with refugee children. o She is also UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador and is known for supporting various philanthropic activities.  Bhave to get Kalamaharshi Baburao Award o Noted Marathi filmmaker Sumitra Bhave will be honoured with the Kalamaharshi Baburao Painter Sanman, instituted by the Kolhapur International Film Festival. o Sumitra is a filmmaker working predominantly in Marathi cinema and Marathi theatre. o Bhave along with Sukthankar have made 14 feature films, more than 50 short films, and 4 TV serials.  Mamta Kalia to get the 27th Vyas Samman o Eminent Hindi writer Mamta Kalia will be honoured with literary award Vyas Samman for year 2017 for her novel "Dukkham Sukkham". o Kalia is known for her works in Hindi and English including "Beghar", "Janch Abhi Jaari Hai", "Nirmohi", and "Bolne Wali Aurat". o Vyas Samman is given to a Hindi literary work published in the past 10 years.  DanTDM named richest YouTuber of 2017 o According to Forbes magazine, DanTDM has been named as the highest- earning YouTuber of 2017, making £12.3m this year. o He's got more than 16 million subscribers & has had more than 10 billion views of all his videos. o His earnings this year come in at $16.5 million, $1 million more than the

2nd person on the list, Evan Fong. o He started off making videos of himself playing Minecraft & Pokemon.

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 Kanchanmala Pande wins Gold o Visually impaired swimmer Kanchanmala Pande scripted history as she became the 1st Indian to win gold at World Para Swimming Championship, taking place in Mexico. o Pande stood 1st in the in 200 meters medley event in the S-11 category. o She was selected in the Indian squad on basis of her excellent performance at IDM Berlin Para-Swimming Championship at Berlin.  Best Asian Film at Australian Gala o Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal has been named the Best Asian Film at 7th Australian Academy of Cinema & Television Arts Awards. o Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Dangal is a biographical sports drama film featuring Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Zaira Wasim. o It is inspired by lives of Phogat family members, telling the story of Mahavir Phogat who trains his daughters to become world-class wrestlers  Kumbh Mela Intangible Cultural Heritage o Kumbh Mela, the largest congregation of pilgrims, has been listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage under UNESCO. o Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural

Heritage inscribed Kumbh Mela at its 12th session in South Korea. o The festival, held in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain & Nasik, represents a syncretic set of rituals related to worship & cleansing in holy rivers.  2nd best UNESCO world heritage site o The Taj Mahal in Agra, is the second best UNESCO world heritage site in the world, according to a new survey. o With over 8 million visitors per year, the monument of love built by mughal emperor Shah Jahan is rated after Cambodia's Angkor Wat. o Conducted by online travel portal TripAdvisor, the survey lists the UNESCO Cultural & Natural heritage sites best rated by travellers around the globe

 Sexiest Asian Woman o The Quantico star, Priyanka Chopra has topped a list of '50 Sexiest Asian Women’ compiled by London-based weekly newspaper Eastern Eye for a record-breaking fifth time. o She reclaimed the top slot from Deepika Padukone, who had been voted the sexiest Asian in 2016. Padukone is ranked third this year. o Deepika (3), Alia Bhatt (4) and Pakistani actor Mahira Khan rounded off the top five.

Books & Authors

 Ramendra Kumar felicitated in Sri Lanka o Noted writer Ramendra Kumar, whose stories feature in Sri Lankan text books, has been felicitated in the neighbouring country for his contribution to children's literature. o Kumar is an award-winning writer with 32 books to his credit. o His writings have been translated into 14 Indian and 13 foreign languages and have found a place in school text books and anthology also in India and abroad.  Uttarakhand CM launches his biography o Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has launched his biography ‘Trivendra Ek Zindaginama – Khairasain ka Sooraj’. o It has been written by Nandan Singh Bisht, a doctor. o This biography is based on Trivendra Singh Rawat’s early struggle and lesser-known aspects of his life.  Book on Gauri Lankesh’s writings o A book containing selected writings by late journalist Gauri Lankesh was launched at the Mumbai Press Club.

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o The book named "The Way I See It" has been edited by writer and sociologist Chandan Gowda. o The six sections of the book comprise Lankesh’s early reportage in various publications and selected articles. o 3 months ago Gauri was gunned down outside her home by unidentified men.  Book on Indian cinema o Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has launched a book based on Indian cinema in Mumbai. o The book, titled 'Bollywood: The Films! The Songs! The Stars!' is Co- authored by S.M.M. Ausaja, Karan Bali, Rajesh Devraj and Tanul Thakur. o It is a coffee table book, which provides historical insights & behind-the- scene exclusives of the most iconic movies made in the history of Indian film industry.

Days & Events

 Good Governance Day o Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birthday is being celebrated as Good Governance Day across the country. o Good Governance Day was established in 2014 to honor Mr Vajpayee by fostering awareness among the people of accountability in government. o On December 23, 2014, Mr Vajpayee was announced as the recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.  Kisan Diwas celebrated o Kisan Diwas (Farmer's Day) is observed every year on 23 December to celebrate the birth anniversary of the fifth prime minister, Chaudhary Charan Singh.

o A kisan leader, Late Chaudhary Charan Singh belonged to a peasant family. o He also served as the Deputy PM during the reign of Morarji Desai. He introduced Budget 1979 which was designed to accomplish the needs of the farmers in all respects.  National Mathematics Day- 22nd December o Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan’s birth anniversary on December 22 is celebrated as National Mathematics Day. o It was in 2012 that then PM Manmohan Singh declared December 22 as National Mathematics Day. o In 1917, Ramanujan was elected to be a member of the London Mathematical Society. o In 1918 he also became a Fellow of the Royal Society, becoming the youngest person to achieve the feat.  International Human Solidarity Day o The United Nations' (UN) International Human Solidarity Day is annually held on December 20 to celebrate unity in diversity. o It also aims to remind people of the importance of solidarity in working towards eradicating poverty. o It is a day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.  Minorities Rights Day o Minorities Rights Day is celebrated on 18 December every year since 2013. o The day is celebrated to promote the rights of the minorities besides bringing a better understanding among the religious communities of the country.

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o The United Nations had on December 18, 1992, promulgated the “Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities”.  International Migrants Day o Adopted by the United Nations in 2000, the International Migrants Day is celebrated every year on December 18. o The day is intended to raise awareness about migrant rights amid rising migration and globalization. o The theme of this year is 'Safe Migration in a World on the Move'. o According to UN, the total number of international migrants are 244 million, highest ever in human history.  Vijay Diwas - 16 December o The day marks the glorious victory over Pakistan during the Indo- Pakistani War of 1971, in alliance with Bangladesh Mukti Bahini. o On 16th December in 1971, the Pakistani forces chief, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the allied forces consists of Indian Army. o It is observed by paying tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the nation.  World Telugu Conference begins o The third World Telugu Conference is all set to begin in Hyderabad. o The aim of the Conference is to promote Telugu and its literature besides helping the present generation learn more about Telugu language & its rich culture and heritage. o Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will be formally inaugurating the Conference, 50 thousand participants are expected to witness the literary- cultural event.  National Energy Conservation Day o National Energy Conservation Day is celebrated on December 14.

o This year President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, will preside as the Chief Guest over the National Energy Conservation Day celebrations. o To drive mass awareness about the importance of energy efficiency and conservation, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under Ministry of Power, celebrates the National Energy Conservation Day  World Conference on Tourism and Culture o The Second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism & Culture: Fostering Sustainable Development was held in Muscat. o The Conference explored ways to build & strengthen partnerships between the Tourism & Culture sectors & enhancing their role in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development o UN has declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development  'We The Women' event in Mumbai o UN Women in collaboration with Facebook inaugurated a 2-day event in Mumbai titled 'We The Women'. o It aimed to empower and recognize the magnificent contribution of women in our society. o The event witnessed speakers from different walks of life including Textile and I&B Minister, Smriti Irani, Sakshi Malik, Mithali Raj, Ekta Kapoor, Karan Johar and others.  ASEAN India Connectivity Summit to begin o The ASEAN India Connectivity Summit (AICS) will begin in New Delhi on

11th December. o The theme of the two-day Summit is "Powering Digital and Physical

Linkages for Asia in the 21st Century".

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o The AICS aims at accelerating existing connectivity prospects, evolving suitable policy recommendations & developing strategies to enhance economic, industrial & trade relations b/w ASEAN & India.  Human Rights Day o Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 Dec – the day UNGA adopted in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. o This year, Human Rights Day kicks off a year-long campaign to mark

70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. o Drafted by representatives of diverse legal & cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration sets out universal values  ASC celebrates 257th Corps Day

o Army Service Corps on 8th Dec celebrated its 257th Corps Day at The Headquarters Central Command in Lucknow. o Army Service Corps is the backbone of logistic to Armed Forces, provisioning rations, petroleum products & animal transport support to formations deployed across the country. o On 8 December 1967 the first colours of the ASC were presented by President Zakir Hussain.  BIMSTEC festival of Buddhist heritage o A 3 day festival themed on Buddhist heritage kicked off in Delhi as part of

the celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of BIMSTEC. o Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC Festival of Buddhist Heritage is an opportunity to reemphasise & celebrate strong Buddhist cultural heritage shared by all member states. o It will feature a choir, screening of films on Buddhism, dance & music, quiz show based on Buddhism.  The Global Partnership Summit 2017

o India Center Foundation which has been working for over 2 decades towards nation's socio-economic development, brings to India for the 1st- time ever, The Global Partnership Summit. o The Summit will focus on clean energy, healthcare, logistics, energy, tourism, art & culture, agro-economy, education & skill development etc o It is scheduled to be held at Aerocity, New Delhi from 11th to 14th Dec  Armed Forces Flag Day o Armed forces day is observed annually in India on Dec 7 since 1949 to remember the sacrifices & commemorate the honour to soldiers, airmen & sailors. o It is a day dedicated to India towards collection of funds from people of India for welfare of the Indian Armed Forces personnel o Flag Day is an opportunity for every Indian citizen to contribute most generously to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund  India remembers Babasaheb Ambedkar o The nation is remembering the architect of the Indian Constitution and Bharat Ratna Dr B R Ambedkar on his 62nd death anniversary. o He passed away on this day in 1956. Since then, Mahaparinirvan Diwas is observed every year to pay tributes to him. o Dr Ambedkar is remembered for his triumphant struggle against age-old social discrimination against Dalits, women and labour classes.  World Soil Day o World Soil Day is celebrated annually on 5th of December at Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN headquarters in Rome, the regional offices and through national and local events. o It aims to communicate messages on the importance of soil quality for food security, healthy ecosystems and human well-being.

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o The Theme for this year Soil Day is ‘Caring for Planet starts from the Ground’.  Indian Navy Day: 4 December o The Indian Navy Day is observed on 4th December every year to celebrate achievements and role of the naval force in the country. o During the India-Pakistan war of 1971, the Indian Navy played a significant role in the bombing of the Karachi harbor and sank Pakistan Naval Ship PNS Ghazi. o In 2017, a movie title ‘The Ghazi Attack’ was released.  33rd year of Bhopal gas tragedy o The tragedy that struck the Bhopal city three decades ago occurred on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984. o Even after 33 years, the victims of Bhopal gas tragedy are still complaining of not being provided with proper medical facilities, better living conditions and employment. o Also, the toxic waste lying in the defunct Union Carbide is yet to be disposed off.  Int. Day for the Abolition of Slavery o The United Nations’ International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is annually held on December 2 to raise awareness of the atrocities of modern slavery. o The focus of this day is on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation etc. o It was first celebrated in 1986.  International Day for Disabled Person o The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3 in 1992

o It aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development. o The theme for this year’s IDPD is “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all”.  World AIDS Day 2017 – December 1 o World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 every year. o This day is dedicated to spreading awareness about AIDS, which spreads due to infection from the virus called HIV. World Health Organization has marked this day as global public health campaign. o The Theme of World AIDS Day 2017 is "Right to Health" under campaign “My Health, My Right”.

Committees & Recommendations

 Pannel to review flexi-fare system o Railway Board has initiated process of reviewing flexi-fare system in premium trains by comparing prices with that of other modes of transport in the same sectors. o The Board has formed a six-member committee to review the system and submit a report in 30 days. o The committee consists of railway board officials along with Ravinder Goyal, Adviser, NITI Ayog  Commission to study minority status o National Commission for Minorities has formed a 3 member committee to study the matter of minority status to Hindus in 8 states where their population is less than 50% o The panel, led by commission’s Vice Chairman George Kurien, has been given 3 months to submit its report

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o The states & UT named in the plea are Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, J&K, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur & Punjab  Panel to address NPA in the power sector o The govt has set up a high-level committee headed by NITI Aayog chief executive Amitabh Kant to address the problem of stressed assets in India's power sector. o As per the Economic Survey 2016-17, NPAs in power generation were around 5.9% of the banking outstanding advances of Rs 4.73 lakh crore. o Tackling the NPA will provide much-needed relief for Indian banks weighed down by bad loans.

International Affairs

 China tests first photovoltaic highway

o China has successfully tested its 1st photovoltaic highway based on homegrown technology, in it's eastern Shandong province. o The road is constructed using solar panels which have a thin sheet of clear concrete on top of them. Panels will transfer energy to electric vehicles passing on top of them.

o With this China became the 2nd country to construct a photovoltaic highway.  Maiga appointed as Mali's PM o Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has appointed Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, a former defense and foreign minister and intelligence chief as the new Prime Minister. o Maiga will form a new government. This is done after his predecessor Abdoulaye Idrissa Maiga and his entire cabinet's resignation. o The new government will be the fifth to serve under President Keita since his election in 2013.

 Israel withdraws from UNESCO o Israel has formally notified UNESCO of its withdrawal from the education and science organization. o Israel, was a member since 1949. o Tensions had been bubbling since UNESCO controversially admitted Palestine as a member state in 2011 - a move opposed by the US and Israel.  Nepal bans solo climbing on Mt Everest o Nepal banned solo climbers from scaling its mountains, including Mt Everest, in an attempt to reduce accidents & make mountaineering safer. o New regulations prohibit double amputee & blind climbers from attempting to reach the Everest without a valid medical certificate. o The death toll so far this season stands at 6, nearly 300 people have died

since the 1st ascent to the peak made in 1953.  Largest Human Research Project in China o The world's largest human genome research project of 100,000 people was launched by China. o The aim of the project is to document their genetic makeup for a study that aims to help generate the precision medicines of the future. o It is the country's first large project detecting the genetic links between health and sickness.  George Weah Elected Liberian President o George Weah has been elected as Liberia's president. o The former football star George Weah won the presidential election, defeating the vice-president, Joseph Boakai, in a runoff with 61.5% of the vote. o Liberia is a country in West Africa, bordering Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire. Its capital is Monrovia.

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 Nepal President signs key ordinance o Nepal’s President Bidhya Devi gave her assent to an ordinance for the constitution of Parliament’s Upper House. o The ordinance suggested that the 1st National assembly under the new constitution be formed on the basis of the single transferable vote. o STV is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through ranked voting in multi-seat organizations or constituencies.  NASA's "Girl of the Year" doll o NASA, is collaborating with American Girl, a doll and book company, to inspire children to dream big and reach for the stars. o The focus of the collaboration is the "Girl of the Year" doll for 2018, an 11- year-old aspiring astronaut named Luciana who wants to be the first person to put boots on Mars. o NASA want to encourage girls and boys to pursue their dreams.  Russia launches satellite for Angola o Russia on Tuesday launched a rocket carrying Angosat-1, the first national telecoms satellite for Angola. o The Zenit-2SB rocket carrying Angosat to orbit was supplied by Ukrainian maker Yuzhmash, making the launch a rare joint project between the two countries since 2014. o The Angosat project was agreed by Russia and Angola in 2009.  UNESCO recognizes Panama's hats o Cultural authorities at UNESCO have recognized the artisans of Panama for their distinctive woven hats. o Panama’s real contribution to the world’s hat heritage is the pintao, or painted hat, handmade from five different plants and a dose of swamp mud. o The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris.

 Prince Harry Named President of ACG o Prince Harry has been named the president of African Parks, a conservation group that manages a dozen wildlife areas across the continent. o Prince Harry will contribute to its effort to protect Africa's natural heritage and support both wildlife and communities. o ACF's goal is to support and link African conservation initiatives, groups and NGOs.  Afganistan to join CPEC o Afghanistan is willing to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. o China–Pakistan Economic Corridor is a collection of infrastructure projects that are currently under construction throughout Pakistan. o India is against the project because of the Kashmir issue.  Bob Givens, Passes Away at 99 o Bob Givens, one of the animators behind designing the iconic characters Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, died at the age of 99. o He was from the USA. He also brought his skills to TV advertising, animating cartoon insects for Raid bug-killer commercials. o Givens served in the US army during the Second World War, before returning to the animation industry.  Israel to name a station after Trump o Israel's transport minister wants to dig a railway tunnel under Jerusalem's Old City and name a station next to the Western Wall after US President Donald Trump. o Yisrael Katz said he wanted to honour the US president for his decision to recognise the city as Israel's capital. o The Western Wall is the holiest site where Jews are permitted to pray.  Vin Diesel, 2017's Top-Grossing Actor

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o Vin Diesel has been named the top-grossing actor of 2017 by Forbes, with $1.6 billion in global ticketing receipts from his film 'The Fate of the Furious'. o The second spot was occupied by Dwayne Johnson 'The Rock', with $1.5 billion receipts. o 'Wonder Woman' actress Gal Gadot, whose films earned $1.4 billion worldwide, featured in the third spot on the list.  Guatemala to move its embassy o The president of Guatemala says the Central American country will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. o Guatemala was one of 9 nations that voted earlier this week with the US when the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a non-binding resolution denouncing President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. o Benjamin Netanyahu, is Israeli's Prime Minister.  Saudi Arabia hosts world chess games o On 26th December 2017, Saudi Arabia hosted a world chess tournament for the first time at the APEX Convention Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. o The tournament is called the King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships. o It has around 400 international players. 16 players are participating from Saudi Arabia.  'World Economic League Table' Report o Indian economy will surpass Britain and France in 2018 and will thus become the 5th largest economy. o This is as per 2018 World Economic League Table released by Centre for Economics and Business Research. o USA economy will be able to retain its No. 1 position for a year longer than what was anticipated in the last report.

o In 2032, China is likely to overtake the US as world’s No. 1 economy.  B'desh's 1st eco-friendly thermal plant o Construction of Bangladesh’s first eco-friendly thermal power plant with ultra-modern clean coal technology has been started by a Chinese consortium in central Bangladesh. o The thermal power plant is constructed near a seaport in Payra town in Patuakhali district of Bangladesh. It consists of two units. o The estimated cost of the project is USD 1.56 billion.  Asia–Pacific: Trading & Thriving Report o Business leaders in India remained largely positive, but their level of optimism has dropped to its lowest level in four years. o According to the latest Grant Thornton’s report, Asia–Pacific business optimism has hit a 2 year high, largely driven by improvements from its two biggest economies, China and Japan. o The report was titled as ‘Asia–Pacific: Trading and Thriving’.  Heather Menzies-Urich dies at 68 o Actor Heather Menzies-Urich, who played one of the singing 'von Trapp' children in the hit 1965 film 'The Sound of Music', has died. She was 68. o She was an actress, a ballerina and loved living her life to the fullest. o 'The Sound of Music' won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. “Heather was part of ‘the family.’  World’s largest amphibious aircraft o China has launched homegrown AG600, the world’s largest amphibious aircraft. o The plane is codenamed Kunlong. With a wingspan of 38.8 metres (127ft) and powered by four turboprop engines, the aircraft is capable of carrying 50 people and can stay airborne for 12 hours.

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o The amphibious aircraft has military applications but will be used for fire fighting and marine rescue.  World’s Longest Glass Bridge in China o The world’s longest glass bridge has been opened in China to the public. o Though it has a capacity to hold 2000 people, only 500 would be allowed at a time. o Located in Shijiazhuang, the bridge lies 218 meters above hanging between the two cliffs in Hongyagu Scenic Area in Pingshan county. o The bridge is 488 meters long & 2 meters wide, with two dragon statues on top that could produce smoke.  Tunisia bans UAE Emirates airline o Tunisia has banned Emirates airline from landing in the capital Tunis after a number of Tunisian women were prevented from boarding its flights. o The move comes amid widespread anger in Tunisia, with rights groups condemning "racist and discriminatory" measures. o The measure will continue to be in place until Emirates operates flights in accordance with law and international agreements.  B'desh ranks lowest in food security o Bangladesh has been ranked 89th, among other South Asian countries, in the recently published Global Food Security Index 2017. o While Pakistan is at 77th rank, India secured 74th position in the index. o Sri Lanka scored best in the entire South Asian region, with a rank of 66th. o Global Food Security Index, published by UN ranks countries around the world on the basis of food security.  African Union, Russia join hands o The African Union & Russia have joined hands to resolve issues of terrorism & transnational crime & to achieve peace.

o The agreement was made during the meeting between AU Commissioner for Peace & Security Smail Chergui & Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. o The visit of the AU Commissioner to Moscow comes within the framework of the growing partnership between the AU and Russia.  Trump signs Tax Overhaul Law o US President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping overhaul of the US tax code. o Trump this week celebrated his first major legislative victory since taking office a year ago. o This 1.5 trillion dollars overhaul is set to impact every corner of the economy through dramatic tax cuts.  Henrietta Fore appointed to head UNICEF o UN has appointed Henrietta Fore, a former head of the USAID as the new Executive Director of United Nations Childrens’ Fund. o Henrietta Fore was the first woman to be appointed Administrator of the US Agency for International Development. o UNICEF is a program headquartered in New York City that provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.  UN imposes new sanctions on North Korea o The UN Security Council unanimously approved tough new sanctions against North Korea. o These sanctions are taken in response to its latest launch of a ballistic missile that Pyongyang says is capable of reaching anywhere on the US mainland.

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o The resolution includes lower limits on North Korea’s refined oil imports, the return home of all North Koreans working overseas within 24 months etc.  Peace Summit on Mandela’s 100th b'day o The UN General Assembly has decided to mark the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth by holding a high-level meeting. o The meeting will focus on world peace. In 2009, the General Assembly established “Nelson Mandela International Day” on July 18, the date he was born in 1918. o Mandela died on December 5, 2013.  Jerusalem no longer Israel's capital o The U.N. General Assembly denounced President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. o The resolution reaffirmed what has been the United Nations’ stand on the divided holy city since 1967- that Jerusalem’s final status must be decided in direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. o Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel's Prime Minister.  UK Tops Forbes' List of Best Countries o The United Kingdom has topped Forbes' rankings of best countries in the world for business in 2018. o The list ranks 153 countries on 15 factors including property rights, innovation, taxes and red tape. o The UK is followed by New Zealand and the Netherlands, while India was ranked 62nd on the list. The UK's $2.6 trillion economy is the fifth largest in the world.  France bans all gas and oil production o France's parliament has approved a law banning all exploration and production of oil and natural gas by 2040.

o Under the law, existing drilling permits will not be renewed and no new exploration licenses will be granted in France or its overseas territories. o The French government claims the ban is a world first.  Shree Saini crowned Miss India USA 2017 o Shree Saini, a resident of Washington state, was crowned Miss India USA 2017. o The 21-year-old, who is a student at the University of Washington, said she wants to lead a life dedicated to service. o Shree, who had a pacemaker implanted at the age of 12 is an inspiration for all. o Cancer surgeon Kavita Malhotra from Florida was declared Mrs India USA 2017.  England won BBC Sports Personality 2017 o England women's cricketers won the Team of the Year award at the BBC Sports Personality show after their 2017 World Cup triumph. o They beat India by nine runs after a stunning fightback in the final at Lord's in July. o Anya Shrubsole named the player of the match after taking five wickets in 19 balls.  Francois Gabart breaks World Record o Frenchman Francois Gabart smashed the world record for the fastest non- stop solo navigation of the globe. o He completed the mammoth feat in 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds. o The 34-year-old sailor crossed a virtual finish line drawn between the island of Ushant off France's northwest tip and Lizard Point in southwest England at 0145 GMT.  India to Host Meeting of WTO Members

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o India will host a meeting of WTO member countries in February 2018 to muster support for food security and other issues. o The announcement was made by Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu. o The meeting would be in the backdrop of developed nations forming groupings to prepare the ground for pushing investment facilitation, preparing rules for e-commerce, promoting gender equality.  Women to drive trucks, bikes in Saudi o After allowing women to drive, Saudi Arabia has now permitted females to drive trucks and ride bikes. o Women involved in road accidents or who commit traffic violations will be dealt with at special centres that will be established and run by women. o Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world where women were barred from receiving a driver's license.  WHO certifies Gabon as polio free o World Health Organisation has declared Gabon a polio-free country, given the lack of new reported or suspected cases in the country. o Now the disease is endemic only in Afghanistan & Pakistan, where WHO recorded 4 cases this year o Polio is a viral disease which mainly affects young children & can result in permanent paralysis. There is no cure & it can only be prevented through immunisation.  'Youthquake' Named Word of the Year o Oxford Dictionaries has crowned "youthquake" as its word of 2017 in a nod to the unexpected level of youth engagement in this summer's election in the UK. o An amalgamation of "youth" & "earthquake", is defined as "a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people."

o The word was coined in the 1960s by then-Vogue editor, Diana Vreeland.  Google's Machine Learning Research Lab o In an apparent move to rebuild its presence in China, Google announced that it will open a research lab focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Beijing, China. o It will be its first such centre in Asia. o The "Google AI China Centre" will join the other AI research groups that the company has in other parts of the world, including in New York, Toronto, London and Zurich.  World Migration Report 2018 o The Indian diaspora is the largest in the world, with over 15 million migrants from India living abroad. o It was according to the World Migration Report 2018 published by the International Organisation for Migration, the UN's migration agency. o The largest migration corridor is from India to UAE, where 3.5 million Indians were residing in 2015.  Sri Lanka hands over port to China o Sri Lanka has formally handed control of 'Hambantota' strategic port on its southern coast to China as part of a 99-year lease agreement. o The port is near main shipping route from Asia to Europe & likely to play a major role in China’s “Belt and Road” initiative. o The port was signed on a 99-year lease because Sri Lanka cannot repay Chinese loans it took out to build the port in first place.  Norway to end radio broadcasts on FM o Norway has completed its transition to digital radio, becoming the

1st country in the world to shut down national broadcasts of its FM network.

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o The transition allows for better sound quality & more channels & functions at 1/8th of the cost of FM radio. o The transition only involves national radio channels, most local stations will continue to broadcast on FM.  Walt Disney buys Murdoch's Fox for $52bn

o Walt Disney has agreed to buy the bulk of 21st Century Fox's business for $52.4bn. o Purchase extends Disney's global reach, adding media company Star India & Fox's interests in Sky plc & Tata Sky to its portfolio. o Disney will get majority control of video streaming service Hulu, which is partially owned by Comcast & Time Warner. o Fox will form a news-focused company with its remaining assets.  Sri Lanka accede to landmine ban treaty o Sri Lanka has become the 163rd nation to accede to the anti-personnel mine ban convention. o By joining the Convention each state undertakes to destroy all stockpiled anti-personnel mines it owns or or control, not later than 4 years after the acceding to this treaty. o The treaty, which came into force on March 1, 1999, prohibits use, stockpiling, production & transfer of antipersonnel mines.  WTO talks collapse o The 11th ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization hung in the balance after the US refused to budge on relaxations after the US refused to budge on food security. o The matter went into deadlock after India and China stuck to their stance. o An outcome on the permanent solution is key, as this is the only mandated issue for the Buenos Aires meeting.  Egypt's first nuclear power plant

o Russia and Egypt have signed an agreement for state-owned Rosatom to construct Egypt’s first nuclear plant. o The Dabaa nuclear plant, with 4 reactor units and capacity of 5 gigawatts, is planned to be completed by 2029 at a total financing cost of $21bn. o Moscow and Cairo in 2015 agreed to the nuclear plant initiative, including a loan from Russia.  Putin orders partial troop withdrawal o Russian President Putin has ordered a partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria during a surprise visit to the war-torn country.

o Russia 1st intervened in the conflict in 2015, staging air strikes targeting terrorists. o There had been an unprecedented involvement by Russia’s air force in recent days with warplanes making 100 sorties & staging up to 250 strikes daily.  Saudi Arabia to allow movie theaters o Saudi Arabia will allow movie theatres to open in the conservative kingdom next year, for the first time in more than 35 years. o Movie theatres were shut down in the 1980's during a wave of ultra- conservatism in the country. o It's the latest move as part of the young crown prince's efforts to socially reform the country. o The first cinemas are expected to open in March 2018.  Venezuela opposition banned o Venezuela's President, Nicolas Maduro, has banned the country's main opposition parties from taking part in next year's presidential election. o He said only parties which took part in mayoral polls would be able to contest the presidency.

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o Leaders from the Justice First, Popular Will and Democratic Action parties boycotted the vote because they said the electoral system was biased.  Pakistan to depreciate currency o Pakistan has agreed to allow the depreciation of rupee post talks with International Monetary Fund on nation's economy. o Authorities believe the currency adjustment would help shift foreign currency holdings from commercial banks back to official reserves. o State Bank of Pakistan would now let the currency exchange rate to adjust to market conditions after many years of resisting expectations.  End of war against IS in Iraq o Iraq's PM, Abadi has declared victory in a 3 year war by Iraqi forces to expel Islamic State jihadist group. o IS seized areas north & west of Baghdad in a lightning attack in 2014. o Iraq's fightback was launched with backing of air campaign waged by US- led coalition, recapturing town after town from the clutches of the jihadists. o Iraq's ally Iran already declared victory over IS last month.  Missile Tracking Drill o US, Japan & South Korea will hold 2 days of missile tracking drills as tension rise in the region over North Korea's fast-developing weapons programmes.

o The exercise will be the 6th drill sharing information in tracking ballistic missiles among the 3 nations. o N.Korea regularly threatens to destroy S.Korea, Japan & US & says its weapons programmes are necessary to counter US aggression.  New Delhi hosts ICOMOS o International Council for Monuments & Sites is geared to organise the first ever ICOMOS General Assembly & Scientific Symposium 2017 in Delhi.

o Themed "Heritage and Democracy", the platform will have participation from over 1,000 delegates across 68 countries. o The event is aimed to promote international co-operation and strengthen understanding in the field of heritage conservation.  World's largest free trade agreement o EU & Japan have announced that they have finalised terms for a giant free trade deal, presenting it as a challenge to protectionism championed by Donald Trump o Once completed it will forge an economic zone of 600 million people with 30% of global GDP o EU is seeking access to one of the world's richest markets, while Japan hopes to jump-start an economy that has struggled for more than a decade  Britain & EU reach historic deal o Britain & EU reached a historic deal on terms of Brexit divorce after European Commission found sufficient progress made by Britain on separation issues. o The agreement paves way for EU leaders to open the 2nd phase of Brexit negotiations, covering trade talks & a transition period. o Britain voted in June 2016 to become the 1st state to leave EU, after more than 4 decades of membership.  Japan approves Akihito's abdication o Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet has formally approved April 30, 2019, as the abdication date for Japanese Emperor Akihito, which will end the current Heisei era in its 31st year. o After the abdication, Akihito's elder son Crown Prince Naruhito will ascend the throne on May 1, 2019. o Japan's parliament enacted a law in June to enable him to pass the throne onto the crown prince.

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 Aus passes Marriage Equality Law o Australia’s parliament has legislated for marriage equality, passing a bill almost unanimously to allow two people, regardless of sex, to marry. o Australia, which changed the law in 2004 to say that marriage is only between a man and a woman, now becomes the 25th country to recognise same-sex marriage. o Four members of the House of Representatives voted against the bill and some abstained.  Somalia signs development strategy o Somali govt & UN has signed UN Strategic Framework for Somalia (UNSF), mapping out UN's support to Somali's development priorities in the next 4 years. o The framework has adapted gender equality, women’s empowerment, human rights & youth engagement and empowerment as cross-cutting issues. o Among the priorities include deepening federalism & state-building & supporting conflict resolution.  Top destination for Chinese investment o India has slipped 6 notches to 37th position among 60 major economies in the world in terms of their attractiveness to Chinese firms. o Singapore overtook the US as the most attractive destination for Chinese overseas direct investment while Hong Kong, Malaysia and Australia rounded the top 5. o Several developed economies have tumbled down the index: UK slipped the most, by 29 places to 41st  US to recognise Jerusalem as capital o President Donald Trump will recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital despite intense Arab, Muslim and European opposition.

o In recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, US becomes the 1st country to do so since the foundation of the state in 1948. o Israel has always regarded Jerusalem as its capital city, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.  UAE & Saudi Arabia forms a new group o UAE has announced that it has formed a new economic & partnership group with Saudi Arabia, separate from Gulf Cooperation Council. o The announcement comes just hours ahead of a GCC meeting in Kuwait which is expected to focus on diplomatic crisis that has engulfed member-state Qatar. o The announcement did not say whether any other Gulf Arab countries would be invited to join this new group.  SC allows full enforcement on travel ban o The US Supreme Court has allowed Donald Trump's travel ban to take full effect pending appeal, for people coming from six Muslim-majority countries. o The travel ban is the third version of a contentious policy that Trump first sought to implement a week after taking office in January. o The ban applies to travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.  Venezuela to launch 'Petro' o Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the launch of the “petro” backed by oil reserves to shore up a collapsed economy. o “Venezuela will create a cryptocurrency,” backed by oil, gas, gold and diamond reserves, Maduro said.

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o He also said that it would help Venezuela “advance in issues of monetary sovereignty, to make financial transactions and overcome the financial blockade.”  U.S. pulls out of UN’s pact on migration o The administration of President Trump has withdrawn the US from a UN pact, deeming it “inconsistent” with its policies. o The pact was for improving the handling of migrant and refugee situations. o Ambassador Nikki Haley said the country would continue its “generosity” in supporting migrants but that “our decisions on immigration policies must always be made by Americans and Americans alone”.  Conference on Climate Change in Nepal o Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari has inaugurated an international conference to draw attention towards the adverse effects of global warming in the Hindu Kush mountain range. o The title of the conference is 'Resilient Hindu Kush Himalaya: Developing Solutions towards a Sustainable Future for Asia'. o The 4-day conference is attended by more than 300 experts from different countries of Asia.  S Korea, US Launch Largest Air Exercise o South Korea and the United States launched their largest-ever joint aerial drills. o The annual US-South Korean drill, called Vigilant Ace, will run for 5-days, with six F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to be deployed among the more than 230 aircraft taking part. o Around 12,000 US service members, including from the Marines and Navy, have joined South Korean troops.  Swaraj attended SCO summit in Russia

o On November 30, 2017, Union External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj visited Russian city of Sochi to attend the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. o At the summit, India pressed for concerted regional and global efforts to contain terrorism. o India had been an observer at the SCO since 2005. India along with Pakistan became full members of SCO in June 2017.

National Affairs

 Academy for Labourers o The Haryana government would soon open an academy for training labourers engaged in construction work so that they could get better employment opportunities. o The labourers will be trained to become carpenters, plumbers, painters, electricians etc. o In order to give the labourers equal status, the state government has, during three years, distributed about Rs 250 crore for their upliftment.  Start-up Incubation Centre launched o Defense Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman launches Start-up Incubation Centre in Mangalore. o She has allocated Rs. 1.5 crore from her MPLAD (Member of Parliament's Local Area Development) scheme for the development of a start-up incubation center called the Centre for Entrepreneurship Opportunities and Learning (CEOL) in Mangaluru. o She represents Karnataka as an MP in the Rajya Sabha.  Dabur opens skill development centre

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o Dabur India inaugurated a skill development centre for women, as part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility campaign. o The vocational training centre, set up at Dhekidol Village in Sonitpur district, will start with a 6-month course on stitching and tailoring, the company said. o Corporate social responsibility is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model.  India leads in global milk production o Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said during the past 3 years, India has outpaced the global milk production with an annual growth rate of 5.53% compared with the 2.09% achieved globally. o India has been the largest producer of milk in the world for the past 15 years. o Milk production, which was around 17-22 million tonnes in the 1960s, has increased to 163.7 m tonnes in 2016-17  India’s first bitcoin trading app o Cryptocurrency dealer Pluto Exchange announced the launch of India’s first mobile application for transacting in virtual currencies. o The Pluto Exchange mobile app offers a solution to the coordination problem between payment processors, financial gateways, and banks. o By using a four-digit personal identification number, users can now buy, sell, store and spend bitcoins via a mobile number.  Kuppali honoured with a Google doodle o Google is honouring the contribution of Kuvempu by dedicating a doodle to the winner of the first Kannada Jnanpith on the occasion of his 113th birth anniversary o The renaissance of Kannada literature was heralded by the publication of Kuvempu’s Sri Ramayana Darshanam, which was awarded the Jnanpith Award, half a century ago.

o It is also the golden jubilee of his novel Malegalalli Madumagalu.  ISC to be held in March in Imphal o The 2018 edition of the historic Indian Science Congress will be held at Manipur University, Imphal, in March. o The event was scheduled at the Osmania University (OU), Hyderabad, in the first week of January but had to be moved out due to “security problems.” o The aim of the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) is to advance and promote the cause of science in India.  Over 71 cr mobiles linked with Aadhaar o Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that nearly 71.24 crore mobile numbers, both new connections and existing, have been linked with Aadhaar till December 8. o He also revealed that about 82 crore bank accounts have been linked with Aadhaar. o The deadline for linking Aadhaar number to all services and government schemes is March 31.  Children exempt from passport biometrics o The government has exempted children up to the age of five years from giving their biometrics to the passport issuing authority. o Union minister of state for External Affairs General (retd.) V. K. Singh, made this announcement. o However, they will have to be physically present at the Passport Seva Kendra for their photographs to be taken for the passport.  Rajiv to be new HP Assembly Speaker o Five times MLA Rajiv Bindal would be the next Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, state.

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o A former minister and a general secretary of the state BJP, Bindal had been an RSS activist all along and also served as a whole timer with the saffron organisation for a few years. o Recently, Jai Ram Thakur has sworn in as CM of Himachal.  'Mann Ki Baat': most trending hashtag o Modi's programme "Mann Ki Baat" was the most trending hashtag on Twitter in 2017, followed by #jallikattu & #GST. o #Mannkibaat sparked a great deal of commentary all over the year, including a tweet from Sachin Tendulkar. o "Mann Ki Baat" is a radio programme hosted by Modi on the last Sunday of every month to addresses people of the nation on All India Radio, DD National & DD News.  100th IEA Conference starts o President Ramnath Kovind inaugurated the 100th Annual Conference of the Indian Economic Association at Acharya Nagarjuna University in Guntur of Andhra Pradesh. o The event will be held for four days. o Indian Economic Association is a registered body of Indian economic professionals with an objective of providing a forum for debate and discussion of policy-oriented issues.  President inaugurates AP Fibre Grid o Over one crore households in Andhra Pradesh will get access to high- speed internet and rent-free telephone and cable TV services from next Dec as part of the AP Fibre Grid Project. o The AP State Fibernet Ltd. is the implementing authority of the project. o It will provide the 3 services at tariffs starting as low as Rs 149 for 5 GB data and 250 TV channels and a free telephone connection.  India’s first pod taxi on the way

o The much-awaited India’s first pod taxi project has moved a step closer to reality. o The projected Rs 4000-cr pod taxi scheme is also known as Personal Rapid Transit. o It will run from Delhi-Haryana border to Rajiv Chowk in Gurgaon on a PPP (public-private partnership) basis.  'Dornier 228' to fly soon o Directorate General of Civil Aviation has allowed Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. manufactured Dornier 228 for civilian flights. o It is a 19-seater aircraft which was only used by defence forces till now. o It will now become the first ‘Made in India’ plane to be used for commercial flights. o HAL can even sell this plane to other airlines in India, which can be used for regional flights under UDAN.  Odisha splits tourism & culture depart. o The Odisha government decided to split the tourism and culture department and initiated setting up of Odia Language Commission. o The cultural wing was also renamed as Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department. o It was also decided to set up a ‘Heritage Cabinet’ to protect the monuments and ancient temples.  SAC developing new Remote Sensor camera o The Space Application Centre Ahmedabad is all set to develop a new advanced hi-tech "Remote Sensor" camera with a capacity to capture images from a height of over 300 kms. o The Camera will be fully indigenous, living up to "Make in India" concept.

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o It will be an improvement on the existing application used for infrastructure development works, soil management and even security- related tasks.  Only 1.7% Indians paid income tax o Just over 2 crore Indians, or 1.7 % of the total population, paid income tax in the assessment year (AY) 2015-16, according to data released by the I-T department. o The number of income-tax return filers increased to 4.07 crore in assessment year 2015-16 (FY 2014-2015) from 3.65 crore in the previous year. o Only 2.06 crore actually paid tax as the others claimed income below taxable limits.  CBSE to have value education plan o CBSE has tied up with the Ramakrishna mission to impart value education to its students and make them “awakened” citizens. o Values such as harmony, peace, compassion, and humility have for centuries been a part of the discourse of every society of the world. o This programme is a three-year graded Values Education programme for students of Classes 6 to 8 (or Classes 7-9).  Centenary Celebrations of Yoga Institute o Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated the Centenary celebrations of the Yoga Institute in Mumbai. o The institute was founded by Shree Yogendraji Mani Haribhai Desai, the disciple of Paramahansa Madhavadasji in 1918. o It helps spread yoga practices. According to Naidu practice of Yoga is a holistic way of life, leading to physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.  1st Runway on Sea Bridge in Lakshadweep

o India is all set to get its first runway on a ‘sea bridge’, as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been given a nod to extend Lakshadweep’s Agatti Airport. o The task will be carried out by building an RCC platform on the beach and shallow area which will allow bigger ATRs to operate on the island. o The Project is likely to cost about Rs 1,500 crore.  Dr Jitendra Singh Launched e-HRMS o The Union Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh launched the electronic- Human Resource Management System in New Delhi. o He launched it during the observance of Good Governance Day. o The e-service book launched for DoPT during March 2017 will also be integrated into the e-HRMS.  World’s biggest sand Santa face in Puri o On 24th December 2017, Sudarsan Pattnaik, international sand artist, created the world’s biggest sand Santa-face with the message “world peace” at Puri beach, Odisha. o The sand Santa face is 25 feet tall and 50 feet wide. It is to be placed in the Limca Book of World Records. o Sudarsan Pattnaik also created a sand sculpture of Jesus Christ in front of the Santa face.  NHPC to invest in solar project: Odisha o Central public sector enterprise, NHPC Ltd has proposed to set up 100- 200 Mw capacity solar project in Odisha. o Odisha has laid out a plan to develop a solar park with a production capacity of 1000 Mw.

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o NHPC, which is currently executing a 72 Mw wind project in Kerala and 50 Mw solar project in Tamil Nadu has already commissioned a 50 Mw wind power project in Jaisalmer.  Modi flags off Metro’s Magenta line o PM Modi will inaugurate the Magenta Line of Delhi Metro, which is expected to make commuting b/w South Delhi & Noida hassle-free. o The 12.64-km stretch runs b/w Kalkaji & Botanical Garden and accounts for a travel time of 19 mins. o The coaches will have LED display, power charging capacity and colourful seats, while the stations will portray themes of nature, yoga, and cultural landmarks.  India’s first AC local in Mumbai o India’s first air-conditioned local will ply between Churchgate and Virar from December 25. o The first service of the 12-coach EMU will commence at 2:10 pm. o The services will replace 12 existing non-air conditioned services. This will be the first train with automatic doors in the suburban system.  India's most trusted Brand: Patanjali o Patanjali has been ranked as India's most trusted Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Brand by the Brand Trust Report India Study 2017. o SK Tijarawala, Spokesman, HH Swami Ramdev, took to his Twitter handle to announce this news, along with the picture of the certification. o He said Patanjali has been ranked as India's most trusted FMCG Brand in a study.  Govt. Launches Gold Purity Standard o India’s first home-grown high purity gold reference standard - the Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND-4201) was launched at the India Government Mint, Mumbai.

o BND-4201, which is the reference material for gold of ‘9999’ fineness will ensure purity of gold. o This will also be useful for Collection and Purity Testing Centres to certify the purity of gold.  Air Deccan to resume flights under UDAN o Directorate General of Civil Aviation has granted scheduled commuter operator permit to Air Deccan. o This permit will enable Air Deccan to operate flights under the regional air connectivity scheme, ‘UDAN’. o Civil Aviation Ministry had launched Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme in October 2016. The objective of UDAN scheme is to connect Tier-II and Tier-III towns by air.  Gujjars, 4 Others get 1% Reservation o Rajasthan government announced 1% reservation within the 50% legal limit, for Gujjars and four other communities. o The five communities that have been declared eligible for this reservation are: Gujjar, Banjara, Gadia-Lohar, Rebari and Gadaria. o These 5 communities were listed in the OBC category in 1994. The additional quota is given in the ‘More Backward Classes’ category.  7th Int. Coffee Festival in Bengaluru o The seventh edition of the India International Coffee Festival (IICF) will be held in Bengaluru from January 16-19. o The four-day IICF 2018 is being organized by the India Coffee Trust and State-run Coffee Board to promote the Indian coffees globally. o IICF 2018 would be a precursor to the International Coffee Organisation’s World Coffee Conference being hosted by India in Bengaluru in 2020.  MoU for Petrochemical park in Kochi

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o A MoU for setting up a ₹ 1,800-crore petrochemical park in Kochi was inked by the Kerala government and 'FACT'. o It will come up in 481 acres of land owned by the Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore. o The park was aimed at making Kochi, a hub in petrochemical production chain on par with Jurong in Singapore and industrial complexes in South Korea.  Vijay Rupani Remains Gujarat CM o Vijay Rupani will continue as chief minister of Gujarat and Nitin Patel as his deputy chief minister. o The BJP had won 99 seats, only seven more than it needed for a majority to form the government. o The decision was taken at a meeting of all the newly-elected BJP MLAs and the announcement was made by union minister Arun Jaitley.  Salman tops Forbes India Celebrity List o With earnings of Rs232.83 crore, actor Salman Khan has topped the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list 2017 for the second consecutive year. o While Shah Rukh Khan featured in the second spot with earnings of Rs170.50 crore, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli came third with Rs100.72 crore earnings. o Akshay Kumar and Sachin Tendulkar featured in the fourth and fifth spots respectively.  9th Int. Youth Sailing Competition o Krishnapatnam Port in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, is hosting the 9th edition of International Youth Sailing Competition of India from December 27th to December 31st 2017. o The event is the largest sailing competition in the country and is organised by the Navayuga Sailing Academy. o The port is also holding YAI Senior and Youth National Championships.

 India's 1st design univ. opens campus o India's first and only design university, World University of Design opened its campus at Sonipat, Haryana. o WUD offers country's largest creative course catalog - 23 specialized UG and PG programs in various design arenas. o The university follows a unique curriculum that encourages research, academic excellence, industry preparedness and social innovation.  NFHS shows decline in Child Marriages o As per National Family Health Survey, the percentage of women, who were married before legal age, has reduced from 47.4% in 2005-06 to 26.8% in 2014-15. o Further, as per analysis of Census 2011 data by NCPCR, ‘nil’ marriages were reported in the age group of 0-9 years for both boys and girls. o India has enacted the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 in order to prohibit child marriages.  Highways Investment Promotion Cell o The NHAI has created a National Highways Investment Promotion Cell for attracting domestic & foreign investment for highways projects. o The cell will focus on engaging with global institution investors, construction companies for building investor participation in road infrastructure projects. o The primary focus of NHIPC will be to promote foreign and domestic investment in road infrastructure  Regional Conference on 'Good Governance' o A Regional Conference on 'Good Governance and Replication of Best Practices' begins in Guwahati. o The two-day conference is being organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Ministry of Personnel.

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o The Conference is an effort to create a common platform to share experiences in the formulation and implementation of citizen-centric governance.  Import duty increased on Chana & lentils o The government has decided to impose 30% import duty on Chana (Chickpeas) and Masoor (Lentils), with immediate effect. o Production of Chana & Masoor are expected to be high during the forthcoming Rabi season. o To protect the interest of the farmers Government has decided to increase the said import duty. At present, tur attracts 10% import duty.  Number of 'crorepatis' grew 23.5% o Individuals with over Rs 1 crore of declared income rose 23.5 percent to 59,830 in tax assessment year 2015-16. o But the higher number of 'crorepatis' had Rs 50,889 crore less income than that of the previous year. o The statistics for the assessment year 2015-16 shows that 59,830 individuals with gross total income of over Rs 1 crore had a cumulative income of Rs 1.54 lakh crore.  'R-MITRA' app for security of passengers o Eastern Railway has launched a mobile application “R-MITRA” (Railway Mobile Instant Tracking Response & Assistance) for security of passengers. o It is launched especially for the safety of women passengers. o It is an attempt to prevent and detect crime against passengers during travel.  India's 1st Rail and Transportation Univ o The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved the Ministry of Railways' initiative to set up India's first ever National Rail and Transport University.

o The university set up in Vadodara, Gujarat will skill its human resources and build capability. o The University will be set up as a Deemed to Be University under de novo category as per the UGC Regulations, 2016.  Laser fence to check infiltration o Laser fence will be installed at certain points along India’s open borders with Nepal and Bhutan to prevent infiltration. o Laser fence would be put up at one location each along the 1,751-km Indo- Nepal & 699-km Indo-Bhutan boundaries. o The laser fences will be deployed in areas that are “uninhabited” due to difficult geographical terrain and are prone to smuggling and other terror activities.  World’s 1st sand art certificate course o The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will launch world’s first online certificate course in sand art in March 2018. o It will help sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik’s dream come true. o Pattnaik said he wanted India to become the first country across the globe to offer such training to sand artists. The course will provide desired skills to the persons.  Consumer Protection Bill introduced o Cabinet approved the introduction of the Consumer Protection Bill, 2017, to amend the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. o It is focused on faster redressal of consumer grievances and to ensure stringent action against unfair trade practices. o The Bill seeks to enlarge the scope of the existing Act and proposes stricter actions against misleading advertisements and food adulteration.  Inter-state programme for child labour

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o An inter-state collaborative event between Maharashtra and Bihar to combat child labour and trafficking was held in Mumbai. o It aimed at increasing coordination between the two states for rescue and rehabilitation to stop child labour and trafficking. o The collaboration, involves police officers, officials from the Labour & Women and Child Development departments, NGOs & civil society members.  LED Lights At All Railway Stations o Ministry of Railways is actively working to provide 100% LED lighting for its most of the Non-traction Energy needs. o Under this 100% LED initiative, Ministry of Railways has decided to make all railway stations 100% LED lit by the end of current financial year i.e. by 31 March 2018. o LED or light-emitting diode bulbs are more energy efficient and have a longer lifespan than traditional lamps.  Use of plastic bullets against protester o As per the SOP adopted by J&K Police including law enforcing agencies for dispersal of unlawful assembly, less lethal weapons should be used as per the established use-of-force policy. o The use of force should be guided by objectives of restoring peace, dispersal of violent unlawful assembly etc. o The hierarchy of usage of forces inter-alia includes use of rubber bullet/ plastic bullets.  Haryana's mock exercise on earthquake o Haryana Revenue and Disaster Management department has decided to hold a mega mock exercise on the earthquake in all 22 districts of the state. o The exercise would be conducted in coordination with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), New Delhi.

o The aim of this exercise is to generate awareness among the general public about safety measures in case of the earthquake.  Skill Ministry, Maruti Suzuki sign pact o The skill development ministry and Maruti Suzuki signed an agreement to impart training to youth and enhance their employment potential. o Maruti Suzuki will ensure that not less than 80 percent of trainees are placed with Maruti Suzuki or its business partners. o Maruti Suzuki in consultation with DGT will develop specific training modules as per the need of the automobile industry.  Kaleshwaram project gets envt. nod o The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has accorded environmental clearance for the Kaleshwaram irrigation project in Telangana. o Project envisages construction of a barrage across River Godavari near Madigadda village in Karimnagar district of Telangana. o This aims to divert 180 TMC of water for providing irrigation facility in 7.38 lakh hectare  Assam Signs MoU to Save Rivers o The Assam government has signed a MoU with Isha Foundation to conserve and rejuvenate the rivers of Assam. o Assam became the sixth state in the country to sign MoU with non-profit making and spiritual organization, the Isha foundation. o The agreement was signed by Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal.  Punjab bans production, use of ‘manjha’ o Punjab has imposed a complete ban on manufacturing, sale, production, storage, supply, and usage of the kite-flying thread made out of nylon, plastic or any other synthetic material including the Chinese ‘manjha’ in the state.

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o It has been observed that synthetic manjha has an adverse effect on humans, cattle population, birds, soil and ecology. o One can fly kites only using a cotton thread.  Trainers programme for Sendai Framework o Shri Kiren Rijiju, inaugurated the first national-level training of trainers programme to sensitise various Central Ministries and Departments. o This workshop will sensitise the participants and will help in building capacity of the trainers' utilization of Sendai Monitor for developing Action Plans for DRR. o The Programme has been organised by the NDMA in collaboration with the UNISDR-GETI.  NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar retires o National Green Tribunal (NGT) Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar retired from the post after completing his five-year tenure. o His successor is yet to be appointed. o Justice Kumar resigned as Supreme Court judge after he was appointed NGT chairperson on December 20, 2012. During his tenure as NGT chief, he passed several landmark orders and judgements.  Record production of Horticulture crops o The production of horticulture crops has been more than food grains irrespective of adverse climatic conditions. o After China, India is the second largest producer of horticultural crops and fruits. o More than 9 crore metric ton of fruits on 63 lakhs hectare land were produced during 2015-16. o Horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, and any other cultivar.  Public access for disabled persons: SC

o SC has come out with a series of directions to ensure that public infrastructure is accessible to differently-abled persons. o SC ordered that the June 2019 deadline set by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 should be adhered to. o Court said this while disposing of a PIL filed by one Rajiv Raturi. This comes in the fundamental rights under Article 19(1)(c) of the Constitution.  Foundation Stone of NYAYA GRAM Project o Shri Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone of the Nyaya Gram project of the High Court of Allahabad in Allahabad. o President said freedom of the judiciary is a cornerstone of our democracy. India's credibility is enhanced by a fearless and independent judiciary. o Nyaya Gram project would prove to be a milestone in fulfilling the requirements of the Allahabad High Court.  Chhattisgarh village gets electricity o A tribal village in Chhattisgarh's Balrampur district got electricity connection for the first time. o The Jokapatha village, situated in the mountainous region, had been deprived of power supply since independence. o The state government led by Chief Minister Raman Singh has provided electricity connections to the several villages after 70 years of independence.  BJP wins in Gujarat and HP o The BJP has retained power in Gujarat for the 6th time in a row. o The party romped home again in Gujarat by winning 99 seats, seven seats more than the mark of an absolute majority in the 182-member House. o In Himachal Pradesh, BJP wrested power from Congress by winning 44 seats, two seats short of the 2-3rd majority, in the 68 member House.  Upgrade of mishap-prevention system

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o Indian Railways has cleared a Rs 12,000-crore proposal to equip electric locomotives with the latest European train protection system. o Railway Board cleared the proposal to equip 6,000 electric locos with European Train Control System Level-II to help drivers to prevent rail mishaps. o Currently, Railways has a basic automatic train protection system based on the ETCS Level-I specification.  Gita Research Institute to be set up o A research institute for the study of the 'Bhagavad Gita' will be soon set up by the Uttar Pradesh government in Mathura. o For research on Gayan (singing), Vadan (the art of music) and Nratya (dance) of the Krishna age, the government is setting up the institute. o Bhagavad Gita is a 700 verse Hindu scripture in Sanskrit that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.  Samsung, UNESCO partner for videos o Samsung India has entered into a partnership with UNESCO MGIEP to launch virtual reality content and 360-degree videos on Indian heritage sites. o Samsung will launch 360 video and virtual reality content of two magnificent Indian heritage sites, the Sun Temple in Konark and the Taj Mahal in Agra. o The project will provide experiential educational content to students across the country.  Govt to continue National Ayush Mission o Cabinet has approved the continuation of National Ayush Mission till March 31, 2020, with an outlay of Rs 2,400 cr. o The Mission was launched in 2014 with objectives of providing cost- effective traditional Indian medicine services like Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha & Homeopathy

o It also aims at improved availability of quality AYUSH drugs by increased number of quality pharmacies  India’s first social audit law o Meghalaya became the first state in India to operationalise a law that makes social audit of government programmes and schemes. o Chief Minister Mukul Sangma launched ‘The Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017’, at a national convention in Shillong. o A social audit facilitator will be appointed to conduct the audit directly with the people.  Pension for state's transgenders o The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has approved a scheme to provide a pension of Rs 1500 to transgenders above 18 years of age in the state. o Under this scheme the transgenders will be provided ration cards, plots and scholarships, also skill development for financial stability. o After Kerala and Odisha, Andhra Pradesh becomes the next state to sanction pension scheme for the transgender community.  Bill to replace Medical Council of India o Union cabinet has approved a bill to replace the Medical Council of India with a new commission to ensure transparency and reform. o The draft bill also proposes a common entrance exam and licentiate exam which all medical graduates will have to clear to get practicing licences. o Bill proposes a govt-nominated chairman & members, who will be selected by a committee under the Cabinet Secretary.  PM dedicates Tuirial hydro power project o Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 60 megawatt Tuirial hydro electric power project from Aizwal.

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o The power project would produce "251 million units" of electrical energy every year and boost the economic development of the state. o With the commissioning of the project, Mizoram became the third power- surplus state in the north-east.  Eastern India’s first CNG stations o Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated eastern India’s first compressed natural gas stations for scooters in Bhubaneswar. o The CNG stations are part of GAIL’s Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga and City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. o Earlier, CNG for scooter and three wheelers were available only in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.  2nd edition of Serendipity Arts Festival o The Second Edition of Serendipity Arts Festival is being held in Goa from 15th to 22nd December 2017. o The uniqueness of the festival is that it does not focus on a single art form. o It brings together craft, music, theatre, culinary arts visual arts and photography.  Income Inequality Highest in India o According to the World Inequality Report 2018, India has led to substantial increase in inequality so much that top 0.1% of earners has continued to capture more growth than all those in the bottom 50% combined. o It is released by World Inequality lab. o In 2014, the share of national income captured by India's top 1% of earners was 22%, while the share of top 10% of earners was around 56%.  Cabinet approves Agreement with UNESCO o Cabinet approved the establishment of International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography, as a Category-2 Centre of UNESCO, in Hyderabad.

o The purpose of this Agreement is to establish a training centre towards development of capacity for the countries on the Indian Ocean Rim. o The establishment will provide an opportunity for India to emerge as a leading country in the Indian Ocean.  The World Conference on Vedas o V. President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the World Conference on Vedas, “Vishwa Ved Sammelan”. o He said, Yajurveda mentions that the knowledge of Vedas is meant for the well-being of the entire humanity. The Vedas do not refer to any caste or community. o The Vedic philosophy states that truth, non-violence, patience, penance and spiritual uplift are the foundations of a human life  Union Cabinet clears triple talaq bill o Bill titled "The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill" that proposes to make triple talaq a criminal offence has been cleared by the union cabinet. o Under the draft law, triple talaq in any form - spoken, in writing or by electronic means would be banned or illegal o It also provides for 3 yrs in prison & a fine for Muslim man trying to divorce his wife by uttering talaq 3 times  SC extends deadline for Aadhaar linkage o SC has extended the deadline till March 31st 2018 for mandatory linking of Aadhaar with various services & welfare schemes. o The court said, for opening new bank accounts an applicant will not be required to provide Aadhaar number to the bank. o 5 judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also modified its earlier order with regard to linking of Aadhaar with mobile services.

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 Govt initiates survey to count jobs o NDA govt has tasked Labour Bureau to ascertain the number of jobs created under MUDRA scheme through a survey of small entrepreneurs. o It is done to get an authentic estimate of the jobs created under the govt's scheme before the general elections of 2019. o The Mudra scheme is aimed to give unsecured loans of up to Rs 10 lakh to small enterprises with the objective to provide self-employment.  Centre to set up 12 special courts o Centre has decided to set up special courts to deal exclusively with cases against 1,581 MPs & MLAS. o 12 such courts for a period of 1 year will be set up at a cost of Rs. 8 crore. o 2 special courts will handle cases against 228 MPs & other 10 courts will be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telengana, UP & West Bengal.  Rajasthan to offer e-mail IDs in Hindi o Rajasthan has become the 1st state in the country to offer free e-mail address in Hindi to its residents. o The facility - [email protected] will draw millions of new users who are not comfortable with English e-mail ids. o It is part of the Rajasthan DigiKit which has an enrollment of more than 1 crore people o Hindi is spoken by 544 million people in India making it the most spoken language  New initiatives on Health Coverage Day o Health Minister JP Nadda launched new initiatives including 'Laqshya' & Operational Guidelines for Obstetric HDUs & ICUs on the occasion of Universal Health Coverage Day o Laqshya is expected to improve the quality of care that is being provided to pregnant mother in Labour Room & Maternity Operation Theatres

o It aims to reduce preventable maternal & newborn mortality, morbidity and stillbirths  Hyderabad to become 'beggar-free' city o Hyderabad has launched a drive to turn the city into "Beggar Free" city. o The Hyderabad Prison Department has recently begun 2 Beggar homes - one in Chanchalguda jail for male beggars & another, Challapalli jail for female beggars. o The homes will be provided with all the necessary facilities, over 287 male beggars and around 150 female beggars have already set up in the homes.  J&K govt. launches ‘Saubhagya’ scheme o Jammu & Kashmir govt has launched Saubhagya (Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna) with an aim to provide free electricity connections to poor people in the State. o Saubhagya is an initiative that aims to provide electricity to 4 cr families across the country by Dec 2018. o Electric connections would be given to poor people, identified by Socio Economic & Caste Census of 2011 & other sections for Rs 500  New initiative for energy conservation o Uttarakhand Government has taken a new initiative for energy conservation by making it compulsory for all Government offices to install LED bulbs. o The initiative aims at reducing consumption of electricity in offices and civic areas. o Over 40 lakh LED bulbs have so far been distributed in Uttarakhand as against the target of one crore LED bulbs.  Door-to-door campaign against TB

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o Health ministry has launched a 15-day door-to-door campaign across the country for early detection, diagnosis & treatment of tuberculosis to eliminate the disease. o Supervisors will make door-to-door visits to find TB patients & give them free medical treatment till they are cure o According to WHO, an estimated 2.8mn cases of TB occur in India every year, out of which 1.7mn cases are reported  Centre to issue universal ID cards o The Centre will soon issue universal ID cards to persons with disabilities which will be valid throughout India. o At present, an identity card issued by a state is not considered valid in another state. o This causes inconvenience to persons with disabilities in availing benefits of the government schemes and reservation meant for them.  Free entrance coaching for SC/ST student o Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has launched a scheme under which free entrance coaching will be provided for SC & ST students preparing for civil services, banking & other competitive examinations. o Under 'Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Viskas Yojana', free coaching will be provided through well established coaching institutions. o Assistance will start for 100 students & extended to 5,000 students.  West Bengal to get its 1st naval museum o Navy is planning to hand over a decommissioned Tupolev-142 reconnaissance plane to the West Bengal govt for setting up an aircraft museum, the 2nd of its kind in the country. o There will be a mannequin resembling a pilot in the cockpit & visitors can see the machinery, bombs & gunner compartments of the plane as they walk through the museum. o The Museum will be operated by West Bengal govt.

 Meghalaya to get LPG bottling facility o Centre has sanctioned Rs 75 crore for setting up a LPG bottling plant in Meghalaya which will help increase the clean fuel's penetration, especially in the rural areas of the state. o Only 27% of the households in the state are linked with LPG connectivity which is much below the national average. o Meghalaya is the only state in North East region which has no bottling plant.  India's first mobile food testing lab o Chief Minister of Goa Manohar Parrikar will soon launch India's 'first' mobile food testing laboratory. o The vehicle is equipped to conduct on-the-spot tests to check the food quality & will also check the hygiene level of water. The results can be received within 15 minutes. o The mobile lab will do away with need to get the food samples to the FDA laboratory near Panaji for tests.  Naval Maritime Aircraft Museum o President Kovind inaugurated the Naval Maritime Aircraft Museum in Visakhapatnam, featuring maritime patrol aircraft Tupolev-142M, which served Navy for almost 3 decades o It will feature reconnaissance & anti-submarine warfare aircraft which was decommissioned this year o It will recreate the entire set-up of aircraft while in operation, including places for pilots, observer, equipment & weapon  India declared free from Trachoma o Union Health & Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda declared India free of Infective Trachoma, which has been a leading cause of infectious blindness among children.

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o Trachoma is a chronic infective disease of eye & is the leading cause of infective blindness globally. o Active trachoma is considered eliminated if the prevalence of active infection among children below 10 years is less than 5%.  Deadline for Aadhaar linkage extended o The govt has extended the deadline for mandatory linking of PAN with Aadhaar by 3 months to March 31, 2018. o This is the 3rd extension given by the govt to individuals to link the Permanent Account Number (PAN) with the biometric ID. o Several taxpayers have not yet completed the linking of PAN with Aadhaar, hence to facilitate the process of linking govt decided to further extend the deadline.  Min drinking age to go up from 21 to 23 o The Kerala government has come out with a new Ordinance raising the minimum age for liquor consumption from 21 to 23. o Raising the minimum age is aimed at curtailing drinking among youngsters. o Kerala has the second highest level of per capita liquor consumption for any Indian state following Andhra Pradesh.  BR Ambedkar International Centre o Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the BR Ambedkar International Centre in Delhi. o The centre is a fusion of Buddhist and modern architecture and will be an important place for research on social and economic issues. o The foundation stone of the centre was laid by PM Modi in 2015. o The prime minister also unveiled two statues of the Dalit icon at the centre in Janpath.  1st state to endorse triple talaq draft

o UP has become the 1st State to endorse Centre’s draft bill that makes instant triple talaq a cognisable & non-bailable offence. o As per the draft, Triple Talaq will be a cognisable & non-bailable offence punishable with 3 yrs imprisonment & wife will be entitled to custody of children if they are minor o Supreme Court on Aug 22 struck down triple talaq, calling Islamic practice unconstitutional  MP passes bill awarding death for rape o Madhya Pradesh assembly has unanimously passed a bill that will see rapists of girls 12 years or below being hanged till death. o The development comes after the NCRB report revealed that MP recorded the highest number of rape cases in the country. o The bill also proposes punishment for disrobing, stalking or sex on the pretext of marriage. The jail term increases for 2nd or subsequent offences  International Tourism Mart 2017 begins o The 6th International Tourism Mart has begun in Guwahati, Assam. o The 3 day program has been organized by Ministry of Tourism in association with all North Eastern states o It is being organised with an objective of highlighting the tourism potential of the region in the domestic & International markets o It will bring together the tourism business fraternity & entrepreneurs from the 8 NE States  15th Finance Commission hold 1st meeting o The first meeting of the newly constituted 15th Finance Commission took place in New Delhi o The Commission will review the current status of the finance, deficit, debt levels, cash balances and fiscal discipline efforts of the union and states. It will make recommendations for five years commencing 1st April, 2020.

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o It is being headed by former Secretary and ex-Member of Parliament NK Singh.  IT Campus for differently-abled persons o The Telangana government announced that it will set up an information technology campus for persons with disabilities, claiming this will be the world's first such facility. o The government entered into an agreement with Vindhya E-Infomedia Private Limited to set up the IT campus, which will focus on creating employment opportunity for persons with disabilities.  Int. exhibition & Conference on AYUSH o The first International Exhibition and Conference on AYUSH and Wellness sector- AROGYA 2017 has begun in New Delhi. o The theme of the conference is 'Enhancing the global potential of Ayush'. o The objective of the event is to showcase the strength and scientific validation of Indian System of Medicine in the global context. The fair will give a boost to AYUSH Products in International Market.

Business & Economy

 Allahabad Bank and NeSL tie up o Allahabad Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding with National E-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL). o The partnership could help in minimising the resolution period for cases referred by the bank to the National Company Law Tribunal. o NeSL is India's first Information Utility registered with Insolvency & Bankruptcy Board of India under the aegis of Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code, 2016.  World's second largest cryptocurrency

o Cryptocurrency 'Ripple' has surpassed ethereum as the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. o Ripple had a market cap of $86.3 billion, surpassing ethereum's $73 billion. o Bitcoin remains the largest digital currency by far, having a market capitalization of roughly $247 billion, accounting for about 41% of the total cryptocurrency market cap.  Govt. injects funds into 6 public banks o Centre has pumped in capital of Rs.7,577 crore in various weak public sector banks. o This capital infusion would help banks shore up their capital adequacy as they close the books for Dec quarter. o Govt released Rs. 2,257 crore to BOI, while IDBI Bank was infused with Rs. 2,729 crore. o All these banks are saddled with huge NPA & are under the prompt corrective action framework of RBI.  PNB hikes interest on term deposits o PNB has announced raising interest rates by up to 1.25% on domestic term deposits of up to Rs. 10 crore for different tenures, effective from Jan 1, 2018. o For 1 yr term, rate has been increased from 5% to 5.7% on bulk term deposits. o In maturity buckets of 3 yrs to 10 yrs, rate has been increased from 5% to 5.25%. In maturity bucket of 91 to 179 days, rate is up from 6 to 6.25%.  India’s 1st Foreign-Owned ARC o US buyout giant KKR & Co has become the first foreign investor to fully own an asset reconstruction company (ARC) in India. o It received approval from the Reserve Bank of India.

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o The New York-headquartered investor plans to set up a separate managed company to put bad loans and bring in expertise to revive the assets.  Softbank makes investment in Uber o A consortium led by SoftBank Group Corp has successfully bought a large number of shares in Uber. o The deal is of worth $48 bn (£36 bn).The investment comes after a year of troubles for Uber, including a lawsuit by Alphabet Inc’s self-driving car unit, Waymo. o Dara Khosrowshahi is an Iranian-American businessman and the CEO of Uber.  Sebi restricts cross-holding in MF o SEBI approved norms to improve governance in mutual funds and credit rating agencies and deepen the securities markets. o Sebi also did its bit to help tackle India’s Rs10 trillion stressed asset problem at a meeting of its board in Mumbai. o A sponsor of a mutual fund or its associates cannot hold more than 10% in any other asset management company or have a board seat.  Countries with highest NPAs: Report o India has the highest level of NPA among BRICS countries and is ranked fifth on a list of countries with the highest levels of NPAs. o It is according to a report by CARE Ratings. The countries ranked higher than India are Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Ireland. o NPA is defined as a credit facility in respect of which the interest has remained 'past due' for a specified period of time.  MoU between Bank of Baroda and POORTI o Bank of Baroda has entered into MoU with POORTI Agri Services Pvt. Ltd to enable the farmers to purchase agricultural inputs provided by POORTI. o This is a Platform for Online Ordering & Rural Transformation of India known as “POORTI”.

o Poorti is a company providing multi-party mobile commerce platform for easy ordering of fertilizers, pesticides, seeds by farmers with loans given by banks.  SBI raises fund to meet Basel III norms o SBI has approved of raising Rs 8,000 cr through various sources, including masala bonds, to meet Basel III capital norms. o Masala bonds are rupee denominated specialised debt instruments that can be floated in overseas markets only to raise capital. o Basel III is an int. regulatory accord that introduced a set of reforms designed to improve regulation & risk management within banking sector.  Govt cuts small savings interest rate o The government has cut the interest rate on small savings schemes, such as Public Provident Fund (PPF) and National Savings Certificate (NSC), by 0.2 percentage points for the January-March quarter. o PPF and NSC will now fetch a lower annual rate of 7.6%. o Since April 2016, interest rates of all small saving schemes have been recalibrated on a quarterly basis.  Paytm To Cross 100 mn Downloads o India's largest mobile-first financial services platform, Paytm announced that its app has crossed the 100 million milestone on Google Play Store in the second week of December 2017. o This makes Paytm the country's first payments app to cross the 100 million downloads mark. o The platform allows users to do online recharges and bill payments, book movie tickets, do travel bookings among others.  Offshore Business From 'GIFT' to start o IRDAI has issued regulations for insurance firms to carry out offshore business from Gujarat-based 'GIFT'.

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o By this, for the first time in the country, foreign insurers are permitted to open IFSC Insurance Office at GIFT. o GIFT is being developed as a global financial and IT Services hub, a first of its kind in India, designed to be at or above par with globally benchmarked financial centres.  SLCM Ties up with HDFC, IndusInd bank o Agri service solutions provider Sohan Lal Commodity Management having operations across India and Myanmar has tied up with HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank. o The agreement is for providing collateral management services. o This tie-up will provide easy access to scientific storage facilities leading to a fair price discovery of their products in the market.  Loan Agreement between TN & World Bank o Govt. of India, Govt. of TN & World Bank signed a $318 million loan agreement for the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization Project. o It will promote climate resilient agriculture technologies, improve water management practices, and increase market opportunities for small and marginal farmers. o The $318 million loan from the IBRD has a 5 yr grace period & a maturity of 19 years.  Only 1.7% Indians paid income tax o Just over 2 crore Indians, or 1.7 % of the total population, paid income tax in the assessment year (AY) 2015-16, according to data released by the I-T department. o The number of income-tax return filers increased to 4.07 crore in assessment year 2015-16 (FY 2014-2015) from 3.65 crore in the previous year.

o Only 2.06 crore actually paid tax as the others claimed income below taxable limits.  Govt Bank's NPA hits Rs 7.34 lakh crore o According to Reserve Bank data, Bad loans of Public sector banks stood at Rs 7.34 lakh crore by the end of second quarter this fiscal. o Leading corporate houses & companies accounted for approximately 77% of the total gross NPAs from domestic operations for the banks. o Among the major public sector banks, SBI had the highest amount of NPAs at over Rs 1.86 lakh crore followed by PNB.  Govt empowers taxman o Govt has amended rules & empowered taxman to use banking, insurance & municipal corporation’s database to obtain address of hiding or untraceable income tax defaulters. o Till now authorities could issue notice as per the address provided by taxpayers in their PAN, ITR or any tax-related communication. o It was necessary as no. of cases are stuck where the defaulters have changed their address.  Indian Economy may reach 7% growth o According to the recently released ASSOCHAM Year-Ahead Outlook, Indian economy may reach a 7% growth in 2018. o AYAO forecast pointed out that after disruptions like demonetisation & GST roll-out, the economic expansion may reach 7% mark by the end of September 2018 quarter. o ASSOCHAM outlook said that the economy is also likely to tilt towards farm sector which has been witnessing some stress.  Samsung, Axis Bank tie-up o Samsung has launched its 'Bill Payments' on its flagship payments service, Samsung Pay in partnership with Axis Bank.

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o The new feature will enable users to pay their utility bills seamlessly via Samsung Pay's secure and convenient platform. o Currently, users can pay their mobile, landline phone, electricity, gas, water and DTH bills using 'Bill Payments' on Samsung Pay.  'Champion State' for exports o Centre has recognised Odisha as a 'Champion State' for recording the highest growth in exports during 2016-17. o Exports from the state have increased from Rs 19,082 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 40,872 crore in 2016-17. o The major sectors of exports in Odisha are aluminum, products of aluminum, iron ore, processed minerals, iron, steel, marine products, residual chemical and allied products.  UP government signs MoU with South Korea o Uttar Pradesh govt has signed a MoU with South Korea to enhance cooperation in the field of tourism, skill development, culture and farming. o The move is aimed at boosting job opportunities besides helping in development in tourism, agriculture and culture sectors. o A delegation from Gimhae city of South Korea met Yogi Adityanath & discussed ways to improve cooperation b/w the 2 countries.  IndiGo operates 1,000 flights in a day o IndiGo has become the first Indian airline to operate over 1,000 daily flights across its domestic and international network. o The company reached the milestone with its Flight from Mumbai to Cochin. o With the addition of the latest aircraft, Airbus A-320 Neo, under its wings, IndiGo now boasts a massive fleet of 150 Airbus and a ATR aircraft.  India's GDP to grow at 7.5% in 2018

o According to a Nomura Report, Indian economy is expected to witness sharp recovery in Jan-Mar quarter & GDP growth is likely to be around 7.5% for 2018. o Growth consolidation is likely to increase in Q4, followed by sharp recovery in Q1 2018 due to ongoing remonetisation. o Tightening of monetary policy is due to inflationary pressures & higher oil prices.  Amazon acquires Blink o Amazon has reached a deal to acquire Blink, a startup developing battery- powered home-automation devices, including a wireless security camera and doorbell. o The acquisition positions Amazon to be more competitive against Google parent Alphabet's Next subsidiary. o Blink products are already compatible with Amazon's Echo home assistant, which runs the Alexa voice service powered by Lex  Airtel Payments Bank CEO resigns o Airtel Payments Bank Managing Director and CEO Shashi Arora has resigned from his position. o His resignation comes after Bharti Airtel’s eKYC licence suspension by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). o The "Aadhaar linked e-KYC" service of UIDAI provides an instant, electronic, non-repudiable proof of identity.  YES Bank to raise $1 billion o YES Bank established a Medium Term Note (MTN) programme to raise USD 1 billion. o It will be done by issuing debt securities in international capital markets to eligible investors.

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o YES Bank can raise money, in Indian or foreign currency through various instruments including issuance of debt securities such as non-convertible debentures, tier I-II bonds, MTNs and long-term infrastructure bonds.  BPCL SBI Card launched o SBI Card and Bharat Petroleum has announced the launch of the BPCL SBI Card – the most rewarding fuel co-branded credit card in the country. o The BPCL SBI Card will offer up to 70 litres of free fuel per year to cardholders. o Cardholders can earn rewards and save on fuel at 14000 Bharat Petroleum fuel stations across the country. It has been launched on the Visa platform.  Quikr acquires HDFC's Units o HDFC has sold its realty brokerage business HDFC Realty and its digital real estate business HDFC Developers to Quikr. o The all-stock deal will see HDFC pick up around 3.5% stake in Quikr for the two businesses, which have collectively been valued at about Rs 357 crore. o Aditya Puri is the CEO of HDFC, which is headquartered in Mumbai.  RBI puts BoI under PCA o After an on-site inspection, RBI has put Bank of India under the PCA framework. o This action will contribute to the overall improvement in risk management, asset quality, profitability, efficiency, etc of the bank. o To ensure that banks don't go bust, RBI puts in place some trigger points to assess, monitor, control and take corrective actions. These are known as Prompt Corrective Action.  WB provides loans for STRIVE project o World Bank has committed $125 million loan to India for the STRIVE project.

o The objective of the operation (Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement) is to improve access to quality and market-driven vocational training as well as apprenticeships. o The result areas for the project include improved performance of industrial training institutes.  IndusInd-Bharat Financial merger o Fair trade regulator CCI has approved the scheme of amalgamation between IndusInd Bank and Bharat Financial Inclusion. o The merger will be effected through an all-stock transaction of BFIL into IndusInd. It will be done through a Composite Scheme of Arrangement. o Post-merger, the new entity will have 4,000 branches and outlets and 16 million customers.  AU Bank joins hands with Sahaj e-Village o AU Small Finance Bank has announced signing a MoU with Sahaj e- Village. o MoU is signed for extending its banking service in remote areas through Business Correspondent Agent model. o With this MoU, AU Bank will be able to further foster its mission of financial inclusion and greater customer outreach. o The Sahaj Agents will gather information, counsel, and services to these customers.  Ola acquires foodpanda India o Germany's Delivery Hero sold its foodpanda India business to Ola in return for shares in the Indian ride-hailing firm. o Under the agreement, Ola will also commit to investing $200 million in foodpanda India.

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o The partnership with Ola will allow Delivery Hero to further consolidate markets where it strategically makes sense to collaborate with leading local players.  ICRA launches fixed income indices o With an aim to create more depth in the Indian debt market, ICRA Management Consulting Services, an arm of ICRA, launched a set of four fixed income indices. o The four indices launched are ICRA Gilt Indices, ICRA Liquid Indices, ICRA Corporate Bond Indices and ICRA Composite Debt Indices. o It would help asset managers and financial services companies make the objective analysis.  Paytm QR announces direct payment o Paytm has announced that its QR now allows offline merchants to accept unlimited payments directly into their bank accounts at 0 charge. o Now the Paytm merchant partners can accept payments through multiple payment instruments including UPI & cards. o Paytm QR has eliminated the need for additional spends on POS machines for merchants & it has been supporting them in their day-to-day business  Ola offers insurance cover o Ola has announced the launch of in-trip insurance programme in partnership with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, designed to benefit both driver-partners & their families. o Chalo Befikar insurance will be provided to all active driver-partners on the platform, offering a cover of Rs 500000. o The programme is thus aimed at alleviating the financial burden for driver-partners and their families.  Sodexo partners with Swiggy o Sodexo, an employee benefit provider has announced its partnership with food ordering & delivery platform, Swiggy.

o With this in place, 3 million daily users of Sodexo can now use their Meal Cards to order food via Swiggy app, thus enabling seamless food delivery and payment. o Through this, Sodexo aims at leveraging their technological expertise in their transformation to a digitized entity.  Uber ties up with BBM messenger o Uber Technologies has joined forces with BBM Messenger to allow users around the world to book rides via the messenger service. o With this partnership, BBM users can quickly request an Uber ride via BBM despite variations in quality of location, network speed, or device features. o The partnership agreement is with Creative Media Works, operating as BBM Messenger.  Oracle agrees to buy Australia’s Aconex o Oracle has agreed to buy Aconex, a company that makes cloud-based collaboration software for construction projects. o Oracle bought Aconex for 1.56bn Australian dollar cash as it tries to gain more customers in the rapidly growing market. o Aconex has more than 70,000 customers & its cloud-based software has been used on 16,000 projects across construction, infra & energy in 70 countries.  RBI imposes penalty on Syndicate Bank o RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on Syndicate Bank for non- compliance with its directions on "Cheque Purchase or Discounting, Bill Discounting, and KYC norms. o The penalty was imposed by RBI after considering the bank's reply and oral submissions made in the personal hearing.

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o Earlier, RBI had penalised Union Bank of India Rs 2 crore for non- compliance of KYC norms.  Google to shut down AR platform Tango o Google will shut down its Augmented Reality platform Tango built specifically for smartphones from March 2018. o It is seen as a bid to focus on a new software development kit called ARCore that brings AR experience closer to Android users. o Tango allows developers to create user experiences that include indoor navigation, 3D mapping, environmental recognition, AR & windows into a virtual world  No MDR charges on debit card payments o Union cabinet has decided to bear the merchant discount rate (MDR) applicable on digital payments via debit cards, etc, up to Rs2,000. o The MDR applicable on digital transactions will be borne by the govt for a period of 2 years with effect from 1 Jan. o MDR is the charge paid by a merchant to a bank for accepting payment from customers via credit or debit cards.  Nod for mandatory e-Way Bill o GST council has decided to go for early implementation of e-Way Bill for inter-state movement of items from Feb 1 & uniform mandatory compliance from June 1 next year. o The bill will bring uniformity across the states for seamless inter-state movement of goods. o An e-Way Bill is required for movement of goods worth more than Rs 50,000.  Merger of Dish TV and Videocon d2h o Dish TV has received the final approval from the government for closing its merger with Videocon d2h, the DTH arm of Videocon Industries Ltd.

o The new entity will called Dish TV Videocon Limited. The combined entity will serve more than 29 million subscribers. o Dish TV is currently the market leader with a 24% share followed by Tata Sky with a 23% market share.  UIDAI suspends Airtel eKYC licence o UIDAI has temporarily barred Airtel & Airtel Payment Bank from conducting Aadhaar-based SIM verification of mobile customers using eKYC process. o The action follows allegations of Airtel using Aadhaar-eKYC to open payments bank accounts of its subscribers without their informed consent. o UIDAI also objected to allegations about such accounts being linked to receive LPG subsidies.  J&K Bank Launches ‘Sahafat Scheme’ o Jammu and Kashmir Bank launched a special financial scheme for journalists of the state. The scheme "J&K Bank Sahafat Finance Scheme" was launched by the bank's chairman and CEO Parvez Ahmad. o The scheme will enable journalists to buy cameras, laptops, tablets and books. o The minimum loan amount for the purpose has been fixed at Rs 50,000 while as the maximum cap is Rs 3 lac.  SBI Starts State Bank Rewardz Scheme o SBI has introduced a loyalty program named State Bank Rewardz for its valued customers. o It gives the customers several opportunities to earn reward points and earn many times faster at Max Get More partner outlets. o Thus, one can become a member of the State Bank Rewardz Loyalty Program and earn points every time one spend.  WPI Inflation at 8-month High

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o Inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index accelerated to an 8-month high of 3.93% in November, from 3.59% in October. o Retail inflation unexpectedly jumped to a 15-month high of 4.88% in November, and industrial production slowed to 2.2% in October. o WPI is the price of a representative basket of wholesale goods. Some countries use WPI changes as a central measure of inflation.  Customs duty on electronic items raised o Finance Ministry has raised customs duty on some electronic items including TV, mobile phones, projectors & water heaters in order to boost domestic manufacturing. o The customs duty on television sets has been increased to 15% from the existing 10%. o The duty on monitors & projectors has been doubled to 20% while for push-button telephones and mobiles, the duty has been raised to 15% from nil.  Corporation Bank cuts overnight MCLR o Corporation Bank has reduced its marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) by 0.1% to 7.80% for overnight loan maturities. o At present, Corporation Bank's MCLR for 1 month & 3-month loan maturities stands at 7.90% and 8.20%, respectively. o MCLR mechanism was introduced in the banking system in April 2016 as an alternative to base rate, below which banks cannot lend for new borrowers.  Futures trading in Indian stocks o The Singapore Stock Exchange will soon launch trading in Indian single- stock futures on its platform. o The Singapore bourse currently offers trading in Nifty index contracts, which are very popular among overseas investors.

o The move has been triggered by Sebi’s decision to ban participatory notes from investing in Indian single-stock futures except for the purpose of hedging.  AIIB approves loan for Bangalore metro o Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has approved a $335 million loan to finance 100% electric metro rail project in Bangalore. o The investment in Bangalore Metro Rail is AIIB's first metro project & its first joint financing partnership with European Investment Bank. o By expanding city's metro system, the project will provide high-capacity north-south connectivity through center of Bangalore.  Tata group, GE to make engine parts o Tata group & General Electric have signed an agreement to build a new factory in Hyderabad to make engine parts for passenger jets. o Under the partnership, GE Aviation & Tata Sons’ subsidiary, Tata Advanced Systems will manufacture, assemble, integrate and test aircraft components. o Components made here will go into LEAP engine used in new fuel-efficient Airbus A320neo & Boeing 737 MAX planes.  FundsIndia partners with Yes Bank o FundsIndia.com, a leading investment platform for mutual funds & equities, has partnered with Yes Bank to launch UPI on their Android app for MF payments o Powered by YES BANK, FundsIndia becomes the first online mutual fund distributor to support UPI for client payments o UPI offers the benefit of instant processing of payments & is currently the fastest way to complete mutual fund transactions  Fino becomes business correspondent

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o Fino Payments Bank has signed up Rajasthan govt's Rajcomp as its corporate business correspondent to give banking services to people in the state. o Under the agreement, all 55,000 e-Mitra points of Rajcomp will act as banking points of Fino Payments Bank. o Company expects increase in customer engagement at e-Mitra points & transactions at these points will grow by over 400% from existing level  US Federal Reserve raises interest rate o US Federal Reserve raised its interest rates by .25%, the third rate rise this year. o Officials also boosted economic forecasts, projecting 2.5% growth in GDP in 2017 & 2018. o Fed expects to make 3 further increases in rates next year, unchanged from its previous forecast. o The move marks a retreat from ultra-low rates that were put in place during financial crisis to boost economic activity.  Swiggy acqui-hires 48East o Food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy announced that it has acqui- hired Bengaluru-based gourmet Asian food start-up 48East. o 48East offers a new menu every week, operates 5 kitchens, processes 9,000 orders a month and serves over a dozen areas in Bengaluru. o Founders of 48East, Joseph Cherian & Nabhojit Ghosh, will join Swiggy's New Supply business line.  Restrictions on Corporation Bank o RBI has imposed certain restrictions on Corporation Bank on carrying out banking activities in view of high non-performing loans and requirement to raise capital. o Corporation Bank's net non-performing loans cross 10% & it reported losses of Rs 1035 crore in the 2nd quarter ending 2017

o This makes Corporation Bank eighth bank to face restriction in a span of 10 months.  OBOPAY gets a Prepaid Instrument License o OBOPAY, global mobile payment solutions company has secured a license for Prepaid Payment Instrument from RBI to operate a semi-closed loop wallet in India o Company will be using the license in propelling the business in its B2B operations by co-branding the prepaid instrument with a partner brand. o Using the licence, OBOPAY will solve various payment related problems for their partner clients  RBI imposes penalty on IndusInd Bank o RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 3cr on IndusInd Bank for deficiencies in regulatory compliance o Penalty is imposed for non-compliance with directions on Income Recognition & Asset Classification norms & contravention of regulatory restrictions pertaining to non- fund based facilities(NFB). o A notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it  India to get $250mn loan from World Bank o India has signed a loan agreement with World Bank under ‘Skills Acquisition & Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion’(SANKALP) project. o World Bank’s financing arm IBRD will provide $250 million loan for skill development programme. o An objective of the project is to enhance institutional mechanisms for skills development & increase access to market-relevant training for the workforce.  DCI and NHAI inks pact for sand

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o Highways authority NHAI & Dredging Corporation of India have signed a pact to ensure adequate supplies of sand for road construction. o Concessionaires working on highway projects have been facing a shortage of sand at many sites and the pact aims to fill this gap by facilitating the supplies to them. o As per the MoU, business intermediaries will ship & store this sand at various ports in India  RBI raises FPI limit in G-Secs o RBI has increased the limits for investment by foreign portfolio investors for Jan-March 2018 quarter by ₹6,400 crore in Central Govt Securities & ₹5,800 crore in State development loans o Revised investment limit for FPIs in G-Secs will be ₹2,56,400 while investment limit in SDLs will be ₹45,100 crore o Within SDLs, the general investment limit has been enhanced by ₹1,500 crore to ₹31,500 crore  Banks banned from dealing in bitcoin o South Korea has banned its financial institutions from dealing in virtual currencies such as Bitcoin. o South Korea has emerged as a hotbed for cryptocurrency trading, accounting for 20% of global Bitcoin transactions, about 10 times its share of the world economy. o About 1 million South Koreans are estimated to own Bitcoins, demand is so high that prices for the unit are 20% higher than in US.  NSE to auction investment limits o National Stock Exchange will auction investment limits for overseas investors for purchase of corporate bonds worth over Rs 7,300 crore. o The auction will be conducted on NSE's e-bid platform after the close of market hours.

o The auction quota gives overseas investors the right to invest in debt up to the stipulated limit.  WB Group to stop investing in oil & gas o World Bank Group will end its financial support for oil & gas exploration within next 2 years in response to growing threat posed by climate change. o It marks a major change in strategy for WBG, which has historically sought to support extraction of natural resources. o The Bank currently holds $961m of guarantee operations, set up to support private sector investments in gas & oil explorations  ADB lowers India’s GDP forecast o Asian Development Bank has lowered India’s GDP forecast for the current fiscal by 0.3% to 6.7 %. o The Weak growth is attributed to tepid growth in first half, demonetisation and transitory challenges of new tax system o The bank has also revised downward the GDP outlook for next fiscal of 2018 to 7.3% from 7.4% due to rising global crude oil prices & soft growth in private sector investment.  IDBI Bank to sell 30% stake in NEGIL o The board of directors of IDBI Bank has approved the sale of 1,20,00,000 equity shares of NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Ltd (NEGIL) constituting 30% stake held by the bank o It is part of an exercise that is being carried out to exit from non-core business. o Last month, IDBI Bank’s board also approved sale of 1.5% stake in National Stock Exchange.  UCO, Allahabad Bank sell Jai Balaji loan

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o UCO Bank & Allahabad Bank have sold their entire loan exposure to Jai Balaji Industries to Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction, ahead of a deadline to begin bankruptcy proceedings. o Jai Balaji is one of 29 NPA accounts in the second defaulter list prepared by the Reserve Bank of India. o The purchase of these loans will make Edelweiss ARC one of the largest creditors to the company.  Top referral source for publishers o According to digital analytics firm Parse, Google has beaten FB to become publishers' main source of external page views over the course of 2017 o Google which started the year at 34% generated 44% of the total traffic o FB sent 25% less traffic to publishers in 2017, while Google increased its traffic by 17% o In Jan, FB provided nearly 40% of publishers external traffic which is now down to 26%  Govt fixes sovereign Gold bond rate o Govt has fixed Rs 2,890 per gram as the price of new series of sovereign gold bonds opening. o Govt, in consultation with RB, has decided to offer a discount of Rs 50 per gram to investors applying online & making payments digitally. o Under the scheme, bonds are denominated in units of 1 gram of gold & multiples. o Min investment in bonds is 1 gram while Max limit is 500 grams per person.  PNB launches QIP to raise Rs3,000 crore o Punjab National Bank has launched a share sale to qualified institutions to raise at least Rs3,000 cr with an upsize option for another Rs2,000 cr o Total fund-raising of Rs. 5,000 cr including upsize option, is aimed at boosting bank's capital ratio

o State-run banks are raising funds as part of a recapitalisation plan in which govt will inject Rs. 1.35 lakh crore through recapitalisation bonds  Apple buys song-recognition app Shazam o Apple has bought Shazam, the maker of a song-recognition app that Apple’s digital assistant Siri has already been using to help people identify music playing on their iPhones. o Shazam deal marks Apple’s biggest acquisition in music since paying $3bn for Beats Electronics’ line of headphones & music service in 2014. o Shazam lets users identify songs, movies & commercials from short audio clips.  Indian economy to grow at 7.2% in 2018 o Indian economy will grow at 7.2% in 2018 & accelerate to 7.4% in the following year as a result of robust private consumption, public investment & structural reforms, a UN report said o Despite slowdown in early 2017 & lingering effects from demonetisation policy, the outlook for India remains largely positive o The report also forecast that inflation in India will be 4.5% in 2018 & 4.8% in 2019  IndusInd to set up impact financing unit o IndusInd Bank is preparing to open a new vertical to focus on so-called impact financing. o Impact financing business will lend to social enterprises working in sectors such as healthcare, education & affordable housing. o IndusInd sees a big opportunity in impact financing as it feels it is an underserved area, as most institutions are unable to underwrite such loans due to high risk perception  Procurement portal for MSMEs

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o A public procurement portal, ‘MSME Sambandh’, was launched by Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises Minister (Independent charge), Giriraj Singh. o The objective of the portal is to monitor the implementation of the public procurement from MSEs by Central public sector enterprises. o Using this Portal, MSME would be able to access the information about the products being procured by CPSEs.  Loan to upgrade Karnataka highways o Asian Development Bank will fund highway upgradation project in Karnataka for which it has approved a loan of $346 mn. o The loan has been approved to improve 419 km of highways by upgrading them to 2 & 4 lane with paved shoulders & improving culverts & bridges. o Project will see construction of planned pedestrian, installation of women- friendly element, footpaths & proper signage, and others.  Maruti Suzuki rides past SBI, HDFC o State Bank of India, is now behind the carmaker for every second Indian, Maruti Suzuki, in market capitalisation. o At a market cap of Rs 2,73,106 crore, the Suzuki-promoted carmaker is now the sixth most valued company in the country. o Maruti Suzuki is now more valuable than the combined market cap of the 3 leading automobile companies in the country: Tata Motors, M&M & Ashok Leyland.  Suresh Prabhu to attend WTO meeting o Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu will attend the 11th Ministerial conference of WTO in Buenos Aires, Argentina. o He will not only have to safeguard the interests of Indian farmers, but will have to put his foot down on blocking introduction of new issues such as e- commerce.

o The basic purpose of trade remains development & hence Doha Development Agenda will be very much on the table.  Syndicate Bank cuts MCLR by 0.05% o Syndicate Bank has slashed the marginal cost based lending rate (MCLR) by 0.05% for select maturities. o The bank has cut the overnight, 1-month and 3-month MCLR by 0.05% each to 7.95, 8 and 8.05%. o MCLR for 6 month & 1 year lending have been kept unchanged at 8.25% and 8.45%. o Banks review their MCLR rates on a monthly basis, which is relatively a new method of charging interest on advances.  India INX gets Sebi go-ahead for listing o India International Exchange has received approval from Securities & Exchange Board of India on the framework for listing of debt securities. o It will enable Indian & foreign issuers to issue masala bonds, eurobonds & foreign currency bonds from India INX at IFSC at GIFT for the first time. o With approval for debt listing, India INX expects a significant increase in its daily trading volumes.  ICICI Bank mops up $500 million o The largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has sold a benchmark bond issue at a coupon of 3.833% to overseas investors. o The USD 500-million ten-year dollar money was issued through the Dubai branch of ICICI Bank. o Due to high demand, the pricing came down by 20 bps to 150 bps over the US treasury offering a yield of 3.833% to the investor.  India's GDP growth to rise to 7.5%

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o Indian economy is expected to witness cyclical growth recovery, with real GDP growth likely to accelerate from 6.4% to 7.5% in 2018 & to 7.7% in 2019, says a Morgan Stanley report. o Firm is confident about prospects for a recovery in private capital spending as demand conditions are improving post demonetisation & GST o Pickup in Consumption & Exports is expected to improve corporate revenues.  Paytm acquires Nearbuy and Little o Paytm has announced acquisition of Nearbuy & Little, 2 deals platforms that focus on local restaurants as well as commercial establishments. o This acquisition gives Paytm access to a large no. of merchant partnerships & an even larger pool of potential customers. o Nearbuy, which was acquired by Groupon in 2011 while Little app was launched in 2015 with initial backing from Paytm.  Indian Bank revises interest rates o Public sector Indian Bank has revised interest rates on foreign currency non-resident (banking) deposits with immediate effect. o For FCNR (B) deposits, in USD, the revised interest rate has been fixed at 2.77% for deposits of one year and above but less than two years from the current 2.63%. o Interest rates were fixed at 3.20% for deposits of upto five years from the current 3.14%  Axis Securities gets NCDEX membership o Axis Securities has become the 1st broking arm of a bank to take membership of a commodity exchange by registering itself with NCDEX. o In Sept, RBI allowed banks wishing to undertake commodities derivatives clearing to set up a separate subsidiary for the purpose & adhere to norms laid by SEBI.

o Trading volume in commodity exchange is expected to increase with wide reach of banks broking firms  Service to open PPF account online o ICICI Bank has launched a digital service to allow customers to open a public provident fund (PPF) account online. o With this new facility, customers of the bank are no longer required to visit a branch and submit physical documents to open a PPF account. o With this ICICI becomes the first lender in the country to introduce a fully digital and paperless procedure for opening a PPF account.  AWS chosen to deliver Cloud services o Amazon Web Services has become the 1st global Cloud service provider to achieve full empanelment for delivering Public Cloud services to govt customers in India. o The govt organisations & state-run banks can now increase agility & speed innovation with AWS's flexible "pay-as-you-go" Cloud services. o By using AWS, the QCI has expedited the accreditation process of its various projects.  ICICI Bank to enable cashless payments o Government has engaged ICICI Bank to enable online payments at 470 mandis integrated with the national portal of electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM). o At present, e-NAM participants are doing payments through traditional ways via bank branches, debit cards and net banking. o ICICI Bank will enable BHIM and Unified Payments Interface on the e- NAM portal for making cashless payments  RBI keeps key policy rate unchanged o RBI’s monetary policy committee has kept its key policy rate unchanged at 6% in its 5th bi-monthly policy review of the fiscal year.

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o The policy rate still stands at a 7 year low. The committee had last cut the key lending rate by 25 basis points in August this year. o The RBI also maintained its projection for FY18 real GVA growth at 6.7%, saying the risks are evenly balanced.  RBI to rationalise MDR o RBI has decided to rationalise charges on debit card transactions based on category of merchants with a view to giving “further fillip” to digital payments. o It is aimed with the twin objectives of increased usage of debit cards and ensuring sustainability of the business for the entities involved. o MDR is the rate charged to a merchant by a bank for providing debit and credit card services.  Mid-term review of foreign trade policy o Union Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu unveiled Mid-Term Review of Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 by announcing a slew of incentives to boost country's exports. o It will focus on finding new markets and new products as well as increasing India's share in the traditional markets and products. o The FTP would focus on MSME enterprises, labour-intensive segments and agriculture sector.  Nestle to buy Atrium Innovations o Nestle is buying Canadian vitamin maker Atrium Innovations for $2.3 billion, expanding its presence in consumer healthcare as it seeks to offset weakness in packaged foods. o This deal is Nestle’s biggest acquisition in medical nutrition since the company accelerated its push into health in 2006. o This is Nestle’s 4th purchase in recent months & is expected to close in the 1st quarter of 2018.  Google invests in Dunzo

o In its first direct investment in an Indian startup, Google has invested Rs 65 cr in Dunzo, a hyper local concierge & delivery firm. o The investment is part of Google's Next Billion Users push & will see the company lead a $10-12 mn round. o Dunzo offers services where customers can use its app to ask for errands such as fetching medicines or buying a cake, for a fee.  Google, Tata Trusts to create employment o Google is going to expand its Internet Saathi programme, run in partnership with Tata Trusts, to create digitally enabled livelihood opportunities for women. o The programme aims to facilitate digital literacy among women in rural India. o Tata Trusts has set up FREND, which will help institutions to utilise services of Internet Saathis in dissemination of information & services in rural areas.  ADB lends $583mn for RPower’s project o Asian Development Bank has approved debt financing & partial risk guarantee of $583mn to develop Reliance Power’s 750MW power plant & LNG terminal project in Bangladesh. o Energy from the power plant will be sold into country’s electricity grid under a long-term power purchase agreement & will significantly improve energy infrastructure in Bangladesh. o The total project cost is $1bn (approx).  Fed Bk launches saving a/c sans interest o Federal Bank has launched non-interest bearing savings account targeting those whose beliefs do not permit them to accept interest payment o While account holders will not earn any interest they will get a platinum debit card which will provide them lounge access in airports 8 times a year

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o Holders of this account will be eligible for Platinum RuPay card with daily transaction limit of 2 lakh  Paytm rolls out FASTag across India o Paytm Payments Bank is rolling out Paytm FASTag across the India, with the govt mandating the use of FASTag on every new vehicle sold from Dec 1. o The FASTags allow vehicles to pass through 380 toll plazas across India covering 55,000 km without having to stop. o Each Paytm FASTtag is linked to a registered Paytm account to facilitate instant automatic deduction of toll charges.  Fitch cuts full-year growth forecast o Fitch Ratings has reduced the GDP growth forecast of India for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, to 6.7% from 6.9%. o According to Fitch, growth has repeatedly been disappointing in recent quarters, although this has partly reflected one-off factors, including the demonetisation and disruptions related to implementation of GST. o Fitch expects GDP growth to pick up in the next two years.

Science & Technology

o Scientists have discovered the equivalent of smoke-rings in the Tasman Sea which may ‘suck-up’ small marine creatures and carry them at high speed and for long distances across the ocean. o The rings were spotted by analysing sea level measurements taken from satellites. o The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand.  ISRO to launch 31 satellites in one go o ISRO would launch 31 satellites, including India’s Cartosat-2 series earth observation space craft, in a single mission on January 10. o The mission will be the first ‘Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle’ (PSLV) mission after the unsuccessful launch of the navigation satellite IRNSS-1H in August this year. o The mission’s main payload would be India’s Cartosat-2 series earth observation satellite.  India Test-Fires AAD Supersonic Missile o India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence supersonic interceptor missile from Odisha. o It is capable of destroying any incoming ballistic missile at low altitude. o This was the 3rd supersonic interceptor test carried out this year. The interceptor is a 7.5 m long single stage solid rocket propelled guided missile equipped with a navigation system.  Fish discovered inside Meghalaya cave o A new species of blind fish has been discovered inside a cave in East Jaintia Hills, in Meghalaya. o The fish "Schistura larketensis" gets its name from Larket village, where the cave has been found, the journal, Zootaxa, said.

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o The species has apparently lost its sight living in the perpetual darkness inside the cave.  Agriculture Minister Launches LDF App o Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has launched Livestock Disease Forewarning – Mobile Application (LDF- Mobile App). o The app is developed by ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics, Bengaluru. o Apart from early warning, the app will also provide information about clinical samples for the diagnosis in case of the epidemic.  Dr. Reddy’s unveils cancer drug in U.S. o Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has introduced Melphalan Hydrochloride for injection, a therapeutic equivalent generic version of Alkeran for injection, in the U.S. market. o Melphalan hydrochloride for injection is indicated for the palliative treatment of patients with multiple myeloma for whom oral therapy is not appropriate. o It has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  Solar-based cold storage o Engineers at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi have developed a solar-powered on-farm storage structure. o It can increase the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables in regions where cold storage facilities are absent. o It is designed by Pramod Kumar Sharma & others, which can retain the quality and freshness of fruits & vegetables for an additional period of up to five days.  NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless dies o Former NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless, the first person to fly in space without tethers, passed away. He was 80 years old.

o Bruce McCandless performed the famous spacewalk in 1984, during which he did not use restrictive tethers and umbilicals. o He has been honoured with numerous awards like American Expeditionary Service Medal, NASA Space Flight Medal etc.  Gravitational wave detector to be built o A new LIGO gravitational wave detector will be built in India by 2025 in collaboration with universities from across the world. o LIGO stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. o It will help to pinpoint the origin of the gravitational waves that are detected in future. o This will be the world’s third LIGO detector, along with two already operational in the US.  New species of scorpions discovered o Tripura has identified a new species of scorpions in Tripura’s Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary. o The Schaller’s wood scorpion has large and powerful pincers. o The study was published in Zootaxa, an international journal devoted to new species descriptions. Mr. Mirza discovered them. o He named the new species Liocheles schalleri in honour of celebrated wildlife biologist George Schaller.  Scientists discover new frog species o Scientists have discovered a new frog species from its home in the fast flowing streams in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Subansiri district. o The new species discovered from Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary has been named as Odorrana arunachalensis, after the state where it was discovered. o The species is sighted during the wet season, from April to September. They are not seen in the dry seasons.

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 'World’s smallest’ DRAM chip o Samsung Electronics developed the world’s smallest DRAM chip. o The “2nd-generation” 8-gigabit DRAM chips with improved energy efficiency and data processing performance will be used in mobile devices and high-speed graphics cards. o The advantage of DRAM is the structural simplicity of its memory cells. Only 1 transistor and a capacitor are required per bit, compared to 4 to 6 in SRAM.  Fossil shows life existed 3.5 b yrs ago o An analysis of ancient fossil microorganisms indicates that life on Earth evolved very early on the planet’s history – at least about 3.5 billion years ago. o The microorganisms were found preserved in rocks from Western Australia. o The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. o This strengthens the case for life existing elsewhere in the universe.  Plants that glow in the dark o Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers have created bioluminescent trees that glow like Fireflies. o MIT engineers used an enzyme called luciferase to create the bioluminescent trees that glow like Fireflies. o This technology can further be used to light up entire street in future.  Nokia, IIT-Delhi join hands on analytics o Nokia & IIT-Delhi have entered into a partnership to collaborate on futuristic technologies like data science, analytics & artificial intelligence. o The MoU will allow Nokia to prepare its services for 5G where networks will be more complex & demanding.

o IIT-Delhi research scholar will develop software modules based on AI algorithms with machine learning, deep learning & predictive analytic.  Ravi Shankar launches first NIC-CERT o IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched 1st NIC-CERT, a setup of National Informatics Centre to prevent & predict cyber attacks on govt utilities. o NIC-CERT will work to ensure early detection & immediate mitigation of cyber attacks by monitoring data across the NIC platform. o It has been setup with the objective of creating a comprehensive framework that integrates world class security.  New form of matter 'excitonium' found o Researchers from University of California & University of Illinois have proven the existence of new form of matter called 'excitonium'. o The existence of 'excitonium' was 1st theorised almost 50 years ago. o Excitonium exhibits macroscopic quantum phenomena, like a superconductor & is made of excitons, particles that are formed in a very strange quantum mechanical pairing.  UAE launches its 1st astronaut programme o Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum has launched UAE's 1st astronaut programme aimed at sending 4 Emirati astronauts to International Space Station. o UAE has announced plans to become the 1st Arab country to send an unmanned probe to orbit Mars by 2021, naming it "Hope". o The program would make UAE one of only a handful of states in the Middle East to have sent a person into space.  Floating Solar Power Plant in Kerala o The largest-ever floating solar power plant in India has become operational in Kerala.

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o Constructed by Ad tech Systems, the plant will generate 7 lakh units of power in a year. o The unique feature of this plant is the anchoring mechanism used by the overwhelming technology to maintain the plant with the alteration of the water level. o The total cost of the project is Rs. 9.25 crore.  Google Maps introduces 'Motorcycle Mode' o Google has launched a new feature to its Maps application specially, for Indian users called, the Motorcycle Mode. o The feature will allow two-wheeler drivers the shortest or the most convenient route for their journey will also show the routes and ETA which are suited best for the bikers. o The app will also share details about road blockage or parking trouble near the destination.  NASA fires up Voyager 1 thrusters o NASA told a set of thrusters aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft, the only human-made object in interstellar space, have been successfully fired up after 37 years without use. o The spacecraft has been using small devices called “attitude control thrusters” to orient itself so it can communicate with Earth. o Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched 16 days apart in 1977.  Google introduces ‘Datally’ app o Google launched Datally App to understand, control and save users mobile data themselves o Datally App will enable users to track their data usage in real time, and get personalized recommendations on saving data along with notifications of nearby available public Wi-Fi spots. o 3 things of Datally helps users: Understand your data, Control your data and save your data.

 Planet Labs to launch 4 satellites o Planet Labs Inc said four of its Dove satellites will be launched aboard India’s PSLV-C40 mission, scheduled to fly in January 2018. o Planet Labs Inc, a US-based integrated aerospace and data analytics company. o The primary payload for PSLV-C40 mission is Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Cartosat-2 Series satellite, and Planet Lab’s four satellites will ride as secondary payload.

Sports

 Viswanathan Anand bags bronze o Grand Master Viswanathan Anand continued his excellent run by bagging a bronze in the World Blitz Chess Championship at Riyadh, Saudi. o He defeated Maxim Vachier-Lagrave of France in the final round to take his tally to 14.5 points. o World Champion Magnus Carlsen won the tournament scoring 16 points followed by Sergey Karjakin with 14.5 points out of the maximum possible 21 points.  Ronaldo won the Best Player award o Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Best Player of the Year accolade at the Globe Soccer Awards. o Ronaldo retained the award, making it four wins overall, after helping his club defend the Champions League and win the Liga title. o Ronaldo was named winner ahead of Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain Neymar  Jitu Rai bags men's 50m pistol award

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o Ace Indian marksman Jitu Rai won the men's 50m pistol national title with a new national record score of 233 at the 61st National Shooting Championship in Thiruvananthapuram. o Rai's score of 233 was a new record in the finals of the event. o Jitu Rai also won the team gold in the event combining with Jai and Omprakash Mitherwal for a total of 1,658.  Anand won World rapid championship o Viswanathan Anand lifted the World rapid chess championship in Riyadh on Thursday. o The genius of Chennai, who defeated Magnus Carlsen of Norway earlier in the tournament, went on to finish on top with 10.5 points at the end of the 15th and final round. o Anand won that mini-match against Fedoseev.  Anisa sets new mark o Anisa Sayyed became one of the premier pistol shooters in the country by winning the women’s 25m air pistol gold in the 61st National shooting championships. o In the junior women’s section, Chinki Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) took the top spot. o Haryana took the gold in the junior women’s team event with 1686 points ahead of Tamil Nadu (1652) and Maharashtra (1641).  Sushil becomes most expensive wrestler o Sushil Kumar became the most expensive wrestler of the PWL (Pro Wrestling League) in New Delhi. o Delhi Sultans bought Sushil Kumar for Rs 55 lakh at the PWL auctions. o World Championship gold medallist Helen Maroulis of the United States got the highest bid among women players and was bought for Rs 44 lakh from Haryana Hammers.  Indian boxers claim 5 Medals

o Indian boxers have claimed 3 gold, 1 silver & bronze medal at Galym Zharylgapov Boxing Tournament in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. o Country's Gold Medal winners were K Shyam Kumar in 49kg, Naman Tanwar in 91kg & Satish Kumar in +91kg category. o The silver medal was claimed by national champion Manish Kaushik (60kg). o Tournament featured 5 international & 15 local teams, adding up to 154 boxers in all  India finish runners-up at SAFF U-15 o India finished as runners-up after going down by 1-0 to Bangladesh in the final of the SAFF U-15 Women's Championship in Dhaka. o Shamsun Nahar’s strike in the 41st minute sealed the issue in Bangladesh’s favour. o India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan participated in the tournament with India bagging impressive wins against Nepal and Bhutan.  BCCI Appoints Saba Karim as GM o Former India wicket keeper Saba Karim has been appointed as General Manager of the BCCI. o Karim will assume office from 1st January and he will report to CEO Rahul Johri. o The General Manager’s post has been lying vacant since the resignation of MV Sridhar in September over the issue of conflict of interest. Sridhar passed away on October 30th, 2017.  Rohit equals fastest century record o Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma equalled David Miller's record for the fastest century in the shortest format of the game. o He scored a 35-ball century against Sri Lanka in the second T20 international in Indore.

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o David Miller had scored a century in 35 balls against Bangladesh in October this year.  No shooting at 2022 Commonwealth Games o Shooting has been excluded from the Commonwealth Games 2022 edition. o At the same time, the push to bring cricket back into the fold has gathered momentum, with Commonwealth Games Federation. o The CGF declared Birmingham as the host city on Thursday after Durban, the original pick, had pulled out earlier this year due to financial constraints.  Birmingham to Host Commonwealth Games o The central English city of Birmingham will host the Commonwealth Games in 2022. o The 2022 Commonwealth Games were originally given to Durban in 2015, but the South African city was stripped of the event this year because of financial difficulties. o The multisports event was last in Britain in 2014 when it was held in Glasgow.  Messi won La Liga Best Player Award o Lionel Messi, the star forward of Barcelona, has received La Liga’s top scorer and best player awards for the 2016-2017 football season. o The Argentine beat rival Cristiano Ronaldo. o Messi scored 37 goals in league action last season to earn his fourth Pichichi award.  Bobsledder banned for life from Olympics o Russian bobsledder Alexey Voevoda has been given a life ban from the Olympics for anti-doping violations at the Sochi Games where he won two gold medals.

o The decision comes two weeks after the IOC banned Russia from next year's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics for what it called "unprecedented systematic manipulation" of the anti-doping system. o He won gold in the two-man and four-man bobsled.  India Finishes 1st at Junior Boxing o Indian junior boxers had clinched total 11 Medals (six gold, four silver and a bronze medal) at the fifth International Sven Lange Memorial Tournament, to finish as overall champions in the German city of Schwerin. o Bhavesh Kattamani (52kg) picked up the best boxer trophy along with his gold medal. o India was named the tournament's best team.  Sushil Kumar clinches gold o Double Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar clinched a gold medal at Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in South Africa. o Sushil defeated New Zealand Akash Khullar via a pinfall in final of 74kg freestyle category to clinch the yellow metal o It was his 1st medal in international wrestling since his gold medal in 2014 Commonwealth Games. o With the win he clinched his 5th title at Commonwealth level.  PV Sindhu settles for silver o PV Sindhu fell short of claiming her maiden title at BWF Superseries Finals & settled for silver, losing to top seed Akane Yamaguchi in Dubai. o Sindhu fought valiantly but Yamaguchu topped her 15-21, 21-12, 21-19 to win the gold medal. o This is the 3rd major event in the last 2 years where Sindhu had to settle for a silver after a 2nd placed finish at Olympics 2016 and World Championships 2017

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 Kaka announces retirement o Former AC Milan and Real Madrid midfielder Kaka, a 2002 World Cup winner with Brazil, has retired. o He is one of only eight players to win the treble of World Cup, European Cup/Champions League and Ballon d'Or. o Renowned for his strong mazy dribbles, his finishing and his creativity in providing goalscoring opportunities for others, Kaka played 92 times for Brazil, scoring 29 times.  Real Madrid wins the Club World Cup o Real Madrid has defeated Grêmio 1-0 to clinch the FIFA Club World Cup for a third time, matching Barcelona's record. o Ronaldo curled home a free-kick as Real became the first team to win back-to-back titles. o Real have now won 5 trophies in 2017 - Champions League, La Liga, Uefa Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup and now the Club World Cup.  Int'l Wheelchair Cricket Tournament o The first ever International Wheelchair Cricket Tournament has commenced in Nepal's Kathmandu. o The tournament has participation of teams from Nepal, India & Bangladesh which is supported by Sushil Koirala Memorial Foundation & technical assistance from Kathmandu Cricket Training Center. o The first ever series of Wheel Chair competition will conclude with the final match b/w Nepal & Bangladesh  10 golds at Wrestling Championship o India won 10 gold and as many silver medals on the first day of the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in South Africa’s Johannesburg. o The India Greco Roman style wrestling team that represented the nation at the championship won gold and silver medals in all 10 weight categories.

o Male team who won gold medal include Rajender Kumar in 55 kg, Manish in 60 kg, while Naveen won gold in 130 kg.  Official Emblems for Beijing 2022 Games o The emblems of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have been named “Winter Dream” and “Flight,” respectively. o The emblem launching ceremony was held at the National Aquatic Center, which staged the swimming events during the Beijing 2008 Games. o In 2022, this venue will be transformed into an ice rink for curling games.  Siwach named ABC’s best youth boxer o World youth champion Sachin Siwach was named the Asian Boxing Confederation’s best youth boxer of the year after winning an online poll conducted by continental body. o Siwach, who won the world title last year, claimed the Asian youth championships silver this year besides a gold at Youth Commonwealth Games. o Siwach polled 36.2% votes in his category in the online poll to claim the top honours  Test Matches to Have Min of 98 Overs o A minimum of 98 overs will be played on each day of the inaugural four- day Test between South Africa and Zimbabwe. o ICC playing conditions stipulate that play will be extended for an extra 30 minutes to accommodate the additional 8 overs in the 4-day format. o The International Cricket Council (ICC) has granted official status to the new format and also welcomed countries to experiment with it.  Jitu Rai, Heena Sidhu win medals o Pistol aces Jitu Rai & Heena Sidhu bagged a bronze each to continue India's medal charge at the 10th Asian Championship 10m Rifle/Pistol.

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o Jitu won an individual bronze in men's 10m Air Pistol while Heena claimed an individual bronze in women's 10m Air Pistol. o Having won 11 medals on the first two days, India's medal count stands at 4 gold, 6 silver & 7 bronze for a total of 17 medals so far.  1st batsman to hit 3 ODI double hundreds o Rohit Sharma hit his third double hundred in ODI cricket as he scored unbeaten 208 runs in the second ODI against Sri Lanka. o With this Rohit has become the only cricketer to have scored 3 double centuries in ODIs, 2 of them have come against the same opponent, Sri Lanka. o He is also the third Indian & first captain to score a double ton in the history of cricket.  Shubhankar Sharma Wins Joburg Open o Indian Golfer Shubhankar Sharma completed his maiden European Tour triumph by winning the Joburg Open tournament. o He has become the 1st Asian to win Joburg Open in his first appearance & 5th Indian to win a European Tour event. o With this win, he has claimed 1 of 3 tickets to The Open in 2018. o Sharma has 5 wins on Professional Golf Tour of India but this is his 1st victory on a major circuit  Saurabh claims Youth Olympics Games spot o Saurabh Chaudhary has qualified for Youth Olympics Games with a gold medal & a junior world record in 10m air pistol at the ongoing Asia Youth Olympics Games qualification tournament in Japan. o He became the third Indian to bag quota places for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games at the 10th Asian Airgun Championship. o He shot a record score of 243.1 in the final to storm to the top of the podium.  India to host 2023 World Cup

o Board of Control for Cricket in India has confirmed that India will be hosting the ICC Cricket World Cup on 2023 & ICC Champions Trophy in 2021. o This is the first time India would be hosting an ODI World Cup on its own. India has previously co-hosted ODI World Cup in 1987, 1996 and 2011. o The tournament is set to feature 10 teams, with 2 sides qualifying from 2022 Cricket World Cup Qualifiers  BCCI Lifts Ban On RCA o Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to lift the ban on the Rajasthan Cricket Association provided former IPL chief Lalit Modi stays away from its functioning. o RCA was suspended by the Indian cricket board in May 2014 when ex- Indian Premier League Commissioner Modi was re-elected its president. o Since its suspension in 2014, RCA's cricket affairs are being looked after by BCCI.  Afghanistan to play their 1st ever Test o India will host Afghanistan for their first ever Test in 2019-2020. o Afghans were scheduled to play their first Test in 2019 versus Australia but considering the historical relationship between India and Afghanistan, BCCI decided to host their first Test. o Afghanistan & Ireland were made full members of the ICC in June, becoming the sport's 11th and 12th Test-playing nations.  Delhi to host Open boxing tournament o New Delhi is all set to host its 1st-ever major boxing tournament for elite men & women, India Open International Boxing Tournament from Jan 28.

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o This is the 1st time that Boxing Federation of India is hosting an elite event of this stature & magnitude o Announcement was made during the felicitation ceremony of Indian pugilists who won medals in AIBA Youth Women’s World Championships last month  Aus win gold in Hockey World League o Australia defeated Rio Olympics champions Argentina 2-1 in the final of the Hockey World League Final to win gold at Bhubaneswar. o Goals from Blake Govers and Jeremy Hayward helped the defending champions beat Argentina. o By virtue of their win, Australia replaced Argentina at the top spot in team's rankings.  Khelo India programme to be launched o Govt will launch a 'Khelo India' programme at a cost of Rs. 1,756 crore for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20. o The programme aims at mainstreaming sports as a tool for individual development, community development, economic development & national development. o The programme aims to promote 150 select schools in as many districts & 20 universities across the country, as hubs of sporting excellence  India retain bronze medal at HWL o India has reclaimed the bronze medal at the Hockey World League (HWL) Final tournament. o In the third-fourth place classification match at Bhubaneswar, they defeated Germany 2-1. o A penalty corner conversion by Harmanpreet Singh in the 54th minute sealed the win and the third place for the Indians. o India had also won the bronze in the last edition of the tournament in Raipur in 2015.

 Ghosh & Mane bag Olympic Games quota o Mehuli Ghosh & Tushar Mane have became the 1st Indian shooters to secure women's & men's quota places for 2018 Youth Olympic Games. o They secured the quota after clinching pole positions on day 2 of the ongoing 10th Asian Championship 10M Rifle/Pistol, being held in Japan. o Mehuli struck Gold in the women's 10m Air Rifle while Tushar Mane settled for Bronze in the men's event.  Nadal, Muguruza named ITF champions o International Tennis Federation has named Spaniards Rafael Nadal & Garbiñe Muguruza as this year’s ITF World Champions. o While this is the 3rd ITF World Championship for Nadal, it is the 1st for Muguruza. o It is also the 1st time since 1998 that men’s & women’s ITF world champions hail from the same country. o Muguruza is the 2nd Spanish tennis player to achieve WTA no.1 after Arantxa Vicario.  FIFA lifts Kuwait football ban o International football federation, FIFA, has lifted a 2 year suspension against Kuwait’s football association that prevented country from participating in international tournaments. o Kuwait was banned from international competitions by FIFA over alleged interference in the national football association. o Suspensions meant Kuwait missed out on the qualifiers for 2018 World Cup & 2019 Asian Cup.  FIH Congress to be held in New Delhi o 46th Congress of the International Hockey Federation will be held in New Delhi from October 30 to November 3 next year.

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o It will be the first FIH Congress under the former Hockey India chief Narinder Batra who took over the reins of world hockey from Spaniard Leandro Negre. o The biennial event will run for 4 days & will comprise meetings, social events, networking opportunities & presentations  Ronaldo pips Messi to win Ballon d’Or o Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or for a 5th time to move level with rival Lionel Messi. o The award caps a year in which Ronaldo has won LaLiga, the Champions League & Spanish Super Cup with Real Madrid, as well as helping Portugal qualify for the 2018 World Cup. o Messi finished second in the voting while Neymar was third. o Ronaldo previously won the award in 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2016.  Gurdeep creates three national records o Gurdeep Singh created 3 new senior national records in +105 Kilogram weight category in the just-concluded IWF World Weightlifting Championships at Anaheim in USA. o Singh finished 13th overall with a total lift of 388kg (172 + 216) but created national records in snatch, clean and jerk, & total lift. o 12 new senior national records were created during the IWF World Weightlifting Championships.  India’s ATP event becomes Tata Open o India’s leading ATP event early next year will be called the Tata Open Maharashtra 2018, following Tata Sons deciding to associate with the competition via a 5 year sponsorship. o The event is being hosted in Maharashtra for the first time, after it was moved from Chennai. o Tata Open Maharashtra 2018 qualifying rounds will be played on December 30, 31 2017 while the main draw starts Jan 1, 2018

 Sushil Kumar quits as National Observer o Double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar has quit his role as a National Sports Observer for wrestling a fortnight after Mary Kom stepped down from the same post for boxing. o He was among 12 national observers appointed by the then Sports Minister Vijay Goel o Since both the athletes are still active in their respective fields, sports ministry felt that this could be seen as a conflict of interest  IOC bans Russia from Winter Games o Russia has been banned from competing at next year's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang by the International Olympic Committee. o However the Russian athletes would be able to take part in the Games, as independent competitors under the Olympic flag. o The punishment is the culmination of a 3 year investigation into state- sponsored doping leading up to and during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.  India wins South Asian badminton title o India has won the 1st-ever South Asian Regional Badminton Team Championship by defeating Nepal in the finals o Nepal started off well, winning the 1st game 21-19. However, Indians came back stronger & won the next 2 games 21-14, 21-11 o Indian team, which came into the Final without losing a single match, continued their good run with Aryaman Tandon drawing 1st blood in boys' singles competition  Final draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup o The final draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup was held in the Russian capital of Moscow. o The ceremony was held at the State Kremlin Palace, in Moscow, Russia.

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o Russia, the host country for the World Cup, was placed in Group A with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Uruguay. o Russia will play Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the tournament on June 14, 2018.  Deepika won Bronze at Indoor Archery WC o India’s Deepika Kumari has won a bronze medal at the Indoor Archery World Cup Stage 2 that concluded in Bangkok, Thailand. o Deepika, seeded third, defeated 13th seeded Sayana Tsyrempilova of Russia 7-3 in the women’s recurve bronze play-off.  Rs. 52.24 crore penalty on BCCI o The Competition Commission (CCI) imposed a fine of Rs 52.24 crore on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for anti-competitive practices with respect to the Indian Premier League. o CCI had penalised the BCCI for the same amount in February 2013 as well. o CCI had said this penalty comes to nearly 4.48% of the average of the BCCI’s relevant turnover during the last 3 financial years.  France claims its 10th Davis Cup o France won its 10th Davis Cup title when France’s Lucas Pouille beat Belgium’s Steve Darcis by 6-3 6-1 6-0 to give France a 3-2 victory in the final against Belgium. o This is France’s first title since they beat Australia in 2001 before three defeats in the final in 2002, 2010 and 2014. o Belgium has yet to win the title, having now lost three finals after defeats in 1904 and 2015.

Defence

 Farewell to MiG-27 ML Bahadur

o Indian Air Force has bid farewell to MiG-27 ML Bahadur over Hasimara Air Force base in West Bengal. o The MiG-27 ML, codenamed 'Bahadur' had an impeccable track record in its more than 3 decades of glorious service to the nation. o Its capability of dropping bombs, rockets, precision munitions guided by laser & fire air-to-air missiles for self-defence made it a lethal & potent weapon platform.  Exercise ‘Ekuverin’ Concludes o The two-week long eighth edition of the Indo-Maldives joint military exercise, ‘Ekuverin’, came to an end at Belagavi, Karnataka. o ‘Ekuverin’ means ‘friends’ in the Maldivian language. The bilateral annual exercise was a 14-day joint military training between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force o The exercise has been held alternatively in India and Maldives since 2009.  Army reduces residual service term o Army Headquarters has reduced the residual service for the rank of Army Commander from 24 to 18 months. o The new promotion policy has been issued by the Military Secretary branch. o The reduction in the number of years of residual service for the Army Commander’s rank will mean that a larger pool of officers will now be available for the appointment of General Officers Commanding-in-Chief.  Amphibious aircraft makes maiden flight o China's domestically developed AG600, world's largest amphibious aircraft performed its maiden flight from an airport on the shores of South China Sea o It is roughly the size of Boeing Co 737 & is designed to carry out marine rescue & battle forest fires

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o It can carry 50 people during maritime search & rescue missions & can scoop up 12 metric tons of water within 20 sec for fire fighting trips  OPV ICGS 'Sujay' commissed o Indian Coast Guard Ship “Sujay”, the sixth in the series of six 105m Offshore Patrol Vessel was commissioned at Goa. o ‘Sujay’ meaning ‘Great Victory’ is projection of Indian Coast Guard’s will and commitment “To serve and Protect” the maritime interest of the nation. o This 105 meter OPV has been designed and built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Ltd.  Indian Conducts Exercise Naseem-Al-Bahr o Indian Naval Ships Trikand and Teg are deployed to Oman for bilateral exercise ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ or ‘Sea Breeze’. o This exercise is the 11th edition and has been a biennial feature since 1993. o The first exercise Indian Navy with Royal Navy of Oman was conducted in 1993.  IAF to order 83 more Tejas o The Indian Air Force kicked off the process to order another 83 indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft by issuing a request for proposal to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. o The 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets are supposed to have 43 "improvements" to improve maintainability. o HAL has so far delivered only five of the 20 Tejas ordered by the IAF.  ‘HAMESHA VIJAYEE’ exercise in Rajasthan o In a significant show of strength, Southern Command is conducting a major exercise called ‘HAMESHA VIJAYEE’ in the deserts of Rajasthan. o The exercise being conducted from 16 to 22 December 2017 is to evaluate the capability of the armed forces to strike deep into enemy territory in an integrated air-land battle.

o These exercises are to ensure a high degree of battle readiness.  Work to integrate Brahmos missile begins o The work has begun to integrate Brahmos supersonic cruise missile on 40 Sukhoi combat aircraft. o The project is likely to be completed by 2020 and is expected to fulfill the critical needs of the Indian Air Force. o Brahmos is the heaviest weapon to be deployed on Sukhoi-30. The missile is a joint venture between Defence Research & Development Organization and NPO Mashinostroyenia of Russia.  IAF bids adieu to MI-8 helicopter o Indian Air Force bid adieu to the MI-8 helicopter, also known as the PRATAP in the phasing out ceremony held at Air Force Station, Yelahanka in Bengaluru. o MI-8s served for 45 years after their induction into IAF helicopter inventory in 1972. o PRATAP was inducted in 10 operational helicopter units & operated in several major IAF operations including Operation Meghdoot in the Siachen Glacier.  Indo-Maldives joint military exercise o 8th edition of Indo-Maldives joint military exercise, 'Ekuverin' has began at the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre (MLIRC-Belagavi). o Focus of this exercise is to enhance interoperability b/w the two forces for counter-terrorist operations in semi urban environment. o The exercise is being carried out by Sirmoor Rifles of Indian Army & Marine troops of Maldives National Defence Force.  Vijay Diwas - 16 December o The day marks the glorious victory over Pakistan during the Indo- Pakistani War of 1971, in alliance with Bangladesh Mukti Bahini.

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o On 16th December in 1971, the Pakistani forces chief, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the allied forces consists of Indian Army. o It is observed by paying tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the nation.  3rd Indo-UK joint military exercise ends o The third Indo-UK joint army training exercise 'Ajeya Warrior' concluded at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan. o The excercise was aimed at sharing best practices and experiences of the two armies, approximately 120 personnel from each side participated. o It also contributed to the bigger goal of defence cooperation and deepening of military relations b/w the armies.  Modi dedicates INS Kalvari to nation o Prime Minister Modi has commissioned scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari into the Indian Navy in Mumbai. o Kalvari is the first of the six Scorpene-class submarines handed over by shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Limited. o The state-of-the-art features of the Scorpenes include superior stealth and ability to launch crippling attacks with precision-guided weapons.  EU launches defence pact o EU has unveiled a raft of new joint defence projects including submarine drones & cyber attack rapid response teams as it launched a landmark pact on boosting military cooperation. o 25 countries, all of EU member except Denmark, Malta & Britain have signed up for the pact, known as permanent structured cooperation on defence. o It aims to get EU states to coordinate better on defence projects.  NSG, CISF to handle VVIP security

o Home Ministry has relieved paramilitary forces CRPF & ITBP from VVIP protection. o Responsibility for the same has been given to CISF & NSG that are already in the job. o Till now, CRPF was providing security to 75 VVIP’s under Z plus, Z, X, Y Plus & Y categories while ITBP was securing 17 such persons. o NSG will continue to provide security to high risk protectees as decided from time to time.  Japan to acquire air-launched missiles o According to Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, Japan will acquire medium-range, air-launched cruise missiles, capable of striking North Korea. o The new missiles would be for defence, with Japan still relying on US to strike any enemy bases. o Japan is also looking to mount Lockheed Martin Corp’s extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER) on its F-15 fighters.  Centre enhances monetary allowances o The Government has enhanced the monetary allowances for the Gallantry Award winners. o The enhancement is for the recipients of post-independence Gallantry Award, pre-independence Gallantry Award and the monetary allowance attached to 'Jangi Inam', a pre-independence Gallantry Award. o The allowances have been doubled in most of the cases and in a few cases have been increased by more than 100%.  Successful Launch of Akash Missile o India has successfully test fired surface-to-air missile 'Akash' fitted with a new domestically developed radio frequency seeker that improves its accuracy & range.

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o With this test India has now achieved the capability of making any type of Surface to Air Missile. o Akash is a multi-direction & target, all-weather air-defense system which can provide missile coverage for an area of 2,000 km2.  'Ajeya Warrior 2017' begins in Bikaner o Joint Indo-United Kingdom (UK) army training exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior 2017’ begun at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Bikaner, Rajasthan on December 1, 2017. o 'Ajeya Warrior 2017′ will be the third joint military exercise between India and UK. o The objective of this exercise is to build and promote bilateral army to army coordination and enhance interoperability.  Army, Rajasthan govt sign MoU o Indian Army has signed a memorandum of understanding with Rajasthan State Government to improve infrastructure for their posts near the Indo- Pak border. o As per the terms of the MoU, Indian Army will be able to use an airstrip in Lalgarh-Jatan area in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan for 10 years. o Rajasthan State Government has sanctioned funds for this airstrip.  Procurement of naval communication sets o The Defence Ministry approved procurement of 260 naval communication sets at a cost of Rs490 crore to improvise surveillance on the high seas. o The decision to procure these communication sets was taken at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. o It will be the first batch of indigenously designed and developed “software defined” radio sets.

India & The World

 Canadian PM to visit India in February o The much-awaited visit to India by PM of Canada Justin Trudeau is likely to take place during February 19-23. o It is also expected that the long-pending Foreign Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement will be signed during the visit. o Following PM Narendra Modi’s visit there in April 2015, a lot of high-level visits under the Trudeau administration have been happening at a regular pace.  India’s first bitcoin trading app o Cryptocurrency dealer Pluto Exchange announced the launch of India’s first mobile application for transacting in virtual currencies. o The Pluto Exchange mobile app offers a solution to the coordination problem between payment processors, financial gateways, and banks. o By using a four-digit personal identification number, users can now buy, sell, store and spend bitcoins via a mobile number.  India gives medical assistance to Yemen o India provided medical assistance worth about $1 million to Yemen in response to a request from the Yemeni government. o As part of its commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to Yemen, India has been a member of the 'Friends of Yemen' Group. o India has earlier extended medical assistance to Yemen in April 2015.  Loan with WB for UP Tourism Project o An agreement for IBRD Credit of USD 40 Million from World Bank for “U.P. Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project" was signed between India and WB. o The programme size is approx. USD 57.14 million, of which 40 million will be financed by the Bank & remaining by State.

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o The Objective of the project is to increase tourism-related benefits for local communities in targeted destinations.  Mumbai to Kabul air corridor inaugurated o India and Afghanistan on Wednesday inaugurated their second air cargo route linking Mumbai and Kabul. o The new route is expected to boost Afghanistan's export of fruits and medicinal plants. o Afghanistan has exported 10,640 tonnes of goods worth over $20 million to India via the first air corridor which was launched in June this year to link Kabul and New Delhi.  IAF conquers 'Seven Summits' o After scaling of Mt Everest in 2005, IAF launched a unique and unprecedented series of mountaineering expedition 'Mission Seven Summits'. o It had the aim to fly the tricolour and the IAF flag on the highest peaks in every continent. o A team comprising 5 IAF mountaineers, led by Capt RC Tripathi has successfully scaled Mt Vinson in Antarctica, thus completing the assigned Mission.  Modi to attend WEF meeting in 20 yrs o Modi will be the first Indian PM in past 20 years to attend the annual meeting of World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland. o The meeting is scheduled to be held in January 2018. o The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world. It was incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971, and is headquartered in Geneva.  Corridors to link neighbour countries

o Nitin Gadkari has stated that India will link its major highway corridors to international trade points in order to facilitate trade with bordering countries. o The linking of highway corridors to International trade points will be carried out for facilitating trade with Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar. o About 2000 km of highways will be constructed under this project.  WB approves loan for UP tourism project o The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has granted a loan of worth $ 40 million for UP Tourism. o It will have a 5-year grace period and maturity term of 19 years. o The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Development Project will support the state government's priority of re-structuring tourism. o The project will help enhance their linkages with the tourism value chain.  India to set up IT centre in Egypt o India will be establishing a Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (CEIT) at Al Azhar University. o It is Egypt's highest religious authority and one of the world's most eminent seats of Sunni Muslim learning. o Cairo is the capital of Egypt and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is its president.  Russia’s Deputy PM Dmitry Visits India o Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin arrived in New Delhi. o He will co-chair the meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC). o The meeting will enable the two sides to review the progress achieved by various working groups and sub-groups under the IRIGC-TEC.  MoU between India and Cuba

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o Union Cabinet has given its ex-post-facto approval for a MoU between India and Cuba on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine. o The MoU was signed on 06th December 2017 in New Delhi. o Among other things, MoU covers cooperation on Exchange & training of medical doctors, officials, other health professionals, and experts. o The capital of Cuba is Havana and Raul Castro is its President.  Loan Agreement Between India & Germany o A loan agreement has been signed between India and Germany for providing additional funding of EUR 20 million for the Pare Hydroelectric Plant project. o The objective of the project is the generation of hydroelectric power for the socio-economic development of the North Eastern region. o The purpose of the project is efficient and ecological friendly generation of electric power.  India-Switzerland ink deal o In a move aimed at combating black money stashed abroad, India signed an agreement with Switzerland. o It would allow automatic sharing of tax-related information from January 1, 2018. o The agreement was signed by CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra and Swiss Ambassador to India Andreas Baum at the North Block.  India, Myanmar sign MoU o India and Myanmar signed a MoU aimed at developing Myanmar’s Rakhine state. o The MoU comes in the backdrop of a massive migration of Rohingya refugees from violence-wracked Rakhine to Bangladesh. o The MoU is a government-to-government agreement on long-term socio- economic development of Rakhine.

o The commitments included a development package for Rakhine and extending the bilateral agenda.  Apple appoints Michel as India head o Apple has named Michel Coulomb as the head of sales for its operations in India, a key market for the iconic iPhone maker. o He succeeds Sanjay Kaul, who has stepped down from the post. o Most recently, he was the Managing Director (South Asia). He also has the experience of handling the Middle East, Turkey and Africa sales team. o Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple.  Yes Bank-EIB invest $400 million o Indian private sector lender Yes Bank has jointly invested $400 million with European Investment Bank (EIB) in new solar and wind projects in the country. o The bank is also exploring investments in the electric vehicle segment, officials said. o The new financing programme will streamline financing for a range of renewable energy projects being built and operated.  Airtel to buy Millicom’s Operations o Bharti Airtel Ltd has entered into a definitive agreement with Millicom International Cellular S.A., under which Airtel Rwanda Ltd will acquire 100% equity in Tigo Rwanda Ltd. o This comes after Airtel’s announcement to merge with Millicom, which operates the brand Tigo, in another African nation Ghana. o Airtel at present operates in 15 African countries apart from India and South Asia.  Iraq overtakes Saudi as oil supplier o Iraq has overtaken Saudi Arabia for the first time to become India's top crude oil supplier in the current fiscal.

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o Saudi Arabia traditionally has been India's top oil source but in the April- October period of 2017-18, Iraq dethroned it, supplying 25.8 million tonnes (MT) of oil. o Iran was India's second biggest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11.  MoU between India and Colombia o A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between India and Colombia in the field of agriculture and fisheries. o The MoU focuses on Innovative agricultural practices/approaches, New agricultural mechanizations, Successful models of agricultural marketing. o The MoU will be initially valid for a period of five years and shall be automatically extended for a subsequent periods of five years.  Enhanced Cooperation in Healthcare o India and Morocco have signed a MoU for enhanced cooperation in the health sector. o The main areas of cooperation under the MoU, include non-communicable diseases, including child cardiovascular diseases etc. o Another MoU was signed between Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research and Marrakech Mohamed VI University Hospital.  India to make Nigeria self-sufficient o To boost agricultural productivity of Nigeria, India has decided to share their Agricultural expertise to make Nigeria food sufficient. o India has been the largest trading partner of Nigeria and Nigeria is India’s largest trading partner in Africa. o India had announced in 2015 concessional loans of $10 billion to African countries.  Talks on Indo-Pacific dynamics

o India & Australia held their first ever dialogue involving defence & foreign secretaries, to discuss ways to ensure a “free” and “open” Indo-Pacific region. o It also comes a day after the Russia-India-China (RIC) meeting in New Delhi to boost collaboration in the Asia-Pacific region. o India has a “2+2” dialogue with very few countries—Japan and South Korea being two examples.  $1 bn credit for connectivity with ASEAN o India has proposed $1b line of credit to promote sea, air & road connectivity projects with ASEAN o It was announced by Nitin Gadarki during ASEAN-India Connectivity Summit jointly organised by CII & ASEAN India Centre o ASEAN & India have also agreed to establish a maritime transport working group among India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam to examine the feasibility of shipping networks  Russia, India, China Set For Talks o Foreign ministers of Russia, India & China will deliberate on a range of pressing regional & global issues at a key meeting of the trilateral grouping in New Delhi o Talks could address fight against terrorism & efforts to smooth the flow of information on international security o India is likely to stress on collective approach by 3 countries in ensuring peace & stability in Indo-Pacific region  UAE to open 3 new visa offices in India o United Arab Emirates will open 3 new consular offices in India soon. o New offices in Chandigarh, Chennai & Hyderabad will help Indians in those regions to get UAE visas easily.

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o At present there are 3 consular offices which are functioning in Mumbai, New Delhi & Thiruvananthapuram. o The embassy has also launched a mobile app to serve both Emiratis & Indians during their travel in India & UAE.  Govt signs pact with German firm o Housing & Urban Affairs Ministry has inked an agreement with Germany's GIZ for technical cooperation in implementation of transport projects in Coimbatore, Bhubaneshwar & Kochi. o Main objective of the agreement is to improve planning and implementation of sustainable urban transport. o An amount of euro 4 million (Rs 29 crore) through GIZ is envisaged for this purpose over a period of 3 years.  Wassenaar Arrangement admits India o Elite export control regime Wassenaar Arrangement has decided to admit India as its new member. o India's entry into the export control regime would enhance its credentials in the field of non-proliferation despite not being a signatory to Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT). o The WA membership is also expected to build up a strong case for India's entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group.  Centre for floriculture in Tamil Nadu o India & Israel will set up a centre for excellence in floriculture at Thally in Tamil Nadu. o Centre would not only develop agricultural practices suitable for selected geographical regions, but would also transfer best practices to farmers. o It is part of a 3 year Indo-Israel agricultural partnership signed b/w Mashav & mission for integrated development of horticulture of Agriculture Ministry  India and Cuba to collaborate on drugs

o India & Cuba have inked a MoU for enhanced cooperation in the health sector by pooling in technical, scientific, financial & human resources. o Main areas of cooperation include exchange & training of medical doctors, assistance in development of human resources & regulation of pharmaceuticals & medical devices. o Cuba in recent past has made remarkable strides in biotechnology & pharmaceuticals  3rd DRC-NITI Aayog Dialogue o The 3rd edition of the Dialogue b/w NITI Aayog & Development Research Council of China, the DRC- NITI Aayog Dialogue was held in Beijing. o DRC-NITI Dialogue provides an important platform for both sides to discuss key macroeconomic issues impacting both countries & areas of mutual interest. o The meeting was co-chaired by Vice Chairman NITI Aayog, Dr Rajiv Kumar & Mr Li Wei, President, DRC.  India opposes e-commerce talks at WTO o India has for the first time submitted a formal document opposing any negotiations on e-commerce at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). o The country has said that it would “continue the work under the Work Programme on electronic commerce, based on the existing mandate and guidelines”, referring to the programme on e-commerce adopted by the WTO countries in 1998.  First phase of Chabahar port opens o The first phase of the Chabahar port was inaugurated by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. This phase of the project is known as the Shahid Beheshti port. o It will open up a new strategic transit route between Iran, India and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.

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o According to the ministry of external affairs, minister of state for shipping Pon Radhakrishnan represented India at the inauguration.  CBDT signs two Indian APAs o The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into 2 Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs). o These Agreements are the first ever Bilateral APAs with The Netherlands. o With the signing of these Agreements, the total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT has gone up to 186. This includes 171 Unilateral APAs and 15 Bilateral APAs.  India gets Certificate of Commendation o India was awarded certificate of commendation for its effort to combat illegal wildlife trade by Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. o The award was given to Wildlife Crime Control Bureau for its efforts in conducting and coordinating species-specific wildlife enforcement operation, codenamed ‘Operation Save Kurma’. o CITES was signed in 1973.  India re-elected to IMO o India has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organisation under a category that represents nations with the largest interests in international sea borne trade. o India was re-elected to the body under Category B at an assembly of the organization at its headquarters. o India secured the second-highest number of votes(144) from member- countries, just after Germany(146).  Rajasthan Development Impact Bond o US Agency for International Development announced its first impact bond across the globe by launching ‘Rajasthan Development Impact Bond’.

o Mark Green, administrator of USAID stated that the aim of bond is to reduce the number of mother and baby deaths by improving the quality of maternal care in Rajasthan’s health infrastructure. o `Utkrisht Impact Bond' is the world’s first health impact bond  Investment treaty between India & Brazil o Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing and ratification of the Investment Cooperation and Facilitation Treaty between India and Brazil. o ICFT between India and Brazil will provide facilitation to Brazilian investors in India and Indian investors in the Brazil. o These facilitation measures will increase the comfort level and thereby provide conducive investment climate to investors.  MoU between India and Italy o The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of a MoU between India and Italy for cooperation in Agriculture and Phytosanitary issues. o It replaces the earlier MoU signed in January 2008 which is going to expire in January 2018. o The MoU provides for cooperation in the fields of Phytosanitary issues, agricultural production and a wide range of other sectors including animal husbandry etc.  India-Lesotho Bilateral Ties o India donated 500 metric tonnes of rice to the Kingdom of Lesotho, in Southern Africa, which is facing acute food shortage due to famine. o High Commissioner of India to South Africa and Lesotho, Ruchira Kamboj handed over the donation to the government of Lesotho. o Maseru is the capital of Lesotho.  India, Italy sign MoU o India and Italy signed a memorandum of understanding for enhancing bilateral cooperation in the health sector.

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o It was signed between Health Minister J P Nadda and Italian Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin. o It envisages cooperation in health sector by pooling in technical, financial and human resources to upgrade infrastructural resources, medical education and research in both countries.  India-New Zealand Cyber Dialogue o The first India-New Zealand Cyber Dialogue was held in New Delhi. o The Indian Delegation was led by Mr. Sanjay Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs. o The New Zealand delegation was led by Mr. Paul Ash, Director of the National Cyber Policy Office, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.  India, Singapore ink pact o India and Singapore inked a major pact on marine security in New Delhi. o The pact was signed during Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen’s visit to India. o Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Singaporean Defence Minister, Ng Eng Hen held wide-ranging talks, during which India and Singapore declared an intent to ensure freedom of navigation in critical sea lanes.

Resignations & Appointments

 New President of SCBA

o Former Additional Solicitor General Vikas Singh has been elected as the new President of the Supreme Court Bar Association. o Singh defeated his nearest competitor, Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave by 222 votes. Singh secured 639 as against Dushyant Dave’s tally of 417. o Vikas Singh replaces RS Suri as the new president who managed to get 307 votes.

Person In News

 Sue Grafton passes away o Sue Grafton, author of best-selling “alphabet series” of mystery novels died in Santa Barbara. o Her series of murder mystery novels, each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet, have been translated into 26 languages & regularly topped best-seller lists in US. o She received numerous awards for her work including from British Crime Writers' Association & Mystery Writers of America.  Anand won World rapid championship o Viswanathan Anand lifted the World rapid chess championship in Riyadh on Thursday. o The genius of Chennai, who defeated Magnus Carlsen of Norway earlier in the tournament, went on to finish on top with 10.5 points at the end of the 15th and final round. o Anand won that mini-match against Fedoseev.  Abhay Appointed Director General of NCB o Senior IPS officer Abhay was appointed Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). o He is at present working in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). o The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment to the post till November 18, 2019. o The post was lying vacant after R R Bhatnagar took over as DG of CRPF in April 2017.  Bob Givens, Passes Away at 99 o Bob Givens, one of the animators behind designing the iconic characters Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, died at the age of 99. 129 | P a g e

o He was from the USA. He also brought his skills to TV advertising, animating cartoon insects for Raid bug-killer commercials. o Givens served in the US army during the Second World War, before returning to the animation industry.  Anushka is PETA’s ‘Person of the Year’ o Anushka Sharma has been named PETA's Person of the Year by animal rights organisation 'People for Ethical Treatment of Animals'. o She is a vegetarian and has nabbed the title for helping in protections of dogs and advocating for horses who are forced to pull carriages in Mumbai. o PETA is the largest animal rights organization in the world established in 2000.  Vin Diesel, 2017's Top-Grossing Actor o Vin Diesel has been named the top-grossing actor of 2017 by Forbes, with $1.6 billion in global ticketing receipts from his film 'The Fate of the Furious'. o The second spot was occupied by Dwayne Johnson 'The Rock', with $1.5 billion receipts. o 'Wonder Woman' actress Gal Gadot, whose films earned $1.4 billion worldwide, featured in the third spot on the list.  Music Legend Robbie Malinga Passes Away o Legendary South African musician Robbie Malinga passed away. o The veteran musician suffered from anaemia. He announced his retirement as a solo artist in 2016, after more than 20 years in the industry. o The musician is known for his hit songs such as, ‘Sobabili’, ‘Mthanda’ and ‘Baby Please’.  Heather Menzies-Urich dies at 68

o Actor Heather Menzies-Urich, who played one of the singing 'von Trapp' children in the hit 1965 film 'The Sound of Music', has died. She was 68. o She was an actress, a ballerina and loved living her life to the fullest. o 'The Sound of Music' won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. “Heather was part of ‘the family.’  Vijay Rupani becomes CM of Gujarat o Vijay Rupani was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat state. o Governor Om Prakash Kohli administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy to 21 ministers including Mr. Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel. o Along with Mr. Rupani as Chief Minister and Nitin Patel as his Deputy, a total of 19 ministers nine of them in cabinet rank and 10 MoS were sworn in.  Partha Mukhopadhyay passes away o On 25th December 2017, Bengali actor Partha Mukhopadhyay died due to cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Kolkata. Partha Mukhopadhyay was 70 years old. o He had acted in films made by great directors like Tapan Sinha, Tarun Majumdar and Goutam Ghosh. o His important movies are Balika Bodhu, Dhonyi Meye, Agnishwar, Amar Prithivi, Baag Bandi Khela.  Sushil becomes most expensive wrestler o Sushil Kumar became the most expensive wrestler of the PWL (Pro Wrestling League) in New Delhi. o Delhi Sultans bought Sushil Kumar for Rs 55 lakh at the PWL auctions. o World Championship gold medallist Helen Maroulis of the United States got the highest bid among women players and was bought for Rs 44 lakh from Haryana Hammers.  Dhinakaran wins RK Nagar by-polls

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o AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran has won the RK Nagar by-polls by a margin of 40,707 votes. o The RK Nagar constituency went to polls on December 21, necessitated by the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in December last year. o The election was earlier scheduled on April 12, but was cancelled following an alleged vote-for-cash scam.  Jairam Thakur to be the CM of Himachal o Five-time legislator Jairam Thakur will be the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. o The decision was taken after Prem Kumar Dhumal, whom BJP had named as its prospective Chief Minister before the elections pulled out of the race. o Thakur is a veteran politician who served as Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister in Dhumal's government from 2008 to 2012.  BCCI Appoints Saba Karim as GM o Former India wicket keeper Saba Karim has been appointed as General Manager of the BCCI. o Karim will assume office from 1st January and he will report to CEO Rahul Johri. o The General Manager’s post has been lying vacant since the resignation of MV Sridhar in September over the issue of conflict of interest. Sridhar passed away on October 30th, 2017.  Vijender Singh retains his boxing titles o Vijender Singh defended his WBO Oriental and Asia Pacific super middleweight titles against Ghana’s Ernest Amuzu at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. o The 32-year-old Haryana pugilist, who is currently sixth in WBO rankings, fought in the mega show called ‘Rajasthan Rumble’. o This was his 10th straight win in his pro boxing career.  Banwari Lal Joshi passes away

o Former UP Governor Banwari Lal Joshi passed away at AIIMS due to septic shock after an infection on the valves. Joshi was 82 years old. o He has served as governor of many states. o He has served as lieutenant governor of Delhi, governor of Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.  Dhirendra Pal appointed as UGC chairman o Professor Dhirendra Pal Singh, director, National Assessment and Accreditation Council was appointed the chairperson of UGC. o He has been serving as director of NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) since August 2015. o He has 34 years of professional experience in various fields of education. He has served as vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University.  Ranveer appointed as Ambassador for EPL o Actor Ranveer Singh was appointed as Ambassador for EPL (English Premier League) in India. o Ranveer Singh will help to promote the EPL League both in India and other countries. o As an ambassador, he will support the English Premier League’s community initiatives in India and promote fan events etc.  Airtel Payments Bank CEO resigns o Airtel Payments Bank Managing Director and CEO Shashi Arora has resigned from his position. o His resignation comes after Bharti Airtel’s eKYC licence suspension by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). o The "Aadhaar linked e-KYC" service of UIDAI provides an instant, electronic, non-repudiable proof of identity.  Naidoo becomes Sec. General Amnesty Int.

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o Kumi Naidoo, a human rights activist from South Africa has been appointed as the next Secretary General of Amnesty International. o He will assume charge in August 2018. He will take over charge as Secretary General of Amnesty International from Indian activist Salil Shetty. o Indian-origin Kumi Naidoo was born in Durban, South Africa. He is the former Int. Executive Director of Greenpeace.  Bengali Singer Jatileswar Passes Away o Acclaimed Bengali singer Jatileswar Mukhopadhyay passed away in Kolkata following a prolonged illness. He was 82. o The West Bengal government had conferred him with the Sangeet Samman award in 2012. o Among his popular numbers were E kon sakal, Tomar Sange Dekha Na Hole, Aamar Swapan Kinte Paare and Bondhuya Amar Chokhe Jal Enechhe.  Lt Gen B S Sahrawat becomes DG, NCC o Lieutenant General B S Sahrawat has become the Director General of National Cadet Corps. o He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. o He was commissioned in December 1980 in 13th Battalion (Rezang La), the Kumaon Regiment. o He has been awarded the Sena Medal during the floods of Kosi River in Bihar in 2008.  Rohit equals fastest century record o Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma equalled David Miller's record for the fastest century in the shortest format of the game. o He scored a 35-ball century against Sri Lanka in the second T20 international in Indore.

o David Miller had scored a century in 35 balls against Bangladesh in October this year.  Kohli becomes India’s most valued celeb o For the first time, a cricketer, Virat Kohli has emerged as the top-ranked celeb with a brand value of $144 million. o In 2016, SRK was on the top spot with $131.2m brand value. He has slipped to the second rank this year, with a brand value of $106m. o Kohli endorses 20 brands as of October 2017, while Khan and Deepika Padukone – ranked on number 3 - endorse 21 and 23 brands, respectively.  UD Salvi to be officiating chief of NGT o The government has appointed Justice U D Salvi as officiating chairperson of the NGT following the superannuation of Justice Swatanter Kumar. o Sources said Salvi is likely to remain in the saddle until his retirement on February 13, 2018. o The selection panel is headed by the Chief Justice of India or his nominee, with other members recommended by or from the Environment Ministry.  Bobsledder banned for life from Olympics o Russian bobsledder Alexey Voevoda has been given a life ban from the Olympics for anti-doping violations at the Sochi Games where he won two gold medals. o The decision comes two weeks after the IOC banned Russia from next year's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics for what it called "unprecedented systematic manipulation" of the anti-doping system. o He won gold in the two-man and four-man bobsled.  Apple appoints Michel as India head o Apple has named Michel Coulomb as the head of sales for its operations in India, a key market for the iconic iPhone maker. o He succeeds Sanjay Kaul, who has stepped down from the post.

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o Most recently, he was the Managing Director (South Asia). He also has the experience of handling the Middle East, Turkey and Africa sales team. o Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple.  Rahul takes over as Congress president o Rahul Gandhi becomes Congress president after his mother Sonia Gandhi vacated the position. o It establishes Rahul Gandhi as a credible challenger to Modi in 2019 and Congress the rallying point of anti-BJP forces nationally. o It is done ahead of the assembly elections scheduled for 2018.  Pop singer Keely Smith dies at 89 o Keely Smith, a pop & jazz singer known for her solo recordings of jazz standards as well as her musical partnership with Louis Prima, has died of apparent heart failure in Palm Springs. She was 89. o Smith was a Grammy-winning talent who gained much attention when as a teenager she got the job as the “girl singer” in Prima’s band in 1948. o She married Prima in 1953 and achieved success together  FIFA bans head of Brazilian football o FIFA has suspended the head of Brazilian football federation Marco Polo Nero for 90 days. o Nero was accused of accepting 6.5mn euro commission. In the wake of these accusations, ethics committee opened an inquiry that led to his suspension o Nero is the latest prominent South American official to be banned by the sport's governing body as part of its investigation into a vast corruption scandal  Hemalatha Takes Charge as Director, NIN o R Hemalatha has been appointed as the new Director of the country’s premier National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad. o Hemalatha is a medical graduate of Gandhi Medical College, Hyderabad.

o Hemalatha has served as secretary of the Nutrition Society of India, is a fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences and a fellow of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences.  Jordan, World's Highest-Paid Athlete o In the latest list released by Forbes, Michael Jordan has been named as the highest-paid athletes of all time. o The 54-year-old has a whopping $1.7 billion in the bank. o Former world number one golfer Tiger Woods is standing at the second spot. Late America golfer Arnold Palmer is at No.3 with incredible $1.4 billion to his name.  Monika Maurer to leave Nokia o Nokia has announced the appointment of Joerg Erlemeier as Chief Operating Officer & member of Group Leadership Team with immediate effect. o His appointment comes in as current COO Monika Maurer decided to leave the company. o Monika Maurer will support Erlemeier during a transition period and then leave Nokia to pursue new opportunities outside the company.  Deepak Parekh as first Intl Ambassador o Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has named Indian businessman, Deepak Parekh, as International Ambassador who will be tasked with championing UK capital across the globe. o Parekh is the chairman of HDFC Ltd and also sits on the boards of a number of companies across diverse sectors. o Parekh is also a member of the City of Londons Advisory Council for India which guides City's engagement with India.  Akshay Kumar to promote agri-schemes

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o Akshay Kumar will promote govt's flagship agriculture schemes like soil health card & crop insurance. o Union Agriculture Ministry has roped in the actor for television advertisements to intensify the publicity of the agri-schemes. o Besides soil health card scheme, he will promote Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana & others.  Most tweeted about leader after Trump o PM Modi has emerged as the “most tweeted about world leader” after U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017. o Mr Modi with 37.5 million followers is the 2nd most tweeted about world leader, after Mr Trump with 44.1 million followers. o Other world leaders to figure in the top-10 list include Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Turkish President Recep Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron.  Most Followed Indian On Twitter o PM Modi continues to be the most followed Indian on Twitter, increasing his follower base from 24.6 mn in 2016 to 37.5 mn this year. o As per trends in 2017, PM Modi saw his follower base increasing by 52% to 37.5 mn making him the only politician in the Top 10 Most Followed Indian on Twitter list. o List also includes SRK, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan & Virat Kohli.  Shalabh Seth resigns o Shalabh Seth, CEO of Ola Fleet Technologies has resigned from the firm. o Seth is one of several high-profile executives hired by Ola over the past 3 years. Seth, a former CEO of brewer SabMiller India, had joined Ola in Jan.

o OLA has been struggling to retain senior-level employees for a while now & Seth's resignation adds on to the long list of executives that have stepped down.  Virat Kohli surpasses Brian Lara o Virat Kohli’s record 243 guided India to 536/7 against Sri Lanka on the second day of the third Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi. o Kohli overtook West Indies great Brian Lara, who held the record previously with five double tons in Tests. o Kohli resumed Day 2 of the third India-Sri Lanka Test on 156, and quickly reached his second double ton of the series.  Mehbooba Mufti re-elected PDP president o Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was re-elected as the president of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP) for the next three years. o She thanked party leaders for "reposing their trust and electing me as their president". o A law graduate, 57-year-old Mehbooba took the plunge into mainstream politics of the state in 1996 by joining the Congress, along with her father.  D K Sarraf appointed as PNGRB Chairman o The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of D K Sarraf, as the new Chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board. o An official statement said, that former Director (Operations), Oil India Ltd, S Rath, has also been appointed as a Member in the board, after replacing K K Jha. o Sarraf earlier worked in ONGC.  Shiva Keshavan Wins Gold

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o The sole Indian participant and defending Asian champion Shiva Keshavan retained his title with a time of 55.60 seconds. o India's veteran Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan won a gold medal at the Asian Luge Championships at Altenberg, Germany. o Due to technical reasons, the Asian Luge Championships took place at Altenberg in Germany.  Kim Crowned as Miss Supranational 2017 o 24-year-old model and Miss Korea Jenny Kim has bagged the title of Miss Supranational 2017 at the gala event, which was held in Poland's Spa Resort of Krynica- Zdroj. o Miss Columbia Tica Martinez and Romania's Bianca Tirsin were adjudged First Runner's Up and the second runner-up in the event, respectively. o India's official entry to the competition, Peden Ongmu Namgyal, reached top 25.  Surya Re-Appointed Prasar Bharati Chief o Veteran journalist A Surya Prakash has been appointed the chairman of the Prasar Bharati board for a second consecutive term till February 8, 2020. o Information and broadcasting ministry issued an order after a panel headed by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu recommended Prakash’s name for the post. o His first term as the Chairman of Prasar Bharati had ended on October 28.  Infosys Appoints Parekh as MD & CEO o Infosys annouced the appointment of Salil S. Parekh as its new CEO and Managing Director. o Salil was in Capegemini earlier. o The Bengaluru-headquartered company was searching for a new CEO after former CEO Vishal Sikka resigned in August 2017.

o Cofounder Nandan Nilekani returned to the company as non-executive chairman to steady operations.  Mary Kom resigns as boxing’s observer o Sports Minister cleared that active sportspersons will not be considered for the boxing’s national observer position. o Due to this, MC Mary Kom has resigned as the national observer for Indian boxing. o Olympic gold-medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra, double Olympic- medallist Sushil Kumar and former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar was also included in this list among others.  Sreerupa Mukherjee passes away o Former Indian women’s cricket team player and coach Sreerupa Mukherjee who was 65 years old had passed away. o She was the first woman cricket selector from Bengal.She was also a well- known sports commentator for Doordarshan and All India Radio through mid 1980’s and till late 90’s. o Sreerupa had played two One Day Internationals for India against New Zealand and was along time Bengal captain.  Ajay Kumar appointed secretary o Ajay Kumar has been appointed as secretary in Department of Defence Production as part of a top-level minor bureaucratic reshuffle. o He is a 1985-batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre. He is at present additional secretary in Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. o He has been appointed secretary in Department of Defence Production with effect from December 1, 2017.  Egyptian actress Shadia passed away o Shadia, an Egyptian actress and singer who captivated Arab audiences for decades died.

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o Shadia’s death was announced on Egypt’s State Information Service website, which did not say where she died. o A stroke had left her in a coma at a Cairo military hospital recently. Shadia played roles in more than 100 films in a career that began in the late 1940s. Her parents called her Fatimah Shaker.  Dia Mirza appointed as Ambassador o Actor-activist Dia Mirza has been appointed UN (United Nations) Environment’s Goodwill Ambassador for India. o Dia Mirza is 35 years old. She has been recognised by the United Nations for her contribution to environment conservation. o She will work with the UN to further spread the message on priority areas including clean air, clean seas, wildlife protection and climate change.  Rathna appointed as Chief Secretary o The Karnataka government appointed senior woman IAS officer K Ratna Prabha as the new chief secretary of Karnataka. o She will be the third woman civil servant to hold the top bureaucratic post in Karnataka after Teresa Bhattacharya (2000) and Malati Das (2006) . o She is a 1981 batch IAS officer. She will succeed Subhash Chandra Khuntia, whose term ends on November 30, 2017.  Sibi George appointed as the Ambassador o Sibi George was appointed the next Ambassador of India to the Holy See. o Sibi George is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer of 1993 batch. He is presently Ambassador of India to Switzerland. o He has been concurrently appointed the next Ambassador of India to the Holy See, with residence in Berne. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

Environment

 Project to Tackle Stubble Burning o MoEF has approved a regional project to combat climate change. o The project on ‘Climate Resilience Building among Farmers through Crop Residue Management’ is under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change. o NAFCC was established in August 2015 to meet the cost of adaptation to climate change for the State and UT that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.  Spider named after Bob Marley o Scientists have named new water adapted species of spider after Bob Marley, as a homage to his famous song "High tide or low tide." o The species of water-adapted spider was first discovered in the year 2009, when the sea along the coastline of Queensland in Australia receded and revealed the population of spider. o The study was published in the Evolutionary Systematic journal.  Prince Harry Named President of ACG o Prince Harry has been named the president of African Parks, a conservation group that manages a dozen wildlife areas across the continent. o Prince Harry will contribute to its effort to protect Africa's natural heritage and support both wildlife and communities. o ACF's goal is to support and link African conservation initiatives, groups and NGOs.  2017 may be among top 3 hottest years o The year 2017 will likely be among the three warmest years on global record, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). o The first 11 months of 2017 were the third warmest on record, behind 2016 and 2015.

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o 2017 may also be the warmest year without an El Nino — a climate phenomenon that causes global temperatures to shoot up.  HC bans bursting of crackers on New Year o Punjab & Haryana High Court has banned bursting of crackers on New Year’s Eve & on Jan 1, as well as during weddings or other celebratory functions in Punjab, Haryana & Chandigarh. o However, the areas of Haryana falling in NCR have been kept out of purview of the order. o Concerned over the pollution, high court had in its earlier order in Oct also issued a number of instructions to authorities  Australia joins ISA o Australia has joined the International Solar Alliance, to support the commitment to clean energy cooperation & help meet the Paris Agreement emission targets o Led by India & France, ISA will deepen cooperation on solar research, reduce technology costs & harmonise international standards o Australia's expertise in solar technologies & research will be shared globally with formal creation of ISA  ISA to be a legal entity o International Solar Alliance which aims at increasing solar energy deployment in member countries, will become a treaty-based international intergovernmental organization. o ISA is an Indian initiative jointly launched by PM Modi & President of France on 30 Nov 2015 in Paris, on sidelines of COP-21. o Till date, 46 countries have signed & 19 have ratified the framework agreement of ISA.  Cyclone ‘OCKHI’ warning for Lakshadweep

o The very severe cyclonic storm ‘OCKHI’ over Lakshadweep area and adjoining Southeast Arabian Sea moved further west-northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph during past 06 hours. o The system is very likely to weaken gradually. o It is very likely to continue to move northwestwards during next 24 hours and then recurve northeastwards during the subsequent 48 hours.  ICG conducts “Clean Sea-2017” o Indian Coast Guard conducted regional level Marine Oil Pollution Response Exercise titled ‘Clean Sea – 2017’ at sea off Port Blair, Andaman Nicobar Islands. o Objective of this exercise was to ascertain preparedness of the ICG in responding to a major oil spill. o ICG has been entrusted with the responsibility to protect marine environment in the maritime zones of India.

Obituaries

 Neeraj Vora passes away o Daud writer, Director & popular comic actor Neeraj Vora passed away at the age of 54 in Mumbai. o Vora wrote the screenplay for many films like Rangeela, Akele Hum Akele Tum, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke and Hera Pheri. o Vora, who was set to direct the third installment in the hit Hera Pheri franchise, began his film journey as an actor in 1984.  Chaudhary Prem Singh passes away o Congress leader & former president of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee Chaudhary Prem Singh died following a cardiac arrest.

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o Singh, who joined Congress in 1952, became the youngest member of MCD & 1st chairman of its Committee on Delhi Rural Area in 1958. o His name features in Limca Book of Records for getting elected 10 times consecutively for different positions from same constituency.

Government Policies & Schemes

 Project to Tackle Stubble Burning o MoEF has approved a regional project to combat climate change. o The project on ‘Climate Resilience Building among Farmers through Crop Residue Management’ is under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change. o NAFCC was established in August 2015 to meet the cost of adaptation to climate change for the State and UT that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.  Digi. drive to boost engineering exports o The Commerce Ministry launched a digital drive under the aegis of EEPC India to promote the country's engineering exports. o Launching the E-Catalogue, Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said it is among the pivotal components of Brand India Engineering initiative. o The E-Catalogue is aimed at overcoming a major hurdle for Indian exporters in global quality engineering markets.  1500 more schools for Atal Tinkering Lab o NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission, has selected additional 1500 Schools for the establishment of Atal Tinkering Labs. o Atal Innovation Mission is the government's programme to promote innovation & entrepreneurship nationwide in schools, universities & industry.

o They are innovation play workspaces for students between Grade VI to Grade XII, stimulating innovations combining science & tech.  WCD launches 'Spot BBBP logo contest' o Ministry of Women & Child Development has launched a contest inviting people to share photographs of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao logo that they spot at unique locations. o The objective of the contest is to engage with a larger audience. o Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao is a social campaign of the Govt. that aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls.  President Dedicates 4 Projects to AP o President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, dedicated 4 projects to Andhra Pradesh Government at a function held at Velagapudi, Andhra Pradesh. o The Projects were Andhra Pradesh Fibregrid Project, Andhra Pradesh Surveillance Project, Drone Project, and Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) system. o The President focused on the 24/7 hyper-connected world and the online presence of the government.  Agriculture Minister Launches LDF App o Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has launched Livestock Disease Forewarning – Mobile Application (LDF- Mobile App). o The app is developed by ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics, Bengaluru. o Apart from early warning, the app will also provide information about clinical samples for the diagnosis in case of the epidemic.  Fin. Ministry to issue bonds to PSB

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o Finance Ministry is likely to issue 1st tranche of recapitalization bonds to public sector banks in January 2018. o These bonds are part of government’s plan to infuse Rs 2.11 lakh crore capital into the public sector banks over a period of 2 years. o The plan was announced in Oct 2017 by Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley.  Odisha splits tourism & culture depart. o The Odisha government decided to split the tourism and culture department and initiated setting up of Odia Language Commission. o The cultural wing was also renamed as Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department. o It was also decided to set up a ‘Heritage Cabinet’ to protect the monuments and ancient temples.  SDMC launches Atal Jan Aahar Yojana o South Delhi Municipal Corporation launched ‘Atal Jan Aahar Yojana’ for poor people to provide them meal at Rs 10. o The Yojana was launched by South Delhi Mayor Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Matiala at Matiala Chowk. o Scheme has been started at 5 outlets in different locations of south Delhi. Its aim is to provide nutritious meal to the poor and needy.  Government's plan for backward districts o Central Government has drawn up a tailor-made action plan for improving the socio-economic condition of 115 “most-backward” districts in India. o The government will setup basic services like healthcare, education, sanitation as well as basic physical infrastructure like roads and drinking water supply. o Government’s goal is to bring a transformative change in these backward districts by 2022.  Centre gives fund for border development

o Home Ministry has released Rs 167 crore to 9 states – Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Sikkim, under the Border Area Development Programme. o BADP is fully funded by Central Government. o Under this programme, development work is carried out in all villages which are located within the 0-10 km of the international border.  Uttar Pradesh introduces power scheme o UP has launched Kisan Uday Yojana, for the poor in the state to mark Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary. o Lohban and Gausana, the two villages of Mathura district have been covered for 100 per cent electrification. o The government has a target of covering 16 million by 2018-end, driven by Yogi Adityanath government’s motto ‘Prakash hai to vikas hai’.  Ranking of Panchayats under Antyodaya o Rural Development Ministry has completed the ranking of 50000 Gram Panchayats on 3 parameters of physical infrastructure, human development & economic activities. o ‘Mission Antyodaya’ aims to create 50000 poverty-free gram panchayats. o The goal is to converge, all existing govt. initiatives & schemes in these 50000-gram panchayats so that every household within these panchayats is benefited.  Gujjars, 4 Others get 1% Reservation o Rajasthan government announced 1% reservation within the 50% legal limit, for Gujjars and four other communities. o The five communities that have been declared eligible for this reservation are: Gujjar, Banjara, Gadia-Lohar, Rebari and Gadaria. o These 5 communities were listed in the OBC category in 1994. The additional quota is given in the ‘More Backward Classes’ category.

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 Package for paddy farmers: Maharashtra o Maharashtra government announced a financial package to help paddy and cotton farmers whose crops have been damaged because of pests. o Farmers cultivating paddy will be provided with Rs 7,970 per hectare compensation for non-irrigated land.Farmers who have irrigated land would get Rs 14,670 per hectare. o The compensation will be allowed upto two hectares.  MEA Launches 'SAMEEP' Policy o With an aim to bring foreign policy to the masses the External Affairs Ministry has come up with an initiative called SAMEEP - 'Students and MEA Engagement Programme'. o Under this MEA officials will talk to students to help them better understand foreign policy. o The main objective of SAMEEP is to take Indian foreign policy and its global engagements to students across the country.  'Blue Flag' Beach Project launched o Ministry of Environment and Forests has launched a pilot project named "Blue Flag" for beach cleanup and development. o The objective of the project is to enhance standards of cleanliness and upkeep basic amenities at beaches. o Under the pilot programme, each of the coastal State/UT has identified a beach, to be funded through the ongoing Integrated Coastal Management Programme.  Government Launched ‘Ganga Gram’ project o The government had formally launched the ‘Ganga Gram’ project at the Ganga Gram Swachata Sammelan in New Delhi. o It is a part of clean Ganga mission.

o Namami Gange, the Ganga Gram project is an integrated approach for the holistic development of villages situated on the banks of the holy river with the active participation of villagers.  DARPAN Project Launched o Manoj Sinha launched DARPAN- “Digital Advancement of Rural Post Office for A New India”. o It is a project to improve the quality of service, add value to services and achieve 'financial inclusion' of the unbanked rural population. o The goal of the IT modernization project with an outlay of Rs. 1400 Crore is to provide a low power technology solution to each Branch Postmaster.  Niti Aayog seeks methanol economy fund o Niti Aayog, the government's policy-making body, will soon move a Cabinet note outlining the roadmap for a methanol mission for India through a Rs 5,000-crore methanol economy fund. o It will kickstart generation of this alternative energy source from January 1, 2018. o The Aayog will hold a high-level meeting of its task force on methanol economy following which a roadmap will be laid out.  AP Govt, UNESCO to set up gaming hub o Andhra Pradesh Government in association with the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace & Sustainable Development is planning to establish a centre of excellence for children with learning differences. o It will be the first of its kind in India and in Asia-Pacific region. o A Telugu app will be working with a number of schools in the State to screen students at a very early age  Workshop on Role of Sakhi OSC

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o A 2 day National Workshop on Role of Sakhi One Stop Centres in Strengthening Multi Sectoral Response to Violence in New Delhi. o Around 400 Sakhi- OSC Functionaries and nodal officials from State Department of Women and Child Development from 33 States/UTs across the country are participating in the two day workshop. o The purpose of the OSCs is to provide safe and pleasant environment to women.  Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2017-18 o Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, had floated Series III of Sovereign Gold Bonds 2017-18, for a period from October 09, 2017 to December 27, 2017. o The Bonds will be issued on the succeeding Monday after each subscription period. o A Sovereign Gold Bond is a government issued security which represents a certain weight of gold.  Employment in leather & footwear sector o The govt has approved the special package for employment generation in leather and footwear sector. o The package involves implementation of Central Sector Scheme "Indian Footwear, Leather & Accessories Development Programme" over the 3 financial years. o The scheme would lead to development of infrastructure for the leather sector, address environment concerns specific to the leather sector.  Introduction of NESIDS till March 2020 o Cabinet has approved the introduction of new Central Sector Scheme of “North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme” (NESIDS) from 2017-18. o It will fill up the gaps in creation of infrastructure in specified sectors till March, 2020.

o NESIDS will broadly cover Physical infrastructure relating to water supply, power, connectivity and specially the projects promoting tourism.  Telangana announces WE-Hub for women o Telangana Minister for IT and Industries KT Rama Rao stated that 3 initiatives for women entrepreneurs including setting up ‘We-Hub’ on the lines of T-Hub and also to create Rs 15 crore fund. o T-Hub is a partnership between the government of Telangana with three of India’s premier academic institutes and key private sector leaders. o The WE-Hub will be funded under the Atal Innovation Mission.  Over 1 lakh more houses under PMAY(U) o Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has approved the construction of additional 1.12 lakh affordable houses for urban poor under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). o This decision was taken at the 28th meeting of the CSMC, held in New Delhi on November 29, 2017. o Under PMAY(U), the government has set a target to provide houses to all urban poor by 2022.  National Nutrition Mission to be set up o Union Cabinet approved setting up of National Nutrition Mission (NNM) with a three year financial outlay of Rs.9046.17 crore commencing from 2017-18. o Objective of this mission is to reduce the level of stunting, under-nutrition, anemia and low birth weight babies. o NNM, will monitor, supervise, fix targets and guide the nutrition related interventions across all Union Government Ministries.  HEFA approves projects worth Rs. 2,067cr o 2nd meeting of Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA) Board was held on November 29, 2017.

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o During this meeting, HEFA board approved projects worth Rs. 2066.73 Cr to improve the research infrastructure in six institutions – IITs Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur and NIT Suratkal. o These projects will help the institutions to improve their standing at the global level.

Art & Culture

 Sivagiri pilgrimage celebrations o Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 85th annual Sivagiri pilgrimage celebrations at Sivagiri Mutt in Kerala via video conferencing. o The Sivagiri Mutt is a major spiritual-cum-pilgrim centre of the Ezhava community in Kerala and was established by Sri Narayana Guru. o Sri Narayana Guru propagated the message of 'One Caste, One Religion and One God for Mankind'.  78th Session of Indian History Congress o The 3 day long 78th session of the Indian History Congress began in Kolkata. o The Indian History Congress will have 6 sections this time - Ancient India, Medieval India, Modern India, Countries Other than India, Archaeology and Contemporary India. o The aim of conducting Indian History Congress is for promotion and encouragement of the scientific study of Indian History.  Festival to revive tourism in the hills o Darjeeling will host the 5-day Teesta Rangit Tourism Festival 2017. o The 4-month strike has severely affected tourism, one of the biggest sources of income in the Darjeeling hills.

o The festival will be held in phases in different hill towns. It will be held from Dec 27 to 29 in Darjeeling; Dec 28 and 29 in Kurseong; Dec 29 and 30 in Kalimpong; and Dec 30 and 31 in Mirik.  Mystic Kalinga poetry fest takes off o Mystic Kalinga, the international festival of poetry and performances, kicked off in Bhubaneswar. o The central theme for this year’s festival is: “Aseema” – Transcending Boundaries. o Mystic Kalinga is an extension of Kalinga Literary Festival. The Kalinga Literary Festival is organized every year in the month of June by Odisha Media info Service Private Ltd and Odisha Diary Foundation.  UP governor launches Kumbh 2019 logo o UP Governor Ram Naik has unveiled a new multi-coloured logo for Kumbh Mela that is scheduled to be held in Allahabad in Jan 2019. o The logo comprises of temples, seers, a kalash & a Swastika. o Kumbh Mela is believed to be the largest religious gathering on earth & is held every 12 years on banks of Sangam. o UNESCO recently recognised Kumbh Mela as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.  Festival of Bharat o Festival of Bharat, a 4 day festival to be held in Rajasthan from March 1-4 next year will celebrate essence of the country o Backed by Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India campaign & supported by Art of Living, the 1st edition of the gala will take place at Tijara Fort- Palace o It will consist of a live music festival, literary fest talks, yoga retreat, organic Holi party & organic food fest.  Hornbill Fest celebrations in Nagaland

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o On Dec.1 2017, Shri Ram Nath Kovind , the President of India inaugurated the Hornbill Festival and State Formation Day celebrations of Nagaland in Kisama. o The Festival at Kisama and the International Music Festival represent the diversity of Naga society. o Festival will be celebrated every year from 1 – 10 December, in Nagaland, Northeast India. It is also called the ‘Festival of Festivals’.

Science & Technology

 SpaceX unveils its biggest rocket o SpaceX's biggest rocket till date, the Falcon Heavy, has been raised on the Cape Canaveral launchpad for the first time. o The rocket will look to push forward Elon Musk's vision of making humans an inter-planetary species. o It will have its maiden journey out of Earth's orbit next month.  ‘Smoke rings’ spotted in the ocean o Scientists have discovered the equivalent of smoke-rings in the Tasman Sea which may ‘suck-up’ small marine creatures and carry them at high speed and for long distances across the ocean. o The rings were spotted by analysing sea level measurements taken from satellites. o The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand.  ISRO to launch 31 satellites in one go o ISRO would launch 31 satellites, including India’s Cartosat-2 series earth observation space craft, in a single mission on January 10.

o The mission will be the first ‘Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle’ (PSLV) mission after the unsuccessful launch of the navigation satellite IRNSS-1H in August this year. o The mission’s main payload would be India’s Cartosat-2 series earth observation satellite.  India Test-Fires AAD Supersonic Missile o India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence supersonic interceptor missile from Odisha. o It is capable of destroying any incoming ballistic missile at low altitude. o This was the 3rd supersonic interceptor test carried out this year. The interceptor is a 7.5 m long single stage solid rocket propelled guided missile equipped with a navigation system.  Fish discovered inside Meghalaya cave o A new species of blind fish has been discovered inside a cave in East Jaintia Hills, in Meghalaya. o The fish "Schistura larketensis" gets its name from Larket village, where the cave has been found, the journal, Zootaxa, said. o The species has apparently lost its sight living in the perpetual darkness inside the cave.  Agriculture Minister Launches LDF App o Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has launched Livestock Disease Forewarning – Mobile Application (LDF- Mobile App). o The app is developed by ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics, Bengaluru. o Apart from early warning, the app will also provide information about clinical samples for the diagnosis in case of the epidemic.  Dr. Reddy’s unveils cancer drug in U.S.

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o Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has introduced Melphalan Hydrochloride for injection, a therapeutic equivalent generic version of Alkeran for injection, in the U.S. market. o Melphalan hydrochloride for injection is indicated for the palliative treatment of patients with multiple myeloma for whom oral therapy is not appropriate. o It has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  Solar-based cold storage o Engineers at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi have developed a solar-powered on-farm storage structure. o It can increase the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables in regions where cold storage facilities are absent. o It is designed by Pramod Kumar Sharma & others, which can retain the quality and freshness of fruits & vegetables for an additional period of up to five days.  NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless dies o Former NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless, the first person to fly in space without tethers, passed away. He was 80 years old. o Bruce McCandless performed the famous spacewalk in 1984, during which he did not use restrictive tethers and umbilicals. o He has been honoured with numerous awards like American Expeditionary Service Medal, NASA Space Flight Medal etc.  Gravitational wave detector to be built o A new LIGO gravitational wave detector will be built in India by 2025 in collaboration with universities from across the world. o LIGO stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. o It will help to pinpoint the origin of the gravitational waves that are detected in future.

o This will be the world’s third LIGO detector, along with two already operational in the US.  New species of scorpions discovered o Tripura has identified a new species of scorpions in Tripura’s Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary. o The Schaller’s wood scorpion has large and powerful pincers. o The study was published in Zootaxa, an international journal devoted to new species descriptions. Mr. Mirza discovered them. o He named the new species Liocheles schalleri in honour of celebrated wildlife biologist George Schaller.  Scientists discover new frog species o Scientists have discovered a new frog species from its home in the fast flowing streams in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Subansiri district. o The new species discovered from Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary has been named as Odorrana arunachalensis, after the state where it was discovered. o The species is sighted during the wet season, from April to September. They are not seen in the dry seasons.  'World’s smallest’ DRAM chip o Samsung Electronics developed the world’s smallest DRAM chip. o The “2nd-generation” 8-gigabit DRAM chips with improved energy efficiency and data processing performance will be used in mobile devices and high-speed graphics cards. o The advantage of DRAM is the structural simplicity of its memory cells. Only 1 transistor and a capacitor are required per bit, compared to 4 to 6 in SRAM.  Fossil shows life existed 3.5 b yrs ago

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o An analysis of ancient fossil microorganisms indicates that life on Earth evolved very early on the planet’s history – at least about 3.5 billion years ago. o The microorganisms were found preserved in rocks from Western Australia. o The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. o This strengthens the case for life existing elsewhere in the universe.  Plants that glow in the dark o Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers have created bioluminescent trees that glow like Fireflies. o MIT engineers used an enzyme called luciferase to create the bioluminescent trees that glow like Fireflies. o This technology can further be used to light up entire street in future.  Nokia, IIT-Delhi join hands on analytics o Nokia & IIT-Delhi have entered into a partnership to collaborate on futuristic technologies like data science, analytics & artificial intelligence. o The MoU will allow Nokia to prepare its services for 5G where networks will be more complex & demanding. o IIT-Delhi research scholar will develop software modules based on AI algorithms with machine learning, deep learning & predictive analytic.  Ravi Shankar launches first NIC-CERT

o IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched 1st NIC-CERT, a setup of National Informatics Centre to prevent & predict cyber attacks on govt utilities. o NIC-CERT will work to ensure early detection & immediate mitigation of cyber attacks by monitoring data across the NIC platform. o It has been setup with the objective of creating a comprehensive framework that integrates world class security.

 New form of matter 'excitonium' found o Researchers from University of California & University of Illinois have proven the existence of new form of matter called 'excitonium'.

o The existence of 'excitonium' was 1st theorised almost 50 years ago. o Excitonium exhibits macroscopic quantum phenomena, like a superconductor & is made of excitons, particles that are formed in a very strange quantum mechanical pairing.  UAE launches its 1st astronaut programme o Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum has launched UAE's

1st astronaut programme aimed at sending 4 Emirati astronauts to International Space Station.

o UAE has announced plans to become the 1st Arab country to send an unmanned probe to orbit Mars by 2021, naming it "Hope". o The program would make UAE one of only a handful of states in the Middle East to have sent a person into space.  Floating Solar Power Plant in Kerala o The largest-ever floating solar power plant in India has become operational in Kerala. o Constructed by Ad tech Systems, the plant will generate 7 lakh units of power in a year. o The unique feature of this plant is the anchoring mechanism used by the overwhelming technology to maintain the plant with the alteration of the water level. o The total cost of the project is Rs. 9.25 crore.  Google Maps introduces 'Motorcycle Mode' o Google has launched a new feature to its Maps application specially, for Indian users called, the Motorcycle Mode.

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o The feature will allow two-wheeler drivers the shortest or the most convenient route for their journey will also show the routes and ETA which are suited best for the bikers. o The app will also share details about road blockage or parking trouble near the destination.  NASA fires up Voyager 1 thrusters o NASA told a set of thrusters aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft, the only human-made object in interstellar space, have been successfully fired up after 37 years without use. o The spacecraft has been using small devices called “attitude control thrusters” to orient itself so it can communicate with Earth. o Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched 16 days apart in 1977.  Google introduces ‘Datally’ app o Google launched Datally App to understand, control and save users mobile data themselves o Datally App will enable users to track their data usage in real time, and get personalized recommendations on saving data along with notifications of nearby available public Wi-Fi spots. o 3 things of Datally helps users: Understand your data, Control your data and save your data.  Planet Labs to launch 4 satellites o Planet Labs Inc said four of its Dove satellites will be launched aboard India’s PSLV-C40 mission, scheduled to fly in January 2018. o Planet Labs Inc, a US-based integrated aerospace and data analytics company. o The primary payload for PSLV-C40 mission is Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Cartosat-2 Series satellite, and Planet Lab’s four satellites will ride as secondary payload.

Polity

 Rajinikanth to launch political party o Tamil Nadu Superstar Rajinikanth has announced his political debut. o He will launch his own party which will contest for all 234 constituencies in next assembly polls in the state. o He said the party will be launched ahead of Assembly elections at an appropriate time.  Swaraj & Safadi held a bilateral meeting o External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Jordanian counterpart Ayman Al Safadi held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi. o They discussed deepening bilateral ties across multiple sectors. o Mr. Safadi discussed steps to set up a robust agenda for deepening and diversifying areas of cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, defence and security and people-to-people contact.  Lok Sabha passes bill for GST cess hike o Lok Sabha approved a bill to hike cess on luxury vehicles from 15% to 25% with a view to enhance funds to compensate states for revenue loss following the rollout of GST. o The GST (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill, 2017, was passed by the Lower House. o Goods and Services Tax (GST) is an indirect tax levied in India on the sale of goods and services. GST was rolled out from July 1, 2017.  Bankruptcy Code law amended o The Lok Sabha amended the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code law. o It will prevent wilful defaulters and existing promoters from taking part in insolvency proceedings of stressed assets of companies.

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o The bill will replace an ordinance that was brought in November to prevent unscrupulous promoters from misusing the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).  Law to protect slums in Delhi o Parliament passed a bill to protect slums and unauthorised colonies in the national capital region. o The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, gives immunity to slums and some unauthorised constructions till December 31, 2020. o The legislation will give cover against punitive action on “as is where is basis” until December 2020.  Triple Talaq Bill Passed in Lok Sabha o The Lok Sabha passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriages) Bill 2017 making instant triple talaq illegal with up to three years in jail for the husband. o The proposed law would only be applicable on instant triple talaq or ‘talaq- e-biddat’. o Ravi Shakar Prasad is Minister for Law and Justice. o The bill will now be sent to the Rajya Sabha for approval.  Parliament passes companies amend. bill o A bill to amend the companies law to strengthen corporate governance standards, initiate strict action against defaulting companies was passed by Parliament. o The Rajya Sabha passed the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2017 by a voice vote. o Certain classes of profitable companies are required to shell out at least 2 percent of their 3-year annual average net profit towards CSR.  Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar disqualified

o Rebel JD(U) MPs Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar have been disqualified from the Rajya Sabha. o The JD(U) had sought their disqualification on the grounds that they had attended a rally of opposition parties in Patna in violation of its direction. o Yadav was elected to the House last year and his term was scheduled to end in 2022 while Anwar’s term was to expire early next year.

Places in News

 Bengaluru to get its own logo o The Karnataka government has launched the Bengaluru city logo, the first Indian city to do so, in a bid to resurrect its image as a tourism destination. o With this, it joins cities like Amsterdam in The Netherlands and New York in the US to have its own logo. o The logo was designed by Nammur, a design start-up.  First museum dedicated to female artist o Iran has opened its first museum dedicated to a solo female artist - Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, who received widespread international attention during decades of exile. o The institution will showcase fifty works from the ninety-three-year-old artist’s personal collection. o The Monir Museum is located in in the historic Negarestan Museum Park Gardens, a former Qajar-era palace complex.  World's steepest railway opens o The world's steepest funicular railway has opened to the public in Switzerland.

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o The 1,720-meter track will run from valley floor near Schwyz to car-free Stoos. o The track, which travels through the mountainside for part of its journey, rises 743 meters along gradients as steep as 110%. o The Stoos Bahn took 14 years to build - two years longer than scheduled - at a cost of 52m Swiss francs.  UK's New Highest Mountain o Cartographers surveying Antarctica have discovered that Mt Hope is the tallest mountain in the British Antarctic Territory at 3,239 metres above sea level. o Until now, maps showed Mt Jackson as the tallest mountain in the territory at 3,184 metres. o The BAS group used a combination of elevation models built from satellite data to make the new mountain assessment.  First energy-efficient railway station o Kacheguda railway station in Hyderabad division of SCR, has achieved the distinction of being 1st energy-efficient 'A1 Category' railway station of India. o Station has achieved 100% energy efficiency by replacing 1,312 conventional lights with LED lighting. o With these initiatives, it will save about 1.76 lakh units & Rs 14.08 lakh p.a. with reduction of connected load by 46.18 kW for Railways  Shamli District Included in NCR o Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district has been included in the national capital region, taking the total number of districts in the NCR to 23. o The decision was taken at the 37th meeting of the National Capital Region Planning Board held in New Delhi. o Besides Delhi, there are at present 22 districts- 13 of Haryana, seven of Uttar Pradesh and two of Rajasthan in the NCR.

November 2017 - Important Current Affair Capsule with PDF

October 2017 - Important Current Affairs Capsule with PDF

September 2017 - Important Current Affairs Capsule with PDF

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