Current Affairs Update – 22nd to 28th December, 2015

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the Important Current Affairs from 22nd of December to 28th December, 2015. These are important for the upcoming LIC AAO 2016, Syndicate Bank PO, SIDBI Assistant Manager Exams.

• The Reserve Bank of India on 23 December 2015 extended the
  deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes of various denominations by
  another six months to 30 June 2016.
• The decision to extend the deadline was notified by the apex
  bank in a statement issued in Mumbai. 
• RBI in an official statement said that the notes can be
  exchanged for their full value. It has also clarified that all such notes
  continue to remain legal tender.
• Soliciting cooperation from members of public in withdrawing
  these banknotes, it also urged them to deposit the old design notes in their
  bank accounts or exchange them at a bank branch convenient to them.
• Earlier on 25 June 2015, the Reserve Bank had set the last
  date for public to exchange pre-2005 banknotes notes as 31 December 2015.

• Tech Mahindra Limited on 23 December 2015 launched India’s
  first contactless digital payment ecosystem, branded MoboMoney.
• The company claims that MoboMoney is the country’s first
  commercial rollout of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which allows
  radio communication between two NFC enabled devices.

• MoboMoney is a prepaid wallet issued in the form of an NFC
  Contactless Tag.
• It can be used to Tap n Pay on a network of NFC enabled
  Merchant point of sale, thus allowing customers without an NFC-enabled phone to
  enjoy the simple tap and pay experience to purchase goods.
• It allows consumers to load their wallet by paying cash at
  its 1000+ retail network, helping convert cash into e-cash.
• The money loaded into the customers’ digital wallets can
  then be used to Tap n Pay for over the counter payments, recharges, make bill
  payments, as well as pay online – converting what were earlier payments done in
  cash, into digital payments.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 22 December 2015 created
  a dedicated helpline (Email) for start-ups in India in order to offer
  assistance on Forex matters to them for undertaking cross-border transactions
  within the ambit of the regulatory framework.
• While seeking guidance on the helpline, the enterprises will
  be asked to provide complete information to the Reserve Bank and mention the
  specific issues on which they need guidance from the Bank in relation to the
  Foreign Exchange Management regulations.
• This will enable the personnel attending the helpline to
  offer timely and effective information. Generally, Start-up enterprises
  undertake a wide range of cross-border transactions including those related to
  investment.
• Cross-border transactions of resident Indians are subject to
  the regulatory regime provided by the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22
  December 2015 gave its approval for investment of 5000 crore rupees by Oil and
  Natural Gas Company Limited (ONGC) into the equity share capital of ONGC Videsh
  Limited (OVL) by conversion of existing loan of equivalent amount into equity.
• The approved investment will strengthen the capital base of
  ONGC Videsh. It will enhance the ability of ONGC to undertake overseas
  Exploration and Production (E&P) business, thereby improving the energy
  security of the country.
• With this investment, the equity base of OVL will rise to
  15000 crore rupees. All the loan ONGC had given to OVL was at zero interest.

• Idea Cellular on 23 December 2015 became the third mobile
  operator in India to launch 4G services in India. Earlier, Bharti Airtel and
  Vodafone India had launched 4G services in India.
• Idea, the third largest mobile operator in terms of revenue
  and subscriber base, launched the 4G services across 75 towns in the 4 telecom
  circles of South India, namely Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Karnataka,
  Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• Idea customers with 4G devices in these 75 towns can now
  start experiencing superfast speeds by simply upgrading their existing SIM
  cards to new 4G SIM cards.

• The Lok Sabha on 22 December 2015 passed The Payment of
  Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Bill will allow doubling of wage ceiling for
  calculating bonus of factory workers.
• The Bill seeks to amend the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965. The
  Bill 2015 was introduced in Lok Sabha on 7 December 2015.

• It seeks to raise the eligibility limit for payment of bonus
  from a salary of 10000 rupees to 21000 rupees a month.
• It seeks to raise this calculation ceiling of bonus to 7000
  rupees per month or as per the minimum wage notified for the employment under
  the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (whichever is higher).

• Arre, the digital media brand from UDigital, a venture
  founded by Ronnie Screwvala, B Saikumar and Ajay Chacko, on 21 December 2015
  announced the acquisition of Apalya Technologies.
• As part of the deal, the cofounders of Apalya, Vamshi Reddy
  and Shiva Bayyapunedi, will get 2 percent sweat equity in UDigital.
• Apalya will help Arre, which is developing content in
  various forms including edgy videos, serial-like podcasts, investigative
  documentaries and long-form narratives, to add platform capability to its digital
  content play.

• Gurgaon-based on-demand grocery service PepperTap on 21
  December 2015 acquired Bengaluru-based hyperlocal grocery delivery startup
  Jiffstore in a cash-and-stock deal. However, the deal details were not
  disclosed.
• As per the terms of deal, Jiffstore will completely merge
  its operations with PepperTap. Furthermore, its 40-member-team will join
  PepperTap’s Gurgaon and Bengaluru offices.

• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22 December
  2015 gave its approval for implementation of an umbrella scheme for integrated
  development and management of fisheries. The scheme will be implemented at an
  outlay of 3000 crore rupees, for a period of five years.
• It will cover development and management of inland
  fisheries, aquaculture, marine fisheries and all activities undertaken by the
  National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) towards realizing Blue Revolution.
  The scheme has the following six broad components, and they are

• National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) and its
  activities
• Development of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture
• Development of Marine Fisheries, Infrastructure and Post
  Harvest Operations
• Strengthening of Database & Geographical Information
  System of the Fisheries Sector
• Institutional Arrangement for Fisheries Sector
• Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) and other
  need-based Interventions

• Government of Andhra Pradesh on 28 December 2015 signed a
  Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft India on a range of technology
  initiatives.
• The MoU was signed after a meeting between the Chief
  Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella in Hyderabad.

• By applying Microsoft Azure Machine Learning and Advanced
  Visualization method, the company will provide technical knowledge to the AP Government
  and support building three proof-of-concept (PoC) solutions.
• The three PoC solutions are related to the fields of
  education, agriculture and eCitizen services.

• India and Russia on 24 December 2015 signed 16
  Agreements/Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) to deepen bilateral cooperation
  in the fields of energy, security, technology, etc.
• The pacts were signed after the conclusion of the 16th
  India-Russia Annual Summit in Moscow.
• After the summit, which was attended by Prime Minister
  Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, both the leaders issued a
  joint statement with the theme Shared Trust,New Horizons.

1. Protocol amending the agreement, which was signed on 21
   December 2010, between India and Russia on simplification of requirements for
   mutual travels of certain categories of citizens of the two countries.
2. Protocol amending agreement between India and Russia on
   mutual travel regime for holders of Diplomatic & Official Passports of 3
   December 2004.
3. Agreement between India and Russia on Cooperation in the
   field of Helicopter Engineering
4. Plan for Cooperation between the Federal Customs Service of
   the Central Board of Excise and Customs, Department of Revenue, Ministry of
   Finance, India and the Russian Federation for combating Customs violations in
   2015 – 2017.
5. Programme of Action Agreed Between the Department of Atomic
   Energy of India and the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation “Rosatom”
   for Localization of Manufacturing in India for Russian-Designed Nuclear Reactor
   Units.
6. Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Railways
   of India and the Joint Stock company “Russian Railways” on technical
   cooperation in railway sector.
7. MoU between Solar Energy Corporation of India and Russian
   Energy Agency regarding construction of solar energy plants in the Republic of
   India.
8. MoU for cooperation between HEC & CNIITMASH for
   development of Centre of Excellence for heavy engineering design at HEC.
9. MoU for cooperation between HEC & CNIITMASH for
   upgradation and modernization of HEC’s manufacturing facilities.
10. Memorandum of Understanding between Prasar Bharati and
    Digital Television Russia on Cooperation in the field of Broadcasting.
11. Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between Centre for
    Development of Advance Computing (C-DAC), Indian Institute of Science Bangalore
    (IISc) and Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU).
12. Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between Centre for
    Development of Advance Computing (C-DAC), OJSC “GLONASS” and GLONASS
    Union.
13. MoU in the field of investment cooperation in the Russian
    Far East between The Tata Power Company Limited and Ministry for Development of
    the Russian Far East.
14. MoU for Cooperation for geologic survey, exploration and
    production of hydrocarbons onshore and on the continental shelf of the Russian
    Federation.
15. Confirmation of successful completion of the first stage
    pre-completion actions in relation to the creation of a Joint Venture in JSC
    VankorNeft.
16. MoU for Cooperation for geologic survey, exploration and
    production of hydrocarbons onshore the Russian Federation between Rosneft oil
    company, Oil India Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Limited.

• Indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air
  missile, Astra, was on 25 December 2015 successfully test fired. The test was
  conducted by the Indian Air Force off the coast of Odisha near the Integrated Test
  Range (ITR), Balasore.
• In addition to this air trial, the missile underwent
  successful ground based trials in early December 2015 near Pune.
• The tests were aimed at validating the ECCM (electronic
  counter-counter measure) features of the missile to overcome any jamming.
• After carrying out some more trials, including air launch
  trial with a warhead, the missile is expected to be inducted into the Air Force
  in 2016.

• Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on 21 December 2015 received
  certification to build LNG-transporting ships for any client world-wide making
  it the first shipyard in India to get the nod.
• The shipyard successfully completed a Mark-III Flex Mock-Up,
  which has been certified by Gaztransport et Technigaz (GTT), France, thereby
  completing all requirements to be licensed by GTT. After the certification, CSL
  can build LNG ships for any client world-wide using their patented membrane
  containment system known as the Mark-III Technology.
• As part of the Make in India programme, the Government of
  India is keen that three of the nine ships should be built in India. CSL is
  keen to take part in the tender. Entering the LNG carrier technology area will
  set the yard on the technology growth path and will also lead to substantial
  improvements in areas like quality control, Health, Safety & Environment
  (HSE).

• The Odisha Government on 21 December 2015 launched Anwesha
  scheme to provide free education to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe
  students. Under the scheme, 5000 SC and ST children will annually be enrolled
  into Standard I in leading private schools in urban areas of the state.
• State Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the scheme at
  Saragi Phul- a three day children’s festival for ST, SC children held at
  Adivasi Ground, Bhubaneswar.

• The government will bear all expenses for education of the
  students under the scheme which will be implemented in 17 districts.
• The expenses for fees, uniform, books, hostel accommodation
  as well transportation will be sponsored by the government.
• The government aims to enrol a total of 50000 SC and ST
  students in phases.

• The Union Minister of Human Resource Development Zubin Irani
  on 21 December 2015 launched the 6th All India Survey on Higher Education
  (AISHE) in New Delhi.
• The survey covers all the Higher Education (HE) institutions
  of the country including Universities, Colleges and Stand-Alone institutions
  from 2010-11 to 2014-15.
• It brings out the correct and complete picture of the higher
  education system so that relevant statistics are available to the Central
  Government as well as State Governments in order to devise future educational
  policies.

• Increase in overall enrolment from 27.5 million in 2010-11
  to 33.3 million in 2014-15.
• Improvement in Gross Enrolment Ratio which is a ratio of
  enrolment in higher education to population in the eligible age group (18-23)
  years from 19.4 percent on 2010-11 to 23.6 percent in 2014-15.
• Gender Parity Index (GPI), a ratio of proportional
  representation of female and male, has marginally improved from 0.86 to 0.93 to
  the corresponding period.
• Number of institutions of higher education listed on AISHE
  portal has also increased significantly – universities from 621 to 757 and
  colleges from 32974 to 38056 during the period.

• Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22
  December 2015 approved the Lucknow Metro Rail Project Phase-1 A. To be developed
  at an expenditure of 6928 crore rupees, the project will cover a length of
  22.878 km with 22 stations.
• Out of the total route length of 22.878 km, elevated route
  will be 19.438 km while underground route length will be 3.440 km with total 19
  elevated and three underground metro stations. The metro train will ply between
  Chowdhary Charan Singh Airport and Munshi Pulia.
• The project will cost 6928 crore rupees of which the Union
  Government will give 1300 crore rupees in form of equity and subordinate debt.

• Pandorum Technologies Private Limited in the third week of
  December 2015 developed India’s first artificial liver tissue with the help of
  3-D printing technology.
• The development is a major step forward in the on-demand
  manufacturing of 3D printed human organs.
• The artificial liver tissue performs critical functions of a
  human liver including, metabolism, secretion of biochemicals such as
  cholesterol and albumin and detoxification.

• For the benefit of farmers, Union Agriculture & Farmers
  Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh on 23 December 2015 launched two mobile apps
  namely Crop Insurance and AgriMarket Mobile.
• The apps were launched to celebrate the birth anniversary of
  former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Choudhary Charan Singh. Their
  birthday will be celebrated by organising Kishan Jai Vigyan Week.

• The Basohali town which is located in Kathua district of
  Jammu and Kashmir was in news on 24 December 2015 as the Union Defence Minister
  Manohar Parrikar dedicated the first cable-stayed bridge of North India to the
  nation.

• The 592-metre bridge was constructed over river Ravi on
  Dunera- Basohli-Bhadharwah road.
• It would provide close connectivity between three northern
  states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
• It is fourth of its kind in India and first in North India
  and Jammu and Kashmir.

• India’s first indigenously designed and built warship Indian
  Navy Service (INS) Godavari was on 23 December 2015 decommissioned in Naval
  Dockyard Mumbai. It was commissioned into the Navy on 10 December 1983.
• With her decommissioning, INS Godavari (F-20) will complete
  its full life cycle, meeting all responsibilities and duties assigned, proving
  the success of Indian ship design and construction.
• It was the lead ship of her class of three guided-missile
  frigates of the Indian Navy. The other two warships are INS Ganga and INS
  Gomati.

• Reliance Defence of Reliance Infrastructure Limited on 24
  December 2015 entered into a partnership with Russia’s AlmazAntey for producing
  Air Defence Missile Systems.
• A corporate agreement in this regard was signed on the
  sidelines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day state visit to Russia.
• Defence Acquisition Council’s approval for acquisition of
  S-400 air defence missile systems is expected to create business opportunity of
  about 40000 crore rupees.

• Delhi Government on 21 December 2015 appointed a one-member
  commission of inquiry on Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) scam. A
  decision in this regard was taken in  a
  cabinet committee meeting headed by the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
• The commission will be headed by former Solicitor General
  Gopal Subramanium. It will probe the alleged financial irregularities by the
  administrators of the DDCA.
• The commission was appointed on the basis of recommendation
  of the three-member committee headed by Chetan Sanghi. The committee was
  constituted to probe alleged financial irregularities in DDCA after the Chief
  Minister’s office received serious complaints about its functioning.

• Jet Airways on 22 December 2015 appointed Amit Agarwal as
  its Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He will be responsible for all financial and
  fiscal management aspects of the airlines business.
• Agarwal will join the operating committee that has been
  tasked by the airline’s board of directors to lead the airline’s growth
  strategy.
• Prior to joining Jet Airways, he worked as the CFO of Suzlon
  Energy where he used to manage company’s finances and drive its turnaround
  initiatives.

• Senior IAS officer Pawan Kumar Agarwal was on 22 December
  2015 appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of food regulator Food Safety
  and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
• He succeeded Yudhvir Singh Malik, who was shifted as
  Additional Secretary in Niti Aayog in September 2015. Malik is believed to be
  the man behind the ban on global giant Nestles popular noodle brand Maggi,
  which has now been removed.
• Prior to Pawan Kumar Agarwal’s appointment, FSSAI Chairman
  Ashish Bahuguna was holding the additional charge of FSSAI CEO.

• Gautam H Bambawale was on 23 December 2015 appointed as the
  High Commissioner of India to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He is presently
  serving as the Indian ambassador to Bhutan.
• Bambawale will succeed TCA Raghavan, who will retire at the
  end of December 2015.

• India on 22 December 2015 celebrated National Mathematics Day.
  The day was observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of great Indian
  Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
• On this occasion, India and UNESCO agreed to work jointly in
  spreading the joy of mathematics and knowledge to students and learners across
  the world.
• To this end, Conferences on the “Zero” at UNESCO
  Headquarters in Paris, as well as at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
  were held in recognition of Aryabhata’s role in the invention of zero.

• The United Nations General Assembly on 22 December 2015
  adopted a resolution to observe 5 November every year as World Tsunami
  Awareness Day.
• The creation of the day is aimed at raising awareness among
  people in the world of the dangers of tsunami and stressing the importance of
  early warning systems in order to mitigate damage.
• The proposal was first suggested by the Japanese Government
  after the Third UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan
  in March 2015.

• 30th National Consumers Right Day was observed across India
  on 24 December 2015. The day provides an opportunity to highlight the
  importance of the consumer movement and the need to make every consumer more
  aware of their rights and responsibilities.
• The Consumer Protection and Action Committee (CPAC)
  celebrated the day by distributing complaints forms, information brochures and
  other consumer rights literature freely to the public.

• Good Governance Day was observed on 25 December 2015 across
  the country. The day was observed to mark the birth anniversary of former-Prime
  Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• To mark the occasion, Union Minister for Health & Family
  Welfare J P Nadda announced four new IT-based initiatives for providing
  citizen-centric health services.
• The initiatives include three applications namely Kilkari,
  Mobile Academy and M-Cessation and a dedicated toll free number 1800-11–6666 to
  provide round the clock support for counselling and treatment support services
  for TB patients.

• Search engine giant Yahoo on 21 December 2015 named Cow as
  the Personality of the Year 2015. The animal managed to top the list over other
  high-profile contenders for the spot in Yahoo’s list of 2015 Year in Review
  (YIR) for India.
• As per Yahoo India, it all started after the announcement of
  beef ban in Maharashtra, which led to massive debates and arguments. The Beef
  Controversy was fuelled further by Dadri lynching and Award Wapsi campaign, and
  the cow soon became the icon of discussions on intolerance.
• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Delhi CM Arvind
  Kejriwal were among the top newsmakers of 2015.
• The rise of ISIS, 2015 World Cup, APJ Abdul Kalam’s demise,
  the Sheena Bora Murder investigation and the Vyapam Scandal featured on the
  list of Most searched news / events in 2015.

• Andy Murray of the UK on 20 December 2015 received the 2015
  BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in London. The Scottish tennis-player
  was presented the award by Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan.
• Murray was chosen for the award after a public vote in which
  he received 361446 of the 1,009,498 votes cast. The voting was based on
  performance of sports personalities in 2015.
• For Murray, it was the second award in three years. He
  received the previous award in 2013.

• Indian American professor Rakesh K Jain was on 22 December
  2015 selected for the National Medal of Science 2015 of United States (US).
  Jain is a professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Tumour
  Biology Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital.
• He will receive the honour along with 16 other winners of
  the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation
  at a White House ceremony in 2016.

• Former Indian Wicket-Keeper was on 24 December 2015
  nominated for the 2015 Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.
• A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Col.
  CK Nayudu Awards Committee. The meeting was held at the BCCI’s headquarters in
  Mumbai.
• The committee consists of the Board of Control for Cricket
  in India (BCCI) President Shashank Manohar, Hon. Secretary Anurag Thakur and N
  Ram (Chairman of Kasturi & Sons Limited and Publisher of The Hindu).

• New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum on 22 December
  2015 announced retirement from all forms of international cricket. He will
  retire after the two home test series against Australia, which will begin in
  February 2016.
• At present, the batsman and wicket-keeper, is New Zealand’s
  captain in all three forms of the international game viz., tests, ODIs and
  twenty20.

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) on 23 December 2015
  announced the winners for the 2015 ICC Awards in Dubai, the UAE.
• The awards were based on performance of individuals and
  teams, both men and women, between 18 September 2014 and 13 September 2015.
• Among the 10 awards announced, the Sir Garfield Sobers
  Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year were
  conferred on Australian captain Steve Smith.
• AB De Villiers was conferred with ICC ODI Cricketer of Year
  award.
• Josh Hazzlewood of Australia was conferred with ICC Emerging
  Cricketer of the year award.
• Brendon McCullam was conferred with ICC Spirit of Cricket
  Award.

• The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee on 21 December
  2015 banned FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Vice-President and member of the
  Executive Committee of FIFA and President of UEFA Michel Platini.
• They were banned for eight years from all football-related
  activities (administrative, sports or any other) on a national and
  international level.
• The ban came into force immediately. Blatter and Platini
  have also been fined 40000 US dollar and 80000 US dollar respectively.

• The Globe Soccer on 27 December 2015 presented the sixth
  edition of Globe Soccer Awards 2015 to the winners at a ceremony held in Dubai,
  UAE.
• Best Player of the Year – Lionel Messi
• Best Club of the Year – F.C. Barcelona

• Shiva Keshavan on 27 December 2015 grabbed a silver medal in
  the 18th edition of the Asian Luge Championship held in Nagano, Japan.
• The first place was claimed by defending champion Hidenari
  Kanayama of Japan. On the other hand, South Korea’s Kim Dong-hyeon grabbed the
  third place.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 December 2015 inaugurated
  Afghanistan’s newly-built Parliament House in Kabul.
• The house was entirely built by India’s government-owned
  construction agency Central Public Works Department (CPWD) at an estimated cost
  of 90 million US dollars.

• Its foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister of
  India Manmohan Singh in August 2005.
• It is spread across 86 acres. With a plinth area of around
  30000 square meters, it is the largest structure in Afghanistan.
• It has elements of Mughal and modern architecture with
  marbles used from Chesht-e-Sharif district of western Herat province.
• A block in the Parliament House was named after former Prime
  Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

• China on 17 December 2015 launched the Dark Matter Particle
  Explorer (DAMPE) Satellite to shed light on mysterious dark matter.
• It was the country’s first space telescope and launched on a
  Long March 2-D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
• The purpose of the satellite is to search for smoking-gun
  signals of dark matter, invisible material that scientists say makes up most of
  the universe’s mass.
• The satellite will be place in a sun-synchronous orbit at a
  height of 500 kilometers to observe the direction, energy and electric charge
  of high-energy particles in space.

• The Philippines on 22 December 2015 became the first Asian
  country to approve the sale of the world’s first-ever dengue vaccine,
  Dengvaxia.
• The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration approved the
  dengue vaccine for the prevention of disease caused by all four dengue types in
  individuals from 9 to 45 years old living in endemic areas.
• Earlier on 9 December 2015, Dengvaxia, manufactured by
  French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, secured its first regulatory approval in
  Mexico.

• Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa on 21 December
  2015 announced that the country has planned to adopt the Chinese Yuan as legal
  tender. It will be done in return for debt cancellation worth 40 million
  dollars in the second week of December 2015.
• As per the decision, Yuan will be a function of trade
  between China and Zimbabwe and acceptability with customers in Zimbabwe.
• China has become the largest investor in Zimbabwe, which has
  been shunned by the West over its human rights record and is struggling to
  emerge from a deep 1999-2008 recession that forced the government to ditch its
  own currency in 2009.

• Veteran Indian actress Sadhana Shivdasani died on 25
  December 2015 in Mumbai, Maharashtra after a brief illness. She was 74.
• One of the top actors of the 1960s and 1970s, Sadhana is
  remembered for her powerful performances in hits like Hum Dono, Love in Simla,
  Mera Saaya and Waqt.
• Born on 2 September 1941 in a Sindhi family, the legendary
  actress first appeared on silver screen as a chorus  girl in the song Mur mur ke na dekh mur mur
  ke in Raj Kapoor’s Shree 420.

• Former Chief Justice of Karnataka and Kerala High Courts
  Justice V S Malimath died on 22 December 2015 at Manipal hospital in Bengaluru.
• He was 86-years old and survived by wife Prema Devi V
  Malimath, a son and four daughters.
• He was appointed as a Judge in the Karnataka High Court in
  March 1970. Subsequently, he was appointed as Chief Justice of Karnataka High
  Court in 1984.

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