Daily Current affairs - December 18th, 2017 for all competitive exams
Every year, Minorities Rights Day in India is celebrated on 18th December, by the National Commission for Minorities.
- The day is celebrated in order to protect and promote the rights of minority communities.
- It also advocates religious harmony, respect and better understanding amongst all minority communities irrespective of the caste, color, linguistic, ethnicity and religion
December 18 - International Migrants Day
International Migrants Day is an international day observed on 18 December as International Migrants Day appointed by the General Assembly of United Nations on 4 December 2000 taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world.
- 2017 Theme: Safe Migration in a World on the Move
On 18 December 1990, the General Assembly adopted the international convention on the protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families.
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Indian President laid foundation stone of Nyaya Gram project
President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, recently laid the foundation stone of the Nyaya Gram project of the High Court of Allahabad.
- It is a model township of High Court in Allahabad.
- The township includes a judicial academy, an auditorium and residences for judges and staff.
RERA’s administration under Urban Affairs Ministry’s domain
The work of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, which mandates the establishment of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), will be looked after by the Urban Affairs Ministry.
- The central government has amended the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules 1961, in this regard.
- The RERA is for regulation and promotion of the real estate sector and to ensure sale of plot, apartment or building in an efficient and transparent manner and to protect the interest of consumers in the real estate sector.
- It makes it mandatory for all builders – developing a project where the land exceeds 500 square metre – to register with RERA before launching or even advertising their project.
- Urban Affairs Minister – Narendra Singh Thomar
IMA tightens the screws on antibiotic prescriptions
Alarmed over the growing antibiotic resistance that has made it difficult to treat many bacterial infections, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has advised doctors to follow strictly guidelines while prescribing antibiotics.
- IMA has advised its members to mandatorily restrict the usage of antibiotics for treatment of proven bacterial infections. It has also come out with a policy on anti-microbial resistance.
Antibiotics are medicine used to treat infections caused by bacteria. Antibiotic Resistance refers to resistance developed by bacteria against antibiotics or the ability of bacteria to mutate or change so as to resist the effects of antibiotics.
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NDMA’s first programme on Sendai Framework
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is conducting the first national-level Training of Trainers programme to sensitise various Central Ministries and Departments on utilization of Sendai Monitor for developing action plans for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
- The programme is being organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction-Global Education and Training Institute (UNISDR-GETI).
- This training programme will build the capacity of the participants to utilise defined indicators to monitor the progress of the Sendai targets. Training modules at the programme will also enable them to lead consultations and train others on the monitoring of the Sendai Framework Targets.
- In June 2016, India became one of the first countries to align its National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) with the SFDRR, which clearly identifies regional, national and local targets along with short, medium and long-term timelines. Various activities are being undertaken across the country to achieve the targets identified in the SFDRR.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), 2015-2030, is the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda and identifies targets and priority actions towards reducing disaster risks and implementing development that is both resilient and sustainable.
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EC withdraws show-cause notice to Rahul Gandhi
The Election Commission withdrew the show-cause notice to the newly elected Congress president Rahul Gandhi in connection with his interviews to TV channels ahead of the second phase of the Gujarat polls on December 14.
- In another order, the EC directed the setting up of a committee to examine the provisions of Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, under which the Congress leader had earlier been issued the notice.
Section 126 of the Act provides for prohibition of public meetings and mentioning of the relevant “election matter” during the 48 hours ending with the polls.
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Inter-state e-way bill a must from Feb 1
The government has decided to make electronic permits or e-way bill mandatory for inter-state movement of goods from February 1.
- The GST Council had decided that the nationwide e-way bill system will be ready to be rolled out on a trial basis latest by January 16.
- Trade and transporters can start using this system on a voluntary basis from that date.
Maharashtra ranks first in prisoner’s web-based video hearing in courts
Maharashtra bagged the top rank in the country in 2016 in using web-based video conferencing to produce prisoners before various courts.
- The method was used for 7,000 hours to produce 77,624 prisoners for hearing before courts last year.
- Rajasthan followed Maharashtra with the use of video conferencing for 2,000 hours to produce 20,000 prisoners in the same period.
Judima Festival in Assam on Dec. 28-29
A two-day cultural extravaganza is being organised in Assam’s Dima Hasao hill district, where one can enjoy song and dance by local residents after savouring the amazing Dimasa delicacies along with rice brew.
- The ‘Judima Festival’ at Haflong will also showcase the scenic beauty of the hill district, home to flora and fauna and breathtaking waterfalls, on December 28-29, besides rock concert, dance performance, ballad singing, storytelling and traditional sports.
Andhra Cabinet approves pension, house plot for transgenders
The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has approved a scheme to provide a pension of Rs 1,500 to transgenders above 18 years of age in the state.
- Under this scheme, the transgenders will also be provided skill development for financial stability. The transgenders will also be provided ration cards, plots and scholarships.
- They will further be given loans through banks so that they can start small businesses.
- Andhra Pradesh has become only the next state after Kerala and Odisha to sanction a pension scheme for the transgender community.
Andra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu dedicates first digital village
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu dedicated the first ‘digital village’, facilitated by the Karur Vysya Bank (KVB), at Bandarupalli in Guntur district, remotely from the city.
- The Chief Minister participated as the chief guest at the 101st Founders’ Day of the KVB.
- The KVB has adopted Bandarupalli, a remote village without banking facilities, and set up a digital branch there.
PRATAP helicopters were phased out
The Soviet-era MI-8, also known as ‘Pratap’, the backbone of the Indian Air Force helicopter operations, was recently phased out, bringing an end to its glorious service career spanning 45 years.
- Formally inducted in 1972 and rechristened as “Pratap”, MI-8 took part in several major IAF operations, including Operation Meghdoot in the Siachen Glacier and the Indian Peace Keeping Force operation in Sri Lanka.
- The helicopter, inducted in 10 operational helicopter units, was also extensively used in Humanitarian and Disaster Relief operations, besides being associated with VIP/VVIP flying.
U.S. bans official use of some words
The Trump administration's ban on certain words from official budget documents reportedly extends beyond the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and applies to multiple agencies across the Department of Health and Human Services.
- CDC officials were barred from using seven words or phrases , including "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "transgender," "fetus," "evidence-based," and "science-based."
USA
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Washington DC
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Donald Trump
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China conducts the test flight of the second prototype of the passenger jet
The second prototype of China’s indigenously-built passenger aircraft successfully completed its maiden test flight.
- The prototype of the C919 plane took off from Shanghai’s Pudong International airport this morning for the test flight.
- The aircraft, in development by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac)in a bid to compete with Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’ A320 series of passenger jets.
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Beijing
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XI Jinping
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US, Russian, Japanese crew takes off for International Space Station
A trio of US and Japanese astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut blasted off from Kazakhstan for a two-day trip to the International Space Station.
- Commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and flight engineers Norishige Kanai of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Scott Tingle of NASA lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1:21 pm local time.
- The crew will gradually approach the station, which orbits about 250 miles above Earth, for two days before docking.
The International Space Station (ISS) is a space station, or a habitable artificial satellite, in low Earth orbit. Its first component launched into orbit in 1998, and the ISS is now the largest human-made body in low Earth orbit and can often be seen with the naked eye from Earth
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Saudi Arabia allows women to drive trucks and motorcycles
Saudi Arabian women will be able to drive trucks and motorcycles, officials have said three months after the kingdom announced a historic decision to end a ban on women driving.
- The Saudi General Directorate of Traffic gave details of the new regulations that will follow the lifting of the ban on the official Saudi Press Agency.
- Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world to impose a ban on women driving and its maintenance.
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Riyadh
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Salman
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Alien invasive animal species
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has for the first time compiled a list of alien invasive animal species, totalling 157.
- Of the 157 species, 58 are found on land and in freshwater habitats, while 99 are in the marine ecosystem. This compilation was announced on the sidelines of the National Conference on the Status of Invasive Alien Species in India, organised by the ZSI and the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
- Alien species become ‘invasive’ when they are introduced deliberately or accidentally outside their natural areas, where they out-compete the native species and upset the ecological balance. Invasive animal species pose a threat to biodiversity and human well-being.
- Common characteristics of invasive species include rapid reproduction and growth, high dispersal ability, phenotypic plasticity (ability to adapt physiologically to new conditions), and ability to survive on various food types and in a wide range of environmental conditions.
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), founded on 1 July 1916 by Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, as premier Indian organisation in zoological research and studies to promote the survey, exploration and research of the fauna in the country.
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Deep learning neural networks
Scientists have announced the discovery of two new exoplanets, Kepler-90i and Kepler-80g.
- With this discovery, it is now clear that there is another star besides the Sun that has eight planets orbiting it.
- The new exoplanets have been discovered using a deep learning neural network — an artificial intelligence tool that mimics the workings of a human brain.
- Scientists “trained” their computer to analyse light readings made by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, which are archived and made available for anyone to use. During its mission from 2009 to 2013, the Kepler Space Telescope surveyed nearly 200,000 stars, with 35,000 possible planet signals. The network was made to learn to identify true signals using 15,000 previously vetted signals.
Deep learning is a machine learning technique that teaches computers to do what comes naturally to humans: learn by example. In deep learning, a computer model learns to perform classification tasks directly from images, text, or sound.
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HDFC Bank issues 3 lakh instant credit cards within a year
Private sector lender HDFC Bank has issued 300,000 instant credit cards within a year of its launch.
- Launched in January this year, InstaCard is delivered to customers within an hour of applying for a credit card in quick and easy steps on net-banking.
- With InstaCard, customers can do online transactions on e-commerce websites immediately on receipt of the InstaCard, the physical card is then delivered to the customers within a few days.
- Popularly also known as digital credit card, an InstaCard is issued using a combination of credit bureau information, pre-qualification algorithms and checks in the application form.
UIDAI suspends Airtel, Airtel Payments Bank’s eKYC licence
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has temporarily banned Bharti Airtel and Airtel Payments Bank from conducting the e-KYC process of mobile customers.
- The licence cancellation by UIDAI comes in the wake of allegations of Bharti Airtel using SIM verification of customers on the basis of Aadhaar and then initiating the process to open bank accounts.
- Additionally, UIDAI also objected to allegations about such accounts being linked to receive LPG subsidies.
India to host meeting of some WTO members in February
Commerce and India Minister Suresh Prabhu has stated that India will call a meeting of some WTO members in February to muster support for food security and other issues.
- It would be like a mini-ministerial meeting. Although the contours of the meeting would be worked out later, the aim was to bring like-minded nations together and explain to them the country’s position as well as concerns over issues of common interest.
- This comes against the backdrop of developed nations forming groupings to prepare the ground for pushing investment facilitation, preparing rules for e-commerce, promoting gender equality and reducing subsidy on fisheries with a view to curbing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
- India has been keenly pushing agriculture issues at the WTO. It has also been raising its voice against bringing new issues, especially those which are not directly linked to trade, on the negotiating table.
Vikas Singh takes the appointment as SC Bar association president
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elected senior advocate Vikas Singh as its president and defeated senior advocate Dushyant Dave.
- The lawyers’ body has 1,865 members, 49 of whom figure in the list of 50 top individual taxpayers in Delhi.
Sebastian Pinera wins Chile’s presidential election
Billionaire conservative Sebastian Pinera won Chile’s presidency, with his center-left opponent Alejandro Guillier conceding the election as Chile followed other South American nations in a political turn to the right.
- With 98.44 percent of the ballots counted, Pinera, 68, had won 54.57 percent in the run-off vote, to 45.43 percent for senator Guillier, a wider than expected margin in a race that pollsters had predicted would be tight.
Pinera, a billionaire businessman who led the country from 2010 to 2014, has been linked to several business and political scandals, his support from the business community and markets helped pushed him to victory.
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Santiago
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Honduran President Hernandez declared winner of Presidential election
Honduras’ electoral tribunal declared conservative President Juan Orlando Hernandez the official winner of the November 26 presidential election, sparking calls for renewed street protests after a bitterly disputed contest.
- Hernandez beat center-left challenger and TV star Salvador Nasralla by 1.53 percentage points, according to the official count.
- This means the president-elect for the Republic of Honduras for the next four years is Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado
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Tegucigalpa
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Honduran Lempira
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England’s women cricket team win BBC Team of the Year Award
England’s women cricket team won the BBC Team of the Year Award following their remarkable win over India in the World Cup that was played under home conditions.
- Britain’s Olympic and world champion Mo Farah who won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. The distance runner, who won his sixth World Championships gold medal in London
- Other nominees and pre-event favourites, world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua and Formula One world title holder Lewis Hamilton failed to make the top three.
Sindhu wins silver at year-ending World Superseries Finals
World number three and Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu settled for a silver at the year-ending World Superseries Finals in Dubai.
- She lost to Japan’s 20-year-old world number two Akane Yamaguchi 21-15, 12-21, 19-21 in the final.
- Sindhu was aiming for her fourth title of the year, after having won Syed Modi International, India Open and Korea Open.
India beat Sri Lanka to win their 8th straight ODI series
India won their record eighth straight bilateral ODI series after beating Sri Lanka by eight wickets, claiming the three-match ODI series.
- With the win, India also denied SL their first-ever bilateral ODI series win in India, having played 10 series till now.
- The last time India failed to win an ODI series was in January 2016 in Australia.
Sushil Kumar, Sakshi Malik strike gold at Commonwealth Wrestling Championship
Sushil Kumar and Sakshi Malik won gold in their respective categories.
- Double Olympic medallist Sushil defeated New Zealand’s Akash Khullar’s in the final of the men’s 74 kilogram freestyle category to win his first medal in international wrestling since his gold medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
- Olympic medalist Malik won her gold medal by defeating New Zealand’s Tayla Tuahine Ford 13-2 in the final of the 62kg women’s freestyle category.
Australia wins its 33rd Ashes, has more wins than England
Australia won the Ashes for the 33rd time after defeating England by an innings and 41 runs to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the ongoing five-Test series.
- With the win, Australia now has more Ashes series wins than England.
- Meanwhile, with its seventh straight away loss, England equalled its longest losing streak outside home in Test cricket.
