Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
India along with 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS) were represented by 200 participants, at the 4th edition of the annual ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation Forum (AIGIF) that was launched in Langkawi, Malaysia.
The AIGIF is an annual programme focused on fostering a strengthened relationship between India and AMS on the premise of cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). Department of Science & Technology (DST) and National Innovation Foundation (NIF) of India and the Science and Technology Ministry of the host nation, Malaysia collaborated for the event.

Notes:
The UNAIDS agency said in its annual World AIDS Day Report that community-led responses are unrecognised, under-resourced and in some places under attack.
The UN first set out in 2015 the target of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.  There are 39 million people around the world living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Of them, 20.8 million are in eastern and southern Africa and 6.5 million are in Asia and the Pacific.

Notes:
Union Cabinet approved a special development mission for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) with a total outlay of over ₹24,104 crore over a three-year period.
The scheme will focus on 11 critical interventions through 9 Ministries including Ministry of Tribal Affairs.An amount of Rs.15,000 crore will be made available to implement the Mission in the next three years under the Development Action Plan for the Scheduled Tribes (DAPST).

Notes:
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his official approval to a significant increase in military spending that will see around 30% of fiscal expenditure directed towards the armed forces in 2024.
The President signed draft budget plans into law. Russia is diverting ever more resources towards prosecuting its war in Ukraine. Spending on defence and security combined is set to reach around 40% of all budget expenditure next year.

Notes:
Recently, Philippine coast guard inaugurated a monitoring base in South China Sea to track growing Chinese assertiveness in the disputed waterway. Chinese and Philippine ships had minor but alarming collisions recently near Second Thomas Shoal occupied by Philippine troops. Such incidents heighten fears of a larger conflict that could involve US, which is bound to defend Philippines militarily if attacked in South China Sea. China continues to disregard sovereignty claims of smaller nations like Philippines through aggressive naval actions. Tensions persist despite Philippine president earlier nurturing close China ties.

Notes:
India aims to reach 500GW non-fossil energy capacity by 2030 under “Panchamrit” pledge made at COP26 to combat climate change. Half of India’s energy requirement will come from renewables while reducing carbon emission intensity of GDP by 45% over 2005 levels. The targets underscore India’s commitment to fight climate crisis through clean energy even as a developing economy. At COP28, India outlined plans to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 in collaboration with nations like the UAE. PM Modi presented the Panchamrit (five nectar elements), five time-bound climate pledges to: (1) Reach 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030 (2) Meet 50% of India’s energy requirement from renewable energy (RE) sources by 2030 (3) Reduce the carbon intensity of the economy by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030 (4) Reduce total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030 (5) Achieve the target of net-zero emissions by 2070.

Notes:
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, considered the most dominant American statesman of the Cold War period, passed away at age 100. As National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, the German-born Kissinger was the primary architect of historic rapprochement with China, landmark nuclear arms control talks with the Soviets, the 1973 Israel-Arab peace deal, and the eventual Vietnam War exit. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for the Vietnam negotiations. However, Kissinger’s legacy also prompts sharp criticism over his backing of controversial policies in places like Latin America, South Asia and Africa that allegedly violated human rights.

Notes:
The EU has introduced a new policy called the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism or CBAM to account for carbon emissions from imported goods. This applies to imports of products like iron, steel and aluminum which require a lot of energy to make and therefore result in high emissions.  Under the CBAM, companies importing these goods into the EU will have to buy carbon certificates corresponding to the polluting emissions.

This is to ensure imported products face similar carbon costs that European producers pay already under EU emissions rules.  The aim is to prevent European manufacturers being undercut by cheaper imports not subject to carbon pricing. It also incentives foreign exporters to transition toward cleaner production.  However, organizations like the World Bank and UN warn that these extra charges could negatively impact developing countries that export to EU, especially industries unable to quickly cut emissions. So while CBAM protects EU competitiveness, it may burden trading partners and needs to be designed sensitively.

Notes:
Brazil’s President Lula da Silva has clarified that Brazil is seeking OPEC+ membership to convince member nations to move away from fossil fuels, not to cap its own oil output. Lula said Brazil aims to persuade major oil producers to invest profits into renewable energy development assistance for poorer regions like Africa and Latin America instead.
Brazil seeks a leadership role in rallying OPEC+ oil economies to finance global south’s green transition through proceeds earned from essentially the last fossil fuel boom before inevitable decline. Joining the 23-member group controlling 40% of world’s oil reserves aligns with Lula’s climate justice advocacy, with rainforests protection another priority. Hence Brazil is eyeing OPEC+ as platform for climate action cooperation.

Notes:
The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) unveiled its 2023 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking (WDCR).
According to IMD’s study, India has made significant in terms of cybersecurity knowledge but lacks on fronts like technology and future readiness. India has been ranked at 49th rank among 64 economies.