NATIONAL:
1. Poonch Terror Ambush
Why in news -
• The terror group People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) has claimed responsibility for the attack on the army in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch along Line of Control (LoC).
Key Points -
• The PAFF is a front of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
• It was first seen after special status to Jammu and Kashmir was scrapped in August 2019.
• PAFF was banned by Ministry of Home Affair (MHA) under the UAPA; previously, MHA banned the Resistance Front, an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
About LoC:
• LoC is a military controlled line between Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• LoC is not legally recognized international boundary, but serves as the de facto border.
• It was established as part of Shimla Agreement at the end of Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. Vandalism of Hindu temple in California.
Why in news - US lawmakers, including 3 Indian-American Congressmen strongly condemned vandalism of Hindu temple in California.
Key Points -
• The Swaminarayan Mandir in Newark, California was vandalised with anti-India graffiti, and the police are investigating the matter as a possible hate crime.
• Congressman Ro Khanna, who represents California’s 17th Congressional District located in Silicon Valley, which is in his district, has condemned the defacing.
ECONOMY:
1. Reforming Sovereign Credit Rating
Why in news - Reforming Sovereign Credit Rating Process is the need of hour as per office of Chief Economic Advisor (CEA).
Key Points -
• Office of CEA in its recent publication has addressed critical issue of opaque methodologies employed by credit rating agencies (CRAs) to determine sovereign ratings.
• Currently, India is rated investment grade by 3 major CRAs - Standard & Poor's (S&P), Moody’s and Fitch.
IMPORTANT DAYS:
1. Good Governance Day (25-December)
Why in news - Good Governance Day being celebrated on birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Key Points -
• The day is celebrated on the 25th of December every year to foster awareness among the people of the country about accountability in Governance and Government.
About Atal Bihari Vajpayee:
• Born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, Mr. Vajpayee was elected 10 times to the Lok Sabha from four different States and was twice member of the Rajya Sabha.
• He was Prime Minister thrice in 1996, 1998-1999 and 1999-2004.
• He was awarded India's highest civilian honor Bharat Ratna in 2015 on his birthday.
• His birthday, December 25, is observed as the Good Governance Day by the government.
2. National Consumer Rights Day (24-December)
Why in news - National Consumer Rights Day is held every year on 24 December.
Key Points -
• The Consumer Protection Act was approved in 1986 and gained the President's approval on December 24, 1986.
• Since then, this day has been established as National Consumer Rights Day to honour the occasion.
• The World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on the 15th March every year.
• World Consumer Rights Day 2023 topic this year is “Empowering Consumers Through Clean Energy Transitions.”
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:
1. Watsonx.ai
Why in news - NASA And IBM Announced an AI Tool Called “watsonx.ai”.
Key Points -
• NASA and IBM announced that an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called watsonx.ai will be available on the open-source AI platform Hugging Face.
About Watsonx.ai:
• It is an artificial intelligence tool jointly developed by NASA and IBM.
• It will also help users monitor the Earth from space, measure environmental changes that have already occurred, as well as make predictions about the future.
About National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA):
• NASA is the space agency of the United States.
• Established- 29 July 1958
• Headquarters - Washington, D.C.
About IBM:
• IBM - International Business Machines Corporation
• Established – 16 June 1911
• Headquarters – New York, United States
BIRTH ANNIVERSARY:
1. Madan Mohan Malaviya (25 December)
Why in news - The Prime Minister of India paid tribute to Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya on his 162th birth anniversary.
Key Points -
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be releasing the first series of eleven volumes of Collected Works of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya in New Delhi.
• The programme will be organised on the occasion of the 162nd birth anniversary of Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya.
About Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya -
• Born on 25th December 1861, in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.
• He established the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1916.
• He popularized the term ‘Satyamev Jayate’. However, the phrase originally belongs to the Mundaka Upanishad. The term now is the national motto of India.
• He was given the title of ‘Mahamana’ by Rabindranath Tagore and the second President of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan gave him the status of a ‘Karmayogi’.
• He died on 12th November, 1946, at the age of 84.
• In 2014, he was posthumously conferred with Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award.
SPORTS:
1. Wrestling Federation of India
Why in news - Sports Ministry suspended just-elected Wrestling Federation of India for multiple violations.
Key Points -
• After being elected as the new WFI chief, Sanjay Singh announced that the U-15 and U-20 nationals for Wrestling will take place in Nandini Nagar, Gonda, Uttar Pradesh before the end of this year.
• The Ministry suspended the new President Sanjay Singh after he announced the U-15 and U-20 nationals for Wrestling.
• Government has requested Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to constitute an Ad-Hoc Committee to manage and control the affairs of Wrestling Federation of India.
About Wrestling Federation of India:
• The WFI is the governing body of wrestling in India.
• It is headquartered in New Delhi.
• It is recognized by the Government of India and the Indian Olympic Association.
• It organizes various national and international wrestling events, such as the Pro Wrestling League, the National Wrestling Championship, and the Asian Championships.
• The WFI also supports and trains Indian wrestlers who participate in the Olympic Games.
2. Women's Cricket Team
Why in news - India Women's Cricket Team achieved historic feat with maiden Test victory over Australia in one-off match in Mumbai.
Key Points -
• India recorded their maiden victory against Australia in a women's test match at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 24 December 2023 with their comprehensive eight-wicket win in the one-off contest.
• This is India's first victory against Australia in 11 tests since the team’s first clashed in the longest format in 1977.
3. National Badminton Championships
Why in news - Anmol Kharb won women’s singles title at National Badminton Championships in Guwahati.
Key Points:
• The men’s singles title clash saw an upset as the unseeded Chirag Sen secured the national title after defeating fourth-seed Tharun M.
• In the mixed doubles summit clash, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto defeated the sixth-seeded duo of Nitin Kumar-Navdha Manglam to claim their maiden national title.
• Priya Devi Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra lifted the women’s doubles title with a win over Ritika Thaker-Simran Singh.
BIHAR:
1. Sand Mining
Why in news - Bihar police have arrested 20 sand smugglers and seized 40 sand-laden boats in a major crackdown against illegal sand mining on the Sone River
Key Points -
• Sand is the second most exploited natural resource in the world after water.
• Sand is classified as a minor mineral under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act).
• Ministry of Mines has prepared Sand Mining Framework -2018.
About Sone River -
• It is one of the largest southern tributaries of the Ganges after the Yamuna River.
• It originates from the Amarkantak highlands in the hills of the Maikala range in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh.
• The river cuts through the Kaimur Range and joins the Ganges above Patna in Bihar after a 487-mile (784-km) course.
• It flows through the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
• The total catchment area of the river system is 70,055 sq.km.
• Major Tributaries: The main tributaries of the Sone River are the Rihand River and the Koel River. The other tributaries are the Gopad River and the Kanhar River.
• Dehri is the major town situated on the Sone River.
POINTERS:
• The renowned Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize has namedwhich poet-critic Sukrita Paul Kumar as its sixth recipient for her book, “Salt & Pepper: Selected Poems”
• Central Railways to add Panic Switches at how many stations-117 Stations
• Which Indian wrestler declared her retirement in protest of the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI)-Sakshi Malik,
• Researchers from which university discovered a new plant growth-promoting bacteria species which they named Pantoea Tagorei -Visva-Bharati University
• Which portal is to provide a single point platform for online processing of land acquisition notifications-Bhoomi Rashi portal
• Who has inaugurated the International Gita Seminar and Geeta Mahotsav at Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra, Haryana-Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar
• Which university won the 2023 Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy for the 25th time-Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) in Amritsar
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to commence the New Year with the anticipated launch of which mission-XpoSat Mission
• What is the name of the carbon tax that the UK plans to levy from 2027 on imports of carbon-intensive materials-Carbon Border Tax
• Who has been awarded the International Gender Equality Prize in 2023-Afghan Women Skills Development Center
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