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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS DECEMBER- 2018

[ENGLISH MEDIUM]

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY Vellore & Tiruvannamalai

www.chennaiiasacademy.com

chennaiiasacademy

Contact : 9043 211 311 / 411

http://www.chennaiiasacademy.com/


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Current Affairs For TNPSC Examinations

DECEMBER 2018

SI.NO CONTENTS PAGE.NO

1. TAMIL NADU 03 – 05

2. NATIONAL 06 – 19

3. INTERNATIONAL 20 – 27

4. IMPORTANT SUMMITS

AND MEETINGS

28 – 33

5. DEFENCE IN NEWS 34 – 36

6. SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY

37 – 43

7. SIGNIFICANT REPORTS 44 – 48

8. BOOK IN NEWS 49 – 50

9. IMPORTANT DAYS 51 – 52

10. NOTABLE THEMES 53

11. APPOINTMENTS IN NEWS 54 – 59

12. SIGNIFICANT AWARDS 60 - 71


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TAMILNADU

Iravatham Mahadevan, the renowned epigraphist

Iravatham Mahadevan (88), the renowned epigraphist and Padma Shri recipient, has passed away in Chennai on Nov.26.

A former civil servant, he also helmed the well-known Tamil daily 'Dinamani' as its Editor in the late 1980s.

He was known for his successful decipherment of Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions and for his expertise on the epigraphy of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Noted agriculturalist Nel Jayaraman

He is pioneered the protection and propagation of indigenous paddy varieties in Tamil Nadu, passed away in Chennai on December 6, 2018.

Hailing from Thiruthuraipoondi, in the heart of Tamil Nadu’s delta rice bowl, Jayaraman has been credited with documenting and protecting more than 170 paddy varieties.

His diligent work in the field of protecting the gene prototypes of indigenous paddy varieties won him the National Award in 2015 and a state award in 2011.

Best Woman Parliamentarian (Rajya Sabha) for 2018.

DMK MP Kanimozhi has been selected for the Best Woman Parliamentarian (Rajya Sabha) set up by Lokmat newspaper for 2018.

A jury of eminent personalities headed by Murali Manohar Joshi selected her for the award and it will be presented to her by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on December 13.


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Tamil writer Prapanchan passed away Tamil writer Prapanchan, born S. Vaithilingam, died at a private hospital in the Union Territory after

battling cancer. Prapanchan’s first collection of short stories in Tamil was released in 1961. His first short story, ‘Enna Ulagamada’ was published in ‘Barani’, a Tamil magazine in 1961. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1995 for his novel Vanam Vasappadum(Beyond the Sky).

Lokayukta search panel The Retired Madras High Court Judge K. Venkataraman has been appointed to head the 3-member

Lokayukta Search Committee. The search committee, which was constituted by the Lokayukta Selection Committee, was chaired by the

Chief Minister. The search committee has been tasked with submitting names of candidates to the selection committee for

appointment as chairperson and members of the Lokayukta. It also named former Advocate General R. Krishnamoorthy and retired IPS officer A. Pari as the other

members of the search committee.

Tamil Nadu Scientist Award 29 scientists were felicitated with the Tamil Nadu Scientist Award (TANSA), for making valuable

contributions to the field of science and technology. The Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology, hosts the event every year to mark the

contributions of scientists from across the State.

Meghdoot Awards 2018

The Minister of State for Communications (I/C) and Railways, Manoj Sinha presented the Meghdoot Awards for the year 2018, at a function, in New Delhi.

Two persons from Tamil Nadu has been selected for this award. o Ms Srividya Iyer - Best Woman Employee K.Ganapathy - Best Post Man

Rural smartphone use The Union communication ministry has recently presented the report in the Lok Sabha. As per the data, Tamil Nadu is ranked at 2nd in the entire country in smartphone connectivity in rural

areas. The maximum number of smart phones with net connection in rural areas is in Himachal Pradesh.


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Chapparam (Chariot) festival

The unique Chapparam (Chariot) festival was celebrated with traditional rituals and festivities in the

famous Madurai Meenakshi temple, in Tamil Nadu. The festival symbolizes the importance of preserving all kinds of food and fodder. Another specialty of the festival is that the chariot of Goddess Meenakshi is pulled by lady devotees alone.


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NATIONAL

Kimberley Process (KP)

India will chair the Kimberley Process (KP), a global initiative to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chain, from 1st January 2019.

KP is a joint initiative of different countries, industry and civil societies to control flow of conflict diamonds, which are used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments in the world. India is the founding member of Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS).

India’s first owl festival

India’s first owl festival was held at Pingori village in Purandar taluka of Pune from November 29.

The two-day festival, organised by Ela Foundation (an NGO working towards nature education and conservation), will give information on owl conservation and feature art forms like pictures, paintings, posters, origami, stitched articles, poems and stories on owls.

Pact with Estonian academy on e-governance.

The Nagaland government has recently signed pact with Estonian academy to enlighten the state people on the e-governance models prevailing in the world.

The main objective of the 5-year agreement with the e-Governance Academy of Estonia is to work together

to develop and expand scientific collaboration on setting up e-Governance Academy in Nagaland.

Chief guest for 2019 Republic Day of India

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be Chief Guest at the Republic Day of India 2019, which also marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.


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The celebrations are held every year at Rajpath before the President of India.

The Republic Day honours the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26th January 1950 with a democratic government system.

Russia-India-China 'RIC' Trilateral Summit

In Argentina, the 2nd Russia-India-China (RIC) Trilateral Summit was held in Buenos Aires after a gap of 12 years, on the sidelines of the G-20 summit to discuss cooperation in various areas.

The three leaders - Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin - agreed to have regular consultations to jointly promote international and regional peace and stability.

India’s first locomotive-less train.

On December 2, India's first locomotive-less train, known as Train 18, has breached the 180 kmph speed limit during a test run at Kota-Sawai Madhopur section in Rajasthan.


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When this indigenously designed train is made operational, it will become the country's fastest train.

The “rakhi with khaki”

The Bilaspur Police in Chhattisgarh now holds the Guinness World Records for its 'Rakhi with Khakhi' as part of which girls and women tied rakhis to 50,033 police officials rakhis over a span of ten hours and then uploaded selfies with hashtags #rakhiwithkhaki and #HappyRakshaBandhan.

The initiative was the brainchild of Bilaspur Superintendent of Police Sheikh Arif Husen & was held on 25th August 2018, a day before Raksha Bandhan.

$85 million loan for skill development in Odisha

The Asian Development Bank will provide $85 million loan to improve skill development eco-system in Odisha and establish an advanced skill training centre at Bhubaneswar.

The project will help over 1.5 lakh people learn skills in priority sectors, including manufacturing,

construction and services for formal employment.

The World Skill Centre at Bhubaneswar will deliver 8 training courses for 13,000 full-time students, provide training for 5,000 teachers, and train 1,000 assessors.

Heart Attack Rewind campaign launched by FSSAI

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a new mass media campaign “Heart Attack Rewind” to eliminate industrially produced trans fat in the food supply by 2022 before WHO deadline.

The campaign is the 30 second Public Service Announcement (PSA), which will warn citizens about the

health hazards of consuming trans fats and offer strategies to avoid them through healthier alternatives.

‘PEETHA’ to publicize govt schemes

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has recently announced a new initiative ‘PEETHA’ to create awareness about various government schemes and improve transparency.

It also aims at improving transparency in the distribution of individual and social benefits. The acronym ‘PEETHA’ stands for Peoples Empowerment Enabling Transparency and Accountability.


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Pan-India single emergency number ‘112’

On December 1, Nagaland became the first state in the northeastern region and 2nd in the country after Himachal Pradesh to adopt a Pan-India single emergency number ‘112’ under ERSS (Emergency Response Support System) project.

It was launched by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at Kohima, which coincided with the Formation Day of Nagaland and the inaugural day of Hornbill Festival 2018.

Development of Tribal Circuit under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has recently inaugurated a new Project namely- “Development of Tribal Circuit: Peren-Kohima-Wokha Project” at Kisama Heritage Village in Nagaland under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme.

This is the first project to be implemented in the state under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Union Ministry of Tourism. The project was sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism in November 2015 for Rs. 97.36 Crores.


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Longest rail-road bridge ‘Bogibeel Bridge’

The 4.94 km long bridge connects the north and south banks of the Brahmaputra & falls in the eastern part of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The bridge, which has been constructed by the Indian Railways, is 32m above the water level of the river and will provide connectivity to the northeast.

Bogibeel is part of infrastructure projects planned by India to improve logistics along the border in Arunachal Pradesh. This includes the construction of a trans-Arunachal highway on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, and new road and rail links over the mighty river and its major tributaries such as the Dibang, Lohit. India and China share a nearly 4,000 km border.

India Water Impact Summit-2018 On December 5, India Water Impact Summit (IWIS-2018) has been inaugurated by Union Minister Nitin

Gadkari in New Delhi.

The discussions this year will be on the rejuvenation of the Ganga River Basin. Here, the spotlight will be on 5 states viz. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi and Bihar, to showcase the efforts and works going on within the respective states.

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum to foster tourism

Ministry of Railways’ National Rail Museum (NRM) has signed pact with Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (MTWM) to foster tourism in Delhi NCR.

It is first time ever public-private museum collaboration that shall attract more tourists to both NRM and MTWM.


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As a part of the collaboration, a special discount of 35% on ticket prices will be offered to NRM visitors when they visit Madame Tussauds Museum.

Kandhamal Haldi got GI tag

Odisha’s Kandhamal Haldi (turmeric variety), famous for its healing properties, will soon gets Geographical Indications (GI) tag.

A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

The golden yellow spice is named after the district where it is produced, has been cultivated since time immemorial and is known for its medicinal value.

‘Ex Clean Sea-2018’ The Indian Coast Guard has conducted the Regional Level Marine Oil Pollution Response Exercise

titled ‘Clean Sea - 2018’ at sea off Port Blair on December 6.

Coast Guard ships Viswasth, Vijith, Rajveer, Rajshri, 4 interceptor boats and its air assets Dornier and Chetak helicopters participated in the exercise.

The preparedness of all agencies during the exercise was conducted under observation of Inspector General Maneesh V Pathak, Commander Coast Guard Region (Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and was overseen by Chief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Administration Shri Chetan B Sanghi, who embarked onboard Coast Guard Ship Vijith.

‘Ideate for India’ Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched National Challenge for Youths ‘Ideate for India -

creative solutions using technology' at New Delhi on December 6.


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The aim of this National Challenge is to give school students across the country a platform and opportunity to become solution creators for the problems they see around them and their communities.

It is open to students of classes 6 - 12 all across the country - all 29 States and 7 Union Territories and aims to reach out to at least 1 million youth over the next 3 months.

SMART initiative for Agribusiness and Rural Transformation.

In a bid to transform rural Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a unique initiative called “SMART”, which stands for State of Maharashtra’s Agribusiness and Rural Transformation.

This World Bank assisted project aims to revamp agricultural value chains, with special focus on marginal farmers across 1,000 villages.

The initiative will support post-harvest value chain and bring efficiency to benefit economy at large.

The project will entail an investment of $300 million of which World Bank would contribute $210 million. Almost 50 MoUs, involving top corporate houses like Amazon and Tata were signed on the occasion.

India’s first state to have four international airports

Kerala has become the first state in India to have four international airports with the inauguration of the Kannur airport on December 9, 2018.

The Kannur airport is spread across over 2,000 acres and can handle around 2,000 passengers at a time.

The runway is currently 3,050m long and will be extended to 4,000m. The airport, built on a public-private partnership (PPP) mode, may also increase the inter-trade in sectors such as spices and handloom.

The 3 other international airports are at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode.

Startup India Venture Capital Summit. On December 07, the Annual Startup India Venture Capital Summit 2018 has been organised by

the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in collaboration with the Government of Goa with theme ‘Mobilizing Global Capital for Innovation in India’ in Goa.

The event showcased the Indian startup opportunity for funds from around the world. Over 150 participants attended the event. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a sister organisation


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of the World Bank Group, and the Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA) were partners for this initiative.

India’s 2nd container cargo sector on Inland Waterways.

Kolkata-Patna has become the India’s second container cargo sector on Inland Waterways.

The Inland Waterways Authority of India’s (IWAI) vessel ‘MV RN Tagore’ will be the first cargo

vessel to reach Patna’s Gaighat IWT terminal on river Ganga (National Waterway-1).

On December 6, the vessel sailed from Kolkata’s Garden Reach Jetty with the PepsiCo and Emami Agrotech products.

It will reach the IWT terminal at Patna in 6-7 days after an 815 kms long voyage on river Ganga

(National Waterway-1).

‘AI 4 All Global Hackathon’ Government think tank Niti Aayog has partnered with Perlin – a Singapore-based AI start up - to

launch the ‘AI 4 All Global Hackathon’ for developing solutions aimed at creating social and economic impact in the country.

The purpose of this hackathon is to promote awareness and subsequently develop solutions that deliver the twin benefit of efficient computing to address the infrastructure challenges.

The hackathon will be run in two stages with stage one ending on January 15, 2019 and stage two, which will only include shortlisted participants from the previous stage, will conclude on March 15, 2019.


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The first stage will invite ideas for use cases of multi-party computation in areas such as Healthcare, Education, Agriculture, Urbanization, and Financial Inclusion. The second stage will call for these ideas to be matured and developed, with a focus on privacy preserving AI and distributed computing.

PRASAD Scheme

Under PRASAD Scheme, the Government of India has recently included Gangotri and Yamunotri in

Uttrarakhand, Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and Parasnath in Jharkhand to develop pilgrimage and heritage destinations in the country.

With the new additions, the number of sites under the scheme has now become 41 in 25 states.

The acronym ‘PRASAD’ stands for ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’. It was launched by Ministry of Tourism in 2014-15.

'Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana' for senior citizens

The Delhi government has recently launched the 'Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana' for senior citizens -- which offers free travel packages on five religious circuits for senior citizens from the national capital.

The scheme will enable 1,100 senior citizens from each Assembly constituency of Delhi per year to undertake free pilgrimage, the expenses for which will be borne by the Delhi government.

Under the scheme, any resident of Delhi above 60 years of age will be eligible for the scheme and those above 70 years can have one attendant.

National Pension Scheme (NPS) .

The Union Cabinet has recently raised the government's contribution to National Pension Scheme (NPS) to 14% of basic salary from the current 10%.

However, minimum employee contribution will remain at 10%. The Cabinet also allowed government employees to commute 60% of the fund accumulated at the time of retirement, up from 40% at present.

The following changes will come into effect from the beginning of a financing year, meaning April 1, 2019.


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District Court to accept e-payments. After the approval of the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court, a pilot project for e-

payments service will be started at the Pune District Court complex in Shivajinagar on December 15 to bring transparency to cash transactions.

The facility will be available into the clerical offices in the court and will be available on

‘pay.ecourt.gov.in/epay’.

New district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Shi Yomi has become the 23rd district of Arunachal Pradesh, after it was formally inaugurated by Chief Minister Pema Khandu in presence of Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju.

The district was carved out of the West Siang district with its headquarters at Tato.

24-hour helpline ‘181’ for women facing harassment

On December 10, the Tamil Nadu government launched a 24-hour helpline ‘181’ for women facing domestic violence and sexual harassment at home or workplaces.

Through this initiative, they can contact the toll-free helpline to get assistance ranging from police

help, legal aid or medical services including ambulance. The service will be available round-the-clock on all days of the week.

Apart from offering authorities aid to victims of domestic violence, the helpline would assist ladies

in receiving information on welfare schemes aimed at their advantage. The helpline initiative has been made at an expense of Rs 62.70 lakh.

The portal ‘ENSURE’

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Radha Mohan Singh launched an online portal ‘ENSURE’ - National Livestock Mission-EDEG developed by NABARD. The portal will be operated under the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries.

Under the Mission’s component called Entrepreneurship Development and Employment

Generation (EDEG), subsidy payment for activities related to poultry, small ruminants, pigs etc. through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) goes directly to the beneficiary’s account.

The aim of the ENSURE is to connect with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and provide simple, useful and transparent system to the beneficiary.


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India’s first private Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) .

India’s first private sector unit for manufacturing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has recently opened at Adani Aerospace Park near Shamshabad in Hyderabad. The 50,000-sq ft state-of-the-art facility facility is built by the Adani Group and Israel-based Elbit Systems.

It will start operations with the manufacturing of complete carbon composite aero-structures for the Hermes 900 UAV, followed by the Hermes 450 UAV, catering to the global markets, and will further be ramped-up for the assembly and integration of complete UAVs here.

As of now, after manufacturing, the integration of the UAV units will be done in Israel.

Silao Khaja, the traditional delicacy.

Silao Khaja, the traditional delicacy of Nalanda district of Bihar, has recently got GI tag from the Geographical Indications Registry at Chennai.

The Silao Khaja is known for its taste, crispness and multi-layered appearance which is attributed to local water and climate of Silao.


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India’s largest cancer hospital-cum-research facility.

India’s largest cancer hospital-cum-research facility- the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has recently opened its OPD services after soft launch at Badhsa village in Jhajjar district of Haryana on December 18, 2018.

The hospital’s foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2014. It is expected to be fully operational by December 2020.

The NCI, which is a project under Delhi AIIMS, will be headed by Dr GK Rath who is also the chief of Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital at AIIMS. The institute is spread over 50 acres. The NCI is being developed at a cost Rs 2,035 crore.

Emergency campaign launched to save the Great Indian Bustard

❖ The Wildlife organizations have got together to launch a campaign to save the Great Indian Bustard which in recent years has come under the critically endangered list. ❖ This campaign is much needed to save the bird from extinction as the total global population of the Great Indian Bustard reaching and all time low at < 150

Indian Stock market overtakes Germany ❖ India overtakes Germany as the World’s 7th largest Stock market for the first time in the last

seven years. ❖ After the exit of United Kingdom from the European Union, now the European

Union has only ‘France’ in the top seven economies of the world.

GST rate slashed on 23 items ❖ The tax rates on 23 goods and services has been reduced by the GST Council

which includes movie tickets, TV and monitor screens and others. ❖ The new GST rates will be applicable from 1st of January 2019.


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Bogibeel Bridge inaugurated

The PM of India inaugurated the Bogibeel Bridge on the birth anniversary of the late Atal Bihari

Vajpayee i.e. December 25 which is observed as “Good Governance Day”. This 4.9 km bridge, built by Indian Railways, has become the India’s longest and Asia’s 2nd longest

railroad bridge in Assam. Till now Vembanad rail bridge in Kerala was dubbed as the longest railway-bridge in India at

4.62km of length. It is the nation’s only fully welded bridge and for the first time European codes and welding

standards were adhered to and it has a life of about 120 years. The three road lanes of the bridge can act as three landing strips for the Air Force.


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Economic Capital Framework ❖ The RBI, in consultation with the government of India has set up a 6-member committee to review

the economic capital framework of the central bank. ❖ It will be headed by Former RBI Chief Bimal Jalan. ❖ The committee will suggest how the central bank should handle its reserves and whether it can

transfer its surplus to the government. ❖ The six-member panel has former deputy RBI governor Rakesh Mohan as its vice chairman.

Three islands in Andaman & Nicobar renamed The Indian Prime Minister renamed three islands of Andaman and Nicobar as a tribute to Netaji

Subhas Chandra Bose. The renamed islands are,

Ross Island (old name) - Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island Neil Island (old name) - Shaheed Dweep Havelock Island (old name) - Swaraj Dweep

The Prime Minister also hoisted a 150-metre-high national flag at Port Blair to mark the 75th anniversary of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose's declaration of the formation of the Azad Hind government in 1943.

The PM also released a commemorative stamp, its first-day cover and a Rs 75 coin on this special day.

National Commission for Homoeopathy The Union Cabinet has approved the draft National Commission for Homoeopathy, Bill, 2018. It seeks to replace the existing regulator Central Council for Homoeopathy (CCH) with a new body

to ensure transparency. The draft bill provides for the constitution of a National Commission with three

autonomous boards entrusted with conducting overall education of Homoeopathy by Homoeopathy Education Board.


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INTERNATIONAL

World's first climate neutral economy The European Union has recently announced a long-term vision on combating climate change that aims to

transform the bloc into the first carbon neutral major economy by 2050.

Under the plan, emissions of greenhouse gases after that date would have to be offset by planting trees or by burying the gases underground.

Its plan will include steps such as investing in realistic technological solutions (such as solar and wind energy) to help lower carbon emissions.

International CII Agro Tech 2018 On December 1, President Ram Nath kovind inaugurated the 13th edition of International CII Agro Tech

2018 with theme 'Technology in Agriculture: Increasing Farmer's Income’.

The 4-day International Agro Technology and Business Fair is being organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

UN Climate Summit (COP24)

The 24th Conference of the Parties (COP 24) to the UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) has started in Katowice, Poland from 3-14 December 2018.

The conference is expected to finalize the rules for implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change under the Paris Agreement work programme (PAWP).

It will also include a number of high-level events, mandated events, action events and roundtables. About 20 thousand people from 190 countries will take part in the event, including politicians, representatives of non-governmental organizations, scientific community and business sector.


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‘orphanage trafficking’ as a form of modern slavery

Australia has become the first country in the world to recognise so-called orphanage trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery.

Hence, it has criminalized the act of falsely inducing children into orphanages as a form of slavery, in what is believed to be the first move of its kind in the world.

Under the new law, orphanage trafficking will be treated as a slavery and trafficking offense.

Pact to replace North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

The United States has signed trade pact with Canada and Mexico to replace the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

They signed an authorization for the deal on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit 2018.

G20 summit in 2022

India will host the G20 summit in 2022, when the country celebrates its 75th year of Independence.

The announcement was made at the closing ceremony of the 2018 G-20 held in Argentina’s captial Buenos Aires.The G-20 is a grouping of the world’s 20 major economies.

Its comprise Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the U.S.

People's Word of 2018 by Cambridge Dictionary


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The UK’s Cambridge Dictionary has recently declared “Nomophobia”, the word that describes the stress and anxiety caused by being separated from your mobile, as People’s Word of the year 2018.

The word is defined as the fear or worry at the idea of being without your mobile phone or unable to use it.

Based on the results of a popular vote, Nomophobia was chose over the other shortlisted words – ‘gender gap’, ‘ecocide’ and ‘no-platforming’.

International conference on bears

In Uttar Pradesh, the International conference on bears has started in Agra from December 3, 2018.

The four-day conference is aimed at sharing knowledge on principles of the welfare of bears and other wild animals in zoos, sanctuaries and rescue centres.

The conference has been Hosted by Wildlife SOS in collaboration with Bear Care Group from the US and Canada.

More than 80 delegates from 11 countries viz. US, Canada, Australia, the UK, France, Germany, Demark, the

Netherlands, Vietnam etc., participated in the conference.

First woman President of Georgia.

Salome Zurabishvili, a French-born Georgian politician, has elected the first woman president in the history of Georgia. She will be inaugurated as President of Georgia on 16 Dec.

The President of Georgia is head of state and a guarantor of national independence and unity of the country.

He/she is elected by secret ballot, for a period of 5 years. The President ensures the functioning of state bodies in accordance with the Constitution.

NATO nation to appoint a female Chief of Armed Forces

Slovenia has become the first NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) nation to appoint a female Chief of Armed Forces after Major General Alenka Ermenc took the post of Head of its Army.

The country has approximately 7.500 soldiers, including active and reserve forces. Slovenia, which

originally was part of Yugoslavia, joined NATO and the European Union in 2004.

NATO is an international alliance that consists of 29 member states and 28 EU nations.

New President of Mexico


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Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, popularly known by his initials AMLO, has been sworn-in as the new President of Mexico on December 1, 2018.

He won the historic landslide victory at July 1 presidential election 2018 with over 50% of the popular vote.

China mission launched to the far side of the Moon .

On December 7, China has launched its’ first-ever space mission ‘Chang‘e-4’’ to land a robotic craft on the far side of the Moon. It was launched on a Long March 3B rocket from the southwestern Xichang launch centre, which will explore the Von Karman crater.

The mission, which consists of a stationary lander and a rover, will perform a variety of science work and plant a flag for humanity in a region that remains largely unexplored to date. No lander or rover has ever touched the surface there, hence positioning China as the first nation to explore the terrain.

The mission will pave the way for the country to deliver samples of Moon rock and soil to Earth. The moon’s far side is also known as the dark side because it faces away from Earth and remains comparatively unknown.

The name ‘Chang‘e’’ comes from the Chinese goddess of the moon, and the ‘4’ indicates that this is the 4th robotic mission in China’s lunar exploration program.

world’s first country to make all its public transport free by 2019 Luxembourg is set to become the first country in the world to make all its public transport free by

2019. The move is aimed at addressing environmental issues and the problem of traffic congestion.

Apart from providing free public transport, Luxembourg also intends to legalise cannabis and introduce two new public holidays.

Earlier, Luxembourg introduced free transport for all people under the age of 20.


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Intergovernmental Conference on the Global Compact for Migration for year 2018.

The Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was held in Marrakech, Morocco on 10th and 11th of December, 2018.

It is the first-ever UN global agreement on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions.

The global compact is non-legally binding. It is grounded in values of state sovereignty, responsibility-sharing, non-discrimination, and human rights, and recognizes that a cooperative approach is needed to optimize the overall benefits of migration.

Trans Regional Maritime Network (T-RMN).

India has recently signed an ascension pact to the 30-member Trans Regional Maritime Network (T-RMN) at Italian Naval Headquarters in Rome, Italy.

The pact will give India the access to information on ships which pass through the Indian Ocean

region that will greatly help the security forces in keeping a tab on any suspicious activity.

UN Climate Change Conference (COP 24).

The Uttar Pradesh-based start up ‘Help Us Green’ has been honoured by UN Climate Action Award at a special ceremony at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 24) in Katowice, Poland for recycling temple waste to spread fragrance.

The waste is up-cycled to produce organic fertilisers, natural incense, and biodegradable

packaging material.

Global framework on International migration.


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The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has officially adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and

Regular Migration.

The document is the first-ever negotiated global framework on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions.

It is meant to address issues that concern the world’s 258 million people on the move and countries of origin, transit and destination.

The non-binding agreement was adopted by the General Assembly with 152 votes in favour in Marrakesh, Morocco on 10th December 2018. India voted in favour of the resolution while, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Poland, and US voted against it.

South Korean grain silo - Guinness World Records

❖ A dreary grain silo that was transformed into an enormous colourful artwork in South Korea has been named by the Guinness World Records as the largest outdoor mural in the world. ❖ The painting depicts a young boy’s journey into adulthood covers the outside of giant storage containers in the port city of Incheon takes up 23,688 square meters. ❖ The mural was commissioned by the city’s government and port authority. It aims at improving the negative view of aged industrial facilities.


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Indonesia hit by Volcanic Tsunami

❖ A tsunami following a volcanic eruption hits the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra islands of Indonesia without any early warning. ❖ It caused heavy damage to the holiday makers and residents of coastal areas. ❖ The tsunami was caused by an underwater landslide when a chunk of the volcanic Anak Krakatau island slipped into the ocean. ❖ The tsunami was triggered by a volcano rather than earthquake due to which early warning could not be generated.

Italy’s Mount Etna Volcano erupts

❖ Italy’s Mount Etna volcano erupted recently resulting in more than 130 earthquakes of up to 4.3 in

magnitude. ❖ The volcanic lava and ash spewed from a new fracture near its south-eastern crater for the first

time in a decade and was visible for miles. ❖ Mount Etna is Europe’s highest and most active volcano outside the Caucasus. ❖ Mount Etna has been designated a Decade Volcano by the United Nations.


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❖ In June 2013, it was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

International Rice Research Institute's South Asia Regional Centre ❖ The Prime Minister inaugurated the International Rice Research Institute's South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) campus in Varanasi. ❖ The centre will serve as a hub for rice research and training in South Asia. ❖ This institute will help farmers of the region to develop varieties of paddy which grow in

minimum water and have low sugar content and high nutritional value.


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IMPORTANT SUMMITS AND MEETINGS

The South Asia Regional Youth Peace Conference

It has been organised by Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS) in partnership with UNESCO- MGIEP and STEP (Standing Together to Enable Peace) from November 28-30, 2018.

The 3-day conference is being organized to mark the beginning of celebration of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

2nd International Ambedkar Conclave (IAC-2018)

On November 30, the 2nd International Ambedkar Conclave (IAC-2018) has inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi as part of the commemoration of Constitution Day.

The Conclave is being organised by the Forum of SC and ST Legislators and Parliamentarians and the Dr Ambedkar Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, widely known as the ‘Father of Indian Constitution’ was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination towards the untouchables, while also supporting the rights of women and labour.

India's first indigenous film festival 2019

In February 2019, India’s first international indigenous film festival will take place in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

The fest is an initiative of activist film collective Video Republic that has been campaigning for indigenous

communities in the State.

The three-stop event will kick off on February 19 and 20, moving on to Puri from February 21 to 23 to eventually culminate in an interaction with the adivasi communities at Niyamgiri.


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Asia Pacific Summit-2018

On December 2, the Asia Pacific Summit-2018 was held in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The theme of

two day Summit is “Addressing the Critical Challenges of Our Time: Interdependence, Mutual Prosperity, and Universal Values”.

It was organised by the controversial South Korea-based Universal Peace Federation and supported by the Government of Nepal.

Around 1500 participants from 45 countries including India attended the summit. They discussed various global issues including peace, development, good governance and role of parliamentarians, climate change and role of media.

80th Session of the Policy Commission of the World Customs Organization

On 3rd December 2018, the 80th Session of the Policy Commission of the World Customs Organization (WCO) was held in Mumbai.

The Session is being organized by the WCO and hosted by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), India.

The Indian delegation was headed by CBIC Chairman, S Ramesh. The custom heads of more than 30 countries participated in the 3-day long discussion on various matters related to customs.


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AdventureNext 18 in Asia

The AdventureNext India 2018, the first-of-its-kind in India & Asia, was hosted by Madhya Pradesh Tourism at the new International Convention Centre (Minto Hall) in Bhopal on December 3-5.

The event was organized by United States based Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA). The

theme of the 2-day event was ‘Pulse of Tomorrow’. Over 200 delegates participated in the event.

4th Partners’ Forum 2018.

The 4th Partners’ Forum 2018 has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on December 12 to discuss issues related to maternal and child health.

The 2-day forum was organised by the Union Ministry of Health in association with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH).

About 1500 participants from across 85 countries participated in the international conference.

The previous chapters were held in Johannesburg, South Africa (2014), New Delhi, India (2010) and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (2007). This is the second time India is hosting the Partners’ Forum.

39th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit (GCCS-2018

The 39th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit 2018 was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In it, the Secretary-General Abdellatif al-Zayani read the closure declaration in which member countries underscored their loyalty to the organization.

The declaration called on to form a route map to complete the integration between member states and ensure financial unity until 2025.

Although the 39th summit was held in Riyadh upon a request from Oman, Oman will be the president for the next 12 months. The next summit is going to be held under the United Arab


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Emirates (UAE) presidency. The GCC, established in 1981 in Abu Dhabi, comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

9th meeting of India-ROK Joint Commission

The 9th meeting of India-ROK Joint Commission (ROK/ South Korea) was held in New Delhi on December 18-19, 2018.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha co-chaired the meeting with her Indian

counterpart Sushma Swaraj and reviewed the progress in multifaceted cooperation under the Special Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

Both sides agreed to raise the quantum of the bilateral trade to US $50 billion by the year 2030.

2018 All India annual conference of State DGPs & IGs .

On December 20, Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 2018 All-India annual conference of the State Directors General and Inspectors General of Police, which is started near the Statue of Unity located in Narmada district of Gujarat.

Heads of all the three forces, Home Ministers of all the states and heads of all government security agencies including IB, CID, CBI and ATS are attending the three day conference.

The top agenda of the conference will be militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, cross-border terrorism

and attempts to radicalise youth.

National Balrang-2018

To promote the artistic talent of the students, the National Balrang-2018 has started at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalya (IGRMS) in Bhopal on 19th of December.


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The 3-day cultural festival is being organised by the School Education Department of Madhya Pradesh in collaboration with the IGRMS.

Its purpose is to introduce children with various cultural diversities and traditional lifestyles so as to instill the spirit of social harmony, human values, and brotherhood.

‘Balrang’ is a unique programme that has been held in Bhopal since the past 23 years. As many as 520 students from various schools in 18 states and two union territories will present folk dances, songs and other cultural programmes.

Global SME Business Summit The 15th edition of Global SME (Small and medium-sized enterprises) Business Summit was held

recently in New Delhi. The Theme was ‘Building Partnerships through Global Value Chains’. The 2-day summit was organised by the Ministry of MSME (Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium

Enterprises) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with Government e-marketplace.

Tansen Samman 2018

The Madhya Pradesh (MP) government honoured the noted sitar player Manju Mehta with the

2018 Tansen Samman, at the Tansen Music Festival in Gwalior. The Raja Mansingh Tomar Honour was given to the Sankat Mochan Pratishthan in Varanasi for

2017 and the Natrang Pratishthan of New Delhi for 2018. The Tansen Music Festival is organised every year by the MP culture department in memory of

Tansen, one of the greatest artists in Indian history.

12th Annual ISDSI Conference The 12th Annual Indian Subcontinent Decision Sciences Institute (ISDSI) conference was held in

SPJIMR (S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research), Mumbai. The theme of this international conference is “Data Driven Decision Making in the Digital Age”.


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National Children’s Science Congress The 26th National Children’s Science Congress (NCSC) was inaugurated recently by Odisha CM

Naveen Patnaik. The theme for this year NCSC is “Science, Technology and Innovations for a clean, Green and

Healthy Nation.” It provides a platform to the children to showcase their creativity and ability to innovate.

Indian Social Science Congress The 5-day long 42nd Indian Social Science Congress at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial

Technology (KIIT) campus in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The theme of the conference is “Human Future in Digital Era.” Its objective is to promote research in science and social sciences to reach the grassroot level. The event was organised by KIIT and Indian Social Science Academy (ISSA).

Digital Transformation Hackathon

An Indian-American teenager, Mahum Siddiqi (17) has won the inaugural “Digital Transformation Hackathon” at Cornell University, New York.

It has been awarded to him for designing a device which can detect the actual level of pain of a patient during a diagnosis.


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DEFENCE IN NEWS

Bilateral naval exercise ‘Konkan 18’

The bilateral naval exercise ‘Konkan 18’ has started between the navies of India and the UK at the Goa coast from November 28.

The exercise will provide a platform for the two navies to periodically exercise at sea and in harbour, so as to build interoperability and share best practices.

The harbour phase is scheduled from November 28 to 30, followed by the sea phase from December 2 to 6.

Exercise ‘Cope India 2019 (CI19)’ The air force units of India and the United States are scheduled to participate in a 12-day joint exercise

'Cope India 2019' at two air force stations in West Bengal.

The bilateral flying training programme will be held from December 3 to 14 of this year at two important airbases in West Bengal - Air Force Station Kalaikunda and Air Force Station Arjan Singh at Panagarh.

Exercise CI19 is a long-standing bilateral US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF)-sponsored Field Training Exercise (FTX), conducted with the IAF, focused on enhancing US-Indian mutual cooperation and building on existing capabilities, aircrew tactics and force employment.

Theatre level maritime war exercise conducted by Indian Navy The Indian Navy will conduct its flagship Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX), from

January end till early March 2019.

The aim of such an exercise is to test the robustness of our entire coastal security apparatus through his massive exercise.


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The yearly exercise takes place on the Western Seaboard which will have participation of over 45 ships from both the Western and Eastern Naval Commands of the Indian Navy, including the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, naval aircraft MiG-29K.

EX SHINYUU Maitri-2018

The first-ever bilateral air exercise “EX SHINYUU Maitri-2018” has started between Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) and Indian Air Force at A F Station Agra in Uttar Pradesh from 03-07 Dec 18.

The IAF is participating with An-32 and C-17 aircraft with aircrew & observers.

The theme of the exercise is joint Mobility/Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) on Transport aircraft.

‘Hand-in-Hand’ The armies of India and China has started the 7th edition of joint military exercise ‘Hand-in-Hand

2018’ from Dec 11-23 at Chengdu in China.

The purpose of the joint military drill is to improve the capabilities of the two armies in fighting terrorism and promote mutual understanding.

Both sides have fielded 100 personnel to take part in the exercise that focusses on tactical level operations in an International Counter Insurgency/Counter Terrorist environment as per UN mandate.

The drills are being held after a gap of one year as they could not be held in 2017 because both

armies were locked in a 73-day standoff at Doklam in the Sikkim sector.

‘CROSS BOW-18’

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully conducted its first-of-its-kind exercise code-named CROSS BOW-18 from the Air Force Station at Suryalanka in Andhra Pradesh on 05th, 07th & 08th Dec 2018, both by day & night in an integrated networked environment.

It’s a combined guided weapons firing of Surface-to-Air Missiles, which saw the successful firing of

4 different classes of missiles like Akash, Spyder, OSA-AK-M and IGLA.


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Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV)

On December 12, the Indian Navy inducted its first non-tethered Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) System at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

The DSRV is used to rescue crew members from submarines stranded under water in the high

seas.

The DSRV can be operated at a depth of 650m & can hold around 15 people.

The Indian Navy currently operates submarines of the Sindhughosh, Shishumar, Kalvari Classes as well as nuclear powered submarines.

SAGAR TARA Launched A new Coastal Research Vessel (CRV) SAGAR TARA was launched at the Titagarh

Wagons Ltd. Shipyard in Kolkata. The vessel was built for the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) under

the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. Equipped with the state-of-the-art laboratories, it will enable scientists conduct

various oceanographic research missions.


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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

India’s heaviest communication satellite launched from French Guiana

On December 4, ISRO’s heaviest and most advanced high throughput communication satellite ‘GSAT-11’ was successfully launched by a European Ariane-5 vehicle (Flight VA246) rocket from Guiana Space Centre at Kourou in French Guiana.

Satellite is placed in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit and will be raised to the Geostationary Orbit (36,000 km above the equator).

The mission of the 5,854-kg giant 'bird' is to provide high data rate connectivity to users of Indian mainland and islands through 32 user beams in Ku-band and 8 hub beams in Ka-band.

It will boost the broadband connectivity to rural and inaccessible Gram Panchayats under BharatNet Project which is part of the Digital India initiative.

The satellite is capable of providing high bandwidth connectivity with speeds of up to 16 gigabytes per second. GSAT-11’s co-passenger is South Korea’s GEO-KOMPSAT-2A, a meteorology satellite.

Atomic Power Station (APS) has created a world record

On 10th December 2018, the Kaiga Atomic Power Station (KAPS) has created a world record for the longest uninterrupted operation for 941 days.

The Unit-1 of Kaiga Generating Station (KGS) at Kaiga, located the river Kali in Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka, has been generating electricity continuously since May 13, 2016.


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World’s first Floating Nuclear Power Plant

On December 11, the world's first Floating Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) - Akademik Lomonosov - has

become operational at the Baltiysky Zavod shipyard in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

It is constructed by the state nuclear power firm Rosatom. The FNPP has a capacity of 70MW and is equipped with two reactors of 35MW each.

According to Rosatom, an FNPP's operational life span is 40 years, with the possibility of being extended up to 50 years.

An FNPP is basically a mobile, low-capacity reactor unit operable in remote areas isolated from the main power distribution system, or in places hard to access by land. They are designed to maintain both uninterruptible power and plentiful desalinated water supply in remote areas.

Operation Oliva by Indian Coast Guard . The Indian Coast Guard recently launched an exercise ‘Operation Oliva’ along the serene sea waters of

Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Odisha to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles during their mating season.

The exercise is part of its annual mission to ensure the safe mid-sea sojourn of breeding Olive Ridley sea turtles.

India’s first military flight using blended bio-jet fuel on aircrafts


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India’s first military flight using blended bio-jet fuel has been successfully flown by Indian Air Force (IAF) through an AN-32 transport aircraft in Chandigarh.

Bio-jet fuel is made from Jatropha oil sourced from the Chattisgarh Biodiesel Development Authority and processed at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun.

The project is a combined effort of IAF, DRDO, Directorate General Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) and CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum. Now, IAF intends to fly the An-32 transport aircraft using biojet fuel on 26th January 2019 in the Republic Day flypast.

Most-distant object ever spotted in our solar system An international team of astronomers has discovered the most-distant object ever spotted in our solar

system. Its’ provisional designation is ‘2018 VG18’ & nicknamed as “Farout” for its extremely distant location.

The pinkish dwarf planet is more than 100 times farther from the sun than Earth is — and almost four times more distant than Pluto.

Farout is about 120 astronomical units (AU), where 1 AU is defined as the distance between the Earth and the Sun.

ISRO has successfully launched its military satellite ‘GSAT 7A’

On December 19, ISRO has successfully launched its military communication satellite GSAT 7A through

launch vehicle ‘GSLV-F11’into the orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR) at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

Dubbed ‘Angry Bird’, GSAT 7A is designed to expand network capabilities to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Ku-band over the Indian region.

It will do this by connecting many of the ground radar stations, airbases and aircrafts operated by the IAF.

GSLV–F11 is ISRO’s fourth generation launch vehicle with three stages. The four liquid strap-ons and a solid rocket motor at the core form the first stage. The second stage is equipped with a high thrust engine using liquid fuel.


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The Cryogenic Upper Stage forms the third and final stage of the vehicle. The 2,250 kg GSAT-7A is a

geostationary satellite & has a mission life of 8 years.

India’s first military flight using Blended Bio-Jet Fuel The Indian Air Force (IAF) flown India’s first military flight using Blended Bio-Jet Fuel on an An-32

transport aircraft in Chandigarh. The project is a combined effort of IAF, DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization),

Directorate General Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) and CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP). The IAF has intended to fly the An-32 with 10 % bio jet fuel on January 26, 2019 Republic Day flypast. This fuel is made from Jatropha oil sourced from Chhattisgarh Biodiesel Development Authority (CBDA)

and then processed at CSIR-IIP, Dehradun. Earlier in August 2018, Commercial airline SpiceJet flew country’s first ever biojet fuel-powered flight

between Dehradun and Delhi.

India’s IDRSS to be satellite communication hub in sky India will launch the IDRSS to improve data relay and communication links with its remote sensing/earth

observation satellites. Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS) will be launched as part of its proposed manned space mission

in 2022. The two-satellite IDRSS will maintain a continuous communication link with India's remote sensing/earth

observation satellites and The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III). The two IDRSS satellites will be placed in geostationary orbit. IDRSS satellites can see about 80 % of the area where Indian remote sensing satellites are orbiting. The proposed system will also reduce the dependence on the ground stations in tracking satellites.

First satellite for space-based broadband China has launched its first communication satellite to offer broadband internet services to the users

worldwide. The communication satellite was launched using a Long March 11 carrier rocket which took off from the

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in north-western China. The satellite is the first in the Hongyun project planned by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp

(CASIC). The Hongyun project, started in September 2016, which aims to build a space-based communications

network. It seeks to provide broadband internet connectivity to users around the world, especially those in the

underserved regions.

SEIS placed on Mars - NASA NASA’s ‘Insight’ has placed its first instrument, a seismometer (SEIS) on the Planet Mars. The seismometer, world’s first ever instrument placed on another planet’s surface, will listen for quakes

and wobbles in the Red planet.


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SpaceX’s first US military satellite launched

SpaceX launched the U.S. Air Force’s newest ‘GPS III’ satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air

Force Station in Florida, USA. This GPS 3 satellite replaces an aging GPS 2R spacecraft launched in 1997. The solar-powered spacecraft, dubbed “Vespucci,” is the company’s first official “National Security Space”

mission. It will provide three-times better accuracy than current systems and will be eighttimes better at anti-

jamming. Nicknamed Vespucci, it honours Italian cartographer and explorer Amerigo Vespucci, after whom North

and South America were named. It was competed through the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. The successful GPS III SV01 mission marked SpaceX’s 21st and final launch of 2018.

Shimmering 'Super-Earth' In Constellation Cassiopeia Discovered

Researchers have discovered a new exotic planet outside our solar system in the constellation Cassiopeia. Located 21 light years away from us, this planet, dubbed HD219134 b, has a mass almost 5 times that of

Earth, which is considered a so-called "super-Earth".


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Unlike the Earth, however, it most likely does not have a massive core of iron, but is rich in calcium and aluminium alongside magnesium and silicon.

It shimmers red to blue like rubies and sapphires, because these gemstones are aluminium oxides which are common on the exoplanet.

Information Fusion Centre The Union Defence Minister launched the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at

Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) Gurugram, Haryana. Through this, information on “white shipping” will be exchanged with countries in the region to improve

maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean. IMAC is the single point centre linking all the coastal radar chains to generate a seamless real-time picture

of the nearly 7,500 km coastline.

BizBarde App

The isolated central Asian country, Turkmenistan, has launched its own and the first Turkmen messaging app BizBarde.

The app will allow the exchange of messages, files, photos and videos. Turkmenistan, the ex-Soviet republic, is one of the world’s most isolated regimes that have blocked many western services like Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter.

USTAAD The mechanical branch of Central Railway ‘s Nagpur division has developed a new AI-powered robot

named USTAAD. USTAAD - Undergear Surveillance through Artificial Intelligence Assisted Droid. It examines parts of the coach in real time with a HD camera and transmits them over WiFi. It will reduce chances of human error while examining under gear equipment on Indian Railways trains.


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New hypersonic nuclear missile Test

Russia has successfully tested the new hypersonic nuclear-capable weapon. The weapon, named “Avangard”, had been launched from the Orenburg region in the European Russian

part.

It has the ability to fly at 20 times the speed of sound and could manoeuvre up and down, and also it could breach defence systems.

It is designed using new composite materials to withstand temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Celsius.

6 Yunhai - 2 satellites & a test communication satellite launched China successfully sent six Yunhai-2 atmospheric environment research satellites and a test

communication satellite of Hongyan constellation into orbit. The six Yunhai-2 satellites will study atmospheric environment, monitor space environment, prevent and

reduce disasters and conduct scientific experiments. The test satellite will be used to verify the function of mobile communications in low earth orbit (LEO). The test satellite was developed by Aerospace Dongfanghong Development Ltd. Shenzhen, a company

underthe China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).


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SIGNIFICANT REPORTS

Global Nutrition Report for 2018.

As per WHO’s Global Nutrition Report (GNR 2018) report for 2018, India is facing a major

malnutrition crisis as it holds almost a third of the world's burden for stunting.

With 46.6 million children who are stunted, India tops the list of countries followed by Nigeria and Pakistan. Stunting (or low height for age) is caused by long-term insufficient nutrient-intake and frequent infections.

India also accounted for 25.5 million children who are wasted, followed by Nigeria and Indonesia. As per report, globally 150.8 million children under five years are stunted and 50.5 million are wasted. India also figures among the set of countries that has more than a million overweight children.

‘Migration and Development Brief’ India is expected to retain its position as the world’s top recipient of remittances with $80 million

in 2018, as per latest World Bank’s report ‘Migration and Development Brief’.

India is followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico and the Philippines ($34 billion each) and Egypt ($26 billion).

The bank estimates that officially recorded remittances to developing countries will increase by 10.8% to reach US$528 billion in 2018, against a 7.8% growth in 2017.

The Global remittances, which include flows to high-income countries, are projected to grow by 10.3% to $689 billion. For 2019, it is projected that remittances growth for the region will slow to 4.3% due to a moderation of growth in advanced economies, lower migration to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the benefits from the oil price spurt dissipating.


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2019 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).

India has been ranked 11th out 56 nations & the European Union (EU) at the 2019 Climate Change

Performance Index (CCPI), which was published by Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network.

The CCPI analysis shows that India has improved its standing by 3 places compared to the 2018 report. However, the report has warned that coal projects threaten India’s progress on clean energy.

The top three ranks have not been acquired by any country because none does well in all categories assessed.

But, Sweden has acquired 4th spot, while Morocco spotted at 5th place. The 2019 CCPI was

released on the sidelines of 24th Conference of the Parties (COP 24) UN climate summit on global warming in Katowice, Poland.

WEF’s Gender Gap Index 2018.

India has been ranked 108th among 149 countries at the World Economic Forum (WEF) gender gap index for year 2018.

As per report titled ‘Measuring the Global Gender Gap’, India ranked lower on all segments - economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival ranking, and political empowerment.

It needs to make improvements across the board, from women’s participation to getting more women into senior and professional roles.

The global list was topped by Iceland having closed more than 85.8% of its overall gender gap. Iceland holds the top spot in the index for the 10th consecutive year.


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Nordic countries Norway (2nd, 83.5%), Sweden (3rd, 82.2%), and Finland (4th, 82.1%) dominated the top slots. The Gender gap was measured across four key pillars -- economic opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment, and health and survival.

Startup Ecosystem Ranking 2018

Gujarat has emerged as the top performer among States and Union Territories (UT) in the first-ever ranking of the Start-up Ecosystem across the country.

The ranking was released by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP).

Gujarat, with 100 percentile, has performed better than all other states in all the 7 areas including

start up policy, incubation support, seeding innovation and scaling innovation.

Meanwhile, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and Rajasthan, with a score of more than 85 percentile, have been adjudged the top performers.

Other States, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana were

identified as “leaders”.

SDG India Index - Baseline Report 2018. The SDG India Index: Baseline Report 2018 has been released by the NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr

Rajiv Kumar, CEO Amitabh Kant and UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Yuri Afanasiev at NITI Aayog in New Delhi on December 21.

The Index is intended to provide a holistic view on the social, economic and environmental status of the country and its States and UTs.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which came into being in September 2015, are in the Third year of global implementation.

NITI Aayog has the twin mandate to oversee the implementation of SDGs in the country and promote Competitive and Cooperative Federalism among States and Union Territories.


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‘Strategy for New India @ 75′ document by NITI

NITI Aayog has released its comprehensive national ‘Strategy for New India @ 75′ document with an aim to accelerate growth to 9-10% and make the country a $4-trillion economy by 2022-23.

The 41 chapters in the document have been disaggregated under four sections: Drivers,

Infrastructure, Inclusion and Governance.

The overarching focus of the Strategy document is to further improve the policy environment in which private investors and other stakeholders can contribute their fullest towards achieving the goals set out for New India 2022.

Violence on Journalists - RSF Report ❖ The report of annual worldwide round-up of deadly violence and abusive treatment of journalists

was released by Reporters without Borders (RSF - Reporters Sans Frontières). ❖ According to the report, Journalists have never before been subjected to as much violence and

abusive treatment as in 2018. ❖ The figure increased by eight percent to 80, and by 15 percent, in the category of number of

professional journalists killed, from 55 in 2017 to 63 in 2018.

SDG India index 2018 ❖ The NITI Aayog has recently released the Baseline Report of the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDG) India Index 2018. ❖ It documents the progress made by India’s States and Union Territories (UTs) towards

implementation of the 2030 SDG targets. ❖ According to the Index,Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and TamilNadu have been ranked on top 3

positions and are on track to achieve the UN SDG. o Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are at the bottom of the rankings.

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) report


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❖ The World Intellectual Property Indicators 2018 report was recently released in Geneva by the

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). ❖ Globally, 1.4 million patents were granted in 2017. ❖ According to the WIPO, China’s patent authority led the world in the number of patents granted

and it was followed by the US. ❖ The number of patents granted by India shot up by 50% in 2017, keeping up an increasing trend. ❖ India ranked 10th in the number of patents given last year.

India submits Sixth National Report to CBD India has recently submitted its Sixth National Report (NR6) to the Convention on Biological

Diversity (CBD). It has been submitted at the inaugural session of the 13th National Meeting of the State

Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) in New Delhi. India is among the first 5 countries in the world, the 1st in Asia and the 1st among the bio-

diversity rich megadiverse countries to have submitted NR6 to the CBD Secretariat. The NR6 provides an update of progress in achievement of 12 National Biodiversity Targets (NBT)

developed under the Convention process in line with the 20 global Aichi biodiversity targets.

Delta Ranking of Aspirational districts ❖ The government think tank, Niti Ayog has released the second Delta Ranking of the Aspirational

Districts Programme. ❖ This second delta ranking measures the incremental progress made by 111 Aspirational Districts

between June 1, 2018, and October 31, 2018. ❖ The surveys were carried out in six developmental areas of health and nutrition,education,

agriculture, water resources, financial inclusion, skill development, and basic infrastructure. ❖ Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu has topped the chart of aspirational districts and Naupada (Odisha),

Siddharthnagar (Uttar Pradesh), Aurangabad (Bihar) and Koraput (Odisha) have been termed as the most improved districts.

BOOKS IN NEWS


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India International Trade Fair

Uttarakhand has been adjudged the best state at the 38th India International Trade Fair (IITF) in New

Delhi, which showcased reconstruction work done at Kedarnath in recent months besides steps taken by the state govt to boost tourism and promote local products like organic honey.

Beside this, Himachal Pradesh pavilion has been awarded silver medal for excellent display in the 2018 IITF. This is for the first time that state pavilion has received an award for showcasing traditional products.

“Architecture of Justice: A Pictorial Walk-through of the Supreme Courts and High Courts of India”

The book “Architecture of Justice: A Pictorial Walk-through of the Supreme Courts and High Courts of

India” has been authored by father-son duo Vinay Thakur and Amogh Thakur.

The book, a sequel to Vinay’s earlier book ‘The Courts of India Past to Present’ (2016).

‘Blue Waters Ahoy!’

The book titled ‘Blue Waters Ahoy!’ has been authored by Vice Admiral Anup Singh, who retired as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command in 2011.

The book, which chronicles the Indian Navy’s History from 2001-10, has recently released by Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff.

This is, in fact, the 6th volume of the Navy’s history; the first five having covered the period from 1945 to 2000.

2018 Sahitya Academy Award for the Kashmiri language-- Mushtaq Ahmad Tantray

Mushtaq Ahmad Tantray, a prominent Kashmiri short-story writer and eminent broadcaster, bagged 2018 Sahitya Academy Award for his collection of short stories “AAKH’’.


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Mr Tantray is presently posted as Head of the Regional News Unit at Radio Kashmir Srinagar. “AAKH”, a collection of eighteen short stories, published in 2012 had earlier bagged the best book award in Kashmiri at the state level from State Academy of Art, Culture and Languages for the year 2014.

“A Rural Manifesto – Realising India's Future through her Villages” -- Varun Gandhi

“Changing India”-- Manmohan Singh

The book titled “Changing India” has been author by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh & is recently released at an event in New Delhi.

In the book, the Congress leader narrated his journey from an economist to a politician and shared

anecdotes from his life.

IMPORTANT DAYS

November 29:


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--The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People It is observed by the United Nations every year on November 29 as an opportunity for the international

community to refocus its attention on the fact that the question of Palestine remains unresolved and that the Palestinian people have yet to attain their inalienable rights as defined by the General Assembly.

2023 -- as the International Year of Millets. This decision was taken at the 160th session of FAO Council, currently underway in Rome. The

move will enhance global awareness to bring back these nutri-cereals to the plate. In addition, the FAO Council has also approved India’s membership to the Executive Board of the United Nations World Food Program for 2020 and 2021.

December 8 --The Submarine Day is celebrated every year by the Indian Navy on December 8 to commemorate the induction of the first submarine, the erstwhile INS Kalvari, into the Indian Navy on this day in 1967. The Foxtrot class submarine was decommissioned on the 31st May, 1996, after 29 years of service.

2019 as ‘Year of Tolerance’-- UAE The United Arab Emriates (UAE) government has officially declared 2019 as Year of Tolerance to strengthen the nation’s role of encouraging stability and prosperity in the region. As per officials, the ‘Year of Tolerance’ would be an extension of the current ‘Year of Zayed’, which celebrates the values of the country’s founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan.

2018 International Anti-Corruption Day is observed-- December 9 2018 International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHCD)-- December 12 2018 National Energy Conservation Day -- December 14 The National Energy Conservation Day (NECD) is observed every year on 14th December by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under Ministry of Power, with an aim to demonstrate India’s achievements in energy efficiency and conservation, while working for its ambition of holistic development as part of the nation’s overall effort towards climate change mitigation. The day is also meant to raise awareness about the importance of energy & its conservation.

Winter Solstice & Summer Solstice – December 21 The days of the year with the most and fewest daylight hours are called the solstices.

National Mathematics Day - 22 December The National Mathematics Day is celebrated on 22nd December every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of famous Indian Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.

National farmers’ day - 23rd December The National Farmer’s Day was celebrated throughout the country to mark the birth anniversary of Indian farmer’s leader and 5th PM of India Chaudhary Charan Singh.


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National Consumers Day - 24 December The National Consumer Day is celebrated across the country on 24th December every year.

Good Governance Day – 25 December The Good Governance Day was celebrated across the country on 25th December to commemorate the birth anniversary of Former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Siddha Day – 26 December Every year Sage Agathiar’s birthday is being observed as Siddha Day and this year it falls on 26

December, 2018.

NOTABLE THEMES


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2018 World AIDS Day - Know your status 2018 International Day of Persons with Disabilities

--- Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality

2018 World Soil Day -- Be the Solution to Soil Pollution

2018 International Volunteer Day -- Volunteers build Resilient Communities

2018 International Mountain Day -- MountainsMatter

2018 International Human Rights Day-- Stand up for the human rights 2018 International Migrants Day -- Migration with Dignity

APPOINTMENTS IN NEWS

Chairman of National Skill Development Corporation

Anil Manibhai Naik has been appointed as the new chairman of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).


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Currently Naik is the Group Chairman of India's biggest engineering and construction conglomerate – Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T).

NSDC is a unique public-private-partnership, working under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

New Finance Secretary of India.

AN Jha, a 1982-batch IAS officer of Manipur Tripura cadre, has been appointed the new Finance Secretary of India. He succeeded Hasmukh Adhia.

ISSF’s judges committee. Pawan Singh has become the first Indian to be elected one of seven member’s of the Judges Committee of

the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF).

He also holds the post of the Joint Secretary General of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and was a former coach of the Indian shooting team.

Brand ambassador for digital banking platform ‘YONO’.

Asian Games gold medalist Swapna Barman has become the brand ambassador for State Bank of India (SBI)’s unified integrated app ‘YONO (You Only Need One)’.

Hails from West Bengal, Barman clinched gold in the women’s heptathlon with 6026 points at the 18th

Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta. With this, she created history by becoming the first Indian heptathlete to win an Asian Games gold.

Asia Pacific seat on the UN’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)

Preeti Saran, a former senior Indian diplomat, has been elected unopposed to an Asia Pacific seat on the UN's Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) for a four-year term beginning on the 1st of January 2019.

Members of the CESCR serve in their personal capacities as experts and do not represent their countries even though they may have been nominated by their own nation. The panel meets in Geneva and holds two sessions per year. The other Asian member is Shiqiu Chen of China, whose term ends in 2022.

New Chief Economic Advisor.


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Dr Krishnamurthy Subramanian has been appointed the new Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) for a period of three years.

The post of CEA had been lying vacant since Arvind Subramanaian left the finance ministry after a

four-year stint. Dr Krishnamurthy is currently working as an Associate Professor and the executive director at the Indian School of Business (IBS), Hyderabad.

The CEA is the ex-officio cadre controlling authority of the Indian Economic Service (IES) & is

under the direct charge of the Minister of Finance.

Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Shaktikanta Das, a retired 1980 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, has been appointed as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a period of 3 years.

He succeeded the post after the sudden resignation of Urjit Patel as the RBI Governor on December 10, 2018.

Prior to this appointment, he was the Member of the 15th Finance Commission and India’s Sherpa at the 2018 G20 Summit. During his career as an IAS officer, he served in various capacities for Indian and Tamil Nadu governments.


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Vice-Chair of UN Panel of Auditors for 2019.

Rajiv Mehrishi, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, has been appointed as Vice-Chair of UN Panel of Auditors for the year 2019.

The United Nations Panel of Auditors consists of External Auditors of the United Nations and its agencies. Presently, the panel consists of 11 countries -- India, Germany, Chile, Canada, France, Italy, Philippines, Ghana, Indonesia, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Currently, the panel is chaired by CAG of the UK.

New SWIFT India Chairman.

Arundhati Bhattacharya, former chairman of State Bank of India (SBI) has been appointed as

SWIFT India Chairman.

She will succeed former banker M V Nair. SWIFT India is a joint venture of top Indian public and private sector banks and SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication).

Member of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

Recently, Bharat Bhushan Vyas took the Oath of Office and Secrecy as Member of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). He will have a term of nearly three years, when he attains the age of 65. Prior to this post, he was serving as Adviser to the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).

As per Article – 316 of the Constitution, the Chairman and other members of UPSC shall be appointed by the President.

In case the office of the Chairman becomes vacant his duties shall be performed by one of the other members of the Commission as the President may appoint for the purpose. A member of a


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UPSC shall hold office for a term of six years from the date on which he enters upon his office or until he attains the age of sixty-five years, whichever is earlier.

New presiden

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