1 Indian Navy’s state-of-the-art hydrographic vessel INS Nirdeshak inducted into the Navy
Indian Navy ‘s state-of-the-art hydrographic vessel INS Nirdesh was commissioned in Visakhapatnam . Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth attended the launching ceremony of INS Nirdesh. INS Nirdesh, the second ship of the Survey Vessel Project, is designed to survey waters and assist in navigation and maritime operations. With over 80 per cent indigenous content, the ship will play a vital role in mapping the country’s waters.
2 PM Modi will visit Kuwait on 21-22 December
PM Modi will visit Kuwait on 21-22 December 2024 at the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait . This will be the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in 43 years . During the visit, the PM will hold discussions with the Kuwaiti leadership. PM Modi will also interact with the Indian community in Kuwait. Let us tell you that recently Kuwait Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya visited India and held discussions with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar . During the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs warmly welcomed the Kuwaiti Minister and expressed hope that this meeting would further boost the multifaceted relations between India and Kuwait. The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Joint Cooperation Commission (JCC) at the level of Foreign Ministers.
3 Russia announced the creation of a cancer vaccine
The Russian Ministry of Health announced the creation of a cancer vaccine on December 17. Andrei Kaprin, Director of the Radiology Medical Research Center of the Russian Ministry of Health, gave this information on the radio . This vaccine will be administered to Russian citizens for free from next year . However, this claim of Russia has not yet been confirmed internationally . mRNA or messenger-RNA is a small part of the genetic code of humans, which makes proteins in our cells. In simple language, it can also be understood that when a virus or bacteria attacks our body, mRNA technology sends a message to our cells to make proteins to fight that virus or bacteria. This gives our immune system the necessary protein it needs and antibodies are formed in our body. Its biggest advantage is that it can make a vaccine much faster than a conventional vaccine. Along with this, it also strengthens the body’s immunity. This cancer vaccine based on mRNA technology is the first vaccine.
4 Arun Kumar Sahu appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Bulgaria
On December 18, the Government of India appointed IFS officer Arun Kumar Sahu as India’s Ambassador to the ‘ Republic of Bulgaria ‘. He is a 1996 batch IFS officer. Sahu is expected to take charge soon. Arun is currently serving as Additional Secretary (Central Europe) in the Ministry of External Affairs. Earlier, he has been India’s Ambassador to Trinidad, Tobago.
5 India becomes the world’s third largest smartphone exporting country
India has become the third largest country in the world to export smartphones . In the year 2019, it was ranked 23rd . According to data submitted by companies and data collected from industry associations, smartphone exports from the country have crossed the Rs 20 thousand crore mark in just one month in November 2024. Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav shared a news article on the social media platform and praised this achievement and termed it as ‘Making India Story’. According to data from industry associations, the country’s smartphone exports were recorded at Rs 20 thousand 395 crore last month.
6 Gangetic river dolphins tagged for the first time in Assam
The Ganges River Dolphin has been tagged for the first time in Assam , a landmark achievement for wildlife conservation in the state. The tagging was part of a collaborative project between the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the National CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority) with support from the Wildlife Institute of India. The project will deepen our understanding of the conservation of our national aquatic animal. The Ganges River Dolphin, once widely distributed across the major river systems of the Indian subcontinent, has seen a significant decline in its population in recent years. It is noteworthy that a dolphin survey has been started under Project Dolphin launched by the government, which is the first of its kind in the world. The survey, conducted over two years, covered 8,000 km of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Indus rivers . Its results have not yet been released. The survey, led by the Wildlife Institute of India, covered two species – the Ganges River Dolphin and the Indus River Dolphin. India launched Project Dolphin in 2020 to protect dolphins in both freshwater rivers and coastal waters .
7 Masali village of Banaskantha district in Gujarat became the country’s first border village to run on solar energy
Masali village of Banaskantha district in Gujarat has become the country’s first border village to run on solar energy . Situated 40 kilometers from the Pakistan border, this village has a population of just 800. Due to the efforts of the district administration, this village has now become a completely solar-powered village.
8 Indian veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin retires from international cricket
India’s veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has announced his retirement from international cricket . He made this announcement soon after the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was drawn. Ashwin participated in only one of the first three Tests of the ongoing series with Australia, in which he took one wicket for 53 runs in the Adelaide Test. Ashwin is the second-highest wicket-taker for India in international and Test cricket. Only Anil Kumble (619) has taken more wickets than him . He made his Test debut for India against West Indies in Delhi on 6 November 2011. Ashwin took 537 wickets in 106 Test matches. He also has six centuries and 14 half-centuries in Test cricket. Ashwin has taken 156 wickets in 116 ODIs and 72 wickets in 65 T20 matches for India.
9 Indian Chess Grandmaster Pranav Venkatesh creates history by winning FIDE World Under-18 Youth Rapid and Blitz titles
In Chess , India’s Pranav Venkatesh created history by winning the FIDE World Under-18 Youth Rapid and Blitz titles in Slovenia . The top-seeded Indian Grandmaster from Chennai won the gold medal by scoring 9.5 points in the Rapid category. Pranav scored 19.5 points with one round remaining in the Blitz category.
10 Third World Tennis League tournament begins in Abu Dhabi
The third World Tennis League tournament is starting in Abu Dhabi . The tournament will run till December 22. Four teams are participating in it. Their names are Honor-FX Eagles, TSL Hawks, Game Changers Falcons and Kites. Each team will have four players. All teams will compete in the same round-robin format, with each team playing one match with each other.
11 Rohan Jaitley re-elected as DDCA President
The Rohan Jaitley- led panel won the Delhi District and Cricket Association (DDCA) elections on December 17. Rohan Jaitley defeated former cricketer and TMC MP Kirti Azad by a margin of 800 votes. Rohan got 1,577 votes, while Kirti Azad could get only 777 votes. Shikha Kumar won the vice-president’s post by getting 1,246 votes. She defeated her nearest rival Rakesh Kumar Bansal by 536 votes. Ashok Sharma got 893 votes for the secretary’s post, while Vinod Tihara got 744 votes.
