Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
University Grants Commission (UGC) has sought the translation of textbooks for undergraduate programmes in languages such as Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Odia, Bengali, Assamese, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu.
UGC also constituted an apex committee to prepare the roadmap to introduce undergraduate and postgraduate courses in regional languages in disciplines including commerce, humanities, and science.

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:
Bernard Arnault & family, who own the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group of luxury brands, were briefly placed in the top position on Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk was at second position for a while after a fall in his automobile company Tesla’s shares. With a net worth of USD 185.4 billion, Musk is now again followed in the Forbes list by Arnault at USD 184.7 billion

Notes:
Political parties received Rs 676.26 crore in the 23rd phase of the sale of electoral bonds (EBs) between November 11 and 15.
This period is ahead of the Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Around 97 percent of the bonds sold (worth Rs 660 crore) were encashed by political parties at the New Delhi Main branch of State Bank of India. Anonymous donors gave Rs 545 crore in the 22nd sale of EBs conducted between October 1 and 10.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of greenfield international airport at Mopa in north Goa.
The airport would be named Manohar International Airport after former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar. The Mopa airport in North Goa is the second international airport apart from the existing airport at Dabolim.

Notes:
Every year UNICEF Day is celebrated on December 11. UNICEF was originally called the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund and now officially called as United Nations Children’s Fund.
After World War II, the United Nations formed the International Children’s Emergency Fund to provide with humanitarian aid for the well-being of the children whose future was at risk. It also defends children’s rights and helps them fulfil their potential.

Notes:
After completing the Artemis-1 mission, NASA’s Orion capsule splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean.
It was the first test flight of a new spaceship meant to carry people back to the Moon. Orion’s next trip will be a loop around the Moon with astronauts on board, named ‘Artemis II’. It is scheduled around 2024.

Notes:
The International Day of Neutrality is commemorated on December 12. The day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017, to focus on advocating and campaigning for intra-state peaceful relations.
The United Nations focuses on Preventive diplomacy, which is the diplomatic action taken to prevent disputes from escalating into conflicts, as well as limiting the spread of conflicts; as well as mediating in inter and intra-state conflicts at all stages, and peacekeeping.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually participated in a programme commemorating Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary, on 13th December.
The programme is being held in Kamban Kalai Sangam, Puducherry, under the aegis of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The Prime Minister also released a commemorative coin and postal stamp in honour of Sri Aurobindo. He was an Indian nationalist and editor of newspapers such as Vande Mataram. He later became a spiritual reformer and established Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry.

Notes:
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been conducting Dare to Dream Contest every year since 2019.
It aims to bring together innovators, entrepreneurs, individuals above 18 years and start-ups for innovative ideas in the field of Defence and Aerospace. A total of 5,637 applications have been received under three Dare to Dream Contests in last three years.