Sheikh Hasina elected prime minister for third term in Bangladesh

Sheikh Hasina elected prime minister for third term in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League has registered a  victory in Parliamentary elections.

 the ruling Awami League-led coalition won more than 260 seats in the 300-member House.


Bangladesh Election Commission is expected to officially declare the results in Dhaka .

Bangladesh, to the east of India on the Bay of Bengal s a South Asian country


Capital: Dhaka

Currency: Bangladeshi taka

first Arab-Europe Summit

first Arab-Europe Summit

The first Arab-European Summit will convene in Egyptian capital Cairo on Feb 24 and 25, the Arab League announced Monday.

An Arab-European ministerial meeting will be held in Brussels on Feb 4 to prepare for the summit,

Consultations are currently underway with the European side with a view to hammering out the upcoming summit’s agenda

In March of last year, participants at an Arab Summit held near Jordan’s Dead Sea agreed to convene an Arab-European summit to discuss means of enhancing cooperation and meeting common regional challenges.

The Arab League, formally the League of Arab States, is a regional organization of Arab states in and around North Africa, the Horn of Africa and Arabia.

It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Kingdom of Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, Transjordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. 

Headquarters: Cairo, Egypt

Founded: 22 March 1945

Luka Modric was named the Balkan Athlete of the year

Luka Modric was named the Balkan Athlete of the year

croatia captain Luka Modric was named Balkan Athlete of the Year on Thursday, becoming only the second soccer player to win the prize after Bulgaria’s former European Footballer of the Year Hristo Stoichkov in 1994.

Ballon d’Or winner Modric won the Champions League and the Fifa Club World Cup with his Spanish club Real Madrid as well as being instrumental in helping Croatia reach the World Cup final in Russia.

 He was awarded the tournament’s Golden Ball Award.

Luka Modric received 75 points in the 46th poll, organised by Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), beat Serbia’s world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic, who topped the annual poll five times in a row between 2011 and 2015.

Another tennis player, Romania’s Simona Halep, who finished the year as women’s world number one for the second consecutive season, came third in the poll, which is conducted by the state-run news agencies in nine Balkan countries.

The Ballon d’Or winner beat Serbia’s world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic, who topped the annual poll five times in a row between 2011 and 2015.

Nepal imposed a monthly limit on the amount of Indian currency its citizen can spend

Nepal caps expenditure of its citizens in India

Nepal on Tuesday imposed a monthly limit on the amount of Indian currency its citizen can spend in India.

 a Nepali citizen would be unable to spend more than ₹1 lakh per month while paying for goods and services in India

the decision was taken to address the country’s current account deficit.

The policy applicable to prepaid, credit and debit cards of Nepali banks came into effect on Tuesday.

the latest measure would however exempt payment in hospitals and pharmacies in India

Japan decides to withdraw from IWC

Japan decides to withdraw from IWC

Japan has decided to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and will resume commercial whaling July next year.

Tokyo will officially inform the IWC of its decision by the end of the year, which will mean the withdrawal comes into effect by June 30.

leaving the IWC means Japanese whalers will be able to resume hunting in Japanese coastal waters of minke and other whales currently protected by the IWC.

 Japan will not be able to continue the so-called scientific research hunts in the Antarctic that it has been exceptionally allowed as an IWC member under the Antarctic Treaty.

The withdrawal also means Japan joins Iceland and Norway in openly defying the IWC's ban on commercial whale hunting.

Tokyo argues that whaling is an important part of Japan's traditions, and the withdrawal would allow fishermen to pass country's rich whaling culture onto the next generation.

However, activist groups slammed the decision

The IWC, established in 1946 to conserve and manage the world's whale and cetacean population, introduced a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986.

SpaceX launched new GPS satellite for US military

SpaceX launched new GPS satellite for US military

spaceX launched a new breed of GPS satellite for the United States Military on Sunday, marking the private space company's first contracted mission for the US  national security.

A Falcon 9 rocket, carrying U.S. Air Force's first Global Positioning System (GPS) III space vehicle 01 (SV01), was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The launch was previously scheduled on Tuesday but delayed four times due to technical and weather reasons.

The GPS III satellite, to be deployed to medium Earth orbit, is designed to deliver positioning, navigation, and timing information.

 It is three times more accurate than the previous system and up to eight times stronger in its anti-jamming capability.

Because of mission requirements, SpaceX did not attempt to retrieve the reusable Falcon 9's first stage after launch, according to SpaceX.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., doing business as SpaceX, is a private American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. 

CEO: Elon Musk (2002–)

Founder: Elon Musk

Founded: 6 May 2002

Headquarters: Hawthorne, California, United States

China-India Yoga College to open 50 branches in China

China-India Yoga College to open 50 branches in China

China's first Yoga college in Yunnan province will open 50 more branches across the country.

The college was set up as part of the cultural exchange programme between the two nations.

The announcement came as the college opened its first branch on Saturday at the Yunnan University in the city of Lijiang

The China-India Yoga College was opened at Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming in 2015

Next to India, a very large number of Chinese yoga enthusiasts take part in the UN's international yoga day every year on June 21.

Patrick Shanahan to replace James Mattis as US Defense Secretary

Patrick Shanahan to replace James Mattis as US Defense Secretary

United States  has announced that they  will replace Defence Secretary Jim Mattis with his deputy Patrick Shanahan as acting Pentagon chief on January 1.

 the replacement of the Pentagon chief was announced  two months earlier than Mattis' planned departure.

Patrick M. Shanahan is a former American businessman and the current Deputy Secretary of Defense 

which stock market became 7th largest in the world?

which stock market   became 7th largest in the world?

Options

1) India

2)germany

3)france

4)spain


answer

 1) India


Other details

 India's stock market overtakes Germany to become 7th largest in the world

The Asian giant edged past the equity market of Europe’s largest economy for the first time in seven years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

after the U.K. leaves the European Union in March, the bloc would have only one country , France, among the seven biggest markets.

Germany derives more than 38 percent of its gross domestic product from exports, based on 2017 data from World Bank.

The corresponding ratio for India is only 11 percent, meaning much of the stock-market opportunity in the country comes from domestic consumer stories.

Belgium will end the year as No.1 in FIFA global rankings

Belgium will end the year as No.1 in FIFA global rankings

Belgium will end the year as No. 1 ahead of world champions France in the global rankings released by FIFA  .

Belgium, beaten by France in the World Cup semi-finals, edge Didier Deschamps' team by one ranking point.

Belgium have 1,727 points by FIFA's calculations to 1,726 for France. Brazil are third on 1,676.

France fined Uber 400000 euros over huge data breach

France fined Uber 400000 euros over huge data breach

France's data protection agency on Thursday said that it had fined the US ride-hailing group Uber 400,000 euros over a 2016 data breach that exposed the personal data of some 57 million clients and drivers worldwide.

The French Data Protection Authority said the breach would have been prevented, if certain elementary security measures had been in place.

Uber has already paid $148 million to US authorities to avoid a potential court case and vowed to improve its security efforts.

Uber drew the wrath of users and regulators after the company waited a year before revealing in November 2017 that hackers had infiltrated its systems.

Last month, the Netherlands imposed a 600,000-euro fine over the breach and Britain ordered Uber to pay 385,000 pounds.

EU revealed no-deal plans for Brexit

EU revealed no-deal plans for Brexit

The European Commission said it has started to implement its preparations for a no-deal Brexit in case the UK crashes out of the EU without a plan.

It has announced temporary measures to try to reduce the impact, but says it cannot counter all the problems it expects.

As British Prime Minister Theresa May's proposed exit plan flounders in Parliament, both sides are preparing for the worst-case situation.

 the measures are designed to limit disruption in certain key areas, such as finance and transport, if Brexit goes ahead in March without a deal.

 European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said, the plan is an exercise in limiting damage.

a contingency plan was necessary given the continued uncertainty in the UK.

The 14 EU actions include measures to allow UK-EU financial services to continue and a 12-month provision to keep planes flying between Britain and the bloc.

Britain is due to leave the EU on 29th of March, next year, but it remains unclear whether UK lawmakers will approve the agreement Prime Minister Theresa May's government has negotiated with the bloc.

Leaving without a deal risks plunging the British economy into recession and touching off chaos at the borders.

which country declared 2019 as the Year of Tolerance?

which country declared  2019 as the Year of Tolerance?

Options

1) UAE

2)qatar

3)oman

4)bahrain

answer

1) UAE

Other details

The UAE government announced that 2019 will be officially proclaimed the Year of Tolerance to strengthen the nation’s role of encouraging stability and prosperity in the region.


it was following on from the Year of Zayed in 2018 and the Year of Giving in 2017.

In November, a World Tolerance Summit in Dubai attracted regional leaders and national figures.

UAE announced it will be a global co-ordinator for co-operation within a new Global Tolerance Alliance to promote acceptance around the world.

The Special Olympic World Games, will  be held in Abu Dhabi from March 14-21 in 2019 will be in accordance with  this theme

The Year of Tolerance will focus on five main pillars.

First, to deepen the values of tolerance and co-existence among cultures and peoples by concentrating on teaching the youth the values of tolerance.

second  to solidify the UAE as the global capital for tolerance, via a series of initiatives and projects specialised in tolerance and dialogue between various cultures and civilisations.

Third, enacting multiple cultural programmes and contributions to build tolerant communities.

 fourth  to focus  on legislative and policy-oriented objectives that contribute mandating cultural and religious tolerance, via dialogue.

 fifth  will be promoting tolerance and co-existence via targeted media initiatives and projects.

 

who won the BWF World Tour Finals title 2018?

who won the BWF World Tour Finals title 2018?

Options

1)  P V Sindhu

2)Nozomi Okuhara

3)Saina nehwal

4)none of the above

answer

1)  P V Sindhu


Other details

Indian shuttler P V Sindhu won the prestigious season-ending World Tour Finals trophy at Guangzhou, China, .

The Olympic silver medallist defeated Japan's Nozomi Okuhara 21-19, 21-17 in the summit clash.

Sindhu accomplished the feat after losing seven successive summit clashes.

 She had also won silvers at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championships this year.

 the Badminton Association Of India(BAI) has also announced a cash reward of 10 lakh rupees for P V Sindhu forwinning the women’s singles championship.

BAI also announced a cash reward of 3lakh rupees for Sameer Verma who reached the semifinal in his maiden appearanceat the World Tour Finals.

When is International Tea Day celebrated?

When is International Tea Day celebrated?

Options

1) December 15

2)December 16

3)December 17

4)December 18

answer

1) December 15

Other details

International Tea Day is observed annually on December 15.

 It has been celebrated since 2005 in tea producing countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda, India and Tanzania.

 International Tea Day aims to draw global attention of governments and citizens to the impact of the global tea trade on workers and growers, and has been linked to requests for price supports and fair trade.

After initial discussions, at the World Social Forum in 2004, the first International Tea Day was celebrated in New Delhi in 2005

 with later celebrations organized in Sri Lanka in 2006 and 2008.

 International Tea Day celebrations and the related Global Tea Conferences have been jointly organized by trade union movements.


In 2015, the Indian government proposed expanding the observance of International Tea Day through the UN Food and Agriculture Organization

who was Sondra Locke?

who was Sondra Locke?

Options

1) actress

2)poetess

3)dancer

4)none of the above

answer

1) actress


Other details

Sandra Louise Anderson, professionally known as Sondra Locke, was an American actress and director. 

Global debt is at all-time high of USD 184 trillion

Global debt is at all-time high of USD 184 trillion

The International Monetary Fund said that global debt has reached an all-time high of 184 trillion US dollars with the United States, China and Japan accounting for more than half of it.

According to the IMF report, the amount in nominal terms, is the equivalent of 225 per cent of the world GDP in 2017.

On average, the world's debt now exceeds 86,000 dollars per person, which is more than two and half times the average income per-capita.

 IMF said it is striking that the most indebted economies in the world are also the richer ones.  

Since the beginning of the millennium, China's share in global debt has gone up from less than three per cent to over 15 per cent

when is International Day of Neutrality celebrated?

when is International Day of Neutrality  celebrated?

Options

1) 12 December

2)13 December

3)14 December

4)15 December

answer

 1) 12 December


Other details

 On 2 February 2017, the UN General Assembly adopted without a vote resolution 71/275 — introduced by Turkmenistan, recognized by the UN as a permanently neutral state since 12 December 1995 — which noted the link between the preservation of peace and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and declared 12 December as the International Day of Neutrality.

The aforementioned GA resolution also proposes that UN Secretary-General continue to cooperate closely with the neutral states, with a view to implementing the principles of preventive diplomacy and utilizing them in the mediation activities.

 It is aimed at promoting the use of preventive diplomacy, and enhancing public awareness of the value of neutrality in international relations.

More than 150 UN members adopt global migration pact

More than 150 UN members adopt global migration pact



More than 150 countries adopted the United Nations Global Migration Pact on Monday in Marrakech (Morocco)

The non-binding pact seeks to better manage migration in a safe and orderly manner.


The document still needs to be the subject of a final ratification vote on 19 December at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Some countries announced their withdrawal or the freezing of their decision after approving the text on 13 July in New York.

Ukrainian  signed law to end friendship treaty with which country?

Options

1) Russia

2)China

3)Japan

4)None of the above

answer

1) Russia


Other details

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the legislation on ending the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and Russia, the presidential press service said Monday.

The treaty, which has been in place for about two decades, will be terminated on April 1, 2019 amid rising tensions between the two countries.


The bill was approved by the Ukrainian parliament on Thursday, supported by 277 votes, far more than the 226 minimum required.

In September, Poroshenko signed a decree to enforce a decision of the National Security and Defense Council to terminate the friendship treaty with Russia.

Under the agreement, which was signed in 1997 and took effect on April 1, 1999, Kiev and Moscow pledged to respect each other's borders and to peacefully settle disputes.

The agreement includes a clause that it automatically extends each ten years if neither of the parties takes actions to end it.

 

Who won the Copa Libertadores 2018?

Who won the Copa Libertadores 2018?

Options

1)Boca Juniors
   
2)River Plate

3)Independiente

4)Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense,


answer

2)River Plate

other details

The 2018 Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores was the 59th edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores, South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL.

River Plate defeated Boca Juniors in the finals by an aggregate score of 5–3 to win their fourth tournament title.

The first leg of the final was played at the Estadio Alberto J. Armando in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 11 November 2018, while the second leg took place outside South America at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain (a neutral venue) on 9 December 2018

 The CONMEBOL Libertadores, named as Copa Libertadores de América, is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960.

 It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in South American football.

Most successful club(s): Independiente; (7 titles)

Qualifier for: Recopa Sudamericana; FIFA Club World Cup

Number of teams: 47 (from 10 associations)

Founded: 1960

where is 2018 World Junior Table Tennis Championships being held?

where is 2018 World Junior Table Tennis Championships  being held?

Options

1) Australia

2)new Zealand

3)south Africa

4)none of the above

answer

1) Australia

Other details

 the 2018 World Junior Table Tennis Championships is being held at Bendigo in Australia

which country will make Public transport free?

which country will make Public transport free?

Options

1) Luxembourg

2)Germany

3)Belgium

4)France

answer

1) Luxembourg


Other details

Luxembourg will become first country to make all public transport free

Luxembourg is set to become the first country in the world to make all its public transport free.

Fares on trains, trams and buses will be removed

govt will prioritize the environment  issues

 Luxembourg City, the capital of the small Grand Duchy, suffers from some of the worst traffic congestion in the world.

Now, from the start of 2020 all tickets will be abolished, saving on the collection of fares and the policing of ticket purchases.

Luxembourg is a small European country, surrounded by Belgium, France and Germany.

Capital: Luxembourg City

Currency: Euro

 

Former Indian diplomat elected to UN's Socio-Economic Cultural panel

Former Indian diplomat elected to UN's Socio-Economic Cultural panel

A former senior Indian diplomat, Preeti Saran, has been elected unopposed to an Asia Pacific seat on the UN's Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR).

Saran was elected to the CESCR for a four-year term beginning on the 1st of January next year.

All States are obliged to submit regular reports to the committee on how the rights are being implemented.

The committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of concluding observations.

The panel meets in Geneva and holds two sessions per year.

when is International Volunteer Day celebrated?

when is International Volunteer Day celebrated?

Options

1) 5 December

2)6 December

3)7 December

4)8 December


answer

1) 5 December


Other details

The International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development (5 December), more commonly referred to as International Volunteer Day (IVD), is an international observance mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1985.


The theme for IVD 2018 is ‘Volunteers build Resilient Communities’.

Gautam Gambhir was associated with which sport?

Gautam Gambhir was associated with which sport?

Options

1) cricket

2)tennis

3)football

4)rugby

answer


1) cricket


Other details

Gautam Gambhir is an Indian former cricketer, who played all formats of the game.

He is a left-handed opening batsman who played domestic cricket for Delhi, and captained Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League

he played 58 Tests, 147 one-day internationals and 37 Twenty20s for India, winning the 2007 World Twenty20 and 2011 World Cup.

Gambhir scored 4,154 Test runs, including 11 centuries, at an average of 41.95 between 2004 and 2016, and was named ICC Test Player of the Year in 2009.

He scored 5,238 runs at 39.68 in ODIs.

Gambhir has made 42 first-class centuries

He won the Indian Premier League with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012 and 2014.

who won the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup ?

who won the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup ?

Options

1) Spain

2)France

3)Germany

4)Italy

answer

1) Spain


Other details


The 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was the 6th edition of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 2008.

The tournament was held in Uruguay from 13 November to 1 December 2018

 North Korea were the defending champions but were eliminated by Spain in the quarter-finals.

The final took place at the Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo between Spain and Mexico a rematch from the group stage in 2016. Spain won their first title, beating Mexico 2–1 in the Final.

The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup is an international association football tournament for female players under the age of 17. It is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

 The tournament is held in even-numbered years, starting in 2008. 

Three astronauts will be launched to ISS tomorrow

Three astronauts will be  launched to ISS tomorrow

Three space travellers, including two astronauts on their first flight, are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) tomorrow for a six-and-a-half month mission.

NASA said, the launch comes less than two months after a booster failure forced a Soyuz spacecraft carrying Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague to make an emergency landing.

The incident became the first failure of a manned space launch in modern Russian history.

The three new space travellers -- Anne McClain of NASA, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Oleg Kononenko of Russian space agency Roscosmos are preparing to launch aboard the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft at 5.31 p.m. from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan.

It will be the first flight for both McClain and Saint-Jacques and the fourth for Kononenko.

Kononenko, McClain and Saint-Jacques will officially become the Expedition 58 crew when Gerst, Aunon-Chancellor and Prokopyev depart the station for home on December 20.

George H W Bush was president of which country?

 George H W Bush was president of which country?

Options

1) US

2)UK

3)Australia

4)South Africa

answer

1) US

Other details

 George H W  Bush,  served as the 41st president of the United States

Salome Zurabishvili has been elected as first woman President of which country?

Salome Zurabishvili has been elected as  first woman President of which country?

Options

1) Georgia

2)Turkey

3)Azerbaijan

4)Armenia


answer

1) Georgia


Other  details

Georgia elects Salome Zurabishvili as first woman president

Salome Zurabishvili has won Georgia's presidential election, becoming the first woman to hold the office.

 the French-born ex-diplomat had 59% of the vote

A new constitution is due to come into force, making the role of president largely ceremonial.

Ms Zurabishvili,  was born in Paris

She took up a career in the French foreign service and was posted to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, as ambassador in 2003.

She later gave up her post and the then-president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, appointed her foreign minister.


Georgia is seeking European Union and Nato membership

Georgia, a country at the intersection of Europe and Asia, is a former Soviet republic

Capital: Tbilisi

Currency: Georgian lari