IBPS CLERKS MAIN 2016 -- DECEMBER 8 TO 13, 2016

08th December, 2016

 

Donald Trump named TIME Person of the Year 2016

i. The TIME magazine has named US President-elect Donald Trump as Person of the Year 2016 and called him the President of the 'Divided States of America'. 

ii. The magazine cited his role for the stunning victory in the US Presidential election.

iii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the 11 candidates shortlisted by Time for its annual honour. 

iv. Meanwhile, Modi won the online readers' poll conducted by Time magazine for Person of the Year 2016, the second time he emerged winner of the reader's choice poll.

Trump selects Iowa Governor Branstad as U.S. envoy to China

i. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has selected Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as his incoming government's ambassador to China. "Branstad has a tremendous understanding of China and the Chinese people and is someone who very much impressed the President-elect.

ii. Terry Edward Branstad is an American politician who is the 42nd Governor of Iowa, in office since January 2011. Branstad was also the state's 39th governor from 1983 to 1999, and he was president of Des Moines University from 2003 to 2009.

Nabard to provide Rs. 120 cr to banks for setting up PoS devices in villages

i. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) on 08 December said it will extend support aggregating about Rs. 120 crore to banks for deployment of two Point-of-Sale (PoS) devices per village in one lakh villages having a population of up to 10,000.

ii. The move is aimed at taking rural India closer towards cashless payment systems.

Important Union Cabinet Approvals: 07 December 2016

i. Cabinet approves MoU with Afghanistan on cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space

ii. Cabinet approves MoU with United Kingdom UK to support ease of doing business in India

iii. India and United Kingdom (UK) MoU for cooperation in field of Intellectual Property approved.

iv. Cabinet approves Indo-Thai agreement on narcotics control

Serendipity Arts Festival to be held in Goa

i. The Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) is scheduled to be held from 16 December to 23 December 2016 in Goa.

ii. The festival will see a stellar line-up of 33 global artists, who will display their work at the eight-day inspiration-packed festival.

iii. More than 40 exciting projects and exhibitions featuring famous artists, like Kabi Raj Lama, Bandu Manamperi, Escif, Billy Chang, SP Pushpakanthan, Lisa Stertz and Paquito Gonzalees, will be a part of the festival.

Justice Mian Saqib Nisar appointed next Chief Justice of Pakistan

i. Senior judge of the Supreme Court Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was appointed as the next Chief Justice of Pakistan.

ii. Justice Nisar will take charge as chief justice of the apex court on December 31.

IOC, BPCL, HPCL join hands to set up India's biggest oil refinery

i. Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corp have signed a pact to build India's biggest oil refinery at a cost of $30 billion on the west coast. 

ii. The three firms signed the pact for the 60-million tonne a year refinery in Maharashtra with IOCBSE 2.78 % as leader of the consortium. The IOC will hold a 50 % stake in the project while BPCL and HPCL will have 25 % each.

Mahila E-haat ties up with India Post, SBI

i. The Women and Child Development Ministry has tied up with India Post and SBI. 

ii. This will offer more payment options to buyers and simplify shipping of products bought from "Mahila E-haat", an online marketing platform for women entrepreneurs. 

Karnataka Bank gets award

i. Karnataka Bank Ltd has bagged the ‘Best MSME Bank Award (private sector) 2016’ instituted by Assocham.

ii. Union Minister of State for MSME Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary handed over the award.

Microsoft launches solutions for SMEs

i. Microsoft has introduced business solutions from its partner ecosystem to meet the business needs of small and medium businesses across Kerala. 

ii. Built by Microsoft’s ISV partners Smarter SMB and IDOS, these solutions address key areas like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Finance & Accounting and enhancing organisational efficiency. These solutions will run on Microsoft cloud and will be available at very low cost.

09th December, 2016

IDFC Bank appoints Veena Mankar as Non-Executive Chairperson

i. The board of directors of IDFC Bank has approved the appointment of Veena Mankar as Non-Executive Chairperson, with effect from December 9, 2016, up to July 26, 2018. 

ii. The appointment is subject to approval by the Reserve Bank of India. 

iii. Anil Baijal stepped down from the board on December 8, 2016 at the end of his tenure from the shaft of Non-Executive Chairman. IDFC Bank Ltd.

Nana Akufo-Addo wins Ghana presidential election

i. Ghana's main opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo has won the country's presidential election with an absolute majority.

ii. Private radio stations have projected a massive victory for Nana Akufo-Addo over President John Mahama.

Harry Potter tops Amazon's best-selling books of 2016

i. Amazon, which started as an online book retailer, has announced Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as the best-selling book of 2016.

ii. The playscript by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, was also named this year's 'Most Wished For' and 'Most Gifted' book.

US designates India as Major Defence Partner

i. India and the United States vowed to expand the bilateral defence cooperation. 

ii.Outgoing American defence secretary Ashton Carter met his counterpart Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi for the record-breaking seventh time. 

iii. He termed New Delhi as a "major defence partner".

Haritha Keralam Mission launched by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan 

i. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has launched Haritha Keralam Mission in Thiruvananthapuram on December 8.ii. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched a website of National Rail Plan, 2030 (NRP-2030) on December 8, 2016 Rail Bhawan, New Delhi, to develop the Indian Railways in terms of service in travelling and freight across the country. 

iii. The website is http://www.nationalrailplan.in.

Two Banks of Abu Dhabi to Merge as the Biggest Bank in Gulf Nation

i. Stockholders of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and First Gulf Bank on December 7, 2016, approved to merge into the biggest bank of all Gulf Countries with an asset of $ 178 billion.

ii. After the merger the combined company will be named as NBAD.

iii. The FGB shareholders will receive 1.254 NBAD shares for each FGB share they hold and FGB stockholders will own 52% of the new bank.

Pakistan Lifts Undeclared Ban on Import of Ginned Cotton from India

i. Pakistan has removed an “undeclared” ban on import of ginned cotton from India. 

ii. Earlier from November 23, The Department of Plant Protection (DPP) of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research had banned the cotton imports from India through Wagah and Karachi port as the shipments did not fulfil phyto- sanitary conditions.

India to set up center of excellence at Al-Azhar University, Egypt

i. In order to enhance cooperation in education sector between India and Egypt, Center has decided to set up a center of Excellence in Information Technology at the Al-Azhar University which is the oldest and most prestigious the University of Egypt.

Vistaar appoints ex-Sebi chief C B Bhave as non-executive Chairman

i. Vistaar Financial Services, an MSME-focused financing firm, today said it has appointed former Sebi chief C B Bhave as non-executive Chairman and Independent Director.

ii. Prior to SEBI, he has worked as the Chairman and Managing Director of National Securities Depositories Ltd (NSDL).

PR Sreejesh Appointed as Goalkeeping Mentor of Indian Junior Hockey Team

i. Captain of the senior National Men’s Hockey Team and one of the finest hockey goal-PR Sreejeshkeeper in the world, PR Sreejesh has been roped in as the Goalkeeping Mentor of the India Under-21 Hockey Team from December 8, 2016.

18-year-old Mumbaikar Jehan Daruvala signs for Formula 3

i. Young Indian racer Jehan Daruvala has been signed by Formula 3's top team Carlin for the 2017 FIA F3 European Championship. 

ii. The 18-year-old started his racing career in karting in 2009 and won his first national title in 2010 aged 11.

John Glenn, first American in orbit, dies at 95

i. Former NASA astronaut and Democratic US Senator from Ohio , John Glenn, has passed away at the age of 95. 

ii. On February 20, 1962 Glenn flew the NASA mission Friendship 7, becoming the first American to orbit the Earth.

10th December, 2016

Human Rights Day: 10 December

i. The Human Rights Day is observed across the world on 10 December every year. 

ii. The day aims at promoting and raising awareness of the two Covenants of Human Rights Day.

iii. Human Rights Day was established in 1948, and ever since that auspicious day it has stood as the first major stride forward in ensuring that the rights of every human across the globe are protected. 

India, Vietnam ink nuclear cooperation pact, three other agreements

i. India and Vietnam have signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is asserting that it will further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

ii. The two countries also signed three other agreements — to enhance aviation links, to jointly work in the area of energy efficiency and promotion of parliamentary cooperation.

Kerala launches mobile apps to fight corruption

i. The Kerala government has launched two mobile applications which can be used to upload information regarding graft.

ii. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the applications - 'ArisingKerala' and 'Whistle Now - at a function here on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day. 

iii. Using the apps, people can upload videos and audios related to corruption around them.

Onir’s documentary on Down Syndrome wins international award

i. Indian filmmaker Onir's documentary, 'Raising The Bar' has won the 'Award of Recognition' at the 'Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards'. 

ii. The documentary is about six Indian and Australian youth with Down Syndrome. "I have always celebrated human rights and diversity. 

21st International Film Festival of Kerala begins

i. The 21st International Film Festival of Kerala began in Thiruvananthapuram on 09 December 2016.

ii. It opened with Navid Mahmoudi's directorial debut 'Raftan,' which narrates the story of a couple attempting to migrate from Iran to Europe. 

iii. The eight-day festival, hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of the Kerala Cultural Affairs Department, is set to showcase 184 films from 62 countries.

Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent to step down

i. Muhtar Kent has announced that he will step down as the CEO of Coca-Cola in May 2017 and will be succeeded by company President and COO James Quincey. 

ii. Kent, who has been CEO since 2008, will continue as Chairman.

Japan launches Kounotori 6 cargo spaceship to ISS

i. Japan has successfully launched a rocket carrying the unmanned cargo spaceship Kounotori 6 to deliver supplies for astronauts living in the International Space Station (ISS).

ii. The H-2B rocket carrying the spaceship lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan. 

iii. The spaceship, sixth of its kind, carries some 5.9 tonnes of supplies, including food, drinking water and other necessities, as well as some batteries and ultrasmall satellites.

Peter Gilchrist wins the Long Up title of 2016 IBSF World Billiards

i. Peter Gilchrist of Singapore defeated Sourav Kothari to win the 2016 IBSF World Billiards Long Up title on 8 December 2016. 

ii. The event was held in Bengaluru, India. 

iii. Peter defeated Sourav by 883 points with a score of 1500-617.

Channel DigiShala Launched to Educate Rural India about Cashless Transaction

i. Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ravi Shankar Prasad, launched a TV channel named ‘DigiShala’ on December 9, 2016 to promote cashless transaction in rural areas. 

ii. Apart from the channel, the government also initiated ‘Digi Dhan Abhiyan’ to achieve the objective of educating, enabling and informing citizens about the cashless economy. “DigiShala” is a free-to-air channel which is telecasted nationally on DD free-DTH service having a viewership of two crore across the country.

L&T bags contract to convert Sardar Patel Stadium to world’s biggest cricket stadium

i. Larsen & Turbo (L&T) has bagged a contract from the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) to make Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium of Gujarat the world’s biggest cricket stadium in terms of seating capacity.

ii. Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium is situated in Motera, Ahmadabad in Gujarat. 

iii. After the renovation, it will take over the Melbourne Cricket Ground of Australia in terms of seating capacity. Melbourne Cricket Ground has a seating capacity of 100,024 people while the renovated Sardar Patel Stadium will have 1,10,000 seats as against 54,000 seats.

11th December, 2016

India-UK Conference on Ease of Doing Business concluded

i. The India-UK Conference on Ease of Doing Business concluded in New Delhi on 10 December 2016.

ii. This conference on Ease of Doing Business would act as an opportunity to enhance the strategic bilateral partnership between the two nations to the next level.

iii. The two-day conference was jointly inaugurated by Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary of Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Dominic Asquith, the British High Commissioner.

iv. This partnership on Ease of Doing Business of the two nations is important because it will play a role that the business environment plays in encouraging trade, investment, innovation and economic growth.

28th Edition of SIMCON 2016, chaired by I&B Minister, M. Venkaiah Naidu

i. The 28th State Information Ministers Conference (SIMCON), 2016, was organised by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting from December 9 to December 10, 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

ii. I&B Minister Shri Venkaiah Naidu chaired SIMCON 2016ii. The two day conference was chaired by Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu.

iii. The aim of the confrence is promote partnership among Centre and State, to discuss key issues in the films & broadcasting sector and new initiatives undertaken in the information domain.

Viola Desmond first Canadian woman on banknote

i. A black civil rights leader who led a struggle against anti-black segregation and racism in Canada in the 1940s will be the first Canadian woman to figure on a banknote. 

ii. Viola Desmond will appear on the Canadian $10 bill - replacing the nation's first prime minister John A Macdonald who will be moved to a higher bill - when new banknotes go into circulation in 2018.

iii. Desmond, an icon of the human rights and freedoms movement in Canada, was selected from a  list of five iconic Canadian women by Finance Minister Morneau, in accordance with the Bank of Canada Act.

Rajendar Kumar Appointed New CBDT Member

i. Senior Indian Revenue Service officer Rajendra Kumar has been appointed as the new Member of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the policy making body for the Income Tax Department.

ii. The orders for appointment of Kumar, a 1980-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, was issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. 

iii. The Central Board of Direct Taxes is a statutory authority functioning under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963. The CBDT is headed by a chairman and can has six members. It is headquartered at New Delhi

Committee headed by Ratan P. Watal submitted its report to Finance Minster to boost Digital Payment

i. The committee formed by Finance Ministry to boost Digital Payment system in India that was headed by Shri. Ratan P. Watal submitted its report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 09 December 2016.

ii. The committee has recommended to bridge the gaps between those are digitally active and those are not, by promoting competition, open access & interoperability in payments.

iii. The report also recommended including those group of citizens into the digital payment system who are not well versed with it so that they can use it for their benefit and reduce dependence on cash. Safeguarding of the digital security system should also be maintained.

Rajasthan High Court Strucks SBCs 5% quota.

i. The Rajasthan High Court on December 9, 2016, cancelled the Rajasthan Special Backward Classes (SBC) reservation Act 2015 that allowed for 5% quota to Gujjars and five other communities of the state.

ii. A division bench of justices M N Bhandari and J K Ranka struck down the notification of October 2015 saying that it was in violation with the 50% limit set by the Supreme Court.

iii. In September 2015, the Rajasthan Assembly, passed separate Bills to provide five per cent reservation to Gujjars and other communities under Special Backward Classes (SBC) and 14 per cent to Economically Backward Classes (EBC) of unreserved categories.

iv. According to the Act 5% reservation in jobs and educational institutes were given to five communities namely, Gujjars (Gurjars), Banjara (Baldia, Labana), Gadia-Lohar (Gadolia), Raika (Rebari, Debasi), Gadaria (Gaadri, Gayari).

Civil Engineer Iqbal Sayed becomes first Indian to medal at Mr Olympia

i. Mumbai's Iqbal Sayed, who works as a civil engineer with Reliance Infrastructure and Mumbai Metro, became the first Indian to win a medal at the Mr Olympia event, after securing a silver medal in the event. 

ii. Sayed beat participants from 20 countries to finish second in the Olympia Amateur Asia 2016's Classic Bodybuilding category.

Virat Kohli Becomes First Indian Captain To Score Three Double Centuries

i. Virat Kohli became the first Indian to score three double hundreds in a year, playing against England on 11th December 2016.

ii. His first-ever Test double century came against West Indies this year, followed by another against New Zealand. 

iii. There are only three batsmen who had scored three double centuries and one batsman who has scored 4 double centuries in a single year.

12th December, 2016

Pranab Mukherjee launches Kailash Satyarthi’s ‘100 Million for 100 Million’ campaign

i. President Pranab Mukherjee has launched a campaign, to end child labour, child slavery and violence against children.ii. He launched the '100 Million for 100 Million Campaign' organised by The Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation. 

iii. The effort to mobilise 100 million youth for shaping a better future of 100 million underprivileged children is the beginning of a change.

CM Mehbooba Mufti flags off first children special train in valley

i. Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti has flagged off the first-of-its-kind train on 11th December at Banihal that en routes from Quazigund, Anantnag, Awantipur, Srinagar, Budgam, Sopore and Baramula.

ii. The union, railway minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted that nearly 612 children of various schools will board the train. 

iii. The railway's department is planning to run the children special train every second Sunday in coordination with Jammu and Kashmir state education department, shared Prabhu.

Rajasthan govt launches mobile app for tourists

i. Rajasthan government has recently launched a mobile App that provides the latest information about tourist attractions in Ajmer and Pushkar.
ii. The app LeZgo provides inputs in 12 prominent languages. 

iii. The App will soon be localised for Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Pali and Bharatpur.

Uttar Pradesh and Tata Trust Ties to Strengthen Public Distribution System

i. The Uttar Pradesh Government has tied up with Tata Trusts to acquire digital platforms to strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) in the state. 

ii. As per the Agreement, Tata Trusts has installed electronic Point of Sale devices (ePOS) in various urban region shops of Lucknow, to ensure operation of an Aadhaar-enabled Public Distribution System (AePDS) at a fair price.

Paolo Gentiloni named as Italy's new Prime Minister

i. Paolo Gentiloni has been named as Italy's new Prime Minister following reformist leader Matteo Renzi's resignation in the wake of a crushing referendum defeat. 

ii. Gentiloni, who served as the Foreign Minister under Renzi, was asked by President Sergio Mattarella to form a new centre-left government on 11th December that will guide Italy to elections due by February 2018.

IAMAI sets up committee to work on fighting online piracy

i. Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has constituted a committee to fight against the problem of online piracy and develop suitable business standards and best practices for the digital entertainment industry.

ii. Ajit Mohan of Hotstar will be the chairman of the committee, while it will be co-chaired by Uday Sodhi of SET India and Salil Kapoor of HOOQ. 

OPEC, non-OPEC Agree to Cut Oil Output to Boost Oil Prices

i. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC Russia, on December 10, 2016, reached a mutual agreement on their first deal since 2001, to jointly restrict oil production to control the excess global availability of the oil and thus boost oil prices.

ii. It is the first time in 15 years that a global pact has been struck.

Cyrus Mistry removed as Director of Tata Industries

i. Cyrus Mistry was today removed as director of Tata Industries at the Tata Industries Extraordinary General Meeting. 

ii. Tata Sons claimed that his presence as director "is likely to lead to fragmentation of the Tata Group". 

iii. In October, Mistry was removed as chairman of Tata Sons.

World's longest tunnel opens regular service in Switzerland

i. The world’s longest tunnel, Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) in Switzerland was opened for regular rail services on 11 December 2016.
ii. It got a ceremonial wave off in June this year with top European leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande hopping on to experience the very first ride through the marvel.
iii. It will be carrying passengers under the Swiss Alps from Zurich to Lugano.

China launches advanced weather satellite Fengyun-4

i. China has launched the first of its new generation weather satellites Fengyun-4. 

ii. The New technology on the satellite will improve the accuracy of weather forecasts -just in time for the winter season.iii. It was China’s First second-generation weather satellites launched as well as the country’s first quantitative remote-sensing satellite in the geostationary orbit.

Dipa Karmakar's biography to be co-authored by her coach

i. Bishweshwar Nandi, coach of Dipa Karmakar who made India proud at the Rio Olympics with her performance in the field of gymnastics will co-author her memoir titled: “Dipa Karmakar: The Small Wonder”.

ii. The book will have many untold stories of struggle and triumph beside rare archival photos from the Karmakars’ private album as well as competition photos from the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

13th December, 2016

India, Indonesia sign three agreements

i. India and Indonesia have signed three agreements following delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo on 12th December. 

ii. President Widodo was on a two-day visit to India from 12 December to 13 December 2016.

iii. Agreements are:

1. MoU on Youth and Sports Cooperation

2. MoU on Standardization Cooperation between the Bureau of Indian Standards and the National Standardization Agency of Indonesia.

3. Joint Communiqué on the Voluntary International Cooperation to Combat Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) Fishing and to promote Sustainable Fisheries Governance between the Union Government and the Government of Indonesia.

Nitin Gadkari lays foundation stones for Rs 1152 Cr projects in Manipur

i. Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping laid the foundation stones for 17 road projects on 11 December 2016 during two functions held at Jiribam and Imphal.

ii. The project’s overall cost is estimated to be around Rs 1152 Cr.

iii. Also, present in the function at Jiribam was the Union Minister of Human Resource Development- Prakash Javedkar along with other BJP leaders.

Antonio Guterres sworn in as UN Secretary-General

i. Antonio Guterres, a former Portuguese Prime Minister, was sworn in as the ninth UN Secretary-General on 12th December 2016, succeeding Ban Ki-moon as the chief of the 71-year old world body.

ii. President of the UN General Assembly Peter Thomson administered the Oath of Office to Guterres at a special plenary meeting of the 193-member General Assembly.

EU, Cuba sign first agreement on political cooperation

i. The EU has signed a deal with Cuba on political dialogue and cooperation, with Cuba being the only Latin American country to lack such an agreement earlier. 

ii. This comes after EU repealed its 1996 policy which stated that Cuba must improve its human rights conditions before normalisation talks with EU. The deal covers issues like trade, human rights and immigration.

Punjab govt launches country's 1st amphibious bus project

i. The Punjab government has launched country's first amphibious bus project at the Harike wetland near Amritsar. 

ii. The project has cost the state government over Rs 11 crore.

Pankaj Advani beats Peter Gilchrist in final to win his 11th World Billiards Championship

i. Ace Indian cueist Pankaj Advani on 12th December 2016 won his 11th World Billiards (150-Up format) Championships title by beating Peter Gilchrist of Singapore in the summit clash in Bengaluru.

ii. Advani beat multiple world champion Gilchrist by six games to three in a gripping final contest to wrap up his 16th world title overall.

US: Vivek Ramaswamy, Apoorva Mehta included in Forbes' under 40 rich list

i. Two Indian-origin men have figured in Forbes magazine's second annual list of wealthiest entrepreneurs under the age of 40 which is topped by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

ii. Vivek Ramaswamy, a successful biotech entrepreneur has been ranked 24th on 'America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 2016' list with a net worth of 600 million dollars and Apoorva Mehta stands at 31st spot with a 360 million dollars net worth.

iii. Ramaswamy, 31, a Harvard University and Yale School of Management alumnus, continues to make waves in the biotech business with his deals and drug development plans

Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar appointed new ISI chief

i. Lt. Gen. Naveed Mukhtar has been appointed as the new Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). 

ii. He replaces Lt. Gen. Rizwan Akhtar who has been appointed as president of the National Defence University (NDU) in Islamabad. 

iii. Earlier, Lt. Gen. Mukhtar was the Commander of V Corps of Karachi from September 2014 to December 2016. 

iv. He was commissioned in the Armored Corps regiment in 1983. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and posted to the army's Corps V in September 2014

Cyrus Mistry removed as director of Tata Industries

i. Cyrus Mistry has been removed as director of Tata industries. Mistry, who was earlier removed from the post of chairman of Tata Industries, was removed as director after an Extraordinary General Meeting.

Cristiano Ronaldo voted best footballer in the world for 4th time

i. Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo beat rival Lionel Messi to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award for the fourth time.

ii. Ronaldo also took home Ballon d'Or prize in 2013 and 2014, and FIFA award in 2008 while still playing for Manchester United.

ADB cuts India's growth forecast to 7% post-demonetisation

i. The Asian Development Bank on Tuesday lowered India's growth forecast for this year from 7.4 % to 7 % due to a slight slowdown in the economy following the central government's demonetisation move.

ii. The Manila-headquartered ADB's review said the shortage of cash after the demonetization of Rs 1,000 and 500 notes were one of the reasons for the decline in India's economic growth in 2016. 

iii. ADB highlighted weak investments and slow down in the agricultural sector in the country among other reasons for the fall.

Rajiv Gandhi airport achieves carbon neutral status

i. The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad has achieved carbon neutral status.

ii. It is the first in the Asia-Pacific region in the 5-15 million passengers per annum category to attain this status.

iii. Earlier in September 2016 GMR Group-led Delhi Airport had become the first airport in Asia-Pacific to achieve carbon neutral status among all categories.

ISRO signs deal for first privately built satellite

i. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed an agreement with a consortium of six companies to deliver India's first industry-built satellite by late 2017.

ii. The agreement was signed between M Annadurai, Director of ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) and the consortium lead Alpha Design Technologies P Ltd.

iii. ISAC assembles India's satellites for communication, remote sensing and navigation. It is for the first time that ISRO outsourced the construction of entire satellite.