Finland elects Sanna Marin, the youngest-ever Prime Minister

1.World observes Human Rights Day: 10th December

The world observes Human Rights Day every year on the 10th of December.The day is observed to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948.

The Declaration recognizes that the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of mankind are the foundation of justice, freedom and peace in the world.

It reaffirms the faith of the people of the United Nations in the fundamental human rights.

The United Nations’ theme for this year’s Human Rights Day is – Youth Standing up for Human Rights.

2.Five people killed in New Zealand volcano eruption

In New Zealand, five people were killed and eight others were still missing after White Island volcano popular with tourists erupted unexpectedly.Among the missing are tourists from Australia, the United States, Britain, China and Malaysia, as well as New Zealanders who were acting as tour guides.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern offered condolences on behalf of the country.

3.UAE, US joint military exercise ‘Iron Union 12’ commences

The ground troops of the United Arab Emirates and the United States has started a joint military exercise ‘Iron Union 12’.The drill will see the two sides taking part in military collaboration to enhance combat and tactical skills.

The joint exercise is conducted in the presence of Maj. General Saleh Mohamed Al Amiri, Commander of the UAE Land Forces, and Lt. General Terry Ferrell, Commander of the U.S. Army Central.

4.Abu Dhabi selected as world’s leading sports tourism destination

Abu Dhabi has been selected as the world’s leading Sports tourism Destination at the 26th edition of the World Travel Awards (WTA) being held in Muscat.This is the seventh time in a row that Abu Dhabi has been selected for this coveted award.

Abu Dhabi shined as a premium destination once again for sports tourism in 2019 after hosting some of the world’s top sporting events, such as the FIFA Club World Cup 2017 and 2018, the first edition of the UAE Tour, the AFC Asian Cup 2019, the Special Olympics World Games 2019, the UFC 242 showdown and the Brazil vs South Korea international friendly match.

Sports tourism has been labelled by the United Nations World Travel Organisation, UNWTO, as one of the fastest growing sectors of tourism worldwide.

The World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries.

5.Nilgiri Mountain Railway conducts special service for foreign tourists

The UNESCO-recognized Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) conducted a special service for foreign tourists.71 tourists from several countries, including the USA, the UK and France travelled by a special steam engine service from Coonoor to Ooty.

They were presented with special mementoes and gift hampers as well as served with the replica of the original Edmonton type cardboard ticket.

The NMR is one of the few railways in the world that uses the unique rack and pinion system.

In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

6.Lok Sabha passes Citizenship Amendment Bill

Lok Sabha has passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 after a marathon discussion and division.In all, 311 members voted in favour of the bill and 80 members opposed it.

The bill, among other things, seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians who migrated to India till the end of 2014 from countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, due to reasons like persecutions.

However, the bill exempts certain tribal areas included in the Sixth Schedule and those falling under the Inner Line Permit Regime in the North Eastern States.

It amends the Citizenship Act 1955, the Passport Act 1920 and the Foreigners Act 1946 for implementation of its provisions.

7.Govt to allow girls’ education in all Sainik School

Union Government will allow girls’ education in all Sainik School in a phased manner.Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said, presently entry of girls in five Sainik Schools has been allowed.

These 5 schools are Kalikiri (Andhra Pradesh), Kodagu (Karnataka), Ghorakhal (Uttarakhand), Chandrapur (Maharashtra) and Bijapur (Karnataka).

The co-educational policy adopted on a pilot-basis at Sainik School in Mizoram and now is being implemented across the country.

8.Finland elects Sanna Marin, the youngest-ever Prime Minister

Finland’s Social Democrats elected a 34-year-old former transport minister to the post of the prime minister, making her the youngest head of government in the country’s history.Sanna Marin narrowly won vote to replace outgoing leader Antti Rinne, who resigned on after losing the confidence of the coalition partner Centre Party over his handling of a postal strike.

Former PM Antti Rinne had headed Finland’s centre-left five-party coalition since June.

9.SBI announces reduction in one-year MCLR by 10 basis points

Country’s largest lender State Bank of India has announced the reduction in its marginal cost of fund based lending rate (MCLR) by 10 basis points across all one-year products.It is effective from 10 December 2019.

This is the eighth consecutive cut in MCLR by the lender this fiscal.

The new one-year MCLR has been cut to 7.90 per cent from 8 per cent.  

10.WADA bans Russia from international sporting events for four years

The World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, banned Russia for four years, from participation in global sporting events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.The ban came after accusing Moscow of falsifying data from an anti-doping laboratory.

Russia’s anti-doping agency can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within 21 days.

The Russian flag and national anthem have also been banned in global events.