ANGELA MERKEL TOPS FORBES MOST-POWERFUL WOMEN LIST, NIRMALA SITHARAMAN RANKS 34TH
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has topped Forbes’ list of world’s most-powerful women for the ninth year running.
- Following Merkel was Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank.
- Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also found a spot on Forbes’ list at 34, ranking ahead of Queen Elizabeth II, who is at number 40, and Ivanka Trump, who stood at number 42.
US REPLACES KUWAIT AS INDIA’S 6TH BIGGEST OIL SUPPLIER; IRAQ REMAINS ON TOP
- The US supplied 5.4 million tonnes of crude oil during the first six months of 2019-20.
- India began importing crude oil from the US in 2017 as it looked to diversify its import basket beyond the OPEC nations.
- It bought 1.9 million tonnes of crude oil from the US in 2017-18 and another 6.2 million tonnes in 2018-19, the data showed.
- India, which is 83 per cent dependent on imports to meet its oil needs, bought 111.4 million tonnes of crude oil from overseas during April-September.
INDIAN CRICKETER ROHIT SHARMA BECOMES FIRST NON-FOOTBALLER TO BE NAMED LA LIGA BRAND AMBASSADOR-
- La Liga, the top tier of Spanish club football, announced cricketer Rohit Sharma as its brand ambassador in India.
- He becomes the first non-footballer in the league’s 90-year-old history to endorse the brand.
- Rohit Sharma came on board after being sounded out by Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director, La Liga India last year.
BORIS JOHNSON’S CONSERVATIVE PARTY WINS MAJORITY IN UK ELECTION-
- Boris Johnson is set to be re-elected as British prime minister with a landslide majority in the country’s general elections.
- That gives Johnson a comfortable majority in the House of Commons and paves the way for Brexit to take place at the end of January.
ANDHRA PRADESH CABINET CLEARS DISHA BILL TO ENSURE RAPE VERDICTS IN 21 DAYS-
- The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet cleared the A.P. Disha Bill, 2019 (A.P. Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2019).
- This bill will be paving the way for awarding the death penalty for the offences of rape and gang-rape and expediting the verdict in trials of such cases to 21 days.
- The legislation is to be tabled in the ongoing session of the Assembly.
ISRO BEGINS PREPARATIONS FOR SETTING UP 3RD ROCKET LAUNCHPAD–
- Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has begun preparatory works for setting up a 3rd rocket launchpad in the small coastal hamlet of Kulashekhrapattinam in the Thuthukudi district of Tamil Nadu.
- At present, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has two launch pads at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
- The demand for additional launch pads has arisen as a result of the increase in the number of satellite launches from India, both for domestic and international customers.
CITIZENSHIP BILL 2019 BECOMES LAW WITH PRESIDENT RAM NATH KOVIND’S ASSENT-
- The bill became an Act of law after President Ram Nath Kovindgave his assent to the legislation.
- The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha on 11/12/19 and by Lok Sabha on 09/12.19.
- According to the Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.