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Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017

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1. Sushil Kumar Clinches Gold at Commonwealth Wrestling Championships
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_3.1

i. Double Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar clinched a gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in South Africa. Sushil defeated New Zealand’s Akash Khullar via a pinfall in the final of the 74kg freestyle category to clinch the medal.
ii. Parveen Rana also won a bronze medal in the same category. Another Olympic medalist, Sakshi Malik also clinched a gold medal in the championships. Sakshi defeated New Zealand’s Tayla Tuahine Ford in the final of the 62kg women’s freestyle category.


Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-

  • Sakshi Malik won a bronze in the 2016 Rio Games.
  • Sushil Kumar won the 2010 world title, a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
2. PV Sindhu Wins Silver at Dubai World Badminton Superseries Finals
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_4.1

i. Top Indian shuttler P V Sindhu won the Silver medal in women’s singles summit clash of the Dubai World Super Series Final in Dubai. She went down fighting against World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan.

ii. In the prestigious season-ending tournament finale, Sindhu lost in three games, to Yamaguchi in the final.

3. 2002 World Cup Winner Kaka Retires from Football
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_5.1
i. Former AC Milan and Real Madrid midfielder Kaka, who lifted the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, announced his retirement from football.

ii. Kaka, who won the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or award in 2007 while playing for AC Milan, had become the most expensive footballer in history after his then-world record £56 million transfer from Milan to Madrid. He was the last Brazilian to be voted world player of the year in 2007.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-
  • Ballon d’Or award winner for 2017 is Cristiano Ronaldo.
4. Mo Farah Wins BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year Award
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_6.1
i. World 10,000m champion Sir Mo Farah has been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2017. The 34-year-old, a four-time Olympic champion, won his third successive world 10,000m gold medal in London in August.

ii. He becomes the first long-distance runner to win the Sports Personality award since Paula Radcliffe in 2002.

5. Real Madrid Presented with the FIFA World Champions Badge
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_7.1
i. Real Madrid has earned the honor of being able to wear the official FIFA World Champions Badge on their competition jerseys for the duration of 2018 by defeating Gremio in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017.

ii. Real Madrid will be able to display the emblem all the way up to the next FIFA Club World Cup, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates in December 2018.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-
  • Madrid had won FIFA World Champions Badges in 2014, 2016, 2017.
  • The first team to ever receive the FIFA World Champions Badge was the Italy men’s national team for their victory at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
6. Andhra Pradesh Cabinet Approves Pension for State’s Transgenders
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_8.1
i. The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved a scheme to provide a pension of Rs 1500 to transgenders above 18 years of age in the state.

ii. Under this scheme, the transgenders will be provided ration cards, plots, and scholarships, also skill development for financial stability. After Kerala and Odisha, Andhra Pradesh becomes the next state to sanction pension scheme for the transgender community.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-
  • Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister- N Chandrababu Naidu, Governor- E.S Lakshmi Narasimhan.
7. Dharmendra Pradhan Inaugurates Eastern India’s First CNG Stations
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_9.1
i. Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated eastern India’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) stations for scooters in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

ii. Pradhan inaugurated two CNG stations for scooters and three-wheelers at Chandrasekharpur and Patia area in Bhubaneswar. The CNG stations were part of GAIL’s Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga and City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.


Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-
  • Odisha CM- Naveen Patnaik, Governor- S. C. Jamir.
8. WHO Certifies Gabon as Polio Free
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_10.1

i. The World Health Organisation has declared Gabon a “polio-free country”, given the lack of new reported or suspected cases in the central African country. According to WHO, the UN health agency nonetheless recommended taking the necessary steps to continue monitoring for possible signs of the disease. 

ii. Cases of polio have decreased by 99 percent since 1988 when polio was endemic in 125 countries and 350,000 cases were recorded worldwide.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for IBPS SO Prelims 2017 Exam-
  • Libreville is the capital city of Gabon, a country on the coast of Central Africa. 
  • Ali Bongo Ondimba is a President of Gabon.
9. UIDAI Temporarily Bars Airtel from Conducting Aadhaar Linked e-KYC Certification
UIDAI Temporarily Bars Airtel from Conducting Aadhaar Linked e-KYC Cerification
i. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has temporarily barred Bharti Airtel and Airtel Payments Bank from conducting Aadhaar-based SIM verification of mobile customers using eKYC process. 

ii. The action follows allegations of Bharti Airtel using the Aadhaar-eKYC based SIM verification process to open payments bank accounts of its subscribers without their informed consent.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for IBPS Clerk Mains 2017 Exam-
  • Airtel Payments Bank is the first entity to get the final license from Reserve Bank of India for launching a Payments Bank.
  • Shashi Arora is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Payments Bank.
  • Paytm recently launched their payments bank and currently, there are four payments bank in India.
10. ED Freezes Assets worth Rs 245 crore in STC Fraud Case
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_12.1

i. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen assets worth Rs 245 crore in connection with its money laundering probe in the alleged fraud of Rs 2,200 crore with the State Trading Corporation (STC). 

ii. The agency had early this year registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Ms Global Steel Holding Limited, its chairman Pramod Kumar Mittal and others based on an FIR by the CBI. 

11. Man Sails Around the World in 42 Days, Breaks World Record
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_13.1

i. Frenchman Francois Gabart smashed the world record for the fastest non-stop solo navigation of the globe, completing the mammoth feat in 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds.

ii. The 34-year-old sailor crossed a virtual finish line drawn between the island of Ushant off France’s northwest tip and Lizard Point in southwest England at 0145 GMT, comfortably beating the previous record set by compatriot Thomas Coville last year by six days and 10 hours.

12. GST Council Clears e-way Bill Mechanism
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_14.1
i. The GST Council has decided to implement the e-way bill mechanism throughout the country by June 1st after reviewing the readiness of the IT network. Under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, the waybill is replaced by an e-way bill.
ii. It aims at mitigating the problems caused by waybill compliance. E-way bill is an electronic way bill for movement of goods which can be generated on the GSTN portal. The decision was taken in the 24th meeting of the GST Council via Video-Conferencing.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-
  • Present Finance Minister of India- Arun Jaitley.
  • First Finance Minister of Independent India- R K Shanmukhan Chetty.
13. Government Approves Dish TV Merger with Videocond2h
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_15.1
i. Dish TV India Limited (Dishtv), Asia Pacific’s largest direct-to-home (DTH) company and part of the Essel Group has received the final approval for closing of the merger of Videocon d2h with DishTV.

ii. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) had approved the requests made by the company for completion of the transaction for the creation of the largest listed media company in India. Following the amalgamation, the combined entity will be renamed as DishTV Videocon Limited.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-
  • CMD DishTV India Limited- Mr. Jawahar Goel.
14. Samsung, UNESCO Partner for Videos on Indian Heritage Sites
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_16.1

i. Samsung India has entered into a partnership with UNESCO to launch virtual reality content and 360-degree videos on Indian heritage sites.

ii. Indian heritage sites include the Sun Temple in Konark, Odisha and Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The project will provide experiential educational content to students across the country. There are 36 UNESCO heritage sites in India at present.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-

  • UNESCO- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
  • Director-General (Present)- France’s Audrey Azoulay, Headquarters- Paris, France.
15. Satheesh Reddy Conferred with National Design Award
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_17.1
i. G. Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri and Director General, Missiles and Strategic Systems, has been conferred with the prestigious National Design Award.

ii. He has bagged this award for his significant national contribution towards indigenous design and development of diversified missile systems, guided weapons, avionics technologies.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-
  • National Design Research Forum (NDRF) established by the Institution of Engineers (India), promotes research, design, development, productization, and innovation through collaborative effort since 1969.
16. Sebastian Pinera Wins Chile’s Presidential Election
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_18.1

i. A conservative billionaire and former president, Sebastian Pinera, has won Chile’s presidential election run-off.
ii. With nearly all votes counted, Mr Pinera has polled more than 54%. Left-winger Alejandro Guillier was his closest opponent. Sebastian Pinera has replaced Michelle Bachelet.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-
  • Chile Capital- Santiago, Currency- Chilean peso.
17. RBI Imposes Rs 5 crore Penalty on Syndicate Bank
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_19.1
i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on Syndicate Bank for non-compliance with its directions on “Cheque Purchase or Discounting, Bill Discounting, and Know Your Customer (KYC)” norms.

ii. According to the RBI, the penalty was imposed after “considering the bank’s reply and oral submissions made in the personal hearing”.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-
  • Syndicate Bank MD & CEO- Melwyn Rego, Headquarters- Manipal, Karnataka.

18. Government to Bear MDR Charges on Digital Transactions up to Rs 2,000
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_20.1
i. As per the IT Ministry, the government will bear the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges on transactions up to Rs 2,000 made through debit cards, BHIM UPI or Aadhaar-enabled payment systems to promote digital transactions.

ii. MDR is charged on payments made to merchants through BHIM UPI platform and AePS (Aadhaar enabled Payment System). The merchant discount rate (MDR) will be borne by the government for two years with effect from January 1, 2018 by reimbursing the same to the banks.

What is Merchant Discount Rate?
It is a charge to a merchant by a bank for accepting payment from their customers in credit and debit cards every time a card is used for payments (like swiping) in their stores. The MDR is expressed in percentage of the transaction amount.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-
  • Present Information & Technology Minister of India- Ravi Shankar Prasad.
19. Government Ropes in ICICI Bank to Enable Cashless Payments on e-NAM
Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 17th and 18th December 2017 |_21.1
i. The government has engaged private lender ICICI Bank to enable online payments at 470 mandis integrated with the national portal of electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM).

ii. At present, e-NAM participants are doing payments through traditional ways via bank branches, debit cards, and net banking. ICICI Bank will enable BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on the e-NAM portal for making cashless payments.


Static/Current Takeaways Important for RBI Assistant Mains 2017 Exam-
  • The e-NAM platform was launched in April 2016.
  • ICICI CEO- Chanda Kochhar, Headquarter- Mumbai.


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