Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Tourism in association with Ministry of Culture, Sangeet Natak Academy and State Government of Andhra Pradesh successfully organised the prequel event of Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam.
It is a first of its kind festival to celebrate the rich heritage of classical music and promote lesser-known tourist attractions. The main event is to be organized in December 2023 in Vijayawada. The event will also feature spectacular display and sale of regional cuisine, local handicrafts and handlooms.

Notes:
A critically endangered species as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, has been recorded for the first time in Manipur’s Tamenglong district.
The Saurauia Punduana plant was recorded during a recent Rapid Biodiversity Assessment (RBA) field survey. The survey covered the key areas of the biodiversity heritage sites of Longku forest. The local people call this plant as Anoibang.

Notes:
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in collaboration with partners finalised three Action Plans outlining conservation needs and priorities for threatened pollinator species in the European Union.
The first Action Plan focuses on pollinators endemic to the Canary Islands’ Laurel Forest zone, The second plan addresses the wild bees specialized in teasel plants and the third Action Plan is dedicated to six hoverfly species.

Notes:
India aims to reach 500GW non-fossil energy capacity by 2030 under “Panchamrit” pledge made at COP26 to combat climate change. Half of India’s energy requirement will come from renewables while reducing carbon emission intensity of GDP by 45% over 2005 levels. The targets underscore India’s commitment to fight climate crisis through clean energy even as a developing economy. At COP28, India outlined plans to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 in collaboration with nations like the UAE. PM Modi presented the Panchamrit (five nectar elements), five time-bound climate pledges to: (1) Reach 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030 (2) Meet 50% of India’s energy requirement from renewable energy (RE) sources by 2030 (3) Reduce the carbon intensity of the economy by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030 (4) Reduce total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030 (5) Achieve the target of net-zero emissions by 2070.

Notes:
Hydropower currently makes up around 11% of India’s energy mix, as per government data. However, experts estimate the country has a total hydroelectric potential of 145 gigawatts (GW), of which only 29% has been utilized so far. Unlike coal power, hydropower offers flexible generation as the units can rapidly adjust output to match demand fluctuations. This ability makes it well-suited to balance the intermittency of renewables like solar and wind.

Notes:
The UK will deploy surveillance aircraft over Israel and Gaza to locate over 130 people still held hostage by Hamas since its October attack on Israel. At least 5 missing British nationals are feared captive amid rescued hostages. The unarmed Shadow R1 drones conduct intelligence gathering for UK forces. While the offensive has resumed after a temporary Gaza truce, the reconnaissance flights starting soon will solely focus on hostage recovery without any combat role. The visuals and data obtained on captives’ whereabouts will be shared with Israeli authorities coordinating rescue operations. The UK move follows similar US aerial scanning assistance to pinpoint Hamas hostage locations through unarmed drones.

Notes:
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has enabled two-factor authentication for all e-waybill and e-invoice systems to further enhance the security of the goods and services tax systems.
The feature was enabled on December 1 and was rolled out on Monday. Currently the pilot rollout has been done for a state of Haryana and after seamless operation of the same in the state, it is being rolled out for Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Delhi taxpayers in the first phase. In the second phase, it will be rolled out across the country.

Notes:
Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has been appointed as the youth voter awareness ambassador for Jammu and Kashmir.
Chief electoral officer (CEO) of Jammu and Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole announced the collaboration and said that Suresh Raina holds considerable influence, particularly among the youth.

Notes:
Since 1947, Norway has sent an annual gift to Britain, expressing thanks for its support during World War Two.
This year, the symbol of historic gratitude has arrived in Trafalgar Square. At 20 meters tall and approximately 70 years old, this year’s “queen of the forest” was carefully selected from woodlands around Oslo, then ceremonially felled in November.

Notes:
Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are killed annually by malaria and other diseases spread through the bite of mosquitoes, insects that date back to the age of dinosaurs. All of these bites are inflicted by females, which possess specialized mouth anatomy that their male counterparts lack.
Researchers said they have discovered the oldest-known fossils of mosquitoes – two males entombed in pieces of amber dating to 130 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period and found near the town of Hammana in Lebanon. The male mosquitoes possessed elongated piercing-sucking mouthparts seen now only in females. They are identified as hematophagous meaning blood-eaters.