Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
Pakistan’s Cabinet endorsed the country’s first-ever National Security Policy (NSP), which emphasised that economic progress should be at the center of national security.
The Cabinet has adopted the document which was approved by the high-powered National Security Committee (NSC). The Policy is a five-year policy document covering the period 2022-26.

Notes:
The Union Government in exercise of the powers conferred by the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has notified the Consumer Protection (Direct Selling) Rules, 2021.
As per the new rules, Direct selling entity and direct sellers are prohibited from Promoting a Pyramid Scheme or enroll any person to such scheme or participate in such arrangement. They are also prohibited from participating in money circulation scheme in the name of direct selling business.

Notes:
United Nations Women recently released a new report titled ‘Women and girls left behind: Glaring gaps in pandemic responses’.
As per the report, women were less likely to receive COVID-19 relief from government. At least 29 per cent of working mothers living with children lost their jobs compared to 20 per cent of working men living with children. Single women living with children were left behind more, as per the report.

Notes:
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 or AFSPA legislation, has been extended in Nagaland for another six months.
The North-eastern state has been seeking to withdraw it after the alleged security operation near Oting Village in Nagaland that left 14 civilians and one jawan dead in December 2021. The law was first introduced by the British to suppress the Quit India movement in 1942.

Notes:
The UK government has launched a new initiative named ‘Better Health Smoke-Free’ campaign, which highlights the impact of adult smokers on younger people.
The campaign has urged the smokers to quit smoking. As per the data released by the campaign, 4.9 per cent of teenagers whose parents smoke have also adopted the habit. New Zealand has also set goals to go smoke-free by 2030.

Notes:
The Sahitya Akademi announced a list of 22 winners of the Yuva Puraskar and the Bal Sahitya Puraskar for 2021.
The Sahitya Akademi award was separately announced for literary works in 20 languages in various categories like poetry, novels, short stories, plays, biography and autobiography, book on criticism.  Tamil feminist writer Ambai, Kannada’s DS Nagabhushan, Telugu’s Goreti Venkanna, and English author Namita Gokhale are among the winners.

Notes:
Thirty white rhinos were transferred from South Africa to Rwanda in a Boeing 747 chartered plane. This is the largest single transfer of white rhinos ever undertaken.
The rhinoceros species is threatened by illegal poaching. Southern white rhino, one of two subspecies of white rhino, is considered “almost endangered” by the International Union for Conversation of Nature (IUCN).

Notes:
Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, will likely ratify its membership of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
China-backed RCEP, the world’s biggest trade association, entered into force on January 1, 2022. Seven nations in Southeast Asia, as well as Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea ratified the pact earlier this year.

Notes:
The Pakistan Ministry of Religious Affairs has formed a Hindu Temple Management Committee, to act as a bridge between the non-Muslim population and the state.
As per media reports, the Committee will look after matters related to Hindu places of worship. The formation of the committee will help in resolving the issues of the Pakistan’s Hindu community.

Notes:
Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev is the only woman in the 31-member parliamentary panel assigned to examine the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill.
The seeks to raise the legal age of marriage for women to 21. At present, the minimum age of marriage for men is 21 and for women is 18. The proposal to increase the marriage age of women was recommended by the NITI Aayog.task force headed by Jaya Jaitley.