Current Affairs Update – 3-5 December, 2016

Hello and welcome to exampundit . Here are the important Current Affairs of 3, 4 and 5 December, 2016. These are important for the upcoming IPPB PO Mains, NIACL AO Mains, IBPS Clerk Mains, IBPS RRB Office Assistant Mains and RBI Assistant Mains 2016-17.

Current Affairs at a Glance- 3-5 December, 2016
  1. YES Bank, India’s fifth-largest
    private sector bank, has partnered Ola to set up mobile ATMs for cash withdrawal.
  2. The
    Indian e-commerce market is set to overtake the US and become the second
    largest in the world in less than two decades
    , going
    head-to-head with China for the position of biggest e-commerce market; this
    according to new research from Worldpay, the leader in global payments.
  3. Assam’s Hailakandi district becomes
    the first in the state to pay wages to tea garden workers through bank
    accounts.
  4. India and Qatar on 3 December 2016 signed four agreements to boost the
    bilateral relations between the two nations.
  5. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the clear winner of
    online reader’s poll for the TIME ‘Person of the
    Year 2016’
    .
  6. After Time Magazine put Flipkart
    Founders – Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal
    – on the list of 100 Most
    Influential People in the world, the Straits Times of Singapore has chosen them for the
    prestigious “2016 Asian of the Year” as part of a group called the
    “The Disruptors.”
  7. The International Volunteer Day (IVD) was
    observed across the world on 5 December 2016
    with the theme Global Applause–
    give volunteers a hand.
  8. The World Soil Day (WSD) 2016
    was observed on 5 December 2016 at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
    headquarters in Rome. The theme for the day is “Soils and pulses, a symbiosis
    for life.”
  9. The National Pollution Control Day 2016 was observed on 2 December 2016 in India
    with an aim to make aware the people and industries about the need of Pollution
    Control Acts.
  10. The International Day of Persons with
    Disabilities (IDPD)
    2016 was
    observed across the world on 3 December 2016. The theme for the day was
    Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want.
  11. Bharti Airtel Limited on 5 December 2016 announced the appointment
    of Sunil
    Taldar as the Chief Executive Officer and Director for its DTH business
    .
  12. In a surprising move, New
    Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key announced his resignation during a
    weekly press conference in Wellington on 5 December 2016. He cited family
    reasons for his sudden exit.
  13. Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced that he would be stepping down after
    losing a referendum on constitutional reform.
  14. India women’s cricket team on 4 December 2016 defeated Pakistan to win the
    2016 Asia Cup T20 at Bangkok, Thailand.

Finance/Banking –
YES Bank, Ola join hands to set up mobile ATMs in 10 cities

  • YES Bank, India’s fifth-largest
    private sector bank, has partnered Ola to set up mobile ATMs for cash
    withdrawal.
  • The service will be made
    available in over 30 locations across 10 cities including Mumbai, Delhi,
    Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Jaipur.
    Customers can swipe debit cards of any bank to withdraw an amount of up to Rs.
    2,000 per card.
  • This is enabled using Point of
    Sales machines available in Ola cabs stationed near YES Bank branches across
    locations in these cities.
  • Ola is into digital technology
    and enables convenience for consumers.

RBI to issue new Rs 50 & Rs 20 currency notes

  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
    on 4 December 2016 announced to issue Rs 50 and Rs 20 denomination banknotes.
  • However, the old Rs 50 and Rs 20
    notes will also continue to be legal tender.

Features of Rs 50 denomination
banknotes
  • These notes of the Mahatma Gandhi
    Series-2005 will not have inset letter in both the number panels.
  • It will bear the signature of Dr
    Urjit R Patel, Governor of Reserve Bank of India.
  • The year of printing that is
    ‘2016’ will be printed on the reverse of the banknote.
  • The design and security features
    of these banknotes will be similar to the banknotes of old Rs 50 denomination
    with the ascending font of numerals in both the number panels and without
    intaglio print that was issued earlier in Mahatma Gandhi Series- 2005.

Features of Rs 20 denomination
banknotes
  • The new Rs 20 denomination
    currency notes will be printed with inset letter ‘L’ in both the number panels.
  • It will bear the signature of Dr
    Urjit R Patel, Governor of Reserve Bank of India.
  • The year of printing ‘2016’ will
    be printed on the backside of the banknote.
  • The design and security features
    of these banknotes will be similar to the old banknotes of Rs 20 with the
    ascending font of numerals in both the number panels and without intaglio print
    that was issued earlier in Mahatma Gandhi Series- 2005

India set to become world’s largest e-commerce market

  • The Indian e-commerce market is
    set to overtake the US and become the second largest in the world in less than
    two decades, going head-to-head with China for the position of biggest
    e-commerce market; this according to new research from Worldpay, the leader in
    global payments.
  • For its Global Payments Report
    2016, Worldpay analysed 30 markets around the world, including India, China,
    Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Australia in
    Asia-Pacific. The Global Payments Report is an annual Worldpay report compiled
    using a combination of Worldpay’s data and insights, external findings from
    Euromonitor, Datamonitor andystats.com and secondary data from other
    independent sources.
  • This year, Worldpay’s research
    has discovered increasing complexity in the global payments market and found
    that e-commerce is expected to grow exponentially. This growth will occur
    around the world, but emerging markets are leading the charge particularly
    India, where e-commerce is predicted to mature by 28 per cent per year from
    2016 to 2020. According to Worldpay projections, India will be the world’s
    second largest e-commerce market by 2034, thanks to massive surges in internet
    penetration, a swelling millennial population and the rising uptake of mobile
    phones.

Hailakandi becomes first district in Assam to make cashless payment

  • Assam’s Hailakandi district
    becomes the first in the state to pay wages to tea garden workers through bank
    accounts.
  • The move follows Assam
    government’s directive of making cashless transactions to the plantation
    workers. It has, however, come much before the set deadline of 15 December
    2016.

Key Highlights
  • Five correspondents from the
    Assam Gramin Vikash Bank assisted the payment process.
  • It covered at least 504
    plantation workers who are employed at the Burnie Braes tea estate. They all
    received their wages through their individual bank accounts.
  • The move was made possible
    through the efforts put in by the District Deputy Commissioner Moloy Bora, who
    held back-to-back meetings with bank officials along with the tea garden
    management and mobile service providers.
  • This move supports Prime Minister
    Narendra Modi’s Cashless India drive, following the shocking demonetization of
    old ₹500 and ₹1000 currency notes on 9
    November 2016.

India –
India, Qatar signed four agreements including visa and cyberspace
  • India and Qatar on 3 December
    2016 signed four agreements to boost the bilateral relations between the two
    nations.
  • The agreements were inked in New
    Delhi after delegation level talks held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi
    and Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani.
    Emir Al Thani was on a two-day visit to India.

List of agreements exchanged
include
  • Agreement on the exemption from
    visa requirement for holders of diplomatic, special and official passports: The
    agreement allows holders of diplomatic, special and official passport of the
    two countries to visa-free travel between the two countries.
  • Protocol on Technical Cooperation
    in cyber space and combating cyber crime: This Protocol adds an important
    dimension of bilateral Technical Cooperation in Cyber Space and Combating Cyber
    Crime to the existing framework agreement in the field of security signed on 10
    November 2008.
  • Letter of Intent regarding
    negotiations on an Agreement on the grant of e-Visa for businessmen and
    tourists of the two countries: This allows negotiations on an agreement on the
    grant of e-visa to businessmen and tourists of the two countries.
  • MoU between Supreme Committee for
    Delivery & Legacy of Qatar and Confederation of Indian Industry: This MoU
    will provide the framework for project experts for Indian companies in Qatar,
    including through participation in infrastructure projects in Qatar undertaken
    for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Lists & Reports –
Narendra Modi wins reader’s poll for the TIME Person of the Year 2016

  • Indian Prime Minister Narendra
    Modi was the clear winner of online reader’s poll for the TIME ‘Person of the
    Year 2016’.
  • Amoung the total votes cast, 18
    percent went to Modi, which is almost two times more than the percentage of yes
    votes received by U.S President Barack Obama, US President-elect Donald Trump
    and Founder of Wikileaks Julian Assange, who all got 7% votes each. The results
    were calculated on the basis of votes received until the midnight of 4 December
    2016.
  • The Indian elected head was also
    way ahead of U.S presidential nominee Hillary Clinton who received 4 percent
    votes and the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, who just received 2 percent
    votes in his favour.
  • However, this is not the first
    time that Narendra Modi has dominated the online reader’s poll for the ‘Time
    Person of the Year’ title. He was at the top of the list in 2014 as well
    securing almost 16 percent of the total five million votes cast. That was the
    same year when he was elected as the Prime Minister of India, with his party
    gaining a landslide victory.
  • The official result for the TIME
    ‘Person of the Year’ will be announced on 7 December 2016. The winner’s name
    will be decided by the editors of the magazine.

Flipkart founders Sachin and Binny Bansal named ‘Asians of the Year’

  • After Time Magazine put Flipkart
    Founders – Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal – on the list of 100 Most Influential
    People in the world, the Straits Times of Singapore has chosen them for the
    prestigious “2016 Asian of the Year” as part of a group called the
    “The Disruptors.”
  • “Flipkart’s innovative
    steps, aimed at transforming commerce in India through technology, have truly
    disrupted the market and it makes us proud to be recognized for this
    achievement.We accept this honor on behalf of all Indians,” Sachin Bansal
    and Binny Bansal said in a joint statement.
  • Earlier this year, Time Magazine
    put Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal on the list of 100 Most Influential People
    in the world.
  • In 2014, the award was given to
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in 2015, it was awarded posthumously to Lee
    Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father, the statement said.
  • The Asian of the Year 2016 awards
    recognises entrepreneurs “operating at the frontiers of technology’s
    interface with business”, who have launched companies that have disrupted
    traditional business model for the benefit of end-consumers.

Days –
International Volunteer Day observed across the world

  • The International Volunteer Day
    (IVD) was observed across the world on 5 December 2016 with the theme Global Applause–
    give volunteers a hand.
  • This year’s theme recognizes the
    volunteers worldwide and their efforts in making peace and sustainable
    development a reality.
  • To mark International Volunteer
    Day, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme released the data showing
    the increase in keyboard volunteers that is online volunteers. By volunteering
    online, volunteers work for sustainable human development by supporting the
    activities of development organizations.

World Soil Day 2016 observed

  • The World Soil Day (WSD) 2016 was
    observed on 5 December 2016 at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
    headquarters in Rome. The theme for the day is “Soils and pulses, a symbiosis
    for life.”
  • The theme for the 2016 WSD
    focuses on the positive contributions of pulses to soil properties, such as
    fixing the atmosphere nitrogen and improving its biodiversity, fertility and structure.
  • The observance of World Soil Day
    aims at connecting people with soils and raising awareness on their critical
    importance in lives of human beings.
  • On the other hand, 2016 was
    declared the International Year of Pulses (IYP).

National Pollution Control Day 2016 observed in India
  • The National Pollution Control
    Day 2016 was observed on 2 December 2016 in India with an aim to make aware the
    people and industries about the need of Pollution Control Acts.
  • This day is observed every year
    to give honour to thousands of human beings who lost their lives in 1984 due to
    the Bhopal gas tragedy and who were left severely affected due to leakage of
    poisonous gas from Union Carbide plant in Bhopal.
  • This catastrophe was the worst in
    the world’s industrial history and people there still continue to witness
    physical and mental disabilities.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2016 observed across the
world
  • The International Day of Persons
    with Disabilities (IDPD) 2016 was observed across the world on 3 December 2016.
    The theme for the day was Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want.
  • In 2016, the goal of the IDPD is
    assessing the current status of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
    Disabilities (CRPD) and SDGs. The day also looks forward for laying the
    foundation for a future of greater inclusion for persons with disabilities.
  • The observance of the 2016
    International Day of Persons with Disabilities coincides with the 10-year
    anniversary of the adoption of the CRPD. The CRPD is one of the most quickly
    and widely ratified international treaties put forth by the United Nations till
    now.

Appointments –
Airtel appoints Sunil Taldar as CEO and Director for DTH business
  • Bharti Airtel Limited on 5
    December 2016 announced the appointment of Sunil Taldar as the Chief Executive
    Officer and Director for its DTH business.
  • Taldar will take over from Shashi
    Arora who moved as Managing Director and CEO of Airtel Payments Bank.
  • Taldar will be a member of the
    Airtel Management Board and will report to Gopal Vittal, Chief Executive
    Officer at Bharti Airtel (India and South Asia).
  • As per Airtel, Taldar will be
    “responsible for driving growth and innovation for Airtel Digital TV, which is
    a key growth driver within the company’s B2C portfolio.”
  • Previously, Taldar worked with
    Cadbury as India Sales Director. He had also worked with Mondelez (Indonesia)
    as Country Head.

Awards & Honors –
Srinidhi Shetty won 2016 Miss Supranational title
  • Srinidhi Shetty, a girl from
    Mangalore, was crowned Miss Supranational 2016 in the first week of December
    2016. She was crowned at a ceremony held in Krynica Zdroj, Poland. With this,
    India became the first country to win Miss Supranational twice in three years.
  • Along with the crown, Shetty, an
    engineer by profession, also received the prize amount of $30,000. In addition,
    she also won the title of Miss Asia-Oceania.

UAE-based Indian teen Kehkashan Basu wins Children’s Peace Prize
  • Kehkashan Basu, a 16-year-old UAE-based
    Indian teenager won the International Children’s Peace Prize for her work
    towards climate justice and combating environmental degradation.
  • The award was conferred to her by
    Bangladesh’s Nobel peace prize winner Mohammad Yunus at a ceremony held in The
    Hague. The teen in her award-winning speech stressed on the importance of
    continuing the fight against climate change and focusing on creating a more
    sustainable future.
  • Her speech comes not long after
    the new President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump revealed his
    decision of withdrawing the U.S from a global agreement on climate change.

World –
New Zealand PM announces surprise resignation

  • In a surprising move, New
    Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key announced his resignation during a weekly
    press conference in Wellington on 5 December 2016. He cited family reasons for
    his sudden exit.
  • Key will be leaving the post
    after almost eight years of service. Explaining his decision, he stated that
    there was no way he could have sat through an entire fourth term. He, however,
    does plan to stay long enough to avoid by-election for his seat.

Italian PM Matteo Renzi announces resignation after losing referendum

  • Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo
    Renzi announced that he would be stepping down after losing a referendum on
    constitutional reform.
  • Interior Ministry projections
    suggested the No camp, led by the populist Five Star Movement, had won the
    referendum with the backing of 59.5 per cent of those who voted.
  • Nearly 70 per cent of Italians
    entitled to vote yesterday cast their ballots, an exceptionally high turnout
    that reflected the high stakes and the intensity of the various issues
    involved.
  • Renzi said he would be visiting
    President Sergio Mattarella to hand in his resignation following a final
    meeting of his cabinet.
  • Mattarella will then be charged
    with brokering the appointment of a new government or, if he can’t do that,
    ordering early elections.

Sports –
India beats Pakistan to win 2016 Women’s Asia Cup
  • India women’s cricket team on 4
    December 2016 defeated Pakistan to win the 2016 Asia Cup T20 at Bangkok,
    Thailand.
  • India defeated Pakistan in the
    final of the regional tournament by 17 runs. The win is India’s sixth Asia Cup
    crown.
  • In the final, India, who remained
    undefeated during the tournament, batted first and scored 121/5.

Usain Bolt and Almaz Ayana win IAAF World Athlete of the Year Award
  • Nine-time Olympic champion Usain
    Bolt on 2 December 2016 won the IAAF male Athlete of the Year award. He won the
    award for the record sixth time.
  • Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana won the
    IAAF women Athlete of the Year award. Ayana broke the 10000m world record by
    over 14 seconds in winning Olympic gold in Rio in 2016.

Other Awards:
  • Male Rising Star: Canada’s Andre
    De Grasse
  • Female Rising Star: Belgium’s
    Nafissatou Thiam
  • Women in Athletics: Greece’s
    Polyxeni Argeitaki
  • Coaching Achievement: USA’s Harry
    Marra
  • President’s Award: Tegla Loroupe

Nico Rosberg announces shocking retirement after World title win
  • In an unexpected move, Nico
    Rosberg announced his retirement from Formula One on 2 December 2016, just five
    days after he grabbed his first-ever F1 World Champion title in the season’s
    final race at Abu Dhabi.
  • The 31-year-old, who beat his
    Mercedes team-mate and three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton by five points,
    stated that he was retiring from the sport to spend more quality time with his
    wife, Vivian and baby daughter, Alaia.
  • This is the first time that a
    reigning world champion has decided to quit the sport. Last time something
    similar happened was in 1993 when Alain Prost announced his retirement after
    winning his fourth driver’s title.

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This post was last modified on January 10, 2020 8:57 am