Daily Current Affairs -14th December 2016

Dear Readers, we are presenting Daily Current Affairs for All Exams- 14th December 2016.

1. Sushma Swaraj named Global Thinker for ‘novel Twitter diplomacy 

1. Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has been named as one of 15 Foreign Policy Global Thinkers. She has named in the decision-makers category for fashioning a novel brand of Twitter diplomacy. 

2. The list has been compiled by the Foreign Policy magazine. 14 other notable thinkers in the list include Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel and Justin Trudeau.

2. Cyrus Mistry removed as director of TCS 

1. Cyrus Mistry was removed as the director of Tata Consultancy Services, India’s biggest software company. He was removed by 93% of the votes of TCS shareholders. 

2. Earlier, he was also removed earlier as chairman of Tata Teleservices by its board in extra ordinary general meeting.

3. Kannan takes charge as new IBA chief

1. V G Kannan on Wednesday took charge as Chief Executive of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).

2. He succeeds M V Tanksale who demitted office as Chief Executive on August 9, 2016 after being at the helm for three years.

3. Kannan had retired as Managing Director & Group Executive (Associates & Subsidiaries) of State Bank of India on July 31, 2016.

4. IBA is a self-regulatory organisation of banks. The 70-year old body has 237 members comprising public sector banks, private sector banks, foreign banks having offices in India, co-operative banks, regional rural banks, and all India financial institutions.

4. Smriti Mandhana lone Indian in ICC Women’s Team of the Year

1. India batswoman Smriti Mandhana has been named in the Women’s Team of the Year 2016, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced.

2. The women’s team of the year, which will be captained by West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor, has been added to the list of awards to acknowledge and appreciate outstanding performances of women’s cricketers over a 12-month period.

3. Based on their performance between September 14, 2015 and September 20, 2016, which included the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 and the ICC Women’s Championship, the players have been selected.

5. Rajya Sabha passes Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014

1. Rajya Sabha has passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014. The bill repeals Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunity Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act of 1995. 2. The bill comprehensively covers a whole spectrum of problems from physical disabilities to mental illness and multiple disabilities under it. It complies with the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which India became a signatory in 2007.

6. 6th Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development begins in New Delhi

1. The sixth edition of Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) began in New Delhi. It was inaugurated by Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. 

2. The three days conference seeks to address issues ranging from crowded city centres to peripheral expansion, metropolitan based urban population growth, megacities and urban corridors etc.

7. India, Russia bilateral naval exercise Indra Navy 2016 begins 

1. The ninth edition of exercise INDRA NAVY, an annual bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Russian Navy began in the Bay of Bengal. 

2. The primary aim of exercise INDRA NAVY-16 is to increase inter-operability amongst the two navies and develop common understanding and procedures for maritime security operations.

8. India becomes world’s 4th largest defence spender

1. According to the recently released 2016 IHS Jane’s Defence Budgets report, India has become the world’s fourth largest defence spender. 

2. In this edition of report published by US research firm IHS Inc, India has surpassed Russia, France, Japan and Saudi Arabia to become the world’s fourth largest defence spender.