Current Affairs - 18/December/2018.(Tuesday)

Centre appoints Madhavi Dhivan as ASG –

·       The Central Government appointed-advocate Madhavi Dhivan as the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India.

·       Dhivan will represent the government in the Supreme Court.

·       She is the third women woman who has been appointed as ASG in the Apex Court.

·       Senior advocate Indira Jaising was the fist women to be appointed as the ASG.

Uday Shankar elected Vice-President of FICCI –

·       Uday Shankar became the Vice-President of the Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for the year 2018-19.

·       He is currently the President of 21^st Century Fox, Asia, and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Star India.

·       He was also appointed as Chairman of Star and Disney India and President of the Walt Disney Asia Pacific on 13 December 2018.

CCEA approves extending Ujjwala LPG scheme –

·       On 17 December 2018, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the expansion of beneficiaries list under ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’.

·       The scheme, launched in 2016, originally targeted giving LPG connections to mostly rural women members of below the Poverty Line (BPL) households.

·       The list was later expanded to include all SC/ST households and forest dwellers among others.

MoU with Afghanistan on education approved –

·       The Union cabinet approved the MoU with Afghanistan in the field of education which will allow students from that country to use courses devised in India.

·       It will facilitates students and faculty of educational institution of Afghanistan to register and use the SWAYAM courses.

·       SWAYAM is a government of India programme designed to achieve access, equity and quality in education.

India and Maldives signed agreements –

·       India and Maldives linked four pacts including in the areas of cooperation in culture, agribusiness and information technology, and for easy facilities of visas on 17 December 2018.

·       The pact will facilitate easier visa arrangements for Maldivian citizens and their families to come to India for Medical treatment.

·       India has a visa-free arrangement with the Maldives.

CCEA approves setting up of Tribal Schools –

·       The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave its in principal approval for setting up of Eklavya Model Residential Schools for tribals.

·       The schools will be set up in every block with more than 50% Schedule Tribes Population and at least 20,000 Tribal persons.

·       It has also approved the Constitution of an autonomous society under the Ministry of Tribal Affair to run in the Schools.

France to introduce tax on internet firms –

·       France will introduce its own tax on large internet and technology companies from 1 January 2019.

·       The name of the tax is ‘GAFA Tax’ which was named after Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon.

·       The aim of imposing the tax is to ensure that the global giants pay a fair share of taxes on their massive business operations in Europe.

Transgender bill passed in Lok-Sabha –

·       On 17 December 2018, the Lok-Sabha passed the ‘Transgender Persons (Protection to Rights) Bill, 2016.

·       The bill seeks to empower the transgender community by providing them with a separate identity.

·       The bills also seeks to define transgender and prohibit discrimination against them.

·       The bill was introduced in the Lok-Sabha in 2016.

 International Migrants Day: 18 December –

·       International Migrants Day is observed every year on 18 December.

·       The aim of the Day is to recognize the efforts , contribution, and rights of migrant worldwide.

·       The theme of 2018 is ‘Migration with Dignity’.

·       On this Day, in 1990, the Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrants Workers and Members of their Families.

Cabinet gives nod to amendment of Aadhaar –

·       The Cabinet approved amending the two existing law to provide legal backing for seeding of biometric ID Aadhaar with mobile numbers and bank accounts.

·       The telegraph act is being amended to provide legal backing for the issuance of mobile SIMs through Aadhaar.

·       The amendment of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act will give individuals the option to link their bank accounts to Aadhaar.

‘Period. End of Sentence’ in Oscars –

·       ‘Period. End of Sentence’ has made it to the Oscar shortlist in the Documentary Short Subject category.

·       The film is about women in India fighting against the deeply rooted stigma of menstruation and delving upon the work of real-life ‘Pad-Man’ Arunachalam Muruganatham.

·       India’s entry for the Foreign Language Film Category, ‘Village Rockstar’ is out of the Oscar list.

Most-distant object ever discovered –

·       Scientists have discovered the most-distant body ever observed in our solar-system.

·       The new object was given the provisional designation of ‘2018 VG18’ and nicknamed ‘Farout’.

·       It is located over 100 times farther than Earth is from the Sun.

·       ‘2018 VG18’ is located about 120 astronomical units (AU) from earth.

·       1 AU is defined as the distance between the Earth and Sun.

PM releases the book ‘Timeless Laxman’ –

·       The ‘Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, released the coffee table book ‘Timeless Laxman’ on 18 December 2018.

·       The book is based n the famous cartoonist RK Laxman.

·       RK Laxman was an Indian Cartoonist, Illustrator, and Humorist.

·       He was best known for his creation ‘The Common Man’ and for his daily cartoon strip, ‘You Said It’ in the Times Of India.

Cabinets approves establishment of 2 new AIIMS –

·       The Union Cabinet approves the establishment of 2 new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Madurai, Tamil Nadu and Bibinagar, Telangana.

·       The AIIMS will be set up under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

·       Establishment of new AIIMS involves creation of Hospital, Teaching Block for Medical and nursing courses, residential complex and allied facilities/services.

PM Modi launched projects in Maharashtra –

·       Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch infrastructure and housing projects worth around 41,000 crores rupees in Maharashtra on 18 December 2018.

·       He also laid the foundation stone for two important metro corridors: Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metro and the Dahisar-Mira-Bhayander Metro Thane districts.

·       He also launched mass housing scheme for economically weaker sections.

Zaheer is ‘Mumbai Indians’ Director of Cricket –

·       On 18 December 2018, Mumbai Indians appointed former Indian bowler Zaheer Khan as their Director of Cricket Operations.

·       He represented ‘Mumbai Indians’ in India Premier League (IPL) 2009, 2010, 2014.

·       He took 29 wickets and 29 matches for the franchise.

·       The Mumbai Indians is a franchise cricket team based in Mumbai and it is owned by Reliance Industries.

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