15-16 December 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

15-16 December 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Jamaica’s ‘Tony-Ann Singh’ crowned ‘Miss World 2019’

• Jamaica’s ‘Tony-Ann Singh’ (23-year) has won the coveted Miss World 2019 (69th edition) crown at the ExCeL London in United Kingdom (UK).
• Toni-Ann Singh is a women’s studies and psychology student at US’ Florida State University.
• It's the first time in history that black women hold the titles for Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss America, Miss Universe and Miss World.
• Ophely Mezino of France was named first runner-up.
• India’s Suman Rao was named 2nd Runner-Up.
• Vanessa Ponce of Mexico crowned her successor Toni-Ann Singh by the end of the event.
• Almost 111 contestants from countries across the world participated in the beauty pageant.

Source: BBC.com

List of Indian beauty queens who have won the Miss World title:

S. No.	Name	Year
1.	Reita Faria	1966
2.	Aishwarya Rai	1994
3.	Diana Haydon	1997
4.	Yukta Mookhey	1999
5.	Priyanka Chopra	2000
6.	Manushi Chhillar	2017

 Important Days

2. Nation celebrates Vijay Diwas today

• Vijay Diwas is commemorated every 16th December in India, as it marks its military victory over Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
• On 16th December 1971, Lieutenant General AAK Niazi (chief of Pakistani forces), along with 93 thousand troops, surrendered to the allied forces, comprising the Indian Army and the Mukti Bahini.
• Bangladesh is also celebrating its Victory Day.
• This day is a special occasion for the Mukti Jodhdhas who recall their own heroic exploits and also that of their Indian comrades in arms like Albert Ekka during the nine-month-long Liberation War of Bangladesh.
• The Surrender of Pakistan Armed Forces marked the end of the Bangladesh Liberation War and the creation of Bangla Desh.

3. 15^th December: International Tea Day

• The International Tea Day is observed annually on 15^th December to draw global attention of governments and citizens towards the impact of the global tea trade on workers and growers and also to request for price supports and fair trade
• India is the second-largest producer of tea in the World after China.
• The day has been celebrated since 2005 in tea producing countries like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda and Tanzania.

Books & Author

4. Viswanathan Anand launches his autobiography ‘Mind Master’

• Indian chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand has launched his autobiography ‘Mind Master’.
• autobiography ‘Mind Master’ is co-authored by sports journalist Susan Ninann and published by THG Publishing Private Limited.
• The book covers wonderful memories of Viswanathan Anand’s journey.

National Affairs

5. Amazon launches Audible Suno app in India

• Amazon launches 'Audible Suno app' in India with 60 ad-free shows in Hindi and English.
• Audible Suno is a world-first for Audible and reflects our commitment to creating exceptional entertainment for our Indian customers.
• On Apple's App Store, these shows are available in the company's existing Audible app.
• The Audible app comes with a 30-day free trial period after which users will have to pay a monthly subscription fee of Rs 199.

6. Deepika Padukone wins Crystal award for spreading mental health awareness

• Deepika Padukone has won the 26th Annual Crystal Award for spreading awareness about the importance of mental health.
• She is the only Indian actress to appear in the list of winners of Davos 2020.
• Deepika will receive the award in January 2020 at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
• Artist Theaster Gates and choreographer Jin Xing have also been felicitated with the Annual Crystal Award.

7. India to host 36th International Geological Congress in March 2020

• India is gearing up to host the 36th International Geological Congress (IGC) in the capital during the first week of March 2020.
• The theme of this conference is ‘Geosciences: The Basic Science for Sustainable Development'.
• The IGCs are prestigious global geoscientific events held once every four years and participated by around 5,000-6,000 geoscientists from all across the world.
• India is the only Asian country to host the event twice.
• In 1964, India had hosted it for the first time,(in 22nd IGC) inaugurated by the then President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

8. West Bengal tops in a 100-day work programme for promoting livelihoods

• West Bengal has been selected for the 1st prize in 100-Day Work Programme for Promoting Livelihoods.
• The Rural Development Ministry has selected Bankura and Cooch Behar Districts of the state for 1st and 2nd positions among districts in the country in implementation of rural job scheme.
• The Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also informed that Baburmahal Gram Panchayat of Kulpi in South 24 Parganas District has also bagged the best performance award from the Centre.

9. Edelweiss AMC launches India’s first corporate bond ETF “Bharat Bond ETF”

• Edelweiss Asset Management Company (AMC) has launched India’s first corporate bond exchange-traded fund (ETF), called the Bharat Bond ETF.
• Bharat Bond ETF is also the country’s largest new fund offer (NFO) ever.
• Edelweiss AMC will invest in AAA-rated bonds of public sector companies and aims to raise up to Rs 15,000 crore through this initiative.
• ETF is an initiative of the Government of India, from the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management while Edelweiss AMC is given the mandate to design and manage the product.

International Affairs

10. Sri Lankan govt formally releases its new National Policy Framework

• Sri Lankan government formally released its new National policy Framework meant to guide the government ministries and departments in implementing their policies.
• The framework titled ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendor’ is aimed at achieving the fourfold outcome of being a productive citizen, a contented family, a virtuous, disciplined and just society and a prosperous nation.
• The main objective of the National Policy Framework to maintain a 6.5% or higher GDP growth rate under the macroeconomic programme, achieving a per capita income exceeding 6,500 US dollar from 2020 to 2025.
• The policy mandates to implement a national and international partnership based on principles of priority to national security, friendly and non-aligned foreign policy.
• It also mandates an administration free from corruption and a new constitution that fulfils people's wishes.

Appointment

11. Abdelmadjid Tebboune elected as the President of Algeria

• Former Prime Minister ‘Abdelmadjid Tebboune’ (74-years) elected as the President of Algeria.
• Mr. Tebboune succeeded Abdelkader Bensalah.
• He served as the Prime Minister from May 2017 to August 2017, under the governance of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Note:

• The president of Algeria is the head of state and chief executive of Algeria, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Algerian People's National Armed Forces.

Source: Aljazeera

Obituaries

12. New Zealand three-times Olympic champion Peter Snell passes away

• New Zealand's greatest athlete Peter Snell (3-times Olympic middle-distance champion) passed away at his Texas home.
• He took the 800 metres at the 1960 Rome Games and won both the 800 and 1,500 metres at the 1964 Tokyo Games.
• He also won 2 gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in 1962 in the 880 yards and one mile run in Perth.
• Snell retired from running in 1965 and later became a sports scientist in the United States.

Source: India Today

Sports

13. Australia’s Ashleigh Barty Wins WTA Player of the Year 2019

• The WTA Awards are given by the Women’s Tennis Association to players for outstanding achievements during the season or their career.
• The winners of 2019 WTA Awards are given below:

S. No	Years Awards	Name/ Country
1.	WTA Player of the Year - 2019	Ashleigh Barty (Australia)
2.	WTA Doubles Team of the Year	Timea Babos (Hungary) / Kristina Mladenovic (France)
3.	WTA Most Improved Player of the Year	Sofia Kenin (United States)
4.	WTA Newcomer of the Year	Bianca Andreescu (Canada)
5.	WTA Comeback Player of the Year	Belinda Bencic (Switzerland)
6.	WTA Jerry Diamond Aces Award	Kiki Bertens (Netherlands)