Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
Ministry of Power is celebrating the Energy Conservation Week from 8th to 14th December 2021. The Celebration is led by Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
It also provides National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) for Industries and National Energy Efficiency Innovation Awards (NEEIA) to recognize innovative energy efficiency technologies. BEE also recognises National Level Painting Competitions on Energy Conservation for school children.

Notes:
On National Energy Conservation Day, the Power Ministry will distribute LED bulbs at a subsidised rate at 10 Rupees in over 2,500 villages in five states – Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
This will be done under the expansion of flagship Gram UJALA programme. The programme has been launched in March 2021 and achieved a distribution mark of more than 33 lakh LED bulbs in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Notes:
New Zealand will ban the sale of tobacco to its next generation, with an aim of eventually phasing out smoking in the country.
As per the law expected to be enacted next year, anyone born after 2008 will not be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime. New Zealand’s health ministry recently announced a crackdown on smoking.

Notes:
Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whales have been classified as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act.  They are the only known resident baleen whales in the Gulf of Mexico, with less than 100 individuals left in the population.
The carcass of an endangered Bryde’s whale was washed ashore near the border of Puri and Ganjam districts of Odisha.

Notes:
SCORES is a grievance redressal system of the Capital Market Regulator SEBI- Securities Exchange Board of India. The portal was launched in June 2011.
According to the data released by SEBI, a total of 3,789 complaints received through grievance redressal system SCORES have been disposed of against listed entities or market intermediaries in November.

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:
UN General Assembly declared December 12 as the International Day of Neutrality. Neutrality is defined as a legal status which arises when the state decides not to take part in any armed conflict.
International Day of Neutrality aims to raise awareness in public about the value of neutrality in international relations. Article 2 of the UN charter permits the member states to settle their disputes by peaceful means.

Notes:
Nauru, Kiribati and the Federated States of Micronesia are island countries located in the western Pacific Ocean.
The United States, Australia and Japan have announced that they will jointly fund the construction of an undersea cable to boost internet access in three small Pacific countries. This is regarded as the counter to the rising Chinese influence in the region.

Notes:
Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) deals with the Sedition Law. This section defines sedition as an offence committed when “any person attempts to excite disaffection towards government established by law, by means of spoken or written words, or by signs, or by visible representation.
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju informed the Lok Sabha by a written reply that there is no proposal to scrap sedition law.  The Indian Penal Code was enacted in 1860, under the British Government.

Notes:
The Indian government has recently finalized an air bubble agreement with Australia, which will allow all eligible passengers to travel between the two countries.
India currently has bilateral air bubble agreements with 33 countries, which include Afghanistan, Australia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Russia, Rwanda, Singapore, the UAE, the UK, and the USA among others. Australian airline Qantas has recently started flights between Sydney and New Delhi.