Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
Punjab’s Ludhiana Central Jail now has recently inaugurated its own radio channel, “Radio Ujala Punjab,”.
Only jail inmates will be running the radio channel and prisoners who work as ‘Radio Jockeys’ have undergone training. Six other jails of Punjab would also get their own radio channels in the coming days. This programme aims to rehabilitate the prisoners and provide welfare opportunities.

Notes:
The Indian Army has launched a messaging application named ASIGMA, with features such as multi-level security and message prioritisation.
ASIGMA stands for ‘Army Secure IndiGeneous Messaging Application (ASIGMA)’. It is a new generation, state-of-the-art, web-based application. A team of Corps of Signals has developed it in-house.

Notes:
Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru based DRDO laboratory along with other DRDO labs has developed the High-speed expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) Abhyas.
Defence research and development organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed Target system, recently off the coast of Odisha.

Notes:
Researchers have confirmed the existence of a layer of muscle in the human jaw named Musculus masseter pars coronidea.
The coronoid section of the masseter, has been proposed for the new muscle layer by the researchers. It attaches to the muscular process of the lower jaw. The muscle closes the jaw while chewing.

Notes:
The cabinet of Japan has approved a record high defence budget of 5.4 trillion yen ($47.2 billion) for the next financial year. The approved defence budget has exceeded the ceiling of 1% of the gross domestic product of the country.
This record high defence budget comes amidst threats from neighbouring China and frequent clashes between the two defence forces.

Notes:
Chinese scientists have developed the world’s first machine that can charge people with crime using artificial intelligence.
As per the scientists, the AI “prosecutor” can charge people with over 97 per cent accuracy and it works on verbal description. The researchers also announced that it can also identify “dissent” against the state.

Notes:
‘Airgun Surrender Abhiyan’ is being implemented in Arunachal Pradesh. Under the programme,  people are voluntarily surrendering their airguns to stop  indiscriminate hunting of birds.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently appreciated about the Airgun Surrender Abhiyan. The state has been running a unique campaign for a year and in the name of ‘Arunachal Pradesh Airgun Surrender Campaign’.

Notes:
Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has released guidelines regarding Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFV) and Flex Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV).
The Automobile Manufacturers are advised to manufacture the vehicles complying with BS-6 Norms within a period of six months.

Notes:
Scientists have recently identified ”quantum entangled” microscopic multicellular organisms known as – frozen tardigrade. These organisms are found to tolerate extreme physiochemical conditions, by being in a latent state of life known as cryptobiosis.
Under extreme conditions, tardigrades curl up into shrunken, dehydrated balls and suspend their biological functions indefinitely in order to endure extreme environmental conditions.

Notes:
The Uttarakhand Chief Minister inaugurated the first such eco-tourism zone in the state named the ‘Surai Ecotourism Zone’.
He also inaugurated the ‘Kakra Crocodile Trail’, which is the first crocodile trail of India where tourists can witness the specie of crocodile ‘Marsh’. Both the schemes are in line with the Chief Minister’s ‘Young Ecopreneur Scheme’.