Important days  Human Rights Day- 10 December . The 2017 theme is ‘Let’s stand up for equality,

justice and human dignity’. Armed Forces Flag Day- 07 December World Soil Day: 05 December.The Theme for Soil Day 2017 is ‘Caring for the Planet

starts from the Ground’. Indian Navy Day: 4 December International Day of Persons with Disabilities: 3rd December. 2017 Theme:

“Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all”. Nagaland is all set to celebrate the 54th Statehood Day and the 18th Hornbill festival

2017 at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama. Border Security Force (BSF), the sentinels of Indian borders with Pakistan and

Bangladesh, celebrated its 52nd Anniversary of Raising Day on 1st December. World AIDS day is celebrated every year all over the world on December 1st to raise the

public awareness about Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS. The theme for World AIDS day 2017 is 'Right to health'.

The National Energy Conservation Day is celebrated annually on 14th December. The 14th President of India Mr. Ram Nath Kovind was the Chief Guest on the occasion.

The International Migrants Day is organized across the world on 18th December. The theme for IMD 2017 is 'Safe Migration in a World on the Move.

Goa has celebrated its 56th Liberation Day. The state was liberated on 19th December in 1961 from Portuguese control after almost 450 years of colonial rule.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday is being celebrated as Good Governance Day across the country on 25th December.

Kisan Diwas (Farmer's Day) is observed every year on 23 December to celebrate the birth anniversary of the fifth prime minister of India Chaudhary Charan Singh. He was the PM of India for a very short tenure starting from 28th of July 1979 until 14th January 1980.

The famer Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan’s birth anniversary on December 22 is celebrated as National Mathematics Day.

Inaugurations Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge) Dr. Mahesh Sharma has inaugurated

the three days ‘Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC Festival of Buddhist Heritage’ in New Delhi. 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.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 12th Annual convention of central information commission at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.

Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari has inaugurated an international conference to draw attention towards the adverse effects of global warming in the Hindu Kush mountain range.

Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated eastern India’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) stations for scooters in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, inaugurated the first national-level training of trainers program to sensitize various Central Ministries and

Departments on utilization of Sendai Monitor for developing action plans for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in New Delhi.

Mumbai has got India's first ever AC suburban local train as Christmas gift. The first service of the 12-coach EMU will commence between Borivali and Churchgate. The first and 12th coaches from Churchgate end are earmarked as ladies coaches.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated the Centenary celebrations of the Yoga Institute in Mumbai. The institute was founded by Shree Yogendraji Mani Haribhai Desai, the disciple of Paramahans Madhavadasji in 1918. It helps spread yoga practices.

India’s first home-grown high purity gold reference standard - the Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND-4201) - was launched at the India Government Mint, Mumbai. BND-4201, which is the reference material for gold of ‘9999’ fineness (gold that is 99.99

India's first and only design university, 'World University of Design' opened its campus at Sonipat, Haryana. The University is promoted by Om Parkash Bansal Educational and Social Welfare Trust of Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab.per cent pure), will be beneficial to the consumers and public at large to ensure purity of gold.

The Minister of Communications Manoj Sinha launched DARPAN- “Digital Advancement of Rural Post Office for A New India” Project to improve the quality of service, add value to services and achieve 'financial inclusion' of the unbanked rural population

 

 

Summits/Meetings 2nd UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture, Held in

Muscat,capital  of oman Foreign Ministers of Russia, India, and China (RIC) are holding a trilateral meeting in

New Delhi. The meeting is expected to review global and regional issues of mutual interest as well as discuss trilateral exchanges and activities

UN Women in collaboration with Facebook inaugurated a two day event in Mumbai titled 'We The Women' to empower and recognise the magnificent contribution of women in our society.

According to the External Affairs Ministry, New Delhi will host the two-day long Asean-India Connectivity Summit (AICS) on the theme "Powering Digital and Physical Linkages for Asia in the 21st Century"

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu is in Buenos Aires, Argentina to attend the 11th Ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The First International Conference on Sports Medicine and Sports Sciences SAICON 2017 was inaugurated in New Delhi by the Minister of State (I/C) Youth Affairs and Sports Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore

The 6th International Tourism Mart-2017 begins in Guwahati, Assam. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the North Eastern States is organizing this Mart from 5-7 December 2017.

The 10th Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF) is all set to present International Cinema to film buffs. The Festival has become a great favorite of both the cinegoers and the filmmakers. The second and the last list of films selected for the Festival was released that includes a total of 48 films from 13 countries.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit at Sochi in Russia. In June 2017, India and Pakistan had become full-fledged members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The 3rd edition of the Dialogue between the NITI Aayog and the Development Research Council of China, the DRC- NITI Aayog Dialogue was held in Beijing. The meeting was co-chaired by Vice Chairman NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, and Mr Li Wei, President (Minister), DRC.

India will host the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) at Mumbai in June 2018. The Theme of the Annual Meeting, 2018 will be “Mobilizing Finance for Infrastructure: Innovation and Collaboration”.

The Fifteenth Finance Commission held its first meeting at North Block in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Shri N.K. Singh and was attended by all the other Members of the Commission.

The first International exhibition and Conference on AYUSH and Wellness sector- AROGYA 2017 has begun in New Delhi. The four day event was inaugurated by Ayush Minister Shripad Yesso Naik.

The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Suresh Prabhu was the chief guest for the Shared Value Summit 2017. The summit was held in New Delhi. The theme for this summit was “Equity and Empowerment”.

The winter session of Parliament begins (from 15-Dec to 5-Jan) with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging all political parties to extend co-operation for smooth conduct and pressing for a "national consensus" on the issue of simultaneous elections in the country.

The Eleventh World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC11) took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Conference was chaired by Minister Susana Malcorra of Argentina. Indian Delegation was led by Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu.

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar hosted the 4th India-Australia-Japan Trilateral Dialogue with Secretary of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia Ms. Frances Adamson and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Mr. Shinsuke J. Sugiyama, in New Delhi.

The 14th Inclusive Finance India Summit began in New Delhi to build consensus on strategies and a unified vision for achieving universal financial inclusion in India.

India will host a meeting of WTO member countries in February 2018 to muster support for food security and other issues. The announcement was made by Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi.

The seventh edition of the India International Coffee Festival (IICF) will be held in Bengaluru from January 16-19. The four-day IICF 2018, being organized by the India Coffee Trust and State-run Coffee Board to promote the Indian coffees globally.

The central English city of Birmingham will host the Commonwealth Games in 2022. The 2022 Commonwealth Games were originally given to Durban in 2015, but the South African city was stripped of the event this year because of financial difficulties.

The three-day long 78th session of the Indian History Congress begun in Kolkata, West Bengal. The Indian History Congress had six sections this time - Ancient India, Medieval India, Modern India, Countries Other than India, Archaeology and Contemporary India.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Jordanian counterpart Ayman Al Safadi held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi and discussed deepening bilateral ties across multiple sectors.

Nirmala Sitharaman has launched a start-up incubation centre called the Centre for Entrepreneurship Opportunities and Learning (CEOL) in Mangaluru, Karnataka.

Appointments Nakul Chopra, President of AAAI and Senior Advisor, Publicis Communications, has

been elected as the next Chairman of BARC India. Nakul succeeds Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats.

Rahul Gandhi Elected Indian National Congress President Senior IAS officer Pradeep Singh Kharola took charge as the Chairman and Managing

Director of Air India. Kharola assumed charge from Rajiv Bansal. Uma Shankar, chief general manager (CGM) in charge of the Reserve Bank of India's

financial inclusion and development department has taken over as executive director (ED) in the central bank.

On the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a renowned communication expert, Sarvesh Kumar Tiwari, was appointed as the President of Para-Sports Foundation (PSF), India.

Azar A.H.Khan Appointed Next Ambassador of India to Turkmenistan Swiggy Appoints Vishal Bhatia as CEO of New Supply Business Buddhist monk Dhammapiya from Tripura has been elected as the new secretary general

of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC). Rahul Singh, founder and CEO of The Beer Café, has taken over as the new President of

the National Restaurant Association of India. Preet Didbal has been elected as the mayor of Yuba city in California, becoming the first

Sikh woman to hold the position in the United States. Infosys annouced the appointment of Salil S. Parekh as its new CEO and Managing

Director. Salil was in Capegemini earlier. Veteran journalist A Surya Prakash has been appointed the chairman of the Prasar

Bharati board for a second consecutive term till February 8, 2020. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has been sworn in for a second and final five-year

term, a month after winning a bitterly disputed election rerun marked by delays and boycott.

Raj Shah who holds a key position in the White House, gaggled with reporters on board US Presidential chopper Air Force One, becoming the first Indian-American to enjoy the privilege.

Dia Mirza Appointed as UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for India. Shri Sunil Kumar Chourasia, Indian Ordnance Factories Service Officer (IOFS), has been

appointed as the new Director General of Ordnance Factories (DGOF) and Chairman of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).

A conservative billionaire and former president, Sebastian Pinera, has won Chile's presidential election run-off.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has named Jairam Thakur as legislature party leader in Himachal Pradesh, effectively making him the state’s next chief minister.

Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim has appointed as General Manager (Cricket Operations) of the BCCI. Karim will assume office from 01st January and he will report to CEO Rahul Johri. He will assist Johri in meeting the Board’s vision and strategy.

Lieutenant General B S Sahrawat took over the reins of National Cadet Corps as its Director General. The General Officer is a third generation army officer.

Shri M. Subbarayudu, presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Peru.

Vijay Rupani will continue as chief minister of Gujarat and Nitin Patel as his deputy chief minister, the Bhartiya Janata Party has made the announcement after a meeting of the party's newly-elected legislators in the state's capital Gandhinagar.

The government has appointed Justice U D Salvi as officiating chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) following the superannuation of Justice Swatanter Kumar.

Vijay Rupani was sworn in at a grand ceremony in the State capital of Gandhinagar as the Chief Minister of Gujarat state. Governor Om Prakash Kohli administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy to 21 ministers including Mr Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel.

Senior BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur took oath as the 6th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the historic Ridge Ground of Shimla. He has replaced Virbhadra Singh.

Senior IPS officer Abhay was appointed Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). He is at present working in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Former football star George Weah has been elected as Liberia's president. The closest rival of Mr Weah was his opponent Joseph Boakai. Mr Weah won the elections with more than 60% of the vote.

National vice-president of the BJP, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who is also member of Rajya Sabha has been appointed the President of Indian Council of Cultural Relations.

Sports Australia beat Argentina 2-1 in the final of the Hockey World League Final (HWLF) to

win gold at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, Odisha India is all set to host the 2023 World Cup, the global cricketing event’s 13th edition after

the BCCI confirmed the host nation. India will also host the upcoming Champions Trophy in 2021.

India's Saurabh Chaudhary qualified for the Youth Olympics Games with a gold medal

and a junior world record in 10m air pistol at the ongoing Asia Youth Olympics Games qualification tournament in Wako City, Japan

Pistol aces Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu bagged a bronze each to continue India's medal

charge at the 10th Asian Championship 10m Rifle/Pistol in Wako City, Japan.

India Beat Germany, Win Bronze at Hockey World League Final Indian Diving Team won 1 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze Medals in Indonesia Open

Aquatic Championship 2017. The five-day championship concluded recently in Indonesia's Jakarta.

The international football federation, FIFA, has lifted a two-year suspension against

Kuwait’s football association that has prevented the country from participating in international tournaments.

Kanchanmala Pande Wins India’s 1st World Para Swimming Championship Gold India has won the first-ever South Asian Regional Badminton Team Championship. In

the title clash played in Guwahati, India defeated Nepal, 3-0. Russia Banned from 2018 Winter Olympics India has become the first-ever team to register 300+ totals 100 times in ODIs, after

posting 392/4 against Sri Lanka in Mohali. 21-year-old Indian Golfer Shubhankar Sharma claimed his maiden European Tour

victory in the Joburg Open, in South Africa. He has defeated South Africa’s Erik Van Rooyen.

Mumbai's 18-year-old batsman Prithvi Shaw has been named the captain of the Indian

Under-19 team for the 2018 U-19 World Cup India’s Deepika Kumari has won bronze medal at the Indoor Archery World Cup Stage 2

that concluded in Bangkok, Thailand. The national football teams from 32 countries found out their fates as the final draw for

the 2018 FIFA World Cup was held in the Russian capital of Moscow. Virat Kohli surpasses Brian Lara for Most Double Centuries as Captain. Indian archers produced an impressive performance, grabbed three gold, four silver and

two bronze medals at the Asian Championships in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The sole Indian participant and defending Asian champion Shiva Keshavan retained his

title with a time of 55.60 seconds. India's veteran Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan won a gold medal at the Asian Luge Championships at Altenberg, Germany.

Gurdev Singh Gill is associated with football.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to lift the ban on the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) provided former IPL chief Lalit Modi stays away from its functioning, the Board decided in its Special General Meeting (SGM).

World youth champion Sachin Siwach was named the Asian Boxing Confederation’s best

youth boxer of the year 2017 after winning an online poll conducted by the continental body. Siwach polled 36.2 % votes in his category.

Real Madrid has earned the honor of being able to wear the official FIFA World

Champions Badge on their competition jerseys for the duration of 2018 by defeating Gremio in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017.

Double Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar clinched a gold medal at the Commonwealth

Wrestling Championships in South Africa. In Johannesburg, Sushil defeated New Zealand's Akash Khullar via a pinfall in the final of the 74kg freestyle category to clinch the medal.

Top Indian shuttler P V Sindhu won the Silver medal in women’s singles summit clash of

the Dubai World Super Series Final in Dubai. She went down fighting against World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan.

Indian junior boxers had clinched total 11 Medals (six gold, four silver and a bronze

medal) at the fifth International Sven Lange Memorial Tournament, to finish as overall champions in the German city of Schwerin.

  Assam India’s top-ranked junior shuttler Aakarshi Kashyap won U-17 and U-19 singles

titles at Badminton junior Nationals in Guwahat.

India’s top-ranked junior shuttler Aakarshi Kashyap won U-17 and U-19 singles titles at Badminton junior Nationals in Guwahati, Assam.

Sushil Kumar was wanted by all the teams ahead of the new season of Pro Wrestling

League (PWL) and the bidding war created history in New Delhi. Sold to Delhi Sultans for a whopping amount of Rs 55 lakh, Sushil is now the most expensive player in the history of the tournament.

  Vijender Singh defended his WBO Oriental and Asia Pacific super middleweight titles

against Ghana’s Ernest Amuzu at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The 32-year-old Haryana pugilist, who is currently sixth in WBO rankings, fought in the mega show called ‘Rajasthan Rumble’.

Indian boxers have claimed three gold, a silver, and a bronze medal at the Galym

Zharylgapov Boxing Tournament in Karaganda, Kazakhstan.

India’s ace chess player Viswanathan Anand won the World Rapid Chess tournament title in Saudi Arabia by beating Russia’s Vladimir Fedoseev 2-0 in a two-game tie-break.

Haryana shooter Anisa Sayyed won the women’s 25m pistol gold with a new record at

the ongoing 61st National Shooting Championship Competitions (61st NSCC), in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

 

 

International 

Mount Hope Becomes UK's New Highest Mountain Saudi Arabia will have its first public cinemas in more than 35 years after the

government announced the lifting of the ban on movie theatre China Starts World's Biggest Floating Solar Project in anhui,china BSE's India International Exchange (India INX) has received approval from the capital

market regulator SEBI on the framework for the listing of debt securities. Time Magazine Names #MeToo 'Silence Breakers' As Person Of The Year The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has named noted Indian businessman, Deepak

Parekh, as 'International Ambassador' who will be tasked with championing the UK capital across the globe

President of USA Donald Trump has announced that the US now recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, overturning decades of official US policy.

In a major victory for President Donald Trump, the US Supreme Court has allowed his travel ban to take full effect pending appeal, for people coming from six Muslim-majority countries.

International Solar Alliance is Now a Legal Entity Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced the creation of a new virtual

currency named 'Petro' in a bid to ease the country's economic crisis. The first phase of Chabahar port was inaugurated by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The International Monetary Fund has approved a new USD 88 billion credit line for

Mexico, replacing the existing line. Norway became the world's first country to shut down national broadcasts of its FM

network by completing its transition to digital radio. US President Donald Trump has signed into law a sweeping overhaul of the US tax code,

two days after the Republican plan was adopted by Congress in a major political victory. Saudi Arabia is hosting a world chess tournament for the first time, nearly two years after

the country’s top cleric issued a religious edict against playing the board game. Prince Harry has been named the president of African Parks, a conservation group that

manages a dozen wildlife areas across the continent. Israel has filed notice to withdraw from the UNESCO alongside the United States. Israel

has blasted UNESCO in recent years over the organisation's criticism of Israel's

occupation of East Jerusalem and its decision to grant full membership to Palestine in 2011.

Nepal has banned solo climbers from scaling its mountains, including Mount Everest, in a bid to reduce accidents.

 

Memorandum  India and Cuba signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for enhanced

cooperation in the health sector. Indian and Italy Sign MoU for Cooperation in Agriculture and Phytosanitary Issues. India and Germany Sign Govt- to-Govt Umbrella Agreement. India and Singapore sign agreement on enhancing naval cooperation. The agreement will

enhance security of sea lanes between the two countries. India and Morocco signed an MoU for enhanced cooperation in the health sector in New

Delhi. Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Dr. Abdelkader Amara, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Morocco signed the MoU.

India and Myanmar signed MoU on Rakhine State Development Programme and on Government to Government agreement on long-term socio-economic development of the stat

The Skill Development Ministry and Maruti Suzuki have signed an agreement to impart training to youth and enhance their employment potential.

The government of Andhra Pradesh has entered into an agreement with the moonshot factory of Alphabet (earlier Google) X to bring the breakthrough Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) technology in order to provide internet through the government Fibergrid project.

The Assam government has signed an MoU with Isha Foundation to conserve and rejuvenate the rivers of Assam.

A loan agreement has been signed between India and Germany for providing additional funding of EUR 20 million for the Pare Hydroelectric Plant project under Indo-German Bilateral Development Cooperation.

In a move aimed at combating black money stashed abroad, India signed an agreement with Switzerland that would allow automatic sharing of tax-related information from January 1, 2018.

A loan agreement has been signed between India and Germany for providing additional funding of EUR 20 million for the Pare Hydroelectric Plant project under Indo-German Bilateral Development Cooperation.

The Uttar Pradesh government signed an MoU with South Korea to enhance cooperation

in the field of tourism, skill development, culture and farming.

 

Schemes

Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched first NIC-CERT, a setup of National Informatics Centre to prevent and predict cyber attacks on government utilities. It was launched in New Delhi.

 A Public Procurement Portal ‘MSME Sambandh’ was launched by Shri Giriraj Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for MSME in New Delhi.

 .An International conference is being organized on the Groundwater issues in the country with a theme of “Groundwater Vision 2030- Water Security, Challenges, and Climate Change Adaptation”.

The Taj Mahal, India's iconic ivory-white marble mausoleum in Agra, is the second best UNESCO world heritage site in the world, according to a new survey by online travel portal TripAdvisor.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved setting up of National Nutrition Mission (NNM) with a three year budget of Rs.9046.17 crore commencing from 2017-18.

The State Bank of India has introduced a loyalty program for its valued customers. This program is called as State Bank Rewardz, the program gives the customers several opportunities to earn reward points and earn many times faster at Max Get More partner outlets.

To enhance standards of cleanliness on beaches, the environment ministry has launched a pilot project 'Blue Flag' for its clean-up and development.

The Union Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh launched the electronic-Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS) in New Delhi.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has laid foundation stones for more than 100 projects worth Rs 700 crore in Nalanda district as part of his state-wide "Vikas Samiksha Yatra".

Surveys 

Indian Economy Likely to Grow by 7.2% in 2018, 7.4% in 2019: UN Report India's GDP Growth to Rise to 7.5 pc in 2018: Morgan Stanley Half a billion people have gained access to electricity in India since 2000, almost

doubling the country’s electrification rate, according to the World Energy Access report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

India has been declared free from infectious Trachoma which is a contagious bacterial infection of the eye. It causes inflamed granulation on the inner surface of the lids

The waste management system being implemented in Kerala's coastal town of Alappuzha has been recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one of the five models across the world for fighting the pollution menace.

'Populism' Named Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year. India’s GDP growth forecast for 2018, according to United Nations ‘World Economic

Situation and Prospects 2018’ report is 7.2%. Inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) accelerated to an eight-month high of

3.93% in November, from 3.59% in October. Data released showed that retail inflation

unexpectedly jumped to a 15-month high of 4.88% in November, and industrial production slowed to 2.2% in October

The Indian diaspora is the largest in the world, with over 15 million migrants from India living abroad, according to the World Migration Report 2018 published by the International Organisation for Migration, the United Nations migration agency.

In the latest list released by Forbes, Michael Jordan has been named as the highest-paid athletes of all time. The 54-year-old has a whopping $1.7 billion in the bank.

With earnings of Rs232.83 crore, actor Salman Khan has topped the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list 2017 for the second consecutive year

The United Kingdom has topped Forbes' rankings of best countries in the world for business in 2018 for the first time, up from fifth last year. The list ranks 153 countries on 15 factors including property rights, innovation, taxes and red tape.

Vin Diesel has been named the top-grossing actor of 2017 by Forbes, with $1.6 billion in global ticketing receipts from his film 'The Fate of the Furious'.

India has the highest level of non-performing assets (NPA) among BRICS countries and is ranked fifth on a list of countries with the highest levels of NPAs, as per the report by CARE Ratings.

India is set to leapfrog Britain and France in 2018 to become the world’s fifth-largest economy in dollar terms.

Awards 

Vice President Confers 'Yeraringan' Award to M.S. Swaminathan Cristiano Ronaldo (from Portugal) has won the Ballon d'Or for a fifth time to move level

with rival Lionel Messi. The Real Madrid forward was named the winner of France Football's prestigious award at a ceremony in Paris, France.

Sixteen-year-old Mohamad Al Jounde from Syria was awarded the International Children's Peace Prize for his efforts to ensure the rights of Syrian refugee children.

Miss Korea Jenny Kim Crowned Miss Supranational 2017 Jitesh Singh Deo from Lucknow was declared the winner of the 2017 Mr. India pageant

which was held in Mumbai. Indian footballer Prathamesh Maulingkar won the title of Mr. India Supranational and will compete at Mr. Supranational 2018.

1. Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri and Director General, Missiles and Strategic Systems, has been conferred with the prestigious National Design Award.

World 10,000m champion Sir Mo Farah has been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2017. The 34-year-old, a four-time Olympic champion, won his third successive world 10,000m gold medal in London in August.

Joda East Iron Mine (JEIM) of Tata Steel has been honored with the prestigious Golden Peacock Innovation Management Award for the year 2017 for driving innovation in mines.

Eminent Bengali poet Joy Goswami will be given the 31st Moortidevi Award for the year 2017. The committee, headed by poet and scholar Satya Vrat Shastri, unanimously

decided to confer the award upon Goswami for his poetry collection titled Du Dondo Phowara Matro.

Lionel Messi, the star forward of Barcelona, has received La Liga’s top scorer and best player awards for the 2016-2017 football season.

Authors Mamang Dai and Ramesh Kuntal Megh have won this year's Sahitya Akademi award for their work The Black Hill, a novel, and Vishw Mithak Sarit Sagar, a literary criticism, in English and Hindi respectively.

Actress Anushka Sharma has been named PETA's Person of the Year by animal rights organisation People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Veteran singer K S Chitra has been selected for prestigious  'Harivarasanam' award 2017, instituted by the Kerala government.

Deaths 

Lalji Singh, a pioneer of DNA fingerprinting technology in India and former Vice-Chancellor of Benares Hindu University, BHU (2011 to 2014), passed away at the age of 70.

Veteran Journalist Sukharanjan Sengupta Passes Away France's biggest rock star Johnny Hallyday has died after a battle with lung cancer. He

was 74. The singer sold about 100 million records and starred in a number of films in a career that began in 1960.

Veteran Actor Shashi Kapoor Passes Awa Bollywood actor, writer, and filmmaker Neeraj Vora, in coma since a year, died at a

Mumbai hospital. He was 54. His initial work as a writer includes superstar Shah Rukh Khan starrer TV show Circus

Acclaimed Bengali singer Jatileswar Mukhopadhyay passed away in Kolkata following prolonged illness. He was 82.

Famed Bengali film actor Partha Mukhopadhyay had passed away. He was 70. Mukhopadhyay portrayed a number of memorable roles in the 1960s after getting a break as a child artiste in the film Maa directed by Chitto Basu in 1958.

Legendary South African musician Robbie Malinga passed away. The veteran musician suffered from anaemia.

Bob Givens, one of the animators behind designing the iconic characters Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, died at the age of 99. He was from the USA.

 

Resignations

 

Pakistan's Law Minister Zahid Hamid Resigns as the Civilian government surrendered to the wishes of hardline religious groups.

Former AC Milan and Real Madrid midfielder Kaka, who lifted the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, announced his retirement from football.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar retired from the post after completing his five-year tenure.

Airtel Payments Bank Chief Executive Shashi Arora has quit the company after a recent controversy surrounding India’s largest telecom operator and its payment bank’s alleged violation of rules on using Aadhaar for its electronic know-your-customer (e-KYC) verification process.

 

Commities 

The government has set up a high-level committee headed by NITI Aayog chief executive Amitabh Kant to address the problem of stressed assets in India's power sector.

 

National Kacheguda Railway Station in Hyderabad under the South Central Railway (SCR) has

earned the unique distinction of being the first Energy Efficient ‘A1 Category’ Railway Station on Indian Railways

Kerala to Raise Minimum Liquor Drinking Age from 21 to 23 In a significant development, elite export control regime Wassenaar Arrangement (WA)

decided to admit India as its new member Uttar Pradesh becomes the first state to endorse the Centre's draft bill that makes instant

triple talaq a cognizable and non-bailable offense. The Madhya Pradesh Assembly unanimously passed a Bill awarding death to those found

guilty of raping girls aged 12 and below. With this, Madhya Pradesh becomes the first State where those convicted of such rapes will face the gallows.

Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to launch free email addresses in Hindi

(in Devanagari script) for its residents, as per the state IT department Principal Secretary Akhil Arora.

Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district was included in the National Capital Region (NCR),

taking the total number of districts in the NCR to 23.

The largest-ever floating solar power plant in India inaugurated by state power minister MM Man at the Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad. The solar power plant that floats on the surface of water has a capacity of 500 kilowatts (KW).

The Andhra Pradesh assembly unanimously passed the Kapu reservation bill which will

provide the community with a 5 percent quota in education and employment in the state. Nation on 03rd December 2017 remembered India's first President Rajendra Prasad on

his 133rd birthday. Born on December 3, 1884, in Siwan, Bihar, Prasad was a Gandhian and participated in India's freedom movement.

India has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organisation under

a category that represents nations with the largest interests in international sea borne trade.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into 2 Bilateral Advance Pricing

Agreements (APAs). These Agreements are the first ever Bilateral APAs with The Netherlands.

Govt Fixes Sovereign Gold Bonds Rate at Rs 2,952/gram. The Bandhavgarh National Park (UNP) is located in umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. Rajastan state government has decided to recognise political prisoners held in jails during

emergency as ‘Loktantra Sainani’. India has upgraded its ranks in ‘The Legatum Prosperity Index 2017’ and is now on

100th postion. The Union Cabinet cleared the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill,

2017, or the Triple Talaq bill, which makes the practice a non-bailable offence. The bill proposes a three-year jail term for men who practise instant Triple Talaq.

The BJP has retained power in Gujarat for the 6th time in a row and swept the polls in Himachal Pradesh finishing just short of two-third majority. The party romped home again in Gujarat by winning 99 seats, seven seats more than the mark of absolute majority in the 182-member House. Congress won 77 seats and others 6.

As per the IT Ministry, the government will bear the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges on transactions up to Rs 2,000 made through debit cards, BHIM UPI or Aadhaar-enabled payment systems to promote digital transactions.

The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved a scheme to provide a pension of Rs 1500 to transgenders above 18 years of age in the state.

The GST Council has decided to implement the e-way bill mechanism throughout the country by June 1st after reviewing the readiness of the IT network. Under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, the waybill is replaced by an e-way bill.

India currently ranks 60th out of 127 countries on the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2017 as compared to 66th rank on GII 2016. The list was topped by Switzerland. NITI Aayog, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) together launched a mega initiative “India Innovation Index”.

The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved the Ministry of Railways' transformative initiative to set up India's first ever National Rail and Transport University (NRTU) in Vadodara, Gujarat to skill its human resources and build capability.

Washington resident Shree Saini has been crowned Miss India USA 2017. While Prachi Singh from Connecticut was declared the first runner-up at the pageant, which was held at the Royal Alberts Palace in Edison, New Jersey.

The Telangana state government’s prestigious Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) has finally got the Green Nod from ce

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ockhi affected Lakshwadeep, Tamil Nadu and Kerala to take stock of the situation, meets affected people. He announced the relief package of Rs 325 crore for all 3 states and ex-gratia assistance of Rs. 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.ntral government.

A book containing selected writings by late journalist Gauri Lankesh was launched at the Mumbai Press Club, three months after she was gunned down.The book, The Way I See It - a Gauri Lankesh Reader, has been edited by writer and sociologist Chandan Gowda.

India is all set to get its first runway on a ‘sea bridge’, as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been given a nod to extend Lakshadweep’s Agatti Airport.

Karnataka's capital city Bengaluru has become the first Indian city to have its own logo after the state government launched it. The logo was designed by a design start-up and uses both English and Kannada alphabets. Adding that Bengaluru has a vibrant culture.

Sectoral regulator IRDAI has issued regulations for insurance firms to carry out offshore business from Gujarat-based GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). With this, Insurance operations will get a major boost.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL)- manufactured Dornier 228 to be used for civilian flights. The 19-seater aircraft has, till now, been used by defence forces and is the first plane to be made in the country for commercial flights.

Uttar Pradesh has launched a free household power connection scheme for the poor in the state to mark former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary. The government has a target of covering 16 million by 2018-end, driven by Yogi Adityanath government’s motto ‘Prakash hai to vikas hai’ (the barometer of development is light).

Cryptocurrency dealer 'Pluto Exchange' announced the launch of India’s first mobile application for transacting in virtual currencies. The Pluto Exchange mobile app offers a solution to the coordination problem between payment processors, financial gateways and banks.

Markets regulator SEBI stated that cross-holding in credit rating agencies (CRAs) will be capped at  10 percent and also decided to raise the minimum networth requirement to Rs 25 crore from the current Rs 5 crore.

The Lok Sabha passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriages) Bill 2017 making instant triple talaq illegal with up to three years in jail for the husband. As per the Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, the government has to bring a bill because the practice of instant triple talaq has continued despite the Supreme Court order terming it illegal.

India's largest mobile-first financial services platform, Paytm announced that its app has crossed the 100 million milestone on Google Play Store in the second week of December 2017.

President Ramnath Kovind inaugurated the 100th Annual Conference of the Indian Economic Association at Acharya Nagarjuna University in Guntur of Andhra Pradesh. The event will be held for four days.

Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has launched Livestock Disease Forewarning –Mobile Application (LDF-Mobile App). The app is developed by ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Bengaluru.

The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, dedicated to the people of Andhra Pradesh four projects of the State Government at a function held at Velagapudi, Andhra Pradesh.The Projects were Andhra Pradesh Fibregrid Project, Andhra Pradesh Surveillance Project, Drone Project; and Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) system. The President focused on the 24/7 hyper-connected world and the online presence of the government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that Republic Day celebration in 2018 would be "remembered through the ages" because the government for the first time in India's history would host leaders of 10 Asean countries as chief guests on 26th January 2018.

GAIL India has placed orders for another 400-km of pipeline of the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga natural gas pipeline project that will take the fuel to eastern India.

Arunachal Pradesh has been declared open defecation free ahead of the national deadline of October 2, 2019. The milestone was achieved after the state announced an incentive of Rs 8,000 in addition to the Rs 12,000-grant provided by the Centre for building toilets.Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Haryana were declared open defecation free states in October 2017.

Business 

Maruti Suzuki Replaces SBI as 6th Most Valuable Indian Firm Paytm Payments Bank rolled out Paytm FASTag to enable electronic toll fee collection

on highways across the country, in line with the government's move to make FASTag mandatory on every new vehicle sold from December 1.

Aditya Puri, the Managing Director of HDFC Bank, is the only Indian on Fortune’s ‘Businessperson of the Year’ list. The Businessperson of the Year list is an annual ranking of world’s top 20 heads of companies

Dish TV India Limited (Dishtv), Asia Pacific’s largest direct-to-home (DTH) company and part of the Essel Group has received the final approval for closing of the merger of Videocon d2h with DishTV.

Samsung India has entered into a partnership with UNESCO to launch virtual reality content and 360-degree videos on Indian heritage sites.

Bharti Airtel Ltd has entered into a definitive agreement with Millicom International Cellular S.A., under which Airtel Rwanda Ltd will acquire 100% equity in Tigo Rwanda Ltd.

Ola, operated by ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd has acquired food delivery start-up Foodpanda India Pvt. Ltd from its German parent Delivery Hero AG in an all-stock deal that will see the ride-hailing major infuse $200 million in Foodpanda’s India operations.

India's largest mortgage lender HDFC has sold its realty brokerage business HDFC Realty and its digital real estate business HDFC Developers which owns HDFC RED (Real Estate Destination) to online classifieds player Quikr

SBI Card, the credit card issuer and Bharat Petroleum, the leading petroleum company in India announced the launch of the BPCL SBI Card – the most rewarding fuel co-branded credit card in the country.

Agri service solutions provider Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM) having operations across India and Myanmar has tied up with HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank to provide collateral management services.

Amazon has bought an Andover, Massachusetts-based company 'Blink' that makes Internet-connected doorbells and security cameras.

US buyout giant KKR & Co has become the first foreign investor to fully own an asset reconstruction company (ARC) in India as it received approval from the Reserve Bank of India.

Miscellanious 

Diddy Tops the List of 2017's Highest-Paid Musicians: Forbes. UNESCO Inscribes 'Kumbh Mela' on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural

Heritage of Humanity. Australia’s parliament has legislated for marriage equality, passing a bill almost

unanimously to allow two people, regardless of sex, to marry. Mujeeb Zadran From Afghanistan Becomes First Cricketer Born in 21st Century. 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.

Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh will be promoting a UNICEF sports initiative for youngsters in South Asia, which will also have the ICC's backing. Yuvraj launched the "Power of Sports to Shape the Future of Adolescents" campaign in South Asia.

Amitabh Bachchan Launches Book on Indian Cinema.The book, titled 'Bollywood: The Films! The Songs! The Stars!', is a coffee table book.

Indian-American California senator Kamala Harris has topped the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine's 2017 list of '50 Leading Global Thinkers' which also features US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.

British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding signed as a Global Goodwill Ambassador for UN Environment.

India's First Madame Tussauds Wax Museum Opened in New Delhi.

Air Force and Coast Guard have launched a massive rescue operation off the Kerala coast to save hundreds of fishermen stranded in the rough sea hit by Cyclone Ockhi.

Centre Increases Agricultural Education Budget by 47.4 Percent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a unique world-class hospital at the

Swaminarayan Gurukul Vidyapeeth Pratisthanam in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The 200-bed hospital is an integration of Yoga, Ayurveda, and Allopathy.

President Ramnath Kovind confers 'National Awards for Divyangjan 2017' on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, in New Delhi.

In an apparent move to rebuild its presence in China, Google announced that it will open a research lab focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Beijing, China. It will be its first such centre in Asia.

Frenchman Francois Gabart smashed the world record for the fastest non-stop solo navigation of the globe, completing the mammoth feat in 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds.

Iraq has overtaken Saudi Arabia for the first time to become India's top crude oil supplier in the current fiscal, according to the Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Saudi Arabia traditionally has been India's top oil source but in the April-October period of 2017-18, Iraq dethroned it, supplying 25.8 million tonnes (MT) of oil.

Delhi has emerged as one of the most expensive premium office locations in the world. Ranked 7th in the list, rent of Delhi’s premium office location is higher than San Francisco and Dubai, according to the latest report by JLL India, a real estate services firm.

With an aim to bring foreign policy to the masses the External Affairs Ministry has come up with an initiative called SAMEEP - 'Students and MEA Engagement Programme'. Under this MEA officials will talk to students to help them better understand foreign policy.

The government had formally launched the ‘Ganga Gram’ project at the Ganga Gram Swachata Sammelan in New Delhi.

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin arrived in New Delhi. He will co-chair the meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).

The world’s longest glass bridge has been opened in China to the public. Though it has a capacity to hold 2000 people, only 500 would be allowed at a time. Located in Shijiazhuang, the magnificent bridge lies 218 meters above hanging between the two cliffs in Hongyagu Scenic Area in Pingshan county.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will become the first PM in 20 years to attend the World

Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual jamboree of the global elite. The meeting will be held in Davos town of Switzerland.

The world's largest human genome research project of 100,000 people was launched by

China to document their genetic makeup for a study that aims to help generate the precision medicines of the future.

 

Banking 

Axis Securities, a subsidiary of Axis Bank, has become the first-ever broking arm of a bank to take membership of a commodity exchange by registering itself with NCDEX.

India's largest digital bank Paytm Payments Bank is the only bank providing zero balance

accounts and zero charges on digital transactions. The bank has unveiled 'Paytm Ka ATM' outlets that allows customers to open Saving Accounts and deposit/withdraw money from their bank accounts.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) lowered India’s GDP forecast for the current fiscal

by 0.3% to 6.7 %. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved its first loan to China, its

largest shareholder, to reduce its dependence on coal by over 600,000 tonnes annually by building a natural gas distribution network for villages.

The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Directors has approved debt financing

and partial risk guarantees totaling $583 million to develop the Reliance Bangladesh Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Power Project.

Corporation Bank launches RuPay Credit Cards. A Financing Agreement for IBRD loan of USD 250 million (equivalent) for the “Skills

Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) Project” was signed with the World Bank.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed Rs 3 crore penalty on IndusInd Bank for breaching rules on income classification norms.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed certain restrictions on Corporation Bank

on carrying out banking activities as its share of bad loans rose sharply. The RBI has triggered prompt corrective action (PCA) against it in view of high non-performing loans and requirement to raise capital.

The government has engaged private lender ICICI Bank to enable online payments at 470

mandis integrated with the national portal of electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM).

The Reserve Bank of India has placed Bank of India under the Prompt Corrective Action

Framework, consequent to the onsite inspection under the Risk-Based Supervision Model carried out for the year ended March 2017.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the scheme of amalgamation between IndusInd Bank and Bharat Financial Inclusion.

France's parliament has approved a law banning all exploration and production of oil and

natural gas by 2040 within the country and its overseas territories. AU Small Finance Bank has announced signing an MoU with Sahaj e-Village for

extending its banking service in remote areas through Business Correspondent Agent (BC) model.

YES Bank and the European Investment Bank will co-finance $400-million funding for

renewable power generation in the country. The new financing programme will streamline financing for a range of renewable energy projects being built and operated by leading Indian corporations and private sector developers.

The Capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has raised

the investment limit for foreign portfolio investors (FPI) in central government securities to over 1.91 lakh crore from January 2018.

Smartphone manufacturer Samsung launched its 'Bill Payments' on its flagship payments

service, Samsung Pay in partnership with Axis Bank. The Government of India, the Government of Tamil Nadu and the World Bank signed a

$318 million loan agreement for the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization Project to promote climate resilient agriculture technologies, improve water management practices, and increase market opportunities for small and marginal farmers.

The government slashed interest rates on small savings schemes, including National Savings Certificate (NSC) and  Public Provident Fund (PPF), by 0.2 percentage point for the January-March period from the rates applicable in the previous quarter. This will prompt banks to lower deposit rates.

Bank of Baroda has entered into MoU with POORTI Agri Services Pvt. Ltd to enable the farmers to purchase agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, seeds etc. provided by POORTI. This is a Platform for Online Ordering & Rural Transformation of India known as “POORTI”.

An agreement for IBRD Credit of USD 40 Million from World Bank for “U.P. Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project” was signed between India and the World Bank. The programme size is approximately USD 57.14 million, of which USD 40 million will be financed by the Bank, and the remaining amount will be funded out of State Budget.

According to the country's largest lender, SBI, its board has approved raising Rs 8,000 crore through various sources, including masala bonds, to meet Basel III capital norms.

State-run Bank of India has received capital infusion of Rs. 2,257 crore from the government. “The bank has received infusion of Rs. 2,257 crore from the Government of India, in the form of Common Equity Tier-1 Capital, which is being kept as Share Application money and would be alloted after due procedure/ conditions for allotment".

Allahabad Bank has entered into an agreement with state-run National e-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) for utilizing the latter’s Information Utility Services envisaged under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

Public sector IDBI Bank has received the capital infusion of Rs 2,729 crore from the government of India. The government had in October 2017 unveiled a Rs 2.11 lakh crore two-year roadmap for strengthening NPA-hit public sector banks.

 

Defence The Surface to Air Missile AKASH with indigenous radio frequency seeker against target

Banshee has been successfully launched from-III at ITR Chandipur,  the Launch Complex Odisha.

UAE Armed Forces along with the UK, US and French armies are participating in joint exercises in Abu Dhabi. The drill code is named as “Flag4”.

South Korea and the United States launched their largest-ever joint aerial drills. The annual US-South Korean drill, called Vigilant Ace.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned India's first modern conventional submarine, INS Kalvari, into Navy's fleet in Mumbai, a first in almost two decades. Kalvari is the first of the six Scorpene-class submarines handed over by shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).

The Indian Army's Southern Command had conducted exercise 'Hamesha Vijayee' in the deserts of Rajasthan to evaluate the capability of the armed forces to strike deep into the enemy territory in an integrated air-land battle.

Indian Navy in collaboration with its Sri Lankan counterpart has successfully completed the second phase of the joint oceanographic survey conducted off the South Western Coast of Sri Lanka. The survey commenced with the arrival of Indian Naval Ship Sutlej in Sri Lanka.

The two-week long eighth edition of the Indo-Maldives joint military exercise, ‘Ekuverin’, came to an end at Belagavi, Karnataka. ‘Ekuverin’ means ‘friends’ in the Maldivian language.

India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD) supersonic interceptor missile, capable of destroying any incoming ballistic missile at low altitude, from a test range in Odisha.