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:
The USA recently announced a new bill named ‘Platform Accountability and Transparency Act (PATA)’.
The bill establishes new rules which could compel social media platforms to share data with “Qualified researchers”. They are defined as university-affiliated researchers pursuing projects that have been approved by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Notes:
NITI Aayog released a report titled ‘Report on country level-secondary and tertiary level and district level emergency and injury care in India’.
These reports highlight the prevailing gaps in ambulance services, health infrastructure, human resources, and equipment in the provision of optimal care. NITI Aayog aims to set up an efficient, professional, and integrated emergency-care system.

Notes:
Operation Devi Shakti was an operation of the Indian Armed Forces to evacuate Indian citizens and foreign nationals from Afghanistan.
Recently, a special flight arrived at Delhi Airport from Kabul in Afghanistan carrying 10 Indians and 94 Afghans including members of the Afghan Hindu-Sikh minority community. The special Kam Air flight was arranged by India under Operation Devi Shakti. India has evacuated over 565 Indian nationals from Afghanistan so far.

Notes:
Photodynamic therapy involves the use of light-sensitive medicine, which is activated by a light source. The treatment is used to treat certain cancers, and patients report a side effect due to the treatment.
Many people claim to have better night vision and also vision of unusual patterns and silhouettes in the dark. Researchers discovered Rhodopsin, a light-sensitive protein found in retinas, interacts with chlorin e6, a photosensitive used in cancer treatment.

Notes:
Four-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles was named Time’s 2021 Athlete of the Year, the Time magazine announced.
She had withdrawn from four event finals at the Tokyo Olympics, stating reasons of her mental health. However, the 24-year-old managed to earn all-around silver and a bronze in balance beam at the Tokyo Olympics.

Notes:
The World Bank has announced a $93 billion package of the International Development Association (IDA) to help the poor countries tackle Covid crisis and boost economic growth.
The latest pledge includes $23.5 billion of contributions from 48 high- and middle-income countries, raised in the capital markets, repayments, and the World Bank’s own contributions.

Notes:
Tokyo Paralympics champion Avani Lekhara won the ‘Best Female Debut’ award at the 2021 Paralympic Sport Awards.
Czech Republic’s Boccia player Adam Peska won the Male Debut accolade. Indian shooting Para sport athlete Avani Lekhara became the first-ever female Paralympic gold medallist from India. She also became the first Indian female to win two medals in the Paralympics.

Notes:
Typhoon Rai hit Philippines and rapidly intensified to a Category 5 storm and made landfall in the southern Philippines.
Rai is the 15th typhoon to enter Philippines this year. It has hit the island of Siargao with sustained winds of up to 195 km (121 miles) per hour. This is set to be the second-most powerful typhoon to strike the nation this year.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet passed a proposal to raise the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years — the same as men.
This step is based on recommendations submitted to NITI Aayog in December 2020 by the task force headed by Jaya Jaitly, which was constituted to examine “matters pertaining to age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering MMR (Maternal Mortality Rate), improvement of nutritional levels and related issues”.