Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
Ministry of Women and Child Development has organised a National Conference on Tuberculosis at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu was the Chief Guest, along with Minister of Women & Child Development Smriti Irani and Minister of Health & Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya. Prime Minister of India announced the government’s vision to eliminate TB by 2025, ahead of the SDG timeline of 2030.

Notes:
Rani Abbakka Chowta was the first Tuluva Queen of Ullal who fought the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century.
Ullal is one of the oldest towns, which is now present in the state of Karnataka. Veera Rani Abbakka Utsava is celebrated every year in the state. Veera Rani Abbakka Award and Veera Rani Abbakka Puraskar for 2021 were presented to writers Chandrakala Nandavara and K.A. Rohini respectively.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the highest civilian award of Bhutan, Ngadag Pel gi Khorlo.
Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering also wished his countrymen as they celebrate the 114th National Day of Bhutan which commemorates the Coronation of the First King of Bhutan, Druk Gyalpo Ugyen Wangchuck in 1907.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the 594-km Ganga Expressway in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
After completion of work, it will be the longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh, connecting the western and eastern regions of the state. The six-lane expressway, which is expandable to eight lanes, will be built at a cost of over Rs 36000 crore.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a loan agreement with Assam Skill Development Mission for establishing Assam Skill University.
It will be set up under the external-aided project funded by the Asian Development Bank. The estimated cost of the project was USD 140 million, including the state’s share of 20 per cent. This will be first government skill university of Eastern India.

Notes:
The California Coastal Commission in the United States has approved a plan for air dropping rat poison on the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
This is an attempt to save rare seabirds, by helping to curb the mice population on the islands. However, a radio-collared mountain lion P-47 was discovered dead in California after exposure to rat poison in the month of April.

Notes:
Phage therapy is the concept of using viruses (known as phage) that are harmless to humans to kill bacteria.
As per a new research, this therapy can be used in combination with antibiotics to cure infections more effectively. It will in turn reduce the threat of antibiotic resistance.

Notes:
NASA has recently released noises captured near Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. Ganymede is also the largest moon in our solar system.
Ganymede also has its own magnetic field, which is not present in other moons of the solar system. NASA launched the Juno spacecraft, to observe Jupiter’s neighbourhood. Earlier this year, Juno captured Ganymede’s electromagnetic waves.

Notes:
Italian-born British architect Richard Rogers (1933-2021) was known for designing several famous structures. He passed away recently.
He helped in designing some of the most remarkable buildings in the recent years, including the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Lloyd’s building in London and the Millennium Dome at Greenwich. He changed the buildings into, “a place for all people, all ages and all creeds”.

Notes:
The population of the United States grew more slowly in 2021 than in any other year since 1900, as per the US Census Bureau.
COVID pandemic, economic shutdowns, decreased migration and fewer births are among reasons for low population growth. The US population grew by about 393,000 in 2021, at an historic low of 0.1 percent, according to new estimates released by the Census Bureau.