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• The Yemeni government and Houthi rebels, the two warring parties in Yemen's civil war, have agreed to a ceasefire for the port city of Hodeidah.


• The agreement included the deployment of neutral forces and the establishment of Humanitarian corridors.


• The agreement was reached at peace talks brokered by the United Nations that concluded in Sweden.

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• The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has not revised its forecast for global economic growth, and it remains at 3.7 per cent for 2018 and at 3.5 per cent for the next year, OPEC said in its Monthly Oil Market Report.


• India’s and China’s growth forecasts remain unchanged at 7.5 percent and 6.5 percent for 2018, and at 7.2 percent and 6.1 percent for 2019 respectively.

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• Israel became a full member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international body set up to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other threats to the international financial system.


• The Jewish state has now taken its place alongside 37 other members including most of the G20, the world’s 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies just 16 years after being blacklisted by the organization.

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• Australia surpassed Qatar to become the world’s leading exporter of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) for the first time.


• This was announced according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics which stated that Australia had exported 6.55 million tonnes of LNG in November 2018 compared to Qatar’s 6.27 million tonnes.


• LNG is Australia’s third-largest export commodity behind coal and iron ore.

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• India’s first Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence established by the European Union was inaugurated at the Department of European Studies (DES) at Manipal Academy of Higher Education in New Delhi by Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to India and Bhutan, Tomasz Kozlowski.


• The award comes with a grant of 1,00,000 Euros to pursue India-EU interdisciplinary studies in culture, literature, education and society. This is the fifth time that MAHE has been awarded grants under the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet initiative.

• The Climate Change Performance Index was released on the sidelines of COP24 Un Summit in Katowice, Poland. U.S. dropped from 56th to 59th place due to high emissions and poor ratings for the federal government’s policies.


• No countries in the top three ranks because none does well in all categories assessed but Sweden took the best spot, fourth, as last year, while Morocco’s efforts to ramp up renewable energy pushed it up a notch to fifth place.


• India moves to rank 11 as a result of an improved performance in renewable energy, comparatively low levels of per capita emissions and a relatively ambitious mitigation target for 2030.

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• On 13th December 2018, Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (I/C), Giriraj Singh inaugurated a Multi-Disciplinary Training Centre (MTDC) of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) at Gandhi Darshan, Rajghat in New Delhi.


• Samadhan is an industrial training institute set up on PPP mode with the MSME Ministry, to provide comprehensive industry and business related guidance and quality knowledge to entrepreneurs, industries, corporate and institutions.


• The Minister also inaugurated a mustard-oil manufacturing unit at the KVIC office at Gandhi Darshan, Rajghat.


• Giriraj Singh also planted Moringa saplings in the premises of the mustard oil manufacturing unit at the MTDC.

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• The migratory birds at the Chilika lake, Odisha are facing a threat to their lives due to the detection of avian influenza virus.


• Some crows and chickens were found dead inside poultry farms in Krushnaprasad block last week. When sent for testing to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal, it was found that the birds were tested positive for H5N1 virus.


• The State government has planned for a massive culling operation inside private poultry farms in the affected villages.


• The Puri district administration would cull birds within one km radius of the place where the carcasses were found. Besides, officers of the animal husbandry department have been asked to intensify surveillance in 10 km-radius area.


• It should be noted that around seven lakh migratory birds have arrived at the Chilika lake this year.

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• A statue of Mahatma Gandhi has been removed from one of the most prestigious universities of Ghana, West Africa. This move is after the complaints citing that “he was racist against black Africans”.


• The statue of the global peace icon at the University of Ghana in Accra was unveiled by India's former president Pranab Mukherjee two years ago. It remained as a symbol of close ties between the two nations.


• The lecturers of the University began a petition calling for its removal, citing passages written by Mahatma Gandhi claiming that Indians were “infinitely superior” to black Africans.


• The University authorities refused to comment while an official at the Foreign Affairs Ministry called it an internal decision by the university.

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• On 13th December 2018, the Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $60 million loan agreement to reduce floods and the riverbank erosion in flood prone areas along the Brahmaputra river in Assam.


• The loan is part of the 120 million dollars multi-tranche financing facility (MFF) for the Assam integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Investment Program approved by ADB in October 2010.


• The Program will fund a combination of structural and nonstructural measures in the three subproject areas of Palasbari-Gumi, Kaziranga, and Dibrugarh along the Brahmaputra river which include 20 km of riverbank protection works and upgrading of 13 km of flood embankments.


• The loan will have a 20-year term, including a grace period of 5 years, an Annual Interest Rate determined in accordance with ADB’s lending facility based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), and a commitment charge of 0.15% per year.


• The loan was signed between Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary (Fund Bank and ADB), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, signed on behalf of the Government of India and Mr. Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, signed for ADB.

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• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed Bandhan Bank to open as many as 40 new branches, by the end of December releasing the restriction that RBI has put on the Bandhan bank’s branch opening spree three months back.


• The RBI barred the bank from opening new branches in September after the private-sector lender failed to bring down main shareholders stake to below 40 % as mandated in the licensing norms for universal banks.


• Bandhan Financial Services (BFSL) the promoter of Bandhan Bank, currently holds 82.28 % stake in the bank.

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• After Enforcement Directorate (ED) remarked "Who leaves for a meeting with 300 bags and a cargo", fugitive Vijay Mallya responded, "Next the ED will say that I chartered the Jet Airways 777 !".


• The ED made the remark after Mallya claimed he left India to attend an event in Switzerland. A UK court on Monday ordered Mallya's extradition to India.

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• Steel Authority of India’s Hockey Academy beat Army XI Danapur to clinch the 115th All India Aga Khan Gold Cup hockey tournament held at Major Dhyan Chand hockey stadium in New Delhi.


• Jay Prakash Patel scored the match-winning goal for the SAIL Hockey Academy (SHA) in the final match.

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• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has signed a contract with Pernod Ricard India Pvt Ltd, the makers of whisky brand Royal Stag for a five-year global partnership as an official sponsor.


• The size of Royal Stag’s sponsorship deal is estimated to be $5-6 million per year.


• The partnership which will last until 2023 would allow Royal Stag a comprehensive presence across broadcast, digital and on-ground activations of all ICC global tournaments, including the 2019 World Cup, T20 World Cup, World Test Championship and U19 World Cup and Women’s World Cup.


• Recently Indian craft beer Bira 91 signed a similar five-year partnership with ICC, making it the first Indian beverage brand to strike a global sponsorship deal with the cricket governing body.

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• Prime Minister Narendra Modi was once again the top news maker in India in the year 2018, according to the Yahoo Year in Review list.


• Modi has featured at the top of the list for at least a couple of years now and is followed this year by Congress president Rahul Gandhi.


• Former Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra wrote his way into the list with third position after landmark verdicts on triple talaq and Article 377.

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• Sascha Bajin, coach of the world number five Naomi Osaka, has become the first-ever recipient of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Coach of the Year Award.


• WTA Coach of the Year Award is given to the coach with not only success on-court, but also who serves as an ambassador of the sport and brings coaching to the forefront of the game.

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• On December 13, 2018, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu honoured 8 winners of the Lokmat Parliamentary Awards at Lokmat National Conclave 2018 held at Dr. Ambedkar International Center, Janpath in New Delhi.


• They will be awarded for their contribution in strengthening parliamentary democracy.


• 4 women MPs from both Houses will be awarded for their contribution.


• Lifetime achievement award- NCP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Pawar, Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi


• Best Parliamentarian Award - Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey


• Best debut woman parliamentarian (Lok Sabha) - Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini


• Best woman parliamentarian - Lok Sabha MP Rama Devi


• Best woman parliamentarian in the Rajya Sabha - DMK leader Kanimozhi


• Best debut woman parliamentarian (Rajya Sabha) - Chhaya Verma

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• The French unit of Air France-KLM Group named Anne Rigail as its new CEO, making her the first woman to lead the airline.


• The 49-year-old, who is currently Executive Vice President (Customer) at Air France, will replace acting CEO Benjamin Smith.


• Her appointment comes as the airline faces trade union unrest and crucial pay negotiations with pilots.

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• On 13th December 2018 Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) President K. Chandrashekhar Rao was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Telangana for the second term by Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan at a ceremony held at Raj Bhawan in Hyderabad.


• Party Member of Legislative Council Mohammed Mehmood Ali, who was deputy chief minister in the previous TRS government, took oath as a minister along with Rao.


• In the recently concluded assembly election the TRS won 88 seats in the 119-member assembly, defeating the Congress-led ‘Praja Kutami’, which ended up with a tally of 21 while the BJP won just one seat in the state.


• Asaduddin Owaisi led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won a total of 7 seats.


• According to Election Commission, Telangana recorded a turnout of 73.20 % among 2.8 crore people who were eligible to vote in the assembly election on December 7.


• This was the first Assembly elections in India’s youngest state because the last elections were held in united Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

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• On 13th December 2018, Shri Bharat Bhushan Vyas, IAS officer from Jammu and Kashmir cadre of 1986 batch was administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy as Member, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) by Shri Arvind Saxena, Chairman, UPSC.


• Born in 1957, Shri Bharat Bhushan Vyas has served in State & Centre in various capacities, retired as Chief Secretary, Jammu & Kashmir and was serving as Adviser to the Governor, Jammu & Kashmir before assuming the charge as Member, UPSC.

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• Scientists have discovered that the Dracula ants can snap their jaws at a speed of over 322 kmph, the fastest animal movement on record. To put this into perspective, the movement is 5,000 times quicker than the blink of a human eye.


• The ants use the motion to attack, stun and kill prey, which is then fed to their larvae.

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• Chinese smartphone maker Vivo said it has acquired 169 acres of land in Uttar Pradesh and will spend ₹4,000 crore to set up its second plant in India.


• The new land has been acquired near Vivo's existing 50-acre manufacturing facility in Greater Noida. Vivo entered India's mobile handset market in 2014.