Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
The French baguette has been recently awarded the UNESCO “intangible cultural heritage status”.
As per the National Federation of French Bakeries, more than six billion baguettes are baked every year in France. It is a bread with crusty exterior and soft middle and is an essential part of French life.

Notes:
An international team of scientists has discovered a new drought-resilient semi-dwarf wheat gene named ‘Rht13.’
It can be grown in drier soil conditions. The Reduced height gene seeds can be planted deeper in the soil, giving access to moisture.

Notes:
India will assume chairmanship of the plenary of the Wassenaar Arrangement for a year on January 1, 2023.
Five year ago, India joined the 42-member voluntary export control regime, which monitors transfers of conventional weapons and dual-use goods.

Notes:
The government’s pre-matric scholarship to students of minority communities studying in classes 1 to 8 is being discontinued.
Students in Classes 9 and 10 will be eligible for this scholarship by the Ministry of Minority Affairs from 2022-2023. Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the Government provides free and compulsory elementary education (classes I to VIII) to each and every child.

Notes:
The US Air Force has unveiled its latest nuclear stealth bomber named ‘B-21’, which will gradually replace aircraft first flown in the Cold War.
The country’s first new bomber in 30 years could cost about USD 700m each and can carry nuclear and conventional weapons.

Notes:
Estonia, a country in Northern Europe signed a USD 200 million contract with the United States to purchase High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).
The contract is Estonia’s largest arms procurement project ever. In addition to the weapon system, Estonia will also procure ammunition, communications solutions, training, logistics, and life-cycle solutions.

Notes:
Japanese Encephalitis is caused when a person is infected by flavivirus. The disease is transmitted from one person to another by Culex mosquitoes.
To prevent the rise of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) cases among children, the Karnataka government announced a program to vaccinate around 48 lakh children of age between 1-15 years.

Notes:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Orion capsule made its closest approach to the Moon within 130 km.
The feat has been achieved after Apollo 17 flew half a century ago. The spacecraft is set to parachute into the sea and splash down on December 11. NASA shared a picture of the ‘Moon and the distant crescent Earth’ captured by the Orion spacecraft.

Notes:
India’s telecom regulatory authority recently floated a consultation paper about Calling Name Presentation (CNAP).
It seeks to help telephone subscribers identify and make informed choices about incoming calls from tele-marketers and others. The feature would provide the called individual with information about the calling.

Notes:
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative jointly released ‘State of Finance for Nature 2022 ‘ Report.
It shows that current finance flows to nature-based solutions (NbS) are at USD 154 billion per year, which is less than half of the USD 384 billion per year needed by 2025.