Highlights of December 2015 Current Affairs (One-Liners)

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Friends, here are the Major Current Affairs Highlights of December 2015. These one-liners cover all important International, National, Banking, Technology and Sports affairs of December month (from 1st to 31st December 2015). We will try to provide the pdf version soon, but we advise you to write these on your own so that you wont forget them again. All the Best :)

December 2015 Current Affairs Highlights

• 8th edition of Indo-Russia Bilateral Naval Exercise (INDRA NAVY- 15) held at Visakhapatanam.
• 20th Avadh Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships 2015, Indian Mens' team claim Gold and Womens' team won Silver medal.
• 4,030 People of Chengannur (a villiage in Kerala) have set a new Guinness World Record by forming the Largest Human ?Christmas? Tree.
• 5-time world champion MC Mary Kom wins bronze in International Boxing Association's Olympic Test event,Rio de Janeiro.
• A Parliamentary panel has suggested the Central government to increase the strength of women personnel in the Delhi Police force to 33% from the existing 9.27%.
• According to the financial services major Barclays, India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD) remains in check and is expected to be lesser than $25 billion this fiscal.
• According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2015, which was released recently, India's forest and tree cover has increased by 5,081 sq km, with the total forest cover going up by 3,775 sq m and tree cover by 1,306 sq km.
• Afghanistan has become the 164th WTO member after 11 years of negotiations.
  
• Afghanistan will host a meeting with officials from Pakistan, the United States and China in January 2016 to prepare the way for possible peace talks with the Taliban
• After weeks of negotiations in Paris, a coalition of nearly 200 countries has agreed to a landmark climate change pact.
• Aircraft-carrier INS Viraat has won the coveted Cock Trophy during the Western Fleet Whaler Pulling Regatta, making it the last time the warship participated in the event before she is decommissioned.
• All central government ministries and their Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) were told to dispense with the requirement of interviews for selections at junior level posts within next two days, however, they may continue with skill or physical test.
• All England and World champion Carolina Marin beats India ace Saina Nehwal to win the Female Player of the Year award from BWF president Poul-Erik Hoyer in Dubai.
• American professional tennis player Serena Williams was honored as SI's Sportsperson of the Year 2015.
• America's General Electric (GE) and France's Alstom have signed joint venture (JV) agreements with Indian Railways to set up high horse power diesel and electric engines at Bihar's Marhowra and Madhepura at a combined cost of Rs.40,000 crore.
• Andhra Pradesh became the first state of India to join the Union Government’s Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY).
• Australia has won the 2014-15 Men’s Hockey World League Final by defeating Belgium.
• Barcelona FC has won the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup for a record third time.
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned a 660 MW unit of Prayagraj Super Thermal Power Project at Bara town in Allahabad district of Uttar Pradesh. This is the first supercritical thermal unit to be commissioned in the state to achieve capacity addition on attaining full load.
• Bombay High Court has acquitted bollywood actor Salman Khan in the 2002 hit-and-run case, and quashed his conviction and 5-year sentence.
• Brazil has entered longest recession since 1930s.
• BSNL slashes mobile rates by up to 80% for the first two months under a scheme for new customers.
• BWF Superseries Finals 2015 Men's Singles Winner - Kento Momota (Japan), Women's Singles Winner - Nozomi Okuhara (Japan).
• China adopted its first counter-terrorism law that grants overarching powers to security agencies amid criticism from the U.S. over privacy and freedom of speech.
• China has hosted 1st BRICS media summit  at Beijing.
• China officially abandoned its controversial one child policy, allowing couples to have a second child amid deepening demographic crisis of shrinking workforce and ageing population in the world's second largest economy. 
• China successfully launched Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) Satellite, the countrys first space telescope in search for signals of dark matter, an invisible material that makes up most of the universes mass.
• China successfully launched its “most sophisticated” observation satellite, Gaofen-4, as part of the country’s high-definition earth observation project.
• China's first manned electric aircraft has been given a licence for production.
• Cuba and the United States have agreed to restore a direct postal service, suspended 52 years ago at the height of the Cold War.
• Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar recently dedicated to the nation, the first cable-stayed bridge of North India constructed at Basohali in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Delhi Govt decides that from 1st of Jan 2016, private vehicles with odd number plates & even number plates are to allowed on alternate days only.
• Delhi recorded its most polluted day of the year on 23rd December 2015.
• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Islamabad to attend Heart of Asia Conference.
• Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have announced that they will give away 99% of their shares in the company to good causes as they announced the birth of their daughter Max.
• First time in the in the Indian wrestling history, Indian referee Ashok Kumar  has been selected for officiating in the Rio Olympics wrestling events 2016.
• For the benefit of farmers, Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh has launched two mobile apps namely Crop Insurance and AgriMarket Mobile.
• For the first time women of Saudi Arabia are allowed to vote and contest polls in the kingdom.
• Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has been awarded honorary life membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in recognition of his "stellar career".
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel was named as Time Magazine Person of the Year 2015.
• Giving a boost to women empowerment, Sikkim government is set to have one all-women Police Station each in all the four districts.
• Goa has been featured in the lists of top 10 Best Winter Locations of World.
• Greece's parliament has approved legislation legalizing civil partnerships for gay couples, two years after the country was condemned by a European Court for discrimination.
• Guinea was declared free of Ebola transmission after more than 2,500 people died from the virus in the West African nation, leaving Liberia as the only country still counting down the days until the end of the epidemic.
• Haryana Government has decided to fix a minimum educational qualification for aspirant of contesting Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections by amending state's Municipal Corporation Act.
• Health Minister J P Nadda announced 4 new IT-based initiatives for citizen-centric health services. [Kilkari, Mobile Academy, RNTCP and M-Cessation]
• Himachal Pradesh became the first state of India to launch Rotavirus vaccination project.
• Idea Cellular became the third mobile operator to launch 4G services.
• IDFC Bank has inked a pact with IT services major Tata Consultancy Services to use TCS BaNCS for its core banking solutions.
• In a bid to curb the dramatic decline of their population, the US is going to place Indian lion (a breed of lion found in India and Africa) in the endangered species list.
• In a bid to promote Uttar Pradesh as an international bird-watching destination, the State Forest department, in collaboration with FICCI, has conducted a three-day international festival on birds at the National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS) in Agra.
• In a sign of increasing trustworthiness, US has updated Gas-turbine technology transfer policy with India.
• In it's 5th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy review, the Reserve Bank kept the key policy rates unchanged.
• In order to encourage innovators in India in the area of Payment and Settlement System, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced “Payment System Innovation Awards”.
• India and Japan signed 16 agreements in various fields including Defence Equipment and Technology security, infrastructure, education and economy.
• India and Russia signed 16 agreements, including those relating to cooperation in helicopter engineering and constructing solar plants.
• India has been ranked a low 131 out of 167 nations on a Global Index that measures the level of information and communication technology access.
• India has ranked a low 97th out of 144 nations, behind Kazakhstan and Ghana, on Forbes’ annual list of the best countries for business in 2015, scoring poorly on metrics like trade and monetary freedom and tackling challenges like corruption and violence.
• India Railways is building World's Highest Rail Bridge, which is 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower when completed by 2016.
• India ranked 130 among 188 countries in Human Development Report 2015 released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• India ranks 4th in black money outflows with a whopping USD 51 billion according to  Global the Financial Integrity’s (GFI’s) Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 2004-2013 Report.
• India’s biggest Wildlife Rescue Centre named as "Gorewada Zoo and Wildlife Rescue Centre" has been commissioned at Gorewada near Nagpur, Maharashtra.
• India’s largest lender State Bank of India is going to issue EMV chip and pin based debit cards to its new customers to ensure enhanced secure transactions.
• India’s second lunar probe Chandrayaan II will land on moon in 2017 and the country’s first solar mission Aditya L1 is likely to be launched in 2019.
• Indian Batsman Ajinkya Rahane becomes fifth Indian batsman to score centuries in both innings of a Test match.
• Indian bodybuilder, Thakur Anoop Singh earned the title of 'Mr World' by winning a gold medal in a world bodybuilding meet in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Indian boxer Vijender Singh scores hattrick in professional circuit by thrashing Bulgaria's Samet Hyuseinov in Manchester.
• Indian cyclist Deborah Herold makes history with 4th place in the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) individual world ranking.
• Indian government has launched GIAN scheme to boost the quality of the country's higher education through international collaboration. [GIAN - Global Initiative of Academic Networks]
• Indian government's "Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme" has received a place in the Guinness World Records as the largest direct benefit transfer scheme. 
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched 6 Singapore satellites from Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) - C29 on 16th December 2015.
• Indian star golfer Anirban Lahiri has won the coveted Order of Merit crown of Asian Tour for year 2015.
• Indian Vice President Hamid Anasri, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and leaders from Turkmenistan and Afghanistan recently broke the ground for the ambitious TAPI pipeline project. [TAPI - Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India ]
• India's Abhay Singh beats Alwin Chai of Malaysia to win boys Under-19 title at Old Chang Kee Singapore Squash Open.
• India's men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy claimed their maiden Grand Prix title with a straight-game win over Thailand's Bodin Issara and Nipitphon Puangpuapech in the finals of Mexico Open. 
• Iran has successfully carried out test of medium range Ghadr-110 ballistic missile near the Chabahar, a port city in southeast of country along the Gulf of Oman.
• IT major Tech Mahindra has launched first of its kind ‘Tap N Pay’ contactless digital payment wallet MoboMoney for the Indian masses.
• Jamaican cricketer Chris Gayle has achieved a rare feat of becoming the first player to hit 600 sixes and 600 fours in Twenty20 cricket.
• Jammu and Kashmir will host the 12th National Ice-Skating Championship at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg.
• Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is on Three day visit to India to attend  9th annual Indo-Japan summit.
• Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched an immediate annuity plan, Jeevan Akshay IV, for post-retirement planning.
• Li-Fi, a super-fast alternative to Wi-Fi, has been proven capable of sending data at up to 1GBps in real-world tests.
• Luxembourg has became the 10th country to ratify the Articles of Agreement (AoA) that will lay the legal framework for the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
• Maharashtra has become first state to allow the members of state legislature to raise online questions in an effort to move towards complete digitization of the process.
• Maharashtra has won the 2015 National Wheelchair Basketball Championship by beating Punjab.
• Maharashtra is the biggest economy within India at Rs 16.87 lakh crore in terms of gross state domestic product (GSDP), according to the latest report by credit rating agency Brickwork Ratings.
• Meghalaya government signed a peace pact with militant outfit, the United Achik Liberation Army (UALA) which was active in the Garo Hills region of the state.
• Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, recently announced that the India Post would soon launch a series of postal stamps to celebrate the rich biodiversity of India's flora and fauna.
• Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh will represent India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in China next week which will also be attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
• Mumbai Garuda beat Haryana Hammers to win the first season of Pro Wrestling League title 2015.
• MUMBAI Indians chief mentor Anil Kumble has decided to step down from his post from the IPL franchise with immediate effect.
• New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum announced that he will retire from international cricket in February, ending one of the sport’s most colorful careers.
• Northern Ireland's Golfer Rory McIlroy was named as the 2015 European Tour Golfer of the Year.
• Olympic medalist Vijay Kumar has won the centre fire pistol gold in the 59th National shooting championship at the Dr Karni Singh Range in Tughlakabad in New Delhi.
• On the back of online buzz around beef ban and associated discussions on intolerance, "COW" has emerged as Yahoo India's 'Personality of the Year'.
• Pakistan has successfully test-fired Shaheen-1A, a nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a range of 900 kilometres, days after testing a similar missile capable of hitting targets as far as 2,750 kilometres away, bringing many Indian cities under its range.
• Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is going to visit Sri Lanka next month.
• Parliament has passed Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2015 which lowers the age of a legally defined juvenile from 18 to 16 in the case of heinous crimes.
• Parliamentary elections of Venezuela 2015 have won by opposition Centre-right Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition.
• Pension fund regulatory body PFRDA has started using PAN instead of Aadhaar for validation of new customers who can now be registered online under the National Pension System (NPS) scheme.
• Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of the Philippines was crowned Miss Universe 2015.
• Prime minister Narendra Modi has launched an international solar alliance of over 120 countries with the French president, François Hollande, at the Paris COP21 climate summit.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the SAARC Summit which is likely to be held in September 2016 at Pakistan.
• 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.
• Private sector lender Axis Bank has partnered with a digital security company, e-Mudhra to facilitate digital signature facility to its customers.
• Pune and Rajkot became the new franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL), replacing the suspended teams of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for a period of 2 years.
• Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal recently announced setting up the Sixth Punjab Pay Commission for employees and pensioners of the state government.
• Rajasthan has become the first state to submit smart city plans for three selected cities.
• Reliance has announced the launch of Reliance Jio 4G services for use by over 1 lakh Reliance employees and their families across India.
• Rising India wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Ritu Phogat won the gold medals in Men's 65kg and Women's 48kg Freestyle categories respectively on the first day of the National Wrestling Championship in Delhi.
• Rugby World Cup-winner, Dan Carter (New Zealand) has been named BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year for 2015.
• Russia's Rostech State Corporation has tied up with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for manufacture of at least 200 Kamov 226T light helicopters to replace the ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak, in a deal estimated to be worth USD 1 billion under the 'Make in India' initiative.
• Saudi Arabia has announced the formation of a 34-state Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism.
• Seasoned Indian luger Shiva Keshavan has won Silver medal at the Asian Championship 2015.
• Singapore has replaced Mauritius as the top source of foreign direct investment into India during the first half of the current fiscal.
• Singapore Slammers beat defending champions Indian Aces to win 2nd edition of International Premier Tennis League.
• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has cleared $140 million (Rs 930 crore) from the $302 million (Rs 2,000 crore) fund-of-funds that was launched in August to support venture capital funds.
• Spain's Ruling conservative People’s Party (PP) led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has won the 2015 general elections.
• State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, will raise up to Rs.12,000 crore by issuing bonds that are Basel-III complaint.
• State-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has topped the list of Fortune 500 Indian companies 2015 for the 6th consecutive time.
• SUICH, one of the leading mobile original equipment manufacturer (OEM) companies, has launched the first "Made in India" low-price power banks.
• Tata Motors has made it to the Top 50 league of the World’s biggest companies (in terms of R&D investments).
• Tata Power has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Development of Russian Far East to explore and develop investment opportunities in the energy sector.
• Tax payers with annual income of more than Rs 10 lakh will not get subsidised cooking gas (LPG) from next month as the government has decided to limit supply of under-priced fuel to cut subsidies.
• The  Scottish professional tennis player (World No. 2), Andy Murray has been voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for the second time in three years.
• The 18th session of the India-Iran Joint Commission was held in New Delhi on December 28, 2015.
• The Allahabad High Court ruled that married daughters of deceased government employees should be considered for appointment on compassionate grounds under the Dying in Harness Rules.
• The Andhra Pradesh Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft to provide better services in education, agriculture and civic services.
• The anti-jamming capability of the air-to-air Astra missile was successfully validated in recent trials conducted by missile scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has been officially launched in Beijing on 26th December 2015 [This bank is expected to start operations from January 2016].
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved an increase in the budget for implementation of grid connected solar rooftop systems under National Solar Mission from Rs 600 crore to Rs 5,000 crore by 2019-20.
• The Central Government has released  Rs.1,062.27 crore to 13 states as first instalment under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), which aims at ensuring water supply and sewer connections to all households in 500 cities.
• The central government is planning to organize the ‘Make in India Week’ in Mumbai during 13th to 18th February 2016.
• The Centre has sanctioned over Rs 5,000 crores for drought-hit Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
• The Centre is planning to raise the reservation from 3% to 5% cent for persons with disabilities in government jobs.
• The Committee on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) headed by Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian has recommended a revenue neutral rate range of 17-18 percent for the proposed GST.
• 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.
• The Delhi Assembly has passed a bill to effect around 400% hike in the salaries of MLAs.
• The Delhi assembly has passed the Janlokpal Bill, 2015, incorporating suggestions of Anna Hazare, which provides for an ombudsman with powers to act against any government functionary including those of the Centre.
• The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) was awarded with the e-India Award for adopting technology to serve the public better and using resources efficiently through mobile applications. 
• The Delhi government has approved setting up of a one-member Commission of Inquiry to probe the alleged irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), headed by Gopal Subramanium (former Solicitor General).
• The First India International Science Festival (IISF 2015), a joint event of Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences started at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi.
• The Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan are going to meet on 15th January 2016 at Islamabad.
• The German cabinet has approved plans to commit up to 1,200 soldiers to support the international coalition fighting against Islamic State in Syria.
• The Government has added 106 drugs including that of Cancer, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C to the list of essential medicines.
• The government of Seychelles has allowed India to build its first Naval Base on the Assumption Island in the Indian Ocean region (IOR) as a joint project between the two countries.
• The Indian government has signed an agreement with the Iranian government on visa facilitation for diplomatic, official and civilian passport holders.
• The Indian Navy successfully conducted the maiden firing of its newly developed Long Range Barak 8 Surface-to-Air Missile (LR SAM), crossing a significant milestone in enhancing its anti-air warfare capability.
• The Indian Railways has hiked its Tatkal ticket charges by up to 33% with an aim to improve passenger revenue collections.
• The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) concluded in Goa.
• The Kerala government proposed to set up the state's first Petcoke (Petroleum coke)-based power plant using the fuel produced from Kochi Refinery's Integrated Refinery Expansion Project (IREP).
• 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.
• The Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) has recently launched nation wide free roaming.
• The mascot and logo of the 12th South Asian Games, 2016 (OC-SAG)  -Tikhor has been inaugurated. The 12th South Asian Games will be held in Guwahati and Shillong from 6th to 16th of February next year.
• The Odisha Government has launched Anwesha scheme in the state. This scheme will provide free education to students who belongs to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes of various denominations, including Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, by another six months to June 30, 2016.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the Report on Medium-term Path on Financial Inclusion submitted by 14-member committee headed by RBI Executive Director Deepak Mohanty.
• The Reserve Bank of India has signed an agreement with the UK's Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority for supervisory cooperation and exchange of information.
• The three-day long 2nd World Internet Conference was concluded at Wuzen in China.
• The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of Six new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jammu, Kerala and Karnataka.
• The Union Ministry of Finance has released the report of the Committee on Revisiting and Revitalising Public Private Partnership (PPP) Model.
• The United Nations General Assembly has adopted the resolution recognizing 5th November as World Tsunami Awareness Day.
• The United States has lifted a 40-year-old ban on export of Oil.
• The US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates by 0.25 percent, its first increase since 2006.
• The World Bank has approved a $1.5 billion loan for the ambitious clean India campaign to support the government in its efforts to ensure all citizens in rural areas have access to improved sanitation and end the practice of open defecation by 2019.
• The World’s first dengue fever vaccine Dengvaxia was cleared by Mexico for public use.
• U.S. based healthcare IT firm eClinicalWorks is going to invest $30 million as part of its expansion plans for the digital healthcare market in India.
• Union Government is going to allow e-Postal Ballot System and Proxy voting to Overseas electors as an alternative voting option.
• Union Minister for Communications and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad has announced that the India Post Payment Bank will start operations in March 2017.
• Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas appointed a single-member committee to look into the dispute between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) and Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Krishna Godavari (KG) gas fields.
• US Company SpaceX has successfully landed an unmanned rocket upright, after sending 11 satellites into orbit.
• West Bengal Cabinet has cleared the proposal for creation of  Five new districts in the state. They are Sunderbans, Basirhat, Jhargram, Burdwan and Kalimpong.
• World Bank has announced that India became the largest remittances receiving country at 72 billion US dollars this year followed by China at 64 billion US dollars.
• Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced that the country is planning to adopt the Chinese currency "Yuan" as legal tender.

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