Year 2019 was hottest ever registered in Russia

Year 2019 was hottest ever registered in Russia

Year 2019 was the hottest ever registered in Russia, as climate change pushes global temperatures to record highs.

Moscow's average temperature for 2019 had hit 7.6 to 7.7 degrees Celsius, beating the previous record by 0.3 degrees.

Weather records have been kept since 1879 in Moscow and since 1891 in Russia as a whole. Global warming has sent temperatures rising around the world with the United Nations saying earlier this month that 2019 was on course to be one of the three hottest years on record.

Moscow has seen its warmest December in a century this year.

The Russian capital, normally covered with a blanket of snow by mid-December, saw a largely snow-less and cloudy last month of the year. The city's ski resorts were closed

Koneru Humpy became Women's World Rapid Chess Champion

Koneru Humpy became Women's World Rapid Chess Champion

Indian grandmaster Koneru Humpy has become the 2019 Women's World Rapid Champion.

She defeated China's Lei Tingjie in a dramatic final in Moscow, Russia.

After losing the opening game, Humpy made an impressive comeback and collected nine points each in 12 rounds to be tied with Tingjie.

The duo then played a game to break the tie.

Tingjie finished with a silver, while Turkey's Ekaterina Atalik won bronze.

Norway's Magnus Carlsen claimed the men's title.

UAE extended 300 million US dollars of development aid to Jordan

UAE extended 300 million US dollars of development aid to Jordan

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) announced that it is providing 300 million US dollars as development aid to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development is a foreign aid agency established by the government of Abu Dhabi in 1971. The fund provides concessionary loans to fund economic and social development projects. The fund also invests in order to expand and strengthen the private sector economies of its clients.

Chairperson: Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Founded: 1971

Description
The United Arab Emirates, sometimes simply called the Emirates, is a country in Western Asia at the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south and west, as well as sharing maritime borders with Qatar to the west and Iran to the north. 
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham
President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Jordan, an Arab nation on the east bank of the Jordan River, is defined by ancient monuments, nature reserves and seaside resorts. It’s home to the famed archaeological site of Petra, the Nabatean capital dating to around 300 B.C

Capital: Amman
Currency: Jordanian dinar
 

Leander Paes will retire from Tennis in 2020

Leander Paes will retire from Tennis in 2020

Indian tennis ace Leander Paes has announced that 2020 will be his last year as a professional tennis player.

The 46-year old will bid adieu to the sport after next season.

Leander, who made his Olympic debut in 1992, will play at Tokyo Olympics next year.

The Indian has made 7 appearances in a row at the Olympics making him the only tennis player ever to do so.

Paes has won eight doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.

Last Solar Eclipse of decade observed in parts of India

Last Solar Eclipse of decade observed in parts of India

A partial solar eclipse was visible in India along with several other countries this morning.

This was an annular solar eclipse that happens when the Moon covers the sun's centre, leaving the sun's visible outer edges to form a 'ring of fire' or annulus - around the moon.

In Delhi, the partial eclipse began at 8.17 AM and ended at 10.56 AM. The total duration of the eclipse was 2 hours and 39 minutes. This was the last solar eclipse of the decade.

Maisnam Meiraba Luwang wins Bangladesh Junior International Badminton Series

Maisnam Meiraba Luwang wins Bangladesh Junior International Badminton Series

India’s shuttler Maisnam Meiraba Luwang has won the Men’s singles Bangladesh Junior International Badminton Series 2019 in Dhaka.

Top-seeded Meiraba, who hails from Manipur, beat Ken Yong Ong 21, 14, 21-18 in the final lasting 38 minutes today.

Meiraba had defeated another Malaysian, M Fazriq Mohamad Razif, in the semifinals.

He was one of the five Indians in the main draw.

Meiraba had also clinched the boys’ singles U-19 title at the Woncheon Yonex Korea Junior Open International Challenge last month.

In women’s singles, Indian shuttler Treesa Jolly lost to Thailand’s third seed Krittaporn Jiantanet 21-12, 16-21, 21-16 in finals.

CBERS-4A, the sixth satellite of the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program, was launched

 CBERS-4A, the sixth satellite of the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program, was launched

The CBERS-4A, the sixth satellite of the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program, was launched atop a Long March 4B carrier rocket at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in North China's Shanxi province and later placed in a Sun-synchronous orbit 628 kilometers above the Earth.

Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology and Brazil's National Institute for Space Research, the CBERS-4A carries three optical apparatus－a Chinese panchromatic, multispectral imager and Brazil's multispectral camera as well as wide-field imager－and is tasked with producing remote sensing data to serve a wide range of public services in the two countries including land resources survey, environmental inspection, climate change research, disaster prevention and agricultural forecasts

Eight West African nations rename common currency to Eco

Eight West African nations rename common currency to Eco

Eight West African countries have agreed to change the name of their common currency to Eco and severed their earlier currency CFA Franc's links to former colonial ruler France.

The CFA Franc was initially pegged to the French franc and has been linked to the euro for about two decades. Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo currently use the currency.

All the countries are former French colonies with the exception of Guinea-Bissau.

The announcement was made Saturday during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer and France's former main colony in West Africa.

The deal took six months in the making. The CFA franc, created in 1945, was seen by many as a sign of French interference in its former African colonies even after the countries became independent.

Indian-American computer scientist Sethuraman Panchanathan to lead National Science Foundation in US

Indian-American computer scientist Sethuraman Panchanathan to lead National Science Foundation in US

US President Donald Trump has picked Indian-American computer scientist Sethuraman Panchanathan to lead the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF).

The NSF is a US government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering.

Panchanathan would take place of France Cordova when her six-year term as the NSF Director ends in 2020. NSF Director is a Senate-confirmed position.

Panchanathan is currently the Executive Vice President and the Chief Research and Innovation Officer at the Arizona State University.

He is also the Founding Director of the Centre for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing at the ASU.

Panchanathan earned a bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Madras in 1981 and in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in 1984.

He then earned his master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras in 1986 and PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Canada-based University of Ottawa in 1989.

Pat Cummins becomes most expensive overseas IPL player

Pat Cummins becomes most expensive overseas IPL player

Pat Cummins, with a base price of two crore rupees, became the most expensive overseas buy as he was sold to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a whopping 15.50 crore rupees.

Glenn Maxwell was sold to Kings XI Punjab for 10.75 crore rupees while Aaron Finch was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for 4.4 crore rupees in the Indian Premier League auction at Kolkata today.

Yusuf Pathan remained unsold while India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara also failed to find any bidders in Kolkata.

England captain Eoin Morgan will be playing for KKR in the upcoming IPL season as he was bought by KKR for 5.25 crore rupees. Robin Uthappa, who was released by KKR, has been bought by Rajasthan Royals for 3 crore rupees.

Dale Steyn, Adam Zampa and Colin De Grandhomme failed to attract any bidders at the auction while Piyush Chawla signed for 6.75 crore rupees by Chennai Super Kings.

Donald Trump becomes third US president in history to be impeached

Donald  Trump becomes third US president in history to be impeached

Donald Trump has become the third US President in history to be impeached by the House of Representatives, setting up a trial in the Senate that will decide whether he remains in office.

The House voted on two charges - that the President abused his power and that he had obstructed Congress.


The vote for the first article of impeachment, abuse of power, was passed 230-197 and the second, for obstruction of Congress, 229-198.

In 1868, Andrew Johnson was impeached for breaching the Tenure of Office Act, but the Senate narrowly acquitted him by one   vote. In 1974, Richard Nixon faced an impeachment inquiry but he resigned before he could be impeached In 1998, Bill Clinton was impeached, but he was acquitted by Senate

International Migrants Day

International Migrants Day

On 18 December 1990, the General Assembly adopted a resolution on the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

Each year on Dec 18, the United Nations, through the UN-related agency International Organization for Migration (UN Migration), uses International Migrants Day  to highlight the contributions made by the roughly 272 million migrants, including more than 41 million internally displaced persons, (IDPs) and the challenges they face.

This global event, supported by events organized by IOM’s nearly 500 country offices and sub-offices as well as governmental, international and domestic civil society partners examines a wide range of migration themes, Social Cohesion, Dignity, Exploitation, Solidarity to advocate for migration guided by the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society.

Indian peacekeepers in South Sudan receive prestigious UN medal

Indian peacekeepers in South Sudan receive prestigious UN medal

About 850 Indian peacekeepers serving in South Sudan have been awarded the prestigious UN medal for their dedication and sacrifice.


the Indian peacekeepers have been recognized for their strong contribution to building peace in conflict-affected South Sudan as well as for going above and beyond their duties to support local communities.

India is among the largest troop contributing countries to UN peacekeeping operations.

Currently, 2,342 Indian troops and 25 police personnel are deployed with the UNMISS.

Last month, a total of 323 of Indian peacekeepers serving with the UNMISS as engineers and medical staff were also honoured with UN medals for their distinguished service.

Poland left 2050 climate neutrality deal

Poland  left 2050 climate neutrality deal

European Union leaders on Friday reached an agreement to make the bloc carbon neutral by 2050, but left Poland out of the commitment for now

 Eastern European states are demanding funds to support a transition away from fossil fuels and a role for nuclear power.

The decision came just a day after the bloc unveiled a 100-billion-euro (110 billion U.S. dollars) plan for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions

U-17 and U-15 Asia Junior Badminton Championships

U-17 and U-15 Asia Junior Badminton Championships

Top-seeded Tasnim Mir won her maiden U-15 women's singles title at U-17 and U-15 Asia Junior Badminton Championships after defeating teammate Tara Shah.

Tasnim bagged gold medal while Tara claimed silver as both the girls bettered their performance from the last edition where they had reached till the quarter-final stage in Myanmar in 2018.

Miss World 2019

Miss World 2019, the 69th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on December 14, 2019 at the ExCeL London in London, United Kingdom.

 Vanessa Ponce of Mexico crowned her successor Toni-Ann Singh of Jamaica by the end of the event. This is Jamaica's fourth Miss World title, and its first since 1993.

first Runner-Up was  Ophély Mézino from France

second Runner-Up     is  Suman Rao from India

British PM Boris Jhonson wins General Elections in UK

British PM Boris Jhonson wins General Elections in UK

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has won the UK General Election as his Conservative Party crossed the number of 326 required for a majority in the Parliament.

The 2019 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 12 December 2019 under the provisions of the Early Parliamentary General Election Act 2019, two years after the previous general election in 2017.

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British politician, writer, and former journalist who has been the prime minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party since July 2019.


 

FIH unveiled new world ranking system for 2020

FIH unveiled new world ranking system for 2020

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) unveiled a new world ranking system for 2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland today.

It will come into effect from the first of next month.

the new ranking will be match-based instead of tournament-based calculation.

the new world ranking system has been launched after 12 months of painstaking research, analysis and testing.

It cited numerous restrictions of the tournament-based system for the change.

the new model removes much of the subjectivity surrounding continental weighing by creating a system which is fair to all.

The outgoing world ranking system was in existence since 2003. It was originally devised to allocate teams into pools at tournaments.

The old model allowed nations to earn ranking points two to three times per year.

US, Mexico, Canada signed USMCA trade deal

US, Mexico, Canada signed USMCA trade deal

The representatives from the United States, Mexico and Canada yesterday inked a revamped version of their regional trade pact after months of negotiations.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will now go to the countries' legislatures for final approval.

The accord is meant to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a deal in place since 1994.

 

UAE, US joint military exercise 'Iron Union 12'commenced

UAE, US joint military exercise 'Iron Union 12'commenced

'Iron Union 12', a joint military exercise between the ground forces of the UAE and the United States, commenced

Spanning a few weeks, 'Iron Union 12' will see the two sides take part in joint military cooperation to enhance combat and tactical capabilities.

  the joint military exercises of the UAE Armed Forces with fraternal and friendly countries takes place in a manner consistent with latest developments, and reflects the UAE Armed Forces' determination to stand firmly against all threats and challenges facing the region.

South Africa's Zozibini Tunzi crowned Miss Universe 2019

South Africa's Zozibini Tunzi crowned Miss Universe 2019

South Africa's Zozibini Tunzi has been crowned Miss Universe for the year 2019, beating more than 90 contestants.

The 26-year-old Tunzi was declared the winner at a televised event at Atlanta in United States .

This is the third Miss Universe crown for South Africa.

Miss Puerto Rico Madison Anderson was named the first runner-up.

Miss Puerto Rico Madison Anderson was named the first runner-up, followed by Mexican contestant Ashley Alvidrez as the second runner-up.

Also part of the top 5 were Colombia and Thailand.

2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup

2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup

The 2020 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup is an upcoming international limited-overs cricket tournament scheduled to be held in South Africa from 17 January to 9 February 2020.

 It will be the thirteenth edition of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, and the second to be held in South Africa.

Sixteen teams will be taking part in the tournament, split into four groups of four.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super League, with the bottom two teams in each group progressing to the Plate League.

 India are the defending champions

Namibia's President Hage Geingob won re-election

Namibia's President Hage Geingob won re-election

Namibia's President Hage Geingob has been re-elected for a second term

Hage Gottfried Geingob is the third and current president of Namibia, in office since 21 March 2015.

Geingob was the first Prime Minister of Namibia from 21 March 1990 to 28 August 2002, and served as Prime Minister again from 4 December 2012 to 21 March 2015

Namibia, is a country in southwest Africa

Namibia gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990

it is a member state of the United Nations (UN), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Capital: Windhoek

Currency    : Namibian dollar

International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development

International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development

The International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development, more commonly referred to as International Volunteer Day, is an international observance mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1985

International Volunteer Day is celebrated by many non-governmental organizations, civil society, and the private sector, among others. It is also marked and supported by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.

The theme  2019 is “Volunteer for an inclusive future”.

Virat Kohli regains no.1 spot in ICC Test rankings

Virat Kohli regains no.1 spot in ICC Test rankings

India captain Virat Kohli regained the top spot in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test rankings in batting.

Australian Steve Smith slipped a rung in the latest list issued in Dubai. Kohli, who had struck a fine 136 in the day-night Kolkata Test against Bangladesh last week, reached 928 points.

Smith's knock of 36 in the Adelaide Test against Pakistan saw him slip to 923 points from 931 before the match.

Cheteshwar Pujara has held on to his fourth spot, while Ajinkya Rahane has come down a spot to sixth in the latest batting .

Australia opener David Warner's epic unbeaten 335 has lifted him 12 places to the fifth position. England batsman and captain Joe Root is back in the top 10.

Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah is the highest-placed Indian at the fifth position. Senior off-spinner R Ashwin was also static at ninth in the rankings.

West Indies captain Jason Holder has consolidated his position at the top of the all-rounders' list.

Global Migration Film Festival was organised in Dhaka

Global Migration Film Festival was organised in Dhaka

The Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) was organised in Dhaka on Monday.

The day-long festival screened  15 films on the theme of migration and its various aspects.

The GMFF started in 2016 and this year it is being organised across many cities in the world between 28 November to 18 December.

The short films and documentaries shown during the festival were selected through a global competition for which 600 entries were received.

The jury selected 30 best films out of which 15 were screened in Dhaka.

the Global Migration Film Festival is a global initiative simultaneously being run in many countries of the world to draw attention to the issues of internal migration, forced migration and climate change-related migration to engage people in a conversation on the issue of migration.

The festival was organised by the International Organisation of Migrants (IOM) and Dhaka University Film Society with the support of the European Union.

IOM is the UN migration agency established in 1951. It works to ensure orderly and humane management of the migration issue.

Ursula von der Leyen took over as the President of the European Commission.

Ursula von der Leyen took over as the President of the European Commission. 

The European Commission (EC) is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU

Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen is a German politician and the President of the European Commission since 1 December 2019.

She served in the federal government of Germany from 2005 to 2019 as the longest-serving member of Angela Merkel's cabinet.

she is its first woman President.

Established    16 January 1958;

UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Spain from Dec 2 - 13

UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Spain from Dec 2 - 13

UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP25 gets underway in the Spanish capital, Madrid, under the Presidency of Chile from 2-13 December 2019.

COP 25 is an important conference as countries prepare to move from pre-2020 period under Kyoto Protocol to post-2020 period under Paris Agreement.

Paris climate deal will be a key issue as some 25,000 delegates convene for the annual UN conference in Madrid.

Study creates bacteria that consume carbon dioxide for growth

Study creates bacteria that consume carbon dioxide for growth

 Researchers have developed bacteria called Escherichia coli, which consume carbon-di-oxide for energy instead of organic compounds.

This creation in synthetic biology highlights the incredible plasticity of bacterial metabolism and could provide the framework for future carbon-neutral bioproduction.

The work appeared in the journal -- Cell.