Latest Current Affairs – December 22 & 23 2018
1. 20-year-old Pune woman becomes the fastest Asian to cycle the globe
Vedangi Kulkarni, a 20-year-old cyclist from Maharashtra’s Pune, has become the fastest Asian to cycle the globe. Vedangi achieved the feat by completing the 29,000-km distance required to qualify as bicycling across the globe in 159 days. She reached Kolkata on Sunday after pedalling up to 300 km a day in 14 countries across the 159 days.
2. Former Mumbai Mayor and Padma Shri Nana Chudasama dies at 85
Former Mumbai Mayor and Padma Shri awardee Nana Chudasama died at the age of 85 in Mumbai. Chudasama was awarded Padma Shri in 2005 in recognition of his work in the social sector. “His two liner message board at the Marine Drive was a reflection of his personality,” Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said.
3. Nuclear-capable Agni-IV missile successfully test-fired
India successfully test-fired nuclear strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast as a part of user trial by the Army. The missile has a 4,000-km strike range and is equipped with advanced avionics, 5th generation on board computer and distributed architecture. This is the seventh trial of Agni-IV missile.
4. Manipur Assembly passes anti-mob violence bill
Manipur Assembly passed the ‘Manipur Protection from Mob Violence Bill’ to reduce the number of mob lynchings in the state. CM N Biren Singh, who holds charge of the Home Department moved the bill in the state Assembly. The bill recommends life imprisonment for those involved in mob violence if it results in the death of a victim.
5. RBI shortlists TCS, Wipro to set up Public Credit Registry
Reserve Bank of India has shortlisted six IT majors including TCS, Wipro and IBM India to set up Public Credit Registry (PCR) for capturing details of borrowers and wilful defaulters. The other shortlisted companies are Capgemini Technology Services India, Dun & Bradstreet Information Services India, and Mindtree. RBI aims to address information asymmetry and improve access to credit through PCR.
6. India marks National Mathematics Day in memory of Ramanujan
National Mathematics Day is celebrated on December 22, since 2012, after former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made the declaration to pay tribute to Srinivasa Ramanujan on his birth anniversary. Born into a Tamil family in Erode in 1887, the self-taught mathematician mastered Trigonometry by the age of 12 and independently compiled over 3,900 results before succumbing to ill-health, aged 32.
7. India overtakes Germany as world’s seventh biggest stock market
India’s stock market has overtaken Germany’s to become the seventh-largest in the world with a market capitalisation of $2.08 trillion. This is the first time in seven years that India moved past the equity market of Europe’s largest economy, according to Bloomberg. At $27.07 trillion, US is world’s biggest stock market, followed by China ($5.46 trillion) and Japan ($5.41 trillion).
8. India to host the first ever India China Film Festival strengthening the cultural understanding amidst
A three day India China Film Festival is set to begin in New Delhi from 22nd of December this year culminating on 24th of December. In order to strengthen and deepen cultural understanding between the two countries, the film festival is being organized during the first India-China High-Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges. Jackie Chan’s 2012 action movie “CZ12” will open the India-China Film Festival.
The three-day Festival will be organized at Siri Fort Auditorium II, New Delhi by the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Indian Government.
9. Union Government Launches Asiatic Lion Conservation Project
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project” to protect and conserve the population of Asiatic Lion and its associated ecosystem. The Asiatic Lion Conservation Project is aimed at the conservation and recovery of Asiatic Lion with the help of up to date techniques, instruments, regular scientific research studies, disease management, modern surveillance and patrolling techniques.
10. Famous classical singer Pandit Arun Bhaduri passed away at 75
Pandit Bhaduri was considered to be one of the masters of Bengali songs and bhajans. The veteran singer had served as a guru (teacher) at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, and was a top radio and television artiste. Pandit Bhaduri was trained in Indian music by Md A Daud and Md Sagiruddin Khan.
11. Merriam-Webster selects ‘Justice’ as its 2018 Word of the Year
Merriam Webster chooses its word of the year based on an increase in traffic and overall volume of traffic. They report “justice” saw a 74 percent increase year over year, taking it higher than other words that might have been “trendy” or “buzzed about.” The word follows “toxic,” picked by Oxford Dictionaries, and “misinformation,” plucked by Dictionary.com.
12. India retained highest Aviation Safety Ranking: US Watchdog FAA
US regulator Federation of Aviation Administration (FAA) retained the highest aviation safety ranking for India. According to FAA, India’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) rating remains ‘Category 1’. This ranking was based on an audit of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in July 2018.
13. Kabaddi World Cup Winning Captain Anup Kumar announced retirement
In his 15-year iconic career, Anup Kumar was part of the national team that won gold medals in 2010 and 2014. He won the Arjuna Award in 2012. He began his international career in 2006 at the South Asian Games in Sri Lanka and was the captain of the national team in 2014.
14. India, China hold first People-to-People Exchanges meeting
External Affair Minister Sushma and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi will co-chair the first-ever meeting of India-China High-Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges in New Delhi.
India and China decided to set up people to people mechanism during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in China.
15. Book ‘Changing India’ by Manmohan Singh released
Titled ‘Changing India’, the five-volume book, published by Oxford University Press, the book is being described as a definitive expression of the former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s perspectives on a wide range of economic, social and political issues as they evolved under his long and eventful career.
The economist-turned-politician enjoyed a ten-year-long stint as prime minister, heading the UPA government at the Centre from 2004 to 2014.
