Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
The United Nations released the latest draft of a global climate agreement which presented three options to tackle fossil fuels which ranged from phasing them out to not talking about it at all.
The first proposes an ‘orderly and just phase out of fossil fuels’ stance and one seen as essential by low-lying island nations at threat from rising seas. The second calls for faster efforts to phase out projects that lack the means to capture and store emissions, and to “rapidly” reduce fossil fuel use to achieve carbon neutrality in global energy production by 2050.The third option contained in the 24-page draft is “no text” at all, a position supported by oil giant Saudi Arabia and China.

Notes:
Also known as Glycogen Storage Disease Type II, Pompe disease is a rare genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA).
This enzyme is crucial for breaking down glycogen into glucose within the lysosomes of cells. Its prevalence estimates range from 1 in 40,000 to 1 in 300,000 births. While there is currently no cure for Pompe disease, there are treatment options available to manage symptoms and improve the patient’s quality of life. Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) is a standard treatment, involving the infusion of the missing enzyme to alleviate glycogen buildup.

Notes:
UN President urged the UN Security Council President to help avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and appealed for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared.
The UNSC comprises five permanent members, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia and 10 non-permanent members appointed for specific periods. On a rotational basis, each of these 15 countries holds the presidency for a month. Ecuador is the President for December 2023. Article 99 of the UN Charter is the founding document of the United Nations. Based on the powers conferred through it, the UN can take action on a wide variety of issues.

Notes:
Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC), launched the India-Korea Electronic Origin Data Exchange System (EODES).
It is aimed at facilitating the smooth implementation of the India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by way of electronic exchange of origin information between the two customs administrations in respect of the goods traded under the CEPA.

Notes:
The death toll from a volcano eruption in Indonesia has risen to 23 after 10 more bodies were discovered.
Mount Marapi on the island of Sumatra spewed an ash tower 9,800 feet into the sky. About 75 climbers who had started their way up the mountain and stranded, and about 52 of them were rescued after the initial eruption, while 11 more were initially confirmed dead. New eruptions spewed additional columns of hot ash into the air, reducing visibility and temporarily halting the search and recovery operations.

Notes:
Samir Shah, a British-Indian has been picked by the U.K. government to head the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as its next chair.
The India-born media executive has over 40 years of experience in TV production and journalism. The 71-year-old, was honoured with a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 for services to television and heritage.

Notes:
A video produced by the Supreme Court in 10 different Indian languages gives a history of the Kesavananda Bharati judgment.
The historic judgment delivered on April 24, 1973 by a Supreme Court Bench of 13 judges, the largest in the court’s history till date, propounded the Basic Structure doctrine. The judges, on a majority of 7:6, had declared that the Parliament cannot amend or abrogate the fundamental features or the soul of the Constitution, including the rule of law and independence of the judiciary.

Notes:
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in promoting sustainable infrastructure development and address development challenges in Asia and beyond.
Under the MoU, AIIB and UNDP plan to co-invest and leverage multilateral funding and private financing in developing countries, collaborate on measuring the impact of investments for climate goals and the SDGs.

Notes:
Hanukkah is Judaism’s “festival of lights.” On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multibranched candelabra.
The holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.

Notes:
The collapse of an ash pond in a thermal power plant run by the state-owned Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) has destroyed crops and polluted the Hirakud Dam reservoir.
A breach in the pond’s dyke at Banharpali village in the district caused its dam to collapse. Slurry from the pond flowed into paddy fields spread across 150 acres of land. Most of the croplands had standing paddy crops while in some of the land, the freshly harvested crops are completely destroyed. The slurry has also damaged the soil for future cultivation.