*CURRENT AFFAIRS (28:12:2014)

1. Indonesia's AirAsia flight
QZ8501, with 162 people aboard,
disappears en route to Singapore
from Indonesia.
Indonesia - amidst the rising
demand and growth of low-fare
airlines - has had a very poor air
safety record.
Some 650 people have died of
air-mishap over the last two
decades in the country.
2014 has been a bad year for
Southeast Asia in airlines safety
with as many as five major plane
crashes including the mysterious
disappearance of MH370 en route
to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was
shot down by pro-Russian
separatists in eastern Ukraine
earlier this year claiming some
280 deaths.
2. Union Cabinet approves the
promulgation of the Insurance
Laws (Amendment) Ordinance
2014.
It will amend the Insurance Act,
1938, the General Insurance
Business (Nationalisation) Act,
1972 and the Insurance
Regulatory and Development
Authority Act, 1999, in
accordance with the Insurance
Laws (Amendment) Bill 2008.
It has to be passed by the
parliament within the next six
months to stay valid.
3. Spinner Pragyan Ojha is
banned by BCCI from competitive
matches due to illegal bowling
action.
His elbow has been found to flex
more than the permissible limit of
15 degrees.
The board will help him in
correcting his action and get back
to the job.
4. Indian Army observe 43rd Sand
Dune Day (27-28 Dec 2014) at
Nagi village of Rajasthan's
Sriganganagar District.
The site is part of our history of
valour where in 1971, Indian
Army had undone the Pakistani
occupation - despite the ceasefire
- of the land.
5. Indian tennis player Ankita
Raina clinches her first ITF singles
title.
She is only the 2nd Indian after
Radhika Tulpule - who won the
inaugural edition in 2000 - to bag
this $25,000 award.
She defeated Katy Dunne of
England by 6-2, 6-2 in the final.
6. Trevor Bull is appointed as CEO
and MD of Aviva India Life
Insurance.
He succeeds TR Ramachandran as
such.
7. Veteran Hindi poet and a
litterateur Nand Chaturvedi
passes away at 91.
8. Malayalam film actor NL
Balakrishnan breathes his last at
72.