Weekly Current Affairs Update 1 Weekly Current Affairs Update For the Week: December 3 to 9, 2019 HEADLINES Section A: INDIA • Centre releases list of 10 best Police Stations, Aberdeen in Andaman and Nicobar tops list • Govt. to introduce Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 • India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile • Indian Coast Guard can now legally search & seize vessels in EEZ • Rs 100 cr sanctioned from Nirbhaya Fund to set up Women Help Desks in Police Stations • Army conducts Exercise Sindhu Sudarshan in Rajasthan • Nationwide vaccination drive launched under Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 • Parliament passes bill amending the Special Protection Group Act, 1988 • Cabinet approves SC/STs reservation in Lok Sabha, state assemblies for another 10 years • Bharatiya Poshan Anthem launched to spread the message of making India malnutrition free • India Rankings Society (IRS) to develop system of ranking higher educational institutions • Armed Forces Flag Day celebrated on December 7 • Navy Day celebrated on December 4 • Sub-lieutenant Shivangi becomes first woman pilot of Indian Navy • Indian Rafale fighter jets to fly with BS-series tail numbers • Lt Gen P. S. Rajeshwar takes over as C-n-C of Andaman & Nicobar Command • Chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) dies • P. Chidambaram granted bail in INX Media money laundering case Section B: INDIA & THE WORLD • King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden visit India • Transmitters to be set up in Sashastra Seema Bal premises along the Indo-Nepal border • SAARC Charter Day celebrated on December 8 • PM Modi and President of Maldives jointly inaugurate projects in Maldives via video link • Army Chief General Bipin Rawat meets Japanese counterpart in Tokyo • Conclave of air force chiefs of Indo-Pacific region organised in Hawaii • India-China joint training exercise ‘HAND-IN-HAND 2019’ starts in Meghalaya • Tri-services Exercise Indra between India, Russia to be conducted from Dec 10-19 • Pakistan apprehends 18 Indian fishermen • Pirates kidnap 18 Indian sailors off Nigerian coast • Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth visits India Section C: WORLD • International Organisation for Migration releases ‘World Migration Report 2020’ • China imposes ‘reciprocal’ restrictions on U.S. diplomats • Chinese students dominate 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) • Bill passed in Russia allowing govt. to register bloggers, journalists as foreign agents • UNCTAD releases report on Israeli occupation’s cost to Palestinian economy • Saudi Arabian air force trainee kills 3 at US naval base in Pensacola, Florida • Saudi Arabia assumes the G20 presidency • US Congress passes Bill on China’s treatment of its Uyghur communities • 3000-km long pipeline launched to transport natural gas from Russia to China • 2019 NATO Summit organised in Watford, UK on December 3-4 • ‘MED - Mediterranean Dialogues’ held in Rome November 26 to December 2, 2019 Weekly Current Affairs Update 2 • 2 killed as Typhoon Kammuri slams into Philippines • Malaysia records first polio case in 27 years • International Day for the Abolition of Slavery observed on December 2 • International Volunteer Day observed on December 5 • World Soil Day observed on December 5 • International Civil Aviation Day celebrated on December 7 • International Day of Persons with Disabilities observed on December 3 • Pritivirajsing Roopun appointed as new President of Mauritius by parliament • Finland’s PM Antti Rinne resigns after losing the support of a coalition partner • Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announces resignation • ‘Will & Grace’ actor Shelley Morrison dies at 83 in US Section D: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY • UNFCCC COP 25 commences in Madrid • Global Climate Risk Index published by environmental think-tank Germanwatch • NASA finds debris of Chandrayaan-2’s lander Vikram • Astronauts attach new pumps to cosmic ray detector outside International Space Station Section E: AWARDS • Tony Joseph wins Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize • Manisha Kulshreshtha wins 28th Bihari Puraskar • Rs. 3 crore Sree Ramakrishna Paramhansa Research Grant awarded in Vijayawada (AP) • UP wins National Award of Excellence for rehabilitation of persons with disabilities • ‘The Diwali - Power of One’ awards given in New York • Four artistes jointly awarded Turner Prize in UK • Apple Music Awards announced • Ballon d’Or awards announced • New Zealand win Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket award for 2019 • Hollywood actor Joaquin Phoenix named 2019 PETA Person of the Year • Priyanka Chopra Jonas honoured at Marrakech Film Festival Section F: BANKING & FINANCE • RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting keeps repo rate unchanged • NEFT transactions to be available 24x7 from December 16, including holidays • ₹80,893 cr. loans written off by banks in first half of FY20’ • Payment Banks can become SFB after five years under new RBI norms • RBI hikes aggregate lending limit to Rs 50 lakh for P2P (peer to peer) lenders • CCEA approves launch of Bharat Bond Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) • Mumbai court declares Nirav Modi a ‘fugitive economic offender’ Section G: ECONOMY • Union Cabinet approves Personal Data Protection Bill • Foreign exchange reserves touch a new high of USD 451.08 billion • Government revises stock limit of onions for retailers, wholesalers • CRISIL cuts GDP growth forecast for 2019-20 to 5.1% from an earlier estimate of 6.3% • Lok Sabha passes Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 • Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Bill, 2019 passed by Parliament • Govt launches independent directors’ databank, to be maintained by IICA • Lok Sabha passes Bill that regulates recycling of ships • GST Stakeholder Feedback Diwas organised by CBIC December 3 to 9, 2019 Weekly Current Affairs Update 3 • Civil Aviation Ministry opens bidding process under UDAN 4.0 • National Public Procurement Conclave organised in New Delhi • Rs 24,396.19 crore collected as fee from toll plazas of NHAI in 2018-19 • Ritu Beri appointed as chief design consultant for TRIFED Section H: CORPORATE • Tata Power-ICICI Bank JV acquires UP based Prayagraj power project • Hero Group, Birmingham City University to set up school of innovation in Ludhiana • Thomas Cook India to acquire branding rights for India, Sri Lanka & Mauritius • Walmart, HDFC unveil co-branded credit card for ‘Best Price’ members • Xiaomi launches Mi Credit in India, to offer up to Rs 1 lakh personal loan • Bajaj Auto launches Husqvarna motorcycles • MG Motor India unveils electric car model ZS • TTK Prestige launches new range of pressure cookers ‘Svachh’ • Wipro launches its Cyber Defence Centre (CDC) in Melbourne, Australia • Temasek-EQT joint venture to launch India green energy platform • ONGC’s USD 300 million MTN issue listed on India INX • Hindustan Times Leadership Summit organised in New Delhi • Oxford Names ‘Climate Emergency’ Its 2019 Word of the Year • Dictionary.com chooses ‘existential’ as word of the year • Saudi Aramco shares to start trading on December 11 • UNCTAD launches Business-to-Consumer (B2C) E-commerce Index 2019 • UK-based Comparitech ranks nations on invasive use of biometric data • Guinness World Records title for ‘most nationalities on an aircraft’ created by Emirates • Rare Gauguin fetches €9.5 mn at auction • Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai promoted as CEO of Alphabet, the parent company of Google • NSE appoints Girish Chandra Chaturvedi its new Chairman • Coin minted on tennis legend Roger Federer in Switzerland • French chef who ‘invented’ magret de canard dies aged 84 Section I: STATES • SC lifts ban on construction, industrial activities in Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) • 43 dead, 16 injured in fire at illegal manufacturing unit in Delhi • Minister flags off ‘Special Plogging Awareness Drive’ at Delhi Cantt • Gurgaon city’s Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) inaugurated • Delhi govt. releases case study on Mission Buniyaad for school education • Defence India Water Impact Summit organised in New Delhi • Bill to provide ownership rights to residents of unauthorised colonies in Delhi passed • Delhi Govt. to set up 11,000 wifi-hotspots in the national capital • Govt. approves construction of five-star hotel at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi • CCTVs, panic buttons, GPS in 5,500 buses within 7 months in Delhi • Avantee Mega Food Park inaugurated in Dewas (MP) • Mahuamilan station is country’s 550th railway station to get free wifi facility • President inaugurates new building of Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur • Odisha to merge its KALIA scheme with Centre’s PM-Kisan Yojana • Odisha gives free laptops to meritorious students under the ‘Biju Sashaktikaran Yojana’ • Odisha govt. launches smart learning mobile app ‘MadhuApp for school children • Mumbai Central railway station certified as country’s first ‘Eat Right Station’ by FSSAI • All India Conference of Director Generals /Inspector Generals of Police held in Pune • Parliament passes Bill to merge UTs Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli • Startup India Global Venture Capital Summit organised in Goa December 3 to 9, 2019 Weekly Current Affairs Update 4 • The Kerala Bank inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan • 24th International Film Festival of Kerala started in Thiruvananthapuram • Alliance Air starts Guwahati-Dimapur-Imphal flight • Assam govt. launches Anti Depredation Squads in forests • BJP’s K. C. Ramamurthy elected to the Rajya Sabha seat from Karnataka • Ex-IPS officer K. Vijay Kumar appointed Senior Security Adviser in Home Ministry Section J: SPORTS