National Political News:
1. The sanitization operation at the PathankotAirforce station which had come under a terrorist attack from Pakistan Militants of JEM has come to an end with the retrieval of 4 bodies of the dead terrorist and the body parts of another two charred in a building which was blown up by the security forces. In all seven Indian brave hearts lost their lives of which 5 were unarmed and came under terrorist fire.
NIA is probing the entire operation including the chance of insider/local support being involved. The SP of Punjab Police who was reportedly kidnaped by terrorist and then released unharmed is also under investigation.
Defence Minister ManoharParikar at a press conference in Pathankot has stated as to the conduct of the operations efficacy.
The politician drugs angle is also under investigation in the insider role.
2. The Indian consulate inMazar-e-Sharief in Northern Afghanistan has been attacked by unidentified gunman. In a 25 hour seize by the Afghanistan Police, 3 militants have been killed.
3. Veteran communist leader A.B. Bardhan passes away.
4. A major Earthquake measuring 6.7 on the richter scale strikes North East India, Burma and Bangladesh with its epicenter at Tamenglong in Manipur. 16 people have been killed in it and there is a massive destruction of property.
5. Terror threat at Tibri cantonment near the towns of Gurdaspur and Pathankot. Massive search operation is on for the sighted terrorists.
6. J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passes away. Governor’s rule has been imposed in J&K as differences are there between BJP and PDP the coalition partners in J & K Govt., who have 25 and 28 MLA’s respectively in the state Assembly.
International Political News:
1. Iran and Saudi Arab relationship is in a turmoil after Saudis execute a Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr-al-Nimr who was a critic of Saudi Royal family. 47 others accused on terror charges and indisposed towards the Saudi Royal family also executed. The Muslim cleric was a central figure in 2011 Arab springinspired protest in the kingdom and was accused of shooting a Saudi policeman on duty. The Saudi embassy in Iran has been ransacked by the Iranian shias. Kuwait and other gulf Arab states with predominantly Sunni Muslim population recall their envoys from Iran in protest against the ransacking of the Saudi embassyin Tehran.
2. A new Jihadi John of ISIS emerges. Purported to be born a Hindu,SiddhartaDhar now known as Abu Rumaysah after conversion to Islam on marriage to a Muslim wife with whom he has 4 children, fled to IS in Syria after jumping bail in a criminal offence in England.
3. North Korea claims to have tested a Hydrogen bomb at its test site in Punggye-ri in North East Korea. Earthquake shocks felt in North and South Korea and quake stations around the world in US and China. The hydrogen bomb is many times powerful then the atom bombs which were previously used by America in second world war on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which were raised to the ground.
The hydrogen bomb releases destructive energy waves by fusion of hydrogen isotopes ofdeuterium and tritium and requires the energy of an atom bomb as its pin to start the chain reaction.
Business News:
1. The Chinese markets in Shenzhen and Shanghai fall 7% to trigger a circuit breaker on the back of negative Chinese factory data. The Indian and the world markets tumble in a chain reaction.
2. Nikkei India PMI falls to 49.1 in December from 50.3 in November indicating contraction in manufacturing. Decline in PMI is also attributed to the Chennai floods.
3. The Union Cabinet has approved the closure of iconic HMT watches, HMT Chinar watches and HMT bearings. Employees of these units shall be given VRS etc. at 2007 payscales.Other government units the loss makersTungabhadra Steel and Hindustan Cables are also to be closed.
4. BS VI norms for automobiles are to be enforced from April 1, 2020 by skipping the BS V norms for both diesel and petrol vehicles.
Science and Technology:
1. Hubble space telescope has captured images of 2 galaxies merging into one, 230 million light years away. Galaxy N6C 6052 attracted by gravity to another galaxycollides and its original stars are thrown out of their orbits and placed into new paths.
The Hubble space telescope was launched by NASA into low earth orbit in 1990 and it remains in operation.
2. Freak heatwaves are instrumental in reduction of North Pole icecap. Temperature is –2°C Celsius above the mid winter norm of –21°C. Canadian authorities blame it on a freak depression raising wind speeds in North Atlantic by dragging warm air upwards/ north wards.
3. A new atomic element named as 113 has been found by Japanese scientist after 12 years of research in Riken Nishinacentre for acceleration based science. The element has been provisionally named as Ununtrium.
4. South Korean scientist have developed a technology to make solid state lithium batteries that will not implode or burn easily. They are coating the electrode with melted solid electrolyte which is a diffusing powder type of active material with a solvent and then subsequently vaporizing the solvent.
Sports:
1. Indian star soccer player SumitChhetri aids India in beating Afghanistan 2–1 at Thiruvananthapuram in the SAFF Cup finals to regain the soccer cup.
2. Lodha committee on BCCI overhaul proposes major reforms. It desires to keep out ministers, Govt servants etc. in the working of the BCCI. It has also advisedto keep the retirement age of the office bearers at 70 and has also desired that ex -cricketers should be the decision makers in state cricket bodies.
