Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
The United States has added a key anti-Pakistani militant group and its al-Qaida branch to its list of ‘global terrorists’.
As per the State Department, both groups operate from Afghanistan, but they have hideouts in Pakistan’s former tribal regions.

Notes:
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), more than 100 million people were forcibly displaced in 2022, most of them within their own countries, for the first time ever.
The report is titled ‘Turning the tide on internal displacement: A development approach to solutions’. This was the highest global figure and more than twice the number recorded 10 years ago, as per the analysis by UNDP and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.

Notes:
The NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio have successfully installed Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) on the starboard truss structure of the International space station.
The astronauts have also disconnected a cable allowing restoring a power channel to 75% of its operating capacity.

Notes:
Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar, professor emeritus at Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI), has been appointed as part-time chairperson of National Statistical Commission of India (NSCI) for three years.
The National Statistical Commission of India is an autonomous body which was formed in June 2005 under the recommendation of Rangarajan commission.

Notes:
The Chief Justice of India, Justice Dr Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud has directed to organise a Hackathon event in the Supreme Court, for the first time in the history.
It is an initiative to identify innovative ideas for refining process of ‘filing to listing’ of cases. The event will be organised under the supervision and guidance of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Supreme Court Judge.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) hiked the repo rate by 35 basis points (bps) to 6.25 per cent with immediate effect.
The policy rate is now at its highest level since August 2018 and this is the fifth rate hike by the central bank in this financial year. MPC decided to remain focused on the withdrawal of accommodative stance. The standing deposit facility (SDF) rate stands adjusted to 6.00 per cent and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 6.50 per cent.

Notes:
The ‘12th World Hindi Conference’ is being organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Government of Fiji in February 2023 in Fiji.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the main theme of the Conference is “Hindi: From Traditional Knowledge to Artificial Intelligence”. Eleven World Hindi Conferences have been organized in various countries, so far.

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:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released the ‘Global status of black soils’ Report on the occasion of World Soil Day, December 5, 2022.
As per the report, Black soils, which feed the global population, are under threat, with most losing at least half of their soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. As per the FAO, the reasons are Land-use change, unsustainable management practices and excessive use of agrochemicals.

Notes:
International Anti-Corruption Day is observed on 9 December, with the theme of ‘Uniting the World against Corruption’.
The 2022 International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) seeks to highlight the crucial link between anti-corruption and peace, security, and development. It also marks the start of twentieth anniversary of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).