Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
Sitiveni Rabuka has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Fiji, after his People’s Alliance party secured the backing of Social Liberal Democratic party.
Frank Bainimarama’s reign as leader of Fiji has ended almost 16 years since he made himself as the Prime Minister after a coup in 2006.

Notes:
Pharmaceutical company Hetero received World Health Organization Prequalification of Medicines Programme (WHO PQ) approval for its generic version of Covid-19 oral antiviral treatment candidate Nirmatrelvir.
Nirmatrelvir, which originated in Pfizer laboratories, is co-packaged with ritonavir tablets as Pfizer’s Covid-19 oral antiviral drug Paxlovid.

Notes:
Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry released a policy draft for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics — Extended Reality (AVGC-XR).
It has an aim to boost India’s domestic capacities and develop opportunities in AVGC-XR sector. The policy at state and national levels talks about the framing of a new curriculum at school and college levels, under ‘Create in India’ campaign and creating more job opportunities. The taskforce on AVGC-XR was formed under the aegis of I&B Ministry secretary Apurva Chandra.

Notes:
Former Central Railway General Manager Anil Kumar Lahoti has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Railway Board.
He will be taking over the chairmanship from Vinay Kumar Tripathi on January 1. The Railway board has been transitioning to a new integrated service named Indian Railway Management Service.

Notes:
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has outlined a 10-point peace plan to end the war with Russia.
He has been promoting his 10-point peace plan, discussing it with U.S. President Joe Biden among others. He also urged the the world leaders to hold a Global Peace Summit based on it. Zelenskiy announced his peace formula at a November summit of the Group of 20 major economies.

Notes:
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has been named as the secretariat for Science 20 (S20), one of the G20’s groupings.
The G20 is being presided over by India and the theme of the S20 in 2023 is ‘Disruptive Science for Innovative and Sustainable Development’.  Discussions will take place throughout the year in various regions of India.

Notes:
In India, the minimum wage for labourers has been fixed at Rs 178 per day. The labour ministry is considering a shift from the minimum wage to a living wage.
As per reports, India could seek help from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to arrive at living wages. A minimum wage is the amount required for subsistence and is set by law while the living wage is necessary for workers to meet their basic living requirements. The difference between the two may range from 10 to 25 per cent.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually laid foundation stone and projects worth more than ₹7,800 crore in West Bengal.
He also virtually inaugurated Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee – National Institute of Water and Sanitation (DSPM – NIWAS). It will serve as an apex body in the country on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the country, serving as a hub of information and knowledge for Central, State and local governments.

Notes:
Delhi government has recently cleared the draft Delhi Solar Policy 2022. It aims to increase the share of the city’s annual electricity demand met by solar energy from 9% at present to 25% by 2025.
The draft targets a total installed solar capacity of 6,000 megawatt by 2025. It includes benefits such as Generation Based Incentives and subsidy for consumers. The draft has been put in public domain for 30 days after which it will be tabled before Cabinet for final approval.

Notes:
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) is an autonomous Research Institute wholly financed by the department of Science and Technology. It has its headquarters in Bengaluru.
Astronomers and scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), along with their international collaborators, have recently found that hot stars and white dwarfs emitted less ultraviolet radiation than expected.