Current Affairs 27th and 28th December 2015

Important Points : 

• Name the veteran indian actress who has passed away - Sadhana Shivdasani
• Which  country has amended One Couple, One Child Policy - China 
• NFC-based wallet MoboMoney launched by - Tech Mahindra 
• Name the Indigenously developed Air-to-Air missile which has been successfully test fired - Astra
• MoU on technology initiatives has been signed with Microsoft India by - AP Government
• Who has bagged the silver at Asian Luge Championship - Shiva Keshavan
• Who has launched 4G telecom service - Reliance Jio 
• Globe Soccer Awards 2015 

Details : 

Name the veteran indian actress who has passed away - Sadhana Shivdasani

On 25th December 2015, Veteran Indian actress Sadhana Shivdasani passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra at the age of 74.

She was known for her rememberable performances in Waqt, Mera Saaya, Hum Dono, Love in Simla and was one of the top actors of the 1960s and 1970s.

She first appeared as a chorus girl in the song Mur mur ke na dekh mur mur ke in Raj Kapoor's Shree 420.

In the year 1960, she appeared as the main actress in the film "Love in Simla".

Which  country has amended One Couple, One Child Policy - China 

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 27th December 2015, the approval to amend One Couple, One Child Policy was given by China’s National People's Congress Standing Committee. The amendment in the policy will remove the restrictions of having only one child per couple.

The amendment seeks to balance the population structure of the country.

Earlier, in the year 2013, the couples were allowed to have a second child only under the condititon that either parent was an only child.

Benefits to China

According to a estimate, around 140 million women of child-bearing age in the country have already raised a child. Soon after the new law is adopted, about 90 million of them are expected to have a second child.

NFC-based wallet MoboMoney launched by - Tech Mahindra 

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 23rd December 2015, India’s first contactless digital payment ecosystem, branded MoboMoney was launched by Tech Mahindra Limited.

It was claimed by the company that MoboMoney is the India's first commercial rollout of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which enables the radio communication between two NFC enabled devices.

Characterstics of MoboMoney

• It is a prepaid wallet issued in the form of an NFC Contactless Tag.
• It gives the ability to the user to convert cash into e-cash by simply paying cash at its 1000+ retail network.
• Users can use the e-cash available in their digital wallets to Tap n Pay for recharges, bill payments, as well as pay online payment.
• Stringent encryption measures are used for the secured transactions.

Name the Indigenously developed Air-to-Air missile which has been successfully test fired - Astra

Among the important Defence Current Affairs, On 25th December 2015, Indian Air Force successfully test fired the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra near the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Balasore, off the coast of Odisha.

The objective of the test is to validate the ECCM (electronic counter-counter measure) to overcome any jamming.

Characterstics of Astra missile

• It is India’s first beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) with the ability to engage its target with an operational range of 60km.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has indigeniously designed and developed the missile.
• It has a speed of 4780 km/h with Single Shot Kill Probability (SSKP) and active radar terminal guidance which uses smokeless propulsion system to elude enemy radars.
• It has a length of 3.8 metre and is the smallest of the DRDO-developed missiles. 

MoU on technology initiatives has been signed with Microsoft India by - AP Government

On 28th December 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a range of technology initiatives was inked with Microsoft India by Government of Andhra Pradesh after a meet held between Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella and the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

The motive of the MoU is to provide IT-based decentralised citizen services and enhance use of information and communication technologies and drive digital inclusion.

Features of the MoU

• The company will provide technical knowledge to the AP Government by applying Microsoft Azure Machine Learning and Advanced Visualization method.
• The three proof-of-concept (PoC) solutions are related to the fields of eCitizen services, agriculture and education.
• Microsoft India will use the lab method for policy planning, analysis, predictive analysis and data gathering.

Who has bagged the silver at Asian Luge Championship - Shiva Keshavan

Among the important Sports Current Affairs, On 27th December 2015, Shiva Keshavan bagged a silver medal in the 18th edition of the Asian Luge Championship.

Hidenari Kanayama of Japan stood first at the championship while Kim Dong-hyeon of South Korea settled for the third place.

About Shiva Keshavan

• He is the first Indian representative to compete at the Winter Olympic Games and a five time Olympian.
• He has set a new Asian speed record at 134.3 km/h.
• He grabbed the gold medal in Asia Cup 2011 and created a new Asian track record at 49.590 seconds in 2012.
• He also holds the world record for youngest ever Olympian.

Who has launched 4G telecom service - Reliance Jio 

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 27th December 2015, 4G telecom service are launched by the Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL) to mark the birth anniversary of Dhirubhai Ambani in Navy Mumbai.

Features of Jio 4G Service

• It gives media and payment services, high speed data and digital commerce.
• It has a speed up to 1 gbps.

Globe Soccer Awards 2015 

Among the important awards winners, On 27th December 2015, the sixth edition of Globe Soccer Awards 2015 was presented by the Globe Soccer presented to the winners.

Winners of Globe Soccer Awards 2015

• Best Club of the Year - F.C. Barcelona
• Best Media Attraction in Football - F.C. Barcelona
• Best Academy of the Year - Benfica
• Best Coach of the Year - Marc Wilmots
• Best Agent of the Year - Jorge Mendes
• Best Player of the Year - Lionel Messi
• Best President of the Year - Josep Maria Bartomeu
• Best Referee of the Year - Ravshan Irmatov