Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
The Indian Army is engaged in bilateral exercises with five countries under way in November 2022, to improve interoperability.
The 18th edition of India-U.S. Army exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ was held in Uttarakhand. Other ongoing exercises are ‘Ex Austra Hind’ with Australia in Rajasthan, ‘Ex Agni Warrior’ with Singapore at Deolali, ‘Ex Harimau Shakti’ with Malaysia and ‘Ex Garuda Shakti’ with Indonesia.

Notes:
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced to help the people working in waste segregation industry in India to move into formal economy.
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General Usha Rao-Monari would distribute the `Jan Dhan’ account kits to waste segregation workers. The programme has been organised through the UNDP’s ‘plastic waste management programme’.

Notes:
India’s biggest Yoga Centre has been constructed in village Mantalai in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The village will house the International Yoga Centre at the banks of the Tawi River. The Union Tourism Ministry has sanctioned Rs 9,782 crore for the construction of the centre.

Notes:
‘Gaslighting’ has been announced as Merriam-Webster’s word of the year 2022. Searches for the word on merriam-webster.com have increased over 1000 per cent in 2022 over the year before.
The definition for gaslighting is the psychological manipulation of a person, which causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem.

Notes:
According to a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report titled ‘the Global Wage Report 2022-2023’, the severe inflationary crisis combined with a global slowdown in economic growth are causing a striking fall in real monthly wages in many countries.
The slowdown is driven in part by the war in Ukraine and the global energy crisis. According to the report, the crisis is reducing the purchasing power of the middle classes and hitting low-income households.

Notes:
The Chhattisgarh Assembly unanimously passed two amendment bills to raise Reservations in government jobs and admission in educational institutions to 76%.
According to the bills, Scheduled Tribes will now get a quota of 32%, Other Backward Classes 27%, and Scheduled Caste 13%, while the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) will get 4% reservation in public employment and admissions in educational institutions.

Notes:
As per the Economic Intelligence Unit Cost of Living Index 2022, New York and Singapore rank as the world’s most expensive cities.
As per the index, the average cost of living is up by 8.1 per cent in 2022, due to the Russian war in Ukraine and the effects of the pandemic.  The EIU evaluates more than 400 individual prices across more than 200 products and services in 172 cities, to produce the list.

Notes:
Semeru Volcano has started erupting in Java Island, Indonesia. The eruption ahs caused huge volcanic ash and over 2,000 residents in East Java province were evacuated.
As per the Indonesia’s disaster management agency (BNPB), no injuries or deaths have so far been reported. Mount Semeru lies around 640 kilometers southeast of the capital Jakarta.

Notes:
After significant deterioration in air quality of Delhi-NCR in last 24 hours, the Stage III of revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was invoked.
This is in addition to the preventive/ restrictive actions mentioned in Stage I and Stage II of the GRAP. Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed the 407 mark, which is likely to be a localized influence.

Notes:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Orion capsule made its closest approach to the Moon within 130 km.
The feat has been achieved after Apollo 17 flew half a century ago. The spacecraft is set to parachute into the sea and splash down on December 11. NASA shared a picture of the ‘Moon and the distant crescent Earth’ captured by the Orion spacecraft.