Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why; many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 20 December 2022, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.
Current Affairs for Competitive Exam – 20 December 2022
International Human Solidarity Day 2022: December 20
International Human Solidarity Day 2022: Every year on December 20, people all across the world observe International Human Solidarity Day (IHSD) to celebrate the ideal of unity in diversity. IHSD highlights the goal of the United Nations and its member states to create awareness about poverty and the need to reduce poverty in independent nations.
December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
How we celebrates International Human Solidarity Day?
- A day to celebrate our unity in diversity;
- A day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements;
- A day to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity;
- A day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals including poverty eradication;
- A day of action to encourage new initiatives for poverty eradication.
International Human Solidarity Day 2022: Significance
An important step toward the goal of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda of the United Nations is the commemoration of the International Day of Human Solidarity, to eradicate poverty in all its forms across the globe. The yearly event serves as a reminder to people all across the world of the problems faced by the poor and the countries that are impacted by poverty. The day serves to remind governments, civil society members and other institutions that poverty can tackled and eradicated only through a united effort to help usher in an era where social equality, dignity and justice prevails
International Human Solidarity Day: History
- In accordance with the Millennium Declaration of the United Nations, released on September 18, 2000, the word ‘solidarity’ was added to the UN as one of the fundamental values that are to be essential for international relations.
- On the Solidarity issues, the UN resolution document states, “Global challenges must be managed in a way that distributes the costs and burdens fairly in accordance with basic principles of equity and social justice. Those who suffer or who benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most.”
- To help counter global poverty, the UN General Assembly established the World Solidarity Fund on December 20, 2002. This got included in the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) trust fund in February 2003. To commemorate the above day, the UN declared December 20 as International Human Solidarity Day.
PETA India’s 2022: Sonakshi Sinha named as ‘Person of the Year’ title
PETA India’s 2022 Person of the Year title: Sonakshi Sinha, a Bollywood actress, has been named PETA India’s Person of the Year for 2022. Sonakshi’s actions helped save the lives of many animals killed for fashion, but her strong advocacy for dog and cat rights earned her the title. She is actively involved in animal welfare activities and regularly voices out the need for stronger animal protection laws. The international animal rights non-profit group endorsed the title and celebrated the actions of the “Dabang” actress for saving animal lives in India.
December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
The same title was given to Alia Bhatt the year before. Former Supreme Court Justice KS Panicker Radhakrishnan, cricketer Virat Kohli, comedian Kapil Sharma, and actresses John Abraham, Anushka Sharma, Sunny Leone, R Madhavan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Hema Malini, and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja are just a few of the previous PETA India Person of the Year winners.
About PETA:
PETA stands for People for Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA was founded in 1980 and is dedicated to establishing and defending the rights of all animals. PETA operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way. PETA is the largest animal rights organization in the world, and PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- PETA Founders:Ingrid Newkirk, Alex Pacheco;
- PETA Founded: 22 March 1980;
- PETA Headquarters: Norfolk, Virginia, United States;
- PETA President: Ingrid Newkirk.
Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek crowned ITF World Champions 2022
ITF World Champion Awards: Rafael Nadal, a Spanish tennis player, has been named the Men’s International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Champion for the year 2022 for the fifth time. 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 recognised at the annual ITF World Champions Awards ceremony, which will take place on July 8, 2023, at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum (UK). The event is usually held in Paris France.
December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
ITF World Champion Awards is annually presented under 4 categories:
- ITF Singles World Champions
- ITF Doubles World Champions
- ITF Wheelchair World Champions
- ITF Junior World Champions
ITF Doubles World Champions 2022:
- After winning the title in 2018 and 2021, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova have been awarded the ITF Women’s Doubles World Champions for the second year in a row and the third time overall.
- Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury have been named ITF Men’s Doubles World Champions for the 1st time.
- Japan’s Shingo Kunieda and Netherlands’ Diede de Groot were honoured in the men’s and women’s wheelchair categories
- At junior level, two-time Grand Slam boys’ singles runner-up Gilles Arnaud Bailly of Belgium has been rewarded for a season of consistent performances, while Roland Garros girls’ singles champion Lucie Havlickova of Czech Republic was crowned as ITF Girls World Champion.
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel unveils Urban G20 logo, website and social media handle
Urban-20 conference: The Urban-20 conference in Gandhinagar has a new logo, website, and social media accounts thanks to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The UNESCO heritage city Ahmedabad will host the Urban 20 cycles as part of G-20 meetings between February to July. Senior representatives of the Gujarat government and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation attended the logo launching event in Gandhinagar (AMC).
December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
Urban-20 conference: Key points
- CM Patel said the unveiling of the U20 logo heralds the launch of the U20 cycle, which will begin in February next year with the Sherpas’ meeting and end with the U20 Mayors’ summit.
- Along with C40 (Climate 40) and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Ahmedabad will organise various events including City Sherpas’ inception meeting on February 9 and 10.
- This city diplomacy initiative facilitates a productive dialogue between the national and local governments and helps promote the importance of urban development issues in the G20 agenda.
Indian Presidency of G-20:
On December 1, 2022, India will formally take over for Indonesia as G20 President. In September 2023, New Delhi will play host to the summit gathering of the G20 leaders and heads of state. To prepare for the summit meeting a series of meetings is to be held by India. The first meeting was the G-20 Sherpa meeting held in Udaipur in the first week of December 2022.
About the G-20:
The G-20 was founded back in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis. The Group of Twenty (G-20) comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and the European Union. The G-20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
Gati Shakti University: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw appointed as first Chancellor
Gati Shakti University: President Smt. Draupadi Murmu has named Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister of Railways, as the Chancellor of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya in Vadodara. It is noteworthy to mention that Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw will be the first Chancellor of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya. Additionally, Dr. Manoj Chaudhary was chosen by the president as the founding vice chancellor of Gati Shakti University in 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.
December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
Gati Shakti University: Key points
- The Union Cabinet gave Gati Shakti University central status 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.
About the Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti Yojana:
- The Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti Yojana was launched by Prime Minister Modi on August 15, 2021, the nation’s 75th Independence Day.
- The objective of the scheme is to cut logistics costs, increase cargo handling capacity, reduce costs and reduce turnaround time at ports to promote trade.
- Gati Shakti Digital Platform: Build and impact basic infrastructure projects through coordination between 16 ministries through its platform to be implemented in the same manner.
NASA Launches International Mission ‘SWOT’ to Survey Earth’s Water
NASA Launches International Mission ‘SWOT’ 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 from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on top of a SpaceX rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E. It will remain operational for 3 years.
December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
About SWOT mission:
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission is a satellite altimeter that was collaboratively created and is currently being used by NASA, CNES (the French space agency), the UK Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.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 high-resolution elevation measurements.
It will provide the first truly global observation of the changes in water levels, stream slopes and inundation extents in rivers, lakes and floodplains. The satellite can measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90 percent of the Earth’s surface. It can also observe ocean circulation at unprecedented scales of 15 to 25 km, which is an order of magnitude that is finer than current satellites. 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, and the preparedness of communities for disasters like floods and droughts.
The satellite will start collecting data in around six months after undergoing a series of checks and calibrations. Once operational, it will at least once every 21 days cover the whole Earth’s surface between 78 degrees south and 78 degrees north latitude. It will send back some 1 terabyte of unprocessed data each day. It is equipped with an instrument called the Ka-band radar interferometer (KaRIn), which bounces radar pulses off the surface of the water and receives the return signal using 2 antennas on either side of the spacecraft.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA):
It is an American government’s premier space agency which was set up in 1958 to promote research and development in the exploration of outer space and Earth’s atmosphere. NASA mainly launches its rockets from its two primary spaceports. One is John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, United States and from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, United States of America.
Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.CAdministrator of NASA: Bill Nelson
India hockey team win’s Women’s FIH Nations Cup 2022
Women’s FIH Nations Cup 2022: The Indian women Hockey team led by Captain Savita Punia beat Spain 1-0 in the final to win the inaugural FIH Nations Cup played at Valencia, Spain. The winning goal was scored by Gurjit Kaur of India. Valencia, Spain hosted the first FIH Nations Cup from December 11–17, 2022. India and Spain had played in the FIH women’s Hockey Pro League 2021-22 season as replacement teams after pull-outs by Australia and New Zealand due to COVID-19 related issues.
December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
As a result, the team led by Janneke Schopman has been promoted to the FIH Pro League 2023–24. Every member of the team will receive a monetary prize of Rs 2 lakh from Hockey India, and all of the support staff will receive Rs 1 lakh each. India ended the tournament with a perfect record of five wins in five matches. Indian team beat Chile (3-1), Japan (2-1), and South Africa (2-0) in the group stage before a thrilling 2-1 win over Ireland in the penalty shootout in the semifinal.
Indian-origin Leo Varadkar is new Prime Minister of Ireland
Indian-origin Leo Varadkar is new Prime Minister of Ireland: Indian-origin As part of a job-sharing agreement, Ireland’s centrist coalition government has elected Leo Varadkar to a second term as prime minister. His appointment was confirmed when he received the seal of office from President Michael D. Higgins, Ireland’s head of state.
December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
About The Time-line:
This is the second time that Varadkar has been elected as Irish prime minister. He first became the Irish prime minister in June 2017. In June 2020, the Fine Gael party led by Varadkar formed a coalition government with Fianna Fail and Green Party, in which he served as deputy prime minister and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
According to the terms of the coalition agreement reached by the three parties, Micheal Martin, the leader of the Fianna Fail party, will hold the position of prime minister of Ireland until December 2022, at which point Varadkar, the leader of the Fine Gael party, will take over until the end of the current government’s five-year term.
Significance Of His Previous Govt:
Varadkar’s tenure as Taoiseach was overshadowed by Brexit and the pandemic. He was widely judged as an effective communicator leading the country into its first lockdown — one of the longest and most stringent imposed in Europe. He re-registered as a doctor, returning to work once a week while continuing to lead the country.
On Brexit, Varadkar was credited in 2019 with former UK prime minister Boris Johnson for breaking the deadlock on Northern Ireland. But a resulting deal — which effectively keeps the UK-run province within the European single market and customs union — remains a point of tension between Brussels and London.
About Leo Varadkar:
Varadkar’s rise to the top of Irish politics was remarkable in a country dominated by a strict, conservative Catholic morality well into the latter half of the last century. At 38, he became the country’s youngest Taoiseach as well as its first openly gay head of government and first of Indian heritage. Varadkar was born in Dublin to an Irish mother who worked as a nurse and an Indian immigrant father, who was a qualified doctor. At the age of seven, a precocious Varadkar is reported to have told his mother’s friends that he wanted to be the minister for health. After gaining a medical degree from Trinity College Dublin, he went into general practice but stayed involved in politics, and in 2007 secured election for Fine Gael in Dublin West. In 2015, before Ireland’s referendum legalising same-sex marriage, Varadkar came out publicly as gay.
Harvard University named Claudine Gay as first black president
Harvard University named Claudine Gay as first black president: Claudine Gay, a dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, was chosen the new president of Harvard University. She is the first African American to hold the post at the prestigious university. Gay, 52, is just the second woman to be elected to head the school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Gay, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, will take over as the university’s 30th president on July 1, 2023.
December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
About Claudine Gay:
Gay, a Harvard graduate who is the daughter of Haitian immigrants, graduated from Stanford and was awarded the Toppan Prize for the finest political science dissertation in 1998. Gay was elected to the presidency by the Harvard Corporation, the university’s principal governing board.
She will be succeeding current Harvard President Lawrence S. Bacow, who announced he was retiring in June after five years at the helm. His predecessor, historian Drew Gilpin Faust, was the first woman to serve as Harvard president since its founding in 1636.
Indian Bank launched special retail term deposit “Ind Shakti 555 days”
Indian Bank launched special retail term deposit “Ind Shakti 555 days”: Indian Bank has launched a new special retail term deposit dubbed as “Ind Shakti 555 days”, effective from December 19, 2022. This product is offering higher rate of interest for investment starting from Rs. 5000 to less than 2 Crore for 555 days in the form of FD/MMD with callable options. An interest rate of 7% for the general public and 7.15% for senior citizens. It is offering an interest rate of 3.00% on deposits that mature in the next 30 to 45 days.
December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
Explain that in this scheme, starting from Rs 5000 for 555 days, higher interest rates are being offered for investment of less than 2 crores. The bank is offering an interest rate of 2.80% on FDs maturing in the next 7 to 29 days, and Indian Bank is offering an interest rate of 3.00% on FDs maturing in the next 30 to 45 days. On FDs maturing in 46 days to 90 days, Indian Bank is offering an interest rate of 3.25%, and on FDs maturing in 91 days to 120 days, the bank is promising an interest rate of 3.50%.
FDs with maturity between 121 and 180 days will now fetch 3.85% interest, while FDs with maturity of 181 and less than nine months will now fetch 4.50% interest. The bank is offering an interest rate of 4.75% on FDs maturing in 9 months to less than 1 year, while Indian Bank is offering an interest rate of 6.10% on FDs maturing in 1 year.
The interest rate offered by Indian Bank is 6.30% for FDs of less than 2 years and less than 3 years, and 6.50% for FDs of less than 2 years and less than three years. FDs maturing in the next three to five years will now have to pay 6.25% interest, while those maturing in the next five years or more will now have to pay 6.10% interest.
