Current Affairs December 17-18, 2018
In this post, GKToday presents Current Affairs of December 17-18, 2018 in Short Notes form for preparation of IBPS, Banking, CLAT, SSC, Railway, UPSC, IAS/PCS, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, TNPSC, MPSC, KPSC and all other competitive examinations of India.
1. Rio Olympics Silver medallist PV Sindhu became the first Indian to lift the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals title at Guangzhou, China. In the summit clash, Sindhu defeated Japanese Nozomi Okuhara, in straight games, 21-19, 21-17 to claim the top honours of the season-ending event and her first title of the year. With the win, Sindhu also equalled her head-to-head record with Okuhara to 6-6.
2. The Vijay Diwas is commemorated every year on 16th of December to mark India’s victory over Pakistan in 1971 during the war for the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan. The end of war resulted in unilateral & unconditional surrender of Pakistani Army. On this day in 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the allied forces consists of Indian Army and Mukti Bahini, led by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora in Dhaka after their defeat in the Liberation War. The end of the war also resulted in subsequent secession of East Pakistan into Bangladesh. The anniversary of Vijay Divas is observed across India by paying tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the nation.
3. In Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently inaugurated a 175 km long of sewerage network at Prayagraj, which will carry 7.8 Cr litres sewage water per day to existing STPs (Sewage Treatment Plants) at Salori, Kodra & Ponghat for treatment which earlier ended up in Ganga. He also laid the foundation stone for two projects in the trans-Ganga/Yamuna area under One City-One Operator scheme with a sanctioned budget of Rs 767.59 crore.The project is based on Hybrid Annuity based Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode that includes operations and maintenance of all the sewerage infrastructure for 15 years. These projects include intersection and diversion (I&D) of sewage network, seven sewage pumping stations and three STPs having a total capacity of 72 million litre per day (MLD). With these projects, there will be comprehensive sewerage coverage of Prayagraj, including areas on the other side of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers.
4. India’s first private sector unit for manufacturing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has recently opened at Adani Aerospace Park near Shamshabad in Hyderabad. The 50,000-sq ft state-of-the-art facility facility is built by the Adani Group and Israel-based Elbit Systems. It will start operations with the manufacturing of complete carbon composite aero-structures for the Hermes 900 UAV, followed by the Hermes 450 UAV, catering to the global markets, and will further be ramped-up for the assembly and integration of complete UAVs here. As of now, after manufacturing, the integration of the UAV units will be done in Israel.
5. The state of Jharkhand has been selected for 2018 Krishi Karman award for producing best quality rice in the year 2016-17 by the Union Ministry of Agriculture. The award to be given away in February 2019 will carry a cash prize of Rs 2 crore, a trophy and a commendation letter, which will be handed over to the State representative in the Agriculture Fair scheduled to be organised in Delhi in the month of February-March, 2019. As a gesture of appreciation to the farmers of the state for achieving the milestone, two progressive farmers, i.e. one male and one female, would also be given ‘Agriculture Minister’s Krishi Karman Award’.
6. Iranian film ‘The Dark Room’, directed by Rouhollah Hejazi, won the Suvarna Chakoram (Golden Crow Pheasant) award at the 23rd International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK-2018). The film won the award, comprising a purse of Rs 15 lakh, a sculpture and citation, for an intimate exploration of relationships within a family at a time of change, creating a complete cinematic experience, and for its sensitive treatment of delicate issues. Beside this, Malayalam Director Lijo Jose Pellissery has been awarded the 'Rajatha Chakoram' (The Silver Crow Pheasant), for the best director for his movie 'Ee.Ma.Yau'. The Rajatha Chakoram award for debut director was won by Anamika Haksar for her film ‘Taking the Horse to Eat Jelabis’.
7. On December 2018, an Indian American film producer Ashok Amritraj has been honoured with the French Knight of the National Order of Merit for his contribution to the world of cinema and Indo-French film industry. He has been the producer of Hollywood films such as Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance with Nicholas Cage and 99 Homes starring Andrew Garfield. The Order of Merit is part of France’s premier award - the Legion of Honor - and is awarded “to recognize eminent artists as well as people who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and throughout the world”.
8. The Nepal government has banned the use of Indian currency notes of Rs 2,000, Rs 500 and Rs 200 denominations in the country. The decision will adversely affect Nepalese labourers working in India as well as Indian tourists visiting the Himalayan nation. Currently, India is Nepal’s largest trade partner and supplies the majority of its consumer goods. Indian currency is extensively used by Nepalese people and businesses for their savings and transactions. Hence, the Nepalese government has asked the people to refrain from keeping or carrying Indian bank notes higher than Rs. 100 denomination as it has not legalised them.
9. Catriona Elisa Gray from Philippines has been crowned at the 67th Miss Universe 2018 at a gala ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand on December 17. She was crowned by Miss Universe 2017 Demi Leigh Nel-Peters, who comes from South Africa. She is the fourth Filipina Miss Universe, after Gloria Diaz in 1969, Margie Moran in 1973 and Pia Wurtzbach in 2015. She beated contestants from 93 other countries to claim the prize. In it, Tamaryn Green from South Africa was named the first runner-up while Miss Venezuela Sthefany Gutierrez stood third.
10. In Hockey, Belgium has claimed their first ever World Cup title. They defeated Netherlands 3-2 in a dramatic shoot-out in the final of the 14th edition of Men's World Cup 2018 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha on December 16. Both the teams, goalless at full time, were at level 2-2 after five penalties. Belgium has won the trophy after 16 years. Earlier, the defending champions Australia secured a consolation bronze medal after mauling England 8-1.
