Top Current Affairs of the Week (24 – 30 December 2019)
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www.gradeup.co Top Current Affairs of the Week (24 – 30 December 2019) 1. Manoj Bajpayee bags best actor Asia Pacific Screen Award for Bhonsle • Manoj Bajpayee has bagged the Best Performance by an Actor Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards for his role in ‘Bhonsle.’ • The Hindi feature ‘Bhonsle’ narrates the story of a police constable (Bajpayee), who tries to fight the struggles of migrants and their battles with the local politicians. • The movie was directed by Devashish Makhija. • The acclaimed actor Manoj Bajpayee won against international actors like Wang Jingchun (China), Navid Mohammadzadeh, Mohsen Tanabandeh (Iran), and Eran Naim (Israel). • Ridham Janve won the Young Cinema Award for his directorial debut film The Gold- Laden Sheep and the Sacred Mountain. 2. Floating school project in Bangladesh wins Aga Khan Architecture Award • Bangladesh’s Floating school project (in South Kanarchor) ‘The Arcadia Education Project’ wins the Aga Khan Architecture Award. • The project involved the construction of a school in an area which is underwater during the monsoon months. • The architect (Saif Ul Haque) designed this school which remains on the ground during the dry season and floats on water when the area is submerged in water during monsoon. • He utilised only the local material-bamboo, used tyres and steel drums for constructing the amphibious structure for the school. • The school also serves as a shelter, a daycare centre and a vocational training centre for the local people. Note: • The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is presented in three-year cycles and has a monetary prize totalling US$1 million that is shared by multiple winning projects. • It recognizes projects, teams, and stakeholders in addition to buildings and people. Boost your Defence Exam Prep, Click here! 3. 25th November: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women • The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is being observed every year on 25th November across the world to prevent & end violence against women. • The theme for this year is “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands Against Rape”. • The colour orange in the theme symbolizes a better future without the pervasive human rights violation that affects 1 in 3 women and girls all over the globe. 4. NCC celebrates its 71st Raising Day www.gradeup.co • The National Cadet Corps (NCC) celebrated its 71st Raising Day all over the country with the cadets participating in marches, cultural activities and social development programs. • The NCC day which is observed every year on the fourth Sunday of November was celebrated with pomp and gaiety. • National Cadet Corps is a Tri-Services Organization, comprising the Army, Navy and Air Wing, • Many cadets have done the nation and the organization proud by their remarkable achievements in the fields of sports and adventure. Note: • The National Cadet Corps is the youth wing of Armed Forces, Headquarters in New Delhi 5. Sangai Festival 2019 begins in Manipur • Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has inaugurated the week-long Manipur Sangai Festival 2019 at Hapta Kangjeibung, Imphal. • During the festival, cultural programmes, traditional games, folk dance and classical music will be performed by different communities of the State as well as from other States. • The festival will conclude on the 30th of this month. 6. Gujarat Govt. announces Rs 3,795 Cr relief package for farmers • Gujarat Government has announced a relief package 3,795 crore rupees for farmers who suffered crop loss due to unseasonal rains. • The relief package will help more than 56 lakh farmers across the state. • According to Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, total package (1,641 crore rupees) will be given through a budgetary provision and 2,145 crores under the State Disaster Response Fund. • Farmers will get assistance in the range of 4,000 rupees to 13,000 rupees. 7. The US clears sale of MK-45 naval guns to India • The US State Department cleared the sale of sophisticated naval guns worth USD 1 billion to India. • The MK-45 guns will enhance India's naval capabilities, particularly in the Arabian Sea. • The Gun System will provide the capability to conduct anti-surface warfare and anti- air defence missions while enhancing interoperability with the U.S. and other allied forces. 8. Global Terrorism Index 2019 • According to the 2019 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), deaths from terrorism fell for the fourth consecutive year, after peaking in 2014. • Now, the number of deaths has decreased by 52% since 2014, falling from 33,555 to 15,952. www.gradeup.co • Afghanistan was the country most impacted by terrorism in 2018, replacing Iraq, which had held that position since 2004. • India is at seventh place in the list of countries most affected by terrorism (350 Indians killed & 540 injured in 748 terrorist incidents in 2018). Note: • countries most impacted by terrorism: Afghanistan(1st), Iraq (2nd), Nigeria (3rd) Syria(4th), Pakistan (5th), Somalia (6th), India (7th), Yemen(8th) 9. Rafael Nadal wins Davis Cup title 2019 • Rafael Nadal (world number-one) has clinched 6th Davis Cup title for Spain after beating Denis Shapovalov of Canada in front of a jubilant home crowd in Caja Mágica Madrid, Spain • Nadal (33-year) defeated Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) to clinch Spain’s 2-0 win against Canada. • It was the Spanish team's first Davis Cup title since 2011 and their sixth Davis Cup title overall. • Rafael Nadal received the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for his performance in the tournament after he won 8 of the 8 matches he participated in. • In 2019, Nadal won the French Open and the US Open, made the Australian Open final and reached the Wimbledon semi-final. Note: • The 2019 Davis Cup (108th edition) is a tournament between national teams in men's tennis, sponsored by Rakuten. 10. Lakshya Sen wins Scottish Open title • India's Lakshya Sen (18-year) has won the Scottish Open men's singles title in Glasgow. • Lakshya Sen defeated Ygor Coelho 18-21, 21-18, 21-19 to seal his fourth title in three months. • Within a month, Lakshya won his first BWF Super 100 title at the Dutch Open, with the second one coming soon after, at the SaarLorLux Open in Germany. 11. Constitution Day being celebrated today • Constitution Day (Samvidhan Divas) is being celebrated today across the country to mark the adopting of the Indian Constitution by the Constituent Assembly on this day in 1949 (came into force on 26th January in 1950). • The government has planned year-long activities throughout the country to mark 70 years of the adoption of the Constitution. • A joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha) held today to celebrate the Samvidhan Divas. • The constitution (longest written constitution of any country) replaced the Government of India Act, 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document, and the Dominion of India became the Republic of India. www.gradeup.co • The Chairman of the drafting committee ‘B. R. Ambedkar’ is widely considered to be the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. Note: • The constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic, assuring its citizen's justice, equality and liberty, and endeavours to promote fraternity. • The Constitution empowers the people as much as the people empower the Constitution. 12. 26th November: National Milk Day • The National Milk Day (NMD) is being observed every year on 26th November across India to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien (Father of the White Revolution). • The idea of observing National Milk Day was first mooted by Indian Dairy Association (IDA) in 2014 on the lines of World Milk Day that is observed on 1st June every year under the aegis of UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). • Dr. Kurien he was conferred with many accolades such as Ramon Magsaysay Award, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Krishi Ratna, World Food Prize, Padma Vibhushan, etc. • He was also given 15 honorary doctorates from various universities from across the world. Note: • Dr. Verghese Kurien is also known as the Milkman of India and the architect of Operation Flood. • Dr Kurien was born into an affluent Syrian Christian family in Calicut, Kerala. 13. Global prosperity index 2019 • The first-ever Prosperity & Inclusion City Seal and Awards (PICSA) Index, released in the Basque Country capital of Bilbao in northern Spain. • The Index is designed to showcase not only the quantity of economic growth of a city but also its quality and distribution across populations. • Bangalore stood at 83rd rank, while Delhi and Mumbai ranked 101 and 107 among 113 cities in the world in terms of economic and social inclusivity. • Zurich (number-1) scores strongly across all measures, particularly on the quality of life, work, housing, leisure, safety, and education - with the Swiss higher education system attaining an especially high score. • Austrian capital (number- 2) scores close to top marks on healthcare. Copenhagen, Luxembourg and Helsinki complete the top five. Note: • For the index, the cities were assessed on comparable data from the main focus areas by a jury of experts and business leaders. • These assessments then produced an overall score for each city's inclusive prosperity, allowing them to be ranked based on a wide range of measures. www.gradeup.co 14. Oxford Dictionary names ‘Climate Emergency’ its 2019 Word of the Year • Oxford Dictionaries has named “climate emergency” as its 2019 Word of the Year. • It also included ‘climate action’, ‘climate denial’, ‘eco-anxiety’, ‘extinction’ and ‘flight shame’. • The word is selected because it shows the increase in usage since 2018. • Climate emergency defines as “a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change.