1. ISRO
successfully launches GSLV Mark-III
i. ISRO
successfully carries out human crew module experiment; module safely splashes
down into Bay of Bengal off Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
ii. Also
known as LVM3/CARE, this suborbital experimental mission was intended to test
the vehicle performance during the critical atmospheric phase of its flight and
this carried passive (non functional) cryogenic upper stage.
iii. With
today’s successful launch, the vehicle has moved a step closer to its first
development flight with the functional C25 cryogenic stage.
2. 26/11
trial: Pak court grants bail to Lakhvi
i. LeT
operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, one the seven Pakistani nationals
accused of planning and abetting the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was granted
bail on Thursday by the Anti-Terrorism Court.
ii. The
seven accused — Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid
Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum — are facing trial at the Adiala Jail
in Rawalpindi.
iii. Lakhvi
and six others had filed bail applications on Wednesday even as lawyers were
observing strike to condemn the terrorist attack on an army-run school in
Peshawar that left 148 people, mostly children, dead.
3. Priyanka
Chopra inks deal with American TV network
i. After
launching her music career in the U.S., Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has
now sealed a one-year TV development deal with ABC Television Studios.
ii. The ABC deal
comes after Priyanka had a voice role in the animated feature ‘Planes’
iii. The
actress’s first single, ‘In My City’, was also selected as the theme song to
the 2013 season of the NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football and her cover of
Bonnie Raitt’s ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ was featured in a nationwide campaign
for Beats By Dre.
4. ‘The
Lunchbox’ honoured by Toronto film critics
i. Indian
film director Ritesh Batra’s ‘The Lunchbox’ has been named best first feature
at the 18th annual Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) awards in Toronto.
ii. It’s the
only Indian movie to win a TFCA award, voted by the members of the association,
which includes Toronto-based journalists and broadcasters who specialise in
film criticism and commentary.
iii. The awards,
to be hosted by Cameron Bailey, artistic director of the Toronto International
Film Festival, will be presented at a gala dinner here Jan 6, next year, said
their official site torontofilmcritics.com.
5. Twins at
peak of mountaineering glory
i. By scaling
Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest mountain at 4,892 metres, Tashi Malik and
Nungshi Malik from Dehradun have become the world’s first twins and siblings to
climb the highest peaks on the seven continents.
ii. The
23-year-old twins accomplished their “Mission 2 for 7” on Tuesday night (IST)
when they conquered the mountain.
iii. The
mission, which they have dedicated to the cause of the Indian girl child,
started by conquering Mt. Kilimanjaro in February 2012. The mission progressed
as they conquered Mt. Everest in May 2013; Mt. Elbrus in August 2013; Mt.
Aconcagua in January 2014; Mt. Carstensz Pyramid in March 2014; and Mt.
McKinley in June 2014.
6. SC
directed Union government to complete fencing along Indo-Bangladesh border in 3
months
i. The Supreme
Court (SC) directed the Union Government to complete fencing work along
Indo-Bangladesh border within three months.
ii. The
direction was given to check cross-border influx of illegal Bangladesh
nationals into Assam. It also asked the government to streamline the process to
deport them back.
iii. The
court also asked the Union government why even after 67 years of independence,
the eastern border is left porous.
7. Former
Olympic wrestling champion suspended for one year.
i. Former
Olympic wrestling champion Steeve Guenot was suspended for one year on Thursday
by the French anti-doping agency for missing doping tests.
ii. Guenot,
who has been suspended until July 30, 2015, will not appeal the decision,
meaning that he won’t be able to compete at the European Games in Baku next
June.
8. AIBA bans
Sarita Devi
i. Indian
woman boxer L. Sarita Devi was on Wednesday handed a one-year ban by the
International Boxing Association (AIBA) for refusing to accept her bronze medal
at the Asian Games.
ii. But the
punishment is unlikely to hurt her career too badly as she would be available
to compete in the 2016 Olympic qualifiers.
iii. Sarita,
who had refused to accept the medal to protest her controversial semifinal bout
loss, has been banned retrospectively from October 1, 2014 to October 1, 2015
and fined 1000 swiss francs.