Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
According to a recent clarification, the Central Government will allow a consortium of foreign funds and investment companies to own over 51% in IDBI Bank Ltd.
As per the current Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rules, foreign ownership is restricted in new private banks. At present, the government and the Life Insurance Corporation of India hold 94.71% in IDBI Bank and are looking to sell 60.72%.

Notes:
In the 19th annual Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen was ranked first for her leadership during the Ukraine war.
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde came on second position while US Vice-President Kamala Harris was on third. From India, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is at 36^th rank. SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch, SAIL Chairperson Soma Mondal, Biocon Chair Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Nykaa CEO Falguni Nayar were on the list.

Notes:
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched sanitation workers’ development programme across the state and distributed safety equipment.
A survey will be carried out to identify sanitation workers and details will be uploaded on a mobile application. In the first phase, the scheme will be implemented in five urban local bodies and will be extended to all other local bodies.

Notes:
Three medicinal plant species found in the Himalayas have been added to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Meizotropis pellita, commonly known as Patwa and endemic to Uttarakhand, has been assessed as ‘critically endangered’, Fritilloria cirrhosa as ‘vulnerable’, and Dactylorhiza hatagirea as ‘endangered’.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced that the test run of hypersonic vehicles was successfully conducted with Headquarters of the Integrated Defense Staff (HQ IDS).
The Trisonic Wind Tunnel system helps with the aerodynamic design of rockets and re-entry spacecraft. The tunnel can simulate flight at speeds from 68 metres per second to 1,360 metres per second.

Notes:
Bhupendra Patel will continue as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for a second straight term, after the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins in the state assembly elections. The newly-elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs elected Bhupendra Patel as the leader of the legislative party.

Notes:
France football team entered the semifinals of the World Cup by beating England 2-1. Olivier Giroud scored in the 78th minute which helped Franc win the game.
France is also on course to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups. Kylian Mbappé is a 23 year old football player of the France team.

Notes:
According to the International Debt Report 2022 by the World Bank, debt of low and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) rose to a record high of 789 billion USD in 2021.
This is the region’s highest debt burden since 2010 and the region’s current debt burden is beyond its repayment capacity.

Notes:
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has initiated investigations into around 23,000 rupees in Goods and Services Tax evasion by gaming companies.
These companies also include online gaming companies located in India as well as in other countries.  The tax evasion is related to the period between April 2019 and November 2022.

Notes:
The Rajya Sabha passed the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, to mandate non-fossil sources of energy and establish a domestic carbon market in India.
This will help India achieve its target of reducing India’s carbon intensity by 45 per cent by 2030. This goal is part of India’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).