Current Affairs December 8, 2017

NATIONAL

Kumbh Mela on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: UNESCO

India’s Kumbh Mela has been recognised by UNESCO as an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity”.The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage under the UN body inscribed Kumbh Mela on the “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” at its 12th session in Jeju, South Korea.

The Kumbh Mela, held in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, represents a syncretic set of rituals related to worship and cleansing in holy rivers.

UNESCO

Headquarters: Paris, France

Director-General: Irina Bokova

Uttarakhand Signs MoU With HP To Provide Tele-Medicine Facilities

Uttarakhand signed a MoU with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) India Pvt Limited for establishing e-health centers in the State. According to the MoU signed, the HPE company will facilitate telemedicine service at four community health centers in the State.

Specialist medical service will be accessible through the telemedicine facility for those who visit any of these four community health centers. Now, Uttarakhand has become the fifth Indian state to adopt tele-radiology facility.and has also become the 17th State to adopt telemedicine.

Uttarakhand

Capital: Dehradun

Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat

Governor: Krishna Kant Paul

INTERNATIONAL

India, Israel open centre for forticulture in Tamil Nadu

India will open centres of excellence for farmers in India to encourage research in agriculture sector announced by Israel’s Agriculture Minister Yair Shamir.

This cooperation includes structured interactions between governments, experts and most important – farmers. This comprises of bilateral sharing of knowledge and technologies, establishment of centres of excellence in various agriculture sectors across India, exchange visits of experts and farmers and Post-doctoral scholarships for Indian agriculture researchers in Israel.

Israel

Capital: Jerusalem

Currency: Israeli new shekel

Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu

Wassenaar Arrangement agrees to admit India as its new member

In a major development, leading export control regime Wassenaar Arrangement decided to admit India as its new member. The decision was taken at the groupings plenary meeting in Vienna.

India will become the Arrangement’s 42nd participating state as soon as the necessary procedural arrangements for joining the WA are completed.

The WA membership is also expected to build up a strong case for India’s entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies, commonly known as the Wassenaar Arrangement, is a multilateral export control regime (MECR) with 42 participating states including many former Comecon (Warsaw Pact) countries.

IMF $44.5 Million credit of Madagascar

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it has approved a further $44.5 million credit for Madagascar. It is to support the country’s economic recovery.

Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries, even though it has reserves of nickel, cobalt, gold, uranium and other minerals.

In June, the IMF approved an $86 million credit for the Indian Ocean island.

Madagascar

Capital: Antananarivo

Currency: Malagasy ariary

Prime Minister: Olivier Mahafaly Solonandrasana

BUSINESS

Axis Securities Gets NCDEX Membership

Axis Securities, a subsidiary of Axis Bank become the first-ever broking arm of a bank to take membership of a commodity exchange by registering itself with NCDEX. It is announced by Axis Securities Managing Director, Arun Thukral.

Reserve Bank of India allowed banks wishing to undertake commodities derivatives clearing to set up a separate subsidiary for the purpose and adhere to the membership norms laid by market regulator Securities Exchange Board of India.

Axis Securities will focus on reaching out to clients for agriculture and non-agriculture commodities business across the country, especially from semi-urban and rural India.

RESIGNATIONS

Poland’s finance minister to replace Beata Szydło as prime minister

Poland’s governing Law and Justice (PiS) party has named the development and finance minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, to replace the prime minister, Beata Szydło, who tendered her resignation.

Poland

Capital: Warsaw

Currency: Polish Zloty

Prime Minister: Beata Szydło

SPORTS

Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli acquires second position in Test rankings

The Indian captain is the current No. 1 in ODIs and T20 formats. Root is third behind Smith and Kohli, with Pujara fourth, Williamson fifth and Warner at sixth.

In the Test Team Rankings, India has lost one point but remains well ahead of South Africa at the top. England is third. In the Rankings for Bowlers, Briton James Anderson is the leader, with South African Kagiso Rabada second. Ravindra Jadeja is third and Ravichandran Ashwin is fourth.

The 46th FIH Congress to be held in New Delhi in 2018

The 46th congress of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) will be held in New Delhi. The biennial event will run for four days and will comprise meetings, social events, networking opportunities and presentations.

Beside this, India will also host the men’s Hockey World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16, 2018.

Ballon d’Or 2017: Cristiano Ronaldo wins prestigious award

The Real Madrid striker claimed the La Liga title as well as the Champions League in another trophy-laden year, beating Messi and Neymar. He clinched Ballon d’Or 2017 for fifth time to equal Lionel Messi’s record haul.