2024 Latest Current Affairs, Daily Current Affairs in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020

1 .

Who has been appointed (14th Dec 2022) as the president of retail business of DealShare (Social e-commerce company)?

A)

Kishore Biyani

B)

Kamaldeep Singh

C)

Albinder Dhindsa

D)

Ignatius Navil Noronha

Correct Answer : Kamaldeep Singh

Social e-commerce company "DealShare" on Wednesday(14th Dec 2022) announced the appointment of former Big Bazaar CEO "Kamaldeep Singh" as its president of retail.

Singh’s deep knowledge of Indian consumer behaviour, building sourcing organization, vast network of brands, and building talent and team fits well for DealShare’s next phase of growth, the company said announcing the appointment.

The move comes after DealShare, a Jaipur-based social commerce startup owned and operated by Merabo Labs Pvt Ltd, raised an additional $45 million from Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), as an extension of its Series E round, in February this year.

DealShare is present in 150 cities across eight states and caters to about 4 lakh orders daily. DealShare procures products from local manufacturers and provides them with a platform to digitize their business.

In his prior role, Singh served as the CEO of Big Bazaar, where he was responsible for retail operations, organizational transformation, and business strategy execution.

“We have cut down our monthly burn to less than 50% over the last 4 to 5 months without much impact on our scale. We will continue to focus heavily on profitable growth in future and Kamaldeep’s deep operational experience will help us speed up this journey," Sourjyendu Medda, founder and co-CEO, DealShare, said.

The company has made a few top hires over the last 12 months.

“With a slew of recent top level hires to strengthen our core team over the last one year, Kamaldeep will take our leadership pool a notch higher and support our vision to be India’s largest mass market player for FMCG and grocery retail. We have been growing exponentially over the last 4 years and this growth is a testimony of the high potential of our business model in capturing a large share of mass market retail in India," said Vineet Rao, founder & CEO, DealShare..

Source : Mint

Published On : December 15, 2022

2 .

Who has been appointed as the inaugural CEO of the organising committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane?

A)

Claudia Bach

B)

Jacques Count Rogge

C)

Cindy Hook

D)

Juan Antonio Samaranch

Correct Answer : Cindy Hook

American executive "Cindy Hook" has been appointed as the inaugural CEO of the organising committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane.

* The organising committee announced the appointment on Tuesday(13th Dec 2022) after engaging with 50 candidates over six months.

* Hook was based in Singapore as CEO of Deloitte Asia Pacific until June and had previously worked for the international professional services network in the U.S. and in Australia, moving to Sydney in 2009 to lead the auditing practice for six years and later becoming CEO of the Australian operation in 2015.

* “The opportunity to lead the Olympics and Paralympics is once in a lifetime,” Hook said. “The idea of setting up the organisation, building the team, creating a vision, and driving to a smooth delivery of Brisbane 2032 is very exciting and I expect it will be both challenging and rewarding.”

* Hook said she had made regular visits to Brisbane during her prior time in Australia and would be moving to the Queensland State capital and starting the new role in February.

* Brisbane 2032 president Andrew Liveris described Hook as a person who knows what it takes to run a multi-billion dollar business on time and on budget.

* “I’m so pleased that we’ve found someone with a deep affinity for Australia while also understanding what is required to turn Brisbane 2032 into a household name across the world,” Liveris said.

* The International Olympic Committee awarded the 2032 Games to Brisbane in July of last year, under a revamped procedure for choosing host cities that saw a small group of IOC members identify and propose host cities to the board. Australia has twice previously hosted the Summer Olympics, at Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.

* The 2032 organising committee held its first board meeting in April and, on July 23, started the decade-long countdown..

Source : The Hindu

Published On : December 15, 2022

3 .

Which state/UT in India has proposed to introduce a unique alpha-numeric identification number for all families?

A)

Uttar Pradesh

B)

Uttarakhand

C)

Jammu and Kashmir

D)

Himachal Pradesh

Correct Answer : Jammu and Kashmir

The Jammu and Kashmir administration is planning to create an authentic database of all families in the Union territory with each of them having a unique alpha-numeric code -- the objective being easy selection of eligible beneficiaries of various social welfare schemes.

* The proposed move to allot "Family ID" has been welcomed by the BJP but panned by other parties which raised concerns over personal data safety.

* At the recent national conference on e-governance in Katra in Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir "Lt Governor Manoj Sinha" and Chief Minister of Haryana "Manohar Lal Khattar" released the Digital J&K Vision Document, unveiling the government plan to create an authentic, verified and reliable database of all families of the Union territory.

* According to the vision document, "Each family will be provided with a unique alpha-numeric code called JK Family ID. The data available in the family database would be used to determine eligibility through automatic selection of beneficiaries for receiving social benefits."

* "The database would identify each and every family in J&K and would collect the basic data of the family, provided with the consent of the family, in a digital format."

* The document further reads that all the applicable laws and regulations in respect of data protection shall be complied with in the management of data.

* To thwart risks and protect sensitive and critical data, it said the Jammu and Kashmir government plans to work on an information security policy and also envisages formulation of appropriate cyber security framework.

* Commissioner Secretary of the IT Department Prerna Puri said the objective of creating the database, which will be at par with Haryana's 'Parivaar Pehchaan Patra', is that families or individuals will not have to apply to receive benefits under each individual scheme.

* "Once the data in the JK Family ID database is authenticated and verified, a beneficiary will not be required to submit any more document to avail a service."..

Source : Dailypioneer

Published On : December 15, 2022

4 .

'International Climate Club' has been launched by which institution?

A)

G-7

B)

G-20

C)

SAARC

D)

World Bank

Correct Answer : G-7

The Group of Seven leading economies have created an open, international climate club for countries that want to cooperate in the fight against global warming, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday(12th Dec 2022) after a video conference with other G-7 leaders.

* Germany holds the presidency of the G-7 until the end of the year and then passes it on to Japan.

* Scholz said the new forum group is not intended to be a G-7 initiative; rather, it is to be a global undertaking.

* "With the climate club and the socially just transition of our industries toward climate neutrality, we are making an important contribution to achieving global climate targets," the chancellor said.

* The climate club aims to support the rapid and ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the German government.

* Monday(12th Dec 2022) was the seventh anniversary of accord's adoption.

* The club will work to help accelerate the industrial transition to cleaner forms of energy and to further develop emission-reduction measures, the German government said.

* Committed developing and emerging countries that join the club are to receive support to push ahead with the transformation of their industries.

* Scholz told reporters in Berlin that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Energy Agency would establish a "climate change secretariat now that the forum is launched..

Source : Business Standard

Published On : December 15, 2022

5 .

Which country has announced the historic Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough?

A)

India

B)

Russia

C)

China

D)

United States

Correct Answer : United States

United States has announced a nuclear fusion breakthrough, a historic step towards the promise of 'near-limitless' clean energy and may help the fight to curb climate change.

US Department of Energy said, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California for the first time produced more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it, something called net energy gain.

The achievement will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power, officials said.

Speaking at a news conference in Washington, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm appearing alongside scientists from the LLNL, said, this is a landmark achievement for the researchers and staff at the National Ignition Facility who have dedicated their careers to seeing fusion ignition become a reality, and this milestone will undoubtedly spark even more discovery.

White House science adviser Arati Prabhakar, appearing with Granholm, called the fusion ignition a tremendous example of what perseverance really can achieve and an engineering marvel beyond belief.

LLNL director Dr Kim Budil said, this is a historic achievement, over the past 60 years thousands of people have contributed to this endeavour and it took real vision to get us here.

Nuclear fusion is described as the 'holy grail' of energy production. It is the process that powers the Sun and other stars. It works by taking pairs of light atoms and forcing them together - this 'fusion' releases a lot of energy.

Proponents of fusion hope that it could one day produce nearly limitless, carbon-free energy, displacing fossil fuels and other traditional energy sources.

The electricity industry cautiously welcomed the step, though emphasized that in order to carry out the energy transition, fusion should not slow down efforts on building out other alternatives like solar and wind power, battery storage and nuclear fission..

Source : AIR

Published On : December 15, 2022

6 .

Which country has been ousted from U.N. women's group after the U.S. campaign?

A)

Japan

B)

Iran

C)

Russia

D)

Ukraine

Correct Answer : Iran

Iran was ousted from a United Nations women's group on Wednesday(14th Dec 2022) for policies contrary to the rights of women and girls, a move proposed by the United States after Tehran's crackdown on protests over the death of a young woman in custody.

* JapanThe 54-member U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution to "remove with immediate effect the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the remainder of its 2022-2026 term."

* There were 29 votes in favor, eight against - including Russia and China - and there were 16 abstentions.

* "This is a victory for Iranian revolutionaries who have been facing guns & bullets as they fight this gender apartheid state," U.S.-based Iranian journalist and women's rights activist Masih Alinejad posted on Twitter.

* Iran's clerical rulers have faced the biggest protests in years since September when 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman "Mahsa Amini" died in the custody of the morality police who enforce strict dress codes..

Source : Reuters

Published On : December 15, 2022

7 .

Who inaugurated the statue of 'Mahakavi Subramanian Bharathiyar' at the renovated house of Bharathiyar at Varanasi via video conference on 11th December 2022?

A)

Narendra Modi

B)

M.K.Stalin

C)

Pinarayi Vijayan

D)

Yogi Adityanath

Correct Answer : M.K.Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin inaugurated the statue of Mahakavi Subramanian Bharathiyar at the renovated house of Bharathiyar at Varanasi via video conference 11th Dec 2022.

Mr.Stalin also released a souvenir on his centenary. Bharathiyar's 141st birth anniversary on behalf of the State Government in various places in the State.

About Subramanian Bharathiyar :

* Mahakavi Subramanian Bharathiyar was a Tamil writer, poet, journalist, Indian independence activist, social reformer and polyglot.

* He was bestowed the title "Bharathi" for his excellence in poetry.

* Bharathiyar fought for the emancipation of women, against child marriage, vehemently opposed the caste system.

* Sister Nivedita inspired Bharathi to recognise the privileges of women and the emancipation of women exercised Bharathi's mind.

Literary works :

* Bharathi joined as Assistant Editor of the Swadesamitran a Tamil daily in 1904.

* In1907, he started editing the Tamil weekly India and the English newspaper Bala Bharatham with M.P.T. Acharya.

* He assisted Aurobindo in the Arya journal and later Karma Yogi in Pondicherry.

* Three of his greatest works namely, Kuyil Pattu, Panchali Sapatham and Kannan Pattu were composed during 1912

* He also translated Vedic hymns, Patanjali's Yoga Sutra and Bhagavat Gita to Tamil..

Source : AIR

Published On : December 15, 2022

8 .

Poland's only cosmonaut 'Gen Miroslaw Hermaszewski' when did passed away?

A)

12th Dec 2022

B)

13th Dec 2022

C)

14th Dec 2022

D)

15th Dec 2022

Correct Answer : 12th Dec 2022

Poland’s only cosmonaut, Gen. Miroslaw Hermaszewski, who circled the Earth in a Soviet spacecraft in 1978, has died. He was 81.

* The retired air force pilot’s death on 12th Dec 2022 was announced via Twitter by his son-in-law, European Parliament member Ryszard Czarnecki. He later told Polish media outlets that Hermaszewski died at a hospital in Warsaw of complications from a surgery.

* "On behalf of the family, I'm confirming the very sad news about the death of Gen. Miroslaw Hermaszewski," Czarnecki tweeted on Monday evening, describing him as a "great pilot, good husband and father, and much-beloved grandfather."

* Hermaszewski’s trip to space made him a national hero in Poland. The late cosmonaut went around the globe 126 times for nine days in June and July 1978, travelling alongside his Soviet colleague, Pyotr Klimuk, in the Soyuz 30 spaceship that docked at the Salyut 6 orbital space station.

* In a 2018 interview with the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, Hermaszewski said his biggest fear during the journey was that their spacecraft would be struck by a meteor. He reported how his and Klimuk's senses were sharpened, to the point of catching even the smallest sound.

* Hermaszewski travelled into space as part of the Soviet Union's Intercosmos programme, which offered an opportunity to explore space for Eastern Bloc states and other countries allied to Moscow. The Polish cosmonaut followed Vladimir Remek of the then-Czechoslovakia, who was the first person to blast off as part of the programme in March 1978.

Born : 15 September 1941, Lipniki, WoÅ‚yÅ„ Voivodeship

Died : 12 December 2022

Source : UK News

Published On : December 15, 2022

9 .

Which country to host International Conference "Standing with the Ukrainian People"?

A)

Japan

B)

Italy

C)

France

D)

India

Correct Answer : France

According to the French embassy, France will host an International conference “Standing with the Ukrainian People” in Paris with an aim to coordinate international support for civilian resilience in Ukraine and address the Ukrainian people’s urgent humanitarian needs.

The conference is organised at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron and is co-organised with Ukraine. During the conference, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address virtually.

Why France will host this International conference?

* The Ukrainian people are facing dire difficulties in all sectors essential to life: electricity supply, food security, water supply, and access to medical care.

* This situation is aggravated by the onset of winter and by the increased Russian bombardments against civilian infrastructures in Ukraine, particularly energy infrastructure, resulting in severe blackouts.

* The goal of the conference is therefore to muster international humanitarian aid to bolster the Ukrainian people’s resilience through the harsh winter, and establish a coordination mechanism to ensure effective and needs-based delivery of aid.

* This international conference gather representatives from 47 countries as well as 22 international organizations and financial institutions. The conferences was attended by several heads of State or government and will feature a virtual address by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.

* Some 70 countries and institutions worldwide pledged more than 1 billion euros ($1.05 billion) in immediate aid to help Ukraine get through a harsh winter as Russian forces batter its energy grid and other critical civilian infrastructure.

Published On : December 15, 2022

10 .

India's electric vehicle (EV) value chain revenue pool is expected to reach a size of ______ billion by 2030.

A)

$120-180 Billion

B)

$105-150 Billion

C)

$90-120 Billion

D)

$76-100 Billion

Correct Answer : $76-100 Billion

India’s electric vehicle (EV) value chain revenue pool is expected to reach a size of $76-100 billion by 2030, potentially translating to $8-11 billion profit pool, according to a report by Bain & Company.

“The Indian automotive market is poised for rapid EV growth, due to the convergence of factors including government incentives, improving cost-competitiveness and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) investment, along with increased customer readiness and awareness,” the report noted.

A Chain Of Industries : While 40-50% of revenue pool will come from auto OEMs, it will be significantly altered in the nature and composition,” he said. “New business opportunities such as battery (13%), charging (8%) and mobility (6%) will emerge. Unified platforms will become the next big play as many EV ecosystem players are looking for forward or backward integration to create a broader e-mobility ecosystem.

The Growth Trajectory of This Industry:

* Indian EV sector has already seen $3.7 billion private equity and venture capital (PE/VC) investments over the past three years, and this number looks set to increase significantly as the industry transforms.

* Findings from the report indicate that 35-40% of all vehicles sold in India by 2030 will be EVs, up from 2% in 2022. “Two-wheelers and three-wheelers will be vanguards for EV adoption, achieving 40-45% penetration by 2030,” Jain said.

* “This is driven by several factors, including highly competitive total cost of ownership (TCO), limited need for public charging infrastructure given the adequacy of home charging for daily use, investments in building compelling product offerings with comparable performance to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, and early adoption by delivery and logistics fleets.”

* The four-wheeler electric passenger vehicle (PV) segment (broadly electric cars) is expected to fall behind the adoption curve. Higher requirements for product performance and build-out of public charging infrastructure, plus higher capital cost and TCO gaps, serve as barriers to adoption. This segment is still expected to account for 15-20% of total PV sales by the end of this decade.

* But despite lower penetration and volumes, electric PVs will constitute the largest segment of the revenue pool of about 41% by value, followed by electric two-wheelers (33%).

* The report added that electric buses will see a penetration curve similar to that of electric PVs by 2030, driven in large part by state transport undertakings focused on fleet electrification for intracity transport..

Source : Financial Express

Published On : December 15, 2022