Daily GK Updates - 17th December, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Madhya Pradesh CM to inaugurate International Film Festival in Khajuraho: The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath will inaugurate the International Film Festival in Shilpkala village of Khajuraho. Films from the country and abroad including Bundelkhandi will be screened at the Tapra Talkies made for the festival. The International Khajuraho Film Festival is being organized by the Prayas Sanstha in collaboration with the State Government. Events like interaction with film stars, film making workshop, mobile film making workshop, plays, programmes for promoting local art and culture, herbal forest fair, animal fair etc. are also organized during the Film Festival.

Note: Governor of Madhya Pradesh: Lal Ji Tandon.

2. Mandatory to link PAN-Aadhaar by 31st Dec 2019: According to the Income Tax Department, it will be mandatory to link Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar by 31st Dec 2019. This will facilitate to reap seamless benefits of income tax services. The deadline for linking PAN with Aadhaar was extended till the 31st of December, by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) through an order issued in September this year. In order to link a PAN with Aadhaar online, the assessee is required to log in to the e-filing portal. The Income Tax Department also provides an SMS-based facility to enable the linking.

Note: Aadhaar is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to a resident of India and PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric number allotted by the I-T Department to a person, firm or entity.

3. 5th EAC meeting of 15th Finance Commission held in New Delhi: The 5th meeting of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) of the 15th Finance Commission was held in New Delhi. In the meeting, possible macro assumptions related to real growth, inflation, ongoing structural reforms, tax revenue including GST, adherence to Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act and fiscal transparency were discussed. Further, the Advisory Council was informed about the submission of the 2020-21 report and Commission’s next course of actions pertaining to the preparation of the report for 2021-26 period.

Note: Chairman 15th Finance Commission: NK Singh.

4. Five-day music festival ‘Tansen Samaroh’ begins in Gwalior: Popular classical music festival ‘Tansen Samaroh’ has begun in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. The five-day festival is celebrated every year in the memory of one of the most eminent singers of Indian history, ‘Mian Tansen’. Pandit Vidyadhar Vyas will be honoured with this year's prestigious Tansen Samman. On this occasion, the music-driven platform is used by the musicians and instrumentalists from all over the world to showcase their talent. The event will conclude on 21st December and will be graced by many prominent artists.

5. IAS Ravi Mittal takes charge as new I&B Secy: IAS officer Ravi Mittal took charge as the new Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Mr Mittal took charge from Amit Khare who has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Higher Education. Before this, Mr Mittal, a 1986 batch IAS officer of Bihar Cadre, was working as the Special Secretary in the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance.

6. R N Ravi to hold additional charge as governor of Meghalaya: Nagaland Governor R N Ravi has been given additional charge of Meghalaya. The decision has been taken by the President of India in the wake of the “absence of leave” of Tathagata Roy, Governor of Meghalaya.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sri Lankan govt formally releases its new National Policy Framework: Sri Lankan government formally released its new National policy Framework meant to guide the government ministries and departments in implementing their policies. The framework titled ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendor’ is aimed at achieving the fourfold outcome of being a productive citizen, a contented family, a virtuous, disciplined and just society and a prosperous nation.The main objective of the National Policy Framework to maintain a 6.5% or higher GDP growth rate under the macroeconomic programme, achieving a per capita income exceeding 6,500 US dollar from 2020 to 2025. The policy mandates to implement a national and international partnership based on principles of priority to national security, friendly and non-aligned foreign policy. It also mandates an administration free from corruption and a new constitution that fulfils people's wishes.

Note: Sri Lanka Capitals: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte; Currency: Sri Lankan rupee; Prime minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa.

2. India slips to 112th place on WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report: India has slipped four places to rank 112th globally as per the Global Gender Gap Report 2020. The report was released by World Economic Forum (WEF) headquartered at Geneva. Iceland has topped the report and remains the world’s most gender-neutral country while Yemen was ranked the worst (153rd) in the report. As per report, the most improved countries were Albania, Ethiopia, Mali, Mexico and Spain. Among regions, Western Europe has made the most progress on gender parity (standing at 76.7%). As per WEF, the time it will take to close the gender gap has narrowed to 99.5 years in 2019 while the number was 108 years in 2018. WEF stated that this year’s improvement can largely be ascribed to a significant increase in the number of women in politics.

3. Unesco removes ‘racist’ Belgian carnival from heritage list: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), has removed the ‘Carnival of Aalst’ of Belgium from its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List. The 2019 carnival featured a parade float that included racist and anti-Semitic representations which mocked the Orthodox Jews. The carnival was added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010.

Note: UNESCO formation: 4 November 1946; Headquarters: Paris, France; Director-General: Audrey Azoulay.

4. NASA will launch rover “Mars 2020” in 2020: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch rover ‘Mars 2020’ in 2020. The rover builds and managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “Mars 2020” will explore a landscape shaped by water which is the ‘Jezero Crater’, the site of an ancient delta. ‘Mars 2020’s arm has the same reach as ‘Curiosity’s arm. ‘Mars 2020’s’ turret weighs 99 pounds (45 kilograms) more than Curiosity’s because it carries larger instruments and a larger drill for coring and has many other changes in the physical design.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Virat Kohli retains top spot in ICC Test rankings: Indian skipper Virat Kohli retained his top spot among batsmen in the latest ICC Test rankings. With 928 points, Kohli is 17 points clear of Australia's Steve Smith who scored 43 and 16 in the first Test against New Zealand which Australia won by 296 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara (791-points) and Ajinkya Rahane(759-points) held on to their fourth and sixth spots respectively. Among the bowlers, Bumrah slipped to the sixth spot in the list headed by Australia's Pat Cummins. India's Ravindra Jadeja, meanwhile, remained at number two, behind Jason Holder of the West Indies among Test all-rounders. In the ICC World Test Championship, India stands on top with 360 points, way ahead of Australia 216, Sri Lanka 80, New Zealand 60 and England 56.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. ICAR & NABARD signed MoU to promote agriculture & farming systems research: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote sustainable agriculture and climate-resilient farming systems. The research will be of active participation in climate-resilient practices, models and integrated and hi-tech farming practices in a participatory model. The aim of this MoU was to promote sustainable agriculture and climate-resilient farming systems.

Note: NABARD founded: 12 July 1982; Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Chairperson: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 1. UN Medal awarded to Indian peacekeepers to support the people of South Sudan: Indian peacekeepers have been recognized for their strong contribution to building peace in conflict-affected South Sudan as well as for going above and beyond their duties to support local communities. Almost 850 Indian troops received the United Nations Medal for their dedication and sacrifice serving so far away from home to protect civilians and build durable peace in South Sudan. Currently, 2,342 Indian troops and 25 police personnel are deployed with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The Indian troops were particularly praised for their efforts to support peace talks between Government and Opposition forces in the Upper Nile region and establishing the first-ever UNMISS base on the west bank of the Nile at Kodok.

Note: United Nations Headquarters: New York, USA; Founded: 24 October 1945; Secretary-General of the United Nations: Mr Antonio Guterres.

2. Union Rural Development Ministry selected UT of J&K for National award: Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been selected for the national award by Union Rural Development Ministry for best performance in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Union Rural Development Ministry has sanctioned 147 Road and Bridge projects under PMGSY-II covering a length of 783.88 kilometres at an estimated cost of 878.53 crore rupees for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The entire road length has been sanctioned for up-gradation of existing road infrastructure with 10-year maintenance.

Note: Lt. Governor of Jammu and Kashmir: Girish Chandra Murmu.

DEFENCE

1. Lt General Manoj Mukund Naravane to be next Army chief: Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane will be the next Chief of Army Staff of India. He is currently serving as Vice Chief of the Army. Lt Gen Naravane will succeed Gen Bipin Rawat, who will retire on the 31st December. Naravane was commissioned into the 7th battalion, the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980. During his career, he has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2019), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2017), Sena Medal and Vishist Seva Medal (2015) for his service and the CoAS commendation card.

Note: The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) is the professional head, commander, and usually the highest-ranking military officer of the Indian Army.

Headquarters: New Delhi; Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind.

2. Exercise Surya Kiran-XIV held in Nepal: A joint military training exercise “SURYA KIRAN-XIV” was held in Salijhandi, Rupendehi district of Nepal. The exercise was conducted between the armies of India and Nepal. Joint training exercise was based on counter insurgency operations in jungle and mountainous terrain and also practised response mechanism in the eventualities of natural and manmade disasters.

3. ITBP launches matrimonial site to help staff find ‘suitable matches’: In a unique approach, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has started a dedicated matrimonial site for its staff. The website started will be managed by ITBP and only the staff will be able to access it. This is the first-ever dedicated and well-managed matrimony portal among the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). There are more than 25,000 unmarried men in the Force while more than 1000 women personnel are also unmarried. Keeping in view their duties and engagements after joining the service, finding suitable matches becomes an uphill task for the serving personnel.

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran film actor Danny Aiello passes away: Veteran film actor Danny Aiello, known for his roles in the movies Do the Right Thing and The Godfather Part II passed away. A veteran of stage and film, Aiello was best known for playing the pizza parlour owner Sal in Spike Lee’s 1989 Do the Right Thing.

Daily GK Updates - 16th December, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Prime Minister chairs 1st meeting of National Ganga Council: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chaired the first meeting of the National Ganga Council. The meeting was held in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The first meeting of the Council aimed at reinforcing the importance of a ‘Ganga-centric’ approach in all departments of the concerned states as well as relevant Central Ministries. The Council has been given overall responsibility for superintendence of pollution prevention and rejuvenation of River Ganga Basin, including Ganga and its tributaries. Prime Minister urged for a holistic thinking process where ‘Namami Gange’ evolves to ‘Arth Ganga’ or a sustainable development model with a focus on economic activities related to Ganga.

2. Haryana Police Introduces Unique Barcoding Software ‘Trakea’ to make forensic reports tamper-proof: The Haryana Police has adopted a unique barcoding software dubbed as ‘Trakea’ that would help to ensure that the forensic reports are not tampered with as they form the backbone of the criminal investigation system and subsequent trials in the courts of law. As per the Haryana Police it is the country’s first police force to have introduced this unique barcoding for forensic reports.

3. Ministry of Coal to establish “Sustainable Development Cell” to promote clean mining: The Coal Ministry will establish ‘Sustainable Development Cell’ (SDC) for promoting sustainable coal mining in the country. It will address environmental concerns during the decommissioning or closure of mines. The Cell will advise, mentor, plan and monitor the mitigation measures taken by the coal companies for maximizing the utilization of available resources in a sustainable way, minimizing the adverse impact of mining and mitigating it for further eco-system services. The Sustainable Development Cell envisages to address the environmental mitigation measures in a systemic manner and to provide a better environment to people working and residing in the vicinity of Mines.

Mote: Minister of Coal and Minister of Mines: Pralhad Joshi.

4. World Design Organization to Launch its Global 5 Year Programme ‘World Design Protopolis’ in Bengaluru: The World Design Organization (WDO) has planned to launch its new global programme World Design Protopolis in Bengaluru, Karnataka. This announcement was made during the India’s largest design conclave ‘Kochi Design Week (KDW)’ held at Bolgatty Island in Kerala. The World Design Protopolis will be five-year project aimed at implementing holistic progress in mega cities across the world and making them sustainable. The project aims to measure the progress of the city, attract investments and solve the problems so that the city becomes a better place for the citizens.

5. Viswanathan Anand launches his autobiography ‘Mind Master’: Viswanathan Anand has launched his autobiography ‘Mind Master’. Anand’s autobiography is co-authored by sports journalist Susan Ninann. It has been published by THG Publishing Private Limited. The book covers wonderful memories of Viswanathan Anand’s journey.

6. India celebrates Vijay Diwas: 16 December: The nation celebrates 16 December as Vijay Diwas to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in 1971 war. 2019 marks 48th Vijay Diwas and was celebrated at the National War Memorial. The Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 which began on December 3 lasted for 13 days and officially ended on December 16, after which Pakistan surrendered to India. It was on this day in 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces, General AA Khan Niazi, along with 93 thousand troops, had surrendered unconditionally to the allied forces consisting of Indian Army and Mukti Bahini. The end of the war also resulted in subsequent secession of East Pakistan into Bangladesh.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nuad Thai, Traditional massage included in UNESCO heritage list: Thailand’s famous 2000-year-old massage, Nuad Thai was added to UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) prestigious heritage list. Nuad Thai is an intense form of massage in which the body is pulled and rotated well with the help of the thumb, elbow, knees and feet. Thai massage originated in India and brought it to Thailand about 2,500 years ago by doctors and monks who carried its secrets for generations. The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list includes 13 items from India till date. The most recent addition was made in 2017 when Kumbh Mela was added to the list. The first three entries in the list were made in 2008, when Vedic chanting, Ramlila and Sanskrit theatre Kutiyattam were added.

Note: UNESCO formation: 4 November 1946; Headquarters: Paris, France; Director-General: Audrey Azoulay.

2. Former PM Abdelmadjid Tebboune elected as the President of Algeria: Abdelmadjid Tebboune, former Prime Minister (PM) of Algeria was elected as the President of Algeria succeeding Abdelkader Bensalah. He served as the PM from May 2017 to August 2017, under the governance of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. . The 74-year-old Tebboune won maximum vote, 58.15 percent, in the five-men presidential race.

Note: Algeria Capital: Algiers; Prime Minister (PM): Noureddine Bedouia; Currency: Dinar.

3. World’s First Liquid Hydrogen Carrier Ship ‘Suiso Frontier’ launched in Japan: Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries has launched the first of its kind, world’s first marine carrier that transports liquefied hydrogen, in a bid to establish green energy supply chain. The 116 meters long ship, named as Suiso Frontier, will carry up to 1,250 cubic meters of compressed, supercooled liquid hydrogen between the south coast of Australia and an unloading terminal under construction in Kobe, Japan.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Kento Momota & Chen Yufei Lifts 2019 BWF World Tour Finals: The 2019 BWF World Tour Finals (HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2019) was the final badminton tournament of the 2019 BWF World Tour. It was held from 11 to 15 December 2019 in Guangzhou, China. List of Winners:

Men’s Single – Kento Momota (Japan)

Women’s Single – Chen Yufei (China)

Men’s Double – Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia)

Women’s Double – Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan (China)

Mixed Double – Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong (China)

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Edelweiss AMC Launches India’s 1st corporate bond “Bharat Bond ETF”: Edelweiss Asset Management Company (AMC), a subsidiary of Edelweiss Capital Limited (ECL) has launched India’s 1st Corporate Bond ETF (exchange trade fund) called the Bharat Bond ETF. The ETF is a government initiative and Edelweiss AMC was given the mandate to design and manage the product. Edelweiss aims to raise an initial amount of Rs 3,000 crore through this bond from institutional players with a greenshoe option of Rs 2,000 crore in the 3-year maturity period (2023) and Rs 4,000 crore with a greenshoe option of Rs 6,000 crore in the 10-year maturity bucket (2030). Small retail investors will have to invest at least Rs 1,000 in this fund.

Note: Edelweiss Capital Limited Headquarters: Mumbai; Founder: Rashesh Shah; Edelweiss Capital Limited founded: 1995.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. England cricketer Ben Stokes wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019: The 28-year-old, England cricketer Ben Stokes has been named BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019. He became the first cricketer to win the prize after Andrew Flintoff, who won in 2005. The BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019 was held on 15 December 2019 in Aberdeen, United Kingdom.

2. Projects from Karnataka and Odisha Wins 2019 World Habitat Awards: World Habitat Awards are presented every year by World Habitat, a UK-based organization, in partnership with United Nation (UN)-Habitat. The award recognises innovative, outstanding and sometimes revolutionary housing ideas, projects and programmes for the homeless and disadvantaged. For the first time, in 2019, the awards were presented as Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards. Earlier, two winners were selected each year. Altogether, there are nine winning projects and programmes for 2019 World Habitat Awards. Two projects from India have won 2019 World Habitat Awards including a Gold and Bronze.

Gold Award: Restoration of Dignity and Human Rights of Indigenous Tribal Community in Karnataka (transformative initiative supporting the Koraga people and nine other tribal communities in Karnataka to access land)

Bronze Award: Odisha Liveable Habitat Mission (JAGA Mission), (transforming the slums into liveable habitat with all necessary civic infrastructure and services at par with the better off areas within the same urban local body (ULB) and to continuously improve the standard of the infrastructure and services and access to livelihood opportunities.)

Other Winners:

Category	Winner
Gold:	Viviendas para las Entidades Sociales, Spain
Silver:	Discus Housing First, Netherlands
Bronze:	Building with EARTH, China
	Healthy Homes for Humanity, Guatemala
	La Borda housing co-operative, Spain
	#GreenNFit Neighbourhood Rebuild, USA
	Dzivarasekwa Slum Upgrading Project, Zimbabwe

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran Actress Gita Siddharth Passes Away: The legendary Bollywood actress and a social worker Gita Siddharth has passed away. Gita made her debut in Gulzar’s 1972 film, Parichay. She was best known for her role in M.S. Sathyu’s 1973 classic ‘Garm Hava’. Sholay, Trishul, Disco Dancer, are some of the major films done by Gita.

Daily GK Updates - 15th December, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. FASTags becomes mandatory for all vehicles from 15th December 2019: FASTags or prepaid rechargeable tags for toll collection have become mandatory for all vehicles from 15th December 2019. The FASTags or prepaid rechargeable tags allows automatic payment of toll. The government launched the National Electronic Toll Collection System which provides for the collection of user fee through FASTag to save fuel and time, curb pollution and ensure seamless movement of traffic. National Highways Authority of India has equipped all fee plazas with Electronic Toll Collection System. With the help of a FASTag, drivers will not have to stop their vehicles at toll plazas to pay tax. A FASTag uses radio frequency identification technology to enable direct toll payments from a moving vehicle.

2. India’s First Pashu Kisan Credit Cards Distributed in Haryana’s Bhiwani: Haryana has become the first state in India to launch Animal Farmers Credit Card Scheme (Pashu Kisan Credit Cards Schme) to promote animal husbandry and agribusiness. As a part of the occasion, the First Pashu Kisan credit cards in India were distributed to 101 animal farmers in Bhiwani. This means that now cow-buffalo and other animals would also be purchased with credit cards and as a result farmers and youth will get employment across the state. The State Government has set a target to issue 10 lakh Pashu Kisan Credit cards by March 2021.

3. Kerala launches two welfare schemes ‘Vijayamritham’ and ‘Sahachari’ to support differently-abled persons: The state government of Kerala has launched two social welfare schemes named ‘Vijayamritham’ and ‘Sahachari’ to honour differently-abled people as well as NSS, NCC and Student Police Cadet (SPC) units who work for their care and welfare.

Vijayamritham scheme: The scheme will provide onetime cash award to meritorious differently abled students who have secured high marks in Degree/ Equivalent courses, Post Graduate & Professional courses.

Amount of Assistance

Sr. No.	Category	Eligibility	Amount	No. of students per district
1	Degree / Equivalent courses	60% marks for Arts subject, 80% marks for Science subject	8000/-	10 students
2	Post-Graduation & Professional courses	60 % and above	10,000/-	5 students

Sahachari Scheme: This scheme will honour NSS, NCC and Student Police Cadet (SPC) units that assist people, with over 40% disability, in their studies and other tasks. The Department of Social Justice has earmarked an amount of Rs. 40,000/- for each district.

4. Transforming Education Conference for Humanity (TECH) 2019 Held in Visakhapatnam: The third edition of the TECH 2019 (Transforming Education Conference for Humanity) was held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. TECH 2019 was organised by UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) in partnership with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, India and supported by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. The conference aimed at showcasing the role of digital technologies in enabling a shift from “transmissive pedagogies” to “transformative pedagogies” to create more peaceful and sustainable societies. It was based on 3 themes: (1) Transformative Pedagogies for SEL (Social and Emotional learning); (2) Reimagining Learning Spaces for Planetary Citizenship; (3) Data, Learning & Education – Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

5. 36th International Geological Congress to be Held in India in March 2020: India will host the 36th International Geological Congress (IGC) in New Delhi in March 2020. The theme of the conference will be ‘Geosciences: The Basic Science for a Sustainable Development’. Popularly known as the Olympics of Geosciences, IGCs are a prestigious global geoscientific events held once in four years and participated by around 5000-6000 geoscientists from all across the world.

6. 3rd Edition of Military Literature Festival Held in Chandigarh: The third edition of coveted Military Literature Festival (MLF), was held at Lake Club, Chandigarh from December 13 to 15, 2019. The military literature extravaganza was inaugurated by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore. The event provides a healthy platform of discussions in various aspects of military and share experiences of serving the country in armed forces. It also provides platform for children to acquaint themselves with the war stories besides an opportunity to interact with the veterans and serving officers.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. United States Surpasses Kuwait as India’s 6th biggest oil supplier; Iraq remains on top: According to data furnished by the oil ministry to parliamentary committee, United States has surpassed Kuwait to become India’s sixth largest oil supplier. US supplied 5.4 million tonnes of crude oil to India during the first six months of 2019-20 (April-September). This is 70 percent more as compared to about 3.1 million tonnes of oil sourced from the US in the same period a year back. Iraq continues to be top crude oil supplier of India with 26 million tonnes of crude oil supplied during April to September, meeting India’s one-fourth oil need alone. India bought 111.4 million tonnes of crude oil from overseas during April-September of 2019-20. India is the world’s third largest energy consumer and is 83 percent dependent on imports to meet its oil needs.

2. International Tea Day: December 15: The International Tea Day is observed annually on December 15 to draw global attention of governments and citizens towards the impact of the global tea trade on workers and growers and also to request for price supports and fair trade. The day has been celebrated since 2005 in tea producing countries like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia,Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda and Tanzania. India is the second largest producer of tea in the World after China.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Australia’s Ashleigh Barty Wins WTA Player of the Year 2019: The WTA Awards are given by the Women’s Tennis Association to players for outstanding achievements during the season or their career. The winners of 2019 WTA Awards are given below:

Sr. No.	Awards	Name/Country
1	WTA Player of the Year 2019	Ashleigh Barty (Australia)
2	WTA Doubles Team of the Year	Timea Babos (Hungary) / Kristina Mladenovic (France)
3	WTA Most Improved Player of the Year	Sofia Kenin (United States)
4	WTA Newcomer of the Year	Bianca Andreescu (Canada)
5	WTA Comeback Player of the Year	Belinda Bencic (Switzerland)
6	WTA Jerry Diamond ACES Award	Kiki Bertens (Netherlands)

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Mastercard Joins Hand With Federal Bank to Offer Identity Check Security for Digital Transactions:             Global payments technology major Mastercard has tied up with Private Sector, scheduled commercial bank, Federal Bank, to provide an additional layer of identity check security called ‘Mastercard Identity Check’ for digital transactions by bank’s cardholders. ‘Mastercard Identity Check’ is a global authentication program which makes use of the latest authentication standards of EMV 3-D Secure. It provides banks with a secure and user-friendly way to authenticate cardholders without the use of static passwords, and facilitate higher approval rates, improving the authentication experience for merchants, issuers and cardholders.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Infosys wins 2019 UN Global Climate Action Award: The Indian IT services major Infosys Ltd has been awarded with the United Nations Global Climate Action Award in the ‘Climate Neutral Now’ category at the ongoing 2019 UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain. The Bengaluru-headquartered company is the first Indian corporate of its kind to receive the honour. Infosys has been honored for its carbon neutral program, which delivers scalable, innovative and practical climate actions that address climate change and help drive progress on many other sustainable development goals

2. Deepika Padukone Wins WEF’s Crystal Award For Raising Mental Health Awareness: Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone has been honoured with the World Economic Forum’s 26th Annual Crystal Award for raising mental health awareness. She is the only Indian actress to feature in Davos 2020 winners list which includes total four winners. The winners will be honoured at the opening session of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2020 on 20 January 2020.       The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting will take place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland from 21-24 January 2020, under the theme, “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World.”

Other Winners include:

Theaster Gates (US), for his leadership in creating sustainable communities

Jin Xing (China), for her leadership in shaping inclusive cultural norms

Lynette Wallworth (Australia), for her leadership in creating inclusive narratives

3. Jamaica’s Tony-Ann Singh crowned as ‘Miss World 2019’: The Miss World title for the year 2019 has been won by Toni-Ann Singh of Jamaica, at the annual beauty pageant in London, UK. The 23-year-old Toni-Ann Singhis a women’s studies and psychology student at US’ Florida State University. She was crowned by her predecessor Miss World 2018 Vanessa Ponce from Mexico. France’s Ophely Mezino came second. Suman Rao, who represented India in the annual beauty pageant, came in third. Miss World 2019 was the 69th edition of the contest and contestants from 120 countries competed for the title.

OBITUARIES

1. New Zealand three-times Olympic champion Peter Snell passes away: Sir Peter George Snell, New Zealand’s legendary middle distance runner has passed away. He was 80. Snell is the only male athlete since 1920 to have won the 800 metres and 1500 metres double at the same Olympics in 1964 in Tokyo. The former 800m and mile world record holder was voted New Zealand’s athlete of the century in 2000.

Daily GK Updates - 14th December, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Virtual Police Station inaugurated at Andhra University: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has inaugurated the Virtual Police Station at Andhra University. The Virtual Police Station (as a pilot project) has been set up on the suggestion of Andhra University’s Vice-Chancellor to make it easy for students to report their grievances. Later it will be replicated at other educational institutions. The initiative is expected to help bridge the gap between students and the police department.

Note: Andhra Pradesh CM: YS Jaganmohan Reddy; Governor: Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.

2. National Energy Conservation Day 2019 observed in India: The National energy conservation day is celebrated every year on the 14th of December by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Ministry of Power. BEE is observing National Energy Conservation Week from 9th to 14th December 2019. The objective of the day to aware people about the importance of energy as well as saving or conserving more energy by using less energy. The Energy Conservation Act in India was executed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in the year 2001.

Note: Energy Conservation is a term to use the least amount of energy while avoiding unnecessary use of energy.

3. National Symposium of Heads of Police Training Institutions held in New Delhi: The 37th National Symposium of Heads of Police Training Institutions held in New Delhi. It Symposium was organized by Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D). The theme of the Symposium was ‘Optimal Utilization of Resources-Through Sharing and Networking’. A Directory of Indian Police Training Institutions (DIPTI) which has information on the resources of around 300 Police training institutions all over the country, was also released during the event.

4. FSSAI & Nasscom Foundation partner to develop an app to prevent food wastage: Food regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Nasscom Foundation have signed an MoU to develop a technology platform to prevent food wastage and encouraging food donation by developing an app for the purpose. They will develop a common 24×7 helpline number and a mobile application ‘Food Donation in India’ to donate food to the needy. It will help in facilitating the registration of surplus food distribution organisations.

5. Amazon’s Audible launches app “Audible Suno” in India: Amazon’s audiobook company Audible has launched a new app “Audible Suno” in India. This app features original audio series which aims to expand Audible’s reach in India’s highly competitive digital entertainment and streaming space. The platform features hundreds of hours of Audible’s original audio series across a plethora of genres, steered by entertainers such as Amitabh Bachchan, Nawaazuddin Siddiqui, Anurag Kashyap, Tabu, Neena Gupta and Vir Das.

Note: CEO and Founder of Audible: Don Katz.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US & China reach trade agreement calling for structural reforms & tariff concessions: The US and China have announced phase one trade agreement to roil the global economy. The phase one of the deal requires structural reforms and other changes to China's economic and trade regime in the areas of intellectual property, technology transfer, agriculture, financial services, and currency and foreign exchange. The deal says if China breaks any part of the agreement, the Trump administration has the ability to re-implement tariffs. US negotiators are offering to significantly reduce existing tariffs on Chinese imports worth about 360 billion dollars. In return, China has promised to buy large quantities of US soybeans, poultry and other agricultural products.

2. British PM Boris Jhonson wins General Elections in the UK: In Britain, the ruling Conservative party led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson is all set to win an overall majority in the snap elections. Conservative Party gets 365 out of 650 seats in the lower House of Commons. Labour Party get 203, the Liberal Democrats 11 and the Brexit Party none. In the United Kingdom, 15 Indian-origin politicians have entered the House of Commons in the historic general election. Johnson had campaigned on a promise to get Brexit done vowing to end years of political turmoil over Britain's future that has weighed on the economy and divided the nation.

3. Maldives signs contract with JV of Indian companies for development of Addu: Maldives government has signed a contract with a joint venture of Indian companies. The contract aims to prepare project report and the development of Addu, which is the second biggest city in the island nation. The contract was signed L & T engineering limited and Lea associates south asia for the Addu Road and Reclamation Project. The project includes land reclamation, construction of roads and storm water drainage system in Addu. This will upgrade existing infrastructure and mitigate the flood situation in Addu. Financing of the project will be done by EXIM bank of India through line of credit of USD 800 million.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. FIH unveils new world ranking system for 2020: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) unveiled a new world ranking system for 2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland. The new method will come into effect from the 1st January 2020. The new ranking will be match-based instead of tournament-based calculation. For a better reflection of current performances, the new ranking will be match-based instead of tournament-based calculation. The new model is expected to remove the subjectivity surrounding continental weighing by creating a system which is fair to all. The outgoing world ranking system was in existence since 2003. It was originally devised to allocate teams into pools at tournaments.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. November retail inflation reaches 5.54%, at 3-year high: India's retail inflation in November rose to 5.54% (from 4.62% in October) and over RBI's medium-term target of 4%. Higher food prices contributed to the spike. Food price inflation (Rural and urban) climbed 10.01% in November. During the month, inflation in vegetables shot up to 35.99 per cent, as against 26.10 per cent in October. Inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 4.62 per cent in October (2.33% in November 2018).

2. Moody’s reduces India’s GDP rate for FY20 to 5.6%: Global rating agency Moody’s Investors Service ("Moody's") has lowered its 2019 GDP growth forecast for India to 5.6 percent based on slow employment growth weighs on consumption. GDP is the final value of the goods and services produced within the geographic boundaries of a country during a specified period of time (normally a year). ‘GDP growth rate is an important indicator of the economic performance of a country.

Note: Major credit rating agencies of the world:

Moody's Investors Service was established in 1909, headquarters in New York, USA.

Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC: was founded in 1860, headquarters in New York, USA, subsidiary of S&P Global.

Fitch Ratings: was founded in 1914, headquarters in New York City and London.

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran Telugu actor and writer Gollapudi Maruti Rao passes away: Former Nandi Award winner and renowned Telugu actor and writer Gollapudi Maruti Rao passed away recently. He enthralled people with his writings and acting for several decades and also acted in around 250 films in about four decades. He was a multi-faceted personality as he was a journalist, playwright, writer, actor and television personality. Some of his memorable films as an actor include ‘Intlo Ramayya, Veedhilo Krishnayya’, ‘Challenge’, ‘Samsaram oka Chadarangam’, ‘Aditya 369’ and ‘Leader’.