Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

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:
UN recognised the 38 degrees Celsius measured in Siberian region of Russia, as the new record high for the Arctic
The heat equivalent to 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit was seen on June 20, 2020 in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk. It marked the highest temperature ever recorded above the Arctic Circle, as per the World Meteorological Organization.

Notes:
Time magazine has named CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk as Person of the Year.
Elon Musk gained attention for becoming the richest person in the world due to the rise in Tesla’s (TSLA) stock price. As per Time Magazine, “Musk emerged not just as the world’s richest person but also as the richest example of a massive shift in our society.”

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:
Ladakh recently got its first ever FM radio station in its capital city Leh. The first-ever Top FM radio was launched in Leh.
The frequency for Leh & Kargil will be 91.1 FM and it will cover 50 kilometres aerial distance in radius in the Union Territory.

Notes:
National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has awarded a fuel-cell based Green Hydrogen Micro-grid Project at Simhadri in Andhra Pradesh.
According to the Power Ministry, this will be India’s first green hydrogen-based energy storage project and one of the world’s largest Green Hydrogen Micro-grid Projects. The hydrogen would be produced using the advanced Solid Oxide Electrolyser by taking power from Floating Solar project.

Notes:
Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton received his knighthood from Prince Charles at Windsor Castle for his services to motorsport.
A knighthood is a title conferred on a person by a British king or queen for their high achievement and services to their country within their industry. Hamilton is also the only black driver in the 70-year history of Formula One. Hamilton was earlier awarded the MBE, a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

Notes:
The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) has named Aditya Birla Group Chairman, Kumar Mangalam Birla, as the Global Entrepreneur of the Year in Business Transformation, for his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He is also the first Indian industrialist to receive this award. Other awardees are Elon Musk (Global Entrepreneur of the Year-Immigrant Entrepreneur), Jeff Bezos (Global Entrepreneur of the Year-First Generation) and Satya Nadella (Global Entrepreneur of the Year – Entrepreneurial CEO).

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:
The Centre has given ‘in-principle’ approval to set up six nuclear power reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.
The six nuclear power reactors, which will have a capacity of 1,650 MW each, will be established with technical cooperation from France. It will be India’s largest nuclear power generating site with a total capacity of 9,900 MW.