Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
Forbes, an American business magazine releases the rankings of 100 most powerful women of the world ever year.
This year, Jeff Bezos’ former wife Mackenzie Scott earned the topmost spot in this year’s list. US Vice-President Kamla Harris is ranked second, and European Central Bank Head Christine Lagarde is at the third position. India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is ranked at 37th position.

Notes:
Olaf Scholz has been sworn in as Germany’s new chancellor, officially taking over from Angela Merkel, who served historic 16 years as the Chancellor.
The 63-year old leader steered the Social Democrats to election victory in September. He has played a key role in the Merkel government as vice-chancellor. All 16 ministers took the oath of office, becoming Germany’s first cabinet to include as many women as men.

Notes:
As per the ‘Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2021’, prevalence of hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) reached 9.1 per cent in 2020.
This is the highest prevalence that has been in the last 15 years, according to a new report jointly published by United Nations bodies including FAO, IFAD, WFP. The number of people living with hunger reached a total of 59.7 million people.

Notes:
Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security released the ‘Global Health Security (GHS) Index’.
As per the index, the world remains unprepared for future epidemic and pandemic threats. The world’s performance on the GHS Index score slipped to 38.9 (out of 100) in 2021, from a score of 40.2. India, with a score of 42.8, has slipped by 0.8 points since 2019.

Notes:
Asian Development Bank has approved a Rs 2,644.85 crore (USD 350 million) loan for India to help improve its urban services.
The loan supports the policies set up by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to provide universal coverage of piped water supply and improved sanitation. This is part of the recently launched Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0

Notes:
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Space, and the government of India signed an MoU with smartphone maker OPPO to strengthen research and development of NavIC messaging service.
NavIC messaging service is the domestic satellite navigation system of India. They will develop indigenous solutions by incorporating the NavIC short messaging feature in the smartphones released by OPPO.

Notes:
A recent terrorist attack on convoy of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) killed seven UN peacekeepers.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack held in Bandiagara region in Mali that resulted in the killing of seven UN peacekeepers from Togo.

Notes:
Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) is a US government program, launched in 2019, under former President Donald Trump. It is also dubbed as “Remain in Mexico” policy.
It mandates that certain citizens and nationals of countries other than Mexico be returned to Mexico while their American removal proceedings are pending. UNICEF has expressed concern about the re-implementation of the program.

Notes:
December 11 is celebrated as International Mountain Day every year, as designated by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
International Mountain Day creates awareness about the importance of mountains to life. This year’s theme for International Mountain Day is Sustainable Mountain Tourism. According to the UN, mountain tourism attracts about 15-20 per cent of global tourism.

Notes:
Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program is implemented by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The program comes under the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 and was designed to recognize pilots and flight crew. Recently, FAA announced that it will no longer issue Commercial Space Astronaut Wings, the pins given to individuals reaching space but instead recognise on its website.