Current Affairs - December 15, 2019 Current Affairs

The European Union (EU) left Poland out of a 2050 climate neutrality agreement. The agreement is part of a plan to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent.

The World Design Organization is all set to launch its new global programme World Design Propolis in Bengaluru, aimed at implementing holistic progress in megacities across the world and making them sustainable.

Ravi Mittal has been appointed as the new Information and Broadcasting Secretary. He will replace Mr. Amit Khare who has been appointed as the new secretary of the Department of Higher Education.

Military Literature Festival was organised in Chandigarh from December 13 to 15. The Military Literature Festival is a joint initiative pioneered by the Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, and the Chandigarh Administration led by V P Singh Badnore, in collaboration with the Indian Army.

Three-time Olympic champion and world mile record-holder Peter Snell has died in Dallas. He was aged 80. Snell, who is regarded as one of the greatest middle-distance runners, won the 800 meters at the 1960 Rome Olympics aged 21, and the 800-1,500 double at the 1964 Tokyo Games. He was the first man since 1920 to win the 800 and 1,500 at the same Olympics.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power, conducted an International Workshop on Energy Efficient Cooling from 12-13 December 2019 at Scope Convention Centre, New Delhi.

The seventh economic census was launched in the national capital territory of Delhi on December 13. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has tied up with Common Service Centres Network (CSCN), a special purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, to carry out the census.

Food and beverage giant PepsiCo has partnered with Bollywood actor Salman Khan as the brand ambassador of Pepsi brand of carbonated beverage in India. Previously, Salman Khan was the ambassador of the popular ThumsUp brand for years.

The news magazine Time has named the teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg in 2019 Person of the Year. She was named as she inspired millions of people in 150 countries to protest climate change.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Board of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on 13 December to promote sustainable agriculture and climate-resilient farming systems.

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) India Sports Awards 2019 was presented to the Railway Sports Promotion Board under the category of Best Company Promoting Sports (Public Sector) at New Delhi. Sports person (female): Rani Rampal (hockey). Sports person (male): Saurabh Chaudhary (shooting). Para-athlete: Sandeep Chaudhary (javelin). Breakthrough sports person: Amit Panghal (boxing).

Union Ministry of External Affairs hosted 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) and Delhi Dialogue XI at PravasiBharatiya Kendra in New Delhi on 13 December 2019. This is the first time that these two dialogues, which are key elements of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and India-ASEAN calendars were held consecutively and on similar Indo-Pacific themes. Theme for 2019 Indian Ocean Dialogue - 'Indo-Pacific: Re-imagining the Indian Ocean through an Expanded Geography'.

Union parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi on December 13 informed media that a total of 14 bills were passed in the Lok Sabha and 15 were passed in the Rajya Sabha during the recently concluded Winter Session of the Parliament. In the winter session, Lok Sabha passed 14 bills and the Rajya Sabha passed 15 bills. Productivity was 116 percent in Lok Sabha and 100 percent in Rajya Sabha.

Odisha State government was honoured with the 2019 World Habitat Award. The award recognized the State's ambitious project Jaga Mission. The award was conferred by the World Habitat, a UK based organization, in association with the United Nations (UN)-Habitat.

World Energy Conservation Day is observed on 14 December. The day aims to highlight the importance of energy consumption. This Day creates a sense of urgency on the issues involved.

Japanese movie 'They Say Nothing Stays the Same', directed by actor and musician Joe Odagiri bagged the 'SuvarnaChakoram' (The Golden Crow Pheasant) award at the 24rd edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named as the world's most powerful woman by Forbes in the 2019 list of the 100 most powerful women in the world.

Rajya Sabha passed a Constitution amendment bill to extend reservation to SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years. The bill was passed by Lok Sabha on 10 December.

Spain's football league LaLiga named Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma as its brand ambassador in India. The Indian cricketer is the first-ever non-footballer brand ambassador appointed by LaLiga globally and will be the face of the league in India.

A three-day National Tribal Dance Festival will be held in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The festival is to be held on 27-29 December 2019. The National Tribal Dance event will be organized at the Science College Ground from 10 am to 8:30 pm.