AWARDS AND HONORS:

1. The First Indian Cricketer to Make It to ICC’s Women’s Team of the Year 2016

India batswoman Smriti Mandhana has been named in the Women’s Team of the Year 2016, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced. The women’s team of the year, which will be captained by West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor, has been added to the list of awards to acknowledge and appreciate outstanding performances of women’s cricketers over a 12-month period. This is the first time that the ICC has named a women’s team of the year.

2. ICFA presents ‘Global Agriculture Leadership Award 2016’ to Ratan Tata

Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) has presented ‘Global Agriculture Leadership Award 2016’ to Tata Sons interim Chairman Ratan Tata in Mumbai. According to ICFA, the Leadership Awards jury conferred on Tata the ‘Lifetime Achievements Award 2016’ for his transformational role in scaling Tata Group as the globally admired group during his stint of two decades as Chairman.

APPOINTMENTS

3. Govt appoints Sunil Arora as IICA Director General

Former Information & Broadcasting Secretary Sunil Arora has been appointed as the Director General and CEO of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA). IICA focuses on matters impacting functioning of corporates and work towards capacity building with various stakeholders including regulators and professionals, among other activities.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Sunil Arora as Director General & Chief Executive Officer of IICA, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

4. Nigeria’s Amina Mohammed named UN’s Deputy Secretary-General

Nigeria’s minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed has been appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations by the Secretary-General designate, Antonio Guterres. The Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York, reports that Guterres also announced the duo of Ms. Maria Viotti of Brazil and Ms. Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea into high-profile positions at the UN. 

5. Trump picks David Friedman as US envoy to Israel

President-elect Donald J. Trump has named David M. Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer, who is nominee for ambassador to Israel, elevating a campaign adviser who has questioned the need for a two-state solution and has likened left-leaning Jews in America to the Jews who aided the Nazis in the Holocaust.

INDIAN AFFAIRS

6. India’s first residential transgender school to come up in Kochi

Sahaj International School in Kochi will be initiated the first residential transgender school in the country by transgender activists Vijayaraja Mallika, Maya Menon and Faisal CK.  The school will initially accommodate 10 transgenders, who will study under the National Open School system. The school will be inaugurated on December 30 by transgender rights activist and artist Kalki Subramaniam.

7. Punjab to provide free LPG to BPL families missed in SECC 2011

The Punjab Cabinet has gave its approval to provide free LPG connections to those BPL families, who were missed in the 2011 Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC) on the lines of Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana.  A decision to this effect was taken this evening in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. It was informed that the State Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department has an E-PDS portal and the detail of beneficiaries under Household Priority and Antodaya Yojana has been uploaded.

8. Mahila Police Volunteer Initiative launched in Haryana

The Mahila Police Volunteer initiative was launched in Haryana by launching the initiative in Karnal and Mahendragarh districts, Haryana became the first state to adopt this scheme. Originally conceived by the Union Ministry of Women & Child Development, Mahila Police Volunteer is a joint initiative with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Haryana has inducted the first batch of 1000 Mahila Police Volunteers. These volunteers have already been trained by the state State Police Authorities on their role and responsibility. 

9. Majuli set to become country’s first ever carbon neutral district

Assam government has initiated a project to make river island Majuli the country’s first ever Carbon Neutral district by 2020.  The project titled ‘Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development in Majuli’ (SACReD, Majuli) has been initiated by Assam’s department of Environment and Forest and was launched by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Biodiversity and Climate) A K Johari at Majuli.  

10. PM Modi describes schemes for digital payments as strategic push towards cashless transactions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana as a strategic push towards increased cashless transactions. The two schemes will give a big boost to move towards cashless and corruption free India.

• The government has launched two schemes – Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana to encourage cashless transactions in the country.
• Terming the two schemes as a Christmas gift to remember, the Prime Minister said, the move will further incentivise digital payments.
• To promote digital payments post demonetisation, the government will give daily, weekly and mega cash awards totalling 340 crore rupees for consumers as well as merchants beginning the Christmas Day.

11. Raj CM Vasundhara Raje launches Annapurna RasoiYojna

The Rajasthan government has launched the Annapurna Rasoi scheme, under which mobile kitchens will serve meals at economic rates in different part of the city. Chief minister Vasundhara Raje flagged off two Annapurna Kitchens on Thursday at Jaipur Municipal Corporation headquarters and said many people will benefit from it. The mobile kitchens will offer breakfast at Rs. 5 and meals for Rs. 8. Initially, 80 such mobile kitchens will be catering to people across 12 cities of the state.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

12. Indian-American woman elected as Mayor of Californian city

In a first, an Indian-American woman has been elected the new mayor of Californian city Cupertino, the worldwide headquarters of Apple. Savita Vaidhyanathan, a Cupertino resident for more than 20 years, was sworn in last week in a ceremony attended by her mother who had flown in from India. She takes over from Barry Chang who had served as mayor from 2015. Vaidhyanathan was working as a high school Maths teacher and an officer in a commercial bank. 

13. India tops Asia in innovation chart

India has emerged as the most preferred destination for innovation in Asia and third biggest globally, with ‘Silicon Valley’. India has been ranked as the No. 1 innovation destination in Asia and No. 2 in the world for new innovation centres.  Nine new innovation centres were opened in the country during the period, taking the total number of innovation centres to 25. The US leads the list with 146 centres, followed by Britain with 29 and India is at the third place with 24 centres.

14. 5th Edition of India-Arab partnership conference held in Muscat, Oman

The 5th India-Arab Partnership Conference will be held in Muscat and Oman.  The two-day conference, to be held from December 14, will be organised by the Oman Foreign Ministry, Arab League Secretariat in association with the Ministry of External Affairs in India aiming to boost economic ties between India and Arab countries.  Other collaboration partners include the Federation of Arab Businessmen (FAB) and the General Union of Arab Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Agriculture (GUCCIA).

15. Paytm launches ‘Each one, teach one’ to increase digital inclusion

Paytm has announced a program to increase the digital inclusion in the country wherein it is calling upon consumers and merchants across India to teach others on how to use Paytm to pay and accept money. The campaign is aimed at transforming user behavior and further accelerating the country’s ongoing shift from cash to digital payments. As a part of the drive, Paytm has also announced an incentive including Rs. one crore grand prize along with additional prizes like motorcycles, smartphones, laptops and other exciting gifts.

OBITUARY  

16. Veteran Hollywood actor Bernard Fox dies at 89

Veteran Hollywood actor Bernard Fox has died. He was 89. The Welsh-born performer, who starred in Bewitched and Hogan’s Heroes, passed away from heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital. His first acting role was on the first series to be broadcast on commercial television in the UK –  Sixpenny Corner in 1955. He worked steadily in British TV before crossing the Atlantic and carving out a similar career as a jobbing actor in the USA.