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The CP Times www.careerplannerpatna.com Jan- 2015

C.P HOUSE, SHIVPURI- SHIV MANDIR, OFF BORING ROAD, PATNA. Mo. No.: 07488272935 MOB NO: 9386347918 Page 2

31 DEC – 31 December 2014 Current Affairs Updates

1. Govt plans to make health a fundamental right: For the first time since

Independence, the Indian government has moved towards making health

a constitutional guarantee, the denial of which will be punishable. The

health ministry on 31 December 2014 released a draft of the National

Health Policy 2015, a document that will provide an overarching

framework for the government’s health targets. The document answers

one of the fundamental policy questions of our times—whether to pass a

health rights Bill making health a fundamental right in the way that was

done for education.

2. Government splits Chairman & MD post in PSU banks: Government has

split the post of chairman and managing director at public sector banks

(PSBs). In a statement on 31 December 2014, the finance ministry named

managing directors (MDs) and chief executive officers (CEOs) of four

banks and said the procedure for selection of a non-executive chairman

would be announced shortly. Under the new format, “the chairman

(except for State Bank of India, or SBI) will be a part-time board member

who will preside over board meetings and not be an executive

chairman”, said a statement by the finance ministry. Earlier, a committee

headed by former Axis Bank chairman PJ Nayak had suggested radical

changes, including the government giving up control in PSBs, for

improving corporate governance practices.

3. Aamir Khan's PK tax free in Uttar Pradesh: Amidst row and

demonstrations over Aamir Khan-starrer 'PK', the Uttar Pradesh

government has decided to exempt the movie from entertainment tax.

"Chief Minister Akilesh Yadav has watched the movie and has directed

that such films should be exempted from the entertainment tax," a

senior officer said.

4. ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan retired: Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K. Radhakrishnan retired on 31 December

2014. Shailesh Nayak, who is Secretary, Union Earth Sciences Ministry,

will hold additional and interim charge as Chairman for a month or until a

regular chief is named, said an order by the Secretary, Appointments’

Committee of the Union Cabinet. Dr.Radhakrishnan led ISRO in many

achievements over the past five years after he took over the reins in

November 2009. The historic Mars Orbiter Mission was launched and

guided to an orbit around the red planet under his leadership.

Dr.Radhakrishnan took over from G. Madhavan Nair in October 2009 as

the seventh chief of the space establishment.

5. President Pranab Mukherjee signed National Judicial Appointments

Commission Bill: President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday formally

assented to the National Judicial Appointments Commission, setting the

stage for the scrapping of the decades-old collegium system of judges

appointing judges. Under the new system, the government will have

some say in such appointments. A six-member panel led by the chief

justice of India will decide all appointments of judges to the Supreme

Court and the 24 high courts. This panel will also include the law

minister, two eminent personalities and two senior-most judges of the

court. The eminent persons will be named by a panel, comprising the

Prime Minister, the chief justice of India and the leader of the opposition

in the Lok Sabha. One of the members will be a woman or belong to the

scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, other backward class or minority

communities.

http://www.currentaffairs4examz.com/2015/01/31-december-2014-current-affairs-updates.html



6. Commercial power generation started in Kudankulam nuclear power

plant: Commercial power generation in Kudankulam nuclear power plant

started in Tamil Nadu on 30 December 2014 night, after getting approval

from the Nuclear Power Corporation. The hot run of second unit will

start from end of January after fulfilling technical requirements. Of the

1000 Mega Watt electricity generated in the first unit, 562 will be given

to Tamil Nadu, 221 MW to Karnataka, 133 MW to Kerala, 33 MW to

Puducherry. Till now more than 335 crore units of electricity has been

generated from Kudankulam nuclear power plant.

7. Union government blocked 32 websites for spreading anti-India views

and ISIS propaganda: Union government has blocked access to 32

websites for carrying anti-India views and spreading banned terrorist

outfit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) propaganda. These websites

were blocked after following an advisory given by an anti-terrorism team.

The blocked uniform resource locator’s(URLs) include files, videos and

source code-sharing websites. They were blocked by Department of

Telecom(DoT) under Section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000

and under Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for

Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009.

8. M Sathiyavathy becomes first woman to be appointed as Director

General DGCA: The government has appointed M Sathiyavathy, 1982

batch UT cadre IAS officer, as the DG till January 28, 2017 — making her

the first woman director general of civil aviation (DGCA). Sathiyavathy,

who is currently additional secretary and financial advisor in the aviation

ministry and has a clean image, may, however, remain DG only for a few

months as she is going to be empanelled as secretary later this year.

Sathiyavathy will replace Prabhat Kumar, who has completed his central

deputation and will go back to parent UP cadre.

9. Microsoft to replace Internet Explorer with new browser in Windows

10: According to sources Microsoft is building a completely new browser

to replace the ubiquitous but oft-maligned Internet Explorer. This new

Windows browser is being called "Spartan," and it seems it's a

completely new browser not based on Internet Explorer at all.

30 DEC – 1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from Test cricket: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

on 30 December 2014 surprised the cricket world with his sudden

announcement of immediate retirement from Test cricket.

Announcement of Dhoni's retirement after the wicketkeeper-batsman

had played in 90 Test matches, 60 of them as captain, was made

immediately after India lost the current Test series to Australia following

a drawn third Test. Dhoni, who led India to an unprecedented two World

Cup titles (2007 Twenty20 World Championships and the 2011 ODI

World Cup), had been drawing flak for India's poor run in overseas Tests.

Yet the wicketkeeper-batsman remains one of the most successful

captains ever for India, having led the side to the top of ICC rankings in

Tests in 2009.

2. Noted journalist B G Verghese passed away: Eminent journalist B G

Verghese, a Ramon Magsaysay award winner and former editor of

leading dailies Hindustan Times and Indian Express, passed away on 30

December 2014 at the age of 87 after brief illness. Verghese, who

authored many books, was editor of Hindustan Times from 1969 to 1975



and The Indian Express from 1982 to 1986. He was also information

adviser to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from 1966 to 1969 but was

critical of her for imposing the Emergency in 1975. His books include

Waters of hope, India's North East, Fourth Estate (2005) and his

autobiography First Draft: Witness to Making of Modern India.

3. Nation remembered Dr.Vikram Sarabhai on his 43rd death anniversary:

Nation on 30 December 2014 remembered Dr.Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai

for his contribution towards India’s space research and development on

his 43rd death anniversary. The establishment of the Indian Space

Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bangaluru in 1969 was one of his

greatest achievements. The Indian space programme has made a quite

impressive progress through its well-integrated, self-reliant programmes.

4. Australia retained Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Australia on 30 December

2014 regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the third cricket Test

ended in an exciting draw with a jittery India just about managing to

avoid an embarrassing defeat in Melbourne. Set an improbable target of

384 in 70 overs courtesy Shaun Marsh's 99, India's batting frailty was

again exposed and they survived some anxious moments before

salvaging a draw. It ensured that India won't suffer a 'whitewash' this

time around.

5. Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi transferred to Mizoram:

Uttrakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi, who had taken the

Modi governmentto Supreme Court for alleged attempts to ease him out

of office, was on 30 December 2014 shifted to Mizoram. A Presidential

communique said that Qureshi has been transferred and appointed as

Governor of Mizoram for the remainder of his term till May 2017 and

Meghalaya Governor K K Paul will take his place. Paul, who was

appointed as Governor of Meghalaya on July 8, 2013, will continue to

hold additional charge of Governor of Manipur till further orders.

6. Debris of the AirAsia plane QZ 8501 recovered: After three days of

intense search, at least 40 bloated bodies and debris of the missing

AirAsia aircraft carrying 162 people were found on 30 December 2014 in

the Java Sea off Indonesia but mystery remained over the cause of the

crash. The Indonesian navy reported that 40 bodies had been retrieved

by one warship and rescuers were continuing to recover more bodies

and were "very busy now".

7. Eminent Muslim educationist Saiyid Hamid dead: Noted educationist

and former vice chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University Saiyid

Hamid, who played a key role in the drafting of the RajindarSachar

Committee report on the state of Muslims in the country, died on 29

December 2014 at age 94 in New Delhi. Born in Faizabad in 1920, Hamid,

who also headed JamiaHamdard, a deemed university, in 1999, worked

for the educational uplift of Indian Muslims.

8. Malayalam filmmaker MadhuKaithapram died: Malayalam filmmaker

MadhuKaithapram, who won the National award for his much-acclaimed

debut venture ‘Ekantham’, died due to diabetes related complication.

The 44-year-old director was undergoing treatment for diabetes at the

hospital. ‘Ekantham’, starring late thespians Thilakan and Murali, was a

poignant portrayal of loneliness of the elderly. The film released in 2006

won Madhu the National award for best debutant director and Kerala

state film special jury award.

29 DEC – 29th December 2014 Daily Current Affairs Updates

http://www.currentaffairs4examz.com/2014/12/29th-december-2014-daily-current-affairs.html



1. Union Cabinet approved ordinance to amend Land Acquisition Act:The

Union Cabinet on 29 December 2014 approved an ordinance to amend

the contentious land acquisition act and ease restrictions including a

"consent clause" which was seen as obstacle for power, highways,

housing, defence and infrastructure projects and holding up the

economy's growth potential. The ordinance seeks to waive the "consent

clause" - the requirement to secure specific consent of owners of 70% -

80% of land owners if acquisitions are meant for defence and defence

production, rural infrastructure including electrification, housing for poor

and affordable housing, industrial corridors and infrastructure projects

including projects under Public-Private Partnership mode where

ownership the land continues to be vested with the government.

2. Government to soon establish 'SMART Police' stations in each state: In

line with prime minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'SMART Police', home

minister Rajnath Singh on 29 December 2014 decided to establish one

model 'SMART Police Station' in each state. Some suggested features of

the SMART Police Station included basic amenities for visitors, waiting

area, toilets, drinking water, receptionist whom the visitors can meet.

The station will include rest room for constables, including separate

room for women constables. PM had introduced the concept of SMART

Police ( where S stands for sensitive and strict; M for modern with

mobility; A for alert and accountable; R- for reliable and responsive; T for

trained and techno-savvy) during the 49th Directors General/Inspectors

General Annual Conference at Guwahati on November 30, 2014.

3. Delhi first city to achieve 100% enrolment in PMJDY: Delhi has become

the first city to achieve 100 percent enrolment under Prime Minister Jan

DhanYojana (PMJDY), according to a top Delhi governmentofficial. Bank

accounts of more than 31.63 lakh families have been opened under the

scheme in the national capital.

4. Government to set up Saffron Production & Export Development

Agency: Government has approved setting up of the Specialized Agency

under the Spices Board with the nomenclature of 'Saffron Production &

Export Development Agency (SPEDA) to be headquartered at Srinagar

(J&K) to plan and implement programmes for development and

promotion of exports of quality saffron. The agency will be set up by the

Spices Board in consultation with the Government of J&K as

expeditiously as possible.

5. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reconstituted: The

central government on 29 December 2014 reconstituted the National

Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), a home ministry notification

said. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) director of health, safety

and environment D.N. Sharma has been nominated as a member of the

NDMA. Kamal Kishore, programme advisor of the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP), and Lt. Gen. (retd) N.C. Marwah were

also named as members.

6. IFCI to become Government Company: The Union Cabinet chaired by

the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, on 29 December 2014 approved

the infusion of RS. 60 crore in Industrial Finance Corporation of India

(IFCI) Ltd. to make it a Government company by way of acquisition of

preference shares from existing share holder(s). Industrial Finance

Corporation of India was set up in 1948 as a Statutory Corporation under

the Industrial Finance Corporation Act, 1948. A contribution of Rs. 60

crore to the capital of the company would raise the shareholding of

theGovernment to 51 percent.



7. Department of Disability Affairs gets new name: The Department of

Disability Affairs (NishaktataKaryaVibhag) functioning under the Ministry

of Social Justice and Empowerment has been renamed as the

Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

(ViklangjanSashaktikaranVibhag). The Gazette notification in this regard

has been issued by the Government of India, a statement said. Carved

out as separate department and christened as the Department of

Disability Affairs in 2012 to act as the nodal Department for matters

pertaining to disability and Persons with Disabilities, the department

deals with a variety of issues associated with disabilities.

8. Airtel dropped plans to charge extra for internet voice calls: Bharti Airtel

on 29 December 2014 announced rolling back of plan to start charging

customers for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services that include

applications such as Skype, Line and Viber, which lets users make free

calls through the Internet.

28 DEC – 1. AirAsia flight QZ8501 went missing in Indonesia: An

IndonesianAirAsia flight QZ8501, with 162 people aboard, disappeared

en route to Singapore from Indonesia. The last communication between

the pilot and air traffic control was at 6-13 a.m. (2313 GMT Saturday),

when the pilot “asked to avoid clouds by turning left and going higher to

34,000 feet (10,360 meters).” It was last seen on radar at 6-16 a.m., and

a minute later was no longer there, Djoko Murjatmodjo, Indonesia’s

acting director general of transportation, told reporters. AirAsia, a

regional low-cost carrier founded in 2001 by Malaysian businessman

Tony Fernandes, said in a statement that the plane was on the submitted

flight plan route. 2014 has been a bad year for Southeast Asia in airlines

safety. One was the mysterious disappearance of MH370 en route to

Beijing from Kuala Lumpur and another Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was

shot down by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

2. One dead, several injured in bomb blast in Bengaluru: One woman was

killed and three were injured in a low-intensity blast that was set-off by

suspected terrorists using an improvised explosive device (IED) in a

crowded street of Bangalore on 28 December 2014 night. This blast was

set-off just outside which popular eatery in the city named 'Coconut

Grove'. The explosion, in the hub of New Year revelry , prompted police

to sound a red alert.

3. NATO ended its 13-year Afghan war: Nato formally ended its war in

Afghanistan on 28 December 2014, holding a low-key ceremony in Kabul

after 13 years of conflict that have left the country in the grip of

worsening insurgent violence. The event was arranged in secret due to

the threat of Taliban strikes in the Afghan capital, which has been hit by

repeated suicide bombings and gun attacks over recent years.

4. Delhi recorded lowest temp in 5 years: Delhi on 28 December 2014

recorded the lowest temperature in past five years with the mercury

dipping to 2.6 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal and dense fog

affecting 55 flights and about 70 trains. The minimum temperature

recorded at 8.30 AM was 2.6 degrees Celsius. "This is the lowest

temperature recorded in Delhi in past five years. It could be the lowest in

past decade too but records for the same aren't immediately available,"

the official said. Delhi's all time low of 1.1 degrees Celsius was recorded

on 26 December, 1945.



5. Facebook apologized for grief caused by "Year in Review" feature:

Facebook has apologized for the grief its "Year in Review" feature caused

some of its users while dishing out good memories along with the bad

ones. The social networking site compiled a "Year in Review" for every

user, allowing them to reminisce over the highlights of the past year as

calculated by Facebook's algorithm. While some people's highlights

included a wedding or a trip, others contained more devastating

highlights like the death of a loved one. Facebook algorithm chooses

default photos and moments that captured the most interaction.

6. DavWhatmore appointed Zimbabwe coach: Australian DavWhatmore

was appointed on 28 December 2014 as the new Zimbabwe cricket coach

ahead of the 2015 World Cup. Zimbabwe Cricket said that the former Sri

Lanka and Bangladesh coach will be in charge of the African side at the

tournament, which starts mid-February, after Stephen Mangongo was

fired on Dec. 18.

7. Congress Celebrated 130th Foundation Day: Congress celebrated its

130th Foundation Day, in the backdrop of the series of electoral losses in

the States and its lowest ever tally in the Lok Sabha, on 28 December

2014. While Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had been hospitalised

earlier this month, unfurled the party flag at the AICC headquarters in

New Delhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi was conspicuous by his absence.

8. Aviva Life appointed Trevor Bull as CEO for India operations: Aviva Life

Insurance on 28 December 2014 said it has appointed Trevor Bull as

the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director for its operations in

India. Bull, who will take charge from January, is replacing TR

Ramachandran, who led Aviva India since October 2008.

27 DEC -2014 1. Dhoni sets record for most stumpings in cricket history: Indian captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni broke the world record for most number of

stumpings in international cricket after he effected his

134th dismissalson day two of the third cricket Test against Australia in

Melbourne on 27 December 2014. He surpassed Sri Lanka’s Kumar

Sangakkara when he stumped Mitchell Johnson off the bowling of off-

spinner RavichandranAshwin for his world record dismissal. He reached

the landmark in his 460th innings while Sangakkara has 133 stumpings

from 485 innings. Sri Lanka’s other keeper RomeshKaluwitharana is third

on the list with 101 stumpings from 270 innings. Dhoni has 38 stumpings

to his name in Tests, 85 in ODIs and 11 in T20s.

2. PragyanOjha banned from bowling due to illegal action: BCCI has on 27

December 2014 banned India left-arm spinner PragyanOjha from bowling

in competitive matches due to suspect action as he will be heading to

Chennai for taking corrective measures. It is understood that Ojha's

action had been under the scanner for more than a year now, which was

one of the reasons why he disappeared from the selectors' radar despite

being one of the quickest Indian bowlers to reach 100 Test wickets.

3. BJP now has most MLAs nationwide: According to the data compiled by

Sonipat-based Ashoka University’s Political Data Centre the total number

of BJP state legislators (MLAs) stood at 1058 while there were 949

Congress legislators across the country. For the BJP, which has never

before had more than 1,000 MLAs, this is a historic peak. For the

Congress, which only fell below 1,000 MLAs in the 1977 and 1979

elections, this is its lowest point ever.



4. Sunil Chhetri named 2014 AIFF Player of the Year: Indian national team

captain Sunil Chhetri was declared 'AIFF Player of the Year' for the third

time in four years while Bala Devi has been declared the 'Woman Player

of the Year'. Sandesh Jhingan, who played for Kerala Blasters FC in the

Indian Super League (ISL), was declared the 'Emerging Player of the Year'.

Chhetri was chosen the winner on basis of votes from coaches from I-

League clubs, according to an All India Football Federation (AIFF)release.

5. 16 states ratified Judicial Appointments Commission Bill: Sixteen states

have ratified a constitutional amendment bill which seeks to scrap the

collegium system of judges appointing judges, bringing the government a

step closer to put in place a new mechanism of appointments in the

higher judiciary. Any Constitutional amendment bill requires ratification

by at least 50 percent of the state legislatures. Sources said the Law

Ministry has been informed by 16 of the 29 states that the National

Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) bill has been ratified. The

names of all the states which have ratified the bill was immediately not

known.

6. Ankita Raina won maiden USD 25,000 ITF singles title: India’s tennis

player Ankita Raina overwhelmed British teenager Katy Dunne in straight

sets in a one-sided final to lift her maiden $25,000 ITF singles title at the

Deccan Gymkhana in Pune on 27 December 2014.

7. Snapdeal, India Post partner to bring weavers online: Online

marketplace Snapdeal has partnered India Post to jointly work on

bringing thousands of weavers and artisans from Varanasi through its

website. Snapdeal has launched a pilot with India Post to set-up

facilitation desks at Varanasi post offices to enable local weavers to sell

on its platform. “This is an endeavour by Snapdeal and India Post to

empower local artisans, small and medium entrepreneurs to sustain their

livelihood by providing a platform to popularise their indigenous

products,” Snapdeal CEO and co-founder KunalBahl told PTI.

26 DEC –2014 1. Raghubar Das to be sworn in as chief minister of Jharkhand: Senior BJP

leader Raghubar Das will be sworn in as the 10th chief minister of

Jharkhand on 28 December 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will

attend the swearing-in ceremony. Raghubar Das will be the first non-

tribal CM of the state, 14 years after it was carved out of Bihar. BJP

formally announced the name of Raghubar Das after he was elected as

the leader of the BJP legislative party in a meeting of newly-elected MLAs

in Ranchi.

2. Indian army started 'Operation All Out' against the Bodo militants in

Assam: The action has been named Operation All Out, and up to 9,000

soldiers and paramilitary troopers are on the ground on the Assam-

Arunachal Pradesh border to flush out militants of the NDFB (Songbijit)

outfit accused of massacring over 75 tribals in two Assam districts on

December 23. According to reports, Army has taken full command of the

two-tier Operation All Out, currently on in Sonitpur in Assam.

3. President signed Ordinance to Push Reforms in Coal, Insurance

Sectors: The two ordinances to pave the way for a fresh dose of foreign

investment in the insurance sector and to move ahead with the

allocation of cancelled coal mines received Presidential approval on 26



December 2014. The government had decided to promulgate these

ordinances to move ahead with reforms in the two sectors as the

relevant bills could not be cleared during the just-concluded Parliament

Session.

4. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella met Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Keen

to invest more in India, Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella on

December 26 pledged support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital

India initiative. He is the third major tech executive to meet PM Modi,

after Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.

5. 10th anniversary of Tsunami observed: On 26 December in 2004, more

than 230,000 people were killed due to Tsunami that was a result of Mw

9.1–9.3 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Indian Ocean. The

epicentre of the earthquake was the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. It

triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most

landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000 people in

fourteen countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up

to 30 metres. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded

history. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka,

India, and Thailand.

6. E-ticketing launched for Taj Mahal, Humayun’s tomb: Union minister of

tourism and culture, Mahesh Sharma, on 26 December 2014 launched e-

ticketing facility for the Taj Mahal and Humayun's tomb on a pilot basis,

and a helpline number to ensure safety of domestic and international

tourists.

7. Cristiano Ronaldo voted best footballer: Portugal football team captain

Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted as the number one footballer in the

world overtaking Argentina skipper Lionel Messi for the top spot. The

Guardian reportedly revealed it’s top 100 footballers’ list in the world

2014 in its entirety and the battle for the top spot was once again

between Ronaldo and Messi. It turned in Ronaldo’s favour as 74 per cent

of 73 judges drawn from 28 countries, which included Hernan Crespo,

DidiHamann, SlavenBilic and Gilberto Silva among the expert panel,

voted for the Real Madrid star forward.

25 DEC – 1. Union Government observed Good Governance Day:

UnionGovernment observed 25 December 2014 as Good Governance

Day. The day was observed to celebrate the 90th birth anniversary of

Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Most of the Union Ministries marked the day with

e-governance initiatives, launch of new programmes and websites. Some

dedicated existing initiatives to the nation, while others released year-

end reviews of their programmes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited

his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, launching development activities

and participating in the “Clean India” campaign.

2. Japan parliament re-elected Abe as prime minister: Japan's parliament

re-elected Shinzo Abe on 24 December 2014 to serve another term as

prime minister after his party won a snap election earlier this month. Abe

won 328 votes out of the 470 cast by lawmakers in a special session of

the lower house. Since the ruling Liberal Democrats hold only two lower

house seats, two other lawmakers also cast votes for Abe. Following a

similar vote by the upper house, Abe will name his cabinet,

replacing only his defense minister.



3. India clinched gold in Under-16 Chess Olympiad: Top seeds India bagged

the gold medal in the World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad at Gyor in

Hungary in a tight contest recently. India beat Turkey 3.0-1.0 in the 10th

and final round to clinch the title ahead of Russia and Iran at the

FIDE tournament held at the University of West Hungary.

4. Govt to introduce alfa-numeric code for jewellery soon: The central

government is “actively considering” introduction of a nine-digit

alphanumeric identity code for every jewellery item manufactured in

India, to fix purity and traceability. The code is proposed to be encrypted

on every ornament. The major aim is to protect consumers from being

duped, through tracing of the origin, certifying and assaying of

ornaments. At present, some organised retailers sell ornaments with the

Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) hallmark, at a premium to local jewellers.

5. Commemorative postage stamp on Kuka Movement

released:Government has released a commemorative postal stamp to

highlight heroic deeds of those engaged in 1857 Kuka movement of the

Namdhari Sikhs against the British rule. It was released by Union minister

for Communication and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad in

New Delhi. This movement marked the first major anti British reaction

and its new political order initiated in 1849 among the people in the

Punjab in 1857.

6. After 20 years government decided to print 1 rupee paper

notes:Government is keen to start printing Rs. 1 notes after a gap of

almost two decades. The Government has notified ‘Printing of One

Rupee Currency Notes Rules, 2015’, which will come into effect from

January 1, 2015. Due to higher cost and for freeing capacity to print

higher denomination notes, printing Rs.1 note was discontinued in

November 1994, followed by Rs. 2 in February 1995, and Rs.5 in

November 1995. Since then, only coins have been issued for these

denominations. However, old notes are still in circulation and remain

legal tender. As before, the new one rupee note will have the signature

of the Finance Secretary.

7. Government launched 'Mission Indradhanush' for children vaccination:

The government has launched 'Mission Indradhanush' that aims to cover

all un-vaccinated or partially vaccinated children by the year 2020,

against seven vaccine preventable diseases. The diseases that come

under the mission launched by the Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on

'Good Governance Day' are diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio,

tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B.

8. Reliance Capital to open a new bank in India in association with Japan's

Sumitomo Mitsui: Reliance Capital, the Anil Ambani-led financial

company, has sold a 2.8 per cent stake to Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Trust

Bank for Rs 371 crore to bolster its ambition of owning a bank as and

when RBI kicks off on-tap licensing. Getting Japan's fourth-largest bank as

a partner would add heft to such a bid, whenever it's made.

9. Amitabh Bachchan honoured with Yash Chopra Memorial Award:

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has been conferred with the second Yash

Chopra Memorial Award. Bachchan, 72, delivered his career's

blockbusters with the ace filmmaker right from his first collaboration in

'Deewar', 'KabhiKabhie', 'Trishul', 'KaalaPatthar'. 'Silsila', 'Mohabatein' to

'VeeraZaara' and 'BuntyAurBabli'.

24 DEC –2014 1. Atal Bihari Vajpayee & Madan Mohan Malviya to get Bharat Ratna

award: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and educationist



Madan Mohan Malviya were on 24 December 2014 chosen for the

country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. "The President has been

pleased to award Bharat Ratna to Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya

(posthumously) and to Atal Bihari Vajpayee," a press communique from

RashtrapatiBhavan said.

2. Assam violence toll mounts to 75: Assam remained on the edge on 24

December 2014 as the death toll in attacks by the Songbijit faction of

National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) reached 76. Heavily

armed militants suspected to be associated with the Songbijit faction of

NDFB went on a killing spree and killed the ‘adivasis’ mainly in Sonitpur

and Kokrajhar districts as well as Chiang district and killed many people.

3. PM Modi to Inaugurate Indian Science Congress at Mumbai on January

3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 102nd Indian

Science Congress here on January 3. Preparations are in full swing at the

University of Mumbai’s Kalina Campus to host the event from January 3

to January 7, 2015. Around 12,000 delegates, including seven Nobel

laureates and four Nobel-equivalent prize winning scientists, are

expected to attend the congress.

4. Bharti Airtel to charge customers for using VoIP services: Bharti Airtel

customers will now have to pay extra if they are making calls on Skype,

Viber or other apps using their mobile data packs as the operator has

decided to charge standard data rates for making voice calls over

Internet (VoIP). The VoIP data will be charged separately and would not

be part of the existing data packs. This is the first time in the country that

any mobile operator is charging separately for VoIP data.

5. S Bhattacharya appointed Chairman and Managing Director of Coal

India Ltd: Senior IAS officer S Bhattacharya has been appointed as the

Chairman and Managing Director of Coal India Ltd(CIL). The coal major

was without a full time chief for the past six months. "The Appointments

Committee of the Cabinet had a couple of days back cleared

Bhattacharya for the top job," an official said adding that "the order for

his appointment has been made." Bhattacharya takes over the charge

from Additional Secretary (Coal) A K Dubey who was given the additional

charge as CMD of CIL from June 26.

6. ISRO chairman Radhakrishnan in Nature journal's top ten list: Dr. K.

Radhakrishnan, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation

(ISRO) is one of the 2014 top ten scientists chosen by the prestigious

journal Nature. This is the first time in the recent past that the journal

has chosen an Indian working in India. He is listed along with other

people like Andrea Accomazzo, the Rosetta flight operations director,

European Space Agency. He was listed for the success of Mangalyaan

mission when India became the first and only nation to land sucessfull in

Mars during maiden attempt.

7. Theme song of National Games 2015 released: The theme song of the

35th National Games, composed by famous singer and composer

Hariharan, was formally released by Kerala Chief

MinisterOommenChandy, at a function held at Thiruvananthapuram,

Kerala. The promotional video starring the Games' Goodwill Ambassador

and Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar was released by Sports Minister

ThiruvanchoorRadhakrishnan. Song was penned by JavedAkthar and

composed by Hariharan. The song has been sung by K.J. Yesudas, Salim

Merchant, Shreya Ghoshal, Benny Dayal, Shweta Mohan and



AkshayHariharan, besides the composer. Kerala is hosting the games to

be held from January 31 to February 14.

8. National Consumers Right Day observed: 29th National Consumers Right

Day was observed across India on 24 December 2014. The day provides

an opportunity to highlight the importance of the consumer movement

and the need to make every consumer more aware of their rights and

responsibilities.

9. Food Ministry to have all official work on e-files in 3 months: In

observance of ‘Good Governance Day’ on December 25, the Ministry of

Consumer Affairs & Food has decided to have all official work on e-files

within three months. Initiative in this regard has been taken and within

next three months all proposals will be put up and approvals will be

taken on e- files only, said an official release.

10. Government allowed 100 per cent FDI in medical devices sector:

Thegovernment has allowed 100% foreign investment in the medical

devices sector under the automatic route to encourage domestic

manufacturing and also potentially opened the existing Indian companies

in the sector to foreign acquisition.

23 DEC –2014 1. BJP becomes the single largest party in Jharkhand assembly election:

Having secured a majority, the Bharatiya Janata Party, along with its ally,

the All Jharkhand Students’ Union (AJSU), is all set to form a government

in Jharkhand. Many political stalwarts, even former Chief Ministers, lost

the election, in what political observers see as a shift from the politics of

the past that has seen unstable regimes, five Chief Ministers and

intermittent periods of President’s rule since the State was formed 14

years ago.

2. Hung Assembly in Jammu & Kashmir: The People’s Democratic Party

(PDP), with 28 seats, has emerged as the single largest party in Jammu

and Kashmir, but the hung Assembly formed by a four-cornered division

of seats has made government-formation an uphill task.

3. Filmmaker K Balachander died: Acclaimed filmmaker K Balachander,

who brought in a new wave of filmmaking in Tamil cinema with bold

themes and mentored talented actors like Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth and

Sridevi, died on 23 December 2014. The 84-year-old DadasahebPhalke

award winner, who carved out a niche for himself on the national stage

with memorable films like 'Arangetram', 'AvalOruThodarkadhai', Rajini

and Haasan-starrer 'ApoorvaRaagangal', 'Avargal', 'EkDujeKeLiye' and

'Aaina', died of heart attack following a brief illness.

4. Deadline to exchange pre-2005 notes extended till June 30: The

deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes of various

denominations, including Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, has been extended by

another six months till June, 30, 2015. "The Reserve Bank of India has

stated that the public can do so till June 30, 2015. Earlier in March 2014,

it had set the last date for public to exchange these notes was January 1,

2015," the RBI said in a statement. The central bank clarified that all such

notes will continue to remain a legal tender. These notes can be

exchanged for their full value, it added. Currency notes issued before

2005 do not have the year of printing on the reverse side. In notes issued

post 2005, the year of printing is visible at the bottom on the reverse.

5. Govt. sets up committee to form SIT to reinvestigate 1984 riot cases:

Union Ministry of Home Affairs on 23 December 2014 set up Mathur

committee to examine the possibility of constitution of a Special



Investigation Team (SIT) for reinvestigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot

cases. The Committee will be headed by former Supreme Court Judge

Justice (retired) G.P. Mathur. It will submit its report till April 2015.

6. KisanDiwas observed: KisanDiwas was observed across the country on

23 December 2014 to celebrate the birthday of Chaudhary Charan Singh.

Political leaders cutting across party lines paid tributes to fifth PM of

India on his 11th birth anniversary. Leaders visited the former PM’s

samadhi at KisanGhat in New Delhi. Government in 2001 had decided to

observe 23 December every year as KisanDiwas (Farmers Day).

22 DEC – 1. Sachin Tendulkar named ambassador for 2015 ICC World Cup:Indian

cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, who is the all-time leading run-getter in

World Cup history, was named the event's ambassador for the second

successive edition. "The International Cricket Council today announced

Sachin Tendulkar as the World Cup 2015 Ambassador. It will be the

second successive time that the India maestro will be the Ambassador of

ICC's pinnacle tournament, after he fulfilled the role in the previous

event in 2011," the ICC said in a statement in Dubai on 22 December

2014. In his role as ambassador, Tendulkar will promote and support

a variety of ICC initiatives to enhance the profile of thetournament,

which is the third biggest sporting event in the world and will take place

in Australia and New Zealand from 14th February to 29th March.

2. Gujarat to host PravasiBharatiya Divas 2015: The 13th edition of the

PravasiBharatiya Divas (PBD), an event which celebrates the

achievements of Indians living abroad, will be held in Gujarat from

January 7-9. Briefing the media about the upcoming event on 22

December 2014, External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj said that

Gujarat has been chosen as the partner State as 2015 happens to be the

100th year of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa. To

reflect this, the event will showcase his work and achievements. The

event will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 8,

and President Pranab Mukherjee will honour prominent Pravasis on

January 9.

3. Beji Caid Essebsi elected as the President of Tunisia: Veteran politician

Beji Caid Essebsi declared victory in Sunday's presidential run-off vote,

seen as the last step in Tunisia's shift to full democracy four years after

an uprising ousted autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. The country took

about 4 years to make the free and fair democratic transition after the

chaotic uprising of 2011 which toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The 88-year old leader heads the secular NidaaTounes (Call for Tunisia)

party. He clinched the election by defeating incumbent Prime Minister

MoncefMarzouki in the Presidential run-off vote.

4. India to reach replacement levels of fertility by 2020: Fertility is falling

faster than expected in India, and the country is on track to reach

replacement levels of fertility as soon as 2020, new official data shows.

The 2013 data for the Sample Registration Survey (SRS), conducted by

the Registrar General of India, the country’s official source of birth and

death data, was released on 22 December 2014. The SRS shows that the

Total Fertility Rate – the average number of children that will be born to

a woman during her lifetime – in eight States has fallen below two

children per woman, new official data shows.

5. Suresh Prabhu-led panel submitted advisory Group reports to

PiyushGoyal: Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 22 December

2014 submitted the reports of the Advisory Group for Integrated

Development of Power, Coal, and Renewable Energy to Minister of State



(Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, and Renewable Energy

PiyushGoyal. The report covers the contemporary issues and challenges

in respect of the the latter's ministries. In the report, suggestions have

been made for the enhancement of coal production in the short, medium

and long terms.

6. Naval light combat aircraft successfully tested: The first naval prototype

of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), designed to operate from the decks of

aircraft carriers, was successfully tested at a facility in Goa, the defence

ministry said. The LCA (Navy) Prototype 1 - or NP1 - the first indigenously

designed and developed fourth-plus generation combat aircraft, was

tested at the Ski-Jump facility of the Shore Based Test Facility at INS

Hansa in Goa on 20 Dec 2014.

7. Arjun Atwal won inaugural Dubai Open Golf: Veteran Indian golfer Arjun

Atwal on 21 December 2014 ended a frustrating four-year title drought

by winning the inaugural Dubai Open by one stroke after South Korean

teenager Wang Jeung-hun bogeyed the final hole at the par-72 Els Club

Dubai.

8. National Mathematics Day celebrated: India on 22 December 2014

celebrated National Mathematics Day. The day is observed to

commemorate the birth anniversary of great Indian Mathematician

SrinivasaRamanujan. The declaration to observe 22 December as

National Mathematics Day was made by former Prime Minister

Dr.Manmohan Singh on 26 February 2012 at Madras University on the

occasion of 125th birth anniversary of Ramanujan.

9. India's Shiva Keshavan wins silver at Asian Luge Championship: India’s

Shiva Keshavan added another international medal to his kitty by winning

a silver at the 17th Asian Luge Championships in Nagano, Japan.

Keshavan, who has participated in five Winter Olympics, clocked 49.934

seconds to cover the 1326 metre long ice track in the men’s luge

competition at the Spiral Olympic Sliding Centre in Nagano.

HidenariKanayama of Japan won gold in 49.791 seconds while Kim of

Korea bagged the bronze with a timing of 50.178.

10. Klaus Iohannis sworn in as Romania’s new president: Liberal Klaus

Iohannis, former mayor of Sibiu, has been sworn in as Romania's new

president in an elaborate ceremony on 21 December 2014. The new

head of state pledged to use his time in office to fight corruption and

strengthen the country's institutions.

21 DEC –2014 1. Indian men & women win World Cup Kabaddi titles: The Indian men's

team continued their winning streak by clinching the fifth Kabaddi World

Cup title, while the women's side bagged the crown for the fourth

consecutive time. At a grand finale held at Guru Gobind Singh

Multipurpose Stadium, the Indian men's team defeated Pakistan 45-42

forthe fourth time, while the women team beat New Zealand 36-27 for

the second time in a row. History repeated itself as both teams in the

men and women sections had clashed during the finals of Fourth Kabaddi

World Cup at Ludhiana last year and in both the matches, India had

emerged victorious.

2. Only 17% have health insurance cover: Fresh official data show

thenumber of people covered by health insurance in India could be far

fewer than estimated. Only 21.62 crore people, or 17 per cent of the

total population, were covered by health insurance at the end of March

2014. The estimate, prepared by the Insurance Regulatory and

Development Authority (IRDA) and tabled in Parliament by Union Finance



Minister ArunJaitley on 19 December 2014, is sharply lower than that of

the World Bank.

3. Holder appointed West Indies ODI captain: Jason Holder has replaced

Dwayne Bravo as West Indies' ODI captain and will lead the team in the

five-match ODI series against South Africa, which starts on January 16,

2015. Bravo, who had replaced Darren Sammy as the ODI captain in May

2013, has been left out of the squad for the South Africa one-dayers but

is a part of the T20 side. Bravo led West Indies to victory in 12 of their 27

completed ODIs since taking over full-time from Sammy.

4. Jammu & Kashmir recorded highest turnout: Describing 2014 as a year

of record-high voter turnouts, the Election Commission on 20 December

2014 said the 66% overall polling in J&K was its highest in the last two-

and-a-half decades. In Jharkhand too, the 66.03% aggregate poll

percentage was the best ever witnessed in any election in the state.

5. Former Union minister Napoleon joined BJP: Former Union minister of

state D Napoleon on 21 December 2014 joined BJP in the presence of its

President Amit Shah,a day after quitting the DMK,citing lack of intra-

party democracy. I did not like the functioning of the party.There was no

intra-party democracy.The party elections were not conducted the way it

should have been,he told reporters after formally joining the BJP,which

has set eyes on strengthening its presence in Tamil Nadu ahead of 2016

Assembly elections. The actor-turned politician said he had the blessings

of former Union minister M K Alagiri,elder son of DMK chief M

Karunanidhi. I have joined the BJP only with Alargiri's blessings.

20 DEC –2014 1. Atletico de Kolkata defeated Kerala Blasters to win Inaugural edition of

ISL: The Indian Super League trophy went to the traditional and most

passionate home of Indian football as Atletico de Kolkata edged past

Kerala Blasters 1-0 in the final in Mumbai on 20 December 2014, bringing

the curtains down on what proved to be a successful inaugural event.

Mohammad Rafique scored the most-important goal in the dying

minutes to help Atletico de Kolkata emerge triumphant at the DY Patil

Stadium. Here are the awards of ISL 2014

Golden Ball Award for the best player of the league: Iain Hume,

Kerala Blasters Golden Boot Award for the ISL's top scorer: ElanoBlumer,

Chennaiyin FC Emerging Player Award: SandeshJhingan, Kerala Blasters

Golden Glove Award: Jan Seda, FC Goa

Goal of the League Award: Kostas Katsouranis, FC Pune City

Fair Play Award: Delhi Dynamos and

Best Fans Award Kerala Blasters

2. India exported its first warship ‘CGS Barracuda’ to Mauritius: By

delivering an offshore patrol vessel to Mauritius, India on 20 December

2014 exported its first warship. “This is the first time that the export

barrier has been breached. This would be the first among the long line of

ships that we hope to export to various parts of the world,” Minister of

State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh said during the warship handing over

ceremony. Built by defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and

Engineers Limited (GRSE) in Kolkata, the $58.5 million ‘CGS Barracuda’

measures 74.10 m in length.

3. India’s entry ‘Liar’s Dice’ out of Oscar race: India's official entry "Liar's

Dice" is out of Oscars' race after it failed to make the cut in the

Academy's shortlist in the best foreign film category. Nine films advanced

to the next round of voting in the category for the 87th Academy Awards

out of 83 movies that had qualified. "Liar's Dice", a road drama about a



tribal woman's journey to find her missing husband, is the debut film of

Geetu Mohandas. It stars GeetanjaliThapa and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in

lead roles.

4. Australia beat India by 4 wickets in the second test: A listless India

capitulated to a four-wicket defeat in the second Test against Australia

with an inept batting display by the top-order to give the hosts an

invincible 2-0 lead in the four-match series. Resuming at the overnight

score of 71 for one, the visitors lost four wickets in quick succession with

an addition of only 16 runs and were eventually bowled out for 224 in

64.3 overs. Chasing a paltry victory target of 128, Australians lost as

many as six wickets but were always in control as they knocked off the

required runs with more than a day to spare in what turned out to be a

miserable fourth day for the Indians at the Gabba. Smith was named man

of the match.

5. Morgan replaced Cook as England's World Cup captain: Eoin Morgan

has replaced Alastair Cook as England's World Cup captain, The England

and Wales Cricket Board announced on 20 December 2014.

6. Real Madrid beat San Lorenzo 2-0 to win Club World Cup: Real Madrid

outclassed San Lorenzo of Argentina 2-0 in the Club World Cup final on

20 December 2014 to put a crown on their status as the best clubin

world football. The cup added to Madrid’s 2014 trophy haul of

Champions League, Copa del Rey, and European Super Cup, and it will

carry a 22-game winning streak into 2015.

7. Jyotsna Suri is new FICCI president: Jyotsna Suri, chairperson of Bharat

Hotels Ltd, on 20 December 2014 took over as the president of the

Federation of Indian Chambers of commerce & Industry (Ficci). Suri

succeeded Sidharth Birla.

8. Indian-American Verma sworn in as US Ambassador to India: Indian-

American Richard Rahul Verma has been sworn in as the US Ambassador

to India by Secretary of State John Kerry. 46-year-old Verma is the first

ever Indian-American to be the top US diplomat in New Delhi. He is

scheduled to arrive in India ahead of Kerry's visit to Delhi next month. US

President Barack Obama will arrive in late January to attend the Republic

Day Parade on January 26, 2015 as the Chief Guest.

9. Federal Bank CEO to head IBA panel on private banks: Federal

BankManaging Director and CEO Shyam Srinivasan has

been appointedChairman of the reconstituted Indian Banks’ Association

committee on member private sector banks for 2014-15. The panel

consists of executives from 13 private banks. The committee looks after

the specific needs of all the 23 private sector banks that are members of

the IBA. The term of the committee is one year, according to a press

release.

10. Flipkart files for conversion to a Public Company in Singapore: India’s e-

commerce giant Flipkart, on 20 December 2014 announced a US $ 700

million investment with new investors. Along with the latest funding

round, Flipkart Limited (incorporated at Singapore) has filed with ACRA

Singapore for conversion to a Public Company.

11. RAW, CRPF get new chiefs: Rajinder Khanna will be the new chief of the

Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s external intelligence agency.

The government on 20 December 2014 also appointed Prakash Mishra,

Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Union Home Ministry, the new



Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). A senior

1977-batch IPS officer of the Odisha cadre, Mr. Mishra has served as

Director-General of the Odisha Police and in the National Investigation

Agency (NIA). In choosing Mr. Khanna to head RAW, the government has

preferred to look inside the organisation to pick a successor to Alok Joshi,

who retires as its chief on December 31.

12. International Human Solidarity Day observed: The UN General

Assembly, on 22 December 2005, by resolution 60/209 identified

solidarity as one of the fundamental and universal values that should

underlie relations between peoples in the Twenty-first century, and in

that regard decided to proclaim 20 December of each year International

Human Solidarity Day. This year's theme - 'Moving together as one'.

19 DEC –2014 Current Affairs Daily Updates: 19 December 2014

1. R K Srivastava appointed new chairman of AAI: R K Srivastava, a 1984-

batch Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer, was on 19 December 2014 appointed

as the Chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for a five-year

period. Civil Aviation Ministry issued an order to this effect. The selection

board had interviewed 10 senior officials for the post of AAI chairman on

September 25. The post of chairman was lying vacant after the

superannuation of the then incumbent V P Agrawal.

2. Miss World swimsuit round cancelled after 63 years: The Miss World

contest will no longer feature a swimsuit round, Julia Morley,

chairwoman of the organisers, has said. Miss World was founded in 1951

by her late husband, Eric, and since then, the swimwear round had been

a regular feature. But recently, she has come to feel that the round is

unnecessary. Hence, the pageant has not been broadcasting it for some

years. Rolene Strauss of South Africa was crowned the 64th Miss World

in London on December 14 and the pageant was the last to include the

swimwear round.

3. Ashley Westwood to take over as Indian football coach in June: The All

India Football Federation (AIFF) is heavily backing Ashley Westwood to

take over as India's youngest football coach. The 38-year-old English

coach who guided Bengaluru FC to an amazing I-League triumph on

debut, and that too with a team of rejects, has won the vote of

confidence from the AIFF and his appointment only needs to be stamped

by the technical committee which meets in Mumbai on Sunday.

4. Vistara opened bookings: Vistara, the airline joint venture between Tata

Sons and Singapore Airlines, has announced the launch of its operation in

India from January 9 onwards. With Delhi as its hub, Vistara will initially

offer flights to Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The fares are substantially

higher than those of its full-service carrier rivals, Jet Airways and

government-owned Air India (AI). It, however, will be the first in India to

offer premium economy seating and a value-based frequent flyer

programme, where bonus points would be given not on miles flown but

on what you pay.

5. Pakistan beats India in race to become CERN associate member:

Pakistan on 19 December 2014 beat India in the race to become an

associate member of Cern (European Organization for Nuclear Research),

the world's largest particle physics laboratory that recently found some

evidence of "God particle". Being an associate member will allow

Pakistan to participate in the governance of Cern, through attending the

meetings of the Cern council. Moreover, it will allow Pakistani scientists

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to become members of the Cern staff, and to participate in CERN's

training and career-development programmes.

6. DRDO successfully tested an indigenous 1000 kg glide bomb: India on 19

December 2014 tested an indigenously developed 1,000-kg glide bomb,

with a top official saying the country can now launch heavy bombs for

delivery up to 100 km away with high precision. The bomb designed and

developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

was dropped by an Indian Air force aircraft in the Bay of Bengal off

Odisha, an official statement said.

7. Refugiado won best film award in 19th IFFK: Argentinean film Refugiado

directed by Diego Lerman, a drama on a mother and her young son

fleeing from domestic violence, won the SuvarnaChakoram for the Best

Feature Film at the 19th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).

Japanese director Hiroshi Toda won the RajathaChakoram for the Best

Director for the film Summer, Kyoto and Iranian director HosseinShahabi

won the RajathaChakoram for the best debut film for The Bright Day.

Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam presented the awards at the closing

ceremony of the festival held at the Nishagandhi Auditorium on 19

December 2014.

8. Government approved 8.75% interest rate on provident fund deposits

for 2014-15: Over five crore subscribers of the EPFO will get 8.75 per

cent interest this fiscal on their provident fund deposits - the same rate

as the previous year. "Finance ministry has ratified the decision of the

EPFO's central board of trustees (CBT) to retain 8.75 per cent rate of

interest for the current fiscal," said a source. The rate was same in the

previous year, 2013-14, when it was raised from 8.5 per cent in the 2012-

13 fiscal.

9. Haryanvi twins hit record by conquering Seven Summits:

Twomountaineer sisters from Haryana achieved a unique world record

on Tuesday. Nungshi and Tashi Singh Mallik became the first twins to

climb Mt Vinson, the highest peak of Antarctica. In doing so, they created

history by becoming the first siblings—and twins—to scale the tallest

mountain peaks in all seven continents. They have also entered the hall

of fame for mountaineers, the Seven Summit Club.

18 DEC –2014 18th December 2014 Current Affairs Updates

1. GSLV Mark-III-X successfully test fired: The first experimental flight of

the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III registered

success as it lifted off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan

Space Centre in Sriharikota on the dot at 9.30 a.m. on 18 December

2014, taking India much closer to realising the dream of manned space

flight. GSLV Mark-III-X is the heaviest rocket (630 tonnes) of India, which

was launched on an experimental mission along with human Crew

module Atmospheric Reentry Experiment (CARE). It was launched with

an aim to check its atmospheric stability with luggage of around four

tonne and to study re-entry characteristics of the crew module.

2. Gabriel Garcia Marquez to feature on Colombia bank notes:Colombia

will honour its most famous author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, by featuring

his face on its banknotes. The House of Representativespassed a bill

recently asking the central bank to print a series of notes featuring the

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Nobel Prize winner's face. Garcia Marquez, the author of One Hundred

Years of Solitude and other popular works of magic realism, died in April

in Mexico City.

3. Lord's set to stage record fifth ICC Cricket World Cup final: "Lord's

Cricket Ground in London has been proposed as the venue for the ICC

Cricket World Cup final when the tournament is staged in England and

Wales in 2019 - and will also host the ICC Women's World Cup final in

2017," the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement. Lord's

staged the first three ICC Cricket World Cup finals in 1975, 1979 and

1983. The West Indies won the first two finals - their only World Cup

successes - while India recorded the first of their two World Cup

triumphs in 1983.

4. Minorities Rights Day observed: Minorities Rights Day on 18 December

2014 was observed across the world to create awareness on rights of

minorities. On this day, governments and NGO’s conduct debates on the

recent developments in policies and practices in Minority Rights both in

India and at the global level.

5. Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic selected as ITF world champions:

Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were named as men's and women's

World Champions for 2014 on 18 December 2014 by the International

Tennis Federation (ITF). It is the fourth time that Djokovic has taken the

top award after he won Wimbledon, the ATP World Tour finals and

finished the year ranked number one in the world by the ATP. The 27-

year-old Serb is one of only four men to be named ITF World Champion

four or more times, alongside Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras and Roger

Federer. Williams won the US Open, the 18th Grand Slam title of her

career, the WTA Tour Championship and was also ranked number one by

the WTA. At 33 she is the oldest player ever to be named an ITF Singles

World Champion.

6. Germany topped FIFA year end rankings: World champions Germany

comfortably top the pile of the FIFA national team rankings revealed on

18 Dec 2014 despite a slump in form since their rampant campaign in

Brazil. The top three remain unchanged since September with Lionel

Messi's beaten World Cup finalists Argentina second and Colombia in

third.

7. Micromax launched its YU brand: Yu, the new brand from domestic

handset maker Micromax, on 18 December 2014 launched its first device

named Yureka. The 4G device comes with Cyanogen operating system

and is priced at Rs 8,999. The products launched under the ‘Yu’ brand will

be sold through the online route, emulating Xiaomi's business model.

Yureka, which is a dual SIM device, will be available for pre-registration

on Amazon.in from December 19 and will be available from the second

week of January.

17 DEC –2014 Daily Current Affairs Updates: 17 December 2014

1. Cabinet approved GST Constitutional Amendment Bill: The Union

Cabinet on 17 December 2014 approved the Constitutional Amendment

Bill on Goods & Services Tax (GST), inching closer to the rollout of an

ambitious indirect tax reform expected to raise revenues and boost

growth. The government aims to implement GST by April 1, 2016 and has

been working overtime to get states on board. The tax reform is a

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centrepiece of the Narendra Modi government's economic agenda.

Sources said the government hopes to introduce the bill in the current

session of Parliament.

2. AIBA banned boxer Sarita Devi for 1 year: India's woman boxer

LaishramSarita Devi was on 17 December 2014 slapped with a one-year

ban by International Boxing Association (AIBA) for her refusal to accept a

bronze medal during the Incheon Asian Games earlier this year in South

Korea. Also, India's foreign coach BI Fernandez and Sarita's husband

Thoiba Singh were banned for two years, but chief national coach GS

Sandhu was not found guilty and hence his suspension was lifted. The

boxer's personal coach Lenin has been banned for a year.

3. RBI fined ICICI, Bank of Baroda for violation of KYC: The Reserve Bank of

India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty on ICICI Bank (Rs.50 lakh)

and Bank of Baroda (Rs.25 lakh) for violation of its instructions on Know

Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) norms. It also

cautioned State Bank of India, Axis Bank and State Bank of Patiala for

these violations. The RBI said that some fraudsters had managed to open

fictitious accounts in the name of a statutory organisation in these five

banks and operated the accounts mainly for encashing cheques/demand

drafts/postal orders, of which they were not the rightful owners, for

periods ranging from one month to two years, without being detected by

the banks.

4. U.S and Cuba agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties: The United States

and Cuba made a historic breakthrough in their Cold War stand-off on

Wednesday, moving to revive diplomatic ties and launch measures to

ease a five-decade U.S. trade embargo. In the wake of a prisoner

exchange, President Barack Obama said the United States was ready to

review trade ties and to re-open its embassy in communist Cuba that has

been closed since 1961.

5. Satyarthi’s school to be named after him: The government school in

Vidisha, in which KailashSatyarthi, winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize

had his primary education, is set to be named after him. Madhya Pradesh

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced this at a function here

to felicitate Mr. Satyarthi, who was on his first visit to the

State after receiving the coveted prize.

6. PM to inaugurate PravasiBhartiya Divas on Jan 8 : Prime Minister

Narendra Modi will inaugurate the PravasiBharatiya Divas (PBD) at

Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar on January 8. "On the morning of

January 8, the Prime Minister will first inaugurate the 'Salt Mound'

structure near Mahatma Mandir before officially inaugurating the

PravasiBharatiya Divas. He will be accompanied by MoS for External

Affairs, General (retd) V K Singh and many dignitaries," state Finance

Minister Saurabh Patel told. The day is held to mark the contribution of

the overseas Indian community to the development of the country.

7. Indian-American Amit Priyavadan Mehta confirmed as a Federal

judge by the US Senate: Indian-American Amit Priyavadan Mehta has

been confirmed by the US Senate as a Federal judge in the District of

Columbia, becoming the first Asian Pacific American to occupy this vital

position. Nominated by the US President, Barack Obama in July this year,

Mehta has been a partner at Zuckerman Spaeder since 2010, where he

represents clients in civil and criminal matters before the State

andFederal courts.



8. Jacqueline Fernandez and KS Radhakrishnan to get PETA India’s People

of the Year award: Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez and

former Supreme Court judge KS Radhakrishnan have been given PETA

India’s People of the Year award for their contribution towards the

protection of animals. The animal rights organisation named Ms.

Fernandez as ‘Woman of the Year’ and justice (retd) Radhakrishnan as

‘Man of the Year’. “Justice (Retd) Radhakrishnan and Fernandez are role

models who uphold this mandate for kindness to animals through

theactions they take, as we all should,” PETA U.K. director Mimi

Bekhechi, said.

16 DEC – 16th December 2014 Current Affairs Updates

1. 132 School children massacred by Taliban at Army Public School in

Peshawar: Six militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban stormed the premises

of the Army Public School in Peshawar and shot dead about 141 people,

132 of them students, going from classroom to classroom seeking their

prey. Claiming responsibility for the attack, TTP spokesman Muhammad

Khorasani said in a statement sent to the media, that the Taliban were

forced to attack the school because of Operation Zarb-e-Azb and

Operation Khyber-I . “We claim responsibility. We have sent in six

attackers, [however by late evening nine militants were taken out],

including target killers and suicide attackers. They have been ordered to

shoot the older students, but not the children. We are giving them direct

instructions to not harm minors. We want them [the army] to feel our

pain because they target our families,” Khorasani boasted.

2. India banned Islamic State: The dreaded IS terror group has been

banned in India, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh disclosed on 16

December 2014, days after a Bangalore techie was allegedly found

tweeting in support of the terrorist organisation. “We have banned this

organisation [IS] as a first step. I will like to inform [the House] that the

group has been banned under the Unlawful Activities *Prevention+ Act,”

he said during Question Hour.

3. IRCTC is the most searched website in India this year: Lok Sabha

elections this year, which saw extensive use of various digital platforms

for political campaigns, has topped the list of trending topics this year in

India, search engine giant Google said. According to Google

India'sannual 'Year in Search' (YIS), other top trends on the website

included FIFA 2014, iPhone 6, GATE 2015 and Narendra Modi. Prime

Minister Modi was also the most searched politician this year, coming

ahead of Bollywood biggies like Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. This is for

the first time a politician has gained more search popularity

than entertainment celebrities, Google said. In terms of top searches

across categories, IRCTC topped the list, followed by Flipkart, SBI Online,

Snapdeal and PNR Status.

4. HDFC Bank launched 'Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein' initiative: HDFC Bank

on 16 December 2014 launched 'Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein,' an offering

that literally turns a mobile phone into a bank branch. "A bank branch

the size of your palm that is with you round-the-clock, wherever you

are," HDFC Bank said. With over 75 transactions -- all a touch away -- it

offers the customer the widest range of transactions conceivable, the

bank said.

5. Govt launched National Health Portal to create awareness about health

issues: The union ministry of health and family welfare has launched a

National Health Portal (www.nhp.gov.in) to provide healthcare

information to the citizens of the country. “This portal will serve as a

single point of access for consolidated and authentic information and

http://www.currentaffairs4examz.com/2014/12/16th-december-2014-current-affairs.html



resources on the health sector to a wide spectrum of users such as

academicians, citizens, students, healthcare professionals and

researchers,” Union Health Minister J P Nadda said in a written reply in

the Rajya Sabha on 16 December 2014.

6. 14th Finance Commission submitted its report to President: The 14th

Finance Commission headed by former RBI Governor YV Reddy

submitted its report to the President of India on 15 December 2014. The

report was submitted by A N Jha, Secretary of the Finance Commission to

Omita Paul, Secretary to the President of India.

7. INS Arihant, first made-in-India nuclear submarine began sea trials: In a

major boost to indigenisation of defence manufacturing, India's first

nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarine INS Arihant was on 16

December 2014 flagged off by the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar

from Vizag for sea trials. India is the only nation in the Indian Ocean

region to have a nuclear submarine and the sixth in the world to have the

capability to design and construct a nuclear submarine.

8. Vivek Murthy is USA's new surgeon general: Thirty seven-year-old

Indian-American physician VivekHallegere Murthy has been confirmed as

the 19th Surgeon General of America by U.S. Senate. He is youngest

person and first person of Indian-origin to hold the post. The upper

house of US Congress confirmed Mr. Murthy’s nomination by 51 votes to

43 more than year after President Barack Obama had nominated him to

this top administration post on public health issues in November 2013

which saw a strong opposition from the powerful pro-gun lobby National

RifleAssociation (NRA).

9. Vijay Diwas observed across the country: Vijay Diwas was observed

across the country on 16 December 2014. On this day, nation remembers

martyrs, who laid down their lives during Indo-Pak War of 1971.

10. Government launched RashtriyaGokul Mission for indigenous cattle: To

conserve and develop indigenous bovine breeds, governmenthas

launched 'RashtriyaGokul Mission' under the National Programme for

Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development (NPBBD). Agriculture Minister

Radha Mohan Singh told Lok Sabha that the NPBBD was launched earlier

this year with an integrated, holistic and scientific approach to improve

and upgrade the genetic makeup of bovines.

11. RTGS business hours increased to 12 hours on weekdays: To promote

electronic payments, the Reserve Bank on 16 December 2014 increased

RTGS business hours to 12 hours from 8 am to 8 pm on weekdays,

effective December 29. On Saturdays, the RTGS (real time gross

settlement) system of online fund transfer will be open from 8 am to

3.30 pm, the RBI said in a circular. The existing business hours are 9 am

to 4.30 pm on weekdays and till 2pm on Saturdays. The current minimum

amount that can be transferred through this channel is Rs 2 lakh. The

circular did not mention whether the this amount has been revised or

not.

15 DEC – 1. Gunman, 2 hostages killed as cops storm Sydney cafe to end 16-hour

siege: Amid a barrage of gunfire, police stormed a cafe in the heart of

Sydney early on 15 December 2014 to end a 16-hour hostage siege by an

Iranian-born gunman. Police said three people were killed — the gunman

and two of the hostages — and four others were wounded. Police raided

the LindtChocolat Cafe after they heard a number of gunshots from

inside, said New South Wales state police commissioner Andrew



Scipione. The gunman was identified as Man HaronMonis, who once was

prosecuted for sending offensive letters to families of Australian troops

killed in Afghanistan.

2. IOC is India's biggest company: Fortune 500 list: State-run Indian Oil

Corporation is the country's largest company in terms of revenue,

followed by Reliance Industries and Bharat Petroleum in the second and

third place respectively, according to the Fortune 500 list of Indian

companies for 2014. Indian Oil Corp (IOC) tops the chart with an annual

revenue of Rs 5,00,973 crore, while MukeshAmbani-led Reliance

Industries Ltd's (RIL) full-year revenue is Rs 4,44,021 crore.

3. Steven Smith appointed new Australian Cricket Captain: Twenty-five-

year-old Steven Smith will captain Australia against India at the Gabba

from Wednesday in Michael Clarke's absence, Cricket Australia

announced on 15 December 2014. With regular skipper Clarke expected

to miss the rest of the four-match Test series due to injury, Smith was

handed the job after Australia's first Test victory in Adelaide on Saturday.

4. ViswanathanAnand beats Michael Adams to win London Classic: Five-

time chess world champion ViswanathanAnand won his maiden London

Classic title after defeating British Grandmaster Michael Adams in the

fifth and final round on 15 December 2014.

5. Lewis Hamilton won BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014: Lewis

Hamilton has been voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014.

The 29-year-old Mercedes driver won his second Formula 1 world title

this season and joined an exclusive club by becoming the fourth Briton to

winthe drivers' championship at least twice. Northern Irish golfer Rory

McIlroy was runner-up, with athlete Jo Pavey third.

6. Vistara received flying licence, to start operations soon: Air travellers

will soon have more choice. The Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines (SIA) joint

venture full service airline, Vistara, is all set to take the skies next month.

The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) on 15 December 2014

gave Vistara the air operator permit (AOP, read licence) which now paves

the way for what will be India's third full service airline after Air India and

Jet, to take off.

7. Inflation hits a zero, lowest in over 5 years: Wholesale price inflation hit

a zero level in November, the lowest in about five and half years, on

account of decline in prices of food, fuel and manufactured items. The

Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation was at 1.77 per cent in

October and 7.52 per cent in November 2013.

8. Reliance MediaWorks sold Big Cinemas to Carnival Films: Carnival Films

Pvt. Ltd, backed by a Kochi-based commodity trader, has agreed to

acquire a 100% stake in multiplex operator Big Cinemas, a division of

tycoon Anil Ambani’s Reliance MediaWorks Ltd, for around Rs.700 crore

in a deal that will further consolidate the movie exhibition industry.

9. Petrol, diesel rates cut by Rs 2 per litre: State-run oil marketing

companies (OMCs) slashed fuel rates by Rs 2 per litre effective 16

December 2014, sending pump prices of petrol to a 45-month low and

diesel to the least in the last 17 months. This is the eighth consecutive

reduction in petrol prices in the last four months and the fourth in diesel

since October 18, when the Cabinet deregulated the fuel, oil company

executives said.



10. Nation paid homage to Sardar Patel on his 64th death anniversary:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 Dec 2014 paid tribute to

independent India's first home minister SardarVallabhbhai Patel on his

64th death anniversary. "On his PunyaTithi, I pay my respects to

SardarVallabhbhai Patel. India will forever be indebted to Sardar Patel for

his tireless efforts to unite the nation", the prime minister said in a

statement.

14 -DEC-2014 1. Germany beat Pakistan 2-0 to win Champions Trophy Hockey 2014:

Germany emerged victorious in the Hockey Champions Trophy, beating

Pakistan 2-0 in a pulsating final at a packed Kalinga stadium,

Bhubaneswar on 14 December 2014. Christopher Wesley (18th minute)

and Florian Fuchs (56th) scored for Germany to lift the trophy for

the 10thtime. Germany had won the title for the last time in 2007.

Earlier, a tired and lacklustre India was beaten 2-1 by World champion

Australia in the battle for third place.

2. Shinzo Abe re-elected as Japan Prime Minister: Japanese Prime Minister

Shinzo Abe won a comfortable re-election on 14 December 2014 in a

snap poll that he had billed as a referendum on his economic policies.

But a low turnout from unenthusiastic voters beset by a heavy

snowfallacross much of the country could cast doubt on the

endorsement he will claim for “Abenomics” — his signature plan to fix

the country’s flaccid economy. Media exit polls shortly after voting

showed his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner

Komeito had swept the ballot, with an unassailable two-thirds majority in

the lower house of parliament that will give them the power to override

the upper house.

3. South African woman wins Miss World beauty pageant 2014: A 22-year-

old South African woman, Rolene Strauss, won the Miss World 2014

beauty pageant in London on 14 December 2014. Hungary's Edina Kulcsrr

came second and Elizabeth Safrit, representing the United States, came

third. This year's pageant, the 64th, was marred by tragedy after a

Honduran beauty queen was found shot dead in a suspected crime of

passion days before she was due to take part.

4. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan felicitated at Miss World 2014: Aishwarya Rai

was on 14 December 2014 felicitated by the Miss World Organisation at

the 64th edition of the international beauty pageant for her commitment

to "beauty with a purpose" since winning the crown two decades ago.

Described as an embodiment of beauty with purpose, Aishwarya is also

seen as the most successful Miss World so far, a title that she won in

1994. "I stand here overwhelmed by this honour. I thank Miss World

Organization for such an incredible honour that I have received..." she

said in her acceptance speech.

5. Lima climate change talks reach global warming agreement:

International negotiators at the Lima climate change talks have agreed

on a plan to fight global warming that would for the first time commit all

countries to cutting their greenhouse gas emissions. The plan, agreed at

United Nations talks on 14 Dec 2014, was hailed as an important first

step towards a climate change deal due to be finalised in Paris next year.

The proposals call on countries to reveal how they will cut carbon

pollution, ideally by March next year.



6. ShritiVadera set to become first woman to head major British Bank:

Indian-origin ShritiVadera has been appointed as chairman of Santander

UK, becoming the first woman to head a major British bank. 52-year-old

Vadera, former minister in the UK's finance ministry, will join the board

of Santander UK as joint deputy chairman in January, before succeeding

Terence Burns in March next year.

7. National Energy Conservation Day observed: National Energy

Conservation Day was observed on 14 December 2014. The National

Energy Conservation Day was celebrated every year in India by the

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The celebrations were marked by

giving out of National Energy Conservation Award by the Ministry of

Power, Government of India. The award was given to companies from

different industry groups for creating benchmarks in energy

conservation.

8. Government calendar to have mobile app version: For the first time, the

new government calendar, brought out every year by the Information

and Broadcasting Ministry, may come in a mobile phone app avatar also.

The calendar which has 'Clean Green India' as its theme and will highlight

the government's flagship schemes and initiatives will be launched in the

coming days.

9. Jairam Ramesh named member of board providing policy advice to

UNEP: Former Union minister Jairam Ramesh has been appointed as a

member of a board which provides strategic policy advice to a key UN

agency on environmentally-sound technologies for developing nations.

Ramesh said he has accepted the offer to serve as a member of the

International Advisory Board (IAB) which gives strategic policy advice to

the Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme

(UNEP).

10. A R Rahman, Hindi film 'Jal' in Oscars' probable list: India's music

maestro A R Rahman may end up getting his third Oscar nomination in

the best original score category after making it to the list of 114

probables, while Hindi film 'Jal' also features in the long list of best

picture Oscar hopefuls. Rahman, who has previously been nominated for

'127 Hours' and 'Slumdog Millionaire, for which he won two Oscars.

11. AneroodJugnauth is Mauritius PM: Mauritius President named veteran

politician Sir AneroodJugnauth as Prime Minister, after the 84-year-old

won a landslide taking nearly three-quarters of the seats in Parliament.

Mr. Jugnauth, a former President and Prime Minister, was handed his

letter of appointment at a meeting at State House, a statement from the

office of President KailashPurryag said.

12. Drug menace a national pain, says PM Modi in 'Mann kiBaat': Voicing

concern over the "devastating" drug addiction menace, Prime Minister

Narendra Modi on Sunday said society as well as thegovernment will

have to work together to fight this problem and that a helpline would be

set up soon to assist those seeking solutions. In his third 'Mann Ki Baat'

programme on radio, he said the menace is a "national pain" but instead

of the youth mired in the problem, drugs should be shunned.

13 DEC – 1. Leaders paid homage to martyrs of Parliament attack: Parliamentarians

led by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra

Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on 13 December 2014

paid homage to martyrs on the 13th anniversary of the attack on

Parliament. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister



Manmohan Singh, Minister of External Affairs SushmaSwaraj, Home

Minister Rajnath Singh and other members attended a solemn ceremony

held in the premises of Parliament. On 13th December 2001, five heavily-

armed gunmen stormed Parliament complex and opened indiscriminate

fire, killing nine persons. The martyrs included five Delhi

Police personnel, a woman Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) official,

two Parliament watch and ward staff and a gardener. A journalist, who

was injured, died later. All five terrorists were shot dead. Four accused,

including Afzal Guru, were arrested for the attack and found guilty aftera

trial. Guru was hanged last year in February.

2. India lost first test against Australia by 48 runs: India virtually snatched

defeat from the jaws of victory, slumping to an agonising 48-run loss in

the pulsating first cricket Test against Australia despite captain

ViratKohli's gallant second successive hundred in the match which was

held in Adelaide. Chasing a competitive target of 364, India were cruising

along comfortably at 242/2 before the hosts staged a dramatic comeback

to grab eight wickets for 73 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the four-match

series. The Indians folded for 315 in 87.1 overs with Kohli (141) and

Murali Vijay (99) being the only ones to notch up noteworthy knocks

even as seven batsmen departed without touching the double digit mark.

3. Kohli becomes second player to score twin centuries on his captaincy

debut: ViratKohli, with his knocks of 115 and 141 in the two innings of

first Test against Australia, has become only the second player to score

twin centuries on his captaincy debut. The first player to do so was

former Australian captain Greg Chappell, against West Indies at Brisbane

in 1975. Kohli is only the second Indian captain to hit two centuries in the

same Test. The first was Sunil Gavaskar, against West Indies at Kolkata in

1978/79. It has been 53 years now since an overseas batsman scored two

centuries in the same Test in Australia. West Indies’ Rohan Kanhai was

the last batsman to do so, way back in 1961. He is only the fourth Indian

player to score two centuries in a single Test match, with the other three

being Sunil Gavaskar (thrice), Rahul Dravid (twice) and Vijay Hazare

(once). Kohli’s 256 is also the highest number of runs scored by any

player on his captaincy debut.

4. India suffer close 3-4 defeat against Pakistan in Hockey Champions

Trophy semi-final: A misfiring India squandered a golden opportunity to

create history as they went down 3-4 against arch-rivals Pakistan in a

high-voltage semifinal of the Hero Champions Trophy hockey

tournament in Bhubaneshwar on 13 December 2014. It was a good

chance for India to register their best-ever performance in the history of

Champions Trophy but they couldn't achieve the feat and buckled under

pressure. India's best-ever showing in the Champions Trophy is a bronze

medal in 1982 edition of the tournament in Amstelveen, the

Netherlands. Earlier, Olympic champions Germany survived a spirited

fightback to snap world champion Australia's five-time title run by eking

out a hard-fought 3-2 win and enter the summit clash.

5. Dineshwar Sharma appointed new IB chief: Dineshwar Sharma, Special

Director in the Intelligence Bureau, was on 13 December 2014 appointed

as the agency's new chief and will take charge on 1st January succeeding

Syed Asif Ibrahim. A 1979 batch IPS officer from Kerala cadre, Sharma,

who has been working with the agency for the past 23 years, will have a

two-year tenure. An official announcement said he will take over as

Officer on Special Duty (OSD) with immediate effect and will take charge

as Director of Intelligence Bureau after the retirement of Ibrahim.



6. LS passed bill on coal block allocations: Lok Sabha on 12 December 2014

passed a bill which provides for fresh auction of 204 coal blocks de-

allocated by the Supreme Court in September with

the governmentallaying apprehensions of some parties that the

legislation would lead to privatisation of the sector.

7. Asha Bhosle received Lifetime Achievement Award at DIFF: Noted

Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle was honoured with the Lifetime

Achievement Award at the 11th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).

The 81-year-old 'PiyaTu Ab Toh Aja' hitmaker was presented with the

prestigious award for her decades of dedication to Indian cinema during

the opening ceremony of the festival.

8. Salman Khan is the richest Indian celebrity in forbes list: Salman Khan

has emerged as the celebrity with the highest earnings in 2014, according

to a Forbes list. The actor grossed earnings of Rs 244.5 crore in 2014,

according to the magazine. It is for the first time in three years since

Forbes started the rankings that Shah Rukh Khan has been toppled from

the top spot. Shah Rukh Khan's money ranking in 2014 dropped to

number 2 with earnings of Rs 202.4 crore.

9. Bengaluru-based techie arrested for ISIS twitter account handling:

Bengaluru-based engineer Mehdi Masroor Biswas, who was named by

UK-based Channel 4 as the man behind terror group Islamic State's (IS)

most influential Twitter handle, was on 13 December 2014 arrested from

his flat in Bengaluru and slapped with charges of "waging war" and

unlawful activities.

12 DEC – 1. CCEA approved creation of intra state transmission system in Tamil

Nadu: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by

the Prime Minister has approved the creation of the intra state

transmission system in Tamil Nadu. The total cost of the project is Rs

1593 crore. The activities envisaged in the Tamil Nadu project are

establishment of 400 kV Grid Sub-Station at Thannampatty,

augmentation of various 230 kV Grid Sub-Stations and associated

transmission systems. The project is proposed to be completed within a

period of three years. The cost on creating transmission infrastructure is

proposed to be met through KfW loan (40%), NCEF grant (40% of the

total project cost) and the remaining 20% of the total project cost as

state contribution.

2. DilwaleDulhania Le Jayenge completed its 1,000 week: Nineteen long

years after it was first screened, Hindi romantic-drama

film DilwaleDulhania Le Jayenge, or DDLJ as it popularly referred to,

continues to win hearts. On 12 December 2014, the film completed its

1,000 week at the iconic Maratha Mandir cinema hall in South Mumbai.

The film has been running uninterrupted at this single-theatre cinema

hall at its usual playing time slot of 11:30 am for the last 19 years. Like

the first show, the screening on Friday also went house-full as the

faithful, mostly youngsters, flocked to the hall. The film, which went on

to win a National and several Filmfare awards, was first screened at

Maratha Mandir in October 1995, and is by far the longest running film in

Indian cinema.

3. West Bengal transport minister Madan Mitra arrested in Saradha scam:

West Bengal transport minister Madan Mitra has been arrested for his

role in the Saradha scam. The minister was questioned by the CBI earlier

on 12 Dec 2014 in connection with the multi-crore scam. The Trinamool

leader has been booked for cheating, criminal conspiracy and

misappropriation.



4. PawanKalyan’sJanasena gets Election Commission’s approval: The

Janasena Party founded by popular Telugu actor PawanKalyan, who

played a key role in campaign of BJP-TDP combine, is now registered with

the Election Commission, paving the way for its foray into electoral

politics. “The Election Commission of India has given registration to the

‘Janasena Party’ as a political party Under Section 29A of the

Representation of the People Act,1951 with effect from 24.11.2014 vide

Registration Number 56/118/2014/PPS-I dated 28.11.2014,” the outfit

said in a statement. PawanKalyan, younger brother of former Union

Minister and actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, is a top-ranking hero in

the Telugu film industry.

5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the book “Born Again on the

Mountain“: Prime Minister, Narendra Modi launched a book titled "Born

Again on the Mountain" authored by Arunima Sinha, first female

amputee to climb Mount Everest, in New Delhi on 12 December 2014.

Arunima Sinha is the first female amputee and first Indian woman

amputee to climb Mount Everest. The book describes her struggle to

become mountaineer after starting her career as a volleyball player. She

was a national level volleyball player who was pushed out of a running

train by thieves on 11 April 2011 while resisting them. One of her legs

had to be amputated below the knee as a result. But this never deterred

her. Two years later, she retrained as a mountaineer and became the

first female amputee to scale Mount Everest on 21 May 2013.

6. Sikkim CM PawanChamling completed 20 years in office: Sikkim Chief

Minister PawanChamling, who is serving his fifth consecutive term,

completed 20 years in office on 12 December 2014. 64-year-old Chamling

first assumed office on December 12 in 1994 when his Sikkim Democratic

Front (SDF) won the Assembly elections. He won a fifth consecutive time

in the state Assembly elections held in May 2014. Chamling is currently

the longest serving Chief Minister in the country. He may break the 23-

year-old record of JyotiBasu, Chief Minister of West Bengal from June 21,

1977 to November 6, 2000, if he completes his present tenure in 2019.

7. 19th International Film Festival of Kerala begins: Kerala’s

own annualcelebration of cinema, the International Film Festival of

Kerala (IFFK), began at Thiruvananthapuram on 12 December 2014. At

the inaugural function, the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to

noted Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio. Bellocchio told the audience

that he was happy to come to Kerala from the land of Fellini to

understand the culture, tradition and enjoy the fascinating beauty of the

capital city of Kerala. IFFK jury chairman and Chinese director XieFei said

that Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor and Nargis had fascinated filmmakers of his

generation in China. ‘Dancing Arabs’ by EranRiklis was the inaugural film.

The lead actor in the film Thoufeek was honoured at the inaugural

ceremony. The seven-day festival would screen 140 films from 38

countries.

11 DEC – 1. Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India: Prime Minister

Narendra Modi welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin on his arrival

in India, saying he looks forward to a “productive visit that will take India-

Russia ties to newer heights.” As Putin arrived on a 24-hour visit for

the annual bilateral summit, Modi tweeted his welcome in Russian and

then in English. He wrote on his official twitter handle that he is

“delighted” to welcome Putin to India.

2. India thrash Belgium 3-2, to enter Champions Trophy semis: India

stormed into the semi-finals of the hockey Champions



Trophy afterthrashing Belgium 4-2 in the quarter finals at the Kalinga

stadium in Bhubaneswar. The team will face arch-rival Pakistan, which

beat the Netherlands in the other quarter-final and will be looking to

take the revenge for the Asia Cup defeat.

3. ViratKohli scored fighting century against Aussies; becomes third debut

captain in test history to acheive milestone: ViratKohli on 11 December

2014 became the third cricket player in Test match history to score a

century on his debut as captain. Kohli notched up his seventh century in

his 30th Test. Kohli's impressive 184-ball innings of 115 on day three

propelled the tourists to 369 for five at stumps after Australia declared

on 517 for seven before the start of play. There was a heart-in-mouth

moment when he first arrived at the crease though, with Mitchell

Johnson's short-pitched delivery hitting him full-on in the helmet.

4. Ding first Asian to clinch world number one spot: China's Ding Junhui on

11 December 2014 became the first Asian player to take the world

number one snooker ranking after a record-setting season which saw

him claim five major titles. The 27-year-old from Yixing is only the 11th

man to be world number one after Ray Reardon, Cliff Thorburn, Steve

Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan,

Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Judd Trump.

5. YouTube gives Indian users option to watch video offline: YouTube on

11 December 2014 said it was giving Indian users the option to watch

videos even when they are offline through its mobile application, as the

video service owned by Google looks to boost its usage in the country.

The new offline feature for the You-Tube app lets people take videos

offline, using WiFi or their data plans. Once taken offline, the videos can

be viewed without an Internet connection for up to 48 hours.

6. Delhi High Court ordered Xiaomi to suspend smartphone sales in India:

The Delhi High Court in an interim order has restrained Xiaomi as well as

e-commerce firm Flipkart from selling in India handsets of the Chinese

mobile maker that run on the technology patented by Ericsson. The court

has also restrained Xiaomi or its agents from making, assembling,

importing or offering for sale its devices which are infringing the mobile

phone technology patented by Ericsson. The two firms have been order

to stop selling infringing devices until February 5, when the court is due

to hear the case. Xiaomi entered India in July this year and has been a

huge hit among customers in a market that has at least 80 different

phone makers including Samsung and a bunch of domestic firms.

7. Modi and Putin inaugurated 'World Diamond Conference' at

VigyanBhawan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President

Vladimir Putin jointly inaugurated 'World Diamond Conference' at

VigyanBhawan in New Delhi. The conference is a joint effort of the World

Diamond Mark Foundation (WDMF), the Gem & Jewellery Export

Promotion Council (GJEPC) and supported by the Ministry of Commerce

and Industry of India.

8. Aadhar-enabled biometric attendance soon: The Centre has decided to

introduce Aadhar-enabled biometric attendance system in its offices

across the country. The system will be installed at all the offices in Delhi

by December 31. At other places it may be installed by the Republic Day,

January 26, next year. The manual system of attendance would be

phased out accordingly. “The equipment will be procured by the

Ministries/departments as per specifications of the Department of

Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) on the Directorate-



General of Supplies and Disposals rate contract from authorised

vendors,” said an official release.

10 DEC –2014

1. Time magazine declared 'Ebola fighters' as 2014 Person of the Year:

Time magazine on 10 December 2014 named the medics who have

treated patients struck with the killer Ebola virus as its "Person of the

Year 2014", paying tribute to their courage and mercy. The year saw the

Ebola outbreak turn into an epidemic in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone,

and there have been scattered cases in Nigeria, Mali, Spain, Germany

and the United States. "Ebola is a war, and a warning. The global health

system is nowhere close to strong enough to keep us safe from infectious

disease," wrote Time editor Nancy Gibbs, announcing the

prestigious annual title.

2. United Nations to declare June 21 as 'World Yoga Day': United Nations

has decided to name June 21 as the World Yoga Day. Prime Minister

Narendra Modi had urged the world community to celebrate Indian yoga

at the international level during his visit to the United Nations in

September this year. Its a huge decisive win for India. Around 170

nations supported Modi's proposal. In November, European Union

president Herman Van Rompuy told Modi that the 28-member EU

supported his idea for a Yoga Day at the UN. Modi had named

ShripadNaik as the minister for Yoga and traditional medicines in the

cabinet reshuffle in November.

3. Opposition corner govt over alleged religious conversion in Agra:

Opposition BSP and Congress on 10 Dec 2014 sought to corner

thegovernment over the reported conversion of Muslims to Hinduism in

Agra, saying changing religion by force and by allurement was illegal.

The government, however, washed its hand-off the issue saying law and

order is a state subject. Minister of state for parliamentary affairs

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said FIR has been filed by the Uttar

Pradesh government on the issue.

4. KailashSatyarthi, Malala Yousafzai received Nobel Peace Prize:

KailashSatyarthi of India and Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan on 10

December 2014 received the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 for their

pioneering work on promoting child rights in the subcontinent, as they

made an impassioned plea to globalise compassion. “Satyarthi and

Yousafzai are precisely the people whom Alfred Nobel in his will calls

‘champions of peace’,” chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee

ThorbjornJagland said in his speech before awarding them the

prestigious prize in Oslo.

5. Government to decriminalise attempted suicide: The Government has

decided to decriminalise ‘attempt to suicide’ by scrapping it from the

Indian Penal Code. Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860,

prescribes one year imprisonment and a fine if a person is found guilty of

attempting to commit suicide. Replying to an unstarred question in the

Rajya Sabha on the government's initiative to repeal Section 309,

Minister of State for Home Affairs HaribhaiParathbhai Chaudhary said

the decision was taken after studying feedback from the States and the

Union Territories.

6. Jammu and Kashmir recorded historic win over Mumbai in Ranji

Trophy: Jammu and Kashmir continued their rapid rise in the domestic

circuit, notching up a stunning four-wicket triumph over 40-time

champions Mumbai with more than a session to spare in their Group

ARanji Trophy cricket opener at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.



7. India last among BRICS in Web index: India ranks behind China and

other BRICS nations in a comprehensive index aimed at measuring the

Internet’s contribution to social, economic and political progress. Though

China is notorious for its great Internet firewall, the nation is far ahead of

India when it comes to translating the power of the Internet into

economic potential, says the Web Index released by the World Wide

Web Foundation on 10 December 2014.

8. Sarita Devi finally received her Asian Games bronze medal: Boxer Sarita

Devi on Wednesday finally received her Asian Games bronze medal

which she had refused at the victory ceremony in Incheon under

controversial circumstances with the Indian

Olympic AssociationSecretary General Rajeev Mehta presenting it to her.

Mehta presented the medal to the Manipuri boxer at the IOA

Headquarters.

9. Mumbai Indians appointed Ricky Ponting as new head coach: Former

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has been chosen as the new head coach

of Indian Premier League team Mumbai Indians, paving way for his first

managerial post since he retired from international cricket in 2012.

Former Indian captain Anil Kumble, chief mentor of Mumbai Indians, said

that they are looking forward to Ricky's contribution.

10. Trial run of Guwahati-Shillong-Dhaka bus flagged off: The trial run of the

Guwahati-Shillong-Dhaka passenger bus service was flagged off

Wednesday (10 Dec 2014) from Assam`s main ciy of Guwahati. The trial

run is expected to conclude in Bangladesh`s capital city Dhaka on Friday.

A joint technical team, comprising representatives from India and

Bangladesh, are part of the trial run, which will assess route conditions

and various technical parameters.

11. Cabinet cleared bill to increase FDI in insurance sector by 49 percent:

The Cabinet has approved the official amendments to the Insurance Laws

(Amendment) Bill, 2008 and to its introduction in the Rajya Sabha.

Earlier, the Select Committee on the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill

had recommended a composite cap of 49 per cent on foreign investment

in insurance. This will include all forms of FDI and foreign portfolio

investments. At present, the foreign direct investment limit in the sector

is 26 per cent.

12. Human Rights Day observed: Human Rights Day was observed globally

on 10 December 2014. The theme for the 2014 Human Rights Day is

Human Rights 365. The theme was based on the idea that every day is

Human Rights Day and everyone is entitled to basic human rights day.

09 DEC –2014 1. Modi won TIME readers’ poll for ‘Person of the Year’: Prime Minister

Narendra Modi, who did not make it to the final eight selected by TIME

for the annual ‘Person of the Year’ title, has been hailed as one by its

readers in an online poll conducted by the publication. Mr. Modi has

been named winner of this year’s readers’ poll for TIME ‘Person of the

Year’, securing more than 16 per cent of the almost five million votes

cast. Protesters in Ferguson, who were demonstrating against a grand

jury’s decision not to indict white police officer Darren Wilson who shot

and killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in August ranked

second with 9 per cent of the votes. TIME said “a strong showing of

readers from India” helped drive Mr. Modi’s first-place finish.



2. American Express, Jet Airways launched co-branded corporate card:

American Express and Jet Airways have joined hands to launch India’s

first of its kind airline co-branded corporate card –Jet Airways American

Express Corporate Card-- for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and

their employees. This co-branded corporate card will help SMEs and their

executives to drive substantial savings on business travel and associated

expenses, SaruKaushal, Country Business Head, Global Corporate

Payments, American Express Banking Corp told.

3. MDMK quits NDA: The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

(MDMK) on 8 December 2014 quit the BJP-led National Democratic

Alliance (NDA) blaming the Centre for “being insensitive” and “betraying

the interests” of the people of Tamil Nadu and of the Sri Lankan Tamils.

4. Bhutan, not India, was first to recognize Bangladesh: Bhutan and not

India was the first to recognize Bangladesh as an independent nation,

foreign office has said, putting an end to the decades-old speculation on

the issue. "Bhutan was the first country, there is no controversy about

that," foreign secretary M ShahidulHaque told reporters amid fresh

speculation in media over the first foreign country to recognize

Bangladesh after the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan. Haque said

both Bhutan and India had recognized Bangladesh as an independent

country on December 6, 1971 but Thimphu's announcement came hours

ahead of India's official recognition.

5. Cadila launched first cheaper copy of world’s top-selling drug: Cadila

Healthcare said on 9 December 2014 it launched the first biosimilar

version of anti-inflammatory medicine adalimumab, the world’s top-

selling drug, at a fifth of its U.S. price. The drug’s branded version is sold

under the name Humira by U.S. firm AbbVieInc, and costs $1,000 for a

vial in the United States. Humira had sales of $3.26 billion in the quarter

ended September, accounting for 65 per cent of AbbVie’s total revenue.

6. SBI launched first homegrown economic indicator: The country now has

another monthly economic index, with the State Bank of India (SBI) on 9

Dec 2014 launching a tool that will primarily track manufacturing activity

to offer a forward-looking economic trends. The SBI Composite Index

rivals the existing data point from British lender HSBC. The SBI index has

been developed on the basis of the bank’s internal loan portfolio,

which mirrors the credit demand in the country, and other data sets

available in public domain.

7. First test begins, Hughes '13th man': In the minds of cricket lovers,

Phillip Hughes will remain '63 Not Out Forever' but on 9 Dec 2014 the

departed cricketer was named as his national team's "13th Man", with

the first cricket Test between India and Australia starting in Adelaide on

an emotional note. As Australia named their playing XI for the match,

pacer Josh Hazlewood was listed as the 12th man and the players wanted

to include Hughes' name as the 13th man in the list. Ten days back,

cricket world was struck by the tragedy when Hughes passed away after

failing to recover being hit by a Sean Abbott bouncer in a Sheffield Shield

game. An entire nation went into mourning.

8. Lok Sabha passed Payment and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill,

2014: A bill aimed at bringing India's banking payment system in sync

with international practices was passed by the Lok Sabha on 9 Dec 2014

with Finance Minister ArunJaitley saying the world would lack confidence

if "obsolete laws" in the financial system exist in this country. Replying to

a debate on Payments and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill, Jaitley

said there was a "gap" in the law which needed to be addressed so that



there is protection for payments in case of insolvency. The bill seeks to

improve the payment and settlement systems by

increasing transparency and stability of Indian financial market.

9. International Anti-Corruption Day observed: International Anti-

Corruption Day was observed by the United Nations on 9 December

2014. The day was observed to raise public awareness about corruption

and what people can do to fight it. The theme of 2014 International Anti-

Corruption Day was Break the Corruption Chain.

10. Advanced Pinaka Mark-II rocket successfully test-fired: An advanced

version of the indigenously developed Pinaka Mark-II rocket was

successfully test-fired on 9 December 2014 from a defence base in

Odisha using a multi-barrel launcher. The tests were conducted from the

Proof & Experimental Establishment (PXE) at Chandipur firing range No.

2, about 15-km from Balasore, defence sources said.

08 DEC –2014 1. Delhi govt banned Uber cab service: Delhi government on 8 December

2014 banned all operations by private cab service Uber with immediate

effect and blacklisted it from providing any transport service in the

national capital in the wake of the alleged rape incident in a taxi plying

for it. The action came a day after a taxi driver employed by Uber was

arrested from Mathura for allegedly raping a 27-year-old woman

executive in his cab. Government said that Uber, the US-based cab firm,

misled the commuter (rape victim) about the nature of the taxi service

offered by its App.

2. Singapore inks MoU to plan, develop Andhra Pradesh capital: Singapore

on 8 Dec 2014 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with

Andhra Pradesh to prepare a master plan and develop a world-class

capital city of Andhra Pradesh. The master plan will be ready in six

months and after that a detailed action plan will be worked out,

announced chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu after a meeting with S

Iswaran, minister in the Singapore prime minister's office.

3. ICICI Bank to hike ATM charges from Jan 1: Country’s largest private

sector lender ICICI Bank has announced a hike in its ATM charges for

saving account holders from January 1 next year. Under the new method,

the number of free transactions in a month is fixed at five using own

ATMs, while it has been capped at three for other banks’ machines.

Customers can enjoy only five free transactions, including financial and

non-financial, at the bank’s own automated teller machines (ATM), it said

in a post on its website.

4. US naturalist Paul Rosolie swallowed alive by anaconda for TV show:

When naturalist Paul Rosolie wanted to focus attention on the

destruction of the Amazon rainforest, he decided he needed a stunt

guaranteed to get people looking. So the staunch environmentalist

offered himself as dinner to an anaconda — and was swallowed alive,

filming every moment. Anacondas, the largest snakes in the world,

typically suffocate their prey before ingesting it, making Rosolie's

attempt all the more dangerous. To avoid suffocating, experts crafted

Rosolie a specially designed carbon fiber suit, equipped with a breathing

system — as well as with cameras and a system to communicate.

5. World’s first herbal Koran unveiled in Dubai: The world’s first

handcrafted herbal Holy Koran, made from about 200 medicinal plants,

has been unveiled. The Koran has been made by the Islamic arts and

calligraphy company, Heddem Arts and has been crafted over 23 years

from 1957 to 1979 by Turkish Unani Doctor HamdiTaher. The Koran is



made of high potency herbal mixtures prepared as per Unani medical

system.

6. GSLV Mark-III launch on Dec. 18: Indian Space Research Organisation’s

heaviest and upgraded rocket -Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle

(GSLV – Mark III) will lift off from the second launch pad at Satish

Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota on December 18. On Monday, a

high level meeting was held and all activities done so far were cleared.

“The launch will happen on December 18. Anytime between 9 a.m. and

12 p.m. We will announce the exact time closer to the launch,” S.

Somanath, project director, GSLV Mark III, said. GSLV Mark III is an

experimental launch and only for study purpose. It will not put any

satellite in orbit.

7. Ramalinga Raju, Satyam founder, gets 6-month imprionment: A local

court on 8 Dec 2014 convicted Satyam founder B Ramalinga Raju,

accused of one of the most sensational corporate frauds in the country,

and other accused in connection with complaints filed by Serious Fraud

Investigation Office (SFIO). The court sentenced Raju and others to six

months' jail term and imposed fines on all the accused.

8. Huffington Post now in India with Times Group: AOL-owned news

website Huffington Post launched its India edition on 8 Dec 2014

inpartnership with The Times of India Group. Huffington Post will

combine its award-winning news and blogging platform with the local

expertise and reach of the Times of India Group to tap India's

snowballing number of internet users.

9. Railway Minister Launches Wi-Fi Broadband Services at New Delhi

Railway Station: The Minister of Railways, Shri Suresh PrabhakarPrabhu

inaugurated the Wi-Fi Broadband Services at New Delhi Railway Station.

The Wi-Fi project on Indian Railways is being executed by RailTel, a Public

Sector Undertaking of the Ministry of Railways.

10. PM Narendra Modi, MukeshAmbani most searched personalities in

2014: Yahoo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist

MukeshAmbani feature amongst the most searched personalities online

this year, according to search engine Yahoo. According to the seventh

edition of Yahoo India's 'Year in Review', Prime Minister Narendra Modi

led the list of 'High and Mighty? the Political Top 10' in 2014, followed by

his aides ArunJaitley (Finance and I&B Minister) and BJP President Amit

Shah.

07 DEC –2014 1. India's communication satellite GSAT-16 launched successfully:After its

launch was deferred twice due to bad weather, India's latest

communication satellite GSAT-16 was placed in orbit by Ariane 5 rocket

in the early hours on 7 December 2014 from the space port of Kourou in

French Guiana. The European launcher blasted off at 2.10am (IST) and

hurled the GSAT-16, designed to augment the national space capacity to

boost communication services, into space in a flawless flight. GSAT-16

was launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). Isro's master

control facility at Hassan in Karnataka has taken over the command and

control of GSAT-16. GSAT-16, with a designated on orbit operational life

of 12 years, will boost public and private tv and radio services, large-scale

Internet and telephone operations. India's rockets PSLV and the present

GSLV do not have the capability to launch satellites of more than two

tonne class, prompting Isro to opt for an outside launch. Isro is

developing the next big launcher, GSLV-MkIII, which can put satellites of

up to 4 tonnes in orbit.



2. India defeated Pakistan to win Blind Cricket World Cup: India defeated

defending champions Pakistan to win the 4th Cricket World Cup for the

Blind played at Cape Town, South Africa. In reply to Pakistan's 389, India

scored 392 with two balls to spare. South Africa won the inaugural

edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup in 1998, but the game has been in

decline since then due to a lack of support from most national cricketing

authorities, a fact lamented by Indian captain ShekarNaik.

3. India sets new World Record for largest human flag: India on 7

December 2014 set a new world record for the largest human flag,

formed by over 50,000 volunteers, beating the previous record held by

Pakistan. The event saw about 1.5 lakh volunteers, mainly youth, turn up

for the event at YMCA Grounds in Chennai even as 50,000 of them

formed the tricolour, Governor of Rotary 3230, organiser of the 'My Flag

My India' campaign, ISAK Nazar, told reporters in Chennai. The Guinness

World Record for the largest human flag was previously held by the

Sports Club of Lahore with 28,957 people forming the flag.

4. First World Soil Day observed: First World Soil Day was observed by the

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on 5 December

2014. On eve of the first World Soil Day, UNFAO along with Global Soil

Parternership (GSP) declared the year of 2015 as UN International Year of

Soils.

5. Hafeez suspended for illegal bowling action: In a massive blow to

Pakistan cricket, all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was on 7 December

2014 suspended by the ICC after his bowling action was found to be

illegal in bio-mechanic tests. It is a major embarrassment for Pakistan

cricket given that one of its most celebrated spinners Saeed Ajmal

is also under suspension for a similar reason and working to modify

his action.

6. Philippine typhoon weakened after landfall: Typhoon Hagupit knocked

out power in entire coastal provinces of Philippines, mowed down trees

and sent more than 650,000 people into shelters, but no major damage

or casualties have been reported as the storm weakened on Sunday.

7. Roger Federer shows his magic on India debut at IPTL: Thousands of

lucky tennis fans experienced a lifetime moment on 7 December 2014

when they watched global icon Roger Federer play on Indian soil for the

first time at the Delhi leg of the International Premier Tennis League

(IPTL). The Federer-represented Indian Aces defeated Singapore

Slammers 26-16. It was a perfect India debut for Federer, who along with

SaniaMirza blanked Bruno Soaresand Daniela Hantuchova 6-0 before

winning his men's singles against Tomas Berdych and men's doubles with

Rohan Bopanna.

06 DEC – 1. Nation paid tributes to Ambedkar on his death anniversary: President

Pranab Mukherjee, VP Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi

on 6 December 2014 paid rich tributes to the architect of the

Constitution BabasahebAmbedkar on his 58th death anniversary which is

also being observed as "MahaparinirvanaDiwas". "On his

MahaparinirvanaDiwas, I bow to the venerable Dr BabasahebAmbedkar.

His contribution to the nation is eternal and invaluable," Modi tweeted.

The Prime Minister, who paid floral tributes at Ambedkar's portrait in

Parliament, said, "Dr Ambedkar was a man ahead of his time and we

remember his efforts to eradicate social evils and the importance he

gave to education."



2. India lose to Germany in Champions trophy starter: In the first match of

the Champion's trophy, Indian men's were defeated by Germany 0-1. The

Men's team has never won the Champions Trophy since its inaugural

edition in 1978. Yet, the team is being seen as a side which has the best

chance of staging upsets and emerging on top with triumphs. Germany

on the other hand, have won the tournament on nine occasions. India

goalkeeper Sreejesh is adjudged man of the match. India will play

Argentina on Sunday evening and would look to take the many positives

from this match. This year's Champions trophy is being played at

Bhubaneswar, India.

3. Aussies to wear No 408 on their jerseys for the Adelaide Test: In a

tribute to late Phillip Hughes, the Australian cricket team has decided to

wear number 408, the Test debut number of the late batsman, under its

national emblem during the first Test against India. Hughes, who passed

away after being hit by a Sean Abbott bouncer in a domestic game, has

become an international cricket hero and Michael Clarke and Co will seek

to honour his memory. Usually, players have their own individual Test

playing numbers embroidered on their shirts but on Tuesday, every

Australian will wear Hughes’ Test cap number.

4. Consumers to soon get choice to select power distribution company:

PiyushGoyal: Consumers will soon be able to choose their power supply

company as the government is making necessary amendments to the

Electricity Act to enable this provision which is aimed at encouraging

greater competition in the distribution sector. Shifting focus from

generation, the government plans to fix electricity distribution which is

often described as the achilles heel of the power sector. Power and Coal

Minister PiyushGoyal said the provision allowing the end-user to choose

its distribution company is in the works.

5. LokAdalat settled 1.25 cr. cases in a day: The Second National LokAdalat

held across the country on Saturday amicably settled about 1.25 crore

pending and pre-litigation cases and brought financial relief of over Rs.

3,000 crore to ordinary litigants in a single day. The Adalat held over the

day and organised by the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA) has

reduced backlog by about nine percent in all the States.

6. Punjab CM ordered probe into eye camp tragedy: Punjab Chief Minister

Parkash Singh Badal on 6 December 2014 ordered a high level probe into

an NGO sponsored medical camp in Gurdaspur district in which 60

people lost their eyesight. Badal has asked Principal Secretary Health

Vinnie Mahajan to personally conduct an inquiry into all the aspects of

this unfortunate incident, an official spokesman said in Chandigarh.

05 DEC –2014 1. Multiple attacks rocked Kashmir Valley: Ahead of Prime Minister

Narendra Modi’s election rally in Srinagar and Anantnag on Monday, four

separate militant attacks rocked the Kashmir Valley on 5 December 2014.

In the most serious attack of the day, six militants stormed an Army camp

at Uri, 20 km from the Line of Control, around 3 a.m. In the ensuing gun

battle, eight Army soldiers, including a Lieutenant- Colonel, three Jammu

and Kashmir policemen and all the six militants were killed.

2. Cabinet secretary Ajit Seth gets six-month extension: Cabinet secretary

Ajit Seth was on Friday given a six-month extension in service, third

time after he was appointed to the top bureaucratic post. The extension

of Seth was approved by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)

headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ACC

hasapproved extension of Seth as Cabinet secretary for a further period



of six months beyond December 13, an order issued by the department

of personnel and training (DoPT) said.

3. ICICI Bank sells Russian subsidiary to Sovcombank: The board of

country’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank on 5 December

2014approved sale of the bank’s shareholding in its Russian subsidiary

ICICI Bank Eurasia, to a third party Sovcombank. “ICICI Bank Ltd has

informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Bank at its meeting held

on December 05, 2014, approved a proposal for the sale of ICICI Bank’s

shareholding in ICICI Bank Eurasia Limited Liability Company (IBEL), a

non-material wholly-owned banking subsidiary in Russia, to Sovcombank,

an unrelated third party Russian bank,” ICICI Bank said in a release to the

Bombay Stock Exchange.

4. SBICap Trustee launched online Will creation service: To help individuals

create their own Wills seamlessly, SBICap Trustee Company -- a

subsidiary of the investment banking arm of the country's largest lender

SBI -- on 5 December 2014 launched an online Will creation service. The

service, christened "MyWill Services Online", allows users to create their

Will in a six step process involving registration, verification, payment,

data entry, review and generation, SBICap Trustee Company said. It said

the service is the only online Will creation portal in the country and

assured that data shared will be kept confidential. Users will be charged

Rs 2,500, excluding payment gateway charges and taxes, for creation of

the Wills, which can also be edited within a stipulated time, it said.

5. RBI eases rules for white label ATMs: The Reserve Bank of India has

allowed operators of white label Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to

accept international credit, debit and prepaid cards. It also eased rules

for cash supply tie-ups at these. A while label ATM (WLA) is operated by

a non-bank entity; customers from any bank may withdraw money from

these, for a fee.

6. Maldives hit by water crisis, India sends help: With the Maldivian capital

facing an acute water crisis after a fire in the city's water treatmentplant,

India on 5 December 2014 sent an IAF transport aircraft and naval vessels

carrying a large consignment of water to meet the immediate

requirement of over 100,000 people. A major fire broke out at the Male

Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) generator control panel on

December 4, causing extensive damage to the cabling of the generator to

the Distillation plants and disconnection of water supply. The only water

available at Male is stored in tanks and sumps and is being supplied for

one hour every twelve hours. The city, located on a low-lying island in

the Indian Ocean, has no natural water source and entirely depends on

treated sea water.

7. PM Narendra Modi named 'Asian of the Year' by Singapore daily: Prime

Minister Narendra Modi was on 5 December 2014 named 'Asian of the

Year' for being development-focused leader of India by editors of

Singapore's leading daily, The Straits Times. "Despite being relatively new

to the job, he has already made a mark on Asia, reaching out to

neighbours and receiving national leaders including Xi Jinping of China

and Tony Abbott of Australia," said the Singapore Press Holdings Limited,

publisher of the daily.

8. International Volunteer Day observed: The International Volunteer Day

for Economic and Social Development was observed across the world on

5 December 2014. The day, which is also known as International

Volunteer Day (IVD), gives volunteers a chance to work together on



projects and campaigns promoting their contributions to economic and

social development at local, national and international levels.

9. Don't replace Mahatma Gandhi with other leaders on banknotes: RBI

panel : A Reserve Bank panel has decided against the inclusion of any

other national leader's image on banknotes saying that no other

personality could better represent the ethos of India than Mahatma

Gandhi. On the advice of government, RBI had constituted a committee

for designing future currency note in October 2010, finance minister

ArunJaitley said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. He said the

Committee, inter alia, deliberated on the issue of changing the existing

image of Mahatma Gandhi and inclusion of certain other personalities in

the new design of banknotes. "After due consideration, the committee

decided that no other personality could better represent the ethos of

India than Mahatma Gandhi," Jaitley said.

10. Nasa launches new Orion spacecraft and new era: Nasa's new Orion

spacecraft streaked into orbit 5 Dec 2014 on a high-stakes test flight

meant to usher in a new era of human exploration leading ultimately to

Mars. The unmanned orbital journey began with a sunrise liftoff

witnessed by thousands of Nasa guests. Parts of the spacecraft peeled

away exactly as planned, falling back toward Earth as onboard cameras

provided stunning views of our blue, cloud-covered planet.

04 DEC –2014 1. East Zone won Deodhar Trophy: East Zone proved to be a hard nut to

crack and won the Deodhar Trophy after 11 seasons. The game swung

back and forth in a tantalising manner, but East struck crucial blows in

the closing stages of the match to beat West by 24 runs in the final held

in Mumbai. East Zone won the toss and opted to bat first posted 269 for

8 in the stipulated 50 overs. In reply to the target, West Zone bundled

out for 245 in 47.2 overs. The trophy is named after Prof. DB Deodhar

who is known as the Grand Old Man of Indian cricket.

2. Eminent jurist V R Krishna Iyer passed away: Eminent jurist V R Krishna

Iyer passed away in Kochi on 4 December 2014 following multiple organ

failure. Justice Iyer stood for the rights of the downtrodden and

reinterpreted bail jurisprudence as a Supreme Courtjudge. He was

admitted to private Medical Trust hospital on November 24 in Kochi.

Justice Iyer, born in a conservative Tamil Brahmin family in Palakad in

Kerala, was attracted to communism and had served as a minister in the

first democratically-elected Communist government of the world under

the late EMS Namboodiripad in the state.

3. BCCI announced 30 probables for World Cup 2015: In what was a huge

blow and probably the end of an era, the BCCI on 4 Dec 2014 selected its

30-man World Cup probables list. Where there was some good news for

the youngsters, discarded veterans – Yuvraj Singh, VirenderSehwag,

GautamGambhir, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh were not considered

for the prestigious event. The Sandeep Patil-led committee met in the

day and took the decison. The new list means only four cricketers - MS

Dhoni, ViratKohli, Suresh Raina and RavichandranAshwin have been

retained from India's 2011 World Cup winning squad. The BCCI

confirmed the entire list of probables through it's official on social-micro

blogging Twitter.

4. RBI asked banks to adopt easy norms for m-banking registration: The

Reserve Bank of India, on 4 Dec 2014, asked banks to make the

registration process for mobile banking services easy, and activate the

services at the earliest to expand the reach of mobile banking. Releasing

the operative guidelines for mobile banking transactions, the RBI said



there is a slow pick-up of mobile banking services despite the high mobile

density in the country. Banks should strive to provide options for

easyregistration for mobile banking services to their customers, it added.

5. Government scrapped subsidised kerosene through PDS: Attacking the

subsidy regime, Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley has scrapped the

supply of subsidised kerosene through the Public Distribution System

(PDS). The Centre plans to write to States asking them to provide

subsidised kerosene only to un-electrified households. States which have

achieved near 100 per cent electrification will be incentivised to become

kerosene-free, a Finance Ministry source told.

6. Shiv Sena to join DevendraFadnavis-led BJP government in

Maharashtra: Shiv Sena will formally become part of the BJP-led

stategovernment in Maharashtra. The Fadnavis government will no

longer be in minority in the state assembly and will have a strength of

185 in an House of 288 with the addition of 63 Sena MLAs. Chief Minister

DevendraFadnavis announced on 4 December 2014 that Sena would be

joining the state government. Sena will get 12 ministerial positions in

thisgovernment out of which five will be Cabinet berths.

03 DEC – 1. Supreme Court sets up 'Social Justice Bench' to deal with social issues:

The Supreme Court on 3 December 2014 set up a special 'Social Justice

Bench' to exclusively hear cases concerning social issues particularly

those related to women, children and underprivileged saying that

specialized approach is needed for dealing with these matters.

Emphasizing that judiciary needs to be proactive to ensure early disposal

of such cases and to bring fruits of the rights provided under the

Constitution to people, the apex court set up the bench which will

assemble every Friday at 2pm from December 12.

2. India's rating on global corruption index improves: India has marginally

improved its ranking on the global Corruption Perception Index this year,

on the back of prosecuations of high-level officials and hope that the new

leadership will reduce corruption, Transparency International said.

India’s two-point improvement (on a total possible score of 100) did not

count as a “significant change” unlike that in countries like Egypt, Jordan

and Afghanistan. With a score of 36, India now ranks 85 among 178

countries, with countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand and Burkina Faso for

company. Denmark ranks first, as it did in 2013, while Somalia and North

Korea share the bottom spot. India is ranked better than all its South

Asian neighbours except Bhutan.

3. SC rejected Kerala plea to review Mullaperiyar verdict: In a major

setback to Kerala, the Supreme Court has reaffirmed the May 7, 2014

verdict allowing Tamil Nadu to raise the water level in the Mullaperiyar

dam from 136 ft to 142 ft. The court had in May quashed a law enacted

by the State to prevent Tamil Nadu from raising the water level.

4. Union Minister NiranjanJyoti expressed regret over controversial

remarks: Minister of state for food processing industries NiranjanJyoti on

3 Dec 2014 expressed regret in Rajya Sabha and apologised for her

controversial remarks. Parliament witnessed uproar over alleged

controversial remarks made by her, with opposition forcing brief

adjournments of both the Houses. The opposition parties raised the issue

and demanded the sacking of NiranjanJyoti. Union Minister

SadhviNiranjanJyoti had created controversy on Monday by allegedly

making communal remarks and using an expletive in an election rally in

Delhi.



5. RBI doubled Pre-Paid Card limit to Rs. 1 Lakh: In a bid to boost the

growth of the industry, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed the

norms for prepaid instruments (PPIs). A few days after issuing the final

guidelines for niche banks, RBI has now allowed PPIs to issue cards with

balance of up to Rs 1 lakh. Earlier, the limit was Rs 50,000.

6. Indian systems for world’s largest telescope: Union Science and

Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday signed a multilateral

agreement admitting India’s participation in the development of the

Thirty-Metre Telescope (TMT) in Hawaii.

7. Birth anniversary of Rajendra Prasad celebrated: Prime Minister

Narendra Modi on 3 December 2014 paid his tributes to Dr Rajendra

Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India, on his 130th birth

anniversary. "Tributes to Dr.Rajendra Prasad on his birth anniversary. We

remember his monumental contribution in the making of our Nation,"

tweeted PM Modi. "RajenBabu remained devoted to serving the poorest

of the poor. His service and impeccable values remain an inspiration for

generations," he added.

8. International Day of People with Disability observed: International Day

of People with Disability was observed across the world on 3 December

2014. This is the 22nd anniversary of International Day of People with

Disability. The theme of the year is "Sustainable development: The

promise of technology". This day is observed annually to focus on the

issues that affect people with disabilities worldwide.

9. Indian umpire S Ravi included in 25-member list for ICC World Cup:

Indian umpire S Ravi was on Wednesday named in a 25-member list of

match officials for next year's ICC ODI World Cup in Australia and New

Zealand. "The team includes five officials from the Emirates Elite Panel of

ICC Match Referees, 12 umpires from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC

Umpires and eight umpires from the Emirates International Panel of ICC

Umpires," the ICC said in a statement. The match referees are David

Boon, Chris Broad, Jeff Crowe, RanjanMadugalle and Roshan Mahanama.

The elite panel umpires in the list are Aleem Dar, Billy Bowden, Bruce

Oxenford, Ian Gould, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Nigel Llong,

Paul Reiffel, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Rod Tucker and

Steve Davis.

02 DEC2014 – 1. RBI announced fifth Bi-Monthly monetary policy, no change in interest

rates: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 2 December 2014 announced

fifth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement. RBI in its fifth bi-monthly

monetary policy statement kept the policy rates unchanged. This means

no loan is going to get cheaper anytime soon. All that the RBI said was it

could ease monetary policy early next year provided inflationary

pressures do not reappear. Current rates are:

*Repo rate: 8 percent

*Reverse repo rate: 7 percent

*Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate: 9 percent

*Bank Rate: 9.0 percent

*Cash Reserve Ratio: 4 percent

2. Anil Kumar Sinha appointed as new CBI Director: Senior IPS officer Anil

Kumar Sinha was on 2 December 2014 appointed the new CBI Director to

succeed Ranjit Sinha who retired in a glare of controversy with the

Supreme Court directing him to recuse from 2G spectrum scam case

probe. Sinha, a 1979 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre, was the Special

Director in CBI. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the name of Anil Kumar Sinha



who was among the candidates shortlisted by the search committee

earlier. The term of Sinha will be for two years from the date he takes

charge, an official notification said.

3. Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984 remembered: 3 decades (30 years) of the

Bhopal tragedy of 1984 were completed on 2 December 2014. This

disaster, which took place on 2 December 1984 due to accidental leakage

of poisonous gas from the factory owned by the U.S. multinational Union

Carbide Corp in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, is known as one of the

world’s worst industrial disasters ever.

4. Veteran comedian DevenVerma died at 77 in Pune: Veteran Hindi film

and television actor DevenVerma passed away at Sahyadri Hospital in

Pune at 2 am on Tuesday. He had been unwell for some time and was

suffering from heart problem and diabetes. He was 77 and is survived by

his wife RupaGanguly, who is the daughter of late famous actor Ashok

Kumar. Among the new films in which he acted were ‘DilToPagal Hai’,

‘Ishq’, ‘Kya Kehna’, ‘Salaakhein’, ‘Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai’ and ‘Hulchul’.

His last Hindi film was ‘Calcutta Mail’ that released in 2003.

5. International Day for the Abolition of Slavery observed: The

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery was observed by the United

Nations on 2 December 2014.The day is observed to focus on the

elimination of human trafficking, child labour and other forms of

modern-day slavery.

6. UN climate summit began in Peru: Officials from over 190 nations,

including India, on 1 December 2014 converged in Peru at the UN climate

summit to negotiate on a new ambitious and binding deal to cut global

carbon emissions, in the last chance to reach on a historic deal to be

signed next year in Paris.

7. Union Cabinet approved Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2013:

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2

December 2014 approved Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2013.

The Bill seeks to amend the Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) Act, 1976. The

Bill will help enhance authorized and issued capital to strengthen their

capital base and to bring flexibility in the shareholding between Union

Government, State Government and Sponsor Bank.

8. India successfully tests N-capable Agni-IV missile: India on 2 December

2014 successfully conducted the first user trial of its long-range, nuclear-

capable, surface-to-surface Agni-IV missile from a defence base in

Odisha, an official said. The missile, with the capability to hit targets

4,000 km away, was tested from the Wheeler Island off the state coast

near Dhamra in Bhadrak district, about 200 km from the state capital

Bhubaneswar.

01 DEC –2014 1. 14 CRPF men died in Maoist strike in Chhattisgarh: Ending an eight-

month calm, Maoists killed 14 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)

personnel, including two officers, in Sukma district of South Chhattisgarh

on 01 December 2014. The ambush took place near Kasalpara village.

“The deceased personnel include Deputy Commandant D.S. Verma and

Assistant Commandant Rajesh Kapuria of the CRPF,” R.K. Vij, Additional

Director-General of Police, Naxal Operations, Chhattisgarh, told.

2. Non-subsidized LPG price cut by Rs 113/cylinder, jet fuel price slashed

by 4.1%: Price of non-subsidized cooking gas (LPG) was on 01 December

2014 cut by a steep Rs 113 per cylinder and that of jet fuel (ATF) by 4.1



per cent as international oil rates slumped to multi-year lows. A 14.2kg

cylinder of non-subsidized LPG will now cost Rs 752, down from Rs 865

previously, in Delhi, oil companies announced.

3. World AIDS Day observed: World AIDS Day, designated 1 December

every year since 1987, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS

pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, and mourning those

who have died of the disease. Government and health officials, non-

governmental organizations and individuals around the world observe

the day, often with education on AIDS prevention and control. The 2014

theme for World AIDS Day is “Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free

Generation.”

4. Bangladesh's Taijul Islam grabs Hat-trick on ODI debut: Young

Bangladesh spinner Taijul Islam on 1 December 2014 became the first

bowler in history to claim a hat-trick on his debut in one-day cricket,

achieving the feat against Zimbabwe in Dhaka. The 22-year-old left-

armer bowled TinashePanyangara off the last ball of the 27th over and

then trapped John Nyumbu leg-before and bowled TendaiChatara off

successive deliveries at the start of his next over to take a split hat-trick.

Islam finished with four for 11 in seven overs.

5. Adelaide to host first Australia-India Test in revised schedule: The first

cricket Test between India and Australia will be held in Adelaide from

December 9 after the four-match series' schedule was revised on

Monday in the wake of young player Phillip Hughes' tragic death which

left the home team distraught. "Revised Schedule: 1st Test (December 9-

13), 2nd Test (December 17-21), 3rd Test (December 26-30) and 4th Test

(January 6-10). Venues: 1st Test (Adelaide), 2nd Test (Brisbane), 3rd Test

(Melbourne) and 4th Test (Sydney) #AUSvsIND," the BCCI said on its

official Twitter handle.

6. Ronaldo, Messi and Neuer up for Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo and

Lionel Messi, who have between them won the past six world player of

the year awards, face opposition from Germany's World Cup winning

goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the short list announced by FIFA on

Monday. Ronaldo, who is the present holder of the title having also won

it in 2008, scored a record 17 goals in a Champions League campaign as

Real Madrid went on to win their 10th European Cup last term.

7. AP to pay pensions through post offices from January-2015: Andhra

Pradesh Government will make all pension disbursements from January -

2015 through post offices and recruit fair price shops agents as Postal

agents. Chief Secretary IYR Krishna Rao, who reviewed the distribution

process of pensions at the Secretariat on Monday, said that all dealers of

fair price shops managing the PDS would be appointed as agents of the

Postal Department for the purpose of distribution of Pensions.

Current Affairs Quiz: 1. Bharatiya Janata Party, along with its ally, the All Jharkhand Students’

Union (AJSU) won a total of 43 seats in the Jharkhand assembly elections,

the result of which was declared on 23 December 2014. Total how many

seats are there in Jharkhand Assembly?

(A) 65 (B) 84

(C) 90 (D) 81 2. Which country on 23 December 2014 carried out the first test launch of a

new heavy-class Angara A5 rocket?

(A) China (B) Russia

(C) Pakistan (D) Argentina

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3. K Balachander who died on 23 December 2014 was an acclaimed

filmmaker in which industry?

(A) Tamil (B) Malayalam

(C) Kannada (D) Telugu 4. Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, was recently named as the

International Cricket Council ambassador for the second

successiveedition for the World Cup to be held in 2015 at?

(A) England and Ireland

(B) India and Sri Lanka

(C) Australia and New Zealand

(D) South Africa and Kenya 5. RBI on 23 December 2014 extended the deadline for exchanging pre-

2005 currency notes to?

(A) March 31, 2015 (B) January 31, 2015

(C) June 30, 2015 (D) September 30, 2015 6. Union Ministry of Home Affairs on 23 December 2014 set up

acommittee to examine the possibility of constitution of a Special

Investigation Team (SIT) for reinvestigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot

cases. Who will head the committee?

(A) Justice (retired) G.P. Mathur

(B) Justice (retired) MarkandeyKatju

(C) Justice (retired) R.M Lotha

(D) Justice (retired) Ashok Kumar Mathur 7. Which party emerged as the largest party in Jammu & Kashmir Assembly

elections of 2014, results for which were declared on 23 December

2014?

(A) Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC)

(B) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

(C) Jammu & Kashmir People Conference

(D) Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 8. 8) KisanDiwas was observed across the country on 23 December 2014 to

celebrate the birthday of?

(A) Madan Mohan Malviya

(B) Chaudhary Charan Singh

(C) LalBahadurShastri

(D) LalaLajpat Rai 9. Who won the Golden Boot Award for the top scorer of Indian Super

League 2014?

(A) SandeshJhingan (B) Iain Hume

(C) ElanoBlumer (D) Jan Seda 10. The data for the Sample Registration Survey (SRS), conducted by the

Registrar General of India (RGI), was released on 22 December 2014. As

per the report, in how many states the Total Fertility Rate has fallen

below two children per woman?

(A) 5 (B) 12 (C) 9 (D) 8

Answers

1) Ans. (D) 81

2) Ans. (B) Russia

3) Ans. (A) Tamil

4) Ans. (C) Australia and New Zealand

5) Ans. (C) June 30, 2015

6) Ans. (A) Justice (retired) G.P. Mathur

7) Ans. (D) Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

8) Ans. (B) Chaudhary Charan Singh

9) Ans. (C) ElanoBlumer

10) Ans. (D) 8

Multiple Choice Current Affairs Questions 1. Which former player was named ambassador for 2015 ICC Cricket World

Cup on 22 December 2014?

(A) Shane Warne (B) Rahul Dravid

(C) Sachin Tendulkar (D) Rickey Ponting 2. Former Union minister of state D Napoleon on 21 December 2014 joined

BJP, after quitting which party?




(A) TDP (B) AIADMK

(C) NCP (D) DMK 3. Who was awarded the Golden Ball Award for the best player of Indian

Super League, which concluded recently?

(A) Iain Hume (B) ElanoBlumer

(C) Jan Seda (D) Marco Materazzi 4. Which club recently defeated San Lorenzo of Argentina 2-0 to win the

Club football World Cup 2014?

(A) Barcelona (B) Machester United

(C) Liverpool (D) Real Madrid 5. 5) Who among the following was on 20 December 2014 appointed as the

new Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)?

(A) D K Pathak (B) Prakash Mishra

(C) Dilip Trivedi (C) None of these 6. India on 22 December 2014 celebrated National Mathematics Day. The

day was celebrated on the birth anniversary of?

(A) SrinivasaRamanujan (B) Shakunthala Devi

(C) Aryabhata (D) P.C. Mahalanobis 7. Haryanvi twins, Nungshi and Tashi Singh Mallik recently became the first

twins to climb Seven Summits by climbing Mt Vinson. Mt Vinson is the

highest peak of?

(A) Africa (B) Australia

(C) South America (D) Antartica 8. Which state will host the PravasiBharatiya Divas 2015 as announced by

External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj on 22 December 2014?

(A) Gujarat (B) Kerala

(C) Rajasthan (D) Goa 9. BejiCaidEssebsi was on 22 December 2014 elected as the President of?

(A) Belgium (B) Fiji

(C) Tunisia (D) Sudan 10. LCA (Navy) Prototype 1 - or NP1 - the first indigenously designed and

developed fourth-plus generation combat aircraft, was tested at the Ski-

Jump facility of the Shore Based Test Facility at INS Hansa in which state

on 20 December 2014?

(A) Odisha (B) Andhra Pradesh

(C) Goa (D) Kerala

Answers

1) Ans. (C) Sachin Tendulkar

2) Ans. (D) DMK

3) Ans. (A) Iain Hume

4) Ans. (D) Real Madrid

5) Ans. (B) Prakash Mishra

6) Ans. (A) SrinivasaRamanujan

7) Ans. (D) Antartica

8) Ans. (A) Gujarat

9) Ans. (C) Tunisia

10) Ans. (C) Goa

Current Affairs Quiz Questions 1. Which team won the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League (ISL)

football tournament on 20 December 2014?

(A) Atletico de Kolkata (B) Kerala Blasters

(C) FC Goa (D) Chennaiyin FC 2. Who among the following took over as the president of the Federation of

Indian Chambers of commerce & Industry (FICCI) on 20 December 2014?

(A) NainaLalKidwai (B) Sidharth Birla

(C) HarshavardhanNeotia (D) Jyotsna Suri 3. International Human Solidarity Day was recently observed on?

(A) December 19 (B) December 20

(C) December 21 (D) December 22 4. Who was appointed as the new chief of the Research and Analysis Wing

(RAW) on 20 December 2014?

(A) RameshwarNath Kao (B) Alok Joshi

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(C) Rajinder Khanna (D) Prakash Mishra 5. Indian men & women win World Cup Kabaddi titles on 20 December

2014. Indian men's team defeated which team to win the title?

(A) Iran (B) Pakistan

(C) Argentina (D) Canada 6. According to a recent report of Insurance Regulatory and Development

Authority (IRDA) which was tabled in Parliament by Union Finance

Minister ArunJaitley on 19 December 2014, how many percentage of

total population in India were covered by health insurance?

(A) 17% (B) 31%

(C) 25% (D) 41%

7. India on 20 December 2014 exported its first warship named ‘CGS

Barracuda’ to which country?

(A) Maldives (B) Bhutan

(C) Nepal (D) Mauritius 8. Australia recently defeated India by 4 wickets in the second test match

played at Brisbane. Who was adjudged Man of the Match?

(A) Ishant Sharma (B) Mitchell Jhonson

(C) Steve Smith (D) Josh Hazlewood 9. Name India's official entry, which was out of Oscars' race after it failed to

make the cut in the Academy's shortlist in the best foreign film category

recently?

(A) Jal (B) Liar's Dice

(C) The Lunchbox (D) Ship of Theseus 10. Which country on 19 December 2014 beat India in the race to become an

associate member of CERN (European Organization for Nuclear

Research), the world's largest particle physics laboratory?

(A) Kenya (B) Russia

(C) Pakistan (D) Honduras

Answers 1) Ans. (A) Atletico de Kolkata

2) Ans. (D) Jyotsna Suri

3) Ans. (B) December 20

4) Ans. (C) Rajinder Khanna

5) Ans. (B) Pakistan

6) Ans. (A) 17%

7) Ans. (D) Mauritius

8) Ans. (C) Steve Smith

9) Ans. (B) Liar's Dice

10) Ans. (C) Pakistan Important Current Affairs Questions

1. Name its heaviest next generation rocket test fired by ISRO on 18

December 2014, taking India much closer to realizing the dream of

manned space flight?

(A) GSLV Mark-I (B) GSLV Mark-II

(C) GSLV Mark-III (D) GSLV Mark-IV 2. What is the theme of the new Government of India calendar 2015

launched recently?

(A) Incredible India (B) Financial Inclusion

(C) Atithidevobhava (D) Clean India, Green India

3. Union Cabinet on 17 December 2014 approved the Constitutional

Amendment Bill on Goods & Services Tax (GST). Government aims to

implement GST from which date?

(A) April 1, 2016 (B) January 1, 2016

(C) February 28, 2015 (D) April 1, 2015 4. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty on ICICI

Bank and which other bank on 17 December 2014 for violation of its

instructions on Know Your Customer (KYC)?

(A) Union Bank of India (B) Bank of Baroda

(C) Indian Bank (D) Federal Bank 5. Which among the following film was named the best first film by Toronto

Film Critics recently?

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(A) Liar's Dice (B) Ship of Theseus

(C) BhaagMilkhaBhaag (D) The Lunchbox 6. United States and which other country made a historic breakthrough in

their Cold War stand-off on 17 December 2014, moving to revive

diplomatic ties?

(A) Russia (B) Brazil

(C) Cuba (D) Japan 7. Which state government recently decided to name the school, in which

KailashSatyarthi winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize had his primary

education, after him?

(A) Bihar (B) Uttar Pradesh

(C) Madhya Pradesh (D) Himachal Pradesh 8. Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez and former Supreme Court

judge KS Radhakrishnan were on 17 December 2014 given PETA India’s

People of the Year award for their contribution towards the protection

of?

(A) Mangrove Forest (B) Animals

(D) Orphan Childrens (D) Water Bodies 9. Name the Indian-American who has been confirmed by the US Senate as

a Federal judge in the District of Columbia recently?

(A) Amit Priyavadan Mehta (B) Manoj Shyamalan

(C) Fareed RafiqZakaria (D) Sanjay Gupta 10. Which country recently decided to honour its most famous author,

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, by featuring his face on its banknotes?

(A) Vietnam (B) Indonesia

(C) Peru (D) Colombia

Answers

1) Ans. (C) GSLV Mark-III

2) Ans. (D) Clean India, Green India

3) Ans. (A) April 1, 2016

4) Ans. (B) Bank of Baroda

5) Ans. (D) The Lunchbox

6) Ans. (C) Cuba

7) Ans. (C) Madhya Pradesh

8) Ans. (B) Animals

9) Ans. (A) Amit Priyavadan Mehta

10) Ans. (D) Colombia Current Affairs Questions:

1. Who among the following has been voted the BBC Sports Personality of

the Year 2014 on 15 December 2014?

(A) Magnus Carlsen (B) Sachin Tendulkar

(C) Lewis Hamilton (D) Ussain Bolt 2. Which company on 15 December 2014 announced selling its multiplex

business 'BIG Cinemas' to South India based Carnival Group?

(A) Aditya Birla Group (B) Bharati Airtel

(C) Tata Group (D) Reliance Group 3. Who won the Miss World title 2014?

(A) Rolene Strauss (B) Elizabeth Safrit

(C) Edina Kulcsrr (D) KoyalRana 4. Who was appointed as the new Australian Cricket Captain on 15

December 2014?

(A) George Bailey (B) Steven Smith

(C) Brad Haddin (D) David Warner 5. Name the Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines (SIA) joint venture which got the

flying licence from DGCA on 15 December 2014?

(A) Meghdoot (B) Aakash

(C) Vistara (D) None of these 6. Which was named India's biggest company by Fortune 500 list of Indian

companies for 2014 released on 15 December 2014?

(A) Reliance Industries

(B) Steel Authority of India Limited

(C) Bharat Petroleum

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(D) Indian Oil Corporation 7. Recently a lone heavily-armed man of Iranian-origin named Man

HaronMonis held 17 people hostage at a café in which city for around 17

hours?

(A) Ottawa, Canada (B) Sydney, Australia

(C) Peshawar, Paksitan (D) Paris, France 8. Who won the London Classic Chess tournament on 15 December 2014?

(A) ViswanathanAnand (B) Magnus Carlsen

(C) Michael Adams (D) Grem Moody 9. As per the data released recently, the Wholesale price inflation hit a zero

level in November which is the lowest in over how many years?

(A) 3 (B) 5 (C) 2 (D) 8 10. Nation paid homage to which leader on his 64th death anniversary on 15

December 2014?

(A) I K Gujaral

(B) P V Narasimha Rao

(C) BalGangadharTilak

(D) SardarVallabhbhai Patel

Answers 1) Ans. (C) Lewis Hamilton

2) Ans. (D) Reliance Group

3) Ans. (A) Rolene Strauss

4) Ans. (B) Steven Smith

5) Ans. (C) Vistara

6) Ans. (D) Indian Oil Corporation

7) Ans. (B) Sydney, Australia

8) Ans. (A) ViswanathanAnand

9) Ans. (B) 5

10) Ans. (D) SardarVallabhbhai Patel

Current Affairs Latest Questions 1. Rolene Strauss, who won the Miss World 2014 is from which country?

(A) Hungary (B) USA

(C) Honduras (D) South Africa 2. Which country won the Hockey Champions Trophy 2014 on 14 December

2014?

(A) Germany (B) Pakistan

(C) Australia (D) India 3. Shinzo Abe was on 14 December 2014 re-elected as the Prime

Ministerof?

(A) Taiwan (B) Malaysia

(C) Japan (D) South Korea 4. Aishwarya Rai was on 14 December 2014 felicitated at Miss World 2014

for her commitment to "beauty with a purpose". In which year did

Aishwarya Rai won the Miss World title?

(A) 1991 (B) 1994

(C) 1996 (D) 1999 5. AneroodJugnauth was named as the Prime Minister of which country on

14 December 2014?

(A) Nepal (B) Vietnam

(C) Mauritius (D) Uganda 6. UN Climate Talks held at which city on 14 December 2014 reached an

agreement to fight global warming?

(A) Lima, Peru (B) Paris, France

(C) New Delhi, India

(D) Phnom Penh, Cambodia 7. Name the Indian-origin who has been appointed as chairman of

Santander UK, becoming the first woman to head a major British bank

recently?

(A) NadashaKriti (B) ShritiVadera

(C) Priyanka Agnik (D) Krishna Kripa 8. National Energy Conservation Day was observed on?

(A) December 11 (B) December 2

(C) December 23 (D) December 14

http://www.currentaffairs4examz.com/2014/12/15-december-2014-current-affairs-quiz.html



9. Name the former Union minister who has been appointed as a member

of a board providing policy advice to United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP) on 14 December 2014?

(A) Kamal Nath (B) Shashi Tharoor

(C) Jairam Ramesh (D) Ambika Sony 10. In his third 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on radio on 14 December 2014 PM

Narendra Modi talked about the menace of which among the following?

(A) Terrorism (B) Drugs

(C) Cyber Attack (D) Female Foeticide

Answers

1) Ans. (D) South Africa

2) Ans. (A) Germany

3) Ans. (C) Japan

4) Ans. (B) 1994

5) Ans. (C) Mauritius

6) Ans. (A) Lima, Peru

7) Ans. (B) ShritiVadera

8) Ans. (D) December 14

9) Ans. (C) Jairam Ramesh

10) Ans. (B) Drugs

Current Affairs Quiz Questions: 1. Who was appointed as the new IB chief on 13 December 2014?

(A) Dineshwar Sharma (B) Syed Asif Ibrahim

(C) N. Sandhu (D) Rajiv Mathur 2. Nation paid homage to martyrs of Parliament attack on 13 December

2014. In which year on 13 December, five heavily-armed gunmen

stormed Parliament complex and opened indiscriminate fire, killing nine

persons?

(A) 2000 (B) 2001

(C) 2005 (D) 2004 3. India lost first test match against Australia in Adelaide by 48 runs on 13

December 2014. Who was adjudged the Man of the Match?

(A) David Warner (B) ViratKohli

(C) Michael Clarke (D) Nathan Lyon 4. ViratKohli on 13 December 2014, with his knocks of 115 and 141 in

thetwo innings of first Test against Australia, has become only the second

player in the history of Test Match cricket to score twin centuries on

captaincy debut. Who was the first player?

(A) Vivian Richards (B) Sunil Gavaskar

(C) Greg Chappell (D) Rahul Dravid 5. India lost to which country in the semi finals of Hockey Champions

Trophy on 13 December 2014?

(A) Pakistan (B) Belgium

(C) Australia (D) Germany 6. Which Indian singer received Lifetime Achievement Award at 11th Dubai

International Film Festival (DIFF) recently?

(A) LathaMangeskar (B) AlkaYagnik

(C) MeenaKhadikar (D) Asha Bhosle 7. Who has emerged as the top Indian celebrity with the highest earnings in

2014, according to a Forbes list released recently?

(A) Shah Rukh Khan (B) Amitabh Bachchan

(C) Salman Khan (D) M S Dhoni 8. Janasena Party, which was recently recognized by the Election

Commission of India is a political party founded by which famous Telugu

actor?

(A) PawanKalyan (B) Mahesh Babu

(C) Chiranjeevi (D) Ravi Teja 9. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on 12 December 2014 launched a book

titled "Born Again on the Mountain". Name the author?

(A) Tintu Luka (B) Arunima Sinha

(C) AnirbanLahiri (D) None of these 10. PawanChamling on 12 December 2014 completed 20 years in office as

the Chief Minsiter of which state?

(A) Assam (B) Meghalaya




(C) Arunachal Pradesh (D) Sikkim

Answers

1) Ans. (A) Dineshwar Sharma

2) Ans. (B) 2001

3) Ans. (D) Nathan Lyon

4) Ans. (C) Greg Chappell

5) Ans. (A) Pakistan

6) Ans. (D) Asha Bhosle

7) Ans. (C) Salman Khan

8) Ans. (A) PawanKalyan

9) Ans. (B) Arunima Sinha

10) Ans. (D) Sikkim

Current Affairs 1. India thrashed Belgium 3-2 on 11 December 2014 to enter the semifinals

of Hockey Champions Trophy. The Hockey Champions Trophy 2014 is

being held at which stadium in Odisha, India?

(A) Barabati Stadium

(B) Kalinga Stadium

(C) Sector 42 Stadium

(D) Anna Stadium 2. MukeshAmbani led-Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) announced selling

49% stake in its iconic textile brand ‘Vimal’ to which Chinese textile

company?

(A) Bosideng (B) Metersbonwe

(C) Shandong Ruyi (D) Youngor 3. Delhi High Court in an interim order on 11 December 2014 has restrained

which Chinese mobile company from importing and selling its mobile

phones in India due to charges of patent infringement?

(A) Lenovo (B) Huawei

(C) Xiaomi (D) Ericsson 4. First 'World Diamond Conference' was recently held at?

(A) Moscow (B) New Delhi

(C) Tokyo (D) Phnom Penh 5. YouTube on 11 December 2014 added an option to watch videos even

when users are offline through its mobile application. YouTube is owned

by?

(A) Google (B) Microsoft

(C) IBM (D) Yahoo 6. Ding Junhui on 11 December 2014 became the first Asian player to take

the world number one snooker ranking. He is from which country?

(A) South Korea (B) Japan

(C) Thailand (D) China 7. Which player on 11 December 2014 became the third cricket player in

Test match history to score a century on his debut as captain?

(A) Rohit Sharma (B) David Warner

(C) ViratKohli (D) Steven Smith 8. Name the Hindi romantic-drama film which completed its 1,000 week on

12 December 2014?

(A) DilwaleDulhania Le Jayenge

(B) KuchKuchHota Hai

(C) KalHoo Na Ho

(D) Maine PyarKiya 9. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime

Minister on 11 December 2014 approved the creation of the intra state

transmission system in which state?

(A) Gujarat (B) Maharashtra

(C) Bihar (D) Tamil Nadu 10. Madan Mitra who was arrested for his role in the Saradha scam by CBI on

12 December 2014 is the transport minister of which state?

(A) Kerala (B) Haryana

(C) West Bengal (D) Jharkhand

Answers

1) Ans. (B) Kalinga Stadium

http://www.currentaffairs4examz.com/2014/12/current-affairs-mcqs-13-december-2014.html



2) Ans. (C) Shandong Ruyi

3) Ans. (C) Xiaomi

4) Ans. (B) New Delhi

5) Ans. (A) Google

6) Ans. (D) China

7) Ans. (C) ViratKohli

8) Ans. (A) DilwaleDulhania Le Jayenge

9) Ans. (D) Tamil Nadu

10) Ans. (C) West Bengal Quiz Questions from Current Affairs:

1. Who was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2014 on 10

December 2014?

(A) Narendra Modi (B) Ebola fighters

(C) Vladimir Putin

(D) Ferguson Protestors 2. United Nations Organisation (UNO) on 11 December 2014 declared

which day as World Yoga Day?

(A) June 21 (B) May 21

(C) December 21 (D) July 21 3. Recently a controversy has arised due to alleged religious conversion at

which place, which rocked the proceedings of Parliament as well?

(A) Aligarh (B) Varanasi

(C) Agra (D) Lucknow 4. KailashSatyarthi of India and Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan on 10

December 2014 received the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014. At which city of

Norway, Nobel Peace Prize is presented?

(A) Stavanger (B) Bergen

(C) Oslo (D) Trondheim 5. Government has recently decided to decriminalize ‘attempt to suicide’ by

scrapping it from the Indian Penal Code. Under which section of IPC does

this comes?

(A) Section 350 (B) Section 315

(C) Section 314 (D) Section 309 6. Jammu and Kashmir recorded historic win over which former champions

in Ranji Trophy on 10 December 2014?

(A) Mumbai (B) Karnataka

(C) Goa (D) Tamil Nadu 7. Which former Australian captain has been chosen as the new head coach

of Indian Premier League team Mumbai Indians on 10 December 2014?

(A) Mathew Hayden (B) Adam Gilchrist

(C) Ricky Ponting (D) Michael Beven 8. The trial run of the Guwahati-Shillong-Dhaka passenger bus service was

flagged off on 10 December 2014. Dhaka is the capital of?

(A) Paksitan (B) Nepal

(C) Bhutan (D) Bangladesh 9. Boxer Sarita Devi on 10 December 2014 finally received her Asian Games

bronze medal which she had refused at the victory ceremony. Where

was the Asian Games 2014 held?

(A) Sochi, Russia (B) New Delhi, India

(C) Incheon, South Korea (D) Beijing, China 10. Name the Russian President who arrived on a one day visit to India on 11

December 2014?

(A) Dmitry Medvedev (B) Vladimir Putin

(C) Stephen Harper (D) Tony Abbott

Answers 1) Ans. (B) Ebola fighters

2) Ans. (A) June 21

3) Ans. (C) Agra

4) Ans. (C) Oslo

5) Ans. (D) Section 309

6) Ans. (A) Mumbai

7) Ans. (C) Ricky Ponting

8) Ans. (D) Bangladesh

9) Ans. (C) Incheon, South Korea



10) Ans. (B) Vladimir Putin

Current Affairs Multiple Choice Questions:

1. International Anti-Corruption Day was observed on 9 December 2014

with the theme?

(A) "Break the Corruption Chain"

(B) “ACT – Against Corruption Today”

(C) "Your No Counts"

(D) "Corruption stops from me" 2. Who won the TIME readers’ poll for ‘Person of the Year’ on 9 December

2014?

(A) Malala Yousafzai

(B) Ferguson Protesters

(C) Vladimir Putin (D) Narendra Modi 3. American Express and which Indian airline company has joined hands

recently to launch India’s first of its kind airline co-branded corporate

card?

(A) Spice Jet (B) Jet Airways

(C) AIr India (D) Vistara 4. MarumalarchiDravidaMunnetraKazhagam (MDMK) on 8 December 2014

quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). MDMK party is from

which state?

(A) Kerala (B) Karnataka

(C) Tamil Nadu (D) Andhra Pradesh 5. Which was the first country to recognize Bangladesh as an independent

nation as announced by Bangaldesh foreign office on 9 December 2014,

putting an end to the decades-old speculation on the issue?

(A) India (B) Bhutan

(C) Pakistan (D) Russsia 6. Which bank on 9 December 2014 launched first homegrown economic

indicator of the country, that will primarily track manufacturing activity

to offer a forward-looking economic trends?

(A) SBI (B) ICICI

(C) Corporation Bank

(D) Punjab National Bank 7. Phillip Hughes, the departed cricketer was named as his national team's

"13th Man", with the first cricket Test between India and Australia

starting in Adelaide on 9 December 2014. Cricket world was recently

struck by the tragedy when Hughes passed away after failing to recover

being hit by a bouncer from which bowler?

(A) Jason Beherondoroff (B) Michael Beer

(C) Sean Abbott (D) Jackson Bird 8. Who was confirmed as the next US Ambassador to India by the US

Senate on 9 December 2014?

(A) Nancy Powell

(B) Richard Rahul Verma

(C) Kathleen Stephens

(D) Albert Peter Burleigh 9. Human Rights Day was observed globally on?

(A) 9 December 2014

(B) 24 December 2014

(C) 14 November 2014

(D) 10 December 2014 10. Cabinet has approved the official amendments to the Insurance Laws

(Amendment) Bill, 2008 which recommends a composite cap of ...... per

cent on foreign investment in insurance (FDI)?

(A) 49 (B) 51 (C) 26 (D) 100

Answers

1) Ans. (A) "Break the Corruption Chain"

2) Ans. (D) Narendra Modi

3) Ans. (B) Jet Airways

4) Ans. (C) Tamil Nadu

5) Ans. (B) Bhutan

6) Ans. (A) SBI

7) Ans. (C) Sean Abbott



8) Ans. (B) Richard Rahul Verma

9) Ans. (D) 10 December 2014

10) Ans. (A) 49

Current Affairs Quiz 1. Delhi government on 8 December 2014 banned all operations by private

cab service Uber, in the wake of the alleged rape incident in a taxi plying

for it. Uber is a which country based cab firm?

(A) France (B) USA

(C) Canada (D) Japan 2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist MukeshAmbani feature

amongst the most searched personalities online this year, according to

which search engine's data released on 8 Dec 2014?

(A) Ask (B) Bing

(C) Google (D) Yahoo 3. Name the Union Minister of Railways who on 8 December 2014

inaugurated the Wi-Fi Broadband Services at New Delhi Railway Station?

(A) Suresh Prabhu (B) Prakash Javedkar

(C) D V Sadananda Gowda

(D) Ravishankar Prasad 4. News website Huffington Post launched its India edition on 8 Dec 2014 in

partnership with?

(A) The Hindu Group (B) CNN IBN Network

(C) The Times of India Group

(D) The Indian Express 5. Name ISRO's heaviest and upgraded rocket which is set to be test

launched on 18 December 2014?

(A) GSLV – Mark III (B) PSLV – Mark III

(C) GSLV – Mark V (D) PSLV – Mark V 6. World’s first handcrafted herbal Holy Koran made from about 200

medicinal plants, was recently unveiled at?

(A) New Delhi (B) Dubai

(C) Qatar (D) None of these 7. Who among the following was in news recently after getting swallowed

alive by anaconda for a TV show?

(A) Paul Rosolie (B) Bear Grylls

(C) Dave Canterbury (D) Les Stroud 8. Which private bank has announced a hike in its ATM charges for

saving account holders from January 1, 2015?

(A) Kotal Mahindra Bank (B) ICICI

(C) Axis Bank (D) Federal Bank

9. Singapore on 8 Dec 2014 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)

with which state to prepare a master plan and develop a world-class

capital city for that state?

(A) Gujarat (B) Maharashtra

(C) Telengana (D) Andhra Pradesh 10. A committee which was formed to transform the Post Office Network in

keeping with changing market trends and competition, on 4 December

2014, submitted its report to the Union Ministry of Communications and

Information Technology. Who was the head of the committee?

(A) T V Mohandas Pai (B) T S R Subramanian

(C) G N Bajpai (D) Kavery Banerjee

Answers

1) Ans. (B) USA

2) Ans. (D) Yahoo

3) Ans. (A) Suresh Prabhu

4) Ans. (C) The Times of India Group

5) Ans. (A) GSLV – Mark III




6) Ans. (B) Dubai

7) Ans. (A) Paul Rosolie

8) Ans. (B) ICICI

9) Ans. (D) Andhra Pradesh

10) Ans. (B) T S R Subramanian

Current Affairs Multiple Choice Questions

1. India's latest communication satellite GSAT-16 was launched successfully

on 07 December 2014. GSAT-16 was launched using which foreign

rocket?

(A) Intercosmos (B) Ariane

(C) Vostok (D) Delta 2. India defeated which country to win Blind Cricket World Cup on 7

December 2014?

(A) Pakistan (B) South Africa

(C) Sri Lanka (D) Australia 3. India on 7 December 2014 set a new world record for the largest human

flag, formed by over 50,000 volunteers, beating the previous record held

by Pakistan. In which city the event was held?

(A) Ahmedabad (B) Kochi

(C) Kolkata (D) Chennai 4. Typhoon Hagupit has recently hit which country?

(A) Japan (B) Maldives

(C) Malaysia (D) Philippines

5. First World Soil Day was recently observed on?

(A) 3 December 2014 (B) 1 December 2014

(D) 5 December 2014 (D) None of these 6. Mohammad Hafeez who was on 7 December 2014 suspended by the

ICC after his bowling action was found to be illegal in bio-mechanic tests,

is the cricket player from which country?

(A) West Indies (B) Pakistan

(C) Bangladesh (D) South Africa

7. Which was the other satellite launched along with GSAT-16 from space

port of Kourou in French Guiana on 7 December 2014?

(A) SROSS-C2 (B) RESOURCESAT-14

(C) DIRECTV-14 (D) CARTOSAT-2A 8. A committee constituted in which year to design future currency notes,

as disclosed by Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley on 5 December 2014,

recommended that no other national leader’s image should be put on

banknotes except Mahatma Gandhi?

(A) 2010 (B) 2013

(C) 2005 (D) 2014 9. The Book “The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years”, which is set

to be published on 11 December 2014 is written by?

(A) Dr Manmohan Singh (B) Sonia Gandhi

(C) Pranab Mukherjee (D) A K Antony 10. Hockey Champions Trophy 2014 kicked off in India on 6 December 2014.

How many times India has won Hockey Champions Trophy in the past?

(A) Twice (B) Four Times

(C) Once (D) None

Answers

1) Ans. (B) Ariane

2) Ans. (A) Pakistan

3) Ans. (D) Chennai

4) Ans. (D) Philippines

5) Ans. (D) 5 December 2014

6) Ans. (B) Pakistan

7) Ans. (C) DIRECTV-14

8) Ans. (A) 2010

9) Ans. (C) Pranab Mukherjee

10) Ans. (D) None Latest Current Affairs Questions

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on 5 December 2014 named 'Asian of

the Year' by which country's daily named 'The Straits Times'?



(A) China (B) Malaysia

(C) Singapore (D) Japan 2. Which space agency on 5 December 2014 launched 'Orion spacecraft' on

a high-stakes test flight meant to usher in a new era of human

exploration leading ultimately to Mars?

(A) NASA (B) European Union

(C) ISRO (D) CNSA 3. International Volunteer Day was observed every year on?

(A) 2 December (B) 3 December

(C) 4 December (D) 5 December 4. Which country was recently hit by acute water crisis after a fire broke out

in the country's water treatment plant, causing extensive damage leading

to disconnection of water supply?

(A) Fiji (B) Maldives

(C) Indonesia (D) Philippines 5. Subsidiary of the investment banking arm of which bank recently

launched an online Will creation service, the first of its kind in the

country?

(A) Punjab National Bank (B) ICICI

(C) State Bank of India

(D) Kotak Mahindra Bank 6. Ajit Seth was on 5 December 2014 given a six-month extension in service

for which post?

(A) Cabinet secretary

(B) National Security Advisor

(C) CBI Director

(D) RBI Governor 7. "MahaparinirvanaDiwas" was observed across the country on 6

December 2014 to remember whose death anniversary?

(A) SardarVallabhai Patel (B) Indira Gandhi

(C) Rajiv Gandhi (D) BR Ambedkar

8. Champions trophy Hockey Tournament started on 6 Decmber 2014.

Which city is hosting the event?

(A) Auckland, New Zealand

(B) Bhubaneswar, India

(C) Melbourne, Australia

(D) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 9. In an NGO sponsored medical camp in Gurdaspur district of which state,

around 60 people lost their eyesight recently?

(A) Chattisgarh (B) Gujarat

(C) Bihar (D) Punjab

10. Name the Union Power and Coal Minister who on 6 December 2014

announced that consumers will soon be able to choose their power

supply company?

(A) PiyushGoyal (B) Harsh Vardhan

(C) JualOram (D) Prakash Javadekar

Answers

1) Ans. (C) Singapore

2) Ans. (A) NASA

3) Ans. (D) 5 December

4) Ans. (B) Maldives

5) Ans. (C) State Bank of India ( SBICap Trustee is the name of the

subsidiary)

6) Ans. (A) Cabinet secretary

7) Ans. (D) BR Ambedkar

8) Ans. (B) Bhubaneswar, India

9) Ans. (D) Punjab

10) Ans. (A) PiyushGoyal

Current Affairs Quiz Questions: 1. Supreme Court on 3 December 2014 set up a special 'Social Justice

Bench' to exclusively hear cases concerning social issues particularly




those related to women, children and underprivileged. The bench will

assemble every week on?

(A) Monday (B) Wednesday

(C) Friday (D) Tuesday 2. Which country topped the global corruption index rating released

recently?

(A) Denmark (B) Singapore

(C) Maldives (D) Canada 3. SadhviNiranjanJyoti who was in news recently, for controversial

communal remarks in an election rally in Delhi, is the Union Minister

state for?

(A) Food processing industries

(B) Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

(C) Agriculture (D) Tribal Affairs 4. RBI recently doubled the Pre-Paid Card limit to Rs......?

(A) 5 lakhs (B) 10 lakhs

(C) 2 lakhs (D) 1 lakh 5. Birth anniversary of which former president was observed on 3

December 2014?

(A) V VGiri (B) K R Narayanan

(C) Rajendra Prasad (D) S Radhakrishnan 6. International Day of People with Disability was recently observed across

the world on?

(A) 1 December 2014 (B) 3 December 2014

(C) 2 December 2014 (D) 4 December 2014 7. Name the only Indian umpire who was on 3 December 2014 named in a

25-member list of match officials for next year's ICC ODI World Cup in

Australia and New Zealand?

(A) S Venkataraghavan (B) ShavirTarapore

(C) SudhirAsnani (D) S. Ravi 8. Which team won the Deodhar Trophy cricket tournament 2014 on 4

December 2014?

(A) West Zone (B) East Zone

(C) North Zone (D) South Zone 9. Eminent jurist V R Krishna Iyer who passed away on 4 December 2014

belongs to which state?

(A) Kerala (B) Tamil Nadu

(C) Andhra Pradesh (D) Karnataka 10. Reserve Bank of India, on 4 December 2014, asked banks to make the

registration process for which banking service easy?

(A) Net Banking (B) ATM Card

(C) Mobile Banking

(D) Cardless Transactions

Answers

1) Ans. (C) Friday

2) Ans. (A) Denmark

3) Ans. (A) Food processing industries

4) Ans. (D) 1 lakh

5) Ans. (C) Rajendra Prasad

6) Ans. (B) 3 December 2014

7) Ans. (D) S. Ravi

8) Ans. (B) East Zone

9) Ans. (A) Kerala

10) Ans. (C) Mobile Banking

GK & Current Affairs Quiz 1. World AIDS Day was observed on 1 December 2014 with the theme?

(A)Community Commitment

(B)One World. One Hope

(C)Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free Gen eration

(D)Stigma and Discrimination 2. Commercially, sodium bicarbonate is known as?

(A)Baking soda (B)Soda ash

(C)Washing soda (D)Bleaching powder



3. Taijul Islam on 1 December 2014 became the first bowler in history to

claim a hat-trick on his debut in one-day cricket. He is the player from

which country?

(A)Zimbabwe (B)South Africa

(C)Pakistan (D)Bangladesh 4. In which state was the Nalanda University located in India?

(A)Bihar (B)Bengal

(C)Uttar Pradesh (D)Odisha 5. Which state has on 1 December 2014 announced to make all pension

disbursements from January -2015 through post offices and recruit fair

price shops agents as Postal agents?

(A)Telengana (B)Andhra Pradesh

(C)Gujarat (D)Karnataka 6. A soap bubble shows colours when illuminated with white light. This is

due to

(A)Interference (B)Reflection

(C)Diffraction (D)Polarisation 7. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and which other player was shortlisted

on 1 December 2014 for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award?

(A)Neymar (B)Luiz Suarez

(C)Manuel Neuer (D)None of these 8. The tip of the match-stick contains?

(A)Phosphorus trichloride

(B)Phosphorus pentoxide

(C)Red phosphorus

(D)White phosphorus 9. 14 CRPF men died on 1 December 2014 in a Maoist strike in which state?

(A)Chhattisgarh (B)Tripura

(C)Nagaland (D)Assam 10. The first cricket Test between India and Australia will be held in which

city from December 9 after the four-match series' schedule was revised

on 1 December 2014 in the wake of young player Phillip Hughes' tragic

death?

(A)Adelaide (B)Brisbane

(C)Sydney (D)Melbourne

Answers 1) Ans. (C)Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free Generation

2) Ans. (A) Baking soda

3) Ans. (D) Bangladesh

4) Ans. (A) Bihar

5) Ans. (B) Andhra Pradesh

6) Ans. (A) Interference

7) Ans. (C) ManuelNeuer

8) Ans. (C) Red phosphorus

9) Ans. (A) Chhattisgarh

10) Ans. (A) Adelaide

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