 State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a loan agreement worth of $277 million (about Rs 1,958 crore) with Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) German development bank for establishing an energy-efficient housing programme in India. The programme shall be part of the Indo-German Development Co-operation, guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Under the programme, both builders and homebuyers shall be financed for developing/purchasing energy-efficient residential projects that achieve at least 25 per cent energy savings in comparison to standard reference buildings. The arrangement of the loan and the grant facilities was facilitated by SBI’s investment banking subsidiary SBI Capital Markets Ltd. |
| Source: The Economic Times |
 India successfully conducted a developmental trial of the land-attack version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Chandipur Integrated Test Range, off Odisha coast. The 9-meter long missile can travel at thrice the speed of sound and carry a conventional warhead weighing up to 300 kg. The BrahMos missile is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile capable of being launched from submarines, ships, fighter jets or land. |
| Source: The News on AIR |
 Chief Minister N. Biren Singh inaugurated the State-level Orange festival at district Tamenglong in Manipur. Tamenglong district is largest producer of orange fruit in Manipur. The state government under the sponsorship of North Eastern Council organise the festival annually to promote the fruit and encourage its growers. ‘On day one, orange growers’ competition was held and prizes were distributed to top position holders. As part of the festival, cultural show, traditional games, orange queen completion, seminar for growers will be held. |
| Source: The News on AIR |
 The International Migrants Day is organized across the world on 18th December to protect the rights of migrant workers and members of their families. In Dec 2000, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 18 Dec as International Migrants Day after considering the large and increasing number of migrants in the world. The International Organization for Migration salutes migrants and the communities they join, the communities they remake through their mutual effort. We salute them and we support them, and pledge to make the future we believe is arriving for all of us. #WeTogether. |
| Source: The United Nations |
 Former Union Minister ID Swami passed away. He served as the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs in 1999 in former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government. He was also two times Lok Sabha member from Karnal in Haryana. |
| Source: The Business Standard |
 Bollywood actress Gita Siddharth Kak passed away. Her most well-known movies include Garm Hava (1973), Parichay (1972), Gaman (1978) among others. Her Garam Hava won the Best Feature Film at the 21st National Film Awards. The film was also critically acclaimed. |
| Source: The Indian Express |
 Veteran actor Shriram Lagoo passed away. He played important role in the growth of theatre movement in Maharashtra in the post-Independence era. His roles in Marathi plays such as “Natsamrat” and “Himalayachi Saoli”, and films such as “Pinjra” made him popular. In Hindi, he essayed memorable roles in films such as “Ek Din Achanak”, “Gharonda” and “Lawaris”, to name a few. |
| Source: The News on AIR |
 In Turkey, the main body of the 610-year-old Er-R?zk mosque was removed from the town of Hasankeyf ahead of its submergence as part of a Ilisu dam project. The Ilisu Dam will generate 1,200 megawatts of electricity, making it Turkey’s fourth-largest dam in terms of energy production. |
| Source: The DD News |
 Haryana police have introduced a unique barcoding software “Trakea” to enable foolproof security of the samples collected in Forensic reports. Haryana became the first state in the country to introduce this unique barcoding system. Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister (CM) of Haryana inaugurated the TRAKEA barcoding system of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Madhuban, Haryana. According to the police, Trakea ensures foolproof security of the samples collected from the scene of the crime, and the forensic analysis reports, and is different from traditional methods that the state police force has been following for decades. The software was developed by a software engineer Amit Mishra. |
| Source: The Indian Express |
 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), has removed the ‘Carnival of Aalst’ of Belgium from its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List. The 2019 carnival featured a parade float that included racist and anti-Semitic representations which mocked the Orthodox Jews. The carnival was added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010. |
| Source: The Guardian |
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