1.PM goes to Lahore, makes a Christmas date with history
i. With two unannounced stops, in Kabul
and Lahore on Christmas day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi rewrote the recent
history of geopolitics in the region on Friday.
ii. Officials in Delhi and Islamabad told that Mr. Modi had
telephoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from Kabul to wish him on his birthday,
and during the call, made plans to travel to Lahore to wish him personally a
few hours later.
2.Bangladesh signs
$12.65 billion deal with Russia for nuclear power plants
i. Bangladesh's state-run Atomic Energy Commission signed a deal with
Russia to set up two nuclear power plants, each with 1,200 MW capacity, an
investment totalling $12.65 billion.
ii. The Work will begin early
next year at Ruppur in Iswardi, 160km (100 miles) from Dhaka, said Kamrul Islam
Bhyian, spokesman for the ministry of science and technology.
iii. "Russia will finance up to 90 per cent of the total
cost as credit with an interest rate of Libor plus 1.75 per cent," Bhyian
told Reuters.
iv. Bangladesh will clear the total loan within 28 years with a 10-year grace period.Bangladesh finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said it would be the country's biggest power project.
iv. Bangladesh will clear the total loan within 28 years with a 10-year grace period.Bangladesh finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said it would be the country's biggest power project.
3.Former Wicket-Keeper Syed Kirmani
nominated for 2015 Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award
i. Former Indian Wicket-Keeper nominated for the 2015 Col. CK Nayudu
Lifetime Achievement Award. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of
the Col. CK Nayudu Awards Committee. The meeting was held at the BCCI’s
headquarters in Mumbai.
ii. Kirmani represented India at the international level between 1976 and 1986. His record includes 160 catches and 38 stumpings in tests and 27 catches and 9 stumpings in ODIs.
iii. The award was instituted by the BCCI in 1994 to celebrate the birth centenary of Col. Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu, the country’s first test captain.
ii. Kirmani represented India at the international level between 1976 and 1986. His record includes 160 catches and 38 stumpings in tests and 27 catches and 9 stumpings in ODIs.
iii. The award was instituted by the BCCI in 1994 to celebrate the birth centenary of Col. Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu, the country’s first test captain.
4.India, Russia signed 16 pacts to
deepen bilateral cooperation
i. India and Russia signed 16 Agreements/Memorandum of Understandings
(MoUs) to deepen bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, security,
technology, etc. The pacts were signed after the conclusion of the 16th
India-Russia Annual Summit in Moscow.
ii. After the summit, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, both the leaders issued a joint statement with the theme Shared Trust,New Horizons.
ii. After the summit, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, both the leaders issued a joint statement with the theme Shared Trust,New Horizons.
Some Agreements/MoUs signed were:
(1) Protocol amending the agreement on simplification of
requirements for mutual travels of certain categories of citizens of the two
countries.
(2) Protocol amending agreement between India and Russia on
mutual travel regime for holders of Diplomatic & Official Passports.
(3) Cooperation in the field of Helicopter Engineering
(4) Plan for Cooperation between the Federal Customs Service
of the Central Board of Excise and Customs, Department of Revenue, Ministry of
Finance, India and the Russian Federation for combating Customs violations in
2015 – 2017.
5.Indian-origin software engineer wins
UK award
i. An Indian-origin software engineer named Nandagopal
Lakshminarayanan has won a prestigious award in the UK for creating an
innovative electronic smart key system which enables the creation and
management of keys and locks that cannot be copied or picked.
ii. He has been working as a knowledge
transfer partnership (KTP) associate at Lincoln Security Ltd for the past two
years, won the Business Leader of the Future award at Innovate UK's 'KTP Best
of the Best Awards 2015' at a ceremony in London.
6.World Bank to
give $35mn to Pakistan for Indus River Basin
i. The World Bank has approved an additional financial assistance to
Pakistan of $35 million to support improved management, planning and
development of water resources in the Indus River Basin in Pakistan.
ii.This $35 million is in addition to the $38 million given
earlier towards improvement of water resources management in the Indus River
system, the Bank said.
7.Kusal Perera
faces 4-year ban
i. Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Kusal Perera is facing the prospect of a
four-year ban after his B sample tested positive for a banned substance.
ii. "The ICC has informed that he faces a four-year ban, as his urine sample was tested positive in Qatar after the ICC had originally found it contained banned substance.
iii. Consequently Perera had to drop out of Sri Lanka's current tour of New Zealand. Sri Lanka lost the series 0-2. Perera is Sri Lanka's second player to flunk a dope test. Left-hander batsman Upul Tharanga was suspended for three months after testing positive for a banned substance during the 2011 World Cup.
ii. "The ICC has informed that he faces a four-year ban, as his urine sample was tested positive in Qatar after the ICC had originally found it contained banned substance.
iii. Consequently Perera had to drop out of Sri Lanka's current tour of New Zealand. Sri Lanka lost the series 0-2. Perera is Sri Lanka's second player to flunk a dope test. Left-hander batsman Upul Tharanga was suspended for three months after testing positive for a banned substance during the 2011 World Cup.
8.Good Governance Day 25 December
i. Good Governance Day was observed on 25 December 2015 across the
country. The day was observed to mark the birth anniversary of former-Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
ii. To mark the occasion, Union Minister for Health & Family
Welfare J P Nadda announced four new IT-based initiatives for providing
citizen-centric health services.
iii.Good Governance Day was established in 2014 to honor former-Prime Minister Vajpayee by fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in governance.
iii.Good Governance Day was established in 2014 to honor former-Prime Minister Vajpayee by fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in governance.
9.Reliance, AlmazAntey to jointly
develop air defence missile system
i. Reliance Defence Limited and Russian AlmazAntey, have decided to
work jointly on the entire range of AD Missile and Radar Systems that are
required for Indian defence forces. The development comes alongside Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit to Moscow.
ii. According to the release, vice chairman of AlmazAntey VF Medovnikov said that “Working with Reliance Defence will help us develop new directions for both companies to address future requirements of the Indian Armed Forces”.
ii. According to the release, vice chairman of AlmazAntey VF Medovnikov said that “Working with Reliance Defence will help us develop new directions for both companies to address future requirements of the Indian Armed Forces”.
10.Direct-selling FMCG firm Amway India
announced Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar as its brand ambassador to promote
Nutrilite range of the products
i. Amway India CEO Anshu Budhraja in her statement said that
they needed a strong and credible face who could help people understand the
role of supplementation in addition to balanced diet and exercise as part
of leading a healthy lifestyle, that's why Farhan Akhtar was an obvious
choice.
ii.Nutrilite is a leading brand of vitamins and dietary
supplements. The brand contributes more than 50 per cent of Amway India’s
turnover.
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