News in Short

• The United States will open a consulate in Western Sahara following President Trump’s decision to recognise Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed region.
• Mr. Trump announced on December 10 that the U.S. would recognise Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara as part of a deal for the North African country to normalise relations with Israel.
• Recognising Western Sahara was a reversal of decades of U.S. policy and the move has been heavily criticised, not least by those in Western Sahara who have fought for independence and want a referendum on the territory’s future.
• The U.S. decision to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has drawn criticism from the U.N. as well as American allies in Africa and beyond.

• Britain and the European Union have struck a free-trade deal on December 24 that should avert economic chaos on New Year's and bring a measure of certainty for businesses after years of Brexit turmoil.
• Once ratified by both sides, the agreement will ensure Britain and the 27-nation bloc can continue to trade in goods without tariffs or quotas after the U.K. breaks fully free of the EU on January 1.
• It took more than three years of wrangling before Britain left the bloc’s political structures in January 2019.
• Britain say that it gives the U.K. control over its money, borders, laws and fishing waters and ensures the country is no longer under the influence of EU.

• A group of seven influential U.S. lawmakers have written to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging him to raise the issue of farmers’ protest in India with his Indian counterpart.
• India has called the remarks by foreign leaders and politicians on protests by farmers as “ill-informed” and “unwarranted”, asserting that the matter pertains to the internal affairs of a democratic country.
• The lawmakers say that many Indian Americans are directly affected as they have family members and ancestral land in Punjab and are concerned for the well-being of their families in India.

• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced that a new world-class hockey stadium would be constructed at Rourkela in Sundargarh district as part of preparations for the 2023 Hockey World Cup which will be hosted by the state.
• The proposed stadium would be the largest hockey stadium in India with a seating capacity for 20,000 people.
• The stadium along with the allied facilities will be developed as a benchmark for other hockey stadiums around the world. It would be constructed over 15 acres of land in the Biju Patnaik University of Technology campus in Rourkela.

• The BCCI has named Chetan Sharma as the chairman of the selection committee, while Abey Kuruvilla and Debasish Mohanty were the other members in the panel.
• While 11 candidates were interviewed, the Madan Lal-led Cricket Advisory Committee
• recommended Sharma, Kuruvilla and Mohanty for the role.
• Three positions were vacant after the exit of Jatin Paranjape (west zone), Sharandeep Singh (north) and Devang Gandhi (east).
• Even though Sunil Joshi had taken charge as the chairman of the committee, the role will now be handed over to Sharma - who has featured in 23 Tests for India. As the BCCI constitution, the person with highest Test appearances will be handed the job.