DAILY GK 20,21 DEC

 DAILY GK 20,21 DEC

1.          INDIA LAUNCHES ‘GROUP OF FRIENDS’ TO PROMOTE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CRIMES AGAINST PEACEKEEPERS

·India, the President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), has launched a ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers.

·The co-chairs of the ‘Group of Friends’ are India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal.

·Peacekeeping is one of the key tools that is available with the UNSC to maintain international peace and security.

·India, among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping, which has lost around 177 peacekeepers in the line of duty and is notably the largest among other countries.

 

2.          GOOGLE PARTNERS DIGILOCKER TO BRING ON-DEVICE STORING OF GOVERNMENT IDS 

·During the Google for India 2022 (8th edition) conference, Google announced a partnership with DigiLocker, a government-authorised identification storage system, to bring local storage of government-issued IDs on Android devices.

·Google’s AI offering includes, on-device processing of text and images to identify important documents and organise them in a locally stored ‘Files’ folder.

·In March 2022, DigiLocker’s user base topped 100 million. To retrieve, digitize, and store government-issued papers, it makes use of an Application Programming Interface (API).

·DigiLocker is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) under the Digital India programme.

 

3.          INDIA’S SARGAM KOUSHAL CROWNED AS MRS WORLD 2022

·India’s Sargam Koushal was crowned Mrs World 2022 held at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, Nevada, United States of America(USA). She brought the crown back to India, 21 years after Aditi Govitrikar (Mrs World 2001).

·She was crowned by Shaylyn Ford, Mrs World 2021 from the United States (US)

·Mrs Polynesia was named the 1st runner-up, followed by Mrs Canada as the 2nd runner-up.

 

4.          LEO VARADKAR ELECTED AS IRELAND’S PRIME MINISTER

·Indian origin Leo Varadkar leader of the Fine Gael party has been elected Prime Minister of Ireland (Taoiseach) for the second time in December 2022. 

·Leo Varadkar was appointed as new Prime Minister by Irish President Michael D. Higgins

·The former Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin is the new deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs and defence.

·The Republic of Ireland is a parliamentary representative democracy, with the Legislative power vested in the Oireachtas and the executive Executive power vested on Taoiseach (Prime Minister), along with Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister).

·Ireland Capital – Dublin,Currency – Euro

 

5.          ‘INS MORMUGAO’: STEALTH GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER COMMISSIONED INTO INDIAN NAVY

·The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mormugao (D67), the second of four “Visakhapatnam”-class destroyers, also known as the “Project 15B” class of stealth guided-missile destroyers, was commissioned at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

·It underwent sea trials on December 19, 2021, when Goa commemorated 60 years of independence from Portuguese rule.

·Goa Liberation Day is observed annually on December 19, to commemorate the armed forces operation known as “Operation Vijay,” which was launched in 1961 in an effort to liberate the state by defeating the Portuguese.

·The INS Mormugao is named after Mormugao, a historic port city in Goa on the west coast.

 

6.          22ND FIFA MEN’S WORLD CUP 2022 

·The 22nd FIFA Men’s World Cup 2022 was held from November 20, 2022 – December 18, 2022 in Qatar.

·It was the first World Cup held in the Middle Eastern country and the second held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan.

·Argentina grabbed the top spot. It was its 3rd title.

·The runner up was France while the 3rd and 4th place was secured by Croatia, and Morocco respectively.

·Argentina’s Captain, and Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi was named as tournament’s best player, winning the Golden Ball.

·Morocco became the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals by beating Portugal 1-0.

·The FIFA World Cup is held every four years. This tournament was first held in 1930. No World Cup was held in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II.

·Official match ball- Adidas ‘Al Rihla’ (The Journey)

·Official match ball of last 3 matches (semi-finals, third-place, and final)- Al Hilm’ (Dream in Arabic)

·FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy unveiled by- Indian actor Deepika Padukone

·Total Matches-64, Total Teams-32

·The official mascot of the FIFA World Cup 2022 La’eeb, which is an Arabic word meaning “super-skilled player”.

·Kylian Mbappé is the top scorer in the 2022 FIFA World Cup with 8 goals get Golden Boot Award

·Golden Glove Best Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)

·FIFA Young Player Award Enzo Fernández (Argentina)

 

7.          FIH HOCKEY WOMEN’S NATIONS CUP SPAIN 2022

·The Indian women’s hockey team won the inaugural FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2022 by defeating Spain in the final (1-0)  held in Valencia, Spain.

·Spain is in the second position followed by Japan and Ireland in third and fourth position.

·India and Spain had played in the FIH women’s Hockey Pro League 2021-22 season as replacement teams after pull-outs by Australia and New Zealand due to COVID-19 related issues.

·FIH President –Mohammad Tayyab Ikram,Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland

 

8.          INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY 2022 -DECEMBER 18

·The day(18th December) marks the day on which the UNGA adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in 1990.

·International Organization for Migration (IOM)was first established as the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe (PICMME) in 1951 and was renamed as International Organization for Migration(IOM) in 1980(after a series of name change).

·Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland

 

9.          MINORITY RIGHTS DAY 2022 – 18TH DECEMBER

·The day marks the day on which the United Nations (UN) adopted and broadcast the Statement on the individual’s Rights belonging to Religious or Linguistic National or Ethnic Minorities in 1992.

·National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Chairperson– Iqbal Singh Lalpura

 

10.       MP GETS INDIA’S 1ST & WORLD’S 2ND INFANTRY MUSEUM AT MHOW CANTONMENT, INDORE 

·            On the eve of 75 years of raising of the Infantry School and to commemorate the Vijay Diwas, India’s first & World’s 2nd Infantry Research Centre and Museum was inaugurated in the Mhow cantonment in Indore district, Madhya Pradesh(MP).

·            The museum was thrown open to the public on 17th December 2022.

·            The Museum showcases the history of the Infantry Corps from 1747 to 2020 which includes the sacrifice of valour and valiant soldiers preserved in statues, murals and photo galleries of 30 theme zones.

·            National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center, Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning in Columbus Georgia, United States of America is the world’s first National Infantry Museum.

 

11.       48TH MEETING OF THE GST COUNCIL

·            The 48th Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council Meeting was conducted virtually on December 17, 2022, in New Delhi, Delhi, and was presided over by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance (MoF).

·            The council has clarified the applicability of a 22 % cess on Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) provided four requirements are fulfilled.

·            The GST on pulse husks has been decreased from 5% to NIL.

·            In accordance with Section 132 of the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act of 2017, the GST Council suggested decriminalizing a number of offences.

 

12.       MEGHALAYA TOPS STATES IN AVERAGE MONTHLY INCOME PER AGRICULTURAL HOUSEHOLD

·            According to the 77th round of the Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) of Agricultural Households in the rural areas of India, Meghalaya tops the list of Average monthly income per agricultural household.

·            Meghalaya topped the list with a monthly agriculture household income of Rs 29,348  followed by Punjab with Rs 26,701 and Haryana with Rs 22,841.

·            The 77th round of the survey was conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) from  January 2019 to December 2019 with reference to the agricultural year July 2018-June 2019.

 

13.       2022 UN BIODIVERSITY CONFERENCE HELD IN MONTREAL CANADA

·            The United Nations (UN) Biodiversity Conference was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to acknowledge new set of goals to guide global action through 2030 in order to prevent nature loss.\

·            It comprised of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

·            The president of COP15 was China.

·            India was represented by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

·            The conference saw the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) that addresses the key drivers of nature loss, and promotes health and well-being of mankind and planet. It will replace the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

·            A number of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) has agreed to form a ‘Coalition for Nature’ for the implementation and adoption of GBF. It will be led by Cabo Verde, Samoa and Seychelles.

 

14.       SCIENCE & ENGINEERING INDICATORS 2022 RANKING

·            India has improved its position in the global ranking of scientific publications from 7th in 2010 to 3rd in 2020, according to the “Science & Engineering Indicators 2022” report by the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the United States (US).

·            The amount of scholarly output produced in India has increased, going from 60,555 papers in 2010 to 1,49,213 papers in 2020.

·            The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent US government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all non-medical fields of science and engineering.

 

15.       US-AFRICA LEADERS SUMMIT WASHINGTON DC

·            Nigeria and Rwanda became the first African nations to sign the Artemis Accords during the first-ever US-Africa Space Forum, which was held on the sideline of the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington DC, United States (US).

·            Nigeria & Rwanda have become the 22nd and 23rd signatories of the Artemis Accords.

·            The Artemis Accords are the broad non-binding framework that was launched jointly by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. State Department along with eight other nations in 2020 with an aim of advancing bilateral and multilateral space cooperation between the signatories.

·            With the signing of Nigeria and Rwanda, there are now total 23 signatories to the accord.

 

16.       NITIN GADKARI LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER ‘SURETY BOND INSURANCE’ FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

·            Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched India’s first-ever ‘Surety Bond Insurance’ product from Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company to reduce the dependence of infrastructure developers on bank guarantees.

·            The product was introduced in response to the demand identified by the Infrastructure sector and the Government of India (GoI).

 

17.       DINESH KUMAR SHUKLA APPOINTED AS CHAIRPERSON OF AERB 

·            The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Senior Nuclear Scientist Dinesh Kumar Shukla to the post of Chairperson of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). He has been appointed to the post for a period of three years.

·            Dinesh Kumar Shukla, who has been the Executive Director of the AERB, succeeds G Nageswara Rao to the post of Chairperson.

 

18.       3RD T20 WORLD CUP FOR THE BLIND 2022

·            The Indian National Blind Cricket Team won the 3rd T20 World Cup for the blind 2022 by defeating Bangladesh in the final held at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, Karnataka.

·            Team India has won the title for the third consecutive time(previously won in 2012 and 2017). Indian blind cricket team was led by Ajay Kumar Reddy.

·            Sunil Ramesh was awarded man of the match.

 

19.       INTERNATIONAL HUMAN SOLIDARITY DAY 2022 – DECEMBER 20

·            United Nations (UN)’s International Human Solidarity Day is annually observed across the globe on December 20 to raise public awareness of the value of solidarity

·            The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/60/209 on 22nd December 2005 and proclaimed December 20 of each year as International Human Solidarity Day.