Current Affairs Updates - 6 December 2017
Important Days
5th December is celebrated as the world soil day. Theme: ‘Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground’
- Soil is the upper layer of earth, a mixture of organic and inorganic matter, in which plants grow.
- It is a finite natural resource. On a human time-scale it is non-renewable. However, despite the essential role that soil plays in human livelihoods, there is a worldwide increase in degradation of soil resources due to inappropriate management practices, population pressure driving unsustainable intensification and inadequate governance over this essential resource.
New Appointments: National
Rahul Singh, the founder, and CEO of The Beer Café has been appointed as president of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), replacing Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & MD of Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality after he resigned from his duties due to health reasons.
- Singh, who was recently appointed as the vice president at NRAI’s 35th AGM in September this year is the recipient of the TiECON 2014 Entrepreneurial award for excellence, Entrepreneur India 2015 award in F&B service and recently bestowed as among the 25 most influential entrepreneur in Delhi.
Banking/Economic Affairs
Aluva-based Federal Bank has launched a non-interest bearing savings account targeting those whose beliefs do not permit them to accept interest payments. The 'Noor Personal Account' was launched on Milad-e-sherif.
- While account holders will not earn any interest they will get a platinum debit card which will provide them lounge access in airports eight times a year. Federal Bank said that the holders of this account will be eligible for a "Platinum RuPay" card with daily transaction limit of Rs 2 lakh.
Fitch Ratings has reduced the growth forecast for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, to 6.7 per cent from 6.9 per cent.
- According to the agency, growth has repeatedly been disappointing in recent quarters, although this has partly reflected one-off factors, including the demonetisation programme of November 2016, and disruptions related to the implementation of GST in July 2017.
Rankings
Indian-American California senator Kamala Harris has topped the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine’s 2017 list of ‘50 Leading Global Thinkers’ which also features US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.
- Besides Harris and Haley, Indian-origin stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj has also made it to the list which recognises a remarkable range of individuals who have found ways to exert enormous influence, often in unexpected ways, on a wide range of issues.
National Affairs
India's largest floating solar power plant opens in Kerala
- 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. The solar plant has 1,938 solar panels which have been installed on 18 ferro cement floaters with hollow insides.
Paytm Payments Bank unveils Paytm FASTag across India to enable electronic toll fee collection on highways across the country, in line with the government's move to make FASTag mandatory on every new vehicle sold from December 1.
- The Paytm FASTag - which is a simple and reusable tag based on radio-frequency identification technology (RFID) that can be placed on a vehicle's windscreen - will allow commuters to pass through 380 toll plazas across India covering 55,000 kms without having to stop. Each tag is linked to a registered Paytm account to facilitate instant automatic deduction of toll charges.
Google makes first direct investment in India, funds hyper local startup Dunzo
- Google has picked up a significant minority stake in hyper-local concierge and delivery player Dunzo, its first direct investment in an Indian startup underlining how the global search giant is quietly getting into an investment mode in the country.
International Affairs
Ellie Goulding Honored as UN Environment Global Goodwill Ambassador
- Ellie Goulding attends the celebration of Marriott International's and Universal Music Group's global marketing partnership, at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel on June 30, 2015 in London, England.
Defence & Railway
UAE Armed Forces along with the UK, US and French armies are participating in joint exercises named as “Flag4” in Abu Dhabi.
- The two-week exercise is part of the effort to consolidate multilateral relations, and to increase co-ordination between the UAE Armed Forces and participating nations.
Books & Authors
Amitabh Bachchan on Saturday launched "Bollywood - The Films! The Songs! The Stars!", a book by S.M.M. Ausaja, Karan Bali, Rajesh Devraj and Tanul Thakur.
- Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan says he will readily support any effort to document India's cinematic history. It is a comprehensive illustrated guide and coffee table book, a tribute to India's tinsel town, filled with trivia and facts about some of the most beloved actors, films and songs.
Application / Portal
Google launches Android Oreo Go edition for low-end phones
- The premise behind Android Go is pretty simple. It’s a build of Android Oreo that is designed to run better on phones with either 512MB or 1GB of RAM. By comparison, the Pixel 2 (like most flagships) has 4GB of RAM, while the iPhone X has 3GB and the Galaxy Note 8 has a whopping 6GB.
Google Maps introduces "Two-Wheeler mode" in India in Google Maps with quicker navigation time and parking status at the destination.
- India is the world’s largest two-wheeler market with over 48,000 motorcycles sold everyday. Google has taken note of that and users across the country are reporting a “Motorcycle Mode” in Google Maps popping up for them. The option is showing up alongside car, public transit and walking options.
Agreements (MoU)
The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Directors has approved debt financing and partial risk guarantees totalling 583 million dollar to develop the Reliance Bangladesh Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Power Project
- The Project, which includes a power generation facility to be located in Meghnaghat, near Dhaka, and an LNG Terminal, near Kutubdia Island south of Chitagong, will significantly increase power generation and improve energy infrastructure in Bangladesh.
Summit /Conference / Events / Host
The 6th International Tourism Mart-2017 begins in Guwahati.
- Shri Jagdish Mukhi, Governor of Assam inaugurated the 6th International Tourism Mart (ITM) -2017". The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the North Eastern States has organised this Mart from 5-7 December, 2017.
Awards & Honours
Mohamad Al Jounde, a teenage Syrian refugee won a prestigious international prize on Monday for building a school and providing an education to hundreds of children who fled to Lebanon to escape the conflict.
- Previous winners of the award, launched in 2005 by the Dutch KidsRights Foundation, include Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, who was shot in Pakistan in 2012 by the Taliban for advocating girls’ rights to education.
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