Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: December 05, 2022
For competitive examinations like the UPSC, SSC, Bank PO, Bank Clerk, IBPS, Railways, Government Jobs, UPPSC, MPSC, and other state exams, this section includes GK and Daily Current Affairs Quizzes with MCQs on National Affairs, International Affairs, Economy, Banking Affairs, Polity, Geography, Environment, Sports, etc. You may use this current events quiz to prepare for the General Awareness component of entrance examinations for government jobs like those for Banking, SSC, Insurance, Railways, and more. The current events quiz will also help you outshine the crowd with all the facts you get from this post.
Current Affairs: Days and Events
World Computer Literacy Day-2022
The growth of computer technology is a hallmark of the 21st century. Greater knowledge about the use of these machines can empower people to make their lives easier.
Nations across the globe mark World Computer Literacy Day every year to generate awareness about the benefits of using computers, thereby encouraging digital literacy.
The day, which has been observed on 2 December each year since 2001, promotes technological skills amongst groups that have traditionally had limited access to computers, especially children and women.
World Computer Literacy Day 2022: Theme
Every year, the day is marked with a focus on different themes. The theme for World Computer Literacy Day 2021 was “Literacy for human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”. However, this year’s theme has not been disclosed yet.
World Computer Literacy Day: History
The concept of celebrating the day spawned from the efforts of the leading Indian computer company NIIT.
This global talent development corporation celebrated the first World Computer Literacy Day on 2 December 2001 – the 20th anniversary of the company. This year will mark the 22nd anniversary of the day.
World Computer Literacy Day 2022: Significance
There is a vast digital divide in place in the world today. As of 2021, half of the world’s population was still not online.
The real-world impact of lack of access to computers, the internet, and other similar technologies was starkly highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a rapidly digitising world, it is imperative to address the digital divide and promote computer and digital literacy.
Question:
The World Computer Literacy Day is observed every year on which of the following dates?
A. 27 January
B. 28 April
C. 19 September
D. 02 December
Answer: D
Question:
When was World Computer Literacy Day first launched?
A. 2001
B. 2005
C. 2007
D. 2009
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Days and Events
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 2022
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is celebrated each year on 2 December.
The day is observed to remind us of the evils of enslavement, forced labour, child labour, and sexual exploitation and trafficking and to eliminate slavery practised in our time.
Theme:
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery highlights the history of slavery and why its complete abolition is necessary.
Slavery continues to persist today through forced labour, child labour, trafficking of women and children and illegal organ harvesting, among others.
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 2022 History:
Slavery has existed since the Sumerian and Mesopotamian times.
In modern times, ISIS and Boko Haram terrorists have used non-Muslim women as sex slaves.
Slavery was practised by Egyptian empires, ancient Greece and Rome and during the Viking rule of Britain.
The transatlantic slave trade of African people began with the Portuguese and was also practised by the Dutch, English and French merchants.
Countless African people were taken to the Americas to be slaves in the 17th and 18th centuries until Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, abolished slavery in the United States altogether in 1865.
On 2 December 1949, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others via resolution 317 (IV).
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is celebrated on 2 December to mark the above convention.
Significance of This Day:
In the last five years, there has been an increase in instances of forced labour and forced marriages, as noted by the United Nations (UN).
The UN mentions that the number of modern slaves was increased to 50 million by the end of 2021.
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is a significant day as it encourages us all to bring an end to such atrocities.
Question:
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is celebrated each year on which of the following dates?
A. 02 January
B. 16 July
C. 19 November
D. 02 December
Answer: D
Current Affairs: Defence
12th Edition of Exercise Agni Warrior Concludes
The 12th Edition of Exercise Agni Warrior, a bilateral exercise between Singapore and the Indian Army, concluded at Field Firing Ranges, Devlali Maharashtra.
About Exercise:
Exercise Agni Warrior involved showcasing joint firepower planning, execution and use of new-generation equipment by the artillery arm of both armies
Exercise also included participation by both sides in a joint computer war-game as part of the joint planning process
Expert academic discussions were conducted on modern trends in artillery and the refinement of the artillery planning process
Rationale:
The exercise achieved its aim of enhancing mutual understanding of drills and procedures and improving interoperability between the two armies.
India-Singapore Relations:
India was among the first countries to set up diplomatic relations after the independence of Singapore on 24 August 1965. The close relationship shared by India and Singapore is based on the convergence of economic and political interests.
Singapore has played an important role in reconnecting us to the countries of Southeast Asia since the inception of our Look East Policy in the early 1990s.
Question:
Indian Army recently concluded the 12th edition of Exercise Agni with the army of which of the following nations?
A. Singapore
B. Malaysia
C. Vietnam
D. Indonesia
Answer: A
Current Affairs: International
India to Assume Chairmanship of Wassenaar Arrangement
India will assume chairmanship of the plenary of the Wassenaar Arrangement for a year on 1 January 2023, just five years after joining the 42-member voluntary export control regime that monitors transfers of conventional weapons and dual-use goods.
Details:
At the 26th annual plenary of the Wassenaar Arrangement held in Vienna during the days of 30 November and 1 December, Ireland’s ambassador Eoin O’Leary handed over the chairmanship to India’s ambassador Jaideep Mazumdar, who is the permanent representative to the UN and international organisations in Vienna.
About Wassenaar Arrangement:
India joined the Wassenaar Arrangement in December 2017 as its 42nd participating state.
The body is a multilateral export control regime that works to promote transparency and greater responsibility in the transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies through regular exchanges of information among its members.
Rationale:
The regime aims to track such transfers and prevent “destabilising accumulations” of conventional arms and dual-use goods.
Indian Role after Owing Chairmanship:
The plenary of the Wassenaar Arrangement is the main decision-making body that operates on consensus.
As the incoming chair of the body, India “remains ready and committed to work in close cooperation with other members to further the WA goal of contributing to regional and international security and stability.
Membership of the Wassenaar Arrangement has also bolstered India’s efforts to gain access to sensitive goods and technologies from leading players in the West.
Question:
India will assume the chairmanship of the Wassenaar Arrangement next month. This agreement is basically about
A. Chemicals weapons disarmament
B. Multilateral export control regime
C. Global Zoonotics control regime
D. Global order on cryptocurrency
Answer: B
Current Affairs: Technology
World’s 1st Hydrogen-Run Aircraft Engine
Airline EasyJet and aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce recently successfully tested a hydrogen-powered aircraft engine in what the British companies described as a world first for aviation.
Green hydrogen is widely seen as better for the environment than jet fuel.
Details:
The two companies used a converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100 – A regional aircraft engine, for the ground test conducted in the UK. The European Marine Energy Centre produced the fuel for the test at a hydrogen production and tidal test facility on Eday in the UK’s Orkney Islands.
Since the hydrogen was made with wind and tidal power, it’s called green hydrogen.
What Is Green Hydrogen?
Green hydrogen (GH2 or GH2) is hydrogen generated by renewable energy or from low-carbon power.
Green hydrogen has significantly lower carbon emissions than grey hydrogen, which is produced by steam reforming of natural gas, which makes up the bulk of the hydrogen market.
Green hydrogen produced by the electrolysis of water is less than 0.1% of total hydrogen production.
Why Is Green Hydrogen Used?
Turning planes electric like cars is not feasible as using batteries charged with renewable solar and wind energy will require a massive restructuring due to their bulkiness.
This is why there is an attempt to develop planes that can run on cleaner fuels like green hydrogen.
About EasyJet:
EasyJet plc, styled as easyJet, is a British multinational low-cost airline group headquartered at London Luton Airport.
About Rolls-Royce:
Rolls-Royce was a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing business established in 1904 in Manchester by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce.
What Are the Challenges?
Aviation is often called the most difficult sector to clean up. Even if the company has successfully tested the hydrogen-fueled flight, huge infrastructure changes would still be required to implement the technology on the ground.
A Boeing 747 jumbo jet would require more than 1m litres of hydrogen to deliver the equivalent range of 250,000 litres of jet fuel.
“Fuel tanks” of that size – which would also have to be kept at high pressure – would probably require a complete redesign of the plane.
This would automatically require the induction of aircraft with newer designs so that they can carry larger fuel tanks.
Also, the appropriate logistics would be required to be developed worldwide to facilitate pipelines for supply.
Question:
Which of the following Airlines, along with Rolls-Royce, recently successfully tested a hydrogen-powered aircraft engine?
A. Jet2.com
B. British Airways
C. easyJet
D. AirTanker
Answer: C
Current Affairs: Sports
Avani Lekhara Receives Para Sports Person of Year Award
Avani Lekhara, who won two medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, was recognised as the Para Sports Person of the Year at the Turf 2022 and India Sports Awards of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
Apart from Lekhara, former Ranji cricketer Sarkar Talwar was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement of the Year award
Talwar, the Director-Sports, Manav Rachna Education Institutions, is also the recipient of the Dronacharya Lifetime Award, given by the President of India
About Avani Lekhara:
Avani Lekhara is an Indian Paralympian and rifle shooter
She won a Gold Medal in the 10m air rifle standing and a Bronze Medal in the 50m rifle three positions at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
Avani Lekhara wins the gold medal in the shooting event
Awards: Padma Shri, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for Paralympic Shooting
What Are Paralympic Games?
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment and intellectual impairment.
The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960, and the first Winter Paralympics in 1976 in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.
The Summer Paralympic Games were held in Tokyo in 2021, and the Winter Paralympics were held in 2022 in Beijing, China.
Question:
Which of the following sportspersons recently received the Para Sports Person of the Year award?
A. Deepa Malik
B. Varun Singh Bhati
C. Avani Lekhara
D. Sumit Antil
Answer: C
Current Affairs: Science and Technology
Bharat Biotech’s Intranasal Vaccine Gets Approval as Heterologous Booster
Bharat Biotech, a global leader in vaccine innovation and developer of vaccines for infectious diseases, recently announced that iNCOVACC has received approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) under Restricted Use in Emergency Situations for ages 18 and above, in India, for heterologous booster doses.
Details:
iNCOVACC is the world’s first Intranasal vaccine to receive primary series and heterologous booster approval.
iNCOVACC recently received approval under Restricted Use in Emergency Situation for ages 18 and above for heterologous booster doses.
iNCOVACC is the world’s first Intranasal vaccine for COVID to receive approval for the primary 2-dose schedule and the heterologous booster dose.
What Is Homologous and Heterologous Boosting?
In homologous boosting, a person is injected with the same vaccine that was used for the two previous doses.
In heterologous boosting, a person is injected with a different vaccine from that was used for the primary dose.
What Is iNCOVACC?
The iNCOVACC is a recombinant replication-deficient adenovirus vectored vaccine with a pre-fusion stabilized spike protein.
This vaccine candidate was evaluated in phases I, II and III clinical trials with successful results.
This vaccine has been specifically formulated to allow intranasal delivery through nasal drops.
The nasal delivery system has been designed and developed to be cost-effective in low and middle-income countries.
It was developed in partnership with Washington University, St. Louis, which had designed and developed the recombinant adenoviral vectored constructs and evaluated them in preclinical studies for efficacy.
About Bharat Biotech:
Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) has established an excellent track record of innovation with more than 145 global patents, a wide product portfolio of more than 19 vaccines, four bio-therapeutics, registrations in more than 125 countries, and the World Health Organization (WHO) Prequalification.
It has established large manufacturing capabilities at multiple sites across India, including Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana, with operations across pan India.
Question:
Recently which of the following companies’ intranasal vaccine, “iNCOVACC”, got approval as a heterologous booster for COVID vaccination?
A. Serum Institute of India
B. Bharat Biotech
C. Pfizer-BioNTech
D. Cansino Biologics
Answer: B
Current Affairs: National
Ministry of Power Launches Scheme for SHAKTI Policy
The Ministry of Power has launched a scheme for the procurement of aggregate power of 4500 MW for five years under SHAKTI Policy.
The Ministry said that the scheme would help states that are facing power shortages and help generation plants to increase their capacities.
PFC Consulting Limited has been designated as the nodal agency. It has invited bids for the supply of 4,500 MW of electricity. The supply will commence from April next year.
The utilities that have shown interest in the scheme are Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd, Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company Ltd, New Delhi Municipal Corporation and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd.
About SHAKTI Scheme:
SHAKTI, or Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India, was launched in 2018.
It aims to provide coal to stressed power units which lack coal supply.
Summary:
Under the scheme, PFC Consulting Ltd has invited bids for the supply of 4,500 MW
The supply of electricity will commence from April 2023
The Ministry of Coal has been requested to allocate around 27 MTPA for this
The last date for the bid submission is 21 December 2022
This scheme is expected to help the states facing power shortages and also help generation plants increase their capacities
Question:
The Ministry of Power recently launched a scheme to procure aggregate power. What aggregate power is the Ministry intended to procure for five years under SHAKTI Policy?
A. 4500 MW
B. 6900 MW
C. 7500 MW
D. 9500 MW
Answer: A
Today’s Fact Book – 2 December 2022
1) UN Security Council Presidency:
Recently India took over the presidency of the UNSC in the final month of its two-year 2021-22 term as a non-permanent member of the UNSC.
India began its two-year Term (overall India’s eighth Term) in January 2021.
UNSC is one of the six principal organs of the UN with a primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.
Under the UN Charter, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions. UNSC is composed of 15 Members.
2) 30X30 Target:
According to recent reports, Asia is not likely to meet the 30X30 goal proposed under the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework of the CBD.
First launched in 2019, 30X30 aims to protect and conserve 30% of the world’s terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems.
Presently more than 100 countries (including India) are part of it.
3) Sangai Festival Manipur:
PM Modi recently addressed the Manipur Sangai Festival through a video message.
This Festival is Named after the State animal, Sangai, brow-antlered Deer found only in Manipur.
This Deer is found in Keibul Lamjao National Park and is seen over floating biomass called Phumdi.
This is the Biggest annual cultural festival of Manipur, organised every year in November.
4) Asian Tiger Mosquitos:
Recently, a man from Germany underwent the worst experience of his life after an Asian tiger mosquito bit him.
Found in tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia, this mosquito is also known as Aedes Albopictus, and the forest mosquito usually bites during the daytime.
Tiger mosquitoes are an exotic species that get their “tiger” name from the single white stripe down the centre of their head and back.
It spread to many countries in Europe as well.
This mosquito is a Host to many diseases, including yellow fever virus, Chikungunya fever, as well as filarial nematodes like Dirofilaria immitis, Zika virus, and dengue fever.
5) MoSPI India’s Economic Growth Data:
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released India’s economic growth data for the second quarter (July-Sept – Q2) of the current fiscal year (FY 2022-23).
India’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3% year-on-year in Q2, slower than in 2021.
The gross value added (GVA) has grown by 6% year on year in Q2, against 8.3% in 2021.
Output growth in India’s eight core sectors (Electricity, Steel, Refinery products, Crude oil, Coal, Cement, Natural gas, and Fertilisers) slowed drastically to 0.1% in October 2022, down from 7.8% the previous month.
Since the pandemic, the economy has recovered, but the manufacturing sector’s contraction (by 4.3%) has put doubt on future demand, as the sector has a great potential for job creation and can absorb excess farm labour.
Agriculture (together with forestry and fishing) has performed better than projected, rising at a 4.6% annual rate.
Private consumption expenditure is the most important driver of GDP growth, incentivising businesses to make new investments.
The biggest surprise is the decrease in government final consumption expenditures, which can boost the economy when consumers and businesses reduce spending.
Higher interest rates and no significant increase in demand, along with a slowing global economy, may create challenges in the current fiscal year.
6) Zombie Virus
French scientists have recently warned of the onset of another outbreak after they revived a 48,500-year-old Zombie virus.
Zombie virus is the term used for those viruses which have been dormant for thousands of years.
The oldest Zombie virus, Pandoravirus yedoma, named after the mythological character Pandora, was discovered in a lake in Yukechi Alas in Yakutia, Russia.
The virus emerged due to the thawing of permafrost as the global temperature rose.
All of the “zombie viruses” have the potential to be infectious and hence pose a “health danger”.
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