National

Who has been appointed new Chairman of the UGC? Professor Dhirendra
Professor Dhirendra Pal Singh was appointed the chairman of the University Pal Singh
Grants Commission (UGC) for a period of five years. The post of UGC
chairman had been lying vacant since April 2017 after the retirement of Prof.
Ved Prakash. Prior to be appointed as the UGC Chief Prof. Singh was the
director of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC),
Bengaluru.
Who has been appointed DG of Narcotics Control Bureau? Abhay
Senior IPS officer Abhay was appointed Director General of Narcotics Control
Bureau (NCB) after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved
his name for the top NCB post.
Who was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat? Vijay Rupani
The Bharatiya Janata Party won the Gujarat Assembly polls for a record sixth
straight time. Vijay Rupani was sworn in as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat
by Governor O.P. Kohli in Gandhinagar. Nitin Patel became the Deputy CM.
Who became the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh? Jai Ram Thakur
Jai Ram Thakur, a five-time BJP MLA was sworn in as the 14th Chief Minister
of Himachal Pradesh in Shimla. Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat
administered the oath of office to Mr. Jai Ram.
The Indian Coast Guard Commissioned an Offshore Patrol Vessel named Sujay
The Indian Coast Guard ship 'Sujay', the sixth in the series of six 105 m
Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) was commissioned by Director General Indian
Coast Guard Mr. Rajendra Singh in Goa. Sujay means 'Great Victory'. This 105
meter OPV has been designed and built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Ltd. It
is based at Paradip, Odisha.
Which Indian batsman scored his record third ODI double century? Rohit Sharma
India's opening batsman Rohit Sharma scripted history by scoring his record
third One Day International (ODI) double hundred in the second ODI of the
India-Sri Lanka Bilateral ODI series at the PCA stadium, Mohali. Rohit was
also the captain of the Indian team. Rohit scored his first ODI double ton in
2013 against Australia and his second super knock came in 2014 against Sri

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Lanka.

Who has been elected as President of the IOA? Narinder Batra

International Hockey Federation (FIH) Chief Narinder Batra was elected the
President of the Indian Olympic Association of the Annual General Meeting
in New Delhi as he registered a comprehensive electoral win over his lone
rival Anil Khanna for the top IOA post. Batra got 142 votes in his support
against 13 votes for Khanna.

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 International
Who has been appointed first ever female Bishop of London? Sarah Mullally
Former nurse Sarah Mullally was appointed Bishop of London, becoming
the first woman to take up the job which is one of the most senior posts in
the church of England. Mullally succeeds Richard Chartres as the Bishop of
London.
Time magazine gave its 'Time's Person of the Year honour for 2017' to The Silence Breakers
Time magazine announced 'The Silence Breakers' as its persons of the year
for 2017. Those women who have shared their bitter experience about
sexual harassment and assault have been collectively named 'Time
magazine's person of the year 2017 under the title of 'The Silence
Breakers'.
Which city of Israel has been recognized as the New capital of Israel by the Jerusalem
USA?
US President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital
of Israel and ordered the relocation of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem. More than 100 countries including India voted against the
move in the UN General Assembly. Actually Jerusalem is an apple of
discord between Israel and Palestine along with other Arab countries.
Which word has been chosen as the Oxford Dictionaries, word of the year Youthquake
for 2017?
Oxford Dictionaries declared 'Youthquake' as its word of the year for 2017.
The 'Youthquake' is defined as 'a significant cultural, political or social
change arising from the actions or influence of young people'. It pipped
'Antifa', 'Broflake', 'Milkshake Duck', Kompromat' to become the Oxford
Dictionaries word of 2017. Former 'Vogue' magazine editor Diana
Vreeland coined 'Youthquake' word in 1960s. Youthquake is already
included in the dictionary.
China conducted the maiden test flight of world's largest amphibious AG600
aircraft named
China conducted the maiden test flight of its indigenously developed
amphibious aircraft AG600 at the Jinwan Airport in Zhuhai. AG600, also
known as 'Kunlong' is the world's largest amphibious aircraft with a
wingspan of 38.8 metres. AG600 is powered by four turboprop engines
and is capable of carrying 50 people at a time. It can stay air borne for 12
hours with operational range of 4500 kms.
Who has been honoured with Globe Soccer's Best Player Award? Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal was honoured with the
Globe Soccer's Best Player Award for the second consecutive year in
December 2017. It was Cristiano's fourth Globe Soccer Best Player Award
overall as he had won it in 2011, 2014 and 2016 before this one.

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 India's First Design University Campus Opened
India's first and only design university, World University of Design opened its campus at Sonipat (Haryana).
The campus is situated on NH1 in Rajiv Gandhi Education City (NCR), Sonipat, the largest planned
integrated city for education in India.

Cabinet Approved Amendment to Law on Cheque Bounce Cases

The Union Cabinet approved an amendment to a current law to allow for payment of an interim
compensation in cheque dishonour cases with a view not to allow unscrupulous elements holding
payments, pending long trial. The amendment is in line with the governments push to make India a less
cash economy.

Training of Trainers Programme for Sendai Framework Inaugurated

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, inaugurated the first national-level training of
trainers programme to sensitize various Central Ministries and Departments on utilization of Sendai
Monitor for developing action plans for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in New Delhi.
What is SFDRR?
The SFDRR is the first major agreement of the post-201 5 development agenda. It identifies targets and
priority actions towards reducing disaster risks and implementing development that is both resilient and
sustainable.

President Laid Foundation Stone of Nyaya Gram Project

President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, laid the foundation stone of the Nyaya Gram project of the High
Court of Allahabad in Allahabad. Nyaya Gram Initiative has been started to make judiciary system more
accessible for the common people. It has been seen that having so many strict laws, people are still scared
to ask for legal help due to complicated system.
The initiative would help to make it simpler. Under this project the authority will strengthen the legal
system and people related to the system.
Nyaya Gram Project
 Nyaya Gram is a model township of the Allahabad High Court.
 The state government has nominated the Public Works Department, Uttar Pradesh, as the construction
agency for the project.

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 Door-to-Door Campaign against Tuberculosis
The Ministry of Health had launched a 15-day door-to-door campaign across the country for early
detection, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) to eliminate the disease.
Under the 3rd phase of the Revised National TB Control Programme, the centre in collaboration with the
states have identified 186 high-risk districts. The phase is called Active Case Finding (ACF). Under the
campaign, health department workers, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and TB supervisors will
make door-to-door visits to find TB patients and give them free medical treatment till they are cured.

NIC CERT Launched to Prevent & Predict Cyber Attacks on Government Utilities
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon'ble Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology
inaugurated the "NIC-CERT". It has been set-up with the objective of creating a comprehensive framework
that integrates world class security components and inbuilt threat intelligence for detection, prevention
and incident response.
About the NIC CERT
 It is a set-up of National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. NIC-
CERT will operate in close coordination and collaboration with sectoral CERT's and more so with Cert-in.
 Setting up NIC-CERT is MeitY's initiative under Digital India aimed at enhancing the security posture of
NIC and the Government which will in turn lead to enhanced trust of the citizens as the services offered
to them would be configured in a framework that is secure by design.
 Using the tools the team will correlate events that would help in generating a canvas of the attack
surface and identify the vulnerabilities and possible exploits.
 The gathered intelligence assimilated with the knowledge of the open web would give the CERT the
ability prevent and predict attacks.

'Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC Festival of Buddhist Heritage' Inaugurated

Minister of State for Culture (I/C) Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurated the three days Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC
Festival of Buddhist Heritage in New Delhi. It was inaugurated as part of celebrations of 20th anniversary
of BIMSTEC. 'Bodhi Parva' would also help immensely in promoting 'Brand BIMSTEC'.
About 'Bodhi Parva'
 'Bodhi Parva' has entwined various threads of the Buddhist heritage into a beautiful melange.

President Inaugurated Naval Maritime Aircraft Museum

Present Ram Nath Kovind, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, inaugurated the Naval Maritime
Aircraft Museum at the famous Beach Road, Vishakhapatnam.
Brief Notes
The museum featured the reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft which was decommissioned
in March 2017 and the maritime patrol aircraft Tupolev-142M, which served the Navy for almost three
decades.

India's Largest Floating Solar Power Plant Opened

India's largest floating solar power plant opened on the Banasura Sagar reservoir in Wayanad, Kerala.

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The plant has been set up by KSEB at a cost of Rs. 9.25 crore. The project is a scaled up version of the 10
kW floating solar project which was inaugurated in January, 2016.
Officials of Thiruvananthapuram-based Adtech Systems Ltd, which set up the plant, said that the plant
would be able to generate 7.5 lakh units of power annually which will be fed to the KSEB grid using
underwater cables.
Features
 Floating solar plants had higher efficiency compared to ground-mounted installations due to the
moderating effect of water bodies on panel temperature.
 The 500 kWp (kilowatt peak) solar plant of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) floats on 1.25 acres
of water surface of the reservoir.

TRAI Upholds Net Neutrality

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) upheld net neutrality in its recommendations, in order to
support the idea of free and open internet. The telecom regulator had earlier issued a consultation paper
for over-the-top service. TRAI has also dealt with the issue of differential pricing of data access.
TRAI's recommendation comes days after United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) led by
Ajit Pai suggested plans to scrap landmark 2015 rules intended to ensure a free and open internet. The
move is likely to give service providers a say on what content consumers can access. In 2016, Department
of Telecommunications had sought TRAI's recommendations on net neutrality.

National Strategic Plan and Mission 'SAMPARK' Launched

Minister of State (Health & Family Welfare), Anupriya Patel launched the National Strategic Plan 2017-24
and Mission "SAMPARK" to trace the remaining HIV patients who are Left to Follow Up and are to be
brought under ART services.
Towards 2030
 The National Strategic Plan 2017-24 will pave a roadmap for achieving the target of 90:90:90.
 At the same time it also strive along with partners towards fast track strategy of ending the AIDS
epidemic by 2030.
 In this direction, the "Community Based Testing" will help in fast-tracking the identification of all who
are HIV positive and subsequently linking to ART programme.
 One of our major focus area is the prevention of dual infection i.e. Mother to Child transmission of HIV
and Mother to Child transmission of Syphilis.

International Film Festival of India 2017 Held

International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2017 was held in Panji, Goa. The festival was jointly conducted by
the Union Ministry of Information and broadcasting, Directorate of Film Festivals and the Government of
Goa.
Important Facts
 Theme of this 48th IFFI was "Celebrating the Future of Cinema".
 This year, Canada was the focus country. 8 best films from recent-Canadian Cinema were screened.
 IFFI 2017 opened with renowned Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi's 'Beyond The Clouds'.
 Subhash Ghai, Padmini Kolhapure and Shraddha Kapoor inaugurated 'Bioscope Village', which is an
initiative by Entertainment Society of Goa.

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 IFFI concluded with the world premiere of Indo-Argentinian co-production "Thinking, of Him", directed
by Pablo Cesar.
 Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was felicitated with 'Indian Film Personality of the Year' award
by Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar and Union Minister Smriti Irani.
 Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan was honoured with a lifetime achievement award. He was felicitated
by Union Minister Smriti Irani and Bollywood Actress Katrina Kaif.

37th India International Trade Fair 2017 Held

The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 37th India International Trade Fair (IITF) on at
Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. 3000 exhibitors, including 222 companies from abroad, are participating at
IITF 2017. Thirty-two of India's states and Union territories are represented.
About the Trade Fair 2017
 The theme for IITF 2017 was "Startup India: Stand Up India".
 Jharkhand was the partner state for the fair and Vietnam was the partner country and the 'Focus
Country' was Kyrgyz Republic.
 It was organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).
 Institutions that are present range from self-help groups to big business houses, and from small and
medium manufacturing enterprises to digital start-ups.

First Power Plant Under PM Ladakh Scheme Commissioned

The New and Renewable Energy Ministry said the 1.5 Mw small hydropower plant in Biaras Drass of Kargil
in Jammu & Kashmir commissioned. The plant has become the first project to be commissioned under the
Prime Minister's Ladakh Renewable Energy Initiative (LREI).
About the Plant
 The plant will power the Drass town in Kargil, which is one of the coldest places in India. The power
project will meet normal power requirement of close to 1000 families.
 Power from the Biaras SHP would be sufficient to meet normal power requirement of about 1000
families, which would make them comfortable in the extreme winter season.
 The total cost of the project, fully funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, is Rs 17 crore.
 'The project has been developed by the Kargil Renewable Energy Development Agency (KREDA) under
the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.

'Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra' Introduced

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its
approval to the new scheme called 'Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra'. The scheme will empower rural
women through community participation to create an environment in which they realize their full
potential.

Centre Initiated 'Safe City' Plans for Women

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba chaired a meeting to kickstart the process of formulating
comprehensive safe city plans for women in eight metropolitan cities. The plan will be implemented in
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Hyderabad.

India's First Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit Held at Dantewada

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Aiming to inspire, nurture and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship among the tribal youth, India's first
Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit has been organised at Dantewada in Chhattisgarh. Union Minister of
Science, YS Chowdhary inaugurated the event.
About the Summit
 The event is organised by NITI Aayog in partnership with Government of United States of America. The
event is a part of 8th Global Entrepreneurship Summit being held in India.
 The summit witnessed the participation of tribal entrepreneurs from various sectors across the country
and abroad.
 The summit has been addressed by eminent speakers from NITI Aayog, health and agri-pharma sectors.
 They emphasised the importance of forest produce in generating livelihood opportunities for tribals.

Modi Emerges as 'Most Tweeted About' World Leader After Trump

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as the "most tweeted about world leader" after US President
Donald Trump in 2017, microblogging site Twitter.
Obama's tweet "No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background
or his religion..." was the second most retweeted tweet of the year.
A tweet by Carter Wilkerson "Help me please... a man needs his nuggs" which was retweeted 3.6 million
times was the most retweeted tweet of this year, according to a data compiled by Twitter. The figures were
released.
Twitter said Trump with 44.1 million followers and Modi with 37.5 million are respectively the first and
second "most tweeted about world leaders" for 2017.

Kumbh Mela on UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Kumbh Mela, the mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith, has been inscribed on the UNESCO's Representative List
of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The intergovernmental Committee for the Safe-guarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage under UNESCO
inscribed Kumbh Mela at its 12th session at Jeju in South Korea, the External Affairs Ministry.
This inscription is the third in two years for India following the inscriptions of Yoga and Nouroz.
'The UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage, adopted in 2003, defines
intangible cultural heritage as the practices, representations, expressions as well as knowledge and skills
that communities, groups and in some cases, individuals recognise as part of their cultural heritage.
According to the ministry, the Intergovernmental Committee observed that Kumbh Mela is the largest
peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth.
The festival, held in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, represents a syncretic set of rituals related to
worship and ritual cleansing in holy rivers in India, UNESCO said.
"As a religious festival, the tolerance and inclusiveness that Kumbh Mela demonstrates are especially
valuable for the contemporary world."
The statement said that the Committee "also took note of the fact that knowledge and skills related to
Kumbh Mela are transmitted through the Guru-Shishya 'parampara' (guru-student relationship) by way of
saints and sadhus teaching their disciples about traditional rituals and chants in order to ensure the
continuity and viability of this festival in perpetuity."

Scorpene Submarine INS Kalvari Commissioned

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Heralding it as a significant era to boost India's defence and security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
commissioned the country's first indigenously built Scorpene class submarine INS Kalvari into the Indian
Navy.
The submarine is named after the first Foxtort-class submarine—INS Kalvari which was inducted into the
Navy.
This is the first conventional submarine to be inducted into the Indian Navy. Kalvari means Tiger Shark.
Modi was received at the Naval Dockyard by Navy Chief Sunil Lanba and presented a 100-man Guard of
Honour.
The Scorpenes were being built by the Mazagaon Dockyard Ltd (MDL) in Array (Mumbai) under Project 75
with transfer of technology from a foreign collaborator - DCNS of France.

India Successfully Test-fires Supersonic Interceptor Missile

India took another step forward towards developing its two-tiered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) shield,
which has been long in the making, by testing a supersonic interceptor missile to destroy an incoming
ballistic missile over the Bay of Bengal.
The experimental two-tier BMD system is supposed to track and destroy nuclear - tipped missiles both
inside (endo) and outside (exo) the earth's atmosphere.
While the interceptor missile was fired from the Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast, the 'enemy' missile
was launched from the Launch Complex-III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) also based in the island. "It
was a direct hit," said a DRDO official.

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 China Unveiled Market-Based Plan to Curb Global Warming
China previewed a scaled-down version of its national carbon emissions plan. The plan drew high praise
from the Washington-based Environmental Defense Fund, which said it has been working with Chinese
authorities for more than two decades on plans for curbing pollution.
More Facts
 The plan is expected to dramatically reduce pollution while creating the world's largest emissions
trading system.
 More than 1700 power companies are expected to "trade" 3.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually
through a Shanghai-based marketplace.
 The "cap-and-trade rule" will allow polluters to buy "credits" from lesser polluters.
 The bigger polluters can save money by curbing emissions, while the lesser polluters can make money
by doing the same.
 China has stepped up its climate leadership dramatically in recent years and is now increasingly seen as
filling the leadership void left by the US.

Norway Became First Country to End Support for FM Radio in National Broadcast
Norway has officially become the first country to cease the use of FM radio for its national broadcasts, as
and switch over to digital radio.
The switch over began in January 2017 in order to provide better sound quality and reduce the costs
associated with radio broadcasts.

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 Dubai Opened World's First Camel Hospital
Dubai opened a Camel Hospital officially. The hospital opened its doors to patients, after a soft opening in
2016.

World's largest Automated Container Terminal Opened

China started trial operations of the world's biggest automated container terminal, the Shanghai Yangshan
Deep Water Port. The container terminal is located at the south of Donghai Bridge, phase 4 of the
Yangshan Port with covering 2.23 million square metres and has a 2,350-metre shoreline.
About the Project
The project uses automated handling equipment designed and manufactured in China by Shanghai
Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company. The machinery used a bridge crane, an automated guided vehicle
(AGV) and a rail-mounted gantry crane in loading and unloading.
A domestically-developed automated management system is also used at the port to maintain safety and
efficiency.

World's Biggest Floating Solar Project Started

China's Three Gorges Group started producing power from a 150-megawatt floating solar plant in Huainan
in Anhui province of east China, the largest of its kind in the world. The solar power project was developed
by the new energy unit of state-run Three Gorges Group, is expected to come on stream by May, 2018.
The Three Gorges New Energy Corporation has invested $151 million into constructing the world's biggest
floating solar power project.

Sri Lanka Formally Handed over Hambantota Port to China

Sri Lanka formally handed over the southern sea port of Hambantota to China for a 99-year lease.
2 Chinese firms i.e. Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) and Hambantota International Port
Services (HIPS) managed by the China Merchants Port Holdings Company (CMPort) and the Sri Lanka Ports
Authority will own the port and the investment zone around it.
Background
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during a visit to China had agreed to swap equity in Chinese
infrastructure projects launched by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his home district. Sri Lanka
owed China $ 8 billion then. With this agreement, the island country started to pay back the loans.

'We The Women' Event Inaugurated in Mumbai

UN Women in collaboration with Facebook inaugurated a two day event in Mumbai titled 'We The
Women' to empower and recognise the magnificent contribution of women in our society.
This two-day event was held at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai under the curatorship of journalist Barkha
Dutt.

Australia Legalised Same-Sex Marriage

Australia's Parliament voted to legalise same-sex marriage at Parliament House in Canberra. Prime
Minister Malcolm Turnbull introduced the bill for a final vote. The country is now the 24th in the world to
allow same-sex couples to marry.

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 UAE Launched Programme to Send Astronauts into Space
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, the UAE's vice-president and prime minister launched the
United Arab Emirates first space programme that aimed at sending four Emirati astronauts to the
International Space Station within five years. The oil-rich Gulf nation has already announced ambitious
plans to become the first Arab country to send an unmanned probe to orbit Mars by 2021, naming it
"Hope".
The first Arab in outer space was Saudi Arabia's Sultan bin Salman Al-Saud, who flew on a US shuttle
mission in 1985. Two years later, Syrian air force pilot Muhammed Faris spent a week aboard the ex-Soviet
Union's Mir space station.

Iraqi Prime Minister Declared 'End of War against IS'

Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi declared victory in a three-year war by Iraqi forces to expel the
Islamic State jihadist group that at its height endangered Iraq's very existence.

US Supreme Court Allowed Full Enforcement of Trump Travel Ban

The US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to fully enforce a ban on travel to the United
States by residents of six mostly Muslim countries.

Victoria became First Australian State to Legalise Voluntary Euthanasia

An Australian state parliament has legalised voluntary euthanasia. With this, doctor-assisted suicide will be
allowed in Victoria, Australia's 2nd most populous state, since June 2019.
The scheme will be accessible only to terminally ill patients over 18 living in Victoria with less than six
months to live.
Till date, Countries that have legalised human euthanasia are Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia,
Luxembourg, Canada and Victoria (state) of Australia.

Bill Gates Elected to Chinese Academy of Engineering

Bill Crates, co-founder of Microsoft and chairman of TerraPower, was elected to the Chinese Academy of
Engineering (CAE). He was among the 18 new foreign academicians elected to the institution, including
President of the London-based Royal Academy of Engineering Dame Ann Dowling and President of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Leo Rafael Reif, said the CAE.

International Solar Alliance Became a Legal Entity

International Solar Alliance (ISA) had become a treaty-based international intergovernmental organisation.
The ISA is now a reality with 46 countries among the 121 member countries signing the statute, 19 of
them ratifying it. The alliance will be the first such entity to be headquartered in India.
About the ISA
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brainchild, the ISA was launched, at the Paris COP 21 convention.

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 Highlighting India's proactive contribution to deal with climate change, the ISA was co-founded by then-
French President Francois Hollande.
 India has set an ambitious target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022. Of this, 100 GW is
to come from solar. Two years later, it has come a long way.

Largest-Ever Global Conference on Cyber Space

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the fifth edition of the Global Conference on Cyber Space
(GCCS) in Delhi. GCCS is one of the world’s largest conferences on cyber space. Representatives from 124
countries will participate in the two-day event. The theme of the two-day conference is Cyber4All: A
Secure and Inclusive Cyberspace for Sustainable Development.

First Phase of Chabahar Port Inaugurated

The first phase of the strategically located Chabahar port was inaugurated by Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani. Minister of state (shipping) Pon Radhakrishnan represented India at the inauguration of phase
one of the port.
The phase one is known as the Shahid Beheshti port at Chabahar. India, Iran and Afghanistan reiterated
their commitment to the early operationalization of the port that will contribute to bilateral and regional
trade and economic development, apart from providing land-locked Afghanistan an alternative access to
regional and global markets.

US Pulls Out of UN Conference on Migration

The administration of President Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from a United Nations
pact to improve the handling of migrant and refugee situations, deeming it 'inconsistent' with its policies,
the US mission to the global body announced.
In September 2016, the 193 members of the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a non-binding
political declaration, the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, pledging to uphold the rights of
refugees, help them resettle and ensure they have access to education and jobs.

A First inGulg: Saudi, UAE Introduce Value-Added Tax (VAT)

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates introduced value-added tax from January 1, 2018, a first for the
Gulf which has long prided itself on its tax-free, cradle-to-grave welfare system.
The other four Gulf states—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar—are also committed to introducing VAT but
have delayed the move until early 2019.
None of the Gulf states levies any personal income tax and none has any plans to do so.
The International Monetary Fund has repeatedly urged Gulf states to diversify their revenues away from
oil, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of the Saudi budget and 80 per cent in the UAE.
Both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi asked all companies with earnings of $ 100,000 or more a year to register in
the VAT system.
The UAE finance ministry said that VAT returns will be used "for infrastructure development... (to) upgrade
public services... and boost UAE economy competitiveness.

World's oldest Latin Bible to return to UK after more than 1300 years
The world's oldest complete Latin Bible in existence is set to return to the UK after more than 1,300 years
for display in an exhibition by the British Library next year. The one-foot thick Codex Amiatinus, one of the

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three great single-volume Bibles that was made at the monastery at Wearmouth-Jarrow, is returning to
England for the first time after it was taken to Italy as a gift for the Pope in 716.

Venezuela creating digital currency

Venezuela is creating a digital currency to combat a financial blockade by the United States, President
Nicolas Maduro has announced. The Petro will be backed by Venezuela's oil and gas reserves and its gold
and diamond holdings.

Gurbir S. Grewal The First American Sikh to Serve as Attorney General of a State in the US New
Jersey Governor Phil Murphy named Gurbir S. Grewal as his nominee to serve
as the next attorney general.
With this nomination, Grewal will become the first Sikh-American state
attorney general in the US. The move has been welcomed by the South Asian
Bar Association (SABA).
Gautam H. The new Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale, presented his credentials to
Bambawale Takes up Chinese President Xi Jinping at a ceremony to welcome newly appointed
role as India's Envoy ambassadors to the People's Republic of China.
to China He served as the high commissioner to Pakistan and before that as the envoy
to Bhutan; both countries figure prominently in the Sino-India ties.
While Pakistan is China's 'iron-clad friend', Bhutan doesn't have diplomatic
ties with Beijing and is the only country, besides India, to have an unresolved
land border with China.
Uma Shankar Uma Shankar, Chief General Manager (CGM) in charge of the Reserve Bank of

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 India's financial inclusion and development department has taken over as
Executive Director (ED) in the central bank in the first week of December
2017.
BN Sharma Badri Narain Sharma, an IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre of the 1985 batch
has been appointed as the Chairman of the newly constituted National Anti-
Profiteering Authority (NAA) under the GST regime. The anti-profiteering
measures were recently approved by the Union Cabinet and have been
designed to ensure that the full benefits of input tax credits and reduced GST
rates on supply of goods or services flow to the consumers.
Shaktikanta Das Former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs Shaktikanta Das has
been appointed as India's G20 Sherpa till December 31, 2018.
His appointment is for the Development Track of the G20 summit. There are
two tracks in G 20 -Finance Track and Development Track. Finance Track is
managed by the Secretary (Economic Affairs) as India's Deputy to G20 and the
Development Track is coordinated by the Sherpa. The Department of
Economic Affairs will provide necessary support to the Sherpa.

Justice Ved Prakash Justice Ved Prakash Vaish took oath as judge of the Allahabad High Court. The
Vaish oath was administered by Chief Justice DB Bhosal.
Vinay Sahasrabuddhe Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, a member of Rajya Sabha, has been appointed as the
President of Indian Council of Cultural Relations. He will replace Lokesh
Chandra.
INDIAN COUNCIL FOR CULTURAL RELATIONS
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was founded in 1950 by
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, independent India's first Education Minister.
Its objectives are to actively participate in the formulation and
implementation of policies and programmes pertaining to India's external
cultural relations.
Smita Nagaraj Senior IAS officer Smita Nagaraj has been appointed as member of the Union
Public Service Commission (UPSC).
With her appointment, the strength of the UPSC has gone up to eight. The
UPSC, headed by a chairman (Prof David R Syiemlieh at present), can have a
maximum of 10 members.
Vijay Gokhale He will be the next Foreign Secretary of India. He will take over from S.
Jaishankar.
R Hemalatha R Hemalatha has been appointed as the new Director of the National Institute
of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad.
Lt Gen B S Sahrawat Lieutenant General B S Sahrawat has been appointed as the Director General
of National Cadet Corps (NCC).
Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Kenyatta has been sworn in for a second and final five-year term as
President of Kenya.
Ellie Goulding British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding has been appointed as the Global
Goodwill Ambassador for UN Environment.
Dia Mirza Cine actor Dia Mirza, has been appointed as UN Environment's Goodwill
Ambassador for India.
Justice U.D. Salvi Justice Umesh Dattatraya Salvi took charge as acting chairperson of the
National Green Tribunal (NGT), a day after Justice Swatanter Kumar retired.

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 NGT
The National Green Tribunal was constituted after the National Green
Tribunal Act, 2010.
It was constituted to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining
to environmental issues.
It draws inspiration from the India's constitutional provision of Article 21,
which assures the citizens of India the right to a healthy environment.
Katrin Jakobsdottir Environmentalist Katrin Jakobsdottir has become the new Prime Minister of
Iceland. She replaced Bjarni Benediktsson. She is the second woman to ever
hold the position.
Constanino Zimbabwe's new President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed Constanino
Chiwenga/ Kembo Chiwenga, the former Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander and Kembo
Mohadi Mohadi, a long-serving state minister as the new vice presidents.
Ruling party deputies are traditionally named state vice presidents, although
this is not legally required. The president can have two deputies.
Zimbabwe is scheduled to hold presidential elections in 2018, in which
Mnangagwa will run as a candidate for ZANU-PF.
Mateusz Morawiecki Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki has been appointed as the Prime Minister of
Poland. He replaced Beata Szydlo.
Soumeylou Boubeye Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has appointed Soumeylou Boubeye
Maiga Maiga - a former defence and foreign minister and intelligence chief - as the
new prime minister.

Emperor Akihito Monarch to step down the first abdication by a Japanese ruler in over 200 years.
Akihito, who turns 84 and has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer,
said he feared age might make it hard for him to fulfill his duties. He will be
succeeded by his heir, 57-year-old crown prince Naruhito.
A 10-member imperial Household Council of lawmakers, royals and Supreme Court
justice, chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, agreed on the timing.
Saad Hariri Lebanese Prime Minister formally rescinds his resignation following a consensus
deal reached with rival political parties.
Hariri shocked the nation with his bizarre resignation in a televised broadcast from
Saudi Arabia citing Hezbollah's meddling in regional affairs as a main reason for
stepping down.
Hariri who heads a coalition government that includes ministers from the
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, said all members of the government had

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 agreed to stay out of conflicts in Arab countries.
Sabastian Kurz Austrian leader set to become world's youngest head of state at 31 after striking a
deal with far-right, anti-immigrant Freedom Party.
Nicknamed 'wunderwuzzi' (whizz-kid), Kurz earlier rebranded the conservative
People's party as his own personal 'movement', promising to get tough on
immigration and lower taxes.
The FPO has secured the interior and defence ministries. The move also makes
Austria the only western European country with a far-right party in government.
Mohammed Bin Saudi crown prince is said to be the mystery buyer of $ 300 million chateau in
Salman Louveciennes, France.
The Chateau Louis XIV, called 'the world's most expensive home' by Forbes, was
sold in 2015 but the identity of the buyer was kept secret, shrouded by shell
companies in France and Luxembourg. The New York Times has now reported that
the paper trail leads to Prince Mohammed.
The chateau was developed by Emad Khashoggi, nephew of the late billionaire
arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. The property has been designed in the 17th century
style, but boasts of 21st century amenities and technology.
The purchase of the villa appears to be one of several extravagant acquisitions—
including a $ 500 million yachts and a $ 450 million Leonardo da Vinci painting by
the crown prince, who is leading a crackdown on corruption and self-enrichment
by the Saudi elite.
Sebastian Pinera Billionaire to return as Chile's President, winning 55% of the vote's runoff election.
Matthew Petersen US President Donald Trump's judicial nominee quits race after failing to answer
basic questions.
Francois Gabart Frenchman Francois Gabart smashed the world record for the fastest solo
navigation of the globe. He completed the mammoth feat in 42 days, 16 hours, 40
minutes and 35 seconds.
Rahul Gandhi Rahul Gandhi's elected as President of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). He
was elected unopposed.
Abdullah Saleh Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed by Houthi rebels as he tried
to flee clashes with his allies-turned-foes in the capital.
Deepak Parekh The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has named noted Indian businessman, Deepak
Parekh, as International Ambassador at a breakfast in Mumbai with senior business
leaders.
Kamala Harris Indian-American California senator Kamala Harris has topped the prestigious
Foreign Policy magazine's 2017 list of ‘50 Leading Global Thinkers' for giving the
Democratic Party hope in the era of President Donald Trump. Harris, the daughter
of an Indian-mother and a Jamaican father, is the first-ever Indian American to be
elected to the US Senate. Seen as a potential Democratic presidential candidate,
Harris is the only black woman in the Senate. South Korean President Moon Jae-in
is ranked second in the list for trying to rebuild decent democratic leadership in
South Korea.
More People in the List
 Indian-origin stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj is placed third in the ranking for
defining the narrative of a 'New Brown America'. Early this year he was the first
Indian-American to have been chosen to host the White House Correspondents

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 Dinner.
Ishaan Khatter Actor Ishaan Khatter has bagged the Best Actor award at Bosphorus International
Film Festival in Turkey for his debut project, 'Beyond The Clouds'. He received the
award for his first film and dedicated it to his mother actor Neelima Azeem.
About the Movie
 Besides the recognition in the Best Actor category, film's editor Hassan
Hassandoost won the Best Editing trophy.
 AR Rahman has composed the music for the film, with cinematography by Anil
Mehta and Hindi dialogues have been penned by Vishal Bhardwaj.

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 Christine Keeler Central figure in the sex-and-espionage Profumo scandal that rocked Cold
War Britain dies.
Veteran Jounalist Batuk Gathani, veteran journalist and foreign correspondent for Indian and
Batuk Gathani Passes international news organisations, has passed away. Bhupendra Bachualal
Away Gathani, who reported for the Hindu and Frontline from Europe, was
President of the Indian Journalists Association for several years. India's
relations with the European union was one of the major subjects Gathani
reported on.
Laloo Chiba Veteran Indian-origin South African freedom fighter Laloo Chiba died. Chibas
death has brought to an end an era in South Africas democracy for the people
of Lenasia Chiba was a political prisoner on the Robben Island alongside
former South African President Nelson Mandela. The Gujarati-origin stalwart
was a former platoon commander in the military wing of the African National
Congress (ANC) and was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment on the
Robben Island.
Banwari Lal Joshi The Former Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi,
Governor of Meghalaya, and Governor of Uttarakhand has passed away.
He also worked in different administrative positions including the Ministry of
Home Affairs, with Prime Ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi.
Adarsh Sein Anand Adarsh Sein Anand, the 29th Chief Justice of India has passed away. His
landmark judgements include:
 The right of compensation in the cases of custodial deaths.
 He laid down important safeguards against custodial torture.
 He ruled that the Supreme Court did not have the power to debar any
advocate from practising even if it held him guilty of contempt.
Dr Daljit Singh Noted ophthalmologist Dr Daljit Singh has passed away.
Dr Singh is known for his pioneering effort to introduce lens implants in the
country in 1976. He is also known for inventing 'plasma scalpel' for glaucoma
and cataract surgery along with a renowned ophthalmologist Dr Fugo of the
US.
Lalji Singh Lalji Singh, a pioneer of DNA fingerprinting technology in India and former
Vice-Chancellor of Benares Hindu University (BHU), passed away.
He was the first person to give evidence and make the court accept DNA
fingerprinting result to settle a paternity case, while working at the Centre for

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 Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad.
Kalachand Darbesh The last of a rare breed of singers, the Darbeshis has passed away.
Technically descended from the Sufi dervishes, Bengal's Darbeshis are in a
league of their own, because they incorporate elements of Vajrayana
Buddhist principles as embodied in the Charyapada (8th- 12th century), and
the sahajiya principles of Sri Chaitanya's Bhakti movement teachings.
Voluntary begging is a Darbeshi tradition.
A.K. Pandya Arun Kumar Pandya, the founder Director-General of the Sports Authority of
India (SAI) and later Secretary (Sports), Government of India, passed away.
He has authored a book, "Quest for Olympic Gold: Strategies for Excellence".
Shashi Kapoor Noted cine actor Shashi Kapoor has passed away.
He was the third from his family to get the Dadasaheb Phalke Award after
Prithviraj Kapoor (1971) and Raj Kapoor (1987).

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 Anushka Sharma Bollywood actress and Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli's wife Anushka
Named PETA's Sharma was named PETA’s Person of the Year for 2017 by the People for Ethical
Person of the Year Treatment of Animals (PETA), an animal rights organisation.
Federer voted BBC Legendary Swiss Tennis player Roger Federer was voted BBC Overseas Sports
Overseas Sports Personality of the year for a record fourth time.
Personality of the Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and athlete Usain Bolt have been the winners
Year of this honour three times each.
th
12 Ramnath Goenka The 12th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards were presented to
Excellence in 27 journalists and media persons in 25 categories by Vice-President and Rajya
Journalism Awards Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu at an award ceremony in New Delhi. The
Vice-President was the chief guest of the award ceremony.
Sreenivasan Jain of NDTV 24x7 won the honour in the Investigative Reporting in
Broadcast category. Ashish Sinha of 'India News' got the award for on the Spot
Reporting in Broadcast category. Shashi Tharoor was honoured with the award
for his book 'An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India' in the Non-fiction
book category.
Mo Farah Wins BBC Britain's Olympic and World Champion athlete Mo Farah was honoured with the
Sports Personality of BBC Sports Personality of the year award in London.
the Year Award
Jitesh Singh Deo Lucknow-based Jitesh Singh Deo emerged the winner of the 2017 Mr. India
Wins Mr. India World World Crown at Bandra Fort, Mumbai. Mr. Jitesh will now represent India at the
2017 Crown Mr. World competition. Abhi Khajuria from Chandigarh was the first runner-up
and Mumbai's Pavan Rao finished as the second runner-up in the competition.
Miss India USA 2017 Shree Saini, a resident of Washington state, was crowned Miss India USA 2017.
Cancer surgeon Kavita Malhotra Pattani from Florida was declared Mrs India
USA 2017.
‘Power of One' Six top diplomats including an Indian woman named Lakshmi Puri, have been
Award felicitated with the inaugural Diwali "Power of One" award at the UN
headquarters, New York for their contribution to help in forming a more
"perfect, peaceful and secure world". The other awardees were
 Maged Abdelaziz, the former Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN;
 Ion Botnaru, the former Permanent Representative of Moldova to the UN;
 Yuriy Sergeyev, the former Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN.

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 Atibadi Jagannath Odia poet Rabi Singh has been named the winner of the prestigious Atibadi
Das Samman Jagannath Das Samman for the year 2017.
Nelson Mandela A South African organisation has announced that an Egyptian rights campaigner
Innovation Award named Khaled el-Balshy won its Nelson Mandela award for individual activism
for 2017. He will receive the Individual Activist award of the Nelson Mandela -
Graca Machel Innovation Awards at Suva, Fiji.
Khaled el-Balshy is a former board member of Egypt's Journalists' Union. El-
Balshy has boldly and relentlessly pursued the cause of free speech, despite
facing personal judicial and online harassment. El-Balshy was handed a year-
long suspended sentence in March 2017, along with the former head of the
union and another board member, over charges of "harboring fugitives".
National Awards for On the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the President
Divyangjan of India Ram Nath Kovind presented the "National Award for Empowerment of
Empowerment Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) 2017" at a function organized by
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) under
the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
About the Award
 The National Awards were presented in 14 main categories.
 The awards consisted of certificate, and medal or shield along with Rs. 43.50
Lakhs in cash.
 Chhattisgarh bagged the 'Best State in Promoting Empowerment of Persons
with Disabilities' award. Chhattisgarh Social Welfare Minister Ramshila Sahu
received the award.
 'Award for the Best District in Providing Rehabilitation Service to differently
abled' was given to Madurai. Madurai Collector K.Veera Raghava Rao received
the award.
7th AACTA Awards "Dangal" was unanimously chosen the Best Asian Film at the 7th Australian
Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards at Sydney.
About the Movie Dangal
 Dangal, the Nitesh Kumar-directed sports drama was based on the life of
Haryana wrestler Mahavir Phogat and his daughters.
 The film starred Aamir Khan as Phogat with Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya
Malhotra play the adult version professional wrestlers Geeta and Babita.
 Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar portrayed the younger version of the
Phogat sisters with Sakshi Tanwar as their mother.
3rd ICCR The 3rd ICCR Distinguished Indologist Award conferred on Professor Hiroshi
Distinguished Marui of Japan by President Ram Nath Kovind at a function held at Rashtrapati
Indologist Award Bhavan for his exemplary contribution to Indology.
Professor Marui had spent over 40 years working on Indian philosophy and
Buddhist studies. His many acclaimed publications and research papers are
considered a final authority on several subjects the world over. As President of
the Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies, he has made a
significant contribution to Indology in Japan.
Miss Universe 2017 South Africa's Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters was crowned Miss Universe 2017 at the
pageant held in Las Vegas, with Miss Colombia and Miss Jamaica making it to
the final three. Along with the title, Nel-Peters earned a yearlong salary, a

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 luxury apartment in New York City for the duration of her reign and more prizes.
About the Winner
 She hailed from Western Cape Province and recently earned a business
management degree from North-West University.
 She helps train women in self-defense. Her passion for self-defense was
reinforced when she was hijacked and held at gunpoint about a month after
winning her title as Miss South Africa.
 Shraddha Shashidhar, who is an Indian model and winner of Yamaha Fascino
Miss Diva 2017, represented India while competing against 71 title holders at
Miss Universe 2017.
Moortidevi Award  Noted Bengali poet Joy Goswami will be given the 31st Moortidevi Award for
the year 2017 for his poetry collection titled 'Du Dondo Phowara Matro'. It is
the first time the award will be given to a Bengali poet.
 "Du Dondo Phowara Matro" is an autobiographical account of the poet's life
featuring his close ones including a pet cat.
 The Moortidevi Award is an India literary award annually presented by the
Bharatiya Jnanpith. The award consists of a Saraswati statue, a citation plaque
and cash award of Rupees 4 lac.
 Eminent writer and journalist M P Veerendra Kumar was conferred the
prestigious Moortidevi award for 2016 for his Malayalam travelogue
'Haimavatha Bhoomiyil'
 Kannada writer C. K. Nagaraja Rao was the first recipient of this award for his
work 'Pattamahadevi Shantala Devi'
Vyas Samman  Eminent Hindi writer Mamta Kalia of Uttar Pradesh will be honoured with
literary award Vyas Samman for year 2017 for her novel "Dukkham Sukkham".
 Kalia is known for her works in Hindi and English including "Beghar", "Janch
AbhiJaari Hai", "Nirmohi", and "Bolne Wali Aurat".
 Ram Vilas Sharma was the first recipient of this award (1991) and the previous
recipient was Surinder Verma (2016).
 The award was instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1991. It is presented to
an outstanding literary work in Hindi published during the last 10 years. The
award carries a cash amount of 3.5 lakh rupees along with a citation.
International  Mohamad Al Jounde, a teenage Syrian refugee won the 2017 International
Children's Peace Children's Peace Prize for building a school and providing an education to
Prize hundreds of children who fled to Lebanon to escape the conflict.
 Kehkashan Basu, United Arab Emirates was the recipient of this award in
2016.
 The award is given annually to a child who has made a significant contribution
to advocating children's rights and improving the situation of vulnerable
children such as orphans, child labourers and children with HIV/AIDS.
 The prize is an initiative of the KidsRights Foundation, an international
children's aid and advocacy organisation based in Amsterdam, the
Netherlands.
Mother Teresa  Actor Priyanka Chopra has been honoured with 2017's Mother Teresa
Memorial Award Memorial award for social justice, given by Harmony Foundation, Mumbai.
 Priyanka received the award for her contribution towards lending her support

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 to social causes, such as her recent visit to Syria, where she met and
interacted with refugee children.
 The actor is also UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador and is known for supporting
various philanthropic activities.
Alappuzha Alappuzha - often called "the Venice of East"- a coastal city in Kerala has been
recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one of
the five models across the world (Clean City) for fighting the pollution menace.
Alappuzha Initiative
Aerobic Bin is the new method of waste management introduced in Alappuzha.
A number of aerobic bins are installed in various parts of the city. Solid wastes
are put in to the bin where it is converted in to fertile compost which is used as
manure for farming.
Households in the city are using bio gas plants where waste from kitchen is
main input as a result they can save the expense of cooking gas and can easily
remove waste. In addition to these the slurry from the plant is best for
vegetable cultivation. Pipe compost system also is common in Alappuzha.
With the simultaneous implementation of all these waste management
systems, the city has almost achieved the target of zero waste.
Kacheguda Kacheguda Railway Station under the South- Central Railway (SCR) has earned
the unique distinction of being the first Energy Efficient 'A1 Category' Railway
Station on Indian Railways.
Kacheguda Railway Station is a historic building and had completed 100 years.
Situated in the heart of Hyderabad, it was built in 1916 by the Nizam's
Guaranteed State Railway during the reign of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh
Nizam.

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 HOCKEY
Hockey World League Finals 2017
Indian hockey team won a bronze medal at the Hockey World League Final by defeating Germany with a
score of 2-1 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Australia won gold in the Hockey World League 2016-17 by defeating Argentina in the finals with a score of
2-1.

SWIMMING
World Para Swimming Championship
Visually impaired swimmer Kanchanmala Pande became the first Indian to won the gold medal in the
World Para Swimming Championship in Mexico. She secured the top spot in 200 meters medley event in S-
11 category. With this, Kanchanmala scripted history for India.
About Kanchanmala
Kanchanmala, who hails from Amravati, is a regular swimmer of Aqua Sports Club, Nagpur. She works with
Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

KABADDI
Asian Championship 2017
India won the men's Asian Kabaddi Championship 2017 gold medal in Gorgan, Iran by defeating Pakistan.
The women too triumphed in the women's side of things at the Asian Kabaddi Championship by defeating
South Korea.

WRESTLING
Commonwealth Championship
The 13th commonwealth wrestling championships were held in Johannesburg, South Africa. India won an
impressive 59 medals at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in Johannesburg, South Africa i.e.
29 gold, 24 silver and 6 bronze medals.

Sushil Kumar
Double Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar clinched a gold.

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Sakshi Malik
Another Olympic medallist, Sakshi Malik, who won a bronze in the 2016 Rio Games, also clinched a gold
medal in the championships.

Table Tennis
Spanish Open 2017
Indian paddler G Sathiyan clinched the men's singles gold medal at the 2017 ITTF Challenge Spanish Open
in Almeria, Spain.
This was Sathiyan's 2nd major title after the singles gold he had won two years ago in the ITTF World Tour
Belgium Open. Incidentally, this was the 2nd ITTF Challenge Series title won by an Indian this year after
Soumyajit Ghosh won in Chile Open final.
Indian pair of Manika Batra and Mouma Das, seeded second, went down to the top-seed Korean duo of
Jihee Jeon and Haeun Yang in women doubles final. So, the Indian pair had to satisfy with the silver.

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 Sachin Siwach World youth champion Sachin Siwach was named the Asian Boxing
Confederation's best youth boxer of the year after winning an online poll
conducted by the continental body.
 Siwach, who won the world title in 2016, claimed the Asian youth
championships silver in 2017 besides a gold at the Youth Commonwealth
Games.
 India also fetched the Best Asian International Technical Official (ITO) award
with Lenny D'Gama winning the online poll.
Chandika Chandika Hathurusingha has been appointed as Sri Lanka cricket team head coach.
Hathurusingha He is expected to coach Sri Lanka to the 2019 World Cup in England.
R. Ashwin Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin became the fastest bowler to reach the
milestone of 300 Test wickets. In his 54th match, he broke Dennis Lillee's record
during India's win over Sri Lanka in the 2nd Test played at Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Ashwin is only the fifth Indian bowler to complete a career 300 wickets in Test
cricket behind Anil Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434), Harbhajan Singh (417) and
Zaheer Khan (311).
Virat Kohli Virat Kohli has managed to score 10 international hundreds in the calendar year of
2017. 10 international hundreds included six in ODIs and four in Tests. The
previous best was Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith with nine hundreds.
He had scored double centuries in 4 successive Test series.

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 105th Indian The 105th Indian Science Congress (ISC) will be held at Manipur Central University,
Science Congress Imphal in March 2018. Imphal will be the second North-Eastern city to host the
(ISC) to be Hosted annual science event as Shillong had hosted the ISC in 2009.
by Manipur Central The ISC is an annual mega science event and is organized in January in numerous
University, Imphal universities of India. The 105 edition of ISC was actually to be hosted by the
Osmania University, Hyderabad in January 2018 as usual, but the Osmania
University expressed its inability to host the event due to security problems amid
ongoing students' protests. This is the first time the mega science event was
postponed in its over 100-year old history.
Bengaluru Bengaluru became the first Indian city to have its own logo when the Karnataka
government launched the Bengaluru city logo in a bid to resurrect its image as a
tourism destination. The logo was designed by Nammur, a design start-up. The
Nammur won a prize money of Rs. 5 lakh from the government for designing the
Bengaluru logo. Having its own logo, Bengaluru joined cities like Amsterdam in the
Netherlands and New York in the US to have its own logo.
Jokpatha Jokpatha, a tribal village in Chhattisgarh's Balrampur district got electricity
(Chhattisgarh) connection for the first time after 70 years of independence. The Jokapatha village,
situated in mountainous region, had been deprived of power supply since
independence.
The state government led by Chief Minister Raman Singh has provided electricity
connections to several villages, which had been deprived of power supply since
India's independence in 1947.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar
Yojana 'Saubhagya' scheme with an aim to provide electricity connections to over 4
crore families in rural and urban areas by December 2018.
Mount Hope Cartographers surveying Antarctica have discovered on December 11, 2017 that Mt
(Britain) Hope is the tallest mountain in the British Antarctic Territory (BAT). Until now,
maps showed Mt. Jackson as the tallest mountain in the territory.
Mt Vinson remains the highest mountain in Antarctica.
Kolkata (West Diego Maradona, who won the 1986 World Cup, unveiled a 12-foot statue of his
Bengal) likeness holding aloft the 1986 World Cup trophy and it would be erected at a park
named after him.

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 More Facts
 Maradona was on a private visit to India. It was his 2nd visit in 9 years after 2008,
with the city of Kolkata hosting him for a charity event at a north Kolkata club.
 Maradona was presented with a uttariyo (traditional scarf) on stage.
 Maradona took on cricket icon Sourav Ganguly in an exhibition match titled
'Diego vs Dada'.
Kacheguda Kacheguda Railway Station in Hyderabad division of the SCR has earned the
(Telangana) distinction of being the first energy-efficient A1 Category railway station in the
country. Kacheguda railway station has achieved 100% energy efficiency.
 Kacheguda is a "historic and the most beautiful" railway station building on SCR
and one of the landmarks of Hyderabad city. This imposing structure was built in
1916 by the Nizams Guaranteed State Railway during the reign of Mir Osman Ali
Khan, the 7th Nizam.
New Delhi India's first Madame Tussauds wax museum opened its doors to Delhi with 50 life-
like figures spanning across history, sports, music, films and politics, for the public
at the iconic Regal building in central Delhi.
 The Delhi facility is the 23rd edition of Madame Tussauds.
 Madame Tussauds has been a successful tourist attraction in places like London,
Las Vegas, New York, Orlando, San Francisco and Hong Kong.
Shamli (Uttar Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district was included in the National Capital Region. With
Pradesh) this, total number of districts in the NCR raised to 23.

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 BOOKS AUTHORS
The Quest Continues : Lost Heritage—The Sikh Amardeep Singh, Himalayan Books
Legacy in Pakistan
Behind Bars : Prison Tales of India's Most Famous Sunetra Chaudhury, Roli Books
Trust No Aunty Maria Qamar, Simon and Schuster
Ashoka : Satrap of Taxila Ashok K. Banker, Westland
Available Light C . P. Surendran, Speaking Tiger
The Lucknow Cookbook Chand Sur and Sunita Kohli, Aleph
The Evolution of Imagination Stephen T. Asma, University of Chicago Press
The Driver in the Driverless Car Vivek Wadhwa with Alex Salkever, Harper Collins
Attendant Lords TCA Raghvan, Harper Collins
Loyal Stalkers Chhimi Tenduf-La, Pan Macmillan
"The Raisina Model Meghnad Desais
The ASEAN Miracle: A Catalyst for Peace Kishore Mahbubani and Jcffery Sng
1984 - India's Guilty Secret Pav Singh
Silent Sentinels of Ranthambhore Bina Kak
Rani Padmavati - The Burning Queen Anuja Chandramouli

© Law Prep Tutorial

CLAT Express – December 2017
1 December World AIDS Day
2 December International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
National Pollution Control Day
3 December International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Theme: “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all”
4 December Indian Navy Day
Chemical Accidents Prevention Day (India)
5 December International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development
World Soil Day – Theme: “Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground”
International Smog Day
7 December International Civil Aviation Day
9 December International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of
Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime
International Anti-Corruption Day
10 December World Human Rights Day – Theme: “Let’s stand up for equality, justice and
human, migration”
11 December International Mountain Day - Theme: “Mountains under Pressure: climate,
hunger, migration”
12 December International Day of Neutrality
Universal Health Coverage Day (India)
14 December National Energy Conservation Day (India)
16 December Vijay Diwas (India)
18 December Minorities’ Rights Day
International Migrants Day – Theme: ”Safe Migration in a World on the Move”
20 December International Human Solidarity Day
22 December National Mathematics Day (India)
23 December Kisan Divas (Farmer’s Day) (India)
24 December National Consumer Right Day (India)
25 December Good Governance Day (India)

© Law Prep Tutorial

CLAT Express – December 2017