Current Affairs - December 5, 2017 Current Affairs

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved debt financing and partial risk guarantee of $583 million to develop Reliance Power's 750MW LNG based combined cycle power plant and LNG terminal project in Bangladesh. ADB's financing package includes loans and partial risk guarantees for the power generation facility, as well as for the LNG terminal. The total project cost is approximately $1 billion.

World Soil Day is observed on 5th December across the world. The 2017 Theme for World Soil Day is 'Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground'. The main aim to communicate messages on the importance of soil quality for food security, healthy ecosystems and human well-being. It is celebrated annually on the 5th of December at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome, the regional offices and through national and local events.

Google launched a lightweight Android Oreo Go edition operating system designed for devices with RAM up to 1 GB.According to Google, the Android Go offers 30% faster startup time and up to 2 times optimisation of storage space. There's also a Go version of the Play store with lightweight apps including YouTube Go and Gmail Go.

Rahul Singh, Founder & CEO of The Beer Cafe, has taken over as the new President of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) in New Delhi. The appointment was made unanimously after Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & MD, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. Resigned from his duties due to health reasons. The NRAI represents independent & chain of Restaurant/Bars/Cafe owners and operators of India.

The World Soil Day (WSD) is observed every year on December 5 to communicate messages on the importance of soil quality for food security, healthy ecosystems and human well-being. The 2017 theme is "Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground". It is celebrated annually at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome, the regional offices and through national and local events.

The United States of America pulled out of UN Global Compact on Migration. It has argued that Obama-era negotiated UN compact process deal contains numerous provisions that inconsistent with country's immigration and refugee policies and Trump Administration's immigration principles. Its genesis can be found in New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants adopted in September 2016 by UN General Assembly.

British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding has been appointed a Global Goodwill Ambassador for UN Environment. She will attend the UN Environment Assembly on December 4, 2017 in Nairobi. ver 2,000 heads of state, ministers, business leaders, UN officials and civil society representatives are gathering at the meeting to find new ways to deal with pollution. Ellie is also backing UN Environment's Clean Seas campaign.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan launched a book based on Indian cinema in showbiz capital Mumbai. The book, titled 'Bollywood: The Films! The Songs! The Stars!', is a coffee table book, which provides historical insights, lesser-known facts and behind-the-scenes exclusives of the most iconic movies made in the history of the Indian film industry. The book is co-authored by S.M.M. Ausaja, Karan Bali, Rajesh Devraj and Tanul Thakur, the book on India's tinsel town is published by British multinational publishing company Dorling Kindersley (DK).

Indian-American California senator Kamala Harris topped the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine's 2017 list of '50 Leading Global Thinkers' which also features US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley. Besides Harris and Haley, Indian-origin stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj has also made it to the list. South Korean President Moon Jae-in is ranked second in the list for trying to rebuild decent democratic leadership in South Korea. Popular comedian Minhaj is placed third in the ranking for defining the narrative of a "New Brown America".

Prithvi Shaw has been named the captain of the Indian Under-19 team for the 2018 U-19 World CupThe tournament is scheduled to be held in New Zealand starting January 13, 2018. This comes after Shaw slammed three tons and two fifties in five Ranji Trophy matches this season. Punjab's Shubman Gill has been named as Shaw's deputy.

Paytm Payments Bank rolled out Paytm FASTag to enable electronic toll fee collection on highways across the country, in line with the government's move to make FASTag mandatory on every new vehicle sold from December 1. The Paytm FASTag - which is a simple and reusable tag based on radio-frequency identification technology (RFID) that can be placed on a vehicle's windscreen - will allow commuters to pass through 380 toll plazas across India covering 55,000 km without having to stop.

India's largest floating solar power plant has become operational at the Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad, Kerala on December 5, 2017. The solar power plant that floats on the surface of water has a capacity of 500 kilowatts (KW). It consists of 1,938 solar panels with a capacity of 260 watts, a 500 kilo volt ampere (KVA) transformer and 17 inverters. The unique feature of this plant is the anchoring mechanism used by the overwhelming technology to maintain the plant with the alteration of the water level. The total cost of the project is Rs. 9.25 crore.

The 6th International Tourism Mart 2017 has started in Guwahati, Assam on December 5. The three day program has been organized by Ministry of Tourism in association with all North Eastern states. Panel discussions, workshops, business to business meetings, cultural programs are being organized. Senior officials from Railway, Civil Aviation, DoNER, Road Transport ministry will share their views for the betterment of the tourism sector of North East including Assam.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro launched a crypto-currency "Petro" to advance issues of monetary sovereignty, make financial transactions and overcome the financial blockade. Beside this, Petro will also circumvent US-led financial sanctions. The digital currency will be backed by Venezuelan reserves of gold, oil, gas and diamonds.