National News

 2nd edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam 2023

• The second edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam 2023 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Namo Ghat in Varanasi and also flagged off another Vande Bharat express train from Varanasi.

About Uttar Pradesh

India and Oman 

• To expand bilateral cooperation in around 10 key areas Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik have adopted a vision document and pushed for concluding a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) as soon as possible.
• The third tranche of Oman-India joint investment fund worth 300 million US dollars (around 2,500 crore rupees) was also announced.

About Oman

New Integrated Terminal Building & Diamond Bourse in Surat

• The New Integrated Terminal Building of Surat Airport and newly built Diamond Bourse, the World’s largest corporate office hub was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Surat, Gujarat.
• The diamond bourse project is a part of the ambitious 'Surat Dream City' project.

About Gujarat

International News

20th handicrafts trade fair and 18th Handicrafts Competition

• 20th handicrafts trade fair and 18th Handicrafts Competition organised by Nepal Handicrafts Federations was inaugurated by President of Nepal Ramchandra Paudel.

Bordering Indian States with Nepal

Veer Yodha Samman Diwas in Saudi Arabia 

• The Embassy of India in Saudi Arabia commemorated Veer Yodha Samman Diwas on December 16 to honour Armed Forces Veterans in a special event.

About Saudi Arabia

UNSC Open Debate on Small Arms

• India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj In her address to the UNSC Open Debate on Small Arms in New York, urged the UN to take zero-tolerance measures against terrorist organisations and those who fund them.

About UNSC

Science and Tech 

 COVID-19 Sub-variant JN 1

• The Union Health Ministry has said that a case of COVID-19 Sub-variant JN.1 has been detected in Kerala.

Covid Variant and Origin Countries

Sports 

 India registered a historic 347-run win over England

• In women's cricket, India registered a 347-run victory, the largest winning margin in women's Tests over England in the one-off Test match in Mumbai.

Vijay Hazare Trophy  

• In a pulsating Vijay Hazare Trophy final,Haryana won over Rajasthan by 30 runs and secured the state team’s first title triumph in more than 32 years at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Saturday.

 Khelo India Games 

• Tamil Nadu is all set to host Khelo India Games from 19th to 31st January, 2024 in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Trichy.
• For the first time, squash will be included in Khelo India games.

About Khelo India Games

Person in News 

Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

• India has declared a one-day state of mourning as a mark of respect for the passing away of the Emir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, at the age of 86.

About Kuwait

Appointments 

 Hardik Pandya: Captain of MI

• Mumbai Indians announced Hardik Pandya as their new captain ahead of the Indian Premier League 2024 season.

About IPL

Books and Authors

 Sadbhavna ki Sarita Narendra Modi

• Governor of Himachal Pradesh Shiv Pratap Shukla released the book “Sadbhavna ki Sarita Narendra Modi” written by Dr. Jashbhai Patel at Raj Bhavan.

Reports

LEADS 2023 

• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal released the “Logistics Ease Across Different State (LEADS) 2023” report in New Delhi on 16th December 2023.
• The 5th edition of the LEADS annual exercise - LEADS 2023 report, provides insights into improvement of logistics performance at State/UT level.

Additional Information

Awards and Honours

Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar 

• The Union Minister of Railway Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw conferred the ‘Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar’ (AVRSP) to 100 Railway Employees at the 68th Railway Week Central Function, organised at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
• He also presented 21 Shields for promoting best practices among Railway employees.

About Indian Railway