Daily Current Affairs Quiz : December 23, 2023

Notes:
The carbon tax that the UK plans to levy from 2027 on imports of carbon-intensive materials is the Carbon Border Tax. It will apply to items like iron, steel, aluminum, ceramics and cement. The tax rate will depend on the carbon emissions associated with making the imported goods overseas and the gap with UK carbon prices. India opposes such green border levies as non-tariff barriers. The UK is following the EU which has already rolled out its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

Notes:
In December 2023, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, a domestic cricket tournament in India, concluded with Haryana defeating Rajasthan in the final at Rajkot’s Saurashtra Cricket Stadium. This victory marked Haryana’s first title and their debut final appearance in the competition, which began in the 1993-94 season. Tamil Nadu holds the record for the most titles, having won the trophy five times.

Notes:
The International Gender Equality Prize in 2023 was awarded to the Afghan Women Skills Development Center. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo of Finland presented the €300,000 award to Mahbouba Seraj, the Center’s Executive Director, in Tampere on December 11, 2023. The Center is recognized for its crucial work in defending women’s rights and promoting gender equality in Afghanistan, particularly under challenging conditions following the Taliban’s rise to power.
International Gender Equality Prize is a government prize administered by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland. Tampere has been a partner of the Prize and the host city for the award ceremony since 2017.

Notes:
The potato disease that has ravaged crops across Punjab districts is called late blight (100 words). It displays symptoms like green circular spots on potatoes that expand into dark brown lesions. Over 50% of the state’s potato cultivation has been impacted by late blight fungal infestation. Excess moisture and humidity encouraged its proliferation, resulting in rotting of tubers.

Notes:
It is former Army Chief General M M Naravane’s forthcoming memoir “Four Stars of Destiny” that mentions the armed forces were taken by surprise when the Agnipath military recruitment scheme was introduced. Gen Naravane writes he had proposed a Tour of Duty model for limited jawan intake but what came up as Agnipath applied to all new recruits in Army, Navy and Air Force, that too for only 4 years.