Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
The world’s population is projected to be 7.8 billion people, as on New Year’s Day 2022, according to the US Census Bureau.
This represents an increase of 74 million people, or a 0.9% growth rate from New Year’s Day 2021. 4.3 births and two deaths are expected every second worldwide. China remains the world’s most-populous country with 1.4 billion people and India would overtake it by 2025.

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.

Notes:
Mumbai is set to host the first Water-Taxi Service in the country. The service is expected to be formally launched in January by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
The project is a joint initiative of Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT), City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB).

Notes:
India exported goods worth $37.29 billion in December 2021, the highest ever in a month, as per the data released by the commerce and industry ministry.
India’s merchandise export in April-December was nearly 300 billion, which is an increase of 48.85 per cent year-on-year and 26 per cent against the same period in 2019. Hence, India has achieved three-fourths of its annual export target of 400 billion in the first 9 months of FY22. This is due to the high demand for engineering products, petroleum items, and gems and jewellery.

Notes:
Khurnak Fort, which was historically a part of India has been under Chinese control since 1958. Near to the Fort, China is building a new bridge.
The bridge is being constructed on Pangong Tso, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. After the military standoff in May 2020, India and China have built several new roads, bridges and landing strips.

Notes:
The five permanent members of United Nations Security Council, namely Russia, Britain, China, the United States and France released a statement recently.
The countries are of the view that a further spread of nuclear arms and a nuclear war should be avoided. The statement seeks to avoid war between the nuclear states and reduce strategic risks. China has a “no first use” policy on nuclear weapons.

Notes:
The new COVID variant named IHU (B.1.640.2) has been discovered at the IHU Mediterranee Infection institute in France.
The new variant is said to have 46 mutations more than Omicron. The first case was reported from a person who had come from the African country of Cameroon. As per the Scientists, the new strain carries E484K mutation making it vaccine-resistant.

Notes:
Delhi Assembly passed an amendment Bill to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1971, to recognise Takht Damdama Sahib as the fifth Takht of Sikhs.
A Takht, or a throne, is a seat of temporal authority for Sikhs. There are five Sikh Takhts, three in Punjab and one each in Maharashtra and Bihar. The amendment also adds one more ex officio member in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managament Committee (DSGMC) house from the earlier 4.

Notes:
A new species of dwarf catfish named ‘Pseudolaguvia vespa’ was discovered in Milak River in the state of Nagaland.
Members of the genus Pseudolaguvia are small catfishes present in hill streams and rivers of the Ganges and Brahmaputra drainages in Nepal, India and Bangladesh, the Irrawaddy and Sittang drainages in Myanmar and Western Ghats, peninsular India. Vespa is derived from the Latin word vespa meaning wasp.

Notes:
Lanka IOC, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and the Government of Sri Lanka signed lease agreements on jointly developing the Trincomalee oil tank farm.
Indian Oil Corporation’s subsidiary Lanka IOC is set to run the 14 oil storage tanks while CPC would run 24 tanks. Trinco Petroleum Terminal Pvt. Ltd would develop the remaining 61 tanks, in a joint venture where 51% stakes will be held by CPC and 49% by Lanka IOC.