Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
Chinese leader Jiang Zemin passed away recently at the age of 96. He was China’s first head of state to have visited India in 1996, and played a key role in signing a crucial agreement to reduce the tensions along their disputed border.
Jiang was the President of China and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) from 1989 to 2002.

Notes:
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) saw a huge rise of 650 percent in value at the semi-urban and rural stores in India, according to a report by fin-tech company PayNearby.
According to the report, the demand for micro-ATMs and mPOS devices increased by 25 percent. There was sharp growth of over 200 percent in the cash collection business with a monthly average of Rs 1400 crores.

Notes:
Three Indian billionaires Gautam Adani, Shiv Nadar, and Ashok Soota find place in Forbes Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy list.
Business tycoon Gautam Adani, HCL Technologies’s Shiv Nadar, and Happiest Minds Technologies’ Ashok Soota are the three Indians in the 16th edition of the list. The list highlights individual altruists in the Asia-Pacific region who are donating from their own fortunes, and giving personal time and attention to their select causes.

Notes:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations organized an opening ceremony for the International Year of Millets 2023 (IYM2023) in Rome, Italy.
An Indian delegation led by Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and other senior officials were present at the opening ceremony. Raising awareness to create ‘Millet Mindfulness’ is an important part of this movement.

Notes:
Bharti Airtel announced its partnership with Facebook parent Meta to jointly invest in global connectivity infrastructure that would extend a subsea cable ‘2Africa Pearls’ to India.
Last year, Meta announced a new segment of 2Africa Pearls in collaboration with regional partners. The 37,000-km subsea cable connected 23 countries, when it was launched in 2020. The cable would connect Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Notes:
Haryana Government issues orders which prohibit dismissing an employee without a proper enquiry. The move comes after a recommendation of Punjab and Haryana high court which states that authorities have been ignoring the law regarding dismissal of an employee under Article 311 (2) (b) of the Constitution.
Article 311 empowers the competent authority to dismiss, remove or reduce in rank a government employee subject to various riders.

Notes:
Government of UT, Ladakh has approached the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) to develop Spatial Data Infrastructure geoportal ‘Geo-Ladakh’ for UT-Ladakh.
A Memorandum of Understanding was earlier signed between Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), ISRO and UT-Ladakh Administration. The portal provides geospatial data visualization and analytics for Ladakh.

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 Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has proposed allowing all general insurers to offer long-term motor insurance policies.
The proposal seeks to provide a wider choice to policyholders. The regulator proposed a three-year policy in respect of private cars co-terminus with motor third party liability cover and a five-year policy in respect of two-wheelers.

Notes:
The International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime is observed on December 9.
In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly established 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.