Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
South Korea has recently become the 10th country outside of Europe to join the Europol. It is the European Union (EU) law enforcement cooperation agency that fights terrorism and other international crimes.
The National Police Agency (NPA) of South Korea joined Europol by signing agreement, which was approved unanimously by the 27 EU nations. Under the agreement, police can now exchange information on crime and cooperate with member states of Europol — 17 European and 9 non-European countries as well as international organisations.

Notes:
The Madhya Pradesh Government recently passed a Bill to recover property damages from protesters.
The bill also provides for setting up a tribunal which would look into the claims of property damage during riots or public protests. The State Assembly also passed a resolution that panchayat elections will not be held without Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation.

Notes:
India and the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a contract for the first tranche loan of Euro 250 million for the Agra Metro project.
It aims to boost urban public transport connectivity in Agra connect major tourist attractions like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Sikandra with railway stations. The construction work of the Agra Metro project was inaugurated in last December. EIB approved a total loan of Euro 450 million to fund the project.

Notes:
December 24 is celebrated annually across India as National Consumer Rights Day. It is also called National Consumer Day.
The Day commemorates December 24, 1986, the date when the Consumer Protection Act received assent of the President of India. The purpose of the day is to make consumers aware of their rights and responsibilities. World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated annually on March 15.

Notes:
The legislative assembly of the state of Assam has recently passed an amendment bill, which seeks to modify the Cattle Preservation Act, 1950 and strengthen the same.
The additions made in the bill will provide for ease of transportation of cattle for agricultural purposes and ensure stringent punishment for cattle smugglers.

Notes:
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched a new corporate governance initiative named ‘NSE Prime’.
It is a framework that prescribes higher standards of corporate governance for listed companies. All the NSE-listed companies can adopt NSE Prime voluntarily. The initiative enables investors to identify companies that have voluntarily signed up for better standards of corporate governance.

Notes:
NASA is working on the Psyche mission, which is to be launched in the year 2022. The target of the mission is a metal-rich asteroid, also called Psyche, in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter.
This place has never been visited by any other spacecraft. The spacecraft would arrive at the asteroid belt in 2026. From radar data, it has been observed that the asteroid is shaped like a potato and it spins on its side.

Notes:
Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has released guidelines regarding Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFV) and Flex Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV).
The Automobile Manufacturers are advised to manufacture the vehicles complying with BS-6 Norms within a period of six months.

Notes:
Industrialist Viral Desai, popularly known as Greenman, has been awarded the prestigious Global Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award in Dubai.
Viral Desai along with the other winners were felicitated with the Bharat Gaurav Samman by Sanskruti Yuva Sansthan. Twenty-eight personalities from 11 countries were felicitated with the prestigious awards.

Notes:
Scientists have recently identified ”quantum entangled” microscopic multicellular organisms known as – frozen tardigrade. These organisms are found to tolerate extreme physiochemical conditions, by being in a latent state of life known as cryptobiosis.
Under extreme conditions, tardigrades curl up into shrunken, dehydrated balls and suspend their biological functions indefinitely in order to endure extreme environmental conditions.