Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
Switzerland has retained its top spot on the latest World Talent Ranking report, which is published annually by the IMD World Competitiveness Center.
The report ranks 64 economies based on a range of factors including how they invest in and develop local personnel, their ability to attract and retain skilled workers, and the quality of domestic talent pools. All the top 10 countries are from European region.

Notes:
As per a new research, Quetzalcoatlus was the largest known flying animal to have ever lived on Earth.
The animal is claimed to have a 12-metre wingspan, as per a research collection published by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. The research team found that the creature took flight like a fighter jet off an aircraft carrier after years of research.

Notes:
Max Verstappen recently became the first Dutchman ever to win the Formula One world championship title.
He achieved this feat when he won a dramatic season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit. The 24-year old is a Belgian-Dutch racing driver, who has been contesting since 2015.

Notes:
Parker Solar Probe of NASA has successfully flown through the Sun’s upper atmosphere, the corona. It is an extreme environment that’s roughly 2 million degrees Fahrenheit.
The probe has sampled particles and magnetic fields from the corona. A key instrument on board the probe, the Solar Probe Cup, collects particles from the Sun’s atmosphere. the outer boundary, which scientists call the Alfven point.

Notes:
The world’s largest natural corundum blue sapphire- named the “Queen of Asia”, was found from a gem pit in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka.
Ratnapura, also known as gem city, is situated around 85 km away from capital Colombo. The rare gem weighs around 310 kg. The National Gem and Jewellery Authority of Sri Lanka certified the gem stone and said that more tests are to be carried out on the gem stone.

Notes:
As per a new study published, Bubbler is a breathalyzer, which performs viral RNA detection to diagnose SARS-CoV-2, just by making the patient exhale into the device.
Its name is derived from the bubbling sound that occurs when the patient exhales. The Bubbler reverse transcribes RNA from airborne virus particles into DNA to be tested via PCR. It can also barcode that DNA, allowing samples to be linked directly to the patient they have come from and be used for sequencing.

Notes:
The Israeli government has announced to donate 1 million coronavirus vaccines to the U.N.-backed COVAX programme.
Italy’s Foreign Ministry said the AstraZeneca vaccines would be transferred in the coming weeks. This decision is seen as a part of Israel’s strengthening ties with the African countries. Israel has close ties with several African nations, including Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. Last year, Israel established relations with Sudan.

Notes:
The Supreme Court of India has permitted the state of Maharashtra to hold bullock cart races in the state till the pendency of the issue before the constitutional Bench. Generally, such races would be held in several parts of the state like Pune and western Maharashtra region and is considered to be a  400-year-old tradition.
Bullock cart races were banned in Maharashtra state after the apex Court ruled that the race is violative of the provisions Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

Notes:
The ‘Index on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy’, an indicator of literacy among children below 10 years was released by Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
The Index was prepared by ‘Institute for Competitiveness’. West Bengal (58.95) topped the chart and Bihar was placed at the bottom in the ‘large states’ category. In the ‘small states’ category, Kerala (67.95) grabbed the top spot. Lakshadweep (52.69) and Mizoram (51.64) are top-scoring regions in the UT and Northeast state category, respectively.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the All India Mayors’ Conference at Varanasi via video conferencing.
As many as 120 mayors from various states of the country participated in the conference, which was conducted with the theme of ‘New Urban India’.