Current Affairs: December 6, 2018

Main current events of December 6, 2018 are as follows:

National Current Events
GSAT-11, India’s heaviest (5854 kg) satellite, launched by Ariane 5 VA-246 from Kourou in French Guyana

India’s heaviest satellite GSAT-11 was successfully launched by an Arianespace rocket from the French Guiana. It is expected to boost broadband services in the country.

SC approves Centre’s Witness Protection Scheme, asks govt to implement it

Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 will be the ‘law’ under Article 141 and 142 of the Constitution. It includes identifying categories of threat perceptions, preparation of a ‘Threat Analysis Report’ by the head of the police, protective measures like ensuring that the witness and accused do not come face to face during probe, protection of identity, change of identity, relocation of witness, witnesses to be apprised of the scheme, confidentiality and preservation of records, recovery of expenses.

Sahitya Akademi Award 2018 in 24 languages announced

Contemporary Indian literature comprising of seven collections of poetry, six novels, six short story collections, three works of literary criticism and two collections of essays were announced as the winners of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award 2018 in 24 languages. Winners include Anees Saleem in English, Rama Kant Shukla in Sanskrit, Rajesh Kumar Vyas in Rajasthani, Rahman Abbas in Urdu, Lok Nath Upadhyay in Nepali, Chitra Mughal in Hindi and S. Ramakrishnan in Tamil.

Christian Michel, the alleged in the Rs 3600 crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal, extradited from Dubai

Christian Michel, the British national accused in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland chopper scam was extradited to India from UAE.

RBI MONETARY POLICY REVIEW
Repo rate unchanged at 6.5%

Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept the benchmark repo rate unchanged at 6.5% in its fifth bi-monthly monetary policy review for the current financial year. with the objective of achieving the medium-term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 4 per cent within a band of +/- 2 per cent.
Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and Bank Rate remain unchanged at 6.75%

The marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.75 percent. It would be non event for the investors who rely on fixed income investments. There would no issue of liquidity in the system.

Statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) cut by 25 basis points to 19.25% from January 1, 2019

The Reserve Bank reduced statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) by 25 basis points to 19.25 per cent from January 1, 2019 to boost liquidity with the commercial banks, which would fuel growth and demand in the economy. This would encourage banks to invest in riskier appetite such as stock market, not in safe heaven assets such as government securities or gold.
Ombudsman scheme to be introduced to redress grievances

The Reserve Bank will introduce an ‘ombudsman scheme’ to provide cost-free mechanism to redress grievances of customers related to digital transactions.
Economy & Corporate Current Events
80th Session of the Policy Commission Meeting of the World Customs Organisations (WCO) organised by the Central Board of Customs and Indirect Taxes (CBIC)

The 80th Session of the three-day Policy Commission of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) will begin from December 3. Issues like trade facilitation and controlling illicit financial flow.

Forbes India Celebrity 100 list: Salman Khan retains top spot

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan is the richest Indian celebrity, according to the 2018 Forbes India Celebrity 100 list, with income of Rs 253 crore in Oct 2017¬–Sept 2018, which he has topped for the third consecutive year.

World Current Events
World Soil Day observed on December 5 with its theme as – ‘Be the Solution to Soil Pollution’

World Soil Day is observed annually on 5th December to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil resources. The theme is – ‘Be the Solution to Soil Pollution’.

International Volunteer Day observed on December 5 by UN with its theme as ‘Volunteers build Resilient Communities’

International Volunteer Day (IVD) is held each year on 5 December. Volunteers and organizations celebrate their efforts to share their values, and promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities and the private sector. It contributes to peace and development by advocating for the recognition of volunteers and working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming.

British artist Charlotte Prodger wins £40,000 Turner Prize for 2018

Glasgow-based British artist Charlotte Prodger has won the prestigious Turner Prize for 2018, awarded for his outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the preceding year. His work explores issues surrounding queer identity, landscape, language, technology and time.

Albert Einstein’s 1954 letter about his views on God and religion sells for $2.89 million in auction in NY

The Nobel Prize-winning scientist, then 74, wrote the one-and-a-half page note to German philosopher Eric Gutkind in response to one of his works.It is a key statement in the debate between science and religion. It just sold for $2,892,500.

Sports Current Events
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge and Colombia’s Caterine Ibarguen win IAAF Athletes of the Year Awards

Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge (Men’s Marathon) and Colombia’s Caterine Ibarguen (Women’s Long Jump) won IAAF Athletes of the Year Awards.

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