Current Affairs Daily Digest – December 03 2019
1. Exercise HAND-IN-HAND 2019 to commence from 7 December
Exercise HAND-IN-HAND 2019 is to be conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya. The 8th India-China joint training is held under the United Nations mandate. The exercise will be held from 7-20 December 2019.
The aim of the Exercise HAND-IN-HAND 2019 is to practice joint planning and conduct of counter-terrorist operations in semi-urban terrain. The theme of the 14-day long training exercise is Counter-terrorism.
2. Intensified Mission Indra Dhanush 2.0 begins
Government has launched its flagship scheme ‘Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0’ to focus on full immunization coverage of 272 districts spread over 27 states and 652 blocks of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar among hard-to-reach and tribal populations. The Mission Indradhanush 2.0 will be carried out between December 2019 and March 2020.
3. Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize 2019: Author Tony Joseph book ‘Early Indians’ wins
English author Tony Joseph has won 12th ‘Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize’ for his 2018 book, ‘Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came’. Tony Joseph, a journalist-author won against four other debut writers and the award was announced Shakti Bhatt Foundation.
4. Punjab creates land banks to boost industrial production
The Punjab cabinet on December 2, 2019, approved the amendment of Punjab Village Common Land (Regulation) rules, 1964. It aims at creating land banks in rural areas to boost industrial development in the state.
5. India’s first Maritime Museum in Gujarat
The Government of India is planning to establish a National Maritime Heritage Museum at Lothal in Gujarat. The museum will also act as an independent research center for archaeology of boat building, reconstruction of maritime history and materials traded. It will hold display of salvaged materials from shipwreck sites in Indian Ocean waters.
6. Masatsugu Asakawa elected ADB president
Masatsugu Asakawa was elected to be president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) by its board of governors in Manila, the Philippines.
Asakawa, who is currently special advisor to Japan’s prime minister and finance minister, was unanimously elected by the bank’s board of governors. He is to assume office as the ADB’s 10th president on Jan. 17.
7. United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities observed on December 03
International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3) is an international observance promoted by the United Nations since 1992. It has been observed with varying degrees of success around the planet. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
Theme for 2019 – “Promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership: taking action on the 2030 Development Agenda”
8. Lewis Hamilton wins Abu Dhabi GP as Formula 1 season comes to an end
Lewis Hamilton celebrated his championship-winning season in style with a commanding victory in the last race of the Formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi. The Briton had already claimed his sixth career title but demonstrated one last time how dominant both he and Mercedes have been this year.
9. IFC to invest USD 200 million in Mahindra Finance
World Bank Group arm IFC on Monday said it has anchored an investment round of USD 200 million (about Rs 1,433 crore) in Mahindra and Mahindra Financial ServicesNSE -0.42 % to create a dedicated pool of financing for MSMEs in low-income states.
At least USD 100 million will be earmarked for women-owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), according to a release.
10. Lionel Messi Wins 2019 Ballon d’Or Prize For Record Sixth Time
Lionel Messi won a record sixth men’s Ballon d’Or award at a ceremony in Paris, beating Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to take the honours.
Now aged 32, it is Messi’s first Ballon d’Or since 2015 and his sixth overall as he moves one ahead of his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who finished third in the voting.
11. Walmart launches credit card in partnership with HDFC Bank
Walmart India, in partnership withHDFC Bank, launched a co-branded credit card exclusively for members of its Best Price Modern Wholesale “B2B Cash & Carry” stores, offering “free credit up to 50 days.
The card was launched here at Best Price Storeby Krish Iyer, president and CEO, Walmart India and Parag Rao, Country Head, Payments Business and Marketing, HDFC Bank.
12. Global Migration Film Festival organised in Dhaka
The Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) was organised in Dhaka. The day-long festival screened 15 films on the theme of migration and its various aspects. The GMFF started in 2016 and this year it is being organised across many cities in the world between 28 November to 18 December.
