Bullet Express is the collection of the current affairs for the entire month that helps you to grab the important current affairs in one shot with the speed of Bullet. Read here all current affairs of December in a bullet form.
National
• India needs a new Parliament building as the current one is in great “distress,” according to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in a proposal to the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD).
• Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) has introduced e-office, an initiative which will help provide efficient services to the people by digitizing more than 12,000 files.
• The Union Civil Aviation Ministry has given clearance for four greenfield airports in two states. Of the total four approved greenfield airports, three will be in Andhra Pradesh and one at international airport at Dholera in Gujarat.
• Union Government has announced to link LPG subsidy to income of consumers in order to ensure that the subsidy benefits go to the targeted group. Henceforth, the LPG subsidy will not be available to LPG consumers if the consumer or his/her spouse has taxable income of more than ten lakh rupees.
• Union Government has approved financial aid of Rs. 6,794 crore for three statesâMaharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh affected by drought in year 2015 due to deficit rainfall.
• Haryana Government has decided to fix a minimum educational qualification for aspirant of contesting urban local bodies (ULB) elections in the state on the lines of panchayat polls. Decision in this regard was taken by state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Chandigarh.
• LR-SAM, also known as Barak NG (next generation), is being co-developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The missile will be manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited.
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is extending by a week, to January 7, the last date for receiving comments on its paper on differential data pricing â a key aspect of the raging debate on net neutrality.
• Atleast 40 faculty members from the IITs at Mumbai, Delhi, Khargapur and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore have, as of Wednesday, signed the petition lambasting Free Basics â a Facebook initiative to offer free access to a few sitesâas ‘misleading’and ‘flawed.’ They will be submitting the petition to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
• India has joined select club nations to build Liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships after state owned Cochin Shipyard has received certification in this regard. Cochin Shipyard also became first shipyard in India to get the nod to build LNG-transporting ships for any client world-wide.
• Lok Sabha has unanimously passed the National Waterways Bill, 2015 by voice vote after it was introduced by Union Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. The bill aims at declaring 106 additional inland waterways as National Waterways in addition to the five existing National Waterways.
• Union Ministry of Defence has launched a new Make in India website www.makeinindiadefence.com to make defence acquisition process simpler and to provide an interface with industry.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off first prototype pollution free electric bus for Members of Parliament.The bus powered by battery has been manufactured in the lines with Union Government’s flagship Make in India campaign.
• Parliament has passed Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015 for trying juveniles as adults.
• The Union Government has notified the revised standards for coal-based Thermal Power Plants in the country with the primary aim of minimizing pollution In this regard, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) has issued notification and proposed theses standard to be implemented in a phased manner.
• Tripura government has decided to include Yoga in school curriculum in support to the national campaign. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has declared that Yoga would be introduced as a subject in State-run and government-aided schools from 2016.
• Union Government has adopted the strategy of developing integrated industrial/economic corridors across the country in partnership with respective State Governments for boosting industrial development.
• Indian Navy has conducted a large scale Fleet exercise on the eastern seaboard to maintain high levels of combat readiness and counter emerging threats.
• India’s first indigenously designed warship INS Godavari decommissioned has been decommissioned after 32 years of service. It was decommissioned at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai (Maharashtra) after it completed its full life cycle, meeting all responsibilities and duties assigned in 3 decades of service. After decommissioning, the ship would be used as a target to practice missile firing for final burial at sea.
• Parliament has passed three bills in ongoing winter session. These bills were passed by the Rajya Sabha without discussion after they were earlier passed by Lok Sabha. These 3 bills are Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015, Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and The Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Bill, 2015.
• The Lok Sabha has passed The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to allow doubling of wage ceiling for calculating bonus of factory workers and establishments with 20 or more workers.
• Union Government has launched two mobile applications namelyCrop Insurance and AgriMarket Mobile to benefit farmers.
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval for implementation of an umbrella scheme for integrated development and management of fisheries.
• The Union Cabinet has given its nod to the Model Agreement on exemption from visa requirements for the holders of diplomatic and official passports.
• The Union Cabinet has approved the reconstruction and completion of Salma Dam Project in Afghanistan at the Revised Cost Estimates (RCE) of 1775.69 crore rupees.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Lucknow Metro Rail Project Phase &ndash 1 A. It will cover a length of 22.878 (approx 23) km with 22 stations and the metro train will ply between Chowdhary Charan Singh Airport and Munshi Pulia.
• The government has increased the tatkal ticket booking charges by up to 33 per cent. The Indian Railways has increased the tatkal booking charges for travel in sleeper class, AC-III tier, AC-II tier and executive class and will come into effect from December 25.
• North India’s first cable-stayed bridge named Atal Setu was inaugurated on Dunera-Basohli-Bhadharwah road in Basohali town in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The Union Government has added 106 drugs including that of HIV/AIDS, Cancer and Hepatitis C to the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new building of Afghanistan Parliament in the capital city Kabul built by India.
• Scientist from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recently have successfully tested crucial anti-jamming capability of the Astra missile.
• Coast Guard DIG B.K. Loshali has been sacked following a Board of Inquiry over his comments that contradicted the government’s stand on the sinking of a Pakistan fishing boat in 2014.
• Justice (Retd) L. Narasimha Reddy, former chief justice of Patna High Court, will head the judicial committee, which will look into the implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for the ex-servicemen.
• Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to submit smart city plans for three selected cities to Union Government.
• India has been placed at 130th position in the 2015 Human Development Index (HDI) among the 188 countries.
• The World Bank has approved a USD 1.5 billion loan for the ambitious clean India campaign to support the government in its efforts to ensure all citizens in rural areas have access to improved sanitation and end the practice of open defecation by 2019.
• The government has made it mandatory to quote PAN (permanent account number) for all transactions in excess of Rs.2 lakh, regardless of the mode of payment, to curb black money.
• Combined Commanders Conference, an annual tri-services event chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was held on board INS Vikramaditya about 50 kms off Kochi coast.
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has ended its 12-year investigation into concerns that Iran might be developing nuclear weapons.
• Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for introduction Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order Amendment Bill, 2015 in the Parliament.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully placed six commercial satellites from Singapore in their dedicated orbits.
• The Supreme Court has appointed Justice (Retd) Virendra Singh as new Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh. The first of its kind order given , the SC has invoked its constitutional power and appointed retired HC judge as UP Lokayukta after
• state machinery failed to appoint it.The order was given as per Article 142 of Constitution.
• India has raised concerns over massive subsidization of farm sectors by developed (rich) countries. These concerns were raised Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman during the 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Nairobi, Kenya.
• The Union Cabinet has given its approval to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa) countries for energy conservation.
• The Union Cabinet has approved a policy framework for development of Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) in unexplored coal and lignite bearing areas in the country.
• The Lok Sabha passed the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015 by voice vote for speedy disposal of arbitration cases. The bill seeks to amend Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 to make of commercial disputes more user-friendly and cost effective which in turn will lead to expeditious disposal of cases.
• President of France Francois Hollande will be the Chief Guest at the 67th Republic Day parade of January 26, 2016.
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared the purchase of Russian advance S-400 Trium Air Defence Missile Systems at an estimated cost of 40,000 crore rupees.
• The Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu government authorities not to permit any construction on water bodies in the entire State till January 18, 2016.
• India lowered its GDP growth projection for the current year to 7-7.5 per cent against 8.1-8.5 per cent forecast earlier and said that while the macro economy is stable, the real economy needs policy attention.
• The University of South Florida (USF) has announced a postgraduate fellowship in the name of former president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam to support accomplished and talented Indian students looking to study abroad.
• Pension fund regulatory body PFRDA has started using PAN instead of Aadhaar for validation of new customers who can now be registered online under the National Pension System (NPS) scheme.
• Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary will be given Sainthood i.e. will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in September 2016.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formally inaugurated the All-India conference of Directors General of Police (AICDGPs) at Dhordo in white Rann of Kutch region near Bhuj, Gujarat.
• West Bengal Government has approved proposal for formation of five new districts in the state. With this the total number of districts of Bengal will increase to 24.
• India’s biggest Wildlife Rescue Centre named as Gorewada Zoo and Wildlife Rescue Centre has been commissioned at Gorewada near Nagpur, Maharashtra.
• Uttar Pradesh government has decided to enforce the ban on the use of polythene across the state to protect the environment and public health.
• In a joint press release announcing the meeting between Pakistan NSA Lt. Gen (Retd.) Nasir Khan Janjua and Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretaries Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhury and S. Jaishankar, and other officials in Bangkok.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released 2 commemorative coins on Dr B R Ambedkar as part of the 125th birth anniversary year celebrations of the architecture of Indian Constitution.
• Indian Railways has flagged off the first inaugural service of the Goa to Mumbai double-decker air-conditioned Shatabdi train.
• A research shows that the health of the majestic Gangotri glacier that feeds the river Ganges has been affected, as the maximum temperature in the region has shot up by 0.9 degree Celsius and snowfall reduced by 37 cm annually.
• The Maharashtra legislature has become the first in the country to launch an online mechanism for its members to send questions and move different motions in the House. In this regard state government has launched a website mls.org.in as part of Digital MLAs initiative in the winter session of state legislature in Nagpur.
• The Supreme Court declined to hear a Bharatiya Janata Party leader seeking to bring the civil code which brings all religious personal laws under one umbrella.
• Union Government has introduced Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to facilitate and fast track setting up of new nuclear projects in the country.
• Lok Sabha has passed The High Court and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2015. The Bill amends the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1958 and the High Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1954.
• The eighth edition of India-Russia joint naval exercise-INDRA NAVY-15 has begun in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. INDRA NAVY-15 is a bilateral maritime joint naval exercise between the Indian and Russian navies for epitomising the strategic relationship between the two countries.
• Parliament passed the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The bill seeks to amend the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 in order to make cheque-bounce filing of cases more convenient for check payees (person who receives the cheque).
• CAG exposes scam in rice procurement: The report has highlighted massive irregularities in the procurement and milling of paddy for the central pool of the public distribution system that resulted in a loss of at least Rs. 50,000 crore over the past five years.
• The Lok Sabha passed the Indian Trusts (Amendment), Bill 2015 by voice vote. The Bill seeks to amend the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 to remove the archaic provisions from the 133 year old legislation which have no relevance.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015. The Bill seeks to protect the interest of consumers, promote fair play in real estate transactions and ensure timely execution of projects.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved creation of buffer stock of pulses to deal with wide fluctuation in prices of pulses and check food inflation. The buffer stock will be created by the procurement and would be valid for fiscal year 2015-16.
• Bengaluru based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has bagged a United States military contract for research and development (R&D) on solar powered micro-grid.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to carry out official amendments in The National Waterways Bill, 2015. The amendments seek to add 106 additional inland waterways as the national waterways based on the recommendations Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture and comments of State Governments.
• The Union Government has declared the recent Tamil Nadu flood as a Calamity of Severe Nature.
• India will be launching six Singaporean satellites weighing a total of around 625 kg on December 16 evening through its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket.
• There are 64 slots for TV channels and 21 radio channels in Doordarshan’s free-to-air Direct-to-Home (DTH) service ‘DD Free Dish’, Lok Sabha was informed.
• The latest data show that 39 per cent of children under five in India are short for their age (stunted). The two States that had the worst stunting rates in 2005-06 â Uttar Pradesh and Bihar â have made the least progress over the 2005-2014 period, noted the Global Nutrition Report, the first of its kind to be released. The global rate is 24 per cent.
• Chennai’s resilience to the recent deluge has taken a severe beating as nearly a quarter of its wetlands, open space and flood plains have given way to concrete structures. Months before the series of depressions and “freak” weather developments hit the city, researchers at the Centre for Ecological Sciences in the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, tabulated the “worrisome” growth patterns of the coastal city.
• Union Government has imposed anti-dumping duty on import of cold-rolled flat products of stainless steel for 5 years from 7 countries.
• Two Indian cities for first time have been designated as members of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Two cities are: Varanasi and Jaipur.
• Bihar will use social network Facebook to help students appearing for the Class X examinations, to solve their doubts and questions and communicate vital information for stress-free preparation.
• Ground breaking ceremony of 1800-kilometre-long Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project was held at the ancient city of Mary of Turkmenistan.
• The festival of Losar has begun in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir to mark the beginning of New Year in this Himalayan region.
• The Union Government has launched inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) injection as part of the global polio endgame strategy in New Delhi.
• President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to Maharashtra Factories (Amendment) Bill, 2015 of Maharashtra government to allow women to work in factories in night shifts.
• Indian Railways has signed 40,000 crore rupees contracts with General Electrics (GE) and Alstom to set up two locomotive plants in Bihar.
• India launched an International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the CoP21 Climate Conference, with an announcement by Prime Minister Modi that the revolution in the field would bring power to all citizens, and create unlimited economic opportunity.
• Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has launched Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) Scheme to boost the quality of higher education in India.
• Jharkhand government has declared the entire state as drought hit in view of less rainfall in 2015 monsoon season and loss of crops.
• India has been ranked 131 out of 167 nations on ICT Development Index (IDI) that measures the level of information and communication technology access.
• Maharashtra is the biggest economy within India at Rs 16.87 lakh crore in terms of gross state domestic product (GSDP), according to the latest report by credit rating agency Brickwork Ratings.
The Union Cabinet has approved proposal of setting up of 6 new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) across the country. The 6 new IITs would be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Karnataka.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for introduction of Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2015.
• Tactile books with maps and diagrams for visually challenged students will become a reality soon with the National Council of Educational Research and Training introducing them in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. So far, books in Braille had no maps and diagrams.
• Goa Government has launched the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 to benefit more than one third of the state’s population.
• Union Government has released a commemorative postage stamp to mark the Centenary year of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
• Lok Sabha has passed The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 by a voice vote to establish Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
• Uttar Pradesh Government has launched International festival on Birds in a bid to promote state as an international bird-watching destination.
• Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in the country to start Rotavirus vaccination project under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).
• The Arvind Kejriwal government decided to allow private vehicles with even and odd registration numbers on alternate days from January 1 next year.
• Allahabad High Court in its judgment has made married daughters of deceased government employees eligible for appointments on compassionate grounds in government jobs.
• 44th Navy Day was observed on 4 December 2015. On this occasion, Chief of Naval staff Robin K Dhowan along with Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag paid tributes to martyrs at the Amar Jawan Jyoti in New Delhi.
• The Unesco Asia Pacific Award of Excellence was presented to Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple.
• The Delhi Assembly has unanimously passed the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill, 2015 for establishment of statutory anti-corruption ombudsman.
• The Delhi Assembly approved a 400 per cent pay hike for MLAs and ministers, by passing the Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Government of NCT of Delhi (Salaries, Allowances, Pension) Amendment Bill 2015.
• The South Western Railways (SWR) Zone with headquarters in Hubli, Karnataka has introduced biodiesel for trains, operating under its zone.
• According to the recently released India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2015, India’s forest and tree cover has been increased by 5081 Square kilometre.
• State-run energy major GAIL (India) Limited has launched geo-portal called ‘Bhuvan-GAIL Portal’ system for utilising space technology for its pipeline monitoring to address pipeline safety concerns.
International
• China has successfully launched its most sophisticated observation satellite Gaofen-4, as part of the country’s high-definition (HD) earth observation Gaofen project.
• Russia’s Rostech State Corporation has signed one billion US dollar deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to manufacture 200 Kamov 226T light helicopters.
• Israel’s top court slashed former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s prison sentence from six years to 18 months after overturning the main count in his 2014 bribery conviction.
• India has emphasised to Iran for early completion of all necessary procedures for its participation in the Farzad-B gas field worth 5 billion US dollars.
• Ruling conservative People’s Party (PP) of Spain led Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy by has won the 2015 general election of the country.
• Greece’s parliament has approved legislation legalising civil partnerships for gay couples, two years after the country was condemned by a European Court for discrimination.
• A plot of land for India to build its first naval base in the Indian Ocean region has been allocated by the Seychelles government in the Assumption Island.
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a resolution to designate 5th November every year as World Tsunami Awareness Day.
• China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the top organ of China’s parliament has adopted the country’s first counter-terrorism law.
• China has officially abandoned its One Child Policy amid deepening demographic crisis of shrinking workforce and aging population in the world’s second largest economy.
• China’s Parliament has adopted the country’s first law against domestic violence that prohibits any form of domestic violence, including psychological abuse.
• Philippines became the first Asian country to approve the sale of the world’s first ever dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in the country.
• Saudi voters have elected 20 women for local government seats, according to results, a day after women voted and ran in elections for the first time in the country’s history.
• Powerful Typhoon Melor (also known as Nona) has hit the central Philippines battering the coast with powerful winds with speed of 20kph followed by intense rainfall.
• An Indian-origin politician, Pravin Gordhan has been appointed as South Africa’s new Finance Minister. With this he becomes country’s third Finance Minister in a week. He replaces David van Rooyen who was appointed on 10 November 2015.
• New Zealanders chose a new flag design. Final results from a postal ballot were announced. The winning design features a silver fern and red stars on a black and blue background. The new design will now go head-to-head against the current flag in a national vote in March.
• Pakistan successfully test-fired a nuclear capable ballistic missile with a range of 900 kilometres, days after testing a similar missile capable of hitting targets as far as 2,750 kilometres away, bringing many Indian cities under its range.
• Saudi Arabia has launched Islamic Military Coalition, a new military alliance of 34 nations mainly Muslim nations to fight terrorism.
• United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously adopted resolution cut off supply of revenue flows to Islamic State (IS) militant group.
• Afghanistan has become the 163th WTO member and the 36th least developed country (LDC) to join the global trade body after 11 years of negotiations, Xinhua reported.
• The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously adopted a resolution No. 2254 outlining a peace process in Syria.
• The United States (US) Senate has ratified reforms in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to boost the representation of emerging economies as part of a budget bill.
• The United States (US) has lifted a 40 year ban on oil exports marking a historic shift for the booming US oil industry.
• Canada has successfully sent the first consignment of 250 tonnes of uranium to India as part of bilateral civil nuclear cooperation between both countries.
• Opposition Centre-right Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition has won the 2015 Parliamentary elections of Venezuela. The MUD coalition won at least 99 seats in the 167-seat legislature of the National Assembly by defeating ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) led by President Nicolás Maduro.
• The Chinese government has issued its first red alert on pollution (smog) it its Capital Beijing due to hazardous air quality caused by severe air pollution.
• The fifth edition of ‘Heart of Asia’ conference, an annual regional gathering of Asian and other countries commenced in Islamabad Pakistan.
• Iran has successfully carried out test of medium range Ghadr-110 ballistic missile near the Chabahar, a port city in southeast of country along the Gulf of Oman.
• Time magazine has named German Chancellor Angela Merkel as Person of the Year 2015.
• India and Pakistan have agreed to resume structured dialogue between them through new 10-point Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue (CBD).
• Israel has successfully tested Arrow ballistic missile Weapon System as part of its defence upgrade measures in the face of regional threats.
• Mauricio Macri of Republican Proposal Party (RPP) has been sworn in as new President of Argentina after taking oath in the Congress.
• India and South Korea have inked a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) on suspension of collection of taxes during pendency of mutual agreement procedure.
• India and Japan on signed an agreement to amend the convention for double taxation avoidance and prevention of evasion of income tax. The existing convention was signed way back in 1989.
• Bangladesh lifted the ban on Facebook, three-weeks after it blocked the popular social networking site following Supreme Court ruling upholding death penalty of two opposition leaders convicted for war-crimes committed during 1971 independence war against Pakistan.
• Pakistan successfully test-fired the medium-range Shaheen-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile which can carry nuclear warheads within a range of 2,750 km.
• India and Japan have inked fourteen agreements in various fields to enhance bilateral co-operation between both countries.
• China has taken the initiative for creating an alternative media platform for the emerging economies by hosting the first media summit of countries belonging to the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) grouping.
• Every year on 1st December World Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Day is being observed to raise awareness of the pandemic caused by the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
• The Union Cabinet has approved an agreement with Germany to expand bilateral cooperation in the field of solar energy between both countries.
• Union Cabinet has approved signing and ratification of a protocol between India and Japan for amending the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC).
• The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing MoU between India and Israel in the field of water resources management and development cooperation.
• The first India International Science Festival (IISF) has begun at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi campus.
• Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change Adaptation has been announced by a broad coalition of nations, river basin organizations, business and civil societies from across the globe.
• A British astronaut will attempt to become the first man to run a marathon in space, as part of his 173-day mission to the International Space Station.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced a 60 billion dollars package to African nations during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
• Australia’s Federal Parliament has passed Australian Citizenship Amendment (Allegiance to Australia) Bill, 2015 to strip citizenship of convicted persons on terrorism charges.
• China has granted a license for production of first manned two seater electric aircraft RX1E known as RX1E by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
• The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan say they’ve reached a deal meant to resolve a decades-long impasse over Korean women forced into Japanese military-run brothels during World War II.
Sports
• Gujarat has won the 14th season of prestigious Vijay Hazare Cricket Trophy for season 2015&ndash16 for first time in its history of championship.
• The International Tennis Federation (ITF) named the Indo-Swiss pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis as the 2015 ITF women's doubles World Champions.
• Brendon McCullum has officially announced that he will retire after the second Test against Australia in February. It also means that he will not be available for the World T20 starting soon after and Kane Williamson is set to lead New Zealand in the marquee tournament.
• Seasoned Indian luger Shiva Keshavan has won a silver medal at the 2015 Asian Luge Championship held in Nagano, Japan.
• West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels has been banned from bowling for 12 months by the International Cricket Council after undergoing testing on his action.
• Olympic silver medallist Vijay Kumar, with a score of 588, pipped Gurpreet Singh by two points to win the centre fire pistol gold in the 59th National shooting championship at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad.
• India’s star golfer Anirban Lahiri (28) has won the coveted Order of Merit crown of Asian Tour for year 2015.
• India’s limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni emerged the top draw in the IPL draft with the Sanjeev Goenka-owned new franchise Pune opting to pick him first for the stipulated price of Rs. 12.5 crore.
• Apurvi Chandela won the women’s gold in air rifle in the 59th National shooting championship.
• The iconic Sachin Tendulkar was an expected pick for the No.4 slot while Sourav Ganguly was preferred in the leadership position in Australian spin legend Shane Warne’s greatest Indian Test XI.
• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has decided to launch prosecution proceedings against India Cements for non-compliance with certain provisions of companies law in relation to the Indian Premier League (IPL).
• McCullum became the player with most consecutive appearances from debut in Tests. McCullum went past South African A.B. de Villiers’ mark of 98 successive Tests.
• Barcelona FC has won the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup for a record third time. In the final match played at International Stadium Yokoham in Japan the winning team defeated River Plate FC by 3-0 goals.
• Chennaiyin FC has won the second edition of Indian Super League (ISL) Football tournament. In the final played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa, they defeated hosts Goa FC by 3-2 goals score.
• Australia has won the 2014-15 Men’s Hockey World League Final by defeating Belgium.
• A male runner, 33, died while participating in a marathon event in China’s Shenzhen city. The runner surnamed Yao collapsed just 400 metres from the finish line in the 13.1-mile half marathon race.
• FIFA has signed an eight-year partnership deal with Alibaba E-Auto for the Club World Cup, reflecting China’s vast marketing potential.
• The government has constituted a team which will assist in policy formulations for creating an ecosystem for startups.
• Ravichandran Ashwin’s five-wicket haul to trounce a defiant South Africa by a record margin of 337 runs on the fifth day of the fourth and final Test at the Ferozeshah Kotla.
• Amla’s strike rate of 10.24 (25 in 244 balls) was the slowest in Tests for an innings spanning a minimum of 200 deliveries.
• Pune and Rajkot have become the new interim franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) through the reverse bidding process.
• World number one women shuttler Carolina Marin from Spain has won the 2015 Female Badminton Player of the Year award.
• Former Indian Test Captain and ace spinner Anil Kumble has resigned as the Chief Mentor of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians with an immediate effect.
• Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and seamer Mohammed Shami were the only Indians to feature in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test and One-Day International (ODI) teams of the year 2015, respectively.
• Megastar Amitabh Bachchan became a co-owner of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) team OUE Singapore Slammers.
Awards
• Eminent Gujarati litterateur Raghuveer Chaudhary has been selected for the 51st Jnanpith award. Mr. Chaudhary is the fourth Gujarati litterateur to bag this prestigious award after Uma Shankar Joshi (1967), Pannalal Patel (1985) and Rajendra Shah (2001).
• Indian American Professor Dr. Rakesh K. Jain has been selected for 2015 National Medal of Science of the United States.
• India’s former wicket-keeper batsman Syed Kirmani has been nominated for prestigious BCCI-instituted Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award 2015.
• Australian cricketer Steve Smith has been named Cricketer of the Year for 2015 at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Awards ceremony in Dubai.
• Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman (70) has been awarded 2016 Genesis Prize which is also known as Jewish Nobel prize.
• Sahitya Academy has announced the names of 23 poets and authors who will be conferred the prestigious 2015 Sahitya Akademi Award. This award has recognized premier works in 23 Indian languages that includes 6 books of short stories, 6 of poetry, 4 novels, 2 books each of essays, criticism and plays and 1 memoir.
• Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet (NDQ) has been awarded prestigious 2015 Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony held in Oslo, Norway.
• Salman Rushdie is this year’s recipient of the Mailer Prize for lifetime achievement. The author of Midnight’s Children, The Satanic Verses and other novels was presented his award by Laurie Anderson at a ceremony at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, the New York City borough where Norman Mailer was raised and lived off and on until his death in 2007.
• Veteran Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah has been honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the 12th edition of Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).
• Legendary actor Dilip Kumar (93) has been conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan, country’s second highest civilian award.
• Indian-origin writer Jamaludeen Mohamed Sali from Singapore has been awarded prestigious 2015 South East Asia Write Award.
New Appointments / Resignations
•Giorgi Kvirikashvili has been elected as the 12th Prime Minister of Georgia by the Parliament of the country.
•Senior IAS officer Amitabh Kant has been given additional charge as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.
• Private air carrier Jet Airways has appointed Amit Agarwal as its new full time Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
• Senior IAS officer Pawan Kumar Agarwal has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Food Regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
• Senior revenue service officer A.K. Jain was appointed Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex policy making body of Income Tax department.
• Former Delhi High Court Judge Reva Khetrapal took oath as Lokayukta of Delhi. Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung administered the oath to office at a function held at Raj Niwas.
• Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has appointed senior IPS officer Ahmad Javed as India’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. His appointment will fill the vacancy of the post of Ambassador in Indian Embassy in Riyadh since April 2015 after retirement of Hamid Ali Rao.
• Former Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) MP and cricketer from Punjab, Navjot Singh Siddhu, is all set to be appointed as a member of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM).
• Senior Janta Dal United (JDU) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary has been elected as new Speaker of Bihar legislative assembly.
• Justice Tirath Singh Thakur was sworn in as 43rd Chief Justice of India (CJI). He was administered oath to the office by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
Science and Technology
• The US space agency NASA has suspended the planned launch of a Mars lander called InSight in March 2016 due to unsuccessful attempts to repair a leak in a French-built seismological instrument.
• SpaceX sent a Falcon rocket soaring towards the orbit with 11 small satellites, its first mission since an accident last summer. Then in an even more astounding feat, it landed the 15-storey leftover booster back on Earth safely.
• The average temperature over Arctic land for the year ending in September 2015 was the highest on record indicating that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as other parts of the Earth.
• Union Government has given in principle approval to work on Loon project of internet search engine giant Google for providing Internet connectivity by using large balloons.
• Former Defence Secretary R.K. Mathur has been appointed as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), breaking away from the convention of appointing the head from among the serving Information Commissioners.
• Avani Davda, chief executive officer of Tata Starbucks, a joint venture of Tata Global Beverages and Starbucks Corp, has resigned to pursue opportunities outside the group.
• Scientists have genetically modified malaria-causing mosquito Anopheles gambiae species to fight the deadly disease of malaria. The research was successfully carried by team of researchers led by London based Imperial College and was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
• A novel mechanism of a protein secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), inhibiting the infected host’s immune response by modulating certain genes has been discovered, giving rise to hopes of a targeted drug therapy.
Death
• Legendary American cinematographer Haskell Wexler passed away on 27th December 2015 in California, US. He was 93.
• Veteran Bollywood actress Sadhna Shivdasani (mononymously known as Sadhana) passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She was 74.
• Renowned American science-fiction writer George Clayton Johnson passed away in Los Angeles, US. He was 86.
• Benedict Anderson, a Cornell University scholar who became one of the most influential voices in the fields of nationalism and Southeast Asian studies, died on Sunday in Indonesia. He was 79.
• Russian legendary film Director and screenwriter Eldar Ryazanov passed away in Moscow, Russia. He was 88.
• Veteran industrialist, former parliamentarian and the last King of Chettinad, MAM Ramaswamy died at Chennai’s Fortis Malar Hospital. He was ailing for a while and on treatment at the hospital from November 7. He was 84.
Business and Economy
• Way2SMS, free SMS service provider, said it has rebranded itself as Way2 and is foraying into short news service to reflect both the evolution of the company as well as its vision for the future.
• Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories re-launched Esomeprazole Magnesium Delayed-Release capsules in the U.S. market after changing the capsule’s colour.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the Report on Medium-term Path on Financial Inclusion submitted by 14-member committee headed by RBI Executive Director Deepak Mohanty.
• Reliance Jio has launched 4G (4th Generation) telecom service using LTE (Long Term Evolution) Technology. The service was launched by company’s Chairman Mukesh Ambani on the 83rd birth anniversary of Dhirubhai Ambani, founder of the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) in Navy Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Andhra Pradesh Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft India.
• The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched three separate indices on three corporate houses of India viz. Tata, Aditya Birla and Mahindra Group.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued fresh norms on how banks ought to calculate their lending rates â a move which is aimed at lowering borrowing costs at a time when lenders are reluctant to do so. The new method â Marginal Cost of funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) â will replace the present base rate system.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes of various denominations by another six months to June 30, 2016.
• IT major Tech Mahindra has launched first of its kind Tap N Paycontactless digital payment wallet MoboMoney for the Indian masses.
• State-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has emerged as the country’s biggest company in terms of annual revenue as per an annual list of 2015 Fortune 500 companies in India.
• The World Bank has launched a $500 million dollars Transformative Carbon Asset Facility (TCAF) to help developing countries pay for emission reductions and combat climate change.
• Singapore has replaced Mauritius as the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India during the first half of the current fiscal year 2015-16.
• Vodafone India entered the 4G services arena, starting with Kochi, as it looks to take on market leader Bharti Airtel and the upcoming launch by Reliance Jio Infocomm.
• With 17 of the 22 industry groups in the manufacturing sector showing a positive growth, the industrial output in October recorded a five-year high of 9.8 per cent year-on-year.
• The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund decided to include the Chinese currency, the renminbi (yuan), into its basket of currencies that make up the IMF’s Special Drawing Right (SDR).
• Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan left the benchmark interest rate, the repo rate, unchanged at 6.75 per cent as expected, and stressed the RBI’s policy stance remained “accommodative”.
• Chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg and his wife said they will give away 99 per cent of their Facebook shares, currently worth about $45 billion, to a new charity in a letter addressed to their daughter, Max, who was born.
• Air India’s first non-stop flight from New Delhi to San Francisco has landed, amid rousing welcome, becoming the first Indian airline to provide a direct air connection to the West Coast in the United States.
• Tata Sons and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC) have entered into a long-term partnership, under which ICBC will become a strategic banking partner to the Tata group for its businesses in several countries across continents, according to a statement from Tata Sons.
• Chief Economic Advisor Dr Arvind Subramanian led Committee has recommended standard rate for Goods and Services Tax (GST) at 17 to 18 per cent. The Committee has submitted its report to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi.
Days of the Month
• In India, 24th December is being observed as National Consumer Day. On this day the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the President.
• In India, National Good Governance Day is being observed every year on 25th December on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna recipient Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• 18 December International Migrants Day
• 20 December International Human Solidarity Day
• 24 Dec- National Consumers Rights Day
• Human Rights Day (HRD) is marked annually on 10th December to commemorate the day in 1948 when the United Nations (UN) adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The theme chosen for the year 2015 HRD is ‘Our Rights.
Join The Discussion