Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: November 17, 2022
Keeping abreast with the daily news, be it national or international, impacts the exam’s final outcome. Reading the newspapers and keeping an eye on the trending news will cover the preparation of current affairs.
We have curated a list of plausible content that covers the portion of Current Affairs in major government exams. Our in-house academicians analysed leading newspapers like The Hindu, The Business Standards, and The Indian Express to collate the latest questions and answers for all the government exam aspirants of this year.
Current Affairs: Days and Events
National Press Day 2022
National Press Day is observed on 16th November every year to acknowledge and honour the Press Council of India (PCI).
The day marks the presence of an independent and responsible press in the country.
The Press Council of India also examines the quality of reportage of the Indian press and keeps a check on journalistic activities.
History:
In 1956, the First Press Commission decided to form a body with statutory authority which has the responsibility of maintaining the ethics of journalism.
The Commission felt that a managing body was required in order to connect with the people of the press and also to arbitrate on any issues that arose.
In 1966 on 16th November, the PCI was formed. The National Press Day of India is since then celebrated on 16th November every year to commemorate the establishment of the council.
Significance:
The council is extremely important to India as it was inherently constructed to protect the fourth pillar of a democracy, that is, the press.
Hence, it works consistently to ensure that the credibility of journalism is not compromised.
Question:
National Press Day is observed every year on
A. 10th January
B. 22nd April
C. 19th September
D. 16th November
Answer: D
Current Affairs: National
Grid Controller of India Limited
The Ministry of Power has renamed India’s national grid operator ‘Power System Operation Corporation Ltd (POSOCO)’.
POSOCO will now be known as ‘Grid Controller of India Ltd’.
The ministry said in a statement that the name change had been done to reflect the critical role of Grid Operators in ensuring integrity, reliability, economy, resilience and sustainable operation of the Indian Electricity Grid.
About Grid Controller of India Limited:
“Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India)” operates the National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) and five (5) Regional Load Despatch Centres (RLDCs).
Grid-India is also designated as the nodal agency for major reforms in the power sector, such as the implementation and operation of the Green Energy Open Access Portal, Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Mechanism, transmission pricing, short-term open access in transmission, Deviation Settlement Mechanism, Power System Development Fund (PSDF), etc.
Question:
Recently, the Ministry of Power has renamed India’s national grid operator ‘Power System Operations Corporation Limited (POSOCO)’ to which new name?
A. Grid Controller of India Limited
B. Energy Controller of India Limited
C. Power Controller of India Limited
D. Transmission Controller of India Limited
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Environment and Defence
Green Mobility Initiative by IAF
In order to achieve a reduction in carbon footprint and in keeping with the GoI’s initiative on the introduction of Green Mobility, IAF has inducted a fleet of Tata Nexon Electric Vehicles.
A flag-off ceremony was held at Air Force headquarters, Vayu Bhawan, on 15th November 2022. Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Air Staff, flagged off the first batch of 12 electric vehicles.
Details:
Indian Air Force is planning to enhance the usage of electric vehicles in a progressive manner by procuring e-vehicles against downgraded conventional vehicles. Augmentation of the e-vehicles ecosystem, including installation of charging infrastructure at various Air Force bases, is also planned.
Other Initiatives:
To create a standardised inventory of vehicles, IAF has already joined hands with the Indian Army in the ongoing procurement of Electric Buses and Electric Cars.
These proactive measures reaffirm IAF’s commitment to the National objective of transformation towards environment-friendly mobility.
Question:
Under the Green Mobility initiative, the electric cars of which company has been purchased by IAF to make a fleet?
A. Maruti Suzuki
B. TATA
C. Honda
D. Renault
Answer: B
Current Affairs: International
East Timor Will Be the 11th Member of ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has agreed in principle to admit East Timor as the group’s 11th member.
The half-island nation, officially called Timor Leste, will also be granted observer status at high-level ASEAN meetings, the bloc said after regional leaders met in Phnom Penh for a summit.
Details:
The country would be the first new member of the regional grouping in more than two decades since Cambodia was admitted in 1999.
The East Timorese voted for independence from a brutal occupation by neighbouring Indonesia in a 1999 U.N.-supervised referendum. The country was officially recognised by the United Nations in 2002, making it Asia’s youngest democracy.
The resource-rich country of 1.3 million people immediately started the process of accession to ASEAN but only formally applied for membership in 2011.
About East Timor:
Timor-Leste, or East Timor, a Southeast Asian nation occupying half the island of Timor, is ringed by coral reefs teeming with marine life.
Landmarks in the capital, Dili, speak to the country’s struggles for independence from Portugal in 1975 and then Indonesia in 2002.
The iconic 27m-tall Cristo Rei de Dili statue sits on a hilltop high over the city, with sweeping views of the surrounding bay.
About ASEAN:
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN:
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Brunei Darussalam joined ASEAN on 7 January 1984, followed by Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.
Question:
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has agreed in principle to admit which of the following countries as the group’s 11th member?
A. China
B. Macao
C. Hong Kong
D. East Timor
Answer: D
Current Affairs: Science and Technology
Google’s 1,000 Language AI Model
Google is developing a model that can support the 1,000 most spoken languages of the world. The company revealed this at its AI event this month.
To investigate the potential of such a vast project, Google is also working on an AI language model which can support around 400 languages.
The company claimed this model had the “largest language coverage” among existing speech models.
What Is the Purpose of the New Language Model?
Google doesn’t have a specific use case for the language model.
However, according to a report by The Verge, a tech outlet, the end goal is to enable Google users to experience better searches, more accurate auto-generated captions, natural online translation, and faster calculations.
The project is under development, and researchers are now collecting linguistic data to train the model.
How Is This Initiative Different from Google’s Other Models?
While many other existing AI language models are deployed for business or research, Google’s 1,000 languages initiative aims to improve AI language models as a whole for diverse use cases.
Google plans to build one gigantic model for the 1,000 languages so that both widely used and rarer languages can co-exist, interact, and grow together.
What are AI Language Models Used for?
Through AI language models, companies aim to automate manual processes, generate new insights based on existing data, and reduce reliance on human labour in fields like translation, customer service, or computation.
Today, website chatbots help us 24×7, services like Google Translate instantly decode foreign languages, and AI-based art generators help non-artists create prize-winning digital paintings while the same technology also powers price predictors for investors.
Question:
Which company is developing an Artificial Intelligence model that can support the 1,000 most spoken languages of the world?
A. Facebook
B. Google
C. Oracle
D. Yahoo
Answer: B
Current Affairs: International
Britain, France Deal to Stop Illegal Migrants
Britain and France recently signed an agreement worth $74.5 million (72.2 million euros) to step up their efforts to stop illegal migrants from channel crossings.
The multi-year agreement calls for a 40% increase in the number of French officers patrolling French beaches with British funding over the following five months.
Key Features of the Agreement:
The agreement, worth $74.5 million (72.2 million euros), aims to stop migrants from crossing the channel to England in small boats.
It calls for a 40 per cent increase in the number of French officers patrolling the French beaches in 2022-23 with British funding over the next 5 months.
This comes after more than 40,000 people crossed the British Channel in 2022. In 2021, the number of immigrants via the channel was just 28,526. Most of these migrants are from Albania, Iran and Afghanistan.
Both countries have committed to using technological and human resources on the French coast to improve the detection, monitoring and interception of migrant boats.
These resources will be used to collect information from the intercepted migrants. The collected information will then be used to dismantle smuggling networks and curb illegal crossings.
For the first time, teams of observers will be stationed on both sides of the Channel to improve the common understanding of migration and exchanges of information.
Question:
Which two European countries recently signed an agreement worth $74.5 million to stop illegal migrants from channel crossings?
A. Germany-Britain
B. France-Britain
C. Spain- Italy
D. Italy-Britain
Answer: B
Current Affairs: Environment and Ecology
Global Methane Detection System
The United Nations recently announced a high-tech, satellite-based global methane detection system to alert the government and private agencies against emissions.
Launched during the ongoing COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Italy, the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) can be a vital tool to help precisely locate major methane leaks.
What Is MARS and How Will It Help to Curb Global Warming?
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says, “MARS is a data-to-action platform set up as part of the UNEP International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) strategy to get policy-relevant data into the right hands for emissions mitigation”.
MARS will be the first publicly available global satellite system to identify major emission events, alert stakeholders, and support and track mitigation progress.
The new system will provide technical or advisory services to help assess mitigation options.
It will help in the early detection of methane leaks, making it possible to respond faster.
Why Target Only Methane-Related Emissions?
Methane, a by-product of decomposing organic matter and the main component of natural gas used in power plants, contributes just a small portion of all greenhouse gas emissions brought on by humans, but it has an 80 times greater heat-trapping capacity per unit of mass than carbon dioxide.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we need to reduce methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 to keep the target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C within reach.
Question:
The UN recently announced a high-tech, satellite-based global detection system to alert the government and private agencies against the emissions of which Gas?
A. Carbon dioxide
B. Aerosoles
C. Methane
D. Nitrous oxide
Answer: C
Current Affairs: Science and Technology
NASA’s Successful Launch of Artemis 1
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched its Artemis 1 mission from Launch Complex 39B of the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 12:17 PM IST, today (16th Nov).
Earlier in the past, three attempts were called off, two due to engine issues while the third one was abandoned because of a hurricane.
What Is Artemis’ Mission?
NASA’s Artemis Mission aims to send the first woman and first person of colour to the Moon as early as 2025.
Of the three missions planned currently, Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft circling the Moon.
What Will Artemis 1 Do?
Artemis 1 will now travel about 1.3 million miles over the course of 42 days.
The Orion capsule will separate from the SLS rocket and leave Earth’s orbit en route to the moon. NASA plans to fly Orion as close as 60 miles above the moon’s surface before moving into a wide orbit around the lunar body.
Question:
NASA just launched the Artemis 1. This mission is associated with which celestial body?
A. Moon
B. Sun
C. Halley’s comet
D. Jupiter
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Awards and Recognitions
PRCI Excellence Awards 2022
NMDC bagged the Champion of Champions Award, sweeping the 16th PRCI Global Communication Conclave 2022, to bring home fourteen Corporate Communication Excellence Awards.
The awards were presented at the Global Communication Conclave organised by Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) in Kolkata on 12th November, 2022.
Details
NMDC won the Gold awards for the Most Resilient Company of the Year; Internal Communication Campaign, Corporate Brochure; Best PSE Implementing CSR.
It won Silver Awards in the categories of Best Use of CSR for Childcare; Corporate Community Impact; Best Corporate Event; Unique HR Initiatives; Annual Report; Arts, Culture and Sports Campaign and Bronze Awards for Visionary Leadership; Website of the Year; Innovative Environmental Program and Consolation Award for Best Use of Social Media.
What is Public Relations Council Of India (PRCI)?
Public Relations Council Of India (PRCI) is a pan-India communication exchange forum with its presence in 38 Indian cities and towns.
This premier network connects PR, Media, Commercial and Public Service Advertising, Marcom, Academia in Communication, and Students.
What is NDMC?
National Mineral Development Corporation was incorporated in 1958 as a Government of India’s public enterprise. NMDC is India’s largest producer of iron ore.
Since inception, the corporation under the administrative control of the Ministry of Steel, has been involved in the exploration of a wide range of minerals including copper, rock phosphate, limestone, magnesite, diamond, tungsten, and beach sands amongst others in some of the most remote corners of the country.
Question:
Which of the following India public enterprises recently won the PRCI Excellence Awards 2022?
A. NDMC
B. GAIL
C. IOCL
D. RINL
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Appointments
Gaurav Dwivedi appointed CEO of Prasar Bharati
On Monday, senior IAS officer Gaurav Dwivedi was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati.
Details
A 1995-batch officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, Mr. Dwivedi will have a five-year tenure from the date he assumes charge.
Earlier, Mr. Dwivedi was the Chief Executive Officer of MyGovIndia, the citizen engagement platform of the government.
Shashi Shekhar Vempati was the CEO of Prasar Bharati from 2017 to 2022.
After Mr. Vempati completed his five-year tenure, Director General of Doordarshan Mayank Agrawal was given the additional charge of CEO Prasar Bharati in June this year.
Question:
Who has recently been appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati?
A. Shashi Shekhar Vempati
B. Mayank Agrawal
C. Gaurav Dwivedi
D. Rajiv Ranjan
Answer: C
Current Affairs: National
First Greenfield Farm Machinery Plant Inaugurated in Madhya Pradesh
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar recently inaugurated the first Greenfield Farm Machinery Plant of Mahindra & Mahindra at Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh.
Details
The plant will help Indian farmers towards mechanising the farming process and will also help farmers realise their dreams.
It will also manufacture products for export to global markets in Asia, Africa, Europe, and America.
Through its well-planned lay-out, the new plant is capable of rolling out a series of new products designed at Mahindra’s global technology Centres of Excellence in Finland, Japan, and Turkey.
The population of the country and the world is rising continuously, and the challenge of climate change is also in front of us.
Question:
Recently, the first Greenfield Farm Machinery Plant of Mahindra & Mahindra was inaugurated in which of the following states?
A. Punjab
B. Haryana
C. Madhya Pradesh
D. Gujarat
Answer: C
Current Affairs: Sports
After Argentina, Amul Becomes the First Indian Regional Sponsor of Portugal Football Team
India’s leading dairy company, Amul has announced a new sponsorship agreement with Portugal national football team.
In this agreement, the Indian brand is set to serve as the official regional sponsor of the Cristiano Ronaldo-led team for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Details
For the very first time, an Indian regional manufacturer has teamed up with the Portuguese national team.
In the past, Amul also became a sponsor of Lionel Messi‘s Argentina football team.
Amul also expanded its global footprint by sponsoring the Ireland cricket team for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
This collaboration reflects the trajectory and worldwide context of the Portugal Football Federation, as well as the significance and acknowledgement of a legendary brand, Amul, with over 75 years in the market. Amul will thus serve as the Indian community’s ambassador firm with the Portugal national team.
Question
Which company recently becomes the first Indian regional sponsor of Portugal football team in the FIFA football world cup-2022?
A. Mahindra
B. Amul
C. TATA
D. Godrej
Answer: B
Current Affairs: Sports
Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, and Gagan Narang elected in IOA Athletes Commission
Olympic medallists MC Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu and Gagan Narang were among 10 eminent sportspersons elected as members of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Athletes Commission yesterday.
All the 10 elected members of the apex body, five men and five women, won unopposed in the polls.
Details
Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan, table tennis player Sharath Kamal, women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal, fencer Bhavani Devi, rower Bajrang Lal and former shot putter Om Prakash Singh Karhana are the other six members of the elected panel. All of them are Olympians.
The next task of the Commission will be to select eight Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM), who have retired from active sports for at least one year prior to the date of application and should have at least a medal in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, or Asian Games.
The SOMs will have one vote each in the election to IOA Executive Council.
Question:
Which of the following sports persons was not recently elected as a member of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Athletes Commission?
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