Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs 3rd week of December 2018. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming IBPS Clerk / LVB PO 2018 and other competitive exams can make use of it.
Current Affairs: Important Days
| Date | Important days | Theme |
| December 16 | Vijay Diwas | |
| December 18 | International Migrants Day 2018 | Migration with Dignity |
| December 20 | International Human Solidarity Day 2018 | |
Current Affairs: National
- India has recently signed an ascension pact to the 30-member Trans Regional Maritime Network (T-RMN) at Italian Naval Headquarters in Rome, Italy.
- In a study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, scientists found that the Dracula ant possesses the fastest animal movement on record. With speeds of up to 90 metres per second or 200 miles per hour.
- The Union Government has notified Flight and Maritime Connectivity Rules, 2018, thereby allowing phone calls and internet on flights and ship voyage within India’s territory.
- The Coast Guard launched an exercise Operation Oliva in Odisha to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles.
- The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) terminated the contract of Larsen & Toubro and Scomi Engineering (LTSE) for the Mumbai Monorail. MMRDA took over the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of the Monorail.
- The Union Cabinet approved setting up of two new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Madurai, Tamil Nadu, and at Bibinagar, Telangana, It will be set up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
- The Department of Post has issued a Commemorative Postage Stamp on Rajkumar Shukla in New Delhi, . The stamp was released as a tribute to the contribution made by Rajkumar Shukla in the launch of Champaran Satyagraha in the year 191
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval for the revamped Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) scheme, Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) will be set up in every block where Scheduled Tribes population is more than 50% and has at least 20,000 tribal persons.
- Nasscom, IT industry body, announced its partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras for reskilling students and employees in the Information Technology sector and IT-enabled Services (ITeS).
- ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has completed the design for the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).,The SSLV will stand 34 metres tall, 10 metres shorter than the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and around 15 metres shorter than the Mk-II version of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch vehicle (GSLV)
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the ‘Asiatic Lion Conservation Project’ with an aim to protect and conserve the population of Asiatic Lion.
Current Affairs: International
- The European Parliament has approved the world’s largest free trade deal between Japan and the European Union (EU). The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement will go into effect in February 2019.
- Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s first “floating” nuclear power plant (FNPP) was opened in Russia
| USEFUL INFO |
| Russia Capital | Moscow |
| Currency | Rubble |
| President | Vladimir Putting |
- Haj agreement 2019 was signed between India and Saudi Arabia by Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, and Haj and Umrah Minister of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Saudi Arabia Capital | Riyadh |
| Currency | Riyal |
| President | Mohammad bin Salman |
- China launched its first-ever space mission ‘Chang’e-4’ to land a robotic craft on the far side of the Moon. It was launched on a Long March 3B rocket from the south-western Xichang launch centre.
| USEFUL INFO |
| China Capital | Beijing |
| Currency | Renminbi, Yuan |
| President | Xi Jinping |
- Merriam-Webster has declared ‘Justice’ as the 2018 Word Of The Year
- The Lok Sabha has passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, which seeks to empower the transgender community in the country by providing them a separate identity.
- The Union government has decided to give USD 1.4 billion to the island nation of Maldives.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Maldives Capital | Male |
| Currency | Rufiyaa |
| President | Ibrahim Mohamed Solih |
- Zambia has joined as a member of International Solar Alliance
| USEFUL INFO |
| Zambia Capital | Lusaka |
| Currency | Zambian kwacha |
| President | Edgar Lungu |
- United Arab Emirates (UAE) President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has declared 2019 to be the “Year of Tolerance.”
| USEFUL INFO |
| UAE Capital | Abu Dhabi |
| Currency | Dirham |
| President | Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
Current Affairs: State
- Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH Shri Shripad Yesso Naik and Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr. Jitendra Singh laid the foundation stone of Institute of High Altitude Medicinal Plants (IHAMP) with an estimated cost of Rs. 100 crore at Bhaderwah in District Doda in Jammu & Kashmir
| USEFUL INFO |
| Jammu and Kashmir Capital | Jammu and Srinagar |
| CM | Vacant |
| Governor | Satya Pal Malik |
- India‘s first private sector unit for manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)was inaugurated atAdani Aerospace Park in Hyderabad, Telangana. The 50,000 square feet facility has been built by the Adani Group and Israel-based Elbit Systems.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Andhra Pradesh Capital | Hyderabad, Amaravathi |
| CM | Chandrababu Naidu |
| Governor | ESL Narashiman |
- The Tamil Nadu government has distributed 200 NavIC- powered satellite-enabled communication devices developed by ISRO to 80 fishing boat groups in Tamil Nadu. These gadgets will help the Tamil Nadu fishermen to get cyclone and weather updates on a real-time basis.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Tamil Nadu Capital | Chennai |
| CM | E. Palanisamy |
| Governor | Banwarilal Purohit |
- Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced financial aid of Rs 10 crore for establishment of Odiya Cultural Centre in Gujarat’s Surat for their social celebrations.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Gujarat Capital | Gandhinagar |
| CM | Vijay Rupani |
| Governor | OP Kholi |
- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Jhajjar, Haryana, which is also India’s largest cancer hospital, opened for public service with the formal inauguration to be held in January.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Haryana Capital | Chandigarh |
| CM | Manohar lal Kathar |
| Governor | Satyadev Narayan Arya |
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved construction of a new 4 lane bridge across river Ganga on NH-19 at Patna parallel to existing MG Setu.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Bihar Capital | Patna |
| CM | Nitish Kumar |
| Governor | Lalji Tandon |
- Global telecom, British Telecommunications giant, plans to set up a research centre in Bengaluru in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science.
- The Karnataka State Cabinet approved a grant of Rs.8,037.87 crore for the development works in the city under the Chief Minister’s Nava Bengaluru Scheme.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Karnataka Capital | Bangalore |
| CM | Kumarasamy |
| Governor | Vajubai Rudubai Wala |
- Haryana Government has launched a mobile app named as ‘Shiksha Setu’ with an aim to help the students of the state. The ‘Shikhsa Setu’ App will help in bringing transparency in the Education Department and in the administration of colleges in the state.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Haryana Capital | Chandigarh |
| CM | Manohar lal Kathar |
| Governor | Satyadev Narayan Arya |
- President’s rule will be imposed in Jammu and Kashmir from 20 December with President Ram Nath Kovind signing a proclamation to give effect to the recommendation of the state Governor Satya Pal Malik.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Jammu & Kashmir Capital | Jammu & Srinagar |
| CM | Vacant |
| Governor | Satya Pal Malik |
- Jaipur Wax Museum, situated at Nahargarh Fort, marked its second anniversary by unveiling a wax statue of cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Weighing 56 kg, of which 19 kg is wax and the rest is fibre.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Rajasthan Capital | Jaipur |
| CM | Ashok Gehlot |
| Governor | Kalyan Singh |
Current Affairs: Banking and Finance
- Yes Bank Ltd has named one of its independent directors Brahm Dutt as the bank’s part-time non-executive independent chairman after former Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla resigned from the position
- OBOPAY, the global financial technology company, announced the launch of a new generation pre-payment instrument called- OBOPAY Card-in partnership with Federal Bank and MasterCard.
- Debt worldwide reached a record-high of $184 trillion in nominal terms, a nearly 222 per cent of the GDP in 2017, according to a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). On average, the world’s debt now exceeds $ 86,000 per person more than 2 times the average income per-capita.
- Union Cabinet decided to raise the contribution of Central Govt to National Pension System (NPS) corpus of its employees from 10% to 14%.
- IDFC Bank and non-banking financial company (NBFC) Capital First have announced completion of their merger, Merged entity to be called IDFC First Bank.
- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government will infuse Rs 83,000 crore in public sector banks in the next few months of the current fiscal.
Current Affairs: Business
1. Amazon India partnered with the Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) to encourage MSMEs to sell products online through e-commerce.
2. Sonata Software, an IT software services and solutions provider, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire U.S.-headquartered Sopris Systems,
3. Vogo, a scooter sharing start-up, has partnered with Ola, the ride-hailing company. Ola will boost Vogo’s supply by investing in 1,00,000 scooters on the Vogo platform, worth $100 million.
4. Department of Telecommunication (DoT) stated that expects to complete processes for 5G spectrum auction by August 2019 and the services will be rolled out by 2020.
5. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj agreed to redouble bilateral trade to 50 billion USD by the year 2030.
Current Affairs: Appointments
| Brijendra Pal Singh | New president of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) |
| Uday Shankar | Head Disney-Star merged entity in India |
| Pranab K. Das | CBIC Chairman |
| Uday Shankar | Vice President of FICCI |
| Charles Michel | Resignation from the post Belgium’s Prime Minister |
| Nageswara Rao | Promoted to the rank of an Additional Director by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. |
| Ashok Gehlot | The Chief Minister of Rajasthan |
| Sachin Pilot | Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan |
| Bhupesh Baghel | The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh |
| Ranil Wickreme singhe | Prime Minister of Sri Lanka |
| Madhavi Divan | Additional Solicitor General of India |
| Pranab Kumar Das | Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes |
| Nilanjan Roy | Infosys CFO |
| WV Raman | Indian women’s cricket team Head Coach |
| Harsh Vardhan Shringla | Ambassador to US |
Current Affairs: Resignation
| 1 | Belgium’s Prime Minister | Charles Michel |
Current Affairs: Committee
| High-level panel on stressed power projects | P K Sinha |
| Select managing directors of public sector insurance companies | B P Sharma |
Current Affairs: Awards and Honours
| UN Climate Action Award | The Uttar Pradesh-based start up ‘Help Us Green’ |
| Krishi Karman award in rice category | Jharkhand |
| crowned Miss Universe 2018 | Miss Philippines Catriona Gray |
| French Knight of the National Order of Merit | Ashok Amritraj |
| ‘Suvarna Chakoram’ award at Kerala film festival | Iranian Film Dark Room |
| Prime Ministers Trophy for the Best Performing Integrated Steel Plant for the year 2016-17 | Tata Steel |
| Jnanpith Award | Amitav Ghosh |
| Data Security Council of India (DSCI) Excellence Award 2018 | IIT Kharagpur |
| DBT Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award (IYBA) 2018 | Dr. Rajanish Giri |
| Glinka World Soil Prize 2018’ | Prof. Rattan Lal |
| People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s Person of the Year for 2018. | Sonam Kapoor |
| UN Human Rights Prize for 2018 | Late lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jahangir |
| Mrs. India Worldwide 2018 | Mandeep Kaur Sandhu |
| The top Indian star of 2018, by IMDb | Deepika Padukone |
| Sangeet Mahasamman | Shaan and Arijit Singh |
Current Affairs: Books
| Timeless Laxman | Usha Srinivas Laxman |
| God of Sin: the Cult, the Clout and Downfall of Asaram Bapu | Ushinor Majumdar |
Current Affairs: Summit and Conference
| “Uncrowned Glory – An exhibition of Ethnic Ornaments of Himachal Pradesh” | New Delhi |
| 39th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit | Riyadh |
| The ninth meeting of the India-Republic of Korea (ROK/ South Korea) Joint Commission | New Delhi |
Current Affairs: Ranking
- As per latest Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPTI) annual report, Russia has emerged as the world’s second-largest arms producer after the United States.
| WEF’s Gender Gap Index | India – 108th |
| Time magazine’s 25 most influential teens of 2018 | Indian-American Kavya Kopparapu, Rishab Jain, and British-Indian Amika George |
| DIPP’s State-Wise Startup Rankings (Best Performer) | Gujarat |
Current Affairs: Schemes and Programs
- Ministry of Power has launched the ECO Niwas Samhita 2018, an Energy Conservation Building Code for Residential Buildings (ECBC-R).
Current Affairs: Mobile App and Portal
- A mobile application “Chuppi Tod” (break your silence) was launched in Patna to fight the rampant social evil of child marriage and sexual harassment. Launched by noted women rights campaigner Prashanti Tiwari,
Current Affairs: Defence
- India will launch its latest communication satellite, GSAT-7A aboard Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle on December 19, 2018 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. GSAT-7A, which weighs about 2,250 kg, is the 35th communication satellite built by ISRO.
- Indra Navy-18, a bilateral naval exercise, between India and Russia concluded on 16th December 2018. It was a 4-day maritime exercise that took place in the Bay of Bengal.
- The Information Fusion Centre (IFC) for the Indian Ocean Region will be set up by the Indian Navy at the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) in Gurugram, Haryana
- NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft found water locked inside asteroid Bennu.
Current Affairs: Sports
- PV Sindhu, the 2016 Rio Olympic silver medallist, created history on 16th December 2018 as she became the first Indian to win the BWF World Tour Finals. She defeated Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara
- Belgium Hockey team won their first ever Word cup title on 16th December 2018 after they defeated The Netherland.
- Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep have been named as the 2018 International Tennis Federation (ITF) world champions by the governing body of global tennis.
- Madhya Pradesh opener Ajay Rohera has created world record for highest first-class score on debut. He scored 267 not out against Hyderabad in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group-B Cricket in Indore.
- Joshna Chinappa won the National Squash Women’s Singles title after she defeated Urwashi Joshi in the final match of the competition.
- Apoorva Chaudhary, the 28-year old ultra runner from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, created a national record by completing 176.8 km in the women’s 24-hour event at the NEB 24 Hour Stadium held at New Delhi under the aegis of Athletics Federation of India.
Current Affairs: Obituaries
| 1 | Famous classical singer Pandit Arun Bhaduri passed away |
| 2 | Former Nepalese Prime Minister Tulsi Giri passed away |