DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: DECEMBER 15, 2018

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: DECEMBER 15, 2018

NATIONAL

JK becomes first state to have law banning sexual exploitation of women:

• Jammu and Kashmir became the first state to have a law explicitly banning sexual exploitation of woman by those in positions of authority, having a fiduciary relationship or by a public servant.
• The State Administrative Council headed by Governor Satya Pal Malik has given approval for Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and Jammu and Kashmir Criminal Laws (Amendment) .
• The new law amended section 154, 161 and schedule of Criminal Procedure Code and Section 53 of Evidence Act to bring the Sextortion as a similar offence prescribed under RPC.

Jharkhand to get Krishi Karman award in rice production category:

• Jharkhand has been selected for “Krishi Karman” award in the rice category from the Union Ministry of Agriculture.
• The award to be given away in February next year carries a cash prize of Rs 2 crore.Each farmer would be given a cash award of Rs 2 lakh along with citation.

STATIC : Jharkhand

CM: Raghubar Das,

Governor: Draupadi Murmu.

‘National Medical Devices Promotion Council’ under DIPP:

• Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu announced to set up a National Medical Devices Promotion Council under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• The announcement was made on the occasion of 4th WHO Global Forum on Medical Devices at Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone in Vishakhapatnam.
• The Medical Devices Industry (MDI) plays a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem and is indispensable to achieve the goal of health for all citizens of the country.

India’s first Private UAV Factory Comes Up in Hyderabad:

• India’ first private sector unit for manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) opened in Hyderabad.
• The plant has been built at Adani Aerospace Park, the first defence and aerospace complex of Adani Group, at Hardware Park on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
• Built by the Adani Group and Israel-based Elbit Systems, the 50,000 square feet facility will develop Hermes 900 medium altitude long-endurance UAVs for the Indian and global markets.

Ashok Kumar Singh assumes charge of secretary, NCST :

• Ashok Kumar Singh, Lok Sabha Secretariat Service, Additional Secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat has assumed charge as Secretary of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on 14th December.

Note:

The first National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) was constituted in March, 2004.

Coast Guard launches operation to safeguard turtles:

• The Coast Guard has launched an exercise along the serene sea waters of Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Odisha to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles during their mating season.
• The Coast Guard ‘Operation Oliva’ exercise as part of its annual mission to ensure the safe mid-sea sojourn of breeding Olive Ridley sea turtles.
• The Coast Guard has chalked out a pro-active plan for these marine animals conservation. With round-the-clock vigil, the Coast Guard has been able to provide adequate protection to the endangered species.

INTERNATIONAL

Germany adds ′diverse′ as a gender to birth register :

• Germans will soon be able to choose a third gender on the register of births, with “diverse” set to become an option.
• This comes after Chancellor Angela Merkel’s left-right coalition had passed legislation permitting children born intersex to be registered as “miscellaneous”.
• The “third gender” option places Germany in line with other countries that have introduced measures to recognize intersex people or a third gender, such as Austria, Australia, New Zealand, India, Canada and Portugal.

Iran falls to sixth biggest oil supplier to India as sanctions bite :

• According to Reuters, Iran dropped two places to become the sixth biggest oil supplier to India in November, after New Delhi cut purchases due to the impact of U.S. sanctions.
• India is restricted to buying 1.25 million tons per month, or about 300,000 barrels per day (bpd). Iraq and Saudi Arabia continued to be the top two oil sellers to India.
• The UAE, which was the sixth biggest oil seller to India in October, became the third top seller to India in November, knocking down Venezuela by a notch to fourth position. Nigeria continued at No. 5 position, while Iran slipped to sixth place.

APPOINTMENTS

Former spinner Ashley Giles appointed as new managing director of England men’s cricket team :

• Former international spinner Ashley Giles has been appointed as the new managing director of England men’s cricket.
• Giles, currently sport director at Warwickshire County Cricket Club, replaces Andrew Strauss who stepped down in October.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Author Amitav Ghosh honoured with 54th Jnanpith award:

• Eminent novelist Amitav Ghosh has been chosen for this year’s Jnanpith Award for outstanding contribution to literature.He has become the first English author to be honoured with the award.
• Ghosh, one of the most prominent contemporary Indian writers, is known for a series of novels such as “Shadow Lines”, “The Glass Palace”, “The Hungry Tide”, and Ibis Trilogy — “Sea of Poppies”, and “River of Smoke”.

SPORTS

Djokovic, Halep named 2018 ITF world champions :

• Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep have been named as the 2018 International Tennis Federation (ITF) world champions by the governing body of global tennis.
• World number one Djokovic receives the honour from the ITF for the sixth time, while it is the first year that Romania’s top-ranked Halep has been recognized
• US pair Mike Bryan and Jack Sock won the men’s doubles award while the women’s doubles world champions are Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.

Indian setter Ranjit Singh costliest player at Pro Volleyball League auction :

• Indian setter Ranjit Singh emerged as the top pick in the first Pro Volleyball League auction which also saw six foreign and 117 Indian players going under the hammer in New Delhi.
• Singh was the costliest Indian player with Ahmedabad Defenders shelling out Rs 13 lakhs for him.

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: DECEMBER 14, 2018