News on 4-12-2016

1. Hailakhandi first in Assam to pay tea workers via bank account

I. Hailakandi has become the first district in Assam to pay wages to tea garden workers through individual bank accounts before the December 15 deadline set by the state government for cashless transactions to the plantation workers.

II. At least 504 workers of Burnie Braes tea estate received their wages through bank accounts and the payment was made through five Banking Correspondents (CSPs) of Assam.


2. India to train Qatar police to host FIFA World Cup 2022

I. India will train Qatar police for handling the security during the FIFA World Cup 2022 scheduled to be held in that country.
          
II. The training arrangement was agreed upon during a meeting between Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.


3. India, Qatar ink pacts on visas, cyberspace, investments

I. India and Qatar has signed four agreements on visas, cyberspace and investments following delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani on key issues of energy, trade and security.

II. Modi and the Qatari Prime Minister, who is in New Delhi on his first visit, discussed enhancing cooperation in defence and security, in particular in cybersecurity and agreed on joint action to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing. The two sides inked five pacts including in the field of visas, cyberspace and investments.


4. Indian contestant Srinidhi Shetty wins Miss Supranational

I. India's representative Srinidhi Shetty has been crowned Miss Supranational 2016, an international beauty pageant. This marks the second time that India has won the pageant following the win by Asha Bhat in 2014.

II. Srinidhi Shetty qualified for the competition after becoming the first runner-up at the Miss India Universe pageant earlier this year, where she won the title 'Miss Diva Supranational'.


5. La La Land named best film by New York Film Critics Circle

I. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling starrer romantic drama La La Land has been chosen as the best film of 2016 by the New York Film Critics Circle. The film, directed by Damien Chazelle, is widely tipped to be an Oscar frontrunner. The top award was the only win for the musical drama where Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight won three trophies each.

II. Manchester won the best actor award for Casey Affleck, best screenplay for Kenneth Lonergan and best-supporting actress for Michelle Williams, who also was recognised for her work in Certain Women. Barry Jenkins was recognised as the best director for Moonlight, which also won best supporting actor for Mahershala Ali and best cinematography (James Laxton). The best actress trophy went to Isabelle Huppert for her work in both Elle and Things to Come.


6. PM Modi extends his greetings to Indian Navy on Navy Day

I. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended his greetings to all members of the Indian Navy and their families on the occasion of Navy Day.

II. The day is observed on 4th of December every year to celebrate the magnificence, achievements and role of the naval force to the country. During the India-Pakistan war of 1971, the Indian Navy played a significant role in the bombing of the Karachi harbor. The name of the operation was Operation Trident and it was launched on 4 December.


7. PV Sindhu jumps 2 places in latest Badminton World Federation rankings

I. Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu jumped two places to achieve her career-best ranking of seven in the latest BWF World Ranking, while Saina Nehwal is also back in the top 10.

II. Sindhu, who clinched the China Open and then reached the finals at the Hong Open, has 68,699 ranking points. She will carry India hopes at the Dubai Super Series Final, a prestigious tournament she qualified for the first time.


8. Elon Musk named most admired leader in technology

I. Tesla and SpaceX Founder Elon Musk has been named the most admired leader in the technology space, in a survey conducted by VC firm First Round Capital involving over 700 startup founders.

II. Amazon's Jeff Bezos emerged as the second most admired technology leader, followed by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Apple's Steve Jobs.


9. Heart of Asia' conference has kicked off in Amritsar

I. The sixth 'Heart of Asia' ministerial conference has kicked off in Amritsar, Punjab from 03rd December 2016 to discuss peace, cooperation and economic development in Afghanistan.

II. Delegates from nearly 40 countries will participate in the conference organised on the theme 'Addressing Challenges, Achieving Prosperity'. The main conference has been inaugurated jointly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has lead the Indian delegation in place of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is unwell.


10. India women’s team beat Pakistan by 17 runs to win Asia Cup

I. India women’s cricket team won the Asia Cup T20 after beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final of the regional tournament by 17 runs. Played in Bangkok, India had beaten Pakistan in the group stages too and made it two-in-two in the final on 04th December 2016.

II. The win stretches India’s unbeaten run in the Asia Cup to 32 matches and it is their sixth Asia Cup crown. Mithali Raj top scored for India in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, she scored 73 runs and remained not out till the end.


11. Donald Trump names General Motors CEO to his advisory panel

I. US President-elect Donald Trump has named General Motors CEO Mary Barra to his economic and job-creation panel. The panel, set to meet for the first time in February, consists of CEOs from JPMorgan Chase, Walt Disney, Boeing, and other companies.

II. Barra is one of the only two women on the panel, the other being IBM CEO Ginni Rometty.


12. Universal Studios Hollywood named World's Best Attraction

I. Universal Studios Hollywood has been named the Best Attraction in the World by ticket selling site 'AttractionTix'. The winners of the 2016 'Worldwide Attraction Awards' were announced across 19 different categories.

II. Warner Brothers Studio Tour was voted the best attraction in the UK while Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World Resort was named the Best Family Attraction.


13. Smith registers joint-highest score by an Aussie captain

I. Australian captain Steven Smith smashed a career-best 164(157) in the first ODI against New Zealand on Sunday, to equal Ricky Ponting's record for the highest individual score by an Aussie skipper.

II. In the process, he also became the second batsman to score 1,000 ODI runs this year. Smith is the third Australian captain to score 150+ in an ODI innings.

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