1. Satyavati
Berera first woman COO of PwC

1.
Satyavati
Berera has been appointed as the first woman Chief Operating Officer of
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), India.

2.
She is currently the regional managing
partner for north at PwC India and will take charge as COO on January 1, 2016, replacing
Neil Wilson.

3. She
has worked at the firm for 35 years and has been a partner since 1995.

4. Berera
has been involved in varied sectors like governance, risk and compliance
services.

2. 
Reliance Jio launches 4G service for employees

1. Reliance
Jio Infocomm, the telecom arm of RIL, has soft launched 4G services only for its
employees on the 83rd birth anniversary of founder Dhirubhai Ambani.

2. The
commercial roll out is scheduled for March 2016. Reliance Jio offers 4G LTE (Long Term
Evolution) connectivity for data and voice, the fastest and newest generation
of cellphone network coverage. After the commercial roll out, the firm will offer low-cost 4G devices to
aid faster data transfer on wireless networks, enable high definition voice and
real-time video conferencing.

3. Reliance
Jio holds the biggest share of liberalised spectrum among India’s telecom
operators that can be used for deploying any technology for mobile services.

4. The
company aims to cover 80% of India’s population with its network by year-end,
and aims for national coverage within the next three years.

3.  China ends officially one-child policy

1. The
159-member National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the top body of
Chinese parliament, approved the amendment of the one-child policy, thereby
allowing couples to have a second child. It will come to effect on January 1,
2016

2. Decreasing
workforce and a rapidly aging populace forced lawmakers to amend the archaic
policy.

3. The policy was
enforced in the 1970s and is believed to have prevented around 400 million
births over the last three decades.

4.  Start-Up
India campaign to be launched in January 2016

1.
In the latest edition of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, PM Narendra Modi announced
that the ‘Start-Up India, Stand Up India’ campaign will be formally launched in
January 2016.

2.
Stressing on innovation, the PM stated that the campaign will
not be limited to the IT or digital sector but will focus
on holistically benefitting the youth from the lowest strata of society.

3.
The aim will be to bring in opportunities across manufacturing,
service or agriculture sector.

4.
The programme also aims to provide bank
financing for start-ups and offer incentives to bolster entrepreneurship and job
creation.

5. Premier
institutes like the IITs, NITs, IIMs and Central Universities will be connected
online during the campaign’s launch.

5.   CCEA
approves ONGC converting Rs.5000 crore loan into equity

1. The
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Oil and Natural Gas
Corp (ONGC) converting its Rs. 5000 crore loan to subsidiary ONGC Videsh Ltd. (its overseas investment arm), into
equivalent amount of equity.

2. ONGC
had initially extended a loan of Rs.6000 crore to OVL to meet its acquisition
requirements, of which Rs.5000 crore will be converted.

3. With
this, OVL’s capital base will increase to Rs.15,000 crore and the ability of
ONGC to undertake overseas Exploration and Production (E&P) business,
thereby enhancing India’s energy security.

6.     UP most affordable and safe tourist destination

1. According
to a recent survey by ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of
India), Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the most affordable and safe destinations
for both domestic as well as foreign tourists.

2. This
is due to improved air connectivity, proper care and management of heritage
sites and pilgrimage spots.

3. Tourist
attractions such as Fatehpur Sikri, Ayodhya, Mathura-Vrindavan and Agra, among
others are the new favourites.

4. As
per data, tourist spots in the state might attract about three lakh travellers.

7. 
Akshay Kumar is the brand ambassador of PBL

1. Premier
Badminton League recently appointed actor Akshay Kumar as its brand ambassador.

2. The
league, which is set to commence on January 2, 2016, will have Akshay Kumar actively post
comments and updates across social media platforms.

3.
Six franchisees, namely Delhi Acers,
Hyderabad Hunters, Bengaluru Top Guns, Chennai Smashers, Mumbai Rockets and
Awadhe Warriors will be seen competing in the event.

8.  Swedish tennis player Robin
Soderling retires

1.
Former world number four Robin Soderling of
Sweden announced his retirement from professional tennis as he has been
suffering from glandular fever since 2011.

2. He
is best known as the first person to beat Rafael Nadal in the 2009 French Open.

3. In his career spanning over 10 years,
Soderling set a win-loss record of 310-170 and bagged 10 ATP World Tour titles.

4. Soderling played his final match in July 2011, beating
Spain’s David Ferrer to win the Swedish Open in Bastad.

9.   Eiffel Tower now has a Twitter handle

1. After US’s Statue of
Liberty, India’s Taj Mahal and several other monuments, the world famous Eiffel
Tower has now joined micro-blogging site Twitter.

2. According to officials, the Twitter handle will provide news
about the 126-year-old Tower, along with historical facts and information.

10.   
Leading American psychiatrist Robert Spitzer dies

1. American
psychiatrist Dr.
Robert Spitzer, who is
credited with the establishment of modern classification of mental disorders,
died in Seattle, aged 83.

2. Dr. Spitzer issued the first set of rigorous standards to
describe mental disorders, providing a framework for diagnosis, research and
legal judgments.

3. He played a leading role in the
development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and
was instrumental
in eliminating homosexuality’s classification as a mental disorder.

11.    Indian luger Shiva Keshavan wins silver
at Asian Luge Championship

1. Indian luger Shiva Keshavan has won silver at the 18th
edition of Asian Luge Championship. He had won two gold, a silver and two bronze
medals in the previous editions of the event.

2. The first place was
claimed by Japan’s Hidenari Kanayama, and third by Korea’s Dong Hyeon Kim.

3. Shiva aims to continue the season by participating in
three of the remaining World Cups, to be held in Germany.

12. 
Andhra Pradesh signs MoU with Microsoft

1. Andhra Pradesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
with Microsoft in order to increase use of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT), drive digital inclusion and
improve citizen-centric services.

2. The government will make use of Microsoft’s Azure Machine
Learning and Advanced Visualisation method in education, agriculture and
e-citizen services.

3.
Nadella has also agreed to
set up a Centre for Excellence in Visakhapatnam. Microsoft also reaffirmed
its commitment to support the government’s initiatives for cloud adoption.

13.  Supertech
Ltd ties up with top sportspersons to establish ‘Sports Village’

1.

Realty firm
Supertech Limited has tied up with five Indian sportspersons to open academies
in ‘Sports Village’-one of its upcoming housing projects in Greater Noida.

2. The project will have a tennis academy by Sania Mirza,
cricket academy by Shikhar Dhawan, badminton academy by Pullela Gopichand ,
golf academy by Jyoti Randhawa, and ‘Guns of Glory’ by shooter Gagan Narang.

3. The realty firm has been allocated land under the
Uttar Pradesh government’s scheme to develop sports-centric projects in the state.

14. Former
Olympic cyclist Suprabhat Chakrabarty passes away

1. Former Indian Olympic cyclist Suprabhat Chakrabarty recently
passed away, aged 86.

2. Fondly known as ‘Khaja’ in cycling
circles, Chakrabarty was a five-time National champion and a key member of the
National squad that took part in the first edition of the Asian Games in 1951
in Delhi, 1952 Olympics in Helsinki and World Peace Race the same year.

15. Justice V S Malimath passes away

1. Former
Chief Justice of Karnataka and Kerala High Courts V S Malimath passed away in
December 2015, aged 86.

2. He earned a PG Diploma in Public International Law from
University of London and began practising in Bombay High Court in 1952. He
became the Advocate General of Karnataka in 1968.

3. He was appointed as the Chief Justice of Karnataka High
Court in 1984 and of Kerala in 1985.

4. Justice Malimath served as Chairman of the Central
Administrative Tribunal and as member of the National Human Rights Commission.

5. He also headed the Committee on Reform of Criminal
Justice System in India, and was UN’s representative to monitor human rights
enforcement in Nigeria and Sri Lanka.

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