8th December 2014 Current Affairs Updates

1) Delhi govt banned Uber cab service: Delhi government on 8 December 2014 banned all operations by private cab service Uber with immediate effect and blacklisted it from providing any transport service in the national capital in the wake of the alleged rape incident in a taxi plying for it. The action came a day after a taxi driver employed by Uber was arrested from Mathura for allegedly raping a 27-year-old woman executive in his cab. Government said that Uber, the US-based cab firm, misled the commuter (rape victim) about the nature of the taxi service offered by its App.

2) Singapore inks MoU to plan, develop Andhra Pradesh capital: Singapore on 8 Dec 2014 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Andhra Pradesh to prepare a master plan and develop a world-class capital city of Andhra Pradesh. The master plan will be ready in six months and after that a detailed action plan will be worked out, announced chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu after a meeting with S Iswaran, minister in the Singapore prime minister's office. 

3) ICICI Bank to hike ATM charges from Jan 1: Country’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has announced a hike in its ATM charges for saving account holders from January 1 next year. Under the new method, the number of free transactions in a month is fixed at five using own ATMs, while it has been capped at three for other banks’ machines. Customers can enjoy only five free transactions, including financial and non-financial, at the bank’s own automated teller machines (ATM), it said in a post on its website.

4) US naturalist Paul Rosolie swallowed alive by anaconda for TV show: When naturalist Paul Rosolie wanted to focus attention on the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, he decided he needed a stunt guaranteed to get people looking. So the staunch environmentalist offered himself as dinner to an anaconda — and was swallowed alive, filming every moment. Anacondas, the largest snakes in the world, typically suffocate their prey before ingesting it, making Rosolie's attempt all the more dangerous. To avoid suffocating, experts crafted Rosolie a specially designed carbon fiber suit, equipped with a breathing system — as well as with cameras and a system to communicate.

5) World’s first herbal Koran unveiled in Dubai: The world’s first handcrafted herbal Holy Koran, made from about 200 medicinal plants, has been unveiled. The Koran has been made by the Islamic arts and calligraphy company, Heddem Arts and has been crafted over 23 years from 1957 to 1979 by Turkish Unani Doctor Hamdi Taher. The Koran is made of high potency herbal mixtures prepared as per Unani medical system.

6) GSLV Mark-III launch on Dec. 18: Indian Space Research Organisation’s heaviest and upgraded rocket -Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV – Mark III) will lift off from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota on December 18. On Monday, a high level meeting was held and all activities done so far were cleared. “The launch will happen on December 18. Anytime between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. We will announce the exact time closer to the launch,” S. Somanath, project director, GSLV Mark III, said. GSLV Mark III is an experimental launch and only for study purpose. It will not put any satellite in orbit.

7) Ramalinga Raju, Satyam founder, gets 6-month imprionment: A local court on 8 Dec 2014 convicted Satyam founder B Ramalinga Raju, accused of one of the most sensational corporate frauds in the country, and other accused in connection with complaints filed by Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). The court sentenced Raju and others to six months' jail term and imposed fines on all the accused.

8) Huffington Post now in India with Times Group: AOL-owned news website Huffington Post launched its India edition on 8 Dec 2014 in partnership with The Times of India Group. Huffington Post will combine its award-winning news and blogging platform with the local expertise and reach of the Times of India Group to tap India's snowballing number of internet users.

9) Railway Minister Launches Wi-Fi Broadband Services at New Delhi Railway Station: The Minister of Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated the Wi-Fi Broadband Services at New Delhi Railway Station. The Wi-Fi project on Indian Railways is being executed by RailTel, a Public Sector Undertaking of the Ministry of Railways.

10) PM Narendra Modi, Mukesh Ambani most searched personalities in 2014: Yahoo:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Mukesh Ambani feature amongst the most searched personalities online this year, according to search engine Yahoo. According to the seventh edition of Yahoo India's 'Year in Review', Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the list of 'High and Mighty? the Political Top 10' in 2014, followed by his aides Arun Jaitley (Finance and I&B Minister) and BJP President Amit Shah.