Current Affairs: 05/12/2017

1. World Soil Day: 05 December

i. The World Soil Day is celebrated on 5 December globally. It aims to communicate messages on the importance of soil quality for food security, healthy ecosystems and human well-being.

ii. The Theme for Soil Day 2017 is ‘Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground’. WSD is celebrated at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

2. First Meeting of the Fifteenth Finance Commission Held

i. The Fifteenth Finance Commission held its first meeting at North Block in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Shri N.K. Singh and was attended by all the other Members of the Commission.

ii. The objective was to hold wide-ranging consultations with all stakeholders including various Ministries of the Union Government, all State Governments, Local Bodies, Panchayats and Political parties of each State Government needed to be expeditiously initiated. The Commission approved the setting-up of its office at Jawahar Vyapar Bhawan on Janpath in New Delhi.

3. 3rd DRC-NITI Aayog Dialogue Held in China

i. The 3rd edition of the Dialogue between the NITI Aayog and the Development Research Council of China, the DRC- NITI Aayog Dialogue was held in Beijing. The meeting was co-chaired by Vice Chairman NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, and Mr Li Wei, President (Minister), DRC.

ii. The two sides agreed that the 4th NITI Aayog - DRC Dialogue will be convened in India in 2018.  The dialogue took place under the MOU between NITI Aayog and the Development Research Centre (DRC), State Council of the China.

4. India and Germany Sign Govt- to-Govt Umbrella Agreement

i. The Government to Government Umbrella Agreement between India and Germany concerning Financial Cooperation in 2016 (II) under the Indo-German Development Cooperation was signed to formalize an amount up to Euro 200 million for the Financial Cooperation in form of loan for the project ‘Climate Friendly Urban Mobility III’ and Euro 11 million Accompanying measures in form of grant for four projects.

ii. The 4 projects under the Agreements signed are as follows-

a. Loan Agreement for the project “Community based sustainable Forest Management – Component I Manipur” was signed for a loan of Euro  15 million.

Objectives- Restoration of degraded forests, reclamation of abandoned shifting cultivation areas, biodiversity & water resources conservation.

b. Loan Agreement for the project “Madhya Pradesh Urban Sanitation and Environment Programme” for Euro 50 million Reduced Interest Loan and Euro 2.5 million grant.

Objective - To improve facilities for water supply, sanitation and sewerage treatment plan.

c. Loan Agreement for the project “Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Development Odisha – Phase II" for EUR 55 Million Reduced Interest Loan with EUR 2 Million as Grant.

Objective - To improve Urban Infrastructure by linking them with Government priority.

d. Loan Agreement for the project “Green Energy Corridor – Intra-State Transmission System in Maharashtra” for EUR 12 million Reduced Interest loan.

Objective - To project is to put in place a transmission system for evacuating renewable energy.

5. ADB Funds $580 Million for Reliance’s Bangladesh Power Plant Project

i. The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Directors has approved debt financing and partial risk guarantees totaling $583 million to develop the Reliance Bangladesh Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Power Project.

ii. The financing package of ADB includes loans and partial risk guarantees for the power generation facility, as well as for the LNG terminal and the power project, being set up for $1 billion.

6. UPs Shamli District Included in NCR

i. Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district was included in the National Capital Region (NCR), taking the total number of districts in the NCR to 23.

ii. Cities in the NCR get funds at "attractive" interest rates from the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) for infrastructure development. The decision to include Shamli in the NCR was taken at the 37th meeting of the NCRPB.

7. Ellie Goulding Honored as UN Environment Global Goodwill Ambassador

i. British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding signed as a Global Goodwill Ambassador for UN Environment, joining the fight to save the lives and habitats of people and animals by cleaning up our air and seas, fighting climate change and protecting species.

ii. Ellie is also backing UN Environment’s #CleanSeas campaign.

8. India’s Largest Floating Solar Power Plant Opens in Kerala

i. The largest-ever floating solar power plant in India inaugurated by state power minister MM Man at the Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad. The solar power plant that floats on the surface of the water has a capacity of 500 kilowatts.

ii. The solar plant consists of 1,938 solar panels with a capacity of 260 watts, a 500 kilovolt-ampere (KVA) transformer, and 17 inverters.
iii. Constructed by the Thiruvananthapuram-based Ad tech Systems, the plant will generate seven lakh units of power in a year. The total cost of the project is Rs. 9.25 crore.

9. Indian-American Senator Harris Tops Global Thinkers List

i. Indian-American California senator Kamala Harris has topped the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine's 2017 list of '50 Leading Global Thinkers' which also features US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.

ii. Besides Harris and Haley, Indian-origin stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj has also made it to the list. South Korean President Moon Jae-in is ranked second in the list for trying to rebuild decent democratic leadership in South Korea.
iii. Popular comedian Minhaj is placed third in the ranking for defining the narrative of a "New Brown America".

10. Amitabh Bachchan Launches Book on Indian Cinema

i. Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan launched a book based on Indian cinema in showbiz capital Mumbai. The book, titled 'Bollywood: The Films! The Songs! The Stars!', is a coffee table book, which provides historical insights, lesser-known facts and behind-the-scenes exclusives of the most iconic movies made in the history of the Indian film industry.

ii. The book is co-authored by S.M.M. Ausaja, Karan Bali, Rajesh Devraj and Tanul Thakur, the book on India's tinsel town is published by British multinational publishing company Dorling Kindersley (DK).

11. Venezuela Launches New Virtual Currency Named Petro

i. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced the creation of a new virtual currency named 'Petro' in a bid to ease the country's economic crisis.

ii. The Petro would be backed by Venezuela's oil, gas, gold and diamond wealth.

12. UAE, UK, US and French Armies Hold Joint Exercises in Abu Dhabi

i. UAE Armed Forces along with the UK, US and French armies are participating in joint exercises in Abu Dhabi. The drill code is named as “Flag4”.

ii. The two-week long joint exercise aims to increase combat efficiency, gain more field expertise, and work to unify military concepts among participating parties.