Current Affairs Daily Digest – December 18 2019
1. Ellyse Perry named 2019 Best cricketer and ODI player
Ellyse Perry was named as women’s Best cricketer and ODI player of 2019. The announcement was made by the world governing body International Cricket Council (ICC).
Australian wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy was named the Best T20I Player. The top T20 cricketer won the title for a second straight year. Meg Lanning, the Australian team captain, was named skipper of the ICC’s 50-overs and T20 teams of the year 2019.
2. A start to be named after Indian Woman Scientist
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has accepted to name a white-yellow star in Sextans constellation and its Jupiter-like exoplanets. Until now, the stars were called HD 86081 and 86081b.
The star will be named Bibha and the orbiting exoplanet will be named Santamasa, a Sanskrit term for clouded. The move by IAU is aimed to bring the attention of the global countries to exoplanet research. Bibha Chowdhuri is a 20th-century Indian woman physicist.
3. NITI Aayog: Plans to include eggs, chicken and fish in PDS supply
The GoI think tank Niti Aayog on December 18, 2019, announced that it is considering options to include fish, chicken and eggs in the PDS (Public Distribution System). The move is expected to be included in Niti Aayog’s 15-year Vision Document to be published in 2020 and be effective from April 1, 2020.
4. CBI officer B. P. Raju wins India Cyber Cop of the Year 2019 award
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer B P Raju was awarded the ‘India Cyber Cop of the Year 2019’ during the Annual Information Security Summit held at Gurgaon, Haryana. He won the award for investigating and cracking a fraud case in an online entrance exam conducted by an engineering college in Rajasthan.
5. MSME Minister launches ‘Khadi Rumal’ stitched by militancy affected women of J&K
Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Nitin Gadkari launched the sale of ‘Khadi Rumal’ stitched by militancy affected women of Nagrota town of Jammu and Kashmir. The aim is to provide employment to the women in the terrorist affected areas as well as create employment opportunities for militancy affected families of J&K.
6. International Migrants Day is observed on December 18
On 18 December 1990, the General Assembly adopted a resolution on the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
Each year on Dec 18, the United Nations, through the UN-related agency International Organization for Migration(UN Migration), uses International Migrants Day to highlight the contributions made by the roughly 272 million migrants, including more than 41 million internally displaced persons, (IDPs) and the challenges they face.
Theme – We Together
7. UN Arabic Language Day is observed on December 18
UN Arabic Language Day is observed annually on December 18. The event was established by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2010 seeking “to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six of its official working languages throughout the organization”.
8. Veteran actor Shriram Lagoo passes away in Pune at 92
Veteran actor Shriram Lagoo passed away in Pune last night. The 92-year old actor died due to age-related ailments. Lagoo played important role in the growth of theatre movement in Maharashtra in the post-Independence era.
His roles in Marathi plays such as “Natsamrat” and “Himalayachi Saoli”, and films such as “Pinjra” made him popular. In Hindi, he essayed memorable roles in films such as “Ek Din Achanak”, “Gharonda” and “Lawaris”, to name a few.
9. India Now World’s 3rd Largest Producer Of Scientific Articles: US Report
India has emerged as the world’s third largest publisher of science and engineering articles, according to a latest US report.
China, which accounts for 20.67 per cent of all global publications in scientific articles, is at the top position, followed by the US at 16.54 per cent, as per the statistics compiled by the US National Science Foundation (NSF).
10. TAFE Chairman Mallika Srinivasan appointed to Global Board of US-India Business Council
Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman – Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited(TAFE), has been appointed to the Global Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’sU.S.-India Business Council (USIBC). This appointment takes immediate effect as she joins a prestigious list of CEOs and executives on USIBC’s 35-member board.
11. India, Germany ink pact for Rs 1,958 crore finance to develop energy-efficient housing programme
India has secured a USD 277 million (about Rs 1,900 crore) loan from Germany to establish an energy-efficient housing programme in the country.
A loan agreement has been signed between State Bank of India (SBI) and German development bank KfW for USD 277 million to establish an energy-efficient housing programme in India, SBI said in a release.
12. Aditya Mittal appointed chairman of Essar Steel
Aditya Mittal, son of ArcelorMittal chairman Lakshmi Mittal, has been appointed as the chairman of Essar Steel after the European major along with its Japanese partner took control of the local metal maker. ArcelorMittal holds 60% of Essar Steel while Nippon Steel owns the rest. Essar Steel’s CEO Dilip Oommen will continue to run the operations of the company.
13. Government E-commerce Portal (GEM) Launches National Outreach Programme ‘GeM Samvaad’
Government e-commerce portal GeM launched a national outreach programme, GeM Samvaad, to bring on-board more local sellers. The programme was launched by Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan.
