Notes:
Human Rights Day is celebrated annually across the world on 10 December every year. The date was chosen to honour the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations. The formal establishment of Human Rights Day occurred at the 317th Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on 4 December 1950, when the General Assembly declared resolution 423(V), inviting all member states and any other interested organizations to celebrate the day as they saw fit.

Notes:
India climbed one spot to 129 among 189 countries in the 2019 human development index (HDI), according to a report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In India, 27.1 crore people were lifted out of poverty from 2005-06 to 2015-16, UNDP India resident representative Shoko Noda said. India was ranked 130 last year. The steady progress was due to nearly three decades of rapid development, which saw a dramatic reduction in absolute poverty, along with gains in life expectancy, education, and access to health care. As per the HDI, no other region had experienced such rapid human development progress.

Notes:
Top blockchain experts and thought leaders from around the world will take part in a two-day conclave, ‘BlockHash Live 2019’ to be held at Kochi from December 12,2019. The experts will share ideas and lead discussions on collaborative opportunities in leveraging the technology for public good, and positioning Kerala as the country’s blockchain hub. As a prelude to the event, KBA has planned BlockHack2019 on December 10 and 11 at Integrated Startup Complex (ISC), Kerala Technology Innovation Zone, Kalamassery.

Notes:
A three-day TECH (Transforming Education Conference for Humanity) 2019, being organised jointly by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), is being held at Novotel hotel in Vishakhapatnam from December 10. As a prelude to TECH 2019, the organisers brought together policy makers on digital learning, representatives from educational technology companies and other stakeholders at a Policy Forum on Digital Learning.

Notes:
Veteran opener Wasim Jaffer on December 9,2019 became the first player in Indian cricket to feature in 150 Ranji matches. The 41-year-old from Maharashtra, who has been an important part of the title-winning Vidarbha team in the last two years, achieved the rare distinction during their Group A opener against Andhra Pradesh. The former India opener is now just 853 runs away from completing 20,000 runs in first class cricket. Jaffer is followed by Madhya Pradesh batsman Devendra Bundela (145 matches) and Amol Muzumdar (136 matches), who have played for Mumbai and Assam.

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Eminent Hindi poet Viswanath Prasad Tiwari would be honoured with the prestigious ‘Gangadhar National Award’ during the 53rd Foundation Day celebrations of the Sambalpur University. The award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 50,000, a shawl and citation, would be presented to Tiwari in January. Instituted in memory of Odisha’s renowned bard Gangadhar Meher, the award is conferred on a poet of national repute every year since 1991.

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FICCI ARISE Conference 2019 in New Delhi on December 9-10,2019 with theme: ‘Future Ready Learners and Schools’. Inaugurating the FICCI ARISE Conference on School Education, M. Venkaiah Naidu called for value-based education and said that education is not just for employment but also for empowerment and enlightenment of individuals and the society. He stressed upon inculcating values such as patience, honesty, respect, tolerance and empathy in the students.

Notes:
Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who brought beloved “Sesame Street” characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch to life, died. Spinney passed away at his Connecticut home after battling dystonia, a common movement disorder. He was 85. The legendary puppeteer was known for his “kind and loving view of the world,” giving two of the show’s most iconic characters the joyous (and grouchy) personalities that viewers around the world adored.

Notes:
Saudi Arabia has abolished its age-old rule that mandated separate entrances and seating areas for men and women. The gulf nation’s Municipal and Rural Affairs Ministry lifted the ban through a twitter announcement. Earlier, all restaurants in Saudi Arabia were required to have one entrance for women and families and another entrance for men dining on their own. Unrelated men and women were barred for decades from mixing in public places. This was decreed by the strict social rules put in place decades ago by the hardline clerics.

Notes:
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) and Saudi Aramco (Asia) for the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ecosystem in India in Oil & Gas Sector. The MoU will pave a way for accredited Indian MSMEs to carve out a space as vendors in Global space.
Saudi Aramco: It is a Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas company based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It is world’s largest Oil & Gas Company and is one of the largest companies in world by revenue.