Daily Current Affairs -26th December 2016

Dear Readers, we are presenting Daily Current Affairs for All Exams- 26th December 2016. Daily Current Affairs and General Knowledge is very helpful for IBPS Bank Exams, SBI , RBI Assistant,NIACL, SSC and Railway Exams.

1. Agni V missile launched successfully

1. Defence scientists today signalled conclusively that the country’s missile hit power is now beyond 5,000 km, with the successful launch of the nuclear-capable Agni V missile.

2. The fourth trial of the long range, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile was on target as it took off around 11.20 am from the Abdul Kalam Island (earlier Wheeler Island), off the coast of Odisha, according to the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

3. The DRDO has now developed five version of the Agni series over the past 30 years. The Agni 1 has a reach of 700 km; Agni 2 is 2,000 km; Agni 3 is 2,500 plus and Agni 4 is 3,500 km. These are in various stages of inducted, induction and trials.

2. Mithun Chakraborty resigns from Rajya Sabha 

1. Actor-turned politician Mithun Chakraborty who was elected to the Rajya Sabha by Trinamool Congress(TMC), today resigned from the Upper House citing health reasons.

2. He has submitted his resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman.Chakraborty was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 2014.

3. British singer George Michael passes away

1. British singer George Michael, who became one of the pop idols of the 1980s with Wham! and then forged a career as a successful solo artist with sometimes sexually provocative lyrics, died at his home in England on Sunday. He was 53.

2. In the mid-1980s, Wham! was one of the most successful pop duos ever, ahead even of Simon & Garfunkel, with singles like "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Careless Whisper", “Last Christmas” and “The Edge of Heaven".

4. Scientists identify as world’s most heat resistant materials

1. A team of UK-based researchers have identified Hafnium carbide (HfC) and Tantalum carbide (TaC) as the world’s most heat resistant material. 

2. They can withstand record melting point temperatures up to 3958°C (approx 4000°C). New Laser-heating techniques were used to find the temperature at which TaC and HfC melted, both separately and in mixed compositions.

5. DRDO successfully flight tests Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon

1. The Defence and Research Development Organization (DRDO) successfully flight tested Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) from Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft at integrated test range in Chandipur, Odisha. 

2. During the test, the captive and release trials were tracked by Radar and Telemetry ground stations at Interim Test Range during the entire duration of the flight. Besides, the performances of all systems of SAAW were satisfactory meet and all the mission objectives were achieved. 

6. India’s first 2G Ethanol Bio-refinery to be set up in Punjab

1. The foundation stone of India’s first 2G (Second Generation) Ethanol Bio-refinery was laid at Tarkhanwala village in Bathinda, Punjab. 

2. Central Government Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is setting up this project at a cost of 600 crore Rupees.

7. 6,117 Kuchipudi dancers set new Guinness World Record 

1. As many as 6,117 Kuchipudi dancers set a new Guinness World Record by performing together in a single event in Vijayawada district of Andhra Pradesh. 

2. The Guinness World Record adjudicated for the 12-minute “Jayamu Jayamu” item as the ‘Largest Kuchipudi dance’ performance.

8. Dr Barbara Jatta becomes first ever female director of Vatican Museums 

1. Dr Barbara Jatta was chosen by Pope Francis as the first woman to direct the Vatican Museums. With this she becomes the highest-ranking female administrator in the Vatican. Prior to this, she was serving as the Deputy Director of the Vatican museums. 

2. The Vatican Museums are among the most popular in the world and reportedly drew six million visitors in 2015.

9. Salman Khan tops 2016 Forbes India Celebrity 100 List 

1. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was ranked first on the 2016 Forbes India Celebrity 100 List with an estimated income of Rs 270.33 crore. 

2. Shah Rukh Khan was ranked second (earned Rs 221.75 crore) followed by Virat Kohli, aAkshay Kumar and MS Dhoni. The Forbes’ ranking is based on two parameters viz. estimates of entertainment-related earnings and estimates of fame during the period October 2015 to September 2016. 3. However, in terms of fame the list was is topped by ace cricketer Virat Kohli followed by Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan.

10. Union Government launches Lucky Grahak Yojana & Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana

1. The Union Government has launched Lucky Grahak Yojana to encourage consumers and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana to encourage merchants for transition to digital payments. These award based schemes were launched by the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog, government’s policy think-tank.

Lucky Grahak Yojana 

Under it, consumers making payment through digital mode will get chance to win minimum Rs 1000 each every day or Rs 1 lakh per week. 15,000 winners will get cashback prizes of Rs 1000 each every day starting on 25 December 2016 (Christmas) and ending on 14 April 2017 (Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanthi). In addition, there will be weekly awards worth Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 for 7000 people.

Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana 

This scheme is for the merchants across the country. Mandatory for merchants to have POS (Point of Sale) machines for undertaking cashless transactions. Under it, merchants doing business using POS are eligible to win Rs.50000 per week from 25 December 2016 to 14 April 2017. 3 Mega Prizes for merchants will be of Rs 50 lakhs, 25 lakh, 12 lakh for digital transactions between 8 November 2016 to 13 April 2017. It will be announced on 14 April 2017.