Daily Current Affairs Quiz : December 21, 2022

Notes:
The 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
The framework has 23 targets that the world needs to achieve by 2030. In 2020, the world had failed to meet the last set of targets, the Aichi Targets.  COP15 had representatives of 188 governments on site and agreed on the framework.

Notes:
International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report titled ‘Coal 2022: Analysis and Forecast to 2025’. As per the report, the global coal demand is set to increase to an all-time high in 2022, mainly driven by coal power growth in India, the European Union (EU) and to a smaller extent by China.
The largest increases in coal burn are forecast for China, India and Southeast Asia. The global coal use is set to rise by 1.2% in 2022, surpassing 8 billion tonnes in a single year for the first time.

Notes:
Union Road, transport, and highways minister Nitin Gadkari launched the country’s first-ever surety bond insurance product.
Unlike a bank guarantee, the Surety Bond Insurance does not require large collateral from the contractor, resulting in freeing up funds for the contractor, which they can utilise for the growth of the business.

Notes:
India has recently launched a ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers, during its current presidency of the UN Security Council.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced that New Delhi will soon have a database that will record all crimes against the peacekeepers. India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal are co-chairs of the group. India, among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping, has lost 177 of its peacekeepers in the line of duty.

Notes:
Bhutan, through Druk Green Power Corporation, has entered into an agreement with PTC India, for purchase of power from Indian power market, to meet its power requirement during the dry winter season.
With all approvals, Bhutan will now start procuring up to 600 MW of power, through PTC, from the Indian power market.