1) India and France Agree to Strengthen Bilateral Defence Cooperation
•India and France have agreed to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation as a key Pillar of strategic partnership between the two countries. Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and French Minister for the Armed Forces, Ms. Florence Parly discussed a range of measures to expand military to military ties.
•The joint Naval exercise named the VARUNA is scheduled in early 2018 between the two countries. The two Ministers also comprehensively reviewed developments in defence equipment and industry cooperation, where France is a major partner.
2) UP Declares Vrindavan, Barsana as Sacred Sites
•The Uttar Pradesh government issued an order notifying Vrindavan and Barsana towns in Mathura district as “pavitra teerth sthals (sacred pilgrimage sites)”. No meat and liquor shops will be allowed in these towns anymore.
•Principal Secretary (Religious Affairs) Avinish Kumar Awasthi instructed to prohibit meat and liquor shops in these notified areas. Vrindavan and Barsana are the first two places to be notified as teerth sthal in government records.
3) Sharmila Tagore Honoured With Lifetime Achievement Award
•Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore has received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The 72-year-old actor was bestowed with the recognition by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi for her contribution in the field of cinema.
•Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh and Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari presented the award to Tagore. The celebrated actor debuted in movies with legendary director Satyajit Ray's Bengali film Apur Sansar in 1959. Her breakout role in Hindi cinema was Shakti Samanta's 1964 film Kashmir Ki Kali.
4) N.J.Gangte Appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Zambia
•N.J.Gangte has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Zambia.
•He is presently the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. He is expected to take up his assignment shortly.
5) World’s First Hydrogen Tram Begins Operation in China
•The world’s first hybrid electric tram powered by hydrogen fuel cells has started running in China, marking a big step in the application of green energy in public transport.
•The tram was put into commercial operation for the first time in Tangshan, north China’s Hebei Province. With water being its only emission, the tram emits no pollutants. No nitrogen oxides will be produced as the temperature of the reaction inside hydrogen fuel cells is controlled under 100 degrees Celsius.
•The tram, having three carriages with 66 seats, can run for 40 kilometers at a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour after being refilled with 12 kilograms of hydrogen.
6) Cabinet Approves Rs 7,000 crore for Construction of Six IIT Campuses
•The Union Cabinet has approved over Rs 7,000 crore for construction of permanent campuses of six new Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) across the country.
•Each of the permanent campuses to be established at Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Palakkad (Kerala), Dharwad (Karnataka), Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh) and Goa will have a facility for housing 1,200 students from the academic year 2020-2021.
7) ISSF World Cup Final: Sangram Wins Silver in Double Trap
•Sangram Dahiya won a silver in the ISSF World Cup Final, in New Delhi. Double trap exponent Sangram clinched his first-ever senior medal in International Shooting Sports Federation tournament.
•He was taking part in the prestigious event for the first time.
8) Virat Kohli Becomes Fastest Batsman to Score 9000 ODI Runs
•Virat Kohli became the sixth Indian to complete 9000 ODI runs during the third game against New Zealand. He went on to score his 32nd ODI century off 96 balls.
•Mahendra Singh Dhoni had reached the milestone in 2016 while other Indians who have done so are Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Mohammad Azharuddin. Overall, Kohli, who played his 202nd match and 194th innings has become the 19th batsman to breach the 9000-run mark, making him the fastest to get there.
