Notes:
India is to host the 36th International Geological Congress (IGC) in New Delhi during the first week of March 2020. It is popularly described as the Olympics of Geosciences. The theme of the event is Geosciences: The Basic Science for a Sustainable Development. The IGCs are global geoscientific events held once in four years.The event aims to provide a platform for international cooperation in all major fields of geosciences including the provision of investment opportunities in mining, launching of collaborative programs, mineral exploration and environmental management and related enterprises

Notes:
Blue Sky Analytics won the Space Oscars awards on the international competition Copernicus Masters. The awards were presented in a ceremony during the European Space Week held at Helsinki, Finland. Blue Sky Analytics became the has become the first Indian Startup to win the Space Oscars award presented by the European Space Agency.

Notes:
Pakistan opener Abid Ali has become the only male player in cricket history to score a hundred on both his ODI and Test debuts when he reached three figures on the final day of the Rawalpindi Test against Sri Lanka. Former England women’s player Enid Bakewell who played 12 Tests between 1968 and 1979 was the first cricketer (male/female) to start both their ODI and Test careers with a century.

Notes:
Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh was crowned Miss World at an annual beauty pageant held at the 69th annual beauty pageant held in ExceL London, UK on 14 December. She was crowned by the 2018 winner Vanessa Ponce de Leon of Mexico. She became the fourth Jamaican woman to win Miss World. 
India’s Suman Rao became the second runners-up. She was crowned as Miss World Asia.

Notes:
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a draft notification on December 15, 2019, to regulate the registration of old vintage vehicles. The ministry has planned to provide a special number plate with letters VA to signify the vintage vehicles.

Notes:
In a first of its kind move, the border guarding paramilitary force of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has started a dedicated matrimonial site for its staff. This is the first -ever dedicated and well-managed matrimony portal among Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). A link for the unique portal was launched on 9 December on the official website of ITBP. The website will be managed by ITBP and only the staff will be able to access it.

Notes:
The Gujarat police was presented the ‘President’s Colours’ by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu at a ceremony held in Karai Police Academy in Gandhi Nagar on 15 December 2019. Gujarat now becomes the seventh state to receive the prestigious President’s Colours, also called as Nishaan, an emblem which all police officers of Gujarat would wear on left-hand sleeve of their uniform. A new logo of Gujarat Police was also unveiled and the force was also awarded a specially designed flag and an emblem.

Notes:
The Union Territory Puducherry unveiled a startup policy of the Industries Department. It was announced by Puducherry Industries Minister Shajahan. The policy lays emphasis to provide financial grants, monthly stipend, fiscal incentives to interested entrepreneurs and bring new business ventures to the Union Territory.The policy creates a corpus fund of Rs.10 crore to support the setting up of startup incubators and to develop co-working spaces. It will provide a grant of Rs.3 lakh to the projects recommended by incubators that are established by the government or private sector as a startup grant.

Notes:
NASA has finally selected a sample collection site on asteroid Bennu after the arrival of OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in December 2018. The OSIRIS-Rex mission team has selected the site designated Nightingale, which is located in a crater high in Bennu’s northern hemisphere. The team has also selected site Osprey of Bennu as a backup sample collection site.Site Nightingale is located in a northern crater 460 feet wide of the asteroid. As per the observation, Nightingale’s regolith or rocky surface material is dark, and images show that the crater is relatively smooth.

Notes:
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.