Daily Current Affairs- 16th December 2024

Daily Current Affairs- 16th December 2024

INTERNATIONAL

Britain Becomes First European Nation to Join CPTPP

• Britain became the first European nation to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), becoming the 12th member. The bloc comprises Canada and Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. 

Mikheil Kavelashvili becomes Georgia’s President

• Mikheil Kavelashvili has been elected as the next president of Georgia, amid mounting anger over the government’s halt to the European Union accession process until 2028. Mikheil Kavelashvili is a former footballer and MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party. As the only candidate for the job, Kavelashvili was chosen in parliament by a direct ballot of a 300-member electoral college made up of MPs and representatives of local government. 224 out of 225 members of Georgia’s electoral college voted for him. 

NATIONAL

VP Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurates Geoscience Museum in Madhya Pradesh

• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the Geoscience Museum at the Victoria Market Building in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. This state-of-the-art museum is set to become a hub for geoscience education and public engagement. 

Govt Unveils ‘Jalvahak’ to boost Inland Waterways - Cargo Movement

• Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, unveiled the cargo promotion scheme ‘Jalvahak’ for boosting cargo movement on three national waterways. Jalvahak is aimed at incentivising the movement of long-haul cargo via national waterways on the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Barak rivers. 

EAM S. Jaishankar & Deputy PM of Moldova Mihail Popsoi jointly inaugurate Embassy of Moldova

• External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova, Mihail Popsoi, jointly inaugurated the Embassy of Moldova in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jaishankar said the establishment of this embassy marks a significant milestone in the relationship between the two nations. 

India’s first diabetes biobank set up in Chennai

• Chennai has become home to India’s first diabetes biobank, established by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in partnership with the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF). 

Ram temple project wins UK's 'Sword of Honour' for safety management

• Shri Ram Mandir project in Ayodhya Dham has won the prestigious 'Sword of Honour' award given by British Safety Council. It is one of the prestigious accolades in safety management. 

OBITUARY

Ustad Zakir Hussain Passes Away

• Ustad Zakir Hussain passed away at the age of 73 in San Francisco, He was called a maestro by Pandit Ravi Shankar, he was also the youngest Indian to win the Padma Shri and three Grammy Awards. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

Bangladesh: Victory Day

• Bangladesh celebrate Victory Day, the most precious day of the Bangladeshis, on December 16 as the country was liberated from the Pakistani occupation forces on that day in 1971 after a nine-month-long bloodstained War of Liberation. 

SUMMITS & MOUs

3rd CIL CSR Conclave Begins in Kolkata

• Celebrating a decade of India’s CSR Legislation and Coal India’s CSR institutionalisation, the 3rd CIL CSR conclave began today (15 December) in Kolkata. Inaugurating the Conclave, Dr. C V Ananda Bose, the Governor of West Bengal and the Chief Guest of the event, appreciated the CSR initiatives of Coal India Limited.