18th December 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• Today (18th December) is International Migrants Day.
• On 18 December 1990, the UN General Assembly adopted the international convention on the protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families.
• Theme of 2015 : I am a Migrant
• The number of people forcibly displaced worldwide is likely to have surpassed a record 60 million this year, mainly driven by the Syrian war and other protracted conflicts, the United Nations said.
• The estimated figure includes 20.2 million refugees fleeing wars and persecution, the most since 1992, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said in a report.

National Affairs

• Today (18th December) is Minorities Rights Day.
  
• This day is celebrated to protect rights of the minority communities as well as bringing the better understanding among religious minorities in India.
• On this day in 1992 that the United nations adopted the declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic National or and Linguistic Minorities declaring that: “States shall protect the existence of the national or ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage conditions for the promotions of that identity”.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Make in India Week in Mumbai on February 13, a mega event in which the government expects participation of over a 1,000 companies and delegates from over 60 countries.
• The main aim of the event is to attract more FDI into the country.
• Green Peace India on has released a report on National Air Quality Index (NAQI) of 17 cities. 
• The report is the first analysis of air pollution levels in Indian cities carried out by Green Peace using the NAQI system.
• As per the report, Delhi was listed as the most polluted city in the world, while 13 Indian cities were figured in the list of 20 most polluted cities on the planet. The 13 cities were among the 17 countries surveyed by the Green Peace.
• The report is in addition to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report that estimated that outdoor air pollution caused 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2012.

People in News

• Jet Airways, India’s second largest airline, has announced that it's CEO Cramer Ball has resigned and will not be its CEO from February 29, 2016.
• Gaurang Shetty, whole-time director at the airline, will become the acting CEO.
• Important Points to Note :
• Italian airline Alitalia announced appointment of Mr. Ball as its CEO beginning March next year.
• Mr. Ball will replace Silvano Cassano, who quit the Rome-based company in September this year.

Awards & Honors

• The prestigious Sahitya Academy Awards for 2015 have been announced.
• Playwright and novelist Cyrus Mistry's English novel "Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer" and KR Meera's "Aarachar" in Malayalam are among the works that have won the award.
• The other two novelist who have won the award are Jaswinder Singh in Punjabi and Madhu Acharya 'Ashawadi' in Rajasthani. Other than this, 6 books, each of short stories and poetry have been chosen for this year's award.
• Check complete list of Sahitya Akademy Award Winners List 2015 from here.
• The late Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the Nobel laureate who dedicated her life to helping the poorest of the poor, will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in September 2016.
• Pope Francis had cleared the way for her sainthood by approving a decree recognising a miracle attributed to her intercession with God. 
• It was believed to be the inexplicable healing of a man suffering from multiple brain tumours.
• Mother Teresa, who died in 1997 at the age of 87 and was known as the "saint of the gutters", is expected to be canonised in early September. 

New Appointments

• Former Defence Secretary R K Mathur will be the new Chief Information Commissioner.
• The post has been lying vacant for the past 15 days.

Business & Economy

• SUICH, one of the leading mobile original equipment manufacturer (OEM) companies, has launched the first "Made in India" low-price power banks.
• The power banks will be available in the "Re 1 Flash Sale" with an exclusive tie-up with mobile payment platform Paytm that begins December 21.
• The power banks are available in three variants - 5000mAh, 7500mAh and 10,000mAh capacity.
• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has cleared the purchase of an estimated Rs. 40,000 crore worth Russian S-400 air defence missile systems.
• It also gave the go-ahead to other projects worth more than Rs. 25,000 crore.
• The DAC has decided to buy five units of the S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems.

Read more Daily Current Affairs updates from here

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