Current Affairs Update 12 December 2018
Current Affairs is an important part for many exams. Be prepared for this section with ByScoop which brings all the important Current Affairs in one place. 12 December 2018
Gujarat’s women group gets UN award for Bhungroo water harvesting technique
- India’s Gujarat got a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) award for women’s leadership with low cost and sustainable technology to tackle storms.
- Gujarat won the Gender Just Climate Solutions Award Winners of UNFCCC for Bhungroo water harvesting technique
- The award was given to Gujarat at a side event of the ongoing 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) in the technical category.
- Each installed Bhungroo provides food security for 30 to 100 people, generating an additional income of about USD 5700 per year. This technology protects groundwater via a filtration system and increases soil fertility by reducing salinity. The units conserve 1-4 million litres of runoff water and can irrigate 22 acres during the dry season.
1st international conference on sexual exploitation of children to be held in Kolkata
- The first international conference on “Sexual Exploitation of Children in Digital Era” will be held in Kolkata on December 14-15, 2018 to spread awareness among people.
- The programme is being organised by the West Bengal Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) and and the International Justice Mission (IJM), a global body that protects the most vulnerable from violence and oppression.
- The two-day programme would see the participation of 15 countries.
World’s first floating nuclear plant operational in Russia
- The world’s first “floating” nuclear power plant (FNPP), Akademik Lomonosov has become operational in Russia and brought to 10 per cent of its capacity.
- The FNPP has a capacity of 70MW and is equipped with two reactors of 35MW each.
- Akademik Lomonosov has a length of 144 metres (472 ft) and width of 30 metres (98 ft).
Israel becomes 38th member of FATF
- Israel has become a full member of Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF). Now there are 38 full time members of the organisation.
- The organisation had blacklisted Israel in 2000 due to what it described at the time as non-cooperation in the fight against money laundering.
ADB retains India FY19 growth forecast at 7.3%
- The Asian Development Bank has retained India’s economic growth forecast at 7.3 per cent for 2018-19 (FY19) and 7.6 per cent for 2019-20.
- On the East Asia growth projections, ADB said has maintained it at 6 per cent for 2018 and 5.7 per cent for 2019.
SEBI approves renaming of Institutional Trading Platform (ITP) as Innovators Growth Platform (IGP).
- Securities market regulator SEBI has approved the renaming of Institutional Trading Platform (ITP) as Innovators Growth Platform (IGP).
- IPT is a window on stock exchanges where e-commerce, data analytics, bio-technology and other startups can list and trade on their shares.
- The minimum application size and minimum trading lot to be INR Rs. 2 Lakhs and in multiples of INR Rs. 2 Lakhs thereof. Earlier it was Rs 10 lakhs.
- SEBI has also Reviewed the framework for Offer for Sale (OFS) of shares through Stock Exchange mechanism.
- OFS mechanism shall be available for shareholders of companies with market capitalization of Rs.1000 crores and above. Earlier OFS mechanism was available to top 200 companies by market capitalization.
CAG Rajiv Mehrishi appointed as Vice-Chair of UN Panel of Auditors
- Comptroller and Auditor General Rajiv Mehrishi has become the Vice-Chair of the UN Panel of Auditors.
- The United Nations Panel of Auditors consists of External Auditors of the United Nations and its agencies.
- Presently, the panel consists of 11 countries — India, Germany, Chile, Canada, France, Italy, Philippines, Ghana, Indonesia, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
- Currently, the panel is chaired by the Comptroller and Auditor General of the UK.
Justice Tarun Agarwala appointed Securities Appellate Tribunal presiding officer
- Justice Tarun Agarwala has been appointed as the presiding officer in the Securities Appellate Tribunal, Mumbai.
- Justice Tarun Agarwala is a retired Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court.
- The Securities Appellate Tribunal is a statutory body established under the provisions of Section 15K of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992, to hear and dispose of appeals against orders passed by the SEBI or by an adjudicating officer under the Act.
Filmmaker Sajid Khan suspended from IFTDA for a year
- Bollywood filmmaker Sajid Khan has been suspended for a year by the Indian Film and Television Directors Association (IFTDA) after being accused under the #MeToo Movement.
Manipur government confers boxer MC Mary Kom with ‘Meethoileima’ title
- Manipur government conferred MC Mary Kom with the title “Meethoileima” for her outstanding achievement in the field of boxing.
- The title “Meethoileima” (loosely translated as great or exceptional lady) was conferred by Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in a felicitation ceremony held at Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal.
Manika Batra becomes first Indian to win Breakthrough Star award
- India’s Manika Batra became the first Indian Table Tennis player to win the ‘Breakthrough Table Tennis Star’ award at the prestigious International Table Tennis Federation Star Awards in Incheon.
International Universal Health Coverage Day : 12 December
- International Universal Health Coverage Day : 12 December
- International Universal Health Coverage Day aims to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage with multi-stakeholder partners.
- Theme 2018: “Unite for Universal Health Coverage: Now is the Time for Collective Action.”