Daily Current Affairs and GK | 21 December 2019

1. India- China hold border talks on boundary issues

• The 22^nd border talks of special representatives from India and China was held in New Delhi.
• Indian side was led by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval while Chinese side was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Mr. Wang Yi.
• The talks focused on the delimitation of the borders.
• The both sides agreed to maintain peace in the border areas as a prerequisite for the overall development of the bilateral relations.
• They also emphasized the importance of Confidence Building Measures in enhancing border communication and management.
• The 21^st round of border talks was held in Chengdu, China.

2. India, Afghanistan, and Iran meet to track the implementation of Chabahar agreement

• The second meeting of India, Iran and Afghanistan took place in New Delhi to monitor the implementation of Chabahar port.
• The project is implemented by India Ports Global Limited Company.
• It was agreed to finalize the protocol to harmonize transit, road, custom, etc.
• The third meeting will take place in mid-2020.
• Chabahar Port
  • Chabahar Port is a seaport located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman. It consists of two separate port Shahid Kalantri and Shahid Beheshti port.
  • It is strategic for India as it provides connectivity to Iran and Afganistan bypassing Pakistan.

3. Bill introduced in US house to promote Gandhi legacy

• The bill was introduced by Congressman John Lewis to promote Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. legacy.
• The bill sought a budgetary allocation of 150 million dollars.
• The bill proposed a Gandhi- King Development Foundation which will be created by USAID under Indian laws.
• The foundation would have governing council started by the government of the U.S and India and would overlook the implementation of the grants received by NGOs in the areas of health, pollution, climate change.
• The bill also proposed the Gandhi- King Scholarly Exchange Initiative having an allocation of 2 million dollars till 2025. The initiative seeks to establish Gandhi-King global academy which would focus on professional development training initiative on conflict resolution.
• Mahatma Gandhi was a philosopher, freedom fighter who was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbander, Gujarat. Gandhi led a non-violent freedom movement in India. 2019 celebrates the 150^th birth anniversary of Gandhiji.

4. First Satellite of Ethiopia launched from China space station

• The Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite (ETRSS) launch took place at a space station in China.
• According to Space in Africa, the firm that manages the African launch program, this was the launch of the 8^th satellite of an African satellite in 2019.
• Ethiopia became the 11^th African country to put a satellite into space. Egypt was the first in 1998.
• The satellite will provide information about the country's agriculture, forestry, mining resources, etc.
• Ethiopia is an African country whose capital is Addis Ababa.
• PM of Ethiopia received the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2019.

5. Mirabai Chanu wins gold in 6^th Qatar International cup in Doha

• The weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu from Manipur won gold in the 49kg category opening India’s account at Qatar international cup in Doha.
• She lifted 83 Kg in snatch and 111 Kg in clean and jerk to finish at the top.
• The win is significant as it would add to her overall score to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

6. Abhinav Lohan wins Bengaluru Open Golf Championship

• Abhinav Lohan won his 1^st title at the Tata Steel Professional Golf tour of India (PGTI). With this, he became the 4^th Indian to have a maiden win in Tata Steel PGTI following Kshitij Navdeep Kaul, Priyanshu Singh, and Veer Ahlawat.
• Karandeep Kochhar of Chandigarh finished as first runner up while Bengaluru M Dharma and Rahil Gangjee stood third and fourth.
• Professional Golf Tour of India
  • It is a professional golf tour for Indian golfers.
  • The tour was started in 2006 as a successor to Indian PGA Golf Tour that ran from 1997 to 2006.

7. Zeena Khitta wins women's national 10m Air Rifle

• Zeena Khitta won the women’s 10m Air Rifle event at 63^rd national shooting championship going on in Bhopal.
• Zeena Khitta from Himachal Pradesh left behind West Bengal’s Mehuli Ghosh and Apurvi Chandela who won the silver and the bronze respectively.

8. Former Kerala Minister Thomas Chandy passed away

• Thomas Chandy, Nationalist Congress party’s Kerala President and former minister, passed away in Kochi.
• Kerala is an Indian state located on the southwestern Malabar coast whose capital is Thiruvananthapuram.
• The current Chief Minister of Kerala is Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor is Arif Mohammad Khan.

9. ADB gave USD 490 million loan to upgrade Indian state’s roads

• An agreement to provide a loan of 490 million dollars for PPP project was signed between the Indian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
• The project involves the up-gradation of 750 km of state highways and 850 km of major district roads to the 2 – lane all-weather roads. An e- maintenance system would be started. Also, Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation will develop the capacity in project implementation and financing.
• An amount of USD 286 million will be invested by private companies.
• A hybrid annuity model of the development would be adopted.
• A hybrid annuity model is a combination of engineering, procurement, construction (EPC model), and build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.
• The concessionaire’s financial investment will be returned over 10 years after the completion of the project.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB)
  • It is a regional development bank established in 1966.
  • Members: 68 countries
  • The bank is headquartered in Mandaluyong, Philippines.

10. New star named Sharjah

• The naming of new stars and planets is done by the International Astronomical Union.
• The star was named Sharjah and one of its planets was named Barjeel.
• International Astronomical Union
  • It is an association of international astronomers to promote and conserve the knowledge related to astronomy.
  • It was formed in 1919 with its headquarters in Paris, France.
  • It is the authorized body that assigns names and designation to celestial bodies.
  • It is a part of the International Science Council which is an international NGO working towards advancement in science.

Multiple Choice Questions(MCQs)

1. Barjeel is a

1. Star
2. Planet
3. Asteroid
4. Comet

2. Recently a loan of USD 490 million given by ADB for the road development of which Indian state?

1. Odisha
2. Andhra Pradesh
3. Karnataka
4. Madhya Pradesh

3. Thomas Chandy, who recently passed away, was a

1. Musician
2. Novelist
3. Politician
4. Actor

4. 63^rd National Air Rifle/Pistol Championship for women is being held in

1. Bhopal
2. Ahmedabad
3. New Delhi
4. Mumbai

5.  Who among the following won the title of Open Golf Championship?

1. Abhinav Lohan
2. Jeev milkha Singh
3. Rashid khan
4. Shiv Kapur

6. Mirabai Chanu won gold in the 6^th Qatar international championship in the _______category.

1. 49 Kg
2. 53 Kg
3. 48 Kg
4. 50 Kg

7. Which country became the 11^th African country to launch its satellite?

1. Ethiopia
2. Algeria
3. Angola
4. Somalia

8. Which country has recently introduced a bill to celebrate Gandhi's legacy?

1. U.S.A
2. U.K
3. France
4. Germany

9. India- China border talks were held in

1. New Delhi
2. Chengdu
3. Beijing
4. Kolkata

10.  Chabahar port is located in

1. Iraq
2. Iran
3. Qatar
4. Saudi Arabia

Solution:

1. b)

2. d)

3. c)

4. a)

5. a)

6. a)

7. a)

8. a)

9. a)

10. b)