Daily Current affairs - December 28th, 2017 for all competitive exams
Loksabha passed Triple Talaq bill
The Lok Sabha has
passed the much talked-about Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage)
Bill, which seeks to criminalise the practice of instant triple talaq (or
‘talaq-e-biddat’).
- The Bill seeks to prohibit “any pronouncement (of
divorce) by a person upon his wife by words, either spoken or written or
in electronic form, or in any other manner”.
- The proposed law seeks to make triple talaq a
punishable offence and describes the practice as against “constitutional
morality” and “gender equity”. Anyone who pronounces instant divorce
“shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three
years and a fine”, the bill proposes.
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The Supreme Court had termed the practice of instant triple talaq
unconstitutional while considering a petition to that effect. The then CJI J
S Khehar had directed the government to bring in a legislation in this
regard.
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Parliament passed Indian Institute of Petroleum and
Energy Bill, 2017
The
Parliament has passed the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill, 2017.
- The Bill establishes the Indian Institute of
Petroleum and Energy, Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It declares
the Institute as an institution of national importance.
- The Institute aims to provide high quality education
and research focussing on the themes of petroleum, hydrocarbons and
energy.
- The key authorities of the Institute are as
follows:
(i) the
General Council; (ii) the Board of Governors; (iii) the Senate; and (iv) any
other authorities declared by the statutes.
- The Institute will be required to maintain a fund
which will be credited with the funds that it receives from the central
government, fees and money received from any other sources (grants and
gifts).
Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare
launched LDF-Mobile App
Union
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has launched Livestock Disease
Forewarning –Mobile Application (LDF-Mobile App).
- The app has been developed by ICAR-National
Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics
(ICAR-NIVEDI), Bengaluru. ICAR-NIVEDI uses Monthly Bulletin system to send
out early warning.
- Apart from early warning, the app will also provide
information about clinical samples for the diagnosis in case of the
epidemic so that immediate action in case of the epidemic.
- This app will be beneficial for the consumers and
stakeholders engaged in disease control programmes.
LS nod for cess hike on luxury
cars
The Lok Sabha approved a bill to hike
cess on luxury vehicles from 15% to 25% with a view to enhance funds to compensate
States for revenue loss following the rollout of GST.
- The GST (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill,
2017, was passed by the Lower House amid uproar by the opposition over
controversial comments made by Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde on secularism
and the Constitution.
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The Bill seeks to replace the
Ordinance which was promulgated in September to give effect to the decision
of the GST Council. The Ordinance provided for a hike in the GST cess on a
range of cars to 25%.
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Government eyes 100% electric public transport through
FAME II
The
Centre is targeting a fully electric fleet for country’s public transport,
including buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws under the second phase of FAME India
scheme. This move is mainly aimed at reducing pollution in the country.
- The pilot phase or phase I of the Faster Adoption
and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India (FAME India)
was launched by the government in 2015, which expires on March 31, 2018.
Thereafter, the phase II will be launched.
- With an aim to promote eco-friendly vehicles, the
government had launched the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid
&) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-India) scheme in 2015.
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The FAME India Scheme is aimed at incentivising all vehicle segments,
including two-wheelers, three wheeler auto, passenger four-wheeler vehicle,
light commercial vehicles and buses. The scheme covers hybrid and electric
technologies like a strong hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric
vehicles.
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Children up to 5 years of age
are exempted from passport biometrics
Infants and minor children up to the age
of five years have been exempted by the ministry of external affairs from
giving biometrics to the passport issuing authority.
- They would, however, be required to be “physically
present” at the Passport Seva Kendra for their photographs to be taken for
printing on the passport.
- The ministry has exempted infants/minor children up
to the age of five years from giving biometrics (10 fingerprints) to the
passport issuing authority for processing their applications related to
passport services.
India’s first pod taxi on the way, to follow U.S. safety
norms
The
much-awaited India’s first pod taxi project- also known as Personal Rapid
Transit (PRT)- has moved a step closer to reality after a high-level panel
recommended inviting fresh bids for the same conforming to the strictest safety
standards on the lines of those prescribed by an American body.
- The committee set up for technical and safety
standards of PRT has recommended issuance of a fresh EOI (expression of
interest) incorporating (automated people movers) APM standards and
specifications, along with other general safety parameters with Niti Aayog
recommendations.
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The automated people mover (APM)
standards in the US as recommended by the committee for the maiden PRT in
India have been prepared by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
and these constitute the minimum requirements for an acceptable level of safety
and performance for the PRT.
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Government Plans to Connect
the Small City by seaplanes before 2019
Before the 2019 election, the Center is
decided to process a frame work for the mode of transportation, and it has
decided to service under the regional connectivity scheme.
- The civil aviation minister will frame regulations
for seaplanes; the shipping minister will set the norms for
infrastructure of the connectivity, which include services like temporary
or floating jets.
- Based on regional connectivity scheme government
going to implement Single engine plane and planning how to train piolets
for that plane the final layout will release soon. At present Air
Ambulance using such type of seaplane
Kerala govt. app maps 1,000
festivals
Festivals have always been a popular
attraction for tourists visiting God’s Own Country. Now as part of a
re-branding exercise, Kerala Tourism is launching a Geographic Information
System (GIS)-based inventory of around 1,000 festivals in the State. These will
be promoted as tourist attractions.
- The GIS-based Festival Inventory of Kerala, a
geo-coded, user-friendly web application, offers the user a comprehensive
platform that maps listed festivals to their respective venues.
- It details each festival’s legend, origin,
popularity, duration, associated celebrations, rituals, and directions to
the venue, along with the name of a contact person for further queries.
World sweet festival’ will
held in Telangana next month
The Telangana state government will be
hosting an international sweets festival.
The World Sweet Festival, featuring over
hundreds of sweet items, will be held from January 13 to 15, adding a World
Kite Festival will be held simultaneously.
- The sweets festival aims at promoting mutual respect
among people belonging to various states living in Hyderabad, by
showcasing sweets from 25 states.
Gujarat HC upholds law on
school fees
The Gujarat High Court held that the law
enacted by the State government to regulate fees charged by private schools is
constitutionally valid. It rejected dozens of petitions filed by private
schools challenging the law.
- The court has ordered all schools to follow the
Gujarat Self Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2017, which will
be implemented from 2018.
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The Gujarat Self Financed Schools
(Regulation of Fees) Act came into force in April this year after Governor
O.P. Kohli gave his assent on April 12, 2017.
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India and Afghanistan launch
air cargo route
India
and Afghanistan have launched an air freight corridor service connecting Kabul
with Mumbai.
- The air corridor marks an important bilateral
development as it comes as Afghanistan joined Pakistan and China in a
trilateral talk in Beijing which marked Kabul’s opening up to Islamabad.
- Afghanistan has so far exported 1,640 tons fresh and
dried fruits, carpets and medical herbs in 56 flights to India.
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Afghanistan
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Capital
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Kabul
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Currency
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Afghan Afghani
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President
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Ashraf Ghani
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8th India-Maldives joint
military exercise “Ekuverin” concludes
The Indian Army and the
Maldives National Defence Forces (MNDF) have been carrying out a joint military
exercise in Belgaum.
- The two-week long exercise, focused on
counter-terrorism operations conducted by small teams in a semi-urban
setting.
- The eighth edition of the exercise is named
‘Ekuverin’, which means ‘friends’ in Maldivian language.
- The seventh edition of the exercise was held at
Kadhdhoo on Lammu Atoll in the Maldives in December 2016.
UK celebrated 2017 as the
Greanest Year
UK Celebrating 2017 as its
greenest year. From June power obtained from the wind, nuclear and solar power
is higher than gas and coal combined.
- Britain is one of the leading countries in the world
to control the carbon emission. At present Britain is 4th cleanest power in Europe and seventh in the world.
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United Kingdom
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Capital
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London
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Currency
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Pound Sterling
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Prime Minister
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Theresa May
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Israel proposes to name train
station after Trump
Israel wants to name
a train station after U.S. President Donald Trump to thank him for recognising
Jerusalem as its capital.
- Transport Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday
that he had chosen a proposed subway stop near the Western Wall — right in
the middle of the area that the Palestinians want as their own future
capital.
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Israel
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Capital
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Jerusalem(UN Opposed)
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Currency
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Israeli new shekel
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Prime Minister
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Benjamin Netanyahu
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Nepal rejects India’s offer to jointly
re-measure Mount Everest
Nepal has rejected India’s offer to
jointly re-measure the height of the world’s highest peak Mount Everest
following the massive earthquake in 2015 and will carry out the exercise on its
own.
- Nepal will, however, seek help from India and China
for getting crucial data for the exercise.
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India was the first country under Sir
George Everest’s leadership as the Surveyor General of India to have declared
the height of Mount Everest and establish it as the highest peak in the world
in the year 1855
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Nepal
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Capital
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Khatmandu
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Currency
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Nepalese Rupee
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Prime Minister
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Sher Bahadur Deuba
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US, Russia agree to work on
diplomatic solution to North Korea crisis
The United States and
Russia have agreed to continue to work towards a diplomatic solution to achieve
a denuclearized Korean peninsula.
- S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke over the phone on Tuesday and
discussed concerns related to the North Korea’s destabilizing nuclear
programme.
- The two emphasized that neither the United States
nor Russia accepts North Korea as a nuclear power.
- Both sides agreed that they will continue to work
toward a diplomatic solution to achieve a denuclearized Korean peninsula.
- The US Treasury Department had imposed sanctions on
two North Korean officials for their role in Pyongyang’s ballistic missile
program.
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Russia
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North Korea
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Capital
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Moscow
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Pyongyang
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Currency
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Russian ruble
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North Korean won
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President
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Vladimir Putin
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Kim jong un
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India Successfully Test-Fires
AAD Supersonic Interceptor Missile
India successfully
test-fired its indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD)
supersonic interceptor missile, capable of destroying any incoming ballistic
missile at low altitude, from a test range in Odisha.
- This was the third supersonic interceptor test
carried out this year in which an incoming ballistic missile target
was successfully intercepted, within a 30km altitude of the
earth’s atmosphere by an interceptor.
- The interceptor is a 7.5-meter long single
stage solid rocket propelled guided missile equipped with a navigation
system.
WhatsApp Tie-up with Netflix
for online streaming
Netflix is an American
company which is streaming the videos of TV channels like hotstar in India.
- To improve the quality and content WhatsApp tie-up
with Netflix. By this collaboration we can see video streaming additional
to messaging service in WhatsApp itself.
Paytm Becomes India's First
Payments App to Cross 100 mn Downloads on Play Store
India's largest mobile-first financial
services platform, Paytm announced that its app has crossed the 100
million milestone on Google Play Store in the second week of December 2017.
- This makes Paytm the country's first payments
app to cross the 100 million downloads mark.
SBI Gets Board Approval to
Raise Rs 8,000 crore to Comply Basel III
According to the country's largest
lender, SBI, its board has approved raising Rs 8,000 crore through
various sources, including masala bonds, to meet Basel III capital norms.
- Masala bonds are rupee denominated specialised
debt instruments that can be floated in overseas markets only to raise
capital.
- Banks in India have to comply with the global
capital norms under Basel III by March 2019, three months later than the
internationally agreed time frame by January 2019.
Government cuts small saving
interest by 0.2 present
The government cuts the interest rate on
small savings schemes such as public provident fund (PPF), national savings
certificate (NSC) and Kisan Vikas Patra, by 0.2 percentages for the
January-March quarter.
- But the savings Account Interest remains at 4% and
Senior citizen Saving scheme also remains same as 8.3%
- Term deposits for 1 to 5 years will fetch lower
interest rate of 6.6-7.4%, while the five-year recurring deposit is
interesting at 6.9%.
Former Zimbabwe army boss
Chiwenga sworn in as vice president
Recently retired army
chief Constantino Chiwenga, who led a de facto coup last month that ended
Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule, was installed as Zimbabwe’s vice president in
Harare.
- Chiwenga, whose appearance on state television on
November 15 preceded armed soldiers taking to the streets, paving the way
for Emmerson Mnangagwa to become president, is the latest in a string of
military leaders to be elevated to government positions.
Indian Science Congress to be
held in March
The 2018 edition of the historic Indian
Science Congress will be held at Manipur University, Imphal, in March.
- The event was scheduled at the Osmania University
(OU), Hyderabad, in the first week of January but had to be moved out due
to “security problems.”
- This was the first time the ISC — the largest
congregation of scientists in India — had to be postponed at the last
minute.
- Since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru, the ISC was
traditionally the first public function the Prime Minister addressed in
the calendar year.
- General President : Dr.Achyuta samanta
- Theme: Reaching the unreached through science and
technology
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The Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) owes its
origin to the foresight and initiative of two British Chemists, namely,
Professor J. L. Simonsen and Professor P.S. MacMahon. It occurred to them
that scientific research in India might be stimulated if an annual meeting of
research workers somewhat on the lines of the British Association for the
Advancement of Science could be arranged.
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25th National Children’s Science Congress held in Gujarat
The 25th
edition of National Children Science Congress (NCSC-2017) was recently
held Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
- The theme of
the five-day Congress this was ‘Science and Innovation for Sustainable
Development’ with the special focus on persons with disabilities.
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National Children’s Science Congress (NCSC) is a nationwide Science
Communication programme started in the year 1993. It is a programme of
National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), Department
of Science and Technology, Government of India organised nationally by
NCSTC-Network, New Delhi.
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Obama beats Trump to be named
the most admired man in US
Former president Barack
Obama is still America’s most admired man, according to Gallup’s Most Admired
Man and Woman poll published.
- Obama, who also held the title every year of his
presidency and the year he was elected, beat out President Donald Trump
this year, 17% to 14%.
- Hillary Clinton was named the most admired woman for
the 16th consecutive year and has held the spot 22 times total, more than
Eleanor Roosevelt who held the Gallup title 13 times.
K S Chitra bags
'Harivarasanam' Award
Veteran singer K S Chitra has been
selected for prestigious 'Harivarasanam' award 2017, instituted by
the Kerala government.
- The award carrying a cash prize of Rs one lakh,
citation and plaque would be presented to the veteran playback singer at a
function on January 14, 2018.
Indian shuttler PV Sindhu
launches her own mobile app
Rio Olympic medalist PV
Sindhu has launched her mobile app titled ‘PV Sindhu Official App’.
- Fans will be able to interact with her through the
app and will also get access to exclusive content from the shuttler.
- The app, available both on Android and Apple
devices, will also allow fans to create their communities and communicate
with each other.
First ever 4-day day-night
Test ends within 2 days
South Africa defeated
Zimbabwe by an innings and 120 runs after picking up 16 wickets on the second
day of the first-ever four-day day-night Test at Port Elizabeth.
- Zimbabwe were dismissed for 68 in the first innings,
the lowest total in Tests in 2017.
- This was the first time a four-day Test was hosted
since 1973.
Anisa Wins Women’s 25m Pistol
with New National Record
Haryana shooter Anisa Sayyed won
the women’s 25m pistol gold with a new record at the ongoing
61st National Shooting Championship Competitions (61st NSCC), in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
- Anisa shot a new finals national
record score of 33 to prevail over the Maharashtra duo of Shital
Shivaji Thorat and Rahi Sarnobat, who won the silver and bronze medals
respectively at the National Games Shooting Range.
