22 December- Current affairs

UN denounces US recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital

  • The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to denounce President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, largely ignoring Mr. Trump’s threats to cut off aid to any country that went against him.
  • The nonbinding resolution declaring U.S. action on Jerusalem “null and void” was approved 128-9 a victory for the Palestinians, but not as big as they predicted. Amid Washington’s threats, 35 of the 193 U.N. member nations abstained and 21 were absent.
RK Nagar records 77.68% voter turnout

  • As many as 1.76 lakh voters cast thier votes in RK Nagar constituency
  • The 77.68% voter turnout is higher than that recorded during the bypoll held in 2015
  • The votes will be counted on Sunday
Inquilab gets Sahitya Akademi award
  • Poet and dramatist Inquilab has been selected posthumously for the Sahitya Akademi award for 2017. But his family has decided to decline the award because he had always expressed his voice against the governments.
  • Another Tamil writer who has selected for the award is U.Ma. Vasuki.
  • The Sahitya Akademi on Thursday announced its annual awards in 24 languages.
  • The award in the form of a cheque of Rs 1 lakh, a shawl and a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, will be presented at a special function to be held on February 12, 2018.
Banner against taking selfies outside Yogi Adityanath’s residence removed
  • “In this VIP area taking photos and selfies are punishable crime. Those caught will have to face strict action,” the banner put up yesterday where the residences of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh are located, was removed today after much criticism on social media.
Sushil Ghalay retains 50m prone gold
  • Sushil Ghalay (Army) outgunned Olympians Gagan Narang and Chain Singh to retain the men’s 50m prone gold medal in the 61st National Shooting Championships at the National Games shooting range here on Thursday.
  • Narang took silver with a best of 246.6 and Chain Singh was third with 225.4.
Indian hockey team employs NeuroTracker program to improve mental strength
  • Handling pressure in crunch situations is key to success in any sport and to address the issue ‘NeuroTracker’ has been introduced to Indian women’s hockey team to enhance their mental strength.
  • NeuroTracker is a non-invasive system that uses 3D multiple object tracking to improve the efficiency of neural networks that govern situational awareness, attention, executive function and cognitive stamina.
Vidarbha enter Ranji Trophy final
  • Medium pacer Rajneesh Gurbani’s sensational bowling guided Vidarbha to their maiden Ranji Trophy final after they stunned defending champions Karnataka by five runs in a thrilling semi-final, here on Thursday.
  • Vidarbha will now play Delhi for the title of the country’s best first-class team.
India Retain 105th Spot, Germany Tops FIFA Ranking List
  • India football team remained stagnant on the 105th position while Germany finished first to be named the 'Team of the Year' in the FIFA rankings released on Thursday.
  • The Sunil Chhetri-led side, who were not slated to play any international fixtures since the previous rankings were released last month, retained their spot with 320 points.