Current Affairs: December 2022 | Current Affairs & General Knowledge - CLAT PDF Download

Bangladesh's first-ever metro inaugurated in capital Dhaka

• Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first metro rail in Dhaka. The metro train was flagged off in Dhaka for the first journey between Diabari and Agargaon station. The metro rail is part of the Bangladesh project of Mass Rapid Transit to be completed by 2030. 
• Bangladesh has reached another milestone in its development journey with its first metro rail inauguration.
• The metro rail is an approximately 12-kilometer-long metro route.
• The metro rail will connect Diabari to Agargaon station in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Ten pairs of trains with six coaches each will run on this route initially for four hours carryingabout five lakh passengers daily.

US to provide $1.85 billion military aid to Ukraine, including critical Patriot missile system

• The United States is finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine.
• Ukraine has asked its Western partners for air defenses, including U.S.-made Patriot
• systems, to protect it from heavy Russian missile bombardment including against its energy
• infrastructure. The system is part of $1.85 billion in assistance unveiled in parallel with a visit
• to Washington by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
• Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned NATO against providing Ukraine
• with Patriot missile defenses, and it is likely Moscow will view the move as an escalation.
• The Pentagon says Russia’s recent surge in missile strikes in Ukraine is partly designed to
• exhaust Kyiv’s supplies of air defenses so it can dominate the skies above the country.
• The Patriot is considered to be one of the most advanced U.S. air defense systems and is
• usually in short supply, with allies around the world vying for it.
• Ground-based air defense systems such as Raytheon Technology Corp’s (RTX.N) Patriot are
• built to intercept incoming missiles.
• Patriot has been proven effective in Saudi Arabia against Iranian-design ballistic missiles
• fired from Yemen.

EU deal set to trigger 'domino effect' for global minimum tax deal

• The European Union has adopted a plan for a global minimum 15% tax on big business. The
• landmark deal between nearly 140 countries aims to stop governments racing to cut taxes in
• a bid to attract companies. It was praised by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen as “an
• historic agreement which helps even the playing field”.
•  EU member states reached agreement in principle to implement at EU level the minimum
• taxation component, known as Pillar 2, of the OECD’s reform of international taxation. The
• ambassadors of EU member states decided to advise the Council to adopt the Pillar 2
• directive, and a written procedure for the formal adoption will be launched. 
• Corporation tax is usually based on a company’s profits. But often they might be able to pay
• less depending on where their offices are registered or how they invest in their business.

Solar panels mandatory for new homes after 2025 at Tokyo city in Japan

• The Japanese capital local assembly passed a new regulation which stated that all new
• houses in Tokyo built by large-scale homebuilders after April 2025 must install solar power
• panels to cut household carbon emissions. Currently, Japan stands at fifth spot in the
• world’s largest carbon emitters list.
• This new regulation for new built homes requires about 50 major builders to equip homes of
• up to 2,000 square meters (21,500 square feet) with renewable energy power sources,
• mainly solar panels.
• Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike also noted that just 4% of buildings where solar panels could
• be installed in the city have them now. However, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government aims
• to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with 2,000 levels.

Russia becomes India's second-largest oil supplier

• Russia has for the first time emerged as top oil supplier to India replacing Iraq as refiners last
• month snapped up oil from Moscow fearing a price cap from Dec. 5 could hit supplies and
• choke payment avenues.
• India’s oil imports from Russia rose for the fifth straight month, totaling 908,000 barrels per
• day (bpd) in November, up 4% from October, the data showed.
• The Group of Seven nations(G-7), Australia, and the 27 European Union countries have
• imposed a price cap of $60 a barrel on Russian seaborne oil from Dec. 5 as the West tries to
• limit Moscow’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine. The price cap plan calls for G7 countries
• to deny insurance, finance, brokering, navigation, and other services to oil cargoes priced
• above the price cap on crude and oil products
• Russian oil accounted for about 23% of India’s overall import of about 4 million bpd oil in
• November, the data showed. India’s overall imports in November declined 11% from
• October on lower purchases by Russia-backed Indian refiner Nayara Energy, which had shut
• its 400,000 bpd refinery for maintenance during the month, the data showed.

NASA’s Orion capsule splashes down in Pacific after lunar mission

• NASA’s Orion space capsule splashed down safely in the Pacific on Sunday, completing the Artemis-1 mission — a more than 25-day journey around the moon.
• After hurtling through the earth's atmosphere at a speed of 40,000 kmph, the uncrewed capsule floated down to the water with the help of three parachutes.

Paris Club proposes 10-year moratorium on Sri Lankan debt 

• Paris Club creditor nations are proposing a 10-year moratorium on Sri Lankan debt and another 15 years of debt restructuring as a formula to resolve the Sri Lankan debt crisis. The Paris club is a group of officials from 22 countries who find sustainable solutions for challenges faced by debtor countries.
• The Paris club has also called upon the Global north and south to take a similar haircut in restructuring of Sri Lankan debt. So far no official proposal has been made by Paris club to China or India.

Home minister Amit shah launches 'Prahari" app for BSF Jawans 

• Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the security of the border can be ensured only when
• the border villages are populated. He said, along with the deployment of Jawans on the
• borders, only the patriotic citizens living in the village can provide permanent security. Mr 
• Shah said this while launching the Mobile App ‘Prahari’ and Manual of Border Security Force
• in New Delhi.
• He said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently started the Vibrant Village programme. He urged all the Border Security Forces that through the Vibrant Village program, they should make efforts towards increasing tourism in the village, making the village selfsufficient with complete facilities. The Minister said that the security of the borders of the country cannot be ensured by pillars or fencing, but by the bravery, patriotism and alertness of the soldiers standing on that border.

President Murmu lays foundation stone for restoration works of Kameswaralaya Temple in Mulugu, Telangana 

• Smt. Droupadi Murmu has laid the foundation stone of the project ‘Development of Pilgrimage Facilities at Bhadrachalam Group of Temples’ at Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamivari Devasthanam, Bhadrachalam in Telangana 
• The President of India laid the foundation stone for another project called ‘Development of Pilgrimage and Heritage Infrastructure of UNESCO World Heritage Site at Rudreshwara Temple in Telangana. These projects have been approved under the PRASAD Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
• President Droupadi Murmu informed that the famous temples of Telangana are visited by lakhs of pilgrims, and they form the major components of domestic and foreign tourists.
• Tourism increases the livelihood opportunities and income of the people.  
• The President appreciated the Ministry of Tourism for boosting spiritual and cultural tourism
• by developing pilgrimage sites under the ‘PRASHAD’ scheme.

UP govt launches E-Sushrut Hospital Management Info System in medical colleges 

• The Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak and Minister of State for Medical
• Education Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh inaugurated the ‘E-Sushrut’ Hospital Management
• Information System (HMIS )in 22 state medical colleges. The initiative was launched by the
• state medical education department in collaboration with the Centre for Development of
• Advanced Computing (CDAC).
  • Patients will be able to download E-Sushrut HMIS software from their Android phone’s Playstore.
  • By registering through software, patients will be saved from the inconvenience caused at the counter.
  • The software will also tell which doctors will be available in the hospital on which day.
  • Patients will be able to pay the fee online through any medium like UPI, Net banking.

Ladakh celebrates Losar Festival to mark Ladakhi New Year 

• Ladakh celebrated Losar Festival to mark the Ladakhi New Year. Losar Festival is celebrated
• in Ladakh on 24th December 2022. The Losar Festival or the Ladakhi New year is a major
• socio-religious festival of Ladakh celebrated during winter.
• The Losar Festival will continue for nine days from the new year. People will celebrate by
• offering prayers in the name of God and goddess. They will also dance and sing in honor of
• Ibex and the pilgrimage of Mount Kailash.
• The Losar Festival celebrated in Ladakh marks the beginning of the New year.
• Losar has been celebrated in Ladakh for centuries and has strengthened the existing
• community bond.
• The festival brings joy to the lives of inhabitants of the landlocked Himalayan territory of
• Ladakh.

Country's first infantary Museum opens for public in Mhow (Indore) 

• The country’s first Infantry Museum has been opened for the general public at Mhow, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. This museum is the first in the country and second in the world. Before this, such a museum has been built in America. The Army inaugurated to celebrate the Victory Day and the eve of the 75th year of the establishment of the Infantry School. The world-class museum has been set up with the intention of showcasing the Infantry. The project was conceived in July 2003 as a national-level training hall cum research centre 
• The Infantry Museum covers the history of the Infantry from 1747 to 2020. It depicts the rich heritage, glorious past and supreme sacrifice of our brave soldiers preserved in sculptures, murals, and photo galleries.
• The construction of this museum has been in the works for a decade. This three-story building of the museum has been built on two acres of land. It has 17 different rooms covering the history and development of the Indian Infantry since 1747 in chronological order in 30 subject areas. In this museum, along with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Subhash Chandra Bose, and Maharaja Ranjit, the history of many great men will be seen.

About Madhya Pradesh

Capital: Bhopal;

Governor: Mangubhai C. Patel;

Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Indian Railways opens nation’s longest ‘escape tunnel’ in Kashmir 

• The Indian Railways on Thursday completed the construction of a tunnel on a 111-kilometre
• section of the Udhampur-Katra railway line in Kashmir. The ‘escape tunnel’, which is the
• longest of its kind in the country, is located at an elevation of 12.89 meters.
• According to railway officials, the tunnel was constructed to allow emergency response teams to carry out rescue operations in case of an accident. It passes through various drainages and reservoirs in the Chenab River, including the Khoda, Hingni, and Kundan nullahs making its drilling and construction a challenging task.
• The tunnel, which is the fourth on the Banihal-Katra route, was constructed using a modern technique known as the New Austrian Tunnelling Method. It was completed in January this year.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Ko Kaam Karyakram (PMKKK) is now named as Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) Scheme 

• The Minister of Minority Affairs, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha informed that the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Ko Kaam Karyakram (PMKKK) has now been named as Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) Scheme. The integrated scheme converges five erstwhile schemes of the Ministry viz. Seekho aur Kamao, USTTAD, Hamari Dharohar, Nai Roshni and Nai Manzil. The scheme has been approved by the Cabinet for the period of 15th Finance Commission. 
• PM VIKAS aims to improve livelihoods of the minorities, particularly the artisan communities, using the components of skill development, education, women leadership & entrepreneurship. These components compliment each other in the ultimate objective of the scheme to increase the incomes of the beneficiaries and provide support by facilitating credit and market linkages.

ISRO is doing to boost the use of NavIC, India’s version of GPS 

• To promote the use of ‘NAVigation with the Indian Constellation’ (NavIC), the Indian version of GPS, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will introduce the L1 frequency in all its future satellites. 
• The seven satellites in the NavIC constellation currently use two frequencies for providing positioning data — the L5 and S bands. However, most mobile System on Chips(SoCs) and wearable devices support the L1 band.
• To overcome this drawback, ISRO announced that new satellites from NVS-01 onwards which are meant to replace these satellites will also have L1 frequency.
• L1 frequency is one of the most commonly used frequencies in the Global Positioning System (GPS), which even the less sophisticated, civilian-use devices such as smartwatches are capable of receiving. Thus, with this band, the use of the NavIC in wearable devices and personal trackers that use low-power, single-frequency chips can go up.
• NavIC, or Navigation with Indian Constellation is an independent stand-alone navigation satellite system developed by the Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO). NavIC was originally approved in 2006. It was expected to be completed by late 2011 but only became operational in 2018. NavIC consists of eight satellites and covers the whole of India’s landmass and up to 1,500 km from its boundaries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Goa's second international airport 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Goa's second airport, MOPA International Airport. The airport is named after former Chief Minister Manohar Parikar. The operations will begin from January 5, 2023. GMR Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL) will manage the airport.
• Manohar International Airport is built on 2,132 acres and is located at Pernem Taluka in North Goa.
• Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

FIFA chooses Morocco to host the 2023 Club World Cup 

• Morocco was rewarded by FIFA with hosting rights for the next Club World Cup in February, with an expanded 32-team edition set to launch in 2025. The most recent edition of the tournament was held in the UAE in February 2022 and was won by the English football club, Chelsea. 
• European champion Real Madrid, South American champion Flamengo and Seattle Sounders, the first CONCACAF Champions League winner from the United States, will play in the traditional seven-team tournament from Feb. 1-11. 

About Federation International de Football Association (FIFA)

Founded: 21 May 1904;

Founded: Paris, France;

Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland;

Membership: 211;

Languages: English, French, German, Spanish & Italian;

First President: Robert Guérin;

Current President: Gianni Infantino (Switzerland);

Secretary General: Fatma Samoura (Senegal).

Rafael Nadal crowned ITF World Tennis Champion for fifth time 

• Spanish Tennis Player, Rafael Nadal has been named the Men’s International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Champion 2022 for the 5th time after an outstanding 2022 season. Previously, He has been named the men’s ITF World Champion in 2008, 2010, 2017 and 2019. Polish tennis player, Iga Świątek, has been named Women’s ITF World Champion 2022 for her performance in 2022 winning 2 Grand Slam titles and 8 titles .
• The winners will be honoured at the annual ITF World Champions Awards event which will be held on 8th July 2023 at Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom(UK). The event is usually held in Paris France.

About International Tennis Federation (ITF):

President¬: David Haggerty

Headquarters¬: London, United Kingdom (UK)

Establishment:¬ 1913

Neeraj Chopra pips Usain Bolt to become most written-about athlete in 2022 

• According to the World Athletics, Tokyo Olympics gold medalist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra of India was the most written about track and field athlete in 2022, displacing the Jamaican legend Usain Bolt from the top lists. The data collated by media analysis company Unicepta was cited by World Athletics, the global governing body for athletics. 
• Neeraj Chopra, the Tokyo Olympics men’s javelin champion, led the way with 812 articles ahead of the Jamaican women’s sprint trio of Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah (751 articles), 100m world champion Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce (698 articles) and 200m world champion Shericka Jackson (679 articles). Usain Bolt, the world record holder in 100m and 200m men’s sprint, comes in fourth in the list with 574 mentions. The Jamaican, who is now retired, had previously topped the annual list for most written-about athlete for years.

Chahat Arora sets national record in women's 100-metre breaststroke 

• In Swimming, Indian swimmer Chahat Arora set a national record in the women’s 100-metre breaststroke at the FINA World Swimming Championships 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. FINA is the International Swimming Federation. Chahat Arora completed the 100-metre breaststroke race in 1 minute, 13.13 seconds. 
• Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte, topped the overall heats in 1 minute, 3.81 seconds, which was 9.32 seconds quicker than Chahat Arora.
• The 19-year-old Lara Van Niekerk of South Africa came second in 1 minute 3.93 seconds.
• Lilly King of the USA came third in 1 minute 3.94 seconds. Chahat will participate in the women’s 50m breaststroke event. Siva Sridhar will compete in the 100-metre individual medley.

Shooter Rudrankksh Patil clinches ISSF President’s Cup in Egypt 

• Indian shooter Rudrankksh Patil has clinched the International Shooting Sport Federation President’s Cup held in Cairo, Egypt. He defeated Italy’s Dan ilo Sollazzo in the 10-metre rifle play-off by 16-8. 
• Rudrankksh Patil bagged India's first quota for the 2024 Paris Olympics, when he clinched a gold in the men’s 10-metre air rifle in the ISSF Rifle-Pistol World Championship.  

Gaganyaan: India Targets Q4 2024 For Launch Of Its Maiden Human Space Flight Mission 

• The Government has said, the country’s maiden human space flight mission, Gaganyaan, is targeted to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2024. Science & Technology Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, in view of the paramount importance of crew safety, two uncrewed flights are scheduled, before the final human space flight- ‘H1 mission’, to demonstrate the performance of the crew escape system and parachute-based deceleration system for different flight conditions. 
• He said, uncrewed ‘G1 mission’ will be targeted in the last quarter of next year, followed by the ‘G2’ in the second quarter of 2024. Dr. Jitendra Singh said the astronaut designates for the Gaganyaan are identified and undergoing mission-specific training at Bengaluru. The first uncrewed flight of Gaganyaan programme ‘G1’ mission is aimed at validating the performance of the human rated launch vehicle, Orbital module propulsion system, mission management, communication system, and recovery operations. The mission will carry a humanoid as a payload.

NASA Successfully Launches Game-Changing SWOT Mission To Survey Earth's Water 

• The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the French space agency Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) have jointly launched the newest Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft to track nearly all the water on the surface of the Earth. It was launched atop a SpaceX rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. It will remain operational for 3 years. 
• The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission is a satellite altimeter jointly developed and operated by NASA and CNES (French space agency) in partnership with the space agencies of the UK and Canada.
• The mission’s objective is to make the world’s first-ever global survey of the Earth’s surface water, capable of observing the finer details of the ocean surface topography and measuring the changes in the terrestrial surface water bodies.
• As it uses wide-swath of altimetry technology, the mission will be capable of almost completely observing the world’s oceans and freshwater bodies with repeated highresolution elevation measurements.
• The satellite can measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90 percent of the Earth’s surface.
• The information obtained from this mission can be used to understand the ocean’s influence in climate change, impact of global warming on the waterbodies.

ISRO inks MoU with Social Alpha to establish SpaceTech Innovation Network 

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Social Alpha today signed an MoU to launch Space Tech Innovation Network (SpIN), India’s first dedicated platform for innovation curation and venture development for the burgeoning space entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• In line with the partnership announcement, SpIN has launched its first innovation challenge 

Padma Shri awardee, H.R Keshava Murthy passed away at 89 

• H.R. Keshava Murthy, a senior gamaka exponent, who was honoured with Padma Shri earlier this year, passed away. He was born in a family of gamaka artists. He had his initial training from his father Ramaswamy Shastry. Under the guidance of Venkateshaiah he continued his studies. Over the decades he has presented hundreds of programmes and trained many students. Through his performances, he publicised noted Kannada epics. Hosahalli, his native place, is known for many music talents. 
• Keshava Murthy has been honored with many awards inlcuding Shantala Natya Shri award, by the State government and different cultural organisations. The President honoured him with the Padma Shri this year. The residents of his village celebrated the occasion.

Veteran odia film actress jharana Das passes away at 77 

• Veteran Odia film actress Jharana Das died at her residence here, family sources said on Friday. She was 77. 
• Das, a winner of the state government's prestigious 'Jaydev Puraskar' for her lifetime contribution to Odia film industry, was suffering from old age-related aliment
• Born in 1945, the versatile actress was known for her memorable roles in films ‘Malajahna’, ‘Amadabata’, ‘Adina Megha’, ‘Abhinetri’, ‘Shree Jagannath’, ‘Nari’, ‘Hira Nilla’ and many more Odia classics
• Having started out as a child artiste in All India Radio in the 60s, Cuttack, she was a trained Odissi dancer and had learnt the art from Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra. In the later part of her career, she went on to become the voice of AIR-Cuttack.

Lieutenant General Arvind Walia Has Been Appointed as the Next Engineer-in-Chief of the Army 

• Lieutenant General Arvind Walia has been appointed as the next Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army. He would be succeeding Lt Gen Harpal Singh who is superannuating on December 31. An officer of the 1986 batch, Lt Gen Walia is an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, and also received the prestigious Silver Medal there. 
• Lt Gen Walia has previously commanded an independent squadron in the desert sector, a regiment in Jammu and Kashmir and an Engineer Brigade along the western front. He has also commanded the MEG & Centre in Bengaluru.

Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw appointed 1st Chancellor of Gati Shakti University 

• Union Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw has been appointed as the Chancellor of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, Vadodara, by President Smt. Draupadi Murmu. It is noteworthy to mention that Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw will be the first Chancellor of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya. President also appointed Dr Manoj Chaudhary as the first Vice Chancellor of Gati Shakti University, Vadodara. As per the Central University Act, 2009, Dr Manoj Chaudhary will hold the position of Vice Chancellor of Gati Shakti University for five years from the date he assumes office 
•  Gati Shakti University was granted the central status by the Union Cabinet in July 2022.
• In August this year, the Central Government introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to convert the National Rail and Transportation Institute, into Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, an autonomous central university. 
• The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill was introduced by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan which seeks to expand the scope of the university from beyond the railways to cover the entire transport sector to support the ambitious growth and modernisation in the field.

Hansraj Ahir assumes charge as NCBC chairperson 

• Former Union Minister Hansraj Gangaram Ahir assumed charge as Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) on Friday.
• He belongs to District Chandrapur, State of Maharashtra. He is an Agriculturist by profession, read a statement from the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. 
• Hansraj Gangaram Ahir had been elected four times Member of Parliament from Parliamentary Constituency Chandrapur, Maharashtra and also he was Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. He had been Member of various Standing Committees of Parliament and also served as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal and Steel.
• He had been Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India the 16th Lok Sabha.

International Day of Epidemic Preparedness 2022: 27th December 

• International Day of Epidemic Preparedness on December 27 serves the purpose of creating awareness about epidemics. This day encourages every individual, every institution, and every government to prepare its citizens in an appropriate manner and in accordance with national contexts and priorities, through education and awareness-raising activities, in order to highlight the importance of the prevention of, preparedness for, and partnership against epidemics. 
• The International Day of Epidemic Preparedness reminds us what we went through during the two years of peak-COVID infections. Hospitals were overwhelmed. Family members could not conduct the last rites of their loved ones. Such grim situations could be avoided in the future if people remain alert and prepared. 
• In its 75th session and 36th plenary meeting on December 7, 2020, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution which declared December 27 as the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.