890compendium Dec 2016

Compendium- December, 2016
National
International
Appointments-National/International
Person Resigned/Retired
Sports
Honours/ Awards
Obituaries
Important Days
Foreign Visits / Foreign Visitors
National
Rajya Sabha passes Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2016

 Rajya Sabha has passed the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities Bill, 2016. The bill repeals Persons with
Disabilities (Equal Opportunity Protection of Rights
and Full Participation) Act of 1995.
 The bill comprehensively covers a whole spectrum of
problems from physical disabilities to mental illness
and multiple disabilities under it. It complies with the
UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
to which India became a signatory in 2007.
 Salient features of the bill Definition of disability:
It has defined based on an evolving and dynamic
concept to include 21 conditions as disable. Expands
the list of disabilities from seven to 21
 It also defines Persons with benchmark disabilities as
those with at least 40% of any of the above specified disabilities. Speech and Language
Disability and Specific Learning Disability have been added for the first time. Acid Attack
Victims have been included.
 Rights of persons with disabilities: Persons with disabilities (PwDs) shall have the right
to equality. They shall not be discriminated against on grounds of their disability. Rights
include protection from inhuman treatment and equal protection and safety in situations of
risk, humanitarian emergencies, natural disasters and armed conflict. All existing public
buildings shall be made accessible for disabled persons.
 Education and skill development: It provides for the access to inclusive education, self-
employment and vocational training to disabled persons. At least 5% seats in all
government institutions of higher education and those getting aid from the government are
required to reserve seats for persons with benchmark disabilities. Earlier it was only 3%.
 Employment: The Union and State governments will ensure that at least 4% of the
vacancies in identified establishments are filled by persons or class of persons with at least
40% of any of the disabilities. The reservation must be computed on the basis of total
number of vacancies in the strength of a cadre. Government can exempt any establishment
from this provision of reservation.
 Legal Capacity: Disabled persons have the equal right to own and inherit movable and
immovable property, as well as control their financial affairs in par with others.
 Guardianship: The district court may order guardianship to the disable person if found a
mentally ill person and not capable of taking care of himself or of taking legally binding
decisions.
 District level committees: It will be constituted by the State Governments to address local
concerns of PwDs. Details of their constitution and the functions of such committees would
be prescribed by the State Governments in the rules. Special Courts will be designated in
each district to handle cases concerning violation of rights of PwDs.
 Central and state advisory boards on Disability: They will be constituted Central and
State governments respectively. They will advise governments on policies and programmes
on disability. The will aslo review the activities of organisations dealing with disabled
persons.
 National and State Fund: It will be created to provide financial support to the persons
with disabilities. The existing National Fund for PwDs and the Trust Fund for
Empowerment of PwDs will be subsumed with the National Fund.
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of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.
 Punishment: It provides for imprisonment ranging from six months to two years, along
with a fine ranging from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 5 lakh, for discriminating against differently abled
persons.
Separatist Leader Masarat Alam Re-Arrested 48 Hrs after J-K HC Orders Release
 Firebrand separatist leader Masarat Alam was released from
Kathua prison in Jammu and taken back into police custody
immediately.
 The development came two days after the state HC quashed his
detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and ordered his
release.
 Alam is the chairman of the Muslim League and a constituent of
the Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference.
 He reportedly taken to the joint interrogation centre (JIC),
Jammu.
 Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar had held Alam’s detention illegal on several grounds
 He was detained under PSA for the first time on October 2, 1990, and since then, has been
booked under the Act 34 times by successive governments.
National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) Given Clearance to Ken-Betwa River Linking Project
 The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has
given its much-awaited clearance to the Ken-
Betwa inter-linking of rivers (ILR) project.
 The ILR project will benefit Uttar Pradesh
and Madhya Pradesh in terms of meeting
irrigation, drinking water and electricity
needs of people across six districts in the
two states.
 Since the project requires diversion of forest
land of Panna Tiger Reserve, it was required
a clearance by the Wildlife Board.
 Though environment and forest clearances
are also required for this project, these are
not major obstacles.
 The Ken-Betwa ILR project will transfer surplus water from the Ken river to the Betwa
basin through a 221-km canal.
 The concrete canal will pass through Jhansi, Banda and Mahoba districts of UP and
Chhatarpur, Panna and Tikamgarh districts of MP.
What is ILR project ?
 The Ken-Betwa link is one of the 30 inter-linking of river (ILR) projects, conceived by the
Centre.
 The Betwa or Betravati is a river in Northern India, and a tributary of the Yamuna.
 It is known as the Vetravati, the Betwa rises in the Vindhya Range just north of
Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh and flows north-east through Madhya Pradesh and
Orchha to Uttar Pradesh.
 Nearly half of its course, which is not navigable, runs over the Malwa Plateau.
 The confluence of the Betwa and the Yamuna Rivers is Hamirpur town in Uttar Pradesh, in
the vicinity of Orchha.
 While Ken River is one of the major rivers of the Bundelkhand region of central India, and
flows through two states, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is a tributary of the
Yamuna.
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 The Ken River originates near village Ahirgawan on the north-west slopes of Barner Range
in Jabalpur district and travels a distance of 427 km, before merging with the Yamuna at
Chilla village,district Banda in Uttar Pradesh
PM Narendra Modi launches UPI based mobile payment app called BHIM
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched UPI based mobile payment application called
BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) at the Digi Dhan
Mela held in Talkatora stadium, New Delhi.
 The app is rebranded version of UPI (Unified
Payment Interface) and USSD (Unstructured
Supplementary Service Data) for simpler digital
payments without cash.
Key Facts
 BHIM is Aadhaar-based payments app developed
by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). The app allows easily transferring
money or making a payment from your bank account using only phone number.
 It can work even on basic phones as it supports USSD payments. It has mobile wallet facility
in which money can be loaded. Using it anyone can directly connect their phone to bank
account like a debit card. The app also allows user to scan a QR code. The merchant can also
generate his QR code through the app.
 Payment can be done through scanning QR code. Merchants can also use the BHIM app to
receive money from a smartphone or Aadhaar Pay if customer has linked a bank account
and Aadhaar ID.
 Payments through this app are happening directly from and to bank accounts, so merchants
don’t have to worry about transferring wallet earnings to the bank account.
 All major UPI connected Indian banks accepts money through BHIM app. Even banks not
connected to UPI can receive money through BHIM through IFSC assigned to banks.
Classical Dance 'Kuchipudi' Creates Record, Place into Guinness Records

 Classical dance 'Kuchipudi' found a place in the Guinness World Records yet again.
 Kuchipudi is a classical dance belongs to Andhra
Pradesh.
 Guinness adjudicator declared that "Jayamu
Jayamu" item presented in unison by 6,117
dancers has created a new record.
 6100 Kuchipudi dancers performing dance during
the 5th International Kuchipudi Dance Convention
at IGM stadium in Vijayawada.
 In 2012, a similar feat was achieved when 5,900
dancers performed 'Kuchipudi' in Hyderabad.
 The "Maha Brunda Natyam" (grand group dance) was organised as part of the '5th
International Kuchipudi Dance Convention' organised by the state Department of Language
and Culture.
 "Jayamu Jayamu" is one of the glorious items of 'Kuchipudi' dance choreographed by the
legend Vempati China Satyam.
 This 12-minute item was chosen for this year's group dance at the event.
 Dancers from across the country as also from countries like US, UAE, UK, Russia, Hong Kong
and Mauritius took part in it.
 Ananda Tandavam, another hallmark 'Kuchipudi' composition by Vempati China Satyam,
presented by Madhavapeddi Murthy at the event stood as the highlight.
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 In 2010 also, over 2,500 'Kuchipudi' artistes had achieved a similar feat in Hyderabad (in
then undivided Andhra Pradesh).
Tribal development remains poor: Tribal Ministry report

 According to recently released annual report of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the
tribal population in India lags behind other social groups on
various social parameters.
 The tribal population lags in parameters such as child
mortality and infant mortality and women’s health,
education, poverty etc.
Key Highlights of report
 Vast majority of tribal population is engaged in agricultural
labour. It has the largest number of anaemic women.
 Mortality rates: The community also has registered the
highest child mortality and infant mortality rates compared to other social groups.
 Education: The gross enrolment ratio (GER) among tribal students in the primary school
level has declined from 113.2 in 2013-14 to 109.4 in 2015-16. Besides, dropout rate among
tribal students is alarming.
 Poverty: The overall poverty rates among the tribal population have fallen compared to
previous years. They remain relatively poor when weighed against other social groups.
 Health infrastructure: It has also been found wanting in tribal areas. There is a shortfall of
6,796 sub-centres, 1,267 primary health centres (PHCs) and 309 community health centres
(CHCs) in the tribal areas at an all-India level as on March 31, 2015.
 Gaps in rehabilitation: There are gaps in the rehabilitation of the tribal community
members displaced by development projects. Only 21 lakh tribal community members have
been rehabilitated so far of the estimated 85 lakh persons displaced due to development
projects and natural calamities.
Madras High Court bans unauthorised Sharia courts in Tamil Nadu

 The Madras High Court has banned all unauthorised Sharia courts in mosques across Tamil
Nadu, saying centres of worship were only to be used
for religious purposes.
 The court’s pronouncement came in response to a PIL
filed by a non-resident Indian mentioning that such
sharia courts are operating as a court of law from
mosques and dealt largely with matrimonial disputes,
even going to the extent of passing divorce orders.
 Madras High Court Judgement Complete ban on all unauthorised Sharia courts functioning
in premises of mosques. Religious places and other places of worships are meant only for
religious purposes.
 Tamil Nadu State government to ensure that such unauthorised courts do not function.
 Background: Earlier in 2014, Supreme Court had refused to ban Sharia courts saying the
interpretations made by Islamic judges and are not legally binding. It even held that these
courts could pass verdicts only when individuals submit to them voluntarily.
India Ranked 4th in Global Wind Power Installed Capacity Index

 India ranked 4th in the Global Wind Power Installed Capacity index with cumulative
installed wind power generation capacity of 25,088 MW in 2015. The index was released
was released as part Global Wind Report: Annual Market, flagship publication of the Global
Wind Energy Council (GWEC).
Key facts
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 The index was topped by China, followed by US and Germany with cumulative installed
wind power generation capacity of 145362 MW, 74471 MW and 44947 MW respectively.
 Both Europe and the US markets performed better than expected and the European
offshore sector set a new record, installing just over 3 GW. Canada, Mexico and Brazil all
had strong years.
 South Africa was the first market in Africa to pass the 1,000 MW in 2015 and alongside
Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia and Kenya were also leading development in that market.
 Brazil continues to lead in Latin America, followed by Chile and Uruguay and a potentially
very large market is just now opening up in Argentina. India has achieved the largest-ever
wind power capacity addition of 3,423 MW in 2015-16, exceeding the target by 44%.
Jammu and Kashmir has no sovereignty: SC

 The Supreme Court in a landmark verdict held that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part
of India and did not enjoy sovereign status, either
under its constitution or that of India.
 The apex court made this observation while hearing
on appeal filed by State Bank of India (SBI) and other
banks over the issue of recovery of loans under
Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets
and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act,
2002.
 It affirmed that J&K’s constitution was subordinate to the Indian Constitution and its
permanent residents were Indian citizens.
What is the issue?
 The SBI and other banks had appealed against Jammu and Kashmir High Court verdict
given in July 2015. The J&K HC had held that the SARFAESI Act, 2002 enacted by the
Parliament was not valid in respect of the permanent residents of the state as it collides
with the Transfer of Property Act of Jammu & Kashmir, 1920.
 It had held that law made by Parliament which affects the laws made by a State legislature
cannot be extended to J&K.
 In its judgment, the HC had repeatedly referred to the sovereignty of the state and held that
Section 5 of the Constitution of J&K gives absolute sovereign power to state to legislate in
respect of laws touching the rights of its permanent residents qua their immovable
properties.
 Supreme Court Verdict set aside HC verdict and held that Section 3 of the constitution of
J&K, states that the state of J&K is and shall be an integral part of the Union of India. This
provision is beyond the pale of amendment.
 Thus, it is clear that J&K has no vestige of sovereignty outside the Constitution of India and
its own constitution, which is subordinate to the Constitution of India. Preamble to the
J&K’s constitution also does not talk about sovereignty of citizens of the state.
 Thus, J&K HC has gone out of its way “to refer to a sovereignty which does not exist.
Permanent residents of J&K are citizens of India and there is no dual citizenship as is
contemplated by some other federal Constitutions in other parts of the world.
 Therefore, it is wholly incorrect to describe it as being sovereign in the sense of its
residents constituting a separate and distinct class in themselves. The provisions of the
SARFAESI Act, 2002, are within the legislative competence of Parliament and can be
enforced in J&K.
 Note: SARFAESI Act’s provision entitles banks to auction properties to recover loans.
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NIA Court Awards Death Sentence To Yasin Bhatkal, Four Others In Hyderabad Blast
Case
 An NIA special court in Cherlapally Central Prison
sentenced to death Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin
Bhatkal and four others in the Dilsukhnagar twin blasts
case.
 The court calls it a rarest of rare case for planning and
execution.
 The NIA court had on December 13 convicted Yasin
Bhatkal, Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas,
Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tahaseen Akhtar alias Monu
and Aijaz Sheikh after finding them guilty of carrying out the Dilsukhnagar blasts that killed
eighteen people.
 All six were convicted under sections 302, 307, 324, 326, 121, 122, 201 read with 120B of
the IPC, Sections 3 & 5 of The Explosives Substances Act and section 18, 19, 20, 38 (2), 39
(2) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.
 Yasin Bhatkal, 4 Others Get Death Sentence in Hyderabad Blast Case
 The court observed that the case was rare because of the manner in which the accused
conspired and planned to place bombs and ‘create mayhem and terror’.
 The main accused Riyaz Bhatkal is still absconding.
 After the court convicted them on December 13, the five convicts had written separate
letters to the judge alleging that they were wrongly framed by the NIA, and that the trial
was biased.
 Yasin hails from Bhatkal in Karnataka, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi belongs to UP; Zia-ur-
Rehman is from Pakistan; Tahseen Akhtar is from Bihar; and Aijaz Shaikh is from
Maharashtra.
 Akhar and Bhatkal were arrested by NIA on August 29, 2013 from the Nepal border in
Bihar. Akhtar was also accused of smuggling the explosive materials from Mangalore to
Hyderabad.
 They brought it to Hyderabad where they joined Tahseen and they prepared two
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) using pressure cookers.
 They conducted a test blast at Abdullahpurmet in a hillock on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
India Surpasses United Kingdom in GDP for The First Time In Nearly 150 Years
 India has managed to overtake UK's GDP first time in nearly 150 years.
 The shift has been driven by India's rapid economic growth
over the past 25 years.
 The report also gave credit to fall in the value of the pound
for India's significant rise in GDP.
 IMF forecast the GDP growth at 7.6 % in 2016-17.
 India would add $174 billion to its GDP next year, taking its
economy size to $2.46 trillion.
 It is possible owing to Britain's recent Brexit-related
problems and thanks to India's rapid economic growth.
 India has managed to overtake its erstwhile colonial master United Kingdom in terms of the
size of the economy - the first time after nearly 150 years.
 The economic think-tank Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) had, in
December 2011, forecasted that India would become the "fifth largest by 2020" but India
has crossed this significant milestone much sooner.
 India overtakes UK & becomes 5th largest GDP after USA, China, Japan & Germany.
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 On October 8, this year, International Monetary Fund (IMF) too had predicted India to
surpass Europeans by the end of the fiscal.
 India is the seventh largest economy worth $2.29 trillion - just $50 billion less than the
current UK's GDP.
India's Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) Decreases

 India’s maternal mortality rate (MMR) has steadily decreased over time.
 The report is published by Jean McEwan, Professor of Clinical
Education and Consultant Cardiologist, Royal Devon and
Exeter Hospital, UK.
 The maternal mortality rate is the annual number of female
deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or
aggravated by pregnancy or its management.
 It excluds accidental or incidental causes.
 According to a review of 124 deaths published in 2014,
23.4%, 17.7%, 4.8% and 14% maternity deaths were caused in India due to postpartum
haemorrhage, anaemia, antepartum haemorrhage and severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia.
 For early diagnosis and treatment, diuretics during pregnancy is very important for those
who have heart problem, she added.
 Hypertension was the most common problem encountered during pregnancy.
 The report was declared at 'Medicon International 2016' organised jointly by Peerless
Hospital and B K Roy Research Centre, Association of Physicians of India (West Bengal
Chapter) and UK's Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
Majuli set to become country’s first ever carbon neutral district

 Assam government has launched
‘Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient
Development in Majuli’ (SACReD, Majuli) to
make river island Majuli country’s first ever
Carbon Neutral district by 2020.
 The project has been initiated by Assam’s
department of Environment and Forest to
combat climate change and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. It presents a vision and roadap for a carbon netural Majuli.
Key Facts
 SACReD, Majuli project is part of the French Development Agency assisted Assam Project
on Forest and Biodiversity Conservation (APFBC). Under it, mitigation through forestry
activities and biodiversity conservation will be the starting points for carbon neutral
agenda followed by other interventions over the next three years.
 The project will be designed and implemented in partnership with other departments of
island district for which a district level committee under chairmanship of Deputy
Commissioner has been constituted.
PSLV-C 37 Scheduled For Launch on January 27: ISRO

 The next PSLV-C37 will put into orbit a record number of 83 satellites is being scheduled
for launch on January 27, 2017.
 The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSP) has received the 100th
nozzle for a PSLV rocket from city based Resins and Allied
Productions.
 Already, six PSLVs had been launched in 2016.
 The ISRO was planning to launch 12 to 18 PSLVs in a year.
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 The 100th nozzle that was custom-built by Vijayawada based industry Resins and Allied
Products (RAP) would be used in the historic PSLV that would launch a record 83 satellites.
 Now, there is demand from foreign countries to send their satellites on PSLV rockets
because they have launched as per schedule and are reliable.Presently, the director of the
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre is K Sivan.
The SC Ordered Closure of All Liquor Shops Along National And State Highways In India
 India’s apex court ,the Supreme Court on 15 December 2016 ordered closure of all liquor
shops along national and state highways in the
country.
 This order will come into effect from 1 April 2017.
 A bench is led by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur.
 It has directed the Central and state governments to
“cease and desist” from issuing liquor licenses
situated on national and state highways.
 No new license for a liquor-vend along highways shall
be granted henceforth.
 Further, the court added that no liquor shops should even be visible from highways and no
such shop should be allowed at least within a radius of 500 metres.
 The court highlighted the significance of road safety and menace of drunken driving while
issuing the order.
 The bench set a deadline of 1 April 2017 for expiry of all existing licences and directed the
authorities to ensure strict compliance with its order.
Gorakhpur and Anand Vihar (Ghaziabad) Humsafar Express Launched

 The first Humsafar Express was launched by Indian Railways.
 It is the new series of express trains for inter-city
overnight journeys designed specifically for middle-
class passengers.
 This first Humsafar train is running between two
destinations i.e. Gorakhpur and Anand Vihar
(Ghaziabad).
 Humsafar Express, made up entirely of AC III coaches, targets middle class passenger group
for inter-city overnight journeys.
 It was flagged off by Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu through video conferencing.
 The train features numerous features meant to provide luxury to middle-class passengers
such as CCTV.
 Global Positioning System (GPS)-based passenger information system, mobile and laptop
charging points, integrated braille display for the visually impaired, smoke detection and
suppression system and a high quality exterior and interior design among others.
 The first group of Humsafar coaches, including power cars, has been manufactured at
Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.
Punjab Government Launches India’s First Amphibious Bus Project

 Punjab Government has launched country’s first amphibious bus project at the Harike
wetland near Amritsar.
 The amphibious bus named as “Harike Cruise” travels on land and as well as in water.
 It was launched by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
 The first of its kind amphibious bus in India was imported from Swedish automobile
company Scania. It will be run by the Punjab Tourism department.
 The project has cost the state government over Rs 11 crore.
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 It has a seating capacity of 34 people and is equipped with life-jackets for everyone.
 The route of bus includes a 13 km ride from Amritsar to Harike wetlands.
 It will then traverse 4km on water.
 It covers the distance in 45 minutes.
 Harike Wetland is largest wetland in northern India.
 It borders of Tarn Taran Sahib and Ferozepur district of
Punjab.
 The wetland and the Harike lake were formed by
constructing the headworks (dams) across the confluence of
the Beas and Sutlej rivers in 1953.
 It supports rich biodiversity which plays a vital role in
maintaining the precious hydrological balance in the
catchment area.
 It was designated Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance in March 1990.
 It has provides ecological support to migratory fauna and number of globally threatened
species such as Indus dolphins and Gharials.
'Digishala’: The New 24-Hour TV Channel Launched By MeitY

 The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched a new 24-
hour TV channel with the primary objective of pushing digital
transactions.
 The name of the channel is ‘DigiShala’.
 ‘DigiShala’ will enable and empower every citizen of the
country, especially farmers, students, dalits and women in
rural areas, to learn the usefulness and benefits of digital
payment in our everyday life.
 The channel will inform and educate about various digital
payment options through step by step demos of digital payments using UPI, USSD, Aadhaar-
enabled payment systems, e-wallets and cards.
 The channel would be managed by Doordarshan (DD) and piggyback on its infrastructure.
Originally it has only three to four hours of original content.
Triple Talaq Unconstitutional, Violates Rights of Muslim Women: Allahabad High Court
 The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the practice of triple talaq (Talaq-e-bidat) among
Muslims is unconstitutional.
 It violates the rights of women enshrined in
constitution.
 The order was passed by HC Justice Suneet Kumar
while hearing a petition filed by a woman who
claimed her husband arbitrarily divorced her.
 The High Court also held that No Personal Law Board
is above the Constitution.
 It was indirectly referring to All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB).
 Talaq-e-bidat is Muslim man divorcing his wife unilaterally by pronouncing the word ‘talaq’
thrice in one go.
 Thus, it is oral talaq pronounced for irrevocable instantaneous divorce at one go.
 Many activists say that this practice is not of Islamic origin.
 AIMPLB, a non-government organisation always has held that Talaq-e-bidat is integral part
of Muslims and courts have no role to play in Personal Law as it falls under the
Fundamental Right to practice religion.
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 Supreme Court is also hearing a petition challenging the validity of triple talaq, as several
individuals and NGOs have sought a ban on its practice.
 Even, the National Commission of Women (NCW) considers it “highly misused” custom and
asked Government to scrap it to protect the rights of Muslim women.
 The practice of ‘triple talaq’ has enabled husbands to divorce their wives arbitrarily and
unilaterally, devoid of any substantiation.
 It impact adversely on the rights of women to a life of dignity.
 It also has been abolished in 21 Islamic theocratic countries including Pakistan. It is also
against constitutional principles such as gender equality, secularism, international laws etc.
Thus, it must be kept in mind that gender equality is a sacred principle of our constitution
and modern society. So it is right time to make necessary changes.
 The Central Government in its affidavit submitted to Supreme Court held that the practice
of Triple talaq is against the principles of gender equality, gender justice and dignity
enshrined in the Constitution. It is not integral to the right to freedom of religion.
 It violates right to equality, non-discrimination on the grounds of sex and the right to live
with dignity to women in par with men guaranteed in the Constitution.
Mumbai among World’s Top Trending Tourist Spots For 2017

 According to a survey by Booking.com, the financial and entertainment capital of India
Mumbai is likely to be among the world’s top trending
destinations for 2017.
 The city has an increase in domestic and international
tourist flow as a new survey has found the city
 Mumbai has recorded increased volume of travel and higher
than average growth in bookings, while moving up 10
places among the most searched destinations relative to last
year.
 The data experts at Booking.com analysed the top 300 destinations based on growth in
search and bookings to find the most up-and-coming places to visit in 2017.
 Besides Mumbai, the other top trending destinations recorded are :-
 Reykjavik (Iceland), Cairns (Australia), Savannah (US), Puerto Rico, Kyoto (Japan) and
Jericoacoara (Brazil).
 The survey revealed technology is fuelling a more demanding and impatient traveller.
 About 44 % of travellers already expect to be able to plan their holiday in a few simple taps
of their smart phone and over half (52%) expect their use of travel apps to increase next
year.
 Of the 40 % of global travellers who journeyed for business this year, 46 % think they will
travel even more for business in 2017.
 About 49 % of business travellers already extend their trips to further enjoy the
destination, while three quarters (75%) intend to do so the same or more in the coming
year.
 The New Year promises to see travellers unleashing their inner explorer like never before.
 About 45 % plan to be more adventurous in their choice of destination, while 47 % would
like to explore corners of the globe that none of their friends have been to.
 Over 56 % of travellers would like to do more independent travel in 2017, a trend more
prevalent amongst those from Brazil, India, the US, China and Thailand.
 Top destinations where Indians can indulge their pioneering spirit include Indonesia,
Turkey, New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines.
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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) To Launch Resourcesat-2A on Dec 7

 Indian Space Research Organisation will launch Earth observation satellite Resourcesat-2A
on board a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C36)
on December 7.
 PSLV-C36 carrying the 1235kg Resourcesat-2A will lift
off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space
Centre in Sriharikota, situated around 100km from
Chennai, at 10.24am. It will be PSLV's 38th flight.
 Eighteen minutes later, the satellite will be placed in
an 817km polar sun-synchronous orbit.
 Resourcesat-2A is a remote sensing satellite intended
for resource monitoring. It is a follow-on mission to Resourcesat-1 and Resourcesat-2,
which were launched in 2003 and 2012 respectively.
 Resourcesat-2A is expected to continue the remote sensing data services to global users
provided by its previous satellites.
 The satellite will carry three payloads which are similar to those of Resourcesat-1 and
Resourcesat-2. They are high resolution Linear Imaging Self Scanner (LISS-4) camera
operating in three spectral bands in the visible and near infrared region (VNIR) with a 5.8m
spatial resolution.
 The second payload is the medium resolution LISS-3 camera operating in three-spectral
bands in VNIR and one in short wave infrared (SWIR) band with 23.5m spatial resolution.
 The third payload is a coarse resolution Advanced Wide Field Sensor camera operating in
three spectral bands in VNIR and one band in SWIR with 56m spatial resolution.
 The satellite will also carry two solid state recorders with a capacity of 200 gigabits each to
store the images taken by its cameras, which the ground stations can later access.
TeamIndus to Launch India’s First Private Moon Mission In 2017

 TeamIndus, a private aerospace company is planning to send a spacecraft to the moon
aboard an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
rocket on December 28, 2017.
 It will be India’s first private moon mission to be
launched.
 It will be launched onboard of ISRO’s workhorse Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
 TeamIndus moon mission’s aim is to land this
spacecraft on the moon.
 It will also travel at least 500 metres and beam high-
definition images, video and data back to the earth.
 Except for the launch vehicle, all of the technology that will power the lander and rover will
be developed in-house by TeamIndus.
 For launching purpose TeamIndus has signed an agreement Antrix, the commercial arm of
ISRO. ISRO’s workhorse PSLV will launch the TeamIndus’s spacecraft in a three-day
window centred on December 28, 2017.
 After completing a rotation around the earth, the spacecraft will land in 21 days at Mare
Imbrium, a region in the North-Western hemisphere of the Moon.
 If the mission goes successful, it would likely pip ISRO’s proposed moon-lander mission -
Chandrayaan 2.
 It launch date is not yet formally announced. Background TeamIndus is one of the four
international teams and the only one from India that are running for the Google Lunar
XPRIZE, a $30 million competition.
 The competition aims to encourage private companies to launch space missions.
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 Other three international teams include two US based companies, Moon Express and
Synergy Moon and one Israeli company SPACE 1 L.
 So far, all of them have announced agreements with space-launch-vehicle companies such
as SpaceX.
 TeamIndus is Bengaluru-based private aerospace company. It is led by Rahul Narayan.
 It has 100-member team of engineers, space enthusiasts, former Air Force pilots and
former ISRO employees.
 It has high-profile investors, including Ratan Tata of the Tata Group; Binny and Sachin
Bansal, co-founders of Flipkart and Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys
Karnataka State has Highest FDI in Domestic Investments in India

 Karnataka has consistently maintained its position as the most prominent destination for
the information technology industry in the country, accounting for around 30% of the
nation’s software services exports.
 At the same time, the state government is keen on a collaborative route with the industry to
nurture new technologies such as AI, robotics and IoT.
 The government’s annual flagship event BengaluruITE.biz is expected to create the
platform.
 Karnataka as the most investor-friendly state when it comes to technology and electronics.
 Karnataka has India’s first centre of excellence for IoT in Bengaluru.
 Karnataka has the highest investments in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) and as
well as domestic in the IT sector.
 MNCs are setting up their R&D centres in the state which is a validation of state’s policies
and the conducive environment.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana-2016 on Declaration of Black Money by Govt

 The Union Government has announced a new scheme on declaration of black money.
 It envisages tax rate of 50% and provision for locking
up a quarter of the declared income for four years.
 The name of the scheme is Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan Yojana.
 The scheme will be in effect till 30 December 2016.
 This scheme is quite similar to the Income Declaration
Scheme (IDS).
 It has offered a four-month window to make
declaration till 30 September 2016, except that the tax rate is higher at 50% and 25% of the
declared income will be locked in for four years.
 On the other hand higher taxes and stiffer penalty of up to 85% await those who don’t
disclose but are caught.
 With Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana 2016, the government has tried to link black
money declaration with poor welfare.
 The 25% locked-up funds will be deposited in a anti-poverty scheme without interest.
 This scheme will be notified by the government in consultation with the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI).
India Ranked 102nd on Enabling Cross Border Trade: WEF

 India has improved its ranking by four places to 102nd position among 136 economies in
terms of enabling cross border trade according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).
 The ‘Global Enabling Trade Report 2016’ published by WEF and the Global Alliance for
Trade Facilitation assesses the performance of 136 economies by way of Enabling Trade
Index (ETI).
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 Singapore is leading the top ten economies that are enabling trade across borders followed
by the Netherlands and Hong Kong SAR at second and third places, respectively.
 Among the Brics nations, India, China and South Africa have improved their ranking from
the previous edition.
 While India’s position has jumped four slots to 102, that of South Africa has improved three
places to 55 while that of China stood at 61 compared with the previous ranking of 63.
ISRO To Launch 83 Satellites In One Go In Jan. 2017

 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch 83 satellites, 80 of them being
foreign, in one go in January next year.
 80 satellites weighing 500 kg belong to five foreign
countries - Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands,
Switzerland and the U.S.
 These international customer satellites are being
launched as part of the commercial arrangement
between them and Antrix Corporation Ltd., the
commercial arm and PSU under the ISRO.
 The Department of Space comes under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
 It will be the first of its kind mission in the ISRO’s space history.The three Indian satellites
are Cartosat-2 series weighing 730 kg as primary payload, INS-IA and INS-1B, totally
weighing 30 kg.
Joint maritime exercise ‘Konkan 16’ between India and UK begins

 The annual bilateral maritime exercise Konkan 16 between the Indian Navy and the Royal
Navy (British Navy) started in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
 The 2016 edition of the exercise (from 05 to 16 December 2016) was playing an important
chapter in the maritime interactions. It will familiarise navies of both countries with each
other’s planning processes and further enhance synergy and inter-operability.
 Union Government launches Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative. A part of Union

Government’s flagship Swachh Bharat Mission, the Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative is
focused on dual objectives of constructing toilets and enabling behavioural change.
 Union Government approves ordinance to penalize possession of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000
notes. As per the ordinance, anyone holding of the cancelled notes beyond a limit after 31
March 2017, then this act of him or her will be treated as a criminal offence.
 Health Ministry, AIIMS to set up National Death Registry. This registry will maintain a
nationwide database about the causes of deaths occurring in hospitals in various regions of
India.
 Union Government releases funds of Rs 1981 crore for Polavaram irrigation project.
Polavaram Project or Indira Sagar Project of Andhra Pradesh is expected to be completed
by the year 2019.
 MEA launched 'Twitter Seva' for passport and consular services. The Twitter Seva service
of the Union Ministry of External Affairs seeks to resolve passport and consular services
related queries in a speedy and transparent manner.
 Union Government launches 'Smart Consumer' mobile app. The centre launched will
encourage consumers to opt for pre-litigation and will also provide them with an option to
settle disputes harmoniously.
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 Registration fee for Pakistani Hindus as Indian citizens reduced from Rs 15000 to Rs 100.
Minority communities such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians will be
benefited by such decision of the Union Government.
 Pranab Mukherjee gives assent to Enemy Property Ordinance. President Pranab Mukherjee
promulgated the Enemy Property Ordinance for the fifth time in a span of one year. The
ordinance was promulgated for the first time in January 2016 under the Article 123 of the
constitution.
 Union Cabinet approves ordinance to amend Payment of Wages Act, 1936. The present law
states that all the payment of wages should be made in cash with a provision of taking
written permission from the employees to pay them either by cheque, or by crediting the
wages to his or her bank account.
 North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy inaugurated in Shillong. The North
Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy will help in the growth of health care
sector, tourism industry and herbal-agro plantations.
 Union Government launches GARV-II mobile app and citizen engagement window SAMVAD.
This new version of GARV app will map the data of about 6 lakh villages having 17 crore
people on household electrification.
 Union Government forms high-level task force on Indus Water Treaty. This task force will
be headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra. The
other members of the team include NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar.
 Centre to set up single tribunal to decide inter-state water disputes. The Union government
has proposed the creation of one permanent Tribunal. It will be chaired by a retired judge
of the Supreme Court.
 Sushma Swaraj named 2016 'Global Thinker' by Foreign Policy magazine. Swaraj’s name
featured in the ‘decision makers’ category along with the names of other world-renowned
leaders such as US Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, former UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-Moon and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
 Union Government sanctioned Rs 30 crore for Solar City Programme. The programme aims
to consolidate all the previous initiatives of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy to address the energy problem of the urban areas in a holistic manner.
 Union Cabinet approves India’s approach to Climate Change Negotiations at COP22. India’s
approach was aimed at safeguarding the interest of vulnerable groups by emphasizing on
adaptation, loss and damage, and protecting the development space. It integrated the
interest of all strata of society in the country.
 Union Cabinet approves MoU between ISRO and United States Geological Survey. ISRO first
received the Landsat data during 1984 to 2001 through its ground station at Shadnagar.
Data from Landsat series of satellites that are operated by USGS was used by Indian
scientists.
 Union Cabinet approves agreement between India and Tajikistan for avoidance of double
taxation. Once the protocol enters into force, it will enable sharing of information, that is
exchanged under Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), with other law
enforcement agencies for non tax purposes.
 Child born out of rape entitled to compensation: Delhi HC. The bench held that a child born
out of rape, either of a woman who is an adult or minor is a victim of the act of the offender
and is entitled to compensation.
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 SC modifies National Anthem order exempts differently abled. The court that posted the
plea for detailed hearing on 14 February also clarified that doors of theatres need not be
bolted when the National Anthem is played.
 Income earned from palace rent not taxable: SC. Moreover, the court also smacked the
Income Tax department for registering such case despite their income being exempted
under Section 10(19A) of the IT Act, 1961.
 Indian Railways makes Aadhaar Card mandatory for availing senior citizen benefits. From 1
January to 31 March 2017, requirement of Aadhaar verification for getting concessional
tickets for senior citizens will be optional.
 Union Government launches Stanpan Suraksha mobile app to promote breastfeeding. It is
first-of-its-kind app that aims to promote breastfeeding and baby food promotion reporting
mechanism.
 Supreme Court approves action plan to tackle air pollution in Delhi NCR. The court also
directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to upgrade its existing infrastructure
and set up additional monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR within six months.
 Supreme Court orders Status Quo on Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal land. A bench comprising
Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Amitava Roy also made it clear that receivers
cannot take over the possession of the land meant for the SYL canal project.
 Union Cabinet approves rehabilitation package for displaced families from PoK. Under the
package of Rs 2000 crore, Rs 5.5 lakh cash benefit will be disbursed to each displaced
families to enable them to earn an income and subsist their livelihood.
 Union Government announced Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana awards.
The Lucky Grahak Yojana was launched for Consumers, while the Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana
for Merchants.
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Char Dham highway
development project or Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
The Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna is an ambitious initiative to improve connectivity
to the Char Dham pilgrimage centres in the Himalayas.
 The Central Government has target to implement projects worth over Rs 5 lakh crore under
the ambitious Sagarmala initiative before completion of its tenure in May 2019. Out of the
Rs 12 lakh crore, around Rs 8 lakh crore will be pumped into industrial clusters while the
remaining Rs 4 lakh crore will go to port rail and port road connectivity, mechanisation and
modernisation of ports.
 The Ministry of Home has cancelled the licences of around 20,000 of 33,000 NGOs after
they were found to be allegedly violating various provisions of the Foreign Contribution
Regulation Act (FCRA). Now ,the NGOs are barring them from receiving foreign funds.
 The Union Ministry for Petroleum & Natural Gas has met the 1.5-crore target for LPG
connections that were to be added under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in the
2016-17 financial year. This Target was achieved within a span of less than eight months
since the launch of the scheme which is implemented across 35 States/UTs.
 The surface-to-surface missile long range ballistic missile Agni-V was successfully test-fired
from Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast, recently. This is the fourth success in a row of
Agni-V. It can carry a nuclear warhead weighing 1.5 tonnes over a distance of more than
5,000 km.
 A group of scientists from IIT Gandhinagar has developed irrigation maps of India. The
high-resolution maps of major agroecological zones are available from 2000 on wards. The
maps will be updated every year.
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 Recently, Google has launched Railwire Wi-Fi at Udhagamandalam (Ooty) which is its 100th
Station. Google has been partnership with Indian railways RailTel since January 2016. It is
going to fulfilling the commitment to bring high-speed Internet to 100 railway stations by
the end of 2016.
 India’s apex court appointed a 12-member expert committee to oversee the translocation of
Asiatic lions from Sasan Gir in Gujarat to Kuno-Palpur in Madhya Pradesh. The panel was
formed by the apex court in 2013. It concluded its maiden visit to Kuno-Palpur ,recently.
 The fourth test of the stealth missile Nirbhay land-attack cruise missile has failed.The
missile is designed to carry nuclear warheads to a strike range of 1,000-km. The Nirbhay is
a stealth missile in the making for almost a decade now.
 India’s telecom regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended
limited amount of free data for rural subscribers on monthly basis. It is an effort to aid
government's drive toward 'cashless economy'. Telecom regulator TRAI is pushing for
giving 100 MB of free internet data to smart-phone subscribers in rural areas every month.
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid foundation stone of the country's first Indian
Institute of Skills (IIS) in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The main aim is to make India the Skill
Capital of the World.
 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has opposed a move to establish a separate entity to
regulate payments and settlements. It is a function which is currently under the central
bank’s purview. Earlier, in September 2016, the Centre had set up a 11-member committee
on Digital Payments.
 Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has announced that a decision has been taken to ban
Hookah bars across the state.The Gujarat Cabinet approved an ordinance to effect
necessary amendments in the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) of 2003.
 Software giant Microsoft India has launched its first full-scale Cyber-security Engagement
Centre (CSEC) in capital of India, New Delhi. It is Microsoft’s seventh Cyber-security Centre
in the world.
 According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India has the highest malaria burden
after Africa in the world. India will need an investment of $18 billion to achieve its 2030
deadline to eliminate the disease. Malaria cases in India almost halved between 2000 and
2014, from 20 lakh to 11 lakh, with around 7.5 lakh cases and 188 deaths recorded till
September this year.
 A nationwide toll-free helpline number '14444' will be launched soon to educate people
and provide support related to cashless mode of transactions. Government has already
launched a TV channel and a website to promote digital payments. The service is expected
to be operational within a week.
 The central government has freed seven airports of India ‘tag-free’ for hand baggage as part
of the trials to scrap security stamping procedure. These airports are - New Delhi, Mumbai,
Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad
 President Pranab Mukherjee has launched the ambitious campaign of Nobel laureate
Kailash Satyarthi. It aims to mobilise 100 million youth and children for 100 million
underprivileged children across the world.
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International
UNESCO includes Yoga in Intangible Cultural Heritage list

 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has
formally inscribed Yoga in its representative list of
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
 Decision in this regard was taken by the Inter-
governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting held in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia. The declaration describes Yoga, an
ancient Indian practice as a Human Treasure. It was
unanimously supported by all the 24 members of
inter-governmental Committee.
 Other new inscriptions added in the list are Rumba dance (Cuba), Belgian beer (Belgium),
Almezmar (Saudi Arabia), Kuresi (Kazakhstan) and Khidr Elias feast (Iraq), Yama, Hoko,
Yatai, float festivals (Japan), Momoeria, New Year’s celebration (Greece), practice of
organizing shared interests in cooperatives (Germany)
 Making and sharing flatbread (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan), Culture of Jeju Haenyeo
(South Korea), Gada system (Ethiopia),Tahteeb, stick game (Egypt), Music and dance of the
merengue (Dominican Republic), Valencia Fallas festivity (Spain), Solar Term(China),
Mangal Shobhajatra on Pahela Baishakh(Bangladesh).
Background
 The proposal for inclusion of Yoga in this list was forwarded by the Union Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA) immediately after the first International Yoga Day was on 21st June
2016.
 The dossier in this regard was forwarded by MEA through the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
India’s proposal for nominating Yoga had stressed upon its pan-Indian and global expanse,
health benefits and practised by people from all communities.
About UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage
 The UNESCO’s coveted list is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help
demonstrate diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance. It was
established in 2008 after Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage, 2003 came into effect.
 It compiles two lists viz. Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
and List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
 Now, the list includes 814 cultural sites, 203 natural and 35 with both cultural and natural
qualities.
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity from India
 Koodiyattam: Sanskrit Theatre of Kerala.
 Mudiyett: theatre ritual of Kerala. Tradition of Vedic Chanting.
 Kalbelia: folk songs and dances of Rajasthan.
 Ramlila: Traditional Performance of the Ramayana.
 Sankirtana: singing, drumming and dancing ritual of Manipur.
 Ramman: religious festival and ritual theatre of Garhwal Himalayas.
 Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil of Thatheras: Punjab.
 Chhau dance: classical Indian dance originated in the eastern Indian states.
 Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in Ladakh region of
Jammu and Kashmir.
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“Heart of Asia Conference” Begins With Focus on Tackling Terror in Region at Amritsar
 The conference of major regional and global powers began at Amritsar holy city to explore
ways to effectively deal with threat of terrorism in the
region, its complex security matrix and help the war-
ravaged nation in its transition.
 The conference was attended by nearly 40 countries and
leading groupings like the European Union.
 The annual conference of the Heart of Asia -- Istanbul
Process is deliberating on various challenges facing
Afghanistan, including revival of a peace process in the
conflict-ridden country.
 Senior officials of all 14 countries, including India, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan, and
representatives of 17 supporting nations were deliberating on a vast range of issues facing
the region including its complex security scenario and dealing with threat of terrorism,
radicalisation and extremism.
 Issues like enhancing Afghanistan's connectivity with South and Central Asian countries to
boost trade were being discussed at the senior officials' meeting.
 The conference was co-chaired by India's Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Deputy
Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Hikmat Khaleel Karzai.
 The meeting is finalising the text for tomorrow's Ministerial Conference and is also
deliberating on its Declaration which will have substantial portion on terrorism.
 Pakistani Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz is representing Islamabad at
the Ministerial conference.
 It will be jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani.
 The annual conference is taking place amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan
in the wake of the audacious terror attack on Nagrota army base and there was no clarity
on an Indo-Pak bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the conclave.
 India had already made it clear that it would never accept continuing cross-border
terrorism as the "new normal" in bilateral ties with Pakistan while making it clear that talks
cannot take place in an atmosphere of "continued terror".
 At the senior officials' meeting, Afghanistan, which has also been facing increased attacks
from terror groups operating from Pakistan, pushed for a regional counter-terror
framework.
 Both India and Afghanistan had called terror emanating from Pakistan as the "greatest
threat" to regional peace and stability, and both the countries are set to press hard for
adopting the counter-terror framework at tomorrow's deliberations.
Epson Launches World’s Smallest Wireless Mobile Printer at Rs 20,999

 Epson claims to have launched the world's lightest and smallest wireless mobile printer.
 Called Epson Work Force WF-100, the printer is priced at Rs
20,999 and is said to be aimed at professionals on-the-go.
 The Epson Work Force WF-100 comes with built-in wireless
connectivity, Wi-Fi Direct and an integrated rechargeable
battery.
 The wireless connectivity of the device enables users to print
from various devices.
 The inkjet printer offers Wi-Fi Direct for printing without a
router, and a built-in battery that charges via USB or the included AC adapter.
 The WF-100 also features an automatic power-off feature to save battery.
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 The printer also offers a convenient mobile printing with Epson Connect3, a suite of free
mobile printing solutions including Email Print, Epson Creative Print, Epson iPrint and
Epson Remote Print.
 It comes with a lens shift technology that enables better installation flexibility with an
increased range of up to 96% on the vertical axis and up to 47% on the horizontal axis.
 Epson EH-TW8300 features an efficient cooling system which decreases the noise level to
as low as 20dB. Moreover, it can transform 2D images to 3D as well.
China launches 2 high resolution remote sensing satellites

 China has successfully launched pair two high-resolution remote sensing satellites
SuperView-1 01 and 02 to get commercial images.
These satellites were launched on-board of Long
March 2D rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch
Centre in Shanxi Province.
 They will provide commercial images at 0.5-meter
resolution. The satellites launch followed release of a
white paper which said China plans to form a BeiDou
network consisting of constellation of 35 satellites for
global navigation services by 2020. It is expected to compete with US’s Global Positioning
system (GPS).
 China plans to start providing basic navigation services to countries along the Silk Route
One Belt One Road Economic route and 21st-century Maritime Silk Road in 2018.
 China will launch a lunar probe in 2018 to achieve world’s first soft landing on the far side
of the Moon to show case its ambitious space programme including manned missions,
building permanent space station and reaching to Mars.
China Launches "Tansat" Satellite To Monitor Carbon Emissions

 China has launched a global carbon dioxide monitoring
satellite to understand climate change.
 It lifted nearly a week-long red alert for the worst smog that
engulfed about 40 cities in the country.
 The name of the satellite is TanSat.
 The 620-kg satellite TanSat was put into orbit by Long
March-2D rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in
northwest China's Gobi Desert.
 This was the 243rd mission of the Long March series
rockets.
 Besides TanSat, the rocket also carried a high-resolution micro-nano satellite and two
spectrum micro-nano satellites for agricultural and forestry monitoring.
 China is the third country after Japan and the US to monitor greenhouse gases through its
own satellite. The satellite was sent into a sun synchronous orbit about 700 kms above the
earth and will monitor the concentration, distribution and flow of carbon dioxide (CO2) in
the atmosphere.
 The satellite will help understanding of climate change and provide China's policy makers
with independent data.
 The Paris agreement on climate change came into force on November 4, with more than
100 countries committed to reducing their carbon emissions.
Uber's First Electric Car Fleet Launched In Madrid

 Uber Technologies, world’s largest ride-hailing service has launched its first fleet of electric
cars in Madrid, Spain's capital city.
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 Uber's service of matching private car owners with passengers has prompted anger among
the heavily-regulated taxi sector.
 The company hopes the introduction of cleaner cars will help
improve its image.
 Madrid's city administration in November unveiled new
measures at combating pollution, from limiting private traffic
in the centre to tightening speed limits on access roads.
 Regulation and hostility from local taxi firms drove Uber off
Spanish streets at the end of 2014 after a Spanish judge ruled
the company did not comply with the country's laws and represented unfair competition.
 But it returned to Madrid in April with UberX which, unlike its previous Uber POP service,
used professionally licensed drivers.
 The Uber Technologies Inc company was founded in 2009.
 It has expanded exponentially worldwide but has come up against opposition from
traditional taxi drivers and faced court injunctions in several countries, including Belgium,
France, Germany and the Netherlands as well as Spain.
Astronomers discover universe’s biggest Galaxy Supercluster near Milky Way

 A team of international astronomers has discovered Vela super cluster, one of the biggest
super galaxy clusters near the Milky Way.
 It was spotted by a research team of astronomers from
South Africa, Australia and Europe with help slew of
telescopes including the Anglo-Australian Telescope
(Sydney) and South African Large Telescope (Cape
Town).
Key Facts
 Vela super cluster is massive and it is estimated to
carry 100,000 galaxies with trillions of stars. It is one
of the biggest concentrations of galaxies found in the Universe. It is possibly biggest galaxy
in neighborhood of our Milky Galaxy and is at a distance of 840 million light-years from
Earth.
 Our galaxy Milky Way, part of Laniakea supercluster is puny when compared to Vela. This
new discovery may help astronomers to answer the retardation on the speed of Milky Way,
which has mass of 400 billion suns and is containing 100 billion or more stars.
 Vela can also offer hints on how Milky Way got to the current location in the universe and
gravity of the supercluster can explain the variations in Milky Way’s measured motion in
space.
IMF Chief Christine Lagarde Found Guilty In Arbitration Case by A French Court
 A special French court has declared International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde
guilty of criminal negligence in a long-running arbitration
case.
 But the court decided not to punish her or give her a criminal
record.
 The Court of Justice of the Republic ruled that her negligence
while servicing as finance minister allowed for the
misappropriation of funds by other people.
 The investigation began in 2011, soon before Ms. Lagarde
was named to head the IMF in the wake of sexual assault
allegations against her predecessor, French economist Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
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 The case is part of a larger legal saga centering on Mr. Tapie, a flamboyant magnate and TV
star who had sued French bank Credit Lyonnais for its handling of the sale of his majority
stake in sportswear company Adidas in the mid-1990s.
 With Ms. Lagarde’s approval, a private arbitration panel ruled that he should get €400
million in compensation, including interest.
 The deal was seen by critics as a sign of a too-close relationship between magnates and the
French political elite.
 Mr. Tapie was close to then-President Nicolas Sarkozy, Ms. Lagarde’s boss.
World's First Cloned Goat with Cashmere Wool Born In China

 The world's first cloned goat bearing superfine Cashmere wool was
born in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
 The goat will be raised in a base for animal husbandry research
conducted by experts from agricultural universities and academies in
Inner Mongolia and southwest China's Yunnan Province.
 The Cashmere fibre from the goat is less than 13.8 micrometers thick.
 It is much finer than the average of 15.8 micrometers grown by the
famous Erlang Mountain goats in Inner Mongolia.
 Cashmere wool is obtained from Cashmere goats and other types of
goat.
China tests 5th-generation fighter jet FC-31 Gyrfalcon

 China has successfully tested the latest version of its fifth-generation stealth fighter jet J-31
(now renamed the FC-31 Gyrfalcon). The newest
version of twin-engine FC-31 took to the air for the
first time recently.
 It is considered as China’s answer to the US F-35, the
world’s most technically advanced fighter.
Key Facts
 The newest FC-31 has better stealth capabilities,
improved electronic equipment and a larger payload
capacity than the previous version which debuted in October 2012; it is manufactured by
Shenyang Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC).
 FC-31 has a maximum take-off weight of 28 metric tons, flight radius of 1,250 km, and top
speed of Mach 1.8 (i.e. 1.8 times the speed of sound).
 When completed, the FC-31 will become the China’s second 5th-generation fighter after the
J-20, which was put on its first public performance at the Zhuhai Air Show in November
2016.
Rio de Janeiro accorded UNESCO world heritage status

 The UN cultural body UNESCO has accorded world heritage status to Brazilian city of Rio de
Janeiro (nicknamed as Marvelous City). It has been
registered as “Carioca Landscapes between Mountain and
Sea” on the UNESCO world heritage list.
 Rio de Janeiro has been accorded this status in
recognition of its extraordinary fusion of man-made and
natural beauty, soaring granite cliffs, urban rainforest and
beaches. It also had hosted 2014 football World Cup and
2016 Summer Olympics.
Background
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 The UNESCO status to Rio de Janeiro was announced in 2012. It became official after the
Brazilian authorities were given four years to report on their plans for protecting Sugarloaf
Mountain, Flamengo Park, Corcovado, Copacabana beach, Botanical Garden and Tijuca
forest.
About UNESCO World Heritage Sites
 The UNESCO World Heritage Sites are sites having special cultural or physical significance.
The list is maintained by international World Heritage Programme administered by the
UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
 The committee comprises of 21 UNESCO member states which are elected by the General
Assembly. Each World Heritage Site included in the list remains part of the legal territory of
the state where it is located. But inclusion of sites in the list by UNESCO is in the interest of
the international community to preserve each site. Presently, Italy with 50 sites is home to
the greatest number of World Heritage Sites.
Britain (UK) Become First Country to Approve 'Three-Parent' Babies in The World
 Britain is set to become the first country in the world to legally offer "three-parent baby"
fertility treatments after regulators gave the green light.
 The technique would allow mothers who carry disease-
causing mutations in their mitochondrial genes to give
birth to children free of the illness.
 It uses DNA from two women and a man.
 British lawmakers had voted to allow the treatment,
which uses in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), but clinics needed
to obtain licences from the Human Fertilisation and
Embryology Authority (HFEA).
 Earlier, British lawmakers had voted in February to allow the treatment, which uses in-
vitro fertilisation (IVF).
 The practice should be prevent certain genetic diseases from being passed on to future
generations.
 Mitochondria are structures in cells which generate vital energy and contain their own set
of genes called mDNA which is passed through the mother.
 Mitochondrial diseases cause symptoms ranging from poor vision to diabetes and muscle
wasting, and health officials estimate that around 125 babies are born with the mutations
in Britain every year.
 The treatment remains controversial in Britain and elsewhere, with religious leaders
among its detractors.
 The Roman Catholic Church opposes the move, pointing out that it would involve the
destruction of human embryos as part of the process.
Gotthard Base Tunnel, world’s longest rail tunnel starts regular service
 The famed Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) has started regular commercial rail service in
Switzerland. The first regular train to use GBT ferried
passenger from Zurich to Lugano.
 The twin-bore GBT is world’s longest and deepest
railway tunnel with length of 57-kilometer. It had
overtaken Japan’s Seikan tunnel (53.9 kilometers) as
the longest rail tunnel in world after it was opened in
June 2016 for its maiden ride.
Key Facts
 GBT is the first flat low-level route through the Alps
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Mountain. It is situated 2.3 km deep under these mountains and57-kilometer long. It

connects northern and southern Europe and also shortens travel time for many rail routes
 It was built in 17 years’ time frame starting in 1992 as a part of AlpTransit project, also
known as New Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA). It consists of two single-track
tunnels connecting Erstfeld (Uri) with Bodio (Ticino) and passing below Sedrun
(Graubünden).
 The main purpose of the GBT is to increase total transport capacity across the Alps,
especially for freight.
Hindus Least Educated Religious Group in World

 According to latest report by Pew, Hindus continue to have the lowest level of educational
attainment among all the major religions of the
world despite having made strides in the sector.
 Hindu adults (ages 25 and older) in the
youngest generation analysed in the study have
an average of 3.4 more years of schooling than
those in the oldest generation.
 However, Hindus still have the lowest level of
educational attainment of any major religious
group in this study, which is topped by Jews.
 Globally, the average is 5.6 years of schooling,
and 41% of Hindus have no formal education of any kind.
 Jews are more highly educated than any other major religious group around the world,
while Muslims and Hindus tend to have the fewest years of formal schooling.
 Drawing on census and survey data from 151 countries, the study also finds large gender
gaps in educational attainment within some major world religions.
 Muslim women around the globe have an average of 4.9 years of schooling, compared with
6.4 years among Muslim men.
 And formal education is especially low among Hindu women, who have 4.2 years of
schooling on average, compared with 6.9 years among Hindu men.
 Hindu men have 2.7 more years of schooling than Hindu women, and just over half of Hindu
women (53%) have no formal schooling, compared with 29% of Hindu men.
 Hindu women are considerably more likely than Hindu men to have received no formal
education (38% vs 20%).
 The vast majority of the world’s Hindus live in India (94%) or in the bordering countries of
Nepal (2.3%) and Bangladesh (1.2%).
 Hindus in the US have 15.7 years of schooling, on average - a full year more than the next
most highly educated US religious group (Jews), and nearly three years more than the
average American adult (12.9 years).
 Hindus in Europe also are highly educated, averaging 13.9 years of schooling.
South Korean President Park Geun-Hye Has Impeached

 Park Geun-hye is the first woman President of South Korea.
 In a stunning and swift for her, South Korean lawmakers has
impeached her amid protests that drew millions into the streets of
capital Seoul.
 Park was allegedly involved in a case of collusion with a long-time
friend to extort money from companies and to give that
confidante extraordinary sway over government decisions.
 After the vote, country’s No. 2 official, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-
ahn was allowed to assume leadership until the Constitutional
24 |
Court rules on whether Park must permanently step down.

 The court has up to six months to decide.
 Park will be formally removed from office if at least six of the Constitutional Court’s nine
justices support her impeachment, and the country would then hold a presidential election
within 60 days.
 The handover of power prompted the prime minister to order South Korea’s defense
minister to put the military on a state of heightened readiness to brace for any potential
provocation by North Korea.
Japan successfully launches space junk collector into orbit

 Japan’s space agency (JAXA) successfully
launched a Kounotori 6 (HTV-6) spacecraft
that will deliver a large magnetic tether, a
space junk collector technology into orbit.
 The spacecraft was launched on board of H-
IIB rocket from Tanegashima Space Center.
It was also carrying essential supplies for
International Space Station (ISS).
Key Facts
 The space junk collector (electromagnetic
tether) will perform Kounotori Integrated Tether Experiments (KITE) in order to test out
new technology. It is an experimental space scavenger that aims to study possibility of
getting rid of space junk (debris) left into orbit by earlier space exploration missions.
 It has been designed by JAXA engineers in collaboration with Nitto Seimo Co., a Japanese
fishing net company. The space scavenger is large magnetic tether made from thin wires of
stainless steel and aluminium.
 It is designed to redirect space junk towards Earth’s atmosphere. In theory, the net-like
tether will generate enough slowing effect to influence the trajectory of space debris
toward Earth’s atmosphere where they will burn up.
Why there is need of space junk collector technology?
 More than 5 decades of human space exploration since the first Soviet-launched Sputnik
satellite in 1957 has produced this hazardous belt of orbiting debris in the space.
 There are estimated to be more than 100 million pieces are circling our planet in the lower
orbit, posing a growing threat to future space exploration. These pieces of debris travel at
high speeds.
 A relatively small piece of orbital debris can inflict a great deal of damage on satellites or
spacecrafts orbiting in the space. This phenomenon is Kessler Syndrome which describes a
self-sustaining cascading collision of space debris in low earth Orbit.
Japan successfully launches solid fuel rocket

 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully launched a solid fuel rocket
named Epsilon-2 from the Uchinoura Space Center in southern Japan.
 The 26-metre-long rocket released Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace
(ERG) satellite for studying radiation belts around the earth soon after the lift-off.
Key Facts
 ERG satellite will orbit in a highly elliptical orbit, getting as close to Earth as 350 kilometers
and as far away as 30,000 km. This path will take the satellite through the Van Allen
radiation belts, where the earth’s magnetic field traps huge numbers of fast-moving
electrons and other particles.
 These particles mainly damage the computer systems aboard satellites and pose a radiation
danger to astronauts.
25 |
 The satellite will use nine different instruments for studying radiation belts over the course
of a mission designed to last at least one year. Comment Epsilon-2 rocket is part of a new
generation of solid propellant rockets which can reduce launch costs up to one-third.
 The reduction in cost can allow it to put more communication and weather satellites in
space. Thus, it can give JAXA a competitive edge in space launch industry which has robust
growth potential and strong security implications.
 Israeli Scientists have created the world’s first ‘water-wave laser’. It emits a beam through
the interaction of light and water waves. The study conducted by team of researchers from
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology led by Professor Tal Carmon.
 The Reigners Bible Church International collapsed onto worshippers in Uyo, southern
Nigeria. At least 160 people died with the toll likely to rise.Metal girders and the roof of a
crowded church collapsed onto worshippers in southern Nigeria.
 India has agreed to train the southeast nation Vietnam ’s Sukhoi-30 fighter pilots to boost
its growing defence.The agreement was reached during bilateral discussions between
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart, General Ngo Xuan
Lich.
 A team of UK-based researchers have identified Hafnium carbide (HfC) as the world’s most
heat resistant material. It can withstand record melting point temperatures up to 3958°C
(approx 4000°C). New Laser-heating techniques were used to find the temperature at
which Tantalum carbide (TaC) and HfC melted, both separately and in mixed compositions.
 Beipanjiang Bridge, 'world's highest bridge' standing 1850ft above a gorge opens.
Beipanjiang is the highest bridge in the world but the Millau Viaduct, a joint British-French
venture on the A75 Autoroute is the tallest bridge in the world.
 Nepal rejects India’s 'Open Sky’ offer. Nepal rejected India’s ‘open sky’ offer saying that it
was too early to commit to it. The country said that it might consider the proposal after two
years.
 Israel summons US envoy after UN vote. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel
summoned US envoy Daniel Shapiro to discuss US’s decision to abstain from voting at the
UNSC meeting.
 Russian Military plane crashes, no sign of survivors. A Russian plane carrying 92 people
crashed in the Black Sea killing everyone on board. The plane was travelling to Latakia in
Syria where Russia has a prominent air base.
 White House banned oil, gas drilling in Arctic, Atlantic oceans. The decision would help in
protecting the fishing business and coastal tourism from offshore drilling.
 Hong Kong withdraws visa-free facility for Indians. Indian tourists will now have to apply
and successfully complete a pre-arrival registration in order to visit Hong Kong.
 Nepal to hold military exercise with China. The military engagement will focus on training
Nepali soldiers to deal with extreme hostage situations like the one that happened in Dhaka
in July 2016.
 Queen Victoria’s last letter to India unveiled. The three-page handwritten letter was
addressed to the then Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon. It mostly contains references to the
death of Prince Christian Victor, eldest son of the queen’s third daughter.
 Britain's Queen Elizabeth II to step down as patron of 25 charities. The queen will step
down as patron of 25 charities at the end of this year. The patronage of the organisations
will be passed on to other members of the royal family.
26 |
 US Electoral College formally elects Donald Trump as President. Six weeks after winning
the polls, the Republican Candidate Trump was able to secure the 270 votes needed to
formalise his victory. While the result will be officially announced on 6 January 2017 in a
special joint session of Congress, he will assume the office on 20 January 2017.
 Iranian President Hassan Rouhani unveiled Charter on Citizen’s Rights. The charter was
unveiled to counter the accusations of Western nations about Iran’s ongoing human rights
violations, including brutal practices such as public execution, torture, violence against
women and discrimination against minorities.
 United Nations votes to deploy observers in Aleppo. The council unanimously adopted a
French-drafted resolution 2328 (2016) that marks the first show of unity in months among
world powers on the issue.
 Resolution seeking demonetisation of Rs 5000 notes adopted in Pakistan. Senator Usman
Saifullah who tabled the resolution argued that the Rs 5000 note was being used in illegal
transactions and should be withdrawn.
 British Library to digitise 4000 Bengali books. The ‘Two Centuries of Indian Print’ project
will make South Asia’s rich literature accessible to everyone. It has received a funding of
almost 500000 pounds from Newton Fund.
 Fifth edition of India-Arab Partnership Conference concluded in Muscat. The two-day
conference focused on devising strategies to boost economic partnership between India
and the Arab League. The theme of the conference was - Partnership towards innovation
and cooperation in Information Technology.
 Planet's least developed countries falling further behind. UNCTAD’s report states that only
four countries have graduated from the United Nation’s list of Least Developed Countries
since 45 years.
 World Bank declares pause to protect Indus Waters Treaty. The pause applies to the two
concurrent processes initiated by India and Pakistan. While India vouched for appointing a
Neutral Expert to resolve the dispute on Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric power
projects, Pakistan requested for a Permanent Court of Arbitration.
 Qatar replaced controversial Kafala Rules with Contract-based labour system. India is the
major beneficiary of the reformed labour system as over 30 percent of the expatriate
workers in Qatar are from India.
 EU, Cuba signed Agreement on Political Dialogue and Cooperation. The signing of the
agreement assumes significance in the backdrop of recent events such as the victory of
Donald Trump as the president of the USA and death of Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel
Castro.
 Venezuela demonetises Bolivar 100 banknotes. Following the declaration, Venezuelans
rushed to spend their 100-bolivar notes, before the government's deadline for taking the
note out of circulation.
 Viola Desmond to appear on new Canadian $10 banknote. Desmond is popularly known for
her struggle against anti-black segregation and racism in Canada in the 1940s.
 India, Indonesia signed three agreements including cooperation in Sports. During the
bilateral talks, the two leaders said that the South China Sea dispute should be resolved
peacefully.
 India, Indonesia released Joint Statement in New Delhi. The statement was released after
extensive talks between the Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues.
27 |
 Paolo Gentiloni named Italy’s new Prime Minister. Gentiloni, a close aid of the outgoing PM,
will now have to put together his own new centre-left team before the parliamentary
confidence vote, which is due on 14 December 2016.
 China launches new cargo service linking Tibet with Nepal. The new rail and road cargo
service will link Tibet and Nepal. Apart from this, China also carries the plans to build a
strategic railway link between Tibet and Nepal.
 Canada reaches carbon agreement with provinces. Canada Government and its provinces
had come to an agreement on a national carbon pricing plan.
 World Bank cancels $100 million loan for Pakistan. The main aim of the project was to
enhance the supply of natural gas by reducing physical and commercial losses of gas in the
pipeline system.
 English most powerful language in the world: World Economic Forum. As per the WEF, the
British legacy has given English a global footprint. It is the world’s lingua franca.
 US designates India as Major Defence Partner. The designation is a status unique to India
and institutionalizes the progress made to facilitate defence trade and technology sharing
with India to a level at par with that of the United States’ closest allies and partners.
 Massive earthquake hits Aceh in Indonesia. The district closest to the epicentre, Pidie Jaya
has suffered the maximum loss. A total of over 200 homes and shops have collapsed.
Several mosques have also been severely damaged along with one school and hospital.
 European Union clears $26 billion Microsoft-LinkedIn deal. The EU’s clearance was the final
hurdle to closing the Microsoft-LinkedIn deal, following approvals in the U.S., Canada, Brazil
and South Africa.
 Vegans voice outrage against Britain’s new five pound note. The new £5 note contains
traces of Tallow, a substance derived from animal fat. It is mostly used in the manufacture
of soaps and candles.
 United Nations apologises to people of Haiti for cholera epidemic. The Secretary-General
expressed deep regret for the loss of life caused by the disease. He stated, “On behalf of the
United Nations, I want to say very clearly: we apologise to the Haitian people.”
 United Nations imposes new sanctions on North Korea. The council unanimously approved
the sanctions resolution following months of diplomatic arguments over how best to
respond to North Korea’s latest nuclear test in September 2016.
 India, US signed $750-million deal for 145 artillery guns. Earlier in June 2016, the proposal
of purchasing 145 M777 Ultra Lightweight Howitzer artillery guns from the US was cleared
by the Defence Ministry.
 Colombia's Congress approves revised deal with FARC. The approval comes after Juan
Manuel Santos, President of Colombia, and Rodrigo Londono, the leader of the FARC signed
a revised peace agreement on 24 November 2016.
 China has started operations of one of the world's longest high-speed railways that links
the country's prosperous eastern coast to the less-developed southwestern part of the
country. The Shanghai-Kunming line -2,252 km in length - traverses the five provinces of
Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan.
 Pakistani singer Taher Shah has left the country after receiving threats to his life. He
became an online sensation with his ‘Angel’ song. Shah rose to fame and became an Internet
sensation with his viral debut single, “Eye to Eye” in 2013 and followed it up with another
song “Angel”.
28 |
Appointments-National/International
Justice J.S. Khehar Appointed As 44th Chief Justice of India

 Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar on 19 December 2016 was appointed as the 44th Chief Justice
of India by the President Pranab Mukherjee.
 Justice Khehar will be sworn-in as the Chief Justice of India on
4 January 2017. He will retire from his office on 27 August
2017.
 The incumbent Chief Justice T S Thakur on 6 December 2016
had communicated his recommendation to the Union
Government to appoint Justice Khehar. Justice Thakur will
retire on 3 January 2017 after tenure of a year.
 Justice Khehar will be the first Chief Justice of India from the Sikh community.
About Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar
 Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar had led the five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court
that struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act for the
appointment of judges.
 He also led the bench that in January 2016 set aside the imposition of President’s rule in
Arunachal Pradesh.
 He also headed the bench that passed a verdict of equal pay for equal work for the benefit
of people engaged as casual and contractual employees who work like regulars and daily
wagers.
 He was a part of the bench that sent Sahara Chief Subrata Roy to jail after hearing the
matter relating to the refund of money invested by people in his two companies.
Lt Gen Bipin Rawat to be next Indian Army chief; BS Dhanoa to be IAF chief
 The Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Bipin Rawat
will be the new Chief of Army Staff, while Air Marshal
BS Dhanoa, the next Chief of Air Staff. They will take
charge in the afternoon of 31 December 2016.
 Lt. Gen Rawat will replace General Dalbir Singh, who
will retire from his office at the end of this month. Air
Marshal Dhanoa, will replace Chief of Air Staff Air
Chief Marshal Arup Raha.
Lt. General Bipin Rawat
 Over last three decades of his service, Lt. General Rawat has tremendous hands-on
experience of serving in combat areas, and at various functional levels in the Indian Army.
 He has handled various operational responsibilities in many areas, including along the LAC
with China, the LoC with Pakistan and in the North-East.
 He is known for his balanced approach towards compassion, soldiering and connect with
civil society.
 His experience as GOC-in-C Southern Army Command in Mechanised Warfare has been
focused towards the western borders, in coordination with the other two services.
 As per reports, Lt. Gen Rawat was found the best suited among the Lt. Generals, to deal with
emerging challenges, including a reorganised and restructured military force in the north,
continuing terrorism and proxy war from the west, and the situation in the North-East.
Air Marshal Dhanoa
 He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Air Force in June 1978.
 He has served in various squadrons, and also in the Intelligence Directorate of Air
Headquarters.
29 |
 Earlier in the day, Anil Dhasmana was appointed as the chief of Research and Analysis Wing
(RAW). Dhasmana will succeed Rajinder Khanna. In addition, Rajiv Jain was appointed as
the chief of Intelligence Bureau (IB). Jain will succeed Dineshwar Sharma.
Rajiv Jain To Be New IB Chief And Anil Dhasmana To Head RAW

 The government made two important appointments in its high-level secret posts.
 Jharkhand cadre IPS officer Rajiv Jain was appointed as
the new chief of Intelligence Bureau (IB).
 Anil Dhasmana will head external intelligence agency
RAW.
 Both the officers will have tenure of two years.
 Anil Dhasmana will now head the Research and
Analysis Wing, an organization which looks after the
external intelligence of the country.
 Jain takes over from IB chief Dineshwar Sharma while
Dhasmana succeeds RAW chief Rajinder Khanna.
 Jain, presently special director in the IB, joined the agency in 1989 as assistant director and
has since worked in different capacities, including chief of Delhi Subsidiary Intelligence
Bureau (SIB), considered politically sensitive, apart from Ahmedabad and J&K desks.
 Mr. Jain is an expert on J&K and Islamic extremism and has supervised many operations in
the recent past.
Pak’s Former Army Chief Raheel Sharif To Be Appointed As A Defence Advisor Of A Saudi
Arabia-Led Military Alliance
 Pakistan’s former army chief General (retd) Raheel Sharif is expected to be appointed as a
defence advisor of a Saudi Arabia-led military alliance
of 39 countries.
 Sharif arrived in Saudi Arabia as a royal guest in a
special plane.
 He will attend a grand reception being hosted in his
honour in Riyadh, the capital of the kingdom, The
reception will also be attended by members of the
royal family.
 The headquarters of the military alliance of the Joint Command Centre is located in Riyadh.
 The Saudi-led coalition has launched a military operation in Yemen in March 2015 after
Houthis drove out the government led by President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is
believed to be in exile in Saudi Arabia.
 According to Saudi Arabia, the alliance is formed to fight the Islamic State and other
militant outfits.
 At the time of its constitution, there were 34 countries in the alliance which has raised to
39.
 The countries include Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Sudan,
Malaysia, Egypt, Yemen and others.
Anil Baijal Former Bureaucrat Appointed As Delhi Lt. Governor

 Former bureaucrat Anil Baijal has been appointed Delhi's next Lieutenant Governor.
 He was appointed by President Pranab Mukherjee.
 The appointment follows Najeeb Jung's resignation from the post and its acceptance by the
President.
30 |
 Najeeb Jung had unexpectedly submitted his resignation on December 22, almost 18
months before his tenure was scheduled to end.
 His tenure had been marked with constant conflict
with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal since the Aam
Aadmi Party government swept to power in Delhi in
2015.
 Accusing Mr Jung of being the "Centre's agent", Mr
Kejriwal had alleged that the BJP-led Central
government was carrying on a proxy war with the
Delhi government through him.
Viral V Acharya Appointed As New RBI Deputy Governor by Government of India

 The Union Government has appointed Viral V Acharya
as new Deputy Governor at the Reserve Bank of India.
 The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared
the appointment for three years.
 He is taking over at a time when the central bank is
facing criticism for repeated changes in the rules
related to deposit and withdrawal of money, post-
demonetisation.
 Mr.Acharya is known for his research in theoretical and empirical analysis of systemic risks
of the financial sector, its regulation and genesis in government-induced distortions.
 The research areas also span across credit and liquidity risks, agency-theoretic foundations
as well as their general equilibrium consequences.
 Acharya is the Professor of Economics in the Department of Finance at the New York
University Stern School of Business (NYU-Stern).
Sultan Muhammad V Crowns As New King Of Malaysia

 Sultan Muhammad V walks with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (right) after the
king's welcome ceremony at the Parliament House in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
 Under a unique system nine hereditary state rulers
take turns as the country’s king for five-year terms.
 The 47-year-old state sultan, ascended the throne as
Malaysia’s new king.
 He become one of the youngest constitutional
monarch in the Southeast Asian nation’s history.
 Sultan Muhammad V took his oath of office in a nationally televised ceremony attended by
hundreds of dignitaries at a cavernous hall in Malaysia’s federal palace.
 Under a unique system maintained since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957.
 Earlier, nine hereditary state rulers take turns as the country’s king for five-year terms.
 The monarch’s role is largely ceremonial, since administrative power is vested in the Prime
Minister and Parliament.
 But he is highly regarded, particularly among the ethnic Malay Muslim majority, as the
supreme upholder of Malay tradition and symbolic head of Islam.
Bill English Sworn In As New Zealand PM

 New Zealand's socially conservative finance chief Bill English was sworn in as the country's
new Prime Minister.
 It has followed last week's shock resignation of his popular predecessor John Key.
31 |
 Mr. Key resigned for family reasons after eight years and Prime Minister and 10 as party
leader.
 The centre-right National Party caucus unanimously supported Mr. English at a meeting.
 State Services Minister Paula Bennett was named as deputy leader.
 The 54 year old Mr. English to take the top job after eight years as Mr. Key's deputy and
Finance Minister.
Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa Become the Chief of Pakistan’s ISI
 Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa become the chief of Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-
Services Intelligence (ISI).
 Lt. Gen. Rizwan Akhtar was removed from his post.
 ISI Chief Lt. Gen. Rizwan Akhtar was removed from
his post in a major reshuffle by Army chief General
Qamar Javed Bajwa on 11 December 2016.
 Akhtar was appointed president of the National
Defence University (NDU).
 Mukhtar possess vast experience in the field of
intelligence and has headed the counterterrorism wing of the spy agency in Islamabad.
 He was commissioned in the Armoured Corps regiment in 1983.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni to Be Its Next Premier

 Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni was chosen by President Sergio Mattarella as the
next Prime Minister of the country.
 Mr. Gentiloni has pledged to get straight to work on forming a new coalition with the same
Democrat Party-led majority.
 The latest development follows Mattteo Renzi’s resignation as Premier on December 7 after
his nearly three-year-old government suffered a stinging defeat in a referendum on
reforms.
 Promises to give people global, economic and social priorities, starting with the
reconstruction of quake-hit areas
 The President also noted there was wide political consensus for a rapid overhaul of Italy’s
electoral law before Italians vote in a new election.
Bernard Cazenueve Was Appointed New Prime Minister of France

 Bernard Cazenueve was appointed new Prime Minister of France as Manuel Valls quit his
post to focus on running for President in the country’s coming elections.
 He replaced Manuel Valls after he quit the post to focus on Presidential elections.
 The 53-year-old Cazeneuve is a close ally of President Francois Hollande and has become a
popular figure in French politics as the champion of measures tackling extremism.
 Hollande is not running for re-election.
 Valls will be seeking the Socialist nomination for the vote, hoping to pit himself against
conservative candidate Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Front
National.
 Cazeneuve, who has overseen the security forces’ reaction to a string of jihadist attacks that
have killed more than 230 people in France over the past two years
 He will take control of the Socialist government until legislative elections in June.
O. Panneerselvam Took Over As The New Chief Minister Of Tamil Nadu

 He took over the responsibility on 5 December 2016 after demise of CM Jayalalithaa.
32 |
 O. Panneerselvam became the 20th Chief Minister of

Tamil Nadu after he took oath in the early hours of 6
December 2016, just around two hours after death of
the incumbent Jayalalithaa.
 He is a strong loyalist of Jayalalithaa and was looking
after state’s affairs after Jayalalithaa’s condition
worsened in the hospital.
 It was the third oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for
Panneerselvam, once again in difficult circumstances.
 The other two times he was sworn in as a stop-gap Chief Minister when Jayalalithaa had to
step down over corruption charges.
 SP Vaid appointed as Director General of J&K police. At the time of this appointment, Vaid
was working as Special DGP (Law and Order) in Jammu and Kashmir.
 Soli J Sorabjee re-elected as President of India International Centre. He was elected for a
second consecutive term for his services in achieving the objectives of India International
Centre.
 V K Sharma appointed Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India. Before the
appointment, Sharma was serving as the acting chief of LIC, India’s biggest insurer and
investor. He was appointed as the acting chief on 16 September 2016 after the resignation
of S K Roy.
 Nigeria’s Amina Mohammed named UN Deputy Secretary-General. Guterres also appointed
Brazilian diplomat Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti as Chef de Cabinet and South Korea’s Kyung-
wha Kang as Special Adviser on Policy.
 Donald Trump appointed PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi to Strategic and Policy Forum. The
forum will advise Trump on implementing his economic agenda. Other prominent members
of the committee are - Stephen Schwarzman, Jack Welch and Elon Musk.
 Priyanka Chopra appointed UNICEF Global Goodwill Ambassador. Bollywood star Priyanka
Chopra, who has made an international name for herself through her stint in American
crime drama show Quantico, has been named as UNICEF’s newest Global Goodwill
Ambassador.
 Antonio Guterres sworn-in as ninth Secretary General of United Nations. Antonio Guterres,
a former Portuguese Prime Minister will succeed Ban Ki-moon as the ninth chief of the
organisation.
 B S Bhullar appointed Chief of Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The post of the Chief of
DGCA was lying vacant for over four months after M Sathiyavathy, a 1982-batch IAS officer
of the union territories cadre, was named as new Union Labour Secretary in July 2016.
 Sorin Grindeanu appointed as Prime Minister of Romania. Grindeanu's name was
nominated by the Social Democratic Party which won the 2016 elections that were held on
11 December 2016.
 Shavkat Mirziyoyev wins Uzbekistan Presidential Election. As per the Central Election
Commission of Uzbekistan, Mirziyoyev won the election with an overwhelming vote. He
garnered 88.61% of the votes, which is above the required over 50% of valid ballots to
become a president.
33 |
Person Resigned/Retired
Former World No. 1 Woman Tennis Player Ana Ivanovic Retires

 Former world No 1 Ana Ivanovic , announced her retirement from tennis, due to physical
toll of the circuit.
 The 29-year-old Serbian held the top spot for 12
weeks in 2008, the season when she claimed her sole
Grand Slam success by winning the French Open.
 She was ranked number one in the world and won
Roland Garros in 2008.
 She has won 15 WTA tour titles, (and played in) three
Grand Slam finals and Fed Cup finals and played so
many memorable matches.
 Ivanovic’s last outing was a first-round loss at the US Open in September, a result that saw
her drop out of the top 50 for the first times since 2010.
 She announced at the time that she had taken the decision to stop playing until 2017 on
medical advice over a recurring wrist injury, with a problematic toe also needing surgery.
Najeeb Jung resigned as Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

 Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung submitted his resignation to the Union
Government on 22 December 2016. He resigned 18 months short of his tenure.
 He didn’t cite any reason for his resignation. In an official press release, he thanked Prime
Minister Narendra Modi for all his cooperation during his tenure as Lt Governor.
 New Zealand PM announces surprise resignation. Citing family reasons, New Zealand Prime
Minister John Key announced his surprise resignation. He will be leaving after being in
power for almost eight years.
 British cyclist Bradley Wiggins announces retirement. In his 16-year career as a
professional, Wiggins won the Tour de France and a record eight Olympic medals.
 Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic announces retirement. The tennis player is the first
Serbian woman to win a grand slam tournament.
 Nico Rosberg announces shocking retirement after World title win. Nico Rosberg retired
just 5 days after winning his maiden F1 World Champion title. He is the son of former F1
world champion, Keke Rosberg.
34 |
Sports
ICC Awards - 2016: R Ashwin Wins Cricketer of The Year Award

 India's cricket spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin adjudged the ICC Cricketer of the Year.
 He won the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the year-2016.
 He joins Rahul Dravid (2004) and Sachin Tendulkar
(2010) as only the third Indian to take away the top
individual honour.
 Ashwin picked up 72 wickets from 12 Tests this year,
for which he was also named the ICC Test Cricketer of
the Year.
 He become the third Indian cricketer to win the award
after Dravid in 2004 and Gautam Gambhir in 2009.
 Ashwin also finds a place as the lone Indian in the Test XI.
 India's limited-overs vice-captain Virat Kohli has been named as the captain of the ODI side.
 This is the third time Cook has been appointed captain of the Test side. Dravid, Gary Kirsten
and Kumar Sangakkara selected the ICC Test and ODI sides based on players' performances
in the period from September 14 2015 to September 20 2016.
 South Africa's wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has been named the ICC ODI
cricketer of the year with 857 runs from 17 matches including three centuries and three
fifties.
 Three Indian cricketers - Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Kohli have found a place in the
ODI set-up.
 Pakistan Test skipper Misbah ul Haq was given the Spirit of Cricket award, while
Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was named the emerging player of the year.
ICC Awards-2016 List:
 ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) – Ravichandran Ashwin (India)
 ICC Test Cricketer of the Year – Ravichandran Ashwin (India)
 ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year – Quinton de Kock (South Africa)
 ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year – Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
 ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year – Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
 ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year – Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)
 ICC Spirit of Cricket Award – Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan)
Junior Hockey World Cup Hockey: India Beats Belgium to Win

 India on 18 December 2016 defeated Belgium 2-1 in the final to lift the 2016 Men's Hockey
Junior World Cup. The final was played at the Major
Dhyan Chand Stadium in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
 The third place in the tournament went to Germany,
who was defeated by Belgium in the semi-final.
 Also, it was the first time that a host nation has won the
Cup in 11 editions of the tournament.
 Top scorer in the tournament: England’s Edward
Horler (8 goals)
 Best player in the tournament: Spain’s Enrique Gonzalez de Castejon
 Best goalkeeper in the tournament: Belgium’s Loic Van Doren
About Men's Hockey Junior World Cup
 The Hockey Junior World Cup is an international field hockey competition.
 It is organised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
 The tournament was started in 1979.
 The tournament has been held every four years since 1985.
35 |
 Germany is the most successful team, having won the tournament six times followed by
India, having won the tournament two times. Argentina, Australia and Pakistan have each
won the tournament once.
 The 2013 tournament was held in India from 2 November to 17 November 2013 in which
Germany emerged as the winner. .France had claimed its first ever medal in tournament
winning silver after losing to Germany.
 The 2016 Men's Hockey Junior World Cup was held in Lucknow from 8 December to 18
December 2016.
Smriti Mandhana to Be Named In The ICC’s Women’s Team Of The Year 2016
 Indian woman cricketer Smriti Mandhana was the only one from the country to be named
in the ICC’s Women’s Team of the Year 2016.
 Indian bats woman Smriti Mandhana created history
as she was named in the Women’s Team of the Year
2016.
 It was recently, announced by the International
Cricket Council (ICC).
 It was the first time ever that ICC announced a team of
year for women.
 The team was selected on the basis of player’s
performance between 14 September 2015 and 20 September 2016.
 It also included the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 and the ICC Women’s Championship.
West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor was chosen as captain of this team
Cristiano Ronaldo Wins 2016 FIFA Ballon D’or Award

 Cristiano Ronaldo has won the prestigious 2016 FIFA Ballon d’Or Award.
 He is playing for Portugal national team and for Real Madrid
as a forward player.
 He has earned this title of world’s best football player for
fourth time.
 Earlier he had won the Ballon d’Or in 2008, 2013 and 2014.
 Barcelona’s Lionel Messi of Argentina finished second and
Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann of France third in the
vote in this year’s competition.
What is FIFA Ballon d’Or Award ?
 FIFA Ballon d’Or Award is annual football association award.
 It is given by FIFA to the male player who has performed the best in previous calendar year.
 It was instituted in 2010 after France Football’s Ballon d’Or and the men’s FIFA World
Player of the Year award were merged.
 The award is given to especially male player.
Women's T20 Asia Cup- Final: India Beat Pakistan in Bangkok

 India women 121 for 5 beat Pakistan women 104 for 6
by 17 runs.
 India lift sixth Asia Cup title after Raj's unbeaten 73.
 India's dominance in the women's Asia Cup extended
as they sealed their sixth title in as many editions with
a 17-run win over Pakistan in Bangkok.
 It was the second consecutive time India had beaten
Pakistan in an Asia Cup final, having done so in 2012-
13 as well.
36 |
 The win also ensured India remained unbeaten in this year's tournament, which was being
played in the T20 format for the second time.
 It was Mithali Raj who set up the win, scoring an unbeaten 73 after India opted to bat and
taking them to 121 for 5.
 The bowlers then sent down economical spells to choke Pakistan in the chase, restricting
them to 104 for 6.
Magnus Carlsen Wins 2016 World Chess Championship

 Magnus Carlsen won the 2016 World Chess Championship in New York City, USA.
 Carlsen defeated Sergey Karjakin to retain the World Chess
Champion title.
 It’s the third time that Carlsen has won the championship
since 2013.
 Magnus Carlsen won the World Chess Championship in a
soundproof glass box.
 On the 50th move of the 16th game of the match, and the
fourth game of the tiebreaker, Carlsen slid his queen to the
h6 square, putting his challenger Sergey Karjakin in check.
 And like that, 19 days since they first sat down, it was over.
 Carlsen, the world No1, went into the match as an 88 percent favorite, and into the
tiebreakers as a 74 percent favorite.
 But he had to work harder than anyone predicted to finally crack his Russian challenger,
Karjakin, the world No. 6.
 Meghalaya to host 2022 National Games. The news was announced on 27 December 2016
in the meeting of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) meeting held in Chennai. The IOA
accepted Meghalaya's bid to host the National Games overshadowing four other bidders,
which were Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Chhattisgargh and Uttarakhand.
 Samit Gohel broke 117-year-old record in first-class cricket. While Hanif Mohammed's 499
remains the highest score by an opener in first-class cricket, no one has scored more than
Gohel while remaining not out in his team's score of 641.
 Virat Kohli chosen Cricket Australia’s ODI Captain of Year. Cricket Australia stated that
Kohli played only 10 one-day matches in 2016; however, he underlined his status as one of
the best in the 50-over format.
 Indian Olympic Association appoints Suresh Kalmadi, Abhay Singh Chautala as life
presidents. The IOA unanimously appointed the Kalmadi and Chautala to the post during its
Annual General Meeting in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
 Yuki Bhambri clinches ITF Hong Kong F4 Futures title. Bhambri won 75% of his first
service points and broke serve three times to lock victory in one hour and 54 minutes.
 Pankaj Advani won National title in 6-red Snooker. With this win, Advani has emerged as
the strongest contender to represent India in the Asian and World Championships in 6-red
Snooker in 2017.
 India lifts Under-19s Asia Cup title beating Sri Lanka. Half-centuries from Himanshu Rana
and Shubman Gill provided India with a total of 273, which was successfully defended by
their spinners.
 Shiva Keshavan won gold at Asian Luge Championship. The Asian Cup is annually held in
December at Bobsleigh, Luge Park of Nagano Prefecture Nagano Prefecture City Spiral in
Japan.
37 |
 India wins bronze at women's U18 Hockey Asia Cup. After the win, Hockey India announced
cash rewards of Rs.1 lakh for each player. It also announced Rs.50000 for each member of
the support staff.
 Jeje Lalpekhlua declared 2016 AIFF Player of the Year. AIFF selected Gurpreet Singh
Sandhu and Uvena Fernandes for the 2016 AIFF Award for Special Recognition awards.
 Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin occupy top two spots in ICC Test bowling chart.
Jadeja’s maiden 10-wicket match haul against England in the Test match on 20 December
2016 in Chennai made him achieve the second position in the rankings.
 AIBA grants full membership to Boxing Federation of India. The recently-formed BFI was
voted to office in September 2016, which ended four years of administrative logjam in the
sport.
 India wins five-match series against England. The 5th match was played from 16 to 20
December 2016 at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. India won by an innings and 75
runs.
 Karun Nair became second Indian to score triple century in Tests. With this, Nair became
the second Indian batsmen to score triple century in tests. Earlier, Virendra Sehwag scored
two triple centuries in test matches.
 Atletico de Kolkata crowned 2016 Indian Super League champions. The team defeated the
Kerala Blasters in a penalty shootout, 4–3, during the final. The match had ended 1–1 after
90 minutes and extra time.
 Vijender Singh defeats Francis Cheka to retain WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title.
Singh took less than 10 minutes to knock Cheka out in the third round itself to retain the
title. The Haryana boxer had won the title in July 2016 by defeating WBC European
champion Kerry Hope.
 Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana named in ICC Women's Team of the Year. Smriti
Mandhana became the first Indian batswoman to figure in the list. Though the ICC has been
announcing the Men’s Team of the Year for a while, this is for the first time the ICC
announced the Women’s Team of the Year.
 Russia: Sochi will not host Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships 2017.
International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation said it would not be prudent to hold the
championships in Russia, a country accused of state-sponsored doping.
 Pankaj Advani won World Billiards title in Bengaluru. For Advani, it was the 11th world
billiards champion title in his over 15-year long international career. So far, he won 16
titles in both the formats.
 Virat Kohli is the fifth cricketer to score three double test centuries in a calendar year.
Kohli’s third test century that came at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai made him the first
batsman to score three double centuries’ successive series in a year.
 Usain Bolt and Almaz Ayana win IAAF World Athlete of the Year Award. Ethiopia's Almaz
Ayana won the IAAF women Athlete of the Year award. Ayana broke the 10000m world
record by over 14 seconds in winning Olympic gold in Rio in 2016.
 Chapecoense air tragedy: From dream to disaster. Amoung the 77 passengers on board, 22
were Chapecoense players and 21 were journalists, who were accompanying the team for
their final match. Only six people were pulled out alive, three of whom were players, one
journalist and two crew members.
38 |
Honours/ Awards
Puerto Rico’s Stephanie Del Valle crowned Miss World 2016

 Puerto Rico’s Stephanie Del Valle was crowned Miss World 2016 at the 66th edition of the
event held at MGM National Harbor, Maryland in the
United States of America on 18 December 2016.
 The competition saw a total of 117 contestants from
countries across the globe. Stephanie Del Valle beat
runner-ups Miss Dominican Republic Yaritza Reyes
and Miss Indonesia Natasha Mannuela to grab the
esteemed title.
 Other contestants who made it to the top five were
Miss Philippines Catriona Elisa Gray and Miss Kenya Evelyn Njambi.
 19-year-old Dev Valle was crowned by Miss World 2015, Mireia Lalaguna Royo. With the
win, she becomes the second Puerto Rican to hold the title since the start of the competition
in 1951.
 The first Puerto Rican to win the title was Wilnelia Merced in 1975. Dev Valle hopes to use
this victory to enter the entertainment industry.
 Miss India Priyadarshini Chatterjee, fell out of the race after failing to qualify in the top 10.
She had initially made it into the top 20 and even into the top five for Beauty with a Purpose
title, which was, however, later won by Miss Indonesia.
 The 20-year-old was the first candidate from the North East region to represent India at the
World pageant.
UAE-based Indian teen Kehkashan Basu wins Children's Peace Prize

 Kehkashan Basu, a 16-year-old UAE-based Indian teenager won the International
Children’s Peace Prize for her work towards climate justice and combating environmental
degradation.
 The award was conferred to her by Bangladesh’s Nobel
peace prize winner Mohammad Yunus at a ceremony
held in The Hague.
 The teen in her award-winning speech stressed on the
importance of continuing the fight against climate
change and focusing on creating a more sustainable
future.
 Her speech comes not long after the new President-elect of the United States, Donald
Trump revealed his decision of withdrawing the U.S from a global agreement on climate
change.
 The International Children’s Peace Prize is an annual award, which is conferred to those
children who fight courageously for children’s rights. The award also includes an
investment prize of $106000 for projects in the winner’s home country.
Eminent Bengali Poet Shankha Ghosh Chosen For 2016 Jnanpith Award
 Eminent modern Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh was chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith
Award for the year 2016. He is the 52nd recipient of Jnanpith Award.
 Ghosh becomes the sixth Bengali author to win India's highest literary award after the likes
of Mahasweta Devi, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Ashapurna Devi, Subhash Mukhopadhyay
and Bishnu Dey.
 The award is given for exceptional contribution in the field of literature. The award was
constituted way back in 1965.
39 |
Rajasthani writer Satya Narayan chosen for 2016 Bihari Puraskar

 Eminent Rajasthani litterateur Dr Satya Narayan was chosen for the 26th Bihari Puraskar
2016 by the K K Birla Foundation. He was been chosen
for his Hindi book titled Yeh Ek Dunia published in
2010.
 His Yeh Ek Dunia is a meticulous depiction of various
circumstances of life in contemporary world.
 In it he has built a model of new creativity and
attempts to enter unseen aspects or dimensions,
where human experiences and conscience are more important than life situations of
contemporary time zone.
About Bihari Puraskar
 The award was instituted in 1991 by the K K Foundation. It is named after famous Hindi
poet Bihari. It carries cash prize of Rs 2 lakhs, besides a citation and a plaque. It recognises
outstanding work in Hindi or Rajasthani, published during the last ten years by a Rajasthani
writer.
 The 2015 Bihari Puraskar was awarded to writer Bhagwati Lal Vyas for his Rajasthani
poetry collection titled, “Katha Sun Aawe Hai Sabad”.
Kaisa Matomaki, Maksym Radziwill win 2016 SASTRA Ramanujan award

 Kaisa Matomaki and Maksym Radziwill have been jointly won the 2016 SASTRA-
Ramanujan award for mathematics for their ‘revolutionary’ collaborative work on short
intervals in number theory.
 Their mathematical work dwells on properties of numbers in “short intervals.” The two
mathematicians worked with Fields medallist Terence Tao in making a breakthrough on
the Chowla conjecture.
 They were presented with this prestigious award at inauguration of International
Conference on Number Theory at SASTRA University at Kumbakonam.
 Kaisa Matomaki from Finland’s University of Turku is first woman to receive this prize
since it was instituted in 2005. Maksym Radziwill is Assistant professor at McGill
University, Canada.
PM Modi Ranked 9th among Top 10 Most Powerful People in World in Forbes List 2016
 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked among the 10 most powerful people
in the world by Forbes list.
 Russia's Vladimir Putin topped the list for a fourth consecutive year.
 US president-elect Donald Trump was second on the list.
 The third most powerful person in the world also happens to be the most powerful woman:
Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany and the backbone of the European Union.
 PM Modi ranks ninth on the Forbes list of 74 of the World's Most Powerful People.
 The list also includes Microsoft's India-born CEO Satya Nadella on the 51st spot.
Most Powerful People in World In Forbes List 2016:
 No.1. Russia's Vladimir Putin
 No.2. US president-elect Donald Trump
 No.3. Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany
 No.4. Xi Jinping
 No.5. Pope Francis
 No.6. Janet Yellen
 No.7. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates
 No.8 Larry Page
40 |
 No.10. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

 No. 23. French President Francois Hollande
 No.32, Apple CEO Tim Cook
 No.38. Mukesh Ambani
 No.43. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
 No.48. US President Obama
Donald Trump is Time Magazine’s Person of the Year

 Time magazine has named President-elect Donald Trump its Person of the Year.
 Democrat Hillary Clinton was the No. 2 finalist. Ms. Gibbs said the
choice of Trump this year was “straightforward”.
 Time gives the title to the person who has had the greatest influence
on events “for better or worse”.
 The No.3 finalised for the Person of the Year was “The Hackers,”
referred to “a new cyber security threat we saw this year of state-
sponsored hackers looking to delegitimise an American election”.
 Democrat Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was the No. 2 finalist.
She lost to Trump despite winning the popular vote.
 But Time magazine, while naming Trump for this coveted title, also
called him the “President of the divided states of America.”
 Trump was not happy about that title, but called his selection a “tremendous honour.”
 The annual marketing gimmick has, since the 1920s, attempted to select a single figure or a
group that has influenced the year’s events.
 Presently, the editor of “Time Magazine” is Nancy Gibbs.
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won the reader’s poll for TIME ‘Person of the Year
2016’. Mr. Modi won 18 % of the vote, more than his closest rivals, including U.S. President
Barack Obama, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange.
 A R Rahman in Oscar Race Again. AR Rahman’s acclaimed number ‘Ginga’ is among the 91
songs selected in the initial nomination list for the 89th annual academy awards. If selected,
the Indian music maestro stands the chance to win double Oscar once again.
 Sunny Leone declared PETA's Person of the Year. Leone will receive the award for her
commitment for promoting the rescue of homeless dogs and cats, as well as her compassion
for abused animals.
 Sahitya Akademi Award 2016 announced. The Sahitya Akademi Award for the year 2016
will be presented to the winners at a special function to be held on 22 February 2017 in
New Delhi.
 Global Agriculture Leadership Award 2016 awarded to Ratan Tata. Tata was conferred with
the Global Agriculture Leadership Award for his transformational role in scaling Tata Group
as the globally admired group during his stint of 20 years as Chairman.
 John Kerry conferred with highest French civilian distinction Legion of Honour. Kerry
received the award from the French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault following the high
level talks on Syria’s war by both the sides.
 Artist Helen Marten wins 2016 Turner Prize. The nominees for the 2016 Turner Prize were
Michael Dean, Anthea Hamilton, Helen Marten and Josephine Pryde.
 Srinidhi Shetty won 2016 Miss Supranational title. Srinidhi Shetty, 24, won the eight edition
of Miss Supranational held in Poland. She is the second Indian to win the title after Asha
Bhatt, three years ago.
41 |
Obituaries
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, Known as “Amma" Dies

 Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalithaa died after undergoing treatment at Apollo
Hospitals in Chennai for 73 days at the age of 68.
 Jayalalithaa continued to be very critical and was on
extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and
life support systems.
 She was popularly known to leader and to millions of
Tamils as 'Amma'.
 Jayalalithaa admitted to Chennai's Apollo hospital on
September 22 with complaints of "fever and dehydration".
 She's later put on respiratory support and is treated for lung congestion.
 Doctors from the UK and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi join the team of
specialists from Apollo to treat her.
 She suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away at 11.30pm.
Brief History:
 Jayalalithaa was born on February 24, 1948 in Melukote, in what was then Mysore State,
presently in the state of Karnataka, to Jayaram and Vedavalli.
 Jayalalithaa entered films when she was 16 years old. She makes her film debut in a lead
role in 'Chinnada Gombe' a Kannada film.
 Making her debut as lead actress in a Kannada film, she was launched into Tamil films
starring as the heroine in MGR's "Ayirathil Oruvan."
 Jayalalithaa and MGR acted together in 28 films, many of them super hits. She acted in more
than 140 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and English.
 In the 1980s, she was made the propaganda secretary of AIADMK by founder-leader MG
Ramachandran.
 She entered the Rajya Sabha in 1984 In 1989, she was elected to the Tamil Nadu assembly
for the first time after which she became the Chief Minister of the state in 1991.
 She is the second female chief minister of Tamil Nadu after Janaki Ramachandran
Astronomer Vera Rubin Passes Away At 88

 Vera Rubin, a pioneering astronomer who helped find powerful evidence of dark matter,
has died. She was 88.
 Vera Rubin found that galaxies don’t quite rotate the
way they were predicted, and that lent support to the
theory that some other force was at work, namely
dark matter.
 Rubin’s scientific achievements earned her numerous
awards and honours.
 She was awarded National Medal of Science presented
by President Bill Clinton in 1993 “for her pioneering research programs in observational
cosmology.
 She also became the second female astronomer to be elected to the National Academy of
Sciences.
 Her son Allan Rubin is a professor of geosciences at Princeton University.
Eco-Activist Anupam Mishra Passes Away

 Environmentalist Anupam Mishra passed away at AIIMS.
42 |
 His seminal work on water conservation, Aaj Bhi Khare Hain Talab (roughly, the ponds are
still good as gold), fired the imagination of common
people and ecology warriors alike and gave wings to
India's indigenous wisdom on the subject.
 He was 68 and suffering from cancer for the past 10
months.
 Mishra believed that India was a water-literate
society in the past and sought to harness traditional
knowledge to improve the present.
 The book, Aaj Bhi... demonstrated how ponds nourished people living in the hinterland and
towns for centuries and explained why their preservation, maintenance and regeneration
were imperative.
 The book was first published in 1993.
 The book, at a wiry 120 pages, has seen 40 editions in about 10 languages, including a
Braille edition, says a long-time associate.
 Mishra mentored a generation of activists, too. Anyone who listened to him speak online on
Ted Talks would vouch for his clarity of thought and lucidity of expression.
 Lapodia, a sun-kissed hamlet about 80 kms from Jaipur, has been feted for its innovative
water harvesting techniques.
John Glenn, The First American To Orbit Earth Passed Away

 John Glenn became the first-ever U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth in 1962.
 This historic flight made him an all-American hero
and propelled him to a long career in the U.S. Senate.
 He passed away on 8 December 2016 at the age of
95.
 The Soviet Union leaped ahead of the U.S. in space
exploration by putting the Sputnik 1 satellite in orbit
in 1957, and then launched the first man in space,
cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on 12 April 1961.
 After two suborbital flights by Alan Shepard Jr. and Gus Grissom, it was up to Glenn to be
the first American to orbit the Earth on 20 February 1962.
Famous Political Satirist and Journalist Cho Ramaswamy Passed Away

 Srinivasa Iyer Ramaswamy, popularly known as Cho
Ramaswamy, was a multi-faceted personality.
 He was an accomplished actor, comedian, character actor,
editor, political satirist, playwright and dialogue writer, film
director and lawyer in Tamil Nadu.
 He was also the founder-Editor of ‘Thugalak‘, a popular
Tamil magazine.
 His popularity in the Tamil Nadu literary circles was mainly
due to his impartial assessment of political issues.
 His political satire ‘Mohamed Bin Thuglak’ was a runaway success.
 He was the winner of the B.D. Goenka award for excellence in journalism.
 Cho was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the BJP government led by A.B. Vajpayee.
 Hollywood actress Debbie Reynolds passes away. She was the mother of actress Carrie
Fisher and her death came just one day after the death of her daughter Carrie Fisher, who
died on 27 December 2016.
43 |
 Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher passes away. She was known for writing her own
autobiography titled The Princess Diarist that narrates the ups and downs of her career.
 Sunderlal Patwa, the former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, died. Patwa, an RSS
ideologue, was instrumental in consolidating BJP base in Madhya Pradesh (undivided).
 Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake passes away.
Wickremanayake served as the Prime Minister in the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government in
the year 2005. He earlier held the position of Prime Minister from August 2000 to
December 2001, succeeding the then Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
 Dinanath Bhargava, man who designed National Emblem, passes away. He sketched the
National Emblem and extracted its motto 'Satyameva Jayate' from Mundaka Upanishad in
1948 after an extensive research.
 Henry Heimlich, inventor of Heimlich manoeuvre, dies. Heimlich also invented the Micro
Trach portable oxygen system for ambulatory patients. He was also the inventor of the
Heimlich Chest Drain Valve, which drains blood and air out of the chest cavity.
 Legendary horse jockey Walter Swinburn passes away. Swinburn was just 19 when he rode
Shergar, a brilliant British-trained racehorse, to a memorable 10-length victory in the 1981
Derby at Epsom.
 Eminent economist Saumitra Chaudhuri passed away. He was a former member of the
erstwhile Planning Commission and Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister,
passed away on December 18. He was diagnosed with lung cancer.
44 |
Important Days
 December1: World AIDS Day

 December 2: World Computer Literacy Day, International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
 December 3: World Disability Day, Advocate Day [India]
 December 7: Armed Force Flag Day
 December 9: International Anti-Corruption Day
 December 10: Human Rights day
 December 11: UNICEF Day, International Mountain Day
 December 14: National Energy Conservation Day, Vijay Diwas (Indo-Pak war-1971)
 December 18: International Migrants Day
 December 19: Goa's Liberation day
 December 22: National Mathematics Day
 December 23: Kisan Divas (Farmer's Day)
 December 24: National Consumers Right Day
 December 25: National Good Governance Day
Foreign Visits / Foreign Visitors
 State Visit of the President of Kyrgyzstan Mr. Almazbek Atambaev to India in between
December 18-21, 2016.
 Visit of President of Tajikistan Mr. Emomali Rahmon to India in between December 14-18,
2016.
 Visit of President of Indonesia Mr. Joko Widodo to India in between December 12-13, 2016.
 Visit of Prime Minister of Qatar Mr. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Thani to
India in between December 02-03, 2016.
Source of Information
 http://pib.nic.in
 http://india.gov.in
 http://www.ibef.org
 http://thehindu.com
 http://jagranjosh.com
 http://gktoday.in
45 |

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Compendium- December, 2016

Rajya Sabha passes Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2016

Classical Dance 'Kuchipudi' Creates Record, Place into Guinness Records

Tribal development remains poor: Tribal Ministry report

Madras High Court bans unauthorised Sharia courts in Tamil Nadu

India Ranked 4th in Global Wind Power Installed Capacity Index

Jammu and Kashmir has no sovereignty: SC

India's Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) Decreases

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

PSLV-C 37 Scheduled For Launch on January 27: ISRO

Gorakhpur and Anand Vihar (Ghaziabad) Humsafar Express Launched

Punjab Government Launches India’s First Amphibious Bus Project

'Digishala’: The New 24-Hour TV Channel Launched By MeitY

Mumbai among World’s Top Trending Tourist Spots For 2017

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) To Launch Resourcesat-2A on Dec 7

TeamIndus to Launch India’s First Private Moon Mission In 2017

Karnataka State has Highest FDI in Domestic Investments in India

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana-2016 on Declaration of Black Money by Govt

India Ranked 102nd on Enabling Cross Border Trade: WEF

ISRO To Launch 83 Satellites In One Go In Jan. 2017

Joint maritime exercise ‘Konkan 16’ between India and UK begins

 Union Government launches Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative. A part of Union

UNESCO includes Yoga in Intangible Cultural Heritage list

Epson Launches World’s Smallest Wireless Mobile Printer at Rs 20,999

China launches 2 high resolution remote sensing satellites

China Launches "Tansat" Satellite To Monitor Carbon Emissions

Uber's First Electric Car Fleet Launched In Madrid

Astronomers discover universe’s biggest Galaxy Supercluster near Milky Way

World's First Cloned Goat with Cashmere Wool Born In China

China tests 5th-generation fighter jet FC-31 Gyrfalcon

Rio de Janeiro accorded UNESCO world heritage status

Mountain. It is situated 2.3 km deep under these mountains and57-kilometer long. It

Hindus Least Educated Religious Group in World

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye Has Impeached

Court rules on whether Park must permanently step down.

Japan successfully launches space junk collector into orbit

Japan successfully launches solid fuel rocket

Justice J.S. Khehar Appointed As 44th Chief Justice of India

Rajiv Jain To Be New IB Chief And Anil Dhasmana To Head RAW

Anil Baijal Former Bureaucrat Appointed As Delhi Lt. Governor

Viral V Acharya Appointed As New RBI Deputy Governor by Government of India

Sultan Muhammad V Crowns As New King Of Malaysia

Bill English Sworn In As New Zealand PM

Italy’s Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni to Be Its Next Premier

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O. Panneerselvam Took Over As The New Chief Minister Of Tamil Nadu

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Former World No. 1 Woman Tennis Player Ana Ivanovic Retires

Najeeb Jung resigned as Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

ICC Awards - 2016: R Ashwin Wins Cricketer of The Year Award

Junior Hockey World Cup Hockey: India Beats Belgium to Win

Cristiano Ronaldo Wins 2016 FIFA Ballon D’or Award

Women's T20 Asia Cup- Final: India Beat Pakistan in Bangkok

Magnus Carlsen Wins 2016 World Chess Championship

Puerto Rico’s Stephanie Del Valle crowned Miss World 2016

UAE-based Indian teen Kehkashan Basu wins Children's Peace Prize

Rajasthani writer Satya Narayan chosen for 2016 Bihari Puraskar

Kaisa Matomaki, Maksym Radziwill win 2016 SASTRA Ramanujan award

 No.10. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Donald Trump is Time Magazine’s Person of the Year

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, Known as “Amma" Dies

Astronomer Vera Rubin Passes Away At 88

Eco-Activist Anupam Mishra Passes Away