Current Affairs December 2018 PDF

India’s Olympic and world champion shooter Abhinav Bindra has

been conferred with the ISSF's highest award 'Blue Cross'.
Former US President George H.W. Bush died. He was 94.
Raninder Singh has become the first Indian to be elected as the
vice-president of the International Shooting Sport Federation.
The G-20 summit held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The ‘Asia Pacific Summit-2018’ held from 30th November to 3rd
December 2018 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The theme of the summit is-
‘Addressing Critical Challenges of Our Time: Interdependence, Mutual
Prosperity and Universal Values’.
World AIDS Day- 1 December, World AIDS Day is designated on 1
December every year since 1988.
Delhi Environment minister Imran Hussain has been awarded with
the 'Hero to Animals Award' for banning Chinese manja - glass-coated
kite strings by animal rihhts body PETA.
State-owned Bank of Maharashtra has appointed A S Rajeev as its
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer.
Ex Cope India-18 is the fourth edition in the series of Bilateral
Joint exercise held between IAF and USAF, which is conducted in India.
This is the first time, the exercise is being planned at two Air Force
bases, Kalaikunda, and Panagarh (West Bengal).
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the Chief Guest
at the 2019 Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded approval for the
acquisition of defence equipment worth nearly Rs 3000 crore which
includes BrahMos Missiles, and Armoured Recovery Vehicles (ARVs) for
Battle Tank Arjun. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The World Bank has unveiled 200 billion US Dollars in climate
action investment for 2021 to 2025.
The UN climate summits, i.e. so called COP (Conference of the
Parties) are global conferences, in the course of which action for
 Current Affairs December 2018 PDF
climate policy is negotiated. The Climate Change Conference 2018 was
held in Katowice, Poland.
Global Agriculture and Food Summit 2018 held in Ranchi,
Jharkhand.
NATHEALTH has announced the appointment of Siddhartha
Bhattacharya as Secretary-General.
Leftist leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been sworn in as
the new Mexican President.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) observed on
3 December around the world.The theme for this year’s IDPD is
“Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and
equality”.
Atlawim Debebe of Ethiopia won the Full Marathon (Pune
International Marathon 2018) with the timing of 2 hours 17 minutes 17
seconds. In women’s Full Marathon Pascalia Chepkogei from Kenya
stood first with the timing of 2 hour 50 minutes 27 seconds.
Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) has elected Dalmia
Cement (Bharat) group CEO Mahendra Singhi as its new President.
Rajasthan's Maheshwari Chauhan retained her women's skeet
title at the 62nd National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC)
for shotgun events.
Yes Bank has appointed former Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority (IRDA) chief T.S. Vijayan as an independent
director for five years.
A N Jha, Secretary, Expenditure, has been appointed as new
Finance Secretary.
SpaceX has launched its Falcon 9 rocket, sending 64 satellites at
the same time.
The Centre and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed an 85
million dollar loan to improve skill development eco-system in Odisha.
“PAiSA – Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention
Access”, a centralized electronic platform for processing interest
subvention on bank loans to beneficiaries under Deendayal Antyodaya
 Current Affairs December 2018 PDF
Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) was launched
by Sh. Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced a pan-India single-
number emergency mobile app '112 India' and stated that it will have a
special women safety feature 'SHOUT' to get immediate assistance from
police and volunteers. It is connected to the Emergency Response
Support System (ERSS).
Nagaland became the first state in the Northeast and second in
the country, after Himachal Pradesh, to launch a pan-India single-
number (112) emergency mobile application which will have a special
women safety feature for immediate assistance from police and
volunteers.
Qatar has announced its decision to leave the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from January 2019.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
announced the appointment of Jon Ridgeon as its new CEO.
Pawan Singh has become the first Indian to be elected one of
seven member's of the Judges Committee of the International Shooting
Sports Federation (ISSF). Mr. Singh also holds the post of the Joint
Secretary General of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric won the Ballon
d'Or award for the first time, ending the 10-year dominance of Lionel
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The 33-year old Croatian was awarded the
FIFA’s World Cup 2018 MVP, UEFA’s Player of the Year 2018, Best FIFA
Footballer of the Year and the number one player by International
Federation of Football History and Statistics.
Navy Day is being celebrated in India on 4th December.
Ullas Narayan became the first ever Indian individual medal
winner in an international ultra running event by clinching a bronze in
the 2018 International Association of Ultra Running (IAU) 24 Hour Asia
& Oceania Championships in Taipei.
 Current Affairs December 2018 PDF
Indian star wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik successfully
emerged champions in the 57 kg and 62 kg title respectively in the Tata
Motors Senior Women's National Championship. The event was hosted
by Uttar Pradesh.
India’s heaviest satellite GSAT-11, that would boost broadband
services in the country, was successfully launched by an Arianespace
rocket from the French Guiana.
Former India opening batsman Gautam Gambhir announced his
retirement from all forms of cricket.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a
respected female lawyer as the head of National Prosecuting Authority.
Chairperson of the National Gandhi Museum Aparna Basu has
died. She was 87.
India Water Impact Summit-2018 Held In New Delhi.
The Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) held a bilateral air
exercise SHINYUU Maitri-18 with Indian Air Force at A F Station Agra.
The theme of the exercise is joint Mobility/Humanitarian Assistance &
Disaster Relief (HADR) on Transport aircraft.
The first India-ASEAN InnoTech Summit was held in New Delhi. It
was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce &
Industry (FICCI) in association with the Department of Science &
Technology (DST) and Ministry of External Affairs. Participating ASEAN
member countries in this summit were Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Bogibeel Bridge,
on December 25. It is India’s longest rail-road bridge, connecting the
north and south banks of the Brahmaputra, falling in the eastern part of
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The bridge is 4.94 km long. While
former prime minister HD Deve Gowda laid the foundation stone for the
Bogibeel bridge in January 1997, the work started only in April 2002
when former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated the construction.
State Bank of India has roped in Asian Games gold medalist
Swapna Barman as brand ambassador for its digital app YONO.
 Current Affairs December 2018 PDF
World Soil Day is celebrated annually on the 5th of December at
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
headquarters in Rome. This year the theme was #StopSoilPollution.
Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff, released a book
titled ‘Blue Waters Ahoy!’ – chronicling the Indian Navy’s History from
2001-10. The book has been authored by Vice Admiral Anup Singh.
The Centre included Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttarakhand,
Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and Parasnath in Jharkhand under a
central scheme to develop pilgrimage and heritage destinations in the
country. With the new additions, the number of sites under the
Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive
(PRASAD) launched by the ministry in 2014-15 has now become 41 in
25 states.
German firm BigRep claims it has produced the world's first fully
functioning e-motorbike NERA using a 3D printer. It is a world's first
3D-Printed Functional e-Bike.
Krishnamurthy Subramanian has been appointed as the new Chief
Economic Advisor of India for a period of three years.
Shubhankar Sharma became the youngest Indian to clinch the
Asian Tour Order of Merit (Golf). 2015- Anirban Lahiri, 2008- Jeev
Milkha Singh
American President Donald Trump nominated chief State
Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as US' next envoy to the UN
to replace the outgoing Indian-American Nikki Haley.
Donald Trump nominated William Barr, a conservative lawyer who
was attorney general in the administration of the late George H W
Bush, to lead the Department of Justice.
Former Colombian president Belisario Betancur died. He was 95.
Mexico's Vanessa Ponce de Leon won the coveted Miss World
2018 crown at the 68th edition of the prestigious Miss World grand
event held in the Chinese city, Sanya.
 Current Affairs December 2018 PDF
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Civil Aviation
Minister Suresh Prabhu jointly inaugurated the Kannur International
Airport Ltd (KIAL).
Ex AVIAINDRA, a service specific exercise between Indian Air
Force and Russian Federation Aerospace Force (RFSAF), is planned at
Air Force Station Jodhpur from 10-21 Dec 2018.
Goa's Prathamesh Maulingkar has created history by becoming
the first Asian/Indian to win this year's Mister Supranational title in a
competition held in Poland.
SWIFT India has appointed ex-SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya
as the new chairman of its board. SWIFT India is a joint venture of top
Indian public and private sector banks and SWIFT (Society for
Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication).
Shyam Sundar Besra, chief inspector of ticket working in Asansol
Division of the Eastern Railway, was conferred the coveted Sahitya
Akademi Award. He has been awarded for his novel 'Marom'.
Reserve Bank Governor Urjit Patel resigned from his post.
Shaktikanta Das, a former 1980 batch IAS officer has been named the
new governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
Comptroller and Auditor General Rajiv Mehrishi has become the
Vice-Chair of the UN Panel of Auditors. The United Nations Panel of
Auditors consists of External Auditors of the United Nations and its
agencies. Presently, the panel consists of 11 countries — India,
Germany, Chile, Canada, France, Italy, Philippines, Ghana, Indonesia,
Switzerland and United Kingdom.
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered at the Gulf
Kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in October, has been included in the
TIME's Person of the Year list.
The Indian Navy has inducted the country's first 'Deep
Submergence Rescue Vehicle' (DSRV) into service.
India's Manika Batra became the first Indian Table Tennis player
to be decorated with the 'Breakthrough Table Tennis Star' award at the
 Current Affairs December 2018 PDF
prestigious International Table Tennis Federation Star Awards in
Incheon.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India
signed a $60 Million Loan Agreement in New Delhi to continue financing
riverbank protection works, renovation of flood embankments, and
community-based flood risk management activities in critically flood-
prone areas along the Brahmaputra River in Assam.
Government of India has nominated Brijendra Pal Singh as
President of the The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
Society and Chairman of FTII Governing Council.
Bharat Bhushan Vyas, IAS (J&K 1986) (Retd.) took the Oath of
Office and Secrecy as Member, Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC). The Oath was administered by Arvind Saxena, Chairman, UPSC.
Mr. Ramfal Panwar, Joint Secretary, Netgrid has been appointed
as Director of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Noted English writer Amitav Ghosh has been honored with
Jnanpith Award 2018, a literary award given to an author for
"outstanding contribution towards literature. He becomes the first
author in English to win India's foremost literary prize. Ghosh is also
recipient of the Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi Award.
Philippines' Catriona Gray has been crowned Miss Universe 2018,
becoming the fourth woman from the country to win the title. Tamaryn
Green from South Africa was named the first runner-up while Miss
Venezuela Sthefany Gutiérrez stood third at the pageant which was
held in Bangkok, Thailand.
Belgium has won the Men's Hockey World Cup 2018 title by
defeating Netherlands by 3-2 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Sanitary ware firm HSIL's Chairman and Managing Director (CMD)
Sandip Somany has been elected as the new President of The
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
The government cleared the name of advocate Madhavi Goradia
Divan as an Additional Solicitor General for India.Tushar Mehta-
Solicitor General
 Current Affairs December 2018 PDF
India has been ranked 108th in World Economic Forum (WEF)
gender gap index. India was at the same rank last year also.
Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor has been named PETA India's
person of the year for 2018 for her animal advocacy efforts.
Lionel Messi collected a record fifth Golden Shoe award for
finishing last season as the top goalscorer in Europe.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, released the coffee table book
"Timeless Laxman", based on the famous cartoonist RK Laxman.
ISRO Launches Satellite GSAT-7A in Major Boost to Air Force.
Manoj Kumar Varma has been appointed as the Director (Power)
of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been conferred
the Skoch Chief Minister of the Year Award for her contribution in the
overall development of the state and emerging as the best chief
minister in the country.
Gujarat has emerged as the best performer in developing startup
ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs, according to the ranking of
states done by the department of industrial policy and promotion
(DIPP).
India's second largest IT services firm Infosys named former
Bharti Airtel executive Nilanjan Roy as its chief financial officer.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announced a ₹10,000 crore scheme for
the overall development of farmers. Named Krushak Assistance for
Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA), the scheme will provide
farmers with ₹10,000 a year at the rate of ₹5,000 each for Kharif and
Rabi season. Additionally, crop loans of up to ₹50,000 will be interest-
free under the scheme
19-year-old Indian-origin batsman Jason Sangha became the
youngest ever batsman to smash a fifty in the Big Bash League.
India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable long-range
ballistic missile Agni-IV from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast.
Agni-4 is a two-stage missile with 4000-km strike range.
 Current Affairs December 2018 PDF
Dr Jiko Luveni, the first female speaker of Fiji's Parliament, has
died. She was 72.
Late music composer Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Usha
Timothy have been conferred with the Mohammed Rafi Award.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the country's longest
rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra river at Bogibeel in Assam.
The length of the Bogibeel brdge is 4.94 Kms.
Captain Virat Kohli has set a new record for most runs overseas
by an Indian batsman in a calendar year. Kohli broke a long-standing
record of Rahul Dravid.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has been formally
inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
China has successfully tested the advanced S-400 air defence
system imported from Russia for which India also signed-up recently.
President Ram Nath Kovind issued a gazette notification for the
functioning of the new High Court in Amaravati. The new High Court for
Andhra Pradesh will be the 25th High Court in the country.
The Chamba superintendent of police was conferred the
'Champion of Change' award by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu for
her exemplary administrative work.
Indian-American Rajesh Subramaniam has been named as the
president and chief executive officer of US multinational courier
delivery giant FedEx Express.
All-rounder Colin de Grandhomme hit a record fastest 50 for New
Zealand in the second Test against Sri Lanka.
PV Bharathi appointed as MD & CEO of Corporation Bank.
Dadasaheb Phalke award-winning film director Mrinal Sen passed
away. He was 95.
The government has appointed Sudhir Bhargava as new Chief
Information Commissioner (CIC).
The Indian cricket team beat Australia by 137 runs in the third
Test against Australia in Melbourne to become the fifth country in the
 Current Affairs December 2018 PDF
history of cricket to have 150 or more wins in Test cricket. Australia,
England, West Indies, South Africa are the other four countries.
Sahitya Akademi announced its annual Awards for 2018 in 24
languages. Seven books of poetry, six novels, six short stories, three of
literary criticism and two of essays have won the Sahitya Akademi
Awards, 2018.
Here is the complete list of winners of Sahitya Akademi Awards 2018:
Sl.
Winner Language
No.

For Collection of Poetry

1. Sananta Tanti Assamese
2. Paresh Narendra Kamat Konkani
3. S Ramesan Nair Malayalam
4. Dr Rama Kant Shukla Sanskrit
5. Dr Mohanjit Punjabi
6. Dr Rajesh Kumar Vyas Rajasthani
7. Khiman U Mulani Sindhi

For short stories

8. Sanjib Chattopadhyay Bengali
9. Mushtaq Ahmed Mushtaq Kashmiri
10. Prof Bina Thakur Maithili

For Novel
11. Inderjeet Kesar Dogri
12. Anees Salim English
13. Chitra Mudgal Hindi
14. Shyam Besra Santali
15. S Ramakrishnan Tamil
16. Rahman Abbas Urdu
Short-story writer, Mushtaq Ahmad Mushtaq, bagged the Award
17.
for his collection of short stories “AAKH’’.

The awards will be presented at a roadshow function to be held on 29th

January 2019 at New Delhi during the Festival of Letters to the
 Current Affairs December 2018 PDF
organized by Sahitya Akademi. Yogendra Nath Sharma was awarded
the Bhasha Salman for the North zone; G Venkatasubbiah for South
zone; Gagendra Nath Das for the Eastern zone; and Shailaja Bapat for
the Western zone.