Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: December 01, 2022
This article covers the GK and Current Affairs quiz with daily MCQs on National Affairs, International Affairs, Economy, Banking Affairs, Polity, Geography, Environment, Sports, etc. for competitive examinations viz. UPSC, SSC, Bank PO, Bank Clerk, IBPS, Railways, Government Jobs, UPPSC, MPSC, and other state exams. This current affairs quiz will help you in the General Awareness section conducted in various Banking, SSC, Insurance, Railways, and other govt job entrance exams. The current affairs quiz will also help you outshine the crowd with all the information you gain from this article.
Current Affairs: National
Measles Outbreak in Mumbai
A measles outbreak in Mumbai has raised concerns amongst the country’s public health authorities. The city has reported more than 200 cases in the past two months, and at least 13 children have lost their lives.
As per WHO data, nearly 40 million children globally missed a measles vaccine dose in 2021. As a result, there were an estimated nine million measles cases and 1,28,000 deaths.
Why Are Cases on the Rise in Mumbai?
The major reason is poverty, poor hygiene practices, poor quality of nutrition, and lack of vaccination in children have all contributed to the spiralling cases.
Due to religious and cultural backgrounds, some families avoid immunisation.
What Is Measles?
Measles is a highly contagious infection that infects the respiratory system of young children and then spreads throughout the body.
However, it is preventable with a vaccine. According to WHO, measles vaccination helped reduce the death rate by 73% between 2000 and 2018 worldwide.
What Causes Measles?
Infection with the rubeola virus causes measles
The virus infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body
Measles is a human disease and is not known to occur in animals
Children below the age of five are the most vulnerable, especially those below the age of two
Symptoms of Measles
The signs and symptoms of measles typically include:
High fever which starts 10-12 days after exposure to the virus
Runny nose
Sore throat and cough
Conjunctivitis (red and watery eyes)
Skin rash around the face and upper neck, which spreads later
Small white spots inside the cheeks
How is Measles Spread?
Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases
It spreads by coughing, sneezing, close personal contact, or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions
Prevention:
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases which spreads through direct contact with an infected person.
It can also spread through air or exposure to infected droplets. So, coughing, sneezing or close contact with a measles patient can spread the disease.
The following preventive steps play a crucial role:
Vaccination
Avoid crowded places
Do not ignore the symptoms
Avoid contact with someone who is sick
Hand hygiene
Previous Initiatives by Government to Curb Measles and Rubella:
Measles & Rubella Initiative (M&R Initiative) was Launched by the government in 2001 as a global partnership led by the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF and WHO.
The objective of the Initiative is to ensure that no child dies from measles or is born with congenital rubella syndrome.
Question:
Consider the following statements about measles in India
Infection with the rubeola virus causes measles
The virus infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body
Measles & Rubella Initiative (M&R Initiative) was Launched by the government in 2001
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
A. Only 1 and 2
B. Only 2 and 3
C. Only 1 and 3
D. All are Correct
Answer: D
Current Affairs: Defence
4th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently held the 4th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue with the Minister of Armed Forces of the French Republic, Sebastien Lecornu.
The meeting, held in New Delhi, opened up doors of opportunities for both countries. During their meeting, a wide range of bilateral, regional, defence and defence industrial cooperation issues were discussed.
Current Status:
In recent years, military-to-military cooperation has substantially increased between the nations. In this context, both Ministers reviewed the ongoing military-to-military cooperation.
They further discussed means to strengthen maritime cooperation and increase the scope and complexity of bilateral exercises.
Future Collaborations:
India and France’s defence relations are growing, and the recently successfully held bilateral Air Exercise ‘Garuda’ at Air Force Station, Jodhpur, is an example.
During the dialogue, one of the key areas of discussion was defence industrial cooperation with a focus on ‘Make in India’.
In this regard, future collaborations and potential co-production opportunities were discussed.
Focussing the Indo-Pacific Region:
In addition to defence industrial cooperation, the Ministers recognised their convergences on a number of strategic and defence issues.
They shared the commitment to work together to enhance cooperation in bilateral, regional and multilateral fora, with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
Currently, France is the chair of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) and both countries cooperate closely in these fora.
Minister Sebastien Lecornu also arrived at the Headquarters Southern Naval Command and visited India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
France is one of India’s most trusted strategic partners, and both countries look forward to celebrating 25 years of their strategic partnership in 2023.
Question:
The 4th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue with the Minister of Armed Forces of the French Republic, Sebastien Lecornu, was recently held in
A. Pune
B. Jaipur
C. Bhopal
D. Delhi
Answer: D
Current Affairs: Sports Technology
FIFA’s Semi-Automated Offside Technology
In the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 between host Qatar and Ecuador, just three minutes of action had passed before the first goal of the tournament was ruled out for offside.
Ecuador forward Enner Valencia’s headed strike was disallowed because the lower half of his right leg was in an offside position.
While such close calls being settled with the help of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology is largely commonplace in modern-day football, what surprised fans was the speed with which it was adjudicated.
One three-dimensional animation of the incident was displayed for a fleeting second or two before the play restarted. FIFA’s brand-new Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) was responsible for the quick decision.
What Is it?
There are two parts to the technology — a sensor inside the match ball (Adidas’s Al Rihla) that is held using suspension technology and existing tracking tools that are part of the VAR system.
Semi-automated offside technology is a support tool for video match officials and on-field officials to help them make faster, more reproducible and more accurate offside decisions.
VAR stands for video assistant referee. Instead of just one person, a team of three people work together to review decisions made by the main referee. They do this by watching video footage of the relevant occurrences.
How Does it Work?
Every time the ball is hit, data is sent in real-time (at a whopping 500 frames per second) to a network of antennas installed around the playing field.
Additionally, there are 12 Hawk-Eye cameras set up around the turf that shadow both the ball and the players, with as many as 29 separate points in the human body track.
Helpful in Better Decisions?
The coming together of the ball sensor and the Hawk-Eye cameras is, in effect, SAOT, which allows for decisions that are highly accurate and quick.
These two data sets are run through artificial intelligence software, which generates automated alerts about offsides to the match officials.
Question:
Which of the following sporting events extensively uses the Semi-Automated Offside Technology that has recently been in the news?
A. Tennis
B. Football
C. Cricket
D. Basketball
Answer: B
Current Affairs: Person in News
Sundararaman Ramamurthy Appointed as New MD and CEO of BSE
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has received the nod from the Securities and Exchange Board of India to have 62-year-old Sundararaman Ramamurthy as the new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
This post was vacant since July when the then MD and CEO Ashish Kumar Chauhan resigned from the post to join the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
About Ramamurthy:
Ramamurthy has previously served as the senior vice president of the NSE.
However, after serving in this role, he took up the position of the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Bank of America, India.
About Bombay Stock Exchange:
BSE Limited, also known as the Bombay Stock Exchange, is an Indian stock exchange and is the leading stock exchange under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It is located on Dalal Street in Mumbai.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India is the regulatory body for the securities and commodity market in India under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance within the Government of India
Founded: 12 April 1992
Sector: Securities market
Headquarters: Mumbai
Question:
Sundararaman Ramamurthy has been recently appointed as the new MD and CEO of which of the following organisations?
A. Bombay Stock Exchange
B. Securities and Exchange Board of India
C. Reserve Bank of India
D. Infrastructure Development Finance Company
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Geography
World’s Largest Active Volcano Erupts for First Time in Nearly 40 Years
The world’s largest active volcano, Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, is erupting for the first time in almost 40 years.
Lava flows are contained within the summit area and are not threatening downslope communities. But the US Geological Service (USGS) notification warned the situation could change rapidly.
The volcano’s alert level has been upgraded from an “advisory” to a “warning”, the highest classification.
About Mauna Loa Volcano in Hawaii
According to the USGS, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since its first documented eruption in 1843. The previous eruption in 1984 sent lava flows within 5 miles of the city of Hilo, the island’s most populous town.
Mauna Loa’s summit crater sits about 21 miles west of Kilauea, a smaller volcano that has been erupting since 2021.
Their simultaneous eruptions have created a rare dual-eruption event.
As per the agency, Mauna Loa has also been in a heightened state of unrest which pointed in an update last month to elevated seismic activity and increased earthquake rates.
Earthquake activity increased from 5 to 10 earthquakes a day since June 2022 to some 10 to 20 earthquakes a day in July and August.
Peak numbers of more than 100 earthquakes a day were recorded on 23 September and 29 September 2022.
Question:
What is the name of the world’s largest active volcano erupting for the first time in almost 40 years?
A. Mount Kilimanjaro
B. Mauna Loa
C. Mount Fuji
D. Popocatepetl Volcano
Answer: B
Current Affairs: National
Nai Chetna Gender Campaign Launched
The Centre recently rolled out a month-long nationwide campaign to sensitise women, especially in rural areas, about gender-based violence and make them aware of various institutional mechanisms available to help them. The Ministry of Rural Development launched the campaign.
About the Campaign:
‘Nai Chetna’, the month-long campaign envisioned as a ‘Jan Andolan’ (people’s movement), was launched by Union Minister for Rural Development to mark International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls on 25 November.
The idea is to bring the issue of gender-based violence into focus and make women aware of their rights and the mechanisms available to help redress their grievances.
Three Pillars: Awareness, Outreach and Redressal:
Women are often unable to identify violence meted out to them because of the normalisation of discrimination and violence; hence, they rarely seek support and continue to suffer in silence. Even if they want to seek support, they are, by and large, unaware of redressal mechanisms and service providers and lack legal awareness.
There are 1,200 gender resource centres set up across the country. Women facing gender violence can seek help from these centres.
The month-long campaign seeks to enable women to acknowledge situations of violence and guide them to take support from various institutional mechanisms available to them.
Question
Which of the following ministries recently launched the gender campaign, Nai Chetna?
A. Ministry of Rural Development
B. Ministry of Women and Child Development
C. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
D. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Science and Technology
India’s First Private Launchpad and Control Centre
Space-tech startup Agnikul headquartered in Chennai has set up India’s first-ever launchpad that will be operated by a private player at Sriharikota.
The launch pad is divided into two parts:
The Agnikul launchpad (ALP)
The Agnikul mission control centre (AMCC)
The launchpad and mission control centre, located in ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, is expected to host its first rocket launch in the coming weeks by Agnikul itself.
All critical systems connecting these two sections, which are four kilometres away from each other, are redundant to ensure 100% operationality during the countdown.
What Is Agnikul Cosmos?
Founded in 2017, Agnikul Cosmos Private Limited is an Indian aerospace manufacturer based in the National Center for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD) of IIT Madras, Chennai.
The startup aims to develop and launch its own small-lift launch vehicle, such as the Agnibaan, capable of placing a 100 kg (220 lb) payload into a 700 km (430 mi) orbit.
The first commercial launch is expected in 2022. The agreement signed under the IN-SPACe initiative sanctioned Agnikul access to the Indian space agency’s expertise and facilities to build Agnibaan and its launchpads.
What Is Agnibaan?
Agnibaan is Agnikul’s highly customisable, two-stage launch vehicle, capable of taking up to 100 kg payload to orbits around 700 km high (low Earth orbits) and enables plug-and-play configuration.
What Is Agnilet?
Agnilet is the world’s first single-piece 3-D printed engine fully designed and manufactured in India and was successfully test-fired in early 2021, making Agnikul the first company in the country to test its engines at ISRO.
Agnibaan and Agnilet will be used in Agnikul’s first launch.
Question:
Which of the following private space-tech startups recently set up India’s first-ever launchpad?
A. Skyroot Aerospace
B. Agnikul Cosmos
C. Dhruva Space
D. Antrix Corporation
Answer: B
Current Affairs: International
Udaipur to Host First G20 Sherpa Meeting in India
The City of Lakes, Udaipur, is gearing up to host the first G20 Sherpa Meeting in India from 4 to 7 December 2022.
The G20 Sherpa meeting is expected to be held at Darbar Hall at the City Palace Udaipur.
The arrangement is being made at Fateh Prakash Palace, Hotel Udai Vilas and Leela Palace to accommodate the delegates for this meeting.
Aim:
The meeting aims to foster growth and build bonds amongst the twenty nations. Among the highlights will be the depiction of Indian culture with wall paintings and the illumination of heritage sites across the city.
Meaning of Sherpa:
A Sherpa is a personal representative of the leader of a member country at an international Summit meeting such as the G8, G20 or the Nuclear Security Summit.
The term is derived from the Nepalese Sherpa people, who serve as guides for mountaineers in the Himalayas.
What Is the Sherpa Meeting of the G20 Summit?
The Sherpa Meeting of the G20 Summit is a preliminary meeting of the government representatives before the main G20 Summit.
What Is Done in the G20 Sherpa Meeting?
Here the representatives of the member nations hold discussions to firm up possible agreements.
The Heads of State takes final decisions at the G20 summit.
Ahead of the main G20 Summit, the Sherpas meeting ensures that the time and resources required during negotiations of the larger heads of state at the final summit are minimised.
Who Is Indian Sherpa for G20?
The former CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, is the G20 Sherpa from India.
Major Role of Sherpa:
Sherpas meet much before the start of the Summit to iron out differences on various issues.
The Sherpa engages in planning, negotiation and implementation tasks during the Summit. They coordinate the agenda, seek consensus at the highest political levels, and participate in a series of pre-Summit consultations to help negotiate their leaders’ positions.
Sherpas are career diplomats or senior government officials appointed by the leaders of their countries.
There is only one Sherpa per Summit for each member country; several sous Sherpas assist him/her.
About Udaipur:
Udaipur, formerly the capital of the Mewar Kingdom, is a city in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded by Maharana Udai Singh II in 1559.
Often referred to as the ‘Venice of the East’, the city of lakes Udaipur is located around azure water lakes and is hemmed in by lush green hills of Aravallis.
The famous Lake Palace, located in the middle of Lake Pichola, is one of the most beautiful sights of Udaipur.
Question:
Which of the following cities is going to host the first G20 Sherpa Meeting in India in December 2022?
A. Indore
B. Udaipur
C. Delhi
D. Ahmedabad
Answer: B
Current Affairs: National
Global Technology Summit-2022
The seventh edition of the Global Technology Summit began recently in New Delhi in a hybrid format.
Details:
The three-day Summit is India’s annual flagship event on Geotechnology and is co-hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs and Carnegie India.
The world’s leading minds in technology, government, security, space, startups, data, law, public health, climate change, academics and economy will gather and debate the vital questions related to technology and its future.
Theme:
The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Geopolitics of Technology’.
About Global Technology Summit:
The Global Technology Summit—Carnegie India’s annual flagship event, is being co-hosted with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
This is the one platform that seriously discusses the policy dimensions around technology.
As India takes the G-20 presidency later this year, the seventh iteration of the Global Technology Summit seeks to explore the present climate in the shapeshifting worlds of international alliances, emerging technologies, and geopolitics.
Question:
The seventh edition of the Global Technology Summit-2022 is being held in which of the following cities?
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