National News

 26th meeting of Eastern Zonal Council

• 26th meeting of Eastern Zonal Council chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah was held in Bihar, Patna.
• The Chief Ministers of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha have participated in the Meeting.

About Zonal Council

NAeG-2024

• The scheme and web-portal for National Awards for e-Governance NAeG has been launched by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
• The department said that, this year 16 Awards are being conferred under the NAeG-2024.

 Environment

 India's Pledge for a Greener Future

• India’s National Statement at COP28 in Dubai, UAE has been presented by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change  Bhupender Yadav.
• Minister Yadav commended the session's theme as the "COP for Action."

Initiatives launched at COP 28

First Youth Stocktake

• COP28, in collaboration with YOUNGO (the Children and Youth Constituency of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change), launched the Youth Stocktake- a comprehensive analysis of youth participation in climate diplomacy.

 World Bank launched initiative to Combat Air Pollution

• The World Bank has launched a multi-faceted initiative to curb the impact of PM2.5 pollution across India.

About World Bank

International

 India's diplomatic visit to Switzerland and Liechtenstein 

• In Liechtenstein, discussions were held on the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership (TEPA), India’s G20 Presidency, and global and regional issues of mutual interest.
• Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (West), Sanjay Verma co-chaired the 12th round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC), along with Alexandre Fasel, State Secretary at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Berne In Switzerland.

About Switzerland

US vetoed UN resolution 

• A UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution put forward by the UAE calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza has been vetoed by the United States.
• 13 of the 15 members of the Security Council voted in favour, the United States voted against and the United Kingdom abstained.

About UNSC

Awards and Honours

 Brandon Hall Group’s Excellence in Technology Awards 2023

• NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) has been declared as the winner at the Brandon Hall Group’s Excellence in Technology Awards 2023.
• The company received the coveted silver awards in two distinct categories: "Best Advance in Corporate Wellbeing Technology" and "Best Advance in Augmented and Virtual Reality."

About NTPC

Economy & Banking

 REC signs 200 million euro loan with German Bank KfW 

• REC (Rural Electrification Corporation) Limited, a Maharatna CPSE  has signed a 200 million Euro loan agreement with the German bank KfW to enhance the distribution infrastructure of DISCOMs in line with the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) of the Government of India.

About REC

First SWYP Credit Card

• IDFC FIRST Bank has introduced a youth-centric “FIRST SWYP” credit card in partnership with Mastercard.

About IDFC First Bank

96th Annual General Meeting of FICCI

• 96th Annual General Meeting and Convention of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) was held in New Delhi on December 09, 2023.

About FICCI

27th WAIPA World Investment Conference

• India is set to host the 27th WAIPA World Investment Conference organised by National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the Government of India, and World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) in New Delhi from Dec 11.

About WAIPA

Important Days

 International Anti-Corruption Day

• International Day Against Corruption or International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) is celebrated on December 9, every year.
• Theme: “UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption”

World Human Rights Day 2023

• Human Rights Day is celebrated annually around the world on 10 December every year.
• Theme: "Equality, Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights."

About Human Rights Day

Sports

 FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 

• India advanced to Quarter finals after thrashing Canada by 10-1 in his last group Stage Match.
• Venue: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

About FIH

Defence

Exercise Prasthan

•  The Indian Navy and other defence, State and civil agencies have conducted a co-ordinated exercise code-named ‘Prasthan' in the Offshore Development Area off Mumbai. 

About Indian Navy