Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
Novak Djokovic earned the year-end No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for the eighth time. The 36-year-old from Serbia regained the top ranking from Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian Open in January, the French Open in June, and U.S. Open in September, to raise his career total to a men’s-record 24 and was the runner-up at the other, Wimbledon.

Notes:
United States signed the first-ever defence cooperation agreement with Sweden that will strengthen military ties and permit bilateral exercises.
Nordic country strengthens military alliances while waiting for approval to join NATO. Turkey and Hungary are the only two NATO members which have not given Sweden the green light yet.

Notes:
The National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL) has finalised the acquisition of the two SREI companies namely SREI Equipment Finance and SREI Infrastructure Finance.
The acquisition is made under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), paving the way for resolution of a Rs 32700-crore debt. NARCL emerged the winning bidder under the IBC process. NARCL was formed by the government in 2021 with public sector banks owning a majority stake in NARCL, while the balance is with private banks. Canara Bank is the sponsor bank.

Notes:
Iran unveiled dozens of drones mounted with air-to-air missiles to be added to the army’s arsenal. The locally made Karrar drone has been equipped with the Majid thermal missile with a range of 8 kilometers (5 miles).
The Karrar drone, which was first introduced in 2010, has an operational range of up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). In August, the Defense Ministry unveiled a new advanced combat drone, dubbed Mohajer 10, that it claimed has a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).

Notes:
Myanmar has risen to become the world’s largest producer of opium in 2023, surpassing Taliban-ruled Afghanistan which had launched a major crackdown on poppy cultivation since early 2022. As per data by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Myanmar produced an estimated 1,080 metric tonnes of opium this year used to produce heroin. Meanwhile, Afghanistan saw production levels fall by 95% to just 330 tonnes after the Islamist Taliban rulers banned poppy farming citing it un-Islamic. The expansion of the illegal opiate economy in strife-torn Myanmar is attributed to the growing instability and conflict in the country since the 2021 coup.

Notes:
Vishnu Deo Sai is the second tribal leader from Chhattisgarh after Ajit Jogi to be appointed as the state’s Chief Minister. He is a five-time MLA from the Kunkuri constituency in Jashpur district, which has a large tribal population. Known for keeping a low profile, Sai has risen from the grassroots, starting as a panchayat member. His administrative experience, clean image and deep connections with local communities seemed to have tilted the scales in his favour for the CM post. His elevation is significant for tribal politics in the state. It fulfils BJP’s promise of rotating the CM post between tribal and non-tribal leaders, made after the death of BJP’s influential tribal face Dr. Raman Singh.

Notes:
The research wing of the Uttarakhand forest department has established India’s first Gymnosperm garden, hosting diverse endangered conifer species, spanning one hectare at Radi Top in Uttarkashi district at an elevation of 8,000 feet. It will open for public visit from March 2024.

Notes:
India plans to establish a goods showcase and distribution facility named Bharat Mart spanning over 100,000 sq meters in the UAE by 2025. Modeled on China’s enterprises, it will integrate warehousing, retail and hospitality offerings under one roof in the Jebel Ali free trade zone. This aims to boost exports of Indian products to West Asia, Africa and Europe leveraging the UAE’s connectivity and stimulate two-way India-UAE trade eyed to reach $100 billion by 2030.

Notes:
The indigenous Koya tribe in Andhra Pradesh, residing in the Papikonda hill range, has embraced eco-friendly practices to conserve the Indian Bison (Bos gaurus).
Koyas have replaced traditional Indian Bison horns with palm leaves to craft their traditional flute, Permakor. Permakore is a traditional flute, originally made from Indian Bison horns, and is now created using palm leaves as an eco-friendly alternative. The flute serves as a communication tool during hunting, celebrations, and festivals.

Notes:
Sultan Haitham bin Tarik was on state visit to India from December 16, 2023. Trade between India and Oman has a history of several millenniums and archaeological excavations in Oman have unearthed evidence to show Indo-Oman trade during the Classical Age dated to circa third century BCE. Later, Oman had links with the Indians through Gujarat, and with Tamilakam along the Malabar Coast. The Sultans of Oman and Zanzibar heavily banked on Kutchi moneylenders such as Jairam Shivji. A large number of Kutchi Bhatias migrated from Kutch to Muscat and from Muscat to Zanzibar.