♦ India celebrates the National Mathematics Day every year on December 22 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan. ♦ Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proclaimed this day as the National Mathematics Day in 2012. Ramanujan was born in Erode in Tamil Nadu in 1887. ♦ Ramanujan stated that 1729 is a very intriguing number. This is also called as Ramanujan Number.
♦ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed an agreement to collaborate on activities related to astronaut training, mission implementation, and research experiments. ♦ The agreement was signed by ISRO Chairman S. Somanath and Dr Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA. ♦ The agreement establishes a framework for cooperative activities in human space exploration and research, focusing on astronaut training, support for experiment development and integration (including the use of ESA facilities on the International Space Station), human and biomedical research experiments, as well as joint educational and outreach initiatives.
♦ U.S. President-elect Donald Trump named Indian-American entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan as Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence on 22 Decmber 2024. ♦ He will work alongside ex-PayPal Chief Operating Officer (COO) David O Sacks, who has been nominated as the "White House AI and crypto czar." ♦ Sriram Krishnan was born in Chennai. In 2005, he left for the US at the age of 21. ♦ He began his journey in the tech world with Microsoft in 2005. He later led product teams at major tech companies including X, Yahoo!, Facebook, and Snap. ♦ Krishnan is not the only Indian-American in Team Trump. The US President-elect has picked scientist Jay Bhattacharya as the Director of the National Institutes of Health, the country's top health research institution. ♦ Vivek Ramaswamy was chosen to lead the Doge, alongside Elon Musk. Lawyer Harmeet K Dhillon was nominated as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice. ♦ Kash Patel will serve as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
♦ The Indian women's cricket team clinched the inaugural Under-19 ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup title at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 22 December 2024. India defeated Bangladesh by 41 runs in the final. ♦ India's Gongadi Trisha scored 52 runs off 47 balls to clinch the Player of the Match award in the summit clash played at the Bayuemas Oval. She was also the Player of the Series and the top scorer in the tournament with 159 runs in five innings. ♦ The tournament began on 15th December. ♦ The ACC U-19 Women's Asia Cup 2024 tournament format saw the six teams divided into two groups of three each for the first round. Group A: Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka Group B: India, Pakistan, Nepal.
♦ Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah on 22 December 2024. ♦ They discussed cooperation in key sectors like pharmaceuticals, IT, FinTech, Infrastructure and security. ♦ On this occasion, the two countries elevated their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in defence, along with agreements in culture and sports. ♦ Modi arrived in Kuwait on December 21 for a two-day visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 43 years. The last visit was by Indira Gandhi in 1981. Key Agreements During the Modi Visit: ♦ The defence pact focuses on several key areas, including training, personnel exchanges, joint exercises, defence industry cooperation, supply of equipment, and collaboration in research and development. ♦ A Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for 2025-2029 was also signed, aiming to boost cultural collaboration in arts, literature, music, dance, and theatre. ♦ In the field of sports, an Executive Programme (EP) for 2025-2028 was finalised to promote bilateral cooperation. ♦ Kuwait formally joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) during Modi’s visit. ♦ The alliance aims to tackle challenges in scaling up solar energy use and support low-carbon growth trajectories for member countries.
♦ Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded Kuwait's highest honour ‘The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’ on 22 December 2024. ♦ It is the 20th international award bestowed upon him by a country. ♦ ‘The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’ is a knighthood order of Kuwait. It is awarded to Heads of State and foreign Sovereigns and members of foreign royal families in sign of friendship. ♦ It has been previously awarded to foreign leaders like Bill Clinton, Prince Charles and George Bush.
♦ The first-ever World Meditation Day was observed on December 21. This day was celebrated following a resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly on 29th November 2024. ♦ The day highlights the practice’s universal potential to address contemporary global challenges, including stress, violence, and societal discord. ♦ 2024 theme: "Meditation for Global Peace and Harmony."
♦ Union Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw conferred 69th Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar to 101 Railway officials and 22 Shields to best performing Zones in different categories at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on 21 December 2024. ♦ Indian Railways confers ATI VISHISHT RAIL PURASKAR to its employees every year. ♦ These awards are given into two categories, the individual awards, as well as Shields presented to the best-performing Railway Zones. ♦ Individual awards serve as a platform to acknowledge and celebrate the dedication, hard work, and exceptional contributions of Railway personnel towards making the Indian Railways a more efficient, safe, and passenger-friendly organization. ♦ Shield awards in various categories are presented recognizing their outstanding achievements and contributions to the overall performance of the Indian Railways.
♦ Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated India's first bio-bitumen-based National Highway stretch on NH-44 in Mansar, Nagpur, Maharashtra on 21 December 2024. ♦ This stretch was developed using lignin-based bio-bitumen technology by Praj Industries, in collaboration with CSIR - Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and Oriental. ♦ This is the first national highway in the country built using bitumen made from crop residues - lignin. ♦ This road made from bio-bitumen is 40 percent stronger than a traditional asphalt road, and by mixing 15 percent bio-bitumen in the asphalt, a 1-kilometre-long stretch has been constructed in the Nagpur-Mansar National Highway project.
♦ India will be hosting the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup for the first time in the second half of 2025. ♦ The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the governing body of sports shooting in the country, announced this on 21 December 2024. ♦ The ISSF awarded the hosting rights for the top junior international shooting competition for Rifle/ Pistol/ Shotgun to the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). ♦ This will be the third top ISSF-level event to be held in India after the senior World Cup in Bhopal in 2023 and the season-ending ISSF World Cup Final earlier this year (2024). ♦ This will be the ninth top-level shooting championship to be held in India over the past decade, and it will be the first ISSF Junior World Cup. ♦ Before this India had hosted continental championships and six ISSF competitions, including two World Cup Final competitions besides four senior ISSF World Cups.
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