1. India signs MoU with Vietnam for cooperation in animal health 

(i) The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the ex-post facto approval for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vietnam for cooperation to ensure better animal health. 

(ii) The MoU between the two countries was signed in September 2014, in certain areas, such as exchange of general information on animal health, including disease of common concern, health standards, training of personnel, setting up mutual recognition on veterinary hygiene, sharing of health certificates between competent authorities of the two countries, among others.

2. Russia signs deal with Egypt to build a nuclear power plant

(i) Russia signs a deal to build a nuclear power plant Dabaa, north of Egypt. Russia has decided to extend a loan to cover the plant’s construction costs.

(ii) This would be the first nuclear plant in Egypt and is expected to be completed by 2022.

3. ASEAN Economic Community to be established soon

(i) In the recently concluded 13th Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, leaders declared the creation of a European Union-style regional economic bloc called ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). 

(ii) AEC would serve as a single market with free flow of goods, capital and skilled labour in the region. 

(iii) A Kuala Lumpur declaration to that effect was signed by the leaders of 10 nations in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

4. India ranks 4th most vacation-deprived country

(i) India ranks 4th among the world’s most vacation-deprived countries. As per a recent survey, 65 per cent feel very or somewhat vacation-deprived. 

(ii) Apart from India, UAE topped the list of most vacation-deprived countries in 2015 (76 per cent), followed by Malaysia (73 per cent) and Singapore (71 per cent).

5. UNHRC awarded Indira Gandhi Peace Prize 

(i) Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2015 will be awarded to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 

(ii) The jury headed by Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari announced that the award was conferred on UNHRC for its “immense contributions” in assisting millions of refugees seeking asylum and for working under difficult circumstances to reduce the flow of refugees.

6. RBI’s approval mandatory for companies buying over 5% stake in private banks 

(i) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it is mandatory for individuals and companies to take its approval before acquiring shares or voting rights in a private bank for increasing the aggregate holding to 5 percent or beyond. 

(ii) As per the notice, RBI will thoroughly evaluate the applicant’s status before granting or denying permission.

(iii) However, RBI added that the existing major shareholder will not be required to obtain approval from the RBI for fresh incremental acquisition of shares or voting rights if the proposed aggregate holding is up to 10 per cent.

7. Seventh Pay Commission submits report to Arun Jaitley 

(i) Recently, the Justice A K Mathur-headed Seventh Pay Commission submitted its recommendations to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. 

(ii) The recommendations are to be implemented with effect from January 1, 2016 and it will impact 47 lakh central government employees.  

(iii) As per the report, an overall 23.55 per cent increase is suggested in pay, allowances and pensions of central government employees depending on ‘business as usual scenario’.

(iv) The break-up of this hike is as follows:

16 per cent hike in basic pay

24 per cent increase in pension

63 per cent increase in allowances.

8. First broad gauge passenger train flagged off from Silchar to Guwahati 

(i)The Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off the first broad gauge passenger train from Silchar to Guwahati. 

(ii) While it took 12 hours to cover the distance on the meter gauge line, this line will now help passengers cover the 210 km distance within 8 hours through Lumding. 

(iii) The broad gauge connectivity to Silchar will benefit not just the residents of Assam’s Barak Valley but also other north-eastern states like Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur.

9. Rajasthan and South Australia sign historic sister-state agreement

(i) South Australia signed a historic sister-state agreement with Rajasthan in order to boost export and investment opportunities between the two states.

(ii) This agreement enables a two-way exchange of research, policy and technical capacity with collaborative opportunities in key sectors where South Australian businesses can offer support and service.

10. Harshavardhan Neotia named President of FICCI

(i) The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) named Harshavardhan Neotia as the President elect for 2016. 

(ii) Neotia, chairman of Ambuja Neotia Group, will take charge from former President Jyotsna Suri after FICCI’s annual general meeting in December 2015.

11. Ashok Amritraj awarded honorary doctorate by University of East London 

(i) Tennis champion turned film producer Ashok Amritraj was recently awarded honorary doctorate by the University of East London for promoting talented movie-makers globally. 

(ii) Amritraj has the record of having brought over 100 films to theater, creating a remarkable $2 billion revenue. 

(iii) Amritraj was born in Chennai and in his younger days was known for his achievements on the tennis court, representing India at several international tennis tournaments.

12. Intel launches Ek Kadam Unnati ki Aur

(i) To increase support to the government’s Digital India initiative, technology giant Intel has launched yet another campaign called ‘Ek Kadam Unnati ki Aur’. 

(ii) Its objective is to work with national and regional governments to bring about technology-enabled transformation in rural areas in 10 states, starting with Telangana. 

13. Panel on PPP revival submits report

(i) Former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar-lead panel on reviving the Public Private Partnership model for infrastructure development recently submitted the report to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

(ii) The panel was appointed to look into problems related to contractual issues, financing and implementation that were ailing the PPP sector.

14. TCS and Intel launch Centre of Excellence for Internet of Things 

(i) Software giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in collaboration with Intel launched a new Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Internet of Things (IoT). 

(ii) The CoE is located at TCS Campus in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. 

(iii) The centre will concentrate on creating new use cases for various industries and develop solution accelerators around Intel technologies for global customers in manufacturing, retail, hi-tech, semiconductors, healthcare and telecom industries.

15. Pankaj Advani wins IBSF World Snooker Championship

(i) Indian cueist Pankaj Advani recently won the IBSF World Snooker Championship held in Egypt. 

(ii) Advani defeated China’s Zhua Xintong 8-6 to claim this title. 

(iii) This win was preceded by his victory at the IBSF Billiards crown in September, and with this his tally of world title count is at 15.

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