07 December 2017 Current Affairs
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Time readers vote Saudi Crown Prince Person of the Year
Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been voted the Time magazine readers’ Person of the Year, despite spearheading the continued bombardment of Yemen, leading to the starvation of its citizens. The award goes to those who “for better or worse” influenced the year. The 32-year-old scored 24 percent of the vote, with the #MeToo movement against sexual assault and harassment. Bin Salman overtook Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin and even the Pope to be crowned the people’s choice, winning far more votes than the three combined.
U.P. becomes first State to endorse Centre’s triple talaq draft bill
Uttar Pradesh has become the first State to endorse the Central government’s draft bill that makes instant triple talaq a cognisable and non-bailable offence. The draft law, which provides for three-year imprisonment and a fine to a man trying to divorce his wife by uttering “talaq” three times, got the State government’s approval at a Cabinet meeting.
King of rock Johnny Hallyday dies
France’s best-known rock star Johnny Hallyday has died aged 74 after a battle with lung cancer. Known simply as Johnny at home & “the French Elvis” abroad, Hallyday was a singer, actor & consummate showman who sparked scenes of mass hysteria in his heyday. Hallyday broke from France’s classic chanson tradition in the late 1950s, selling more than 100 million albums & headlining 50 major tours.
US to recognise Jerusalem as capital
President Donald Trump will recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital despite intense Arab, Muslim and European opposition. In recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, US becomes the 1st country to do so since the foundation of the state in 1948. Israel has always regarded Jerusalem as its capital city, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
Kerala raises minimum liquor drinking age to 23
The Kerala government came out with a new Ordinance raising the minimum age for liquor consumption from 21 to 23. The Ordinance will make suitable amendments to the state Abkari laws and has been sent to Governor P. Sathasivam for his clearance.
PM Modi Most tweeted about world leader after Trump
PM Modi has emerged as the “most tweeted about world leader” after U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017. Mr. Modi with 37.5 million followers is the 2nd most tweeted about the world leader, after Mr. Trump with 44.1 million followers. Other world leaders to figure in the top-10 list include Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Turkish President Recep Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron.
After Mary Kom, Sushil Kumar resigns as National Sports Observer
A week after five-time world champion Mary Kom resigned as the National Sports Observer, Indian star wrestler and two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar also stepped down from the position of wrestling.
Akshay Kumar to promote government’s flagship agri-schemes
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar will promote the government’s flagship agriculture schemes like soil health card and crop insurance. The Union Agriculture Ministry has roped in the actor for television advertisements to intensify the publicity of the agri-schemes. Besides soil health card scheme, the actor will promote Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and others.
Vice President inaugurated 12th Annual Convention
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 12th Annual convention of central information commission at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. The Vice President stressed on maintaining transparency and accountability in public life. As per the Minister of State in PMO Dr. Jitender Singh, the government has filled all vacant posts in the commission. He accused the earlier government of being negligent on the matter.
ISA becomes Treaty-based International Intergovernmental organization
The International Solar Alliance (ISA) became treaty-based international intergovernmental organization on 6th December 2017 one month after Guinea became 15th country to ratify it. ISA is first treaty-based international government organisation to be based in India. So far, 46 countries have signed and 19 ratified Framework Agreement of ISA.
Swiggy appoints Vishal Bhatia as CEO of New Supply Business
Online food delivery start-up Swiggy (Bundl Technologies Pvt. Ltd) has appointed Vishal Bhatia as the chief executive officer for its new supply business. Bhatia comes with 19 years of experience in consumer goods firms like Reckitt Benckiser Group, PepsiCo and Britannia.
World smallest Mona Lisa created using DNA origami
Caltech scientists have made the world’s smallest recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the size of a bacterium, out of DNA. The technique, dubbed DNA origami, enabled scientists to fold DNA into desired self-assembling structures using 64 tiles, which were 100 nanometers wide. The team also created a life-sized portrait of a bacterium and a bacterium-sized portrait of a rooster.
BSF launches test to check personnel’s Psychological health
The Border Security Force (BSF) engaged doctors to conduct a psychological analysis of its 2.5 lakh members amid concerns over rising cases of suicide by security personnel. The Wellness Quotient Assessment Test will question personnel to detect issues such as anxiety, depression, phobia, and insomnia among others. The Troubled personnel will be offered help under the buddy support system.
PM Modi inaugurated B R Ambedkar International Centre
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the BR Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi. The prime minister also unveiled two statues of the Dalit icon at the center in Janpath. Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Vijay Goel was also present at the event. The center was a fusion of Buddhist and modern architecture. He had laid the foundation stone of the center in 2015.
Center enhances Monetary Allowances for Gallantry Award Winners
The Government has enhanced the monetary allowances for the Gallantry Award winners. The enhancement is for the recipients of post-independence Gallantry Award, pre-independence Gallantry Award and the monetary allowance attached to ‘Jangi Inam’, a pre-independence Gallantry Award. The allowances have been doubled in most of the cases and in a few cases have been increased by more than 100%.
Australian Govt passes Marriage Equality Law
Australia’s parliament has legislated for marriage equality, passing a bill almost unanimously to allow two people, regardless of sex, to marry. The House of Representatives passed a cross-party bill after an unprecedented national postal survey gave unstoppable momentum to legislate the historic social reform. Australia, which changed the law in 2004 to say that marriage is only between a man and a woman, now becomes the 25th country to recognize same-sex marriage.
07 December: Armed Forces Flag Day
Armed Forces Flag Day is being observed throughout the country on 7 December to honor the martyrs and the men in uniform who valiantly fought on our borders to safeguard the country’s honor. The day marks the annual Armed Forces Flag day in India since 1949. The day is also dedicated towards the collection of funds from people for welfare of Indian Armed forces personnel and to commemorate the soldiers, airmen, and sailors of the armed forces for their yeomen services.
Kumbh Mela on UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage
UNESCO has inscribed ‘Kumbh Mela’ on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The decision was taken during the 12th session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage at Jeju in South Korea. This inscription is the third in two years following the inscriptions of ‘Yoga’ and ‘Nouroz’ on 1st December 2016. The ‘Kumbh Mela’ is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth.