Cuirrent Affairs Shorts 21 December 2016

• President of Kyrgyzstan, Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev, was on a four-dayofficial visit to India from December 18-21, 2016. This was Atambayev’s first visit to India after being appointed as the President.

•  The Union government has decided to launch a toll-free number ‘1955’ in order to take a feedback from the telecom subscribers on call drop issue. The code has been allotted for Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) on call drops.

•  Centre has announced Rs 207 crore project for protection and development of world’s biggest river island Majuli, located aong river Brahmaputra in Assam.

•   IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on December 20, 2016, informed that India has been selected to host the fifth edition of the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCSS) in 2017
  
  

•  The Reserve Bank of India on December 19, 2016, announced that it is issuing a new batch of Rs 500 notes in Mahatma Gandhi (New) series with the inset letter R in both the number panels bearing the signature of Dr Urjit R Patel Governor, Reserve Bank of India, with the year of printing ‘2016’.

•  Bank of Baroda has become the first Indian company to sign up as a National Supporter for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, which will be held from 6 to 28 October 2017.

•  The New Development Bank, jointly found by the BRICS countries approved USD 75 million (525 million yuan) loan for a solar power project in Shanghai, China on December 20, 2016.

•  The Union Government on December 19, 2016, decided to provide additional grace period of 60 days to farmers, whose crop loan dues fall between November 1 and  December 31, 2016. 

•  A team of researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galvestonhave developed a safe and effective vaccine for Chikungunya fever made from an insect-specific virus.

•  India successfully test-fired its long range subsonic cruise missile, Nirbhay, from the launch complex 3 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur,  Odisha coast at 11: 56 hours on December 21, 2016

•  According to a new study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, scientists for the first time have discovered a huge jet stream of molten iron deep within the Earth’s core, around 1,860 miles (3,000km) below the surface.

•  Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on December 20, 2016, launched the tri-lingual website www.haj.gov.in relating to Haj matters. The website is in Hindi, Urdu and English languages.

•  Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Gennadyevich Karlov, was shot dead in front of a crowd at a posh art gallery exhibition in Ankara, Turkey on December 19, 2016. He was 62.

•  Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment released the first issue of a National Newspaper ‘Saanjhi Saanjh’, dedicated to Senior Citizen, in the National Capital on December 19, 2016.

•  Arjun Bhati bagged the first position in the Kids Golf World Championship afterdefeating South Africas Methu Denish during the three-level final match in Malaysia.

•  AIBA has voted unanimously to grant full membership to the recently-formed Boxing Federation of India (BFI) at a meeting on the sidelines of its 70th anniversary gala in Montreux, Switzerland.

•  Queen Elizabeth II , queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, is stepping down as patron of Wimbledon.

•  Union government plans to launch its second centre of excellence for sericulture in Bengaluru.

• The Government on December 21, 2016, approved the cadre review and formation of the Indian Enterprise Development Service (IEDS) in the Office of the Development Commissioner, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

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