Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

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World Arabic Language Day is observed on December 18th annually, established in 2010 by UNESCO to celebrate the Arabic language and cultural diversity. International Migrants Day, also on December 18th, was initiated by the UNGA in 2000 to recognize the increasing global migrant population. In India, National Minorities Rights Day is marked on December 18th to uphold the rights of various minority groups. The International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is commemorated on December 17th, started in 2003 to highlight violence against sex workers.

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IIT Guwahati researchers have developed an indigenous river model named BRAHMA-2D (Braided River Aid: Hydro-Morphological Analyzer) to understand complex flow patterns of large braided rivers like Brahmaputra. It combines advanced mathematical modeling with extensive field research to map 3D velocity changes from surface to riverbed. This model can provide valuable insights for design of sustainable structures like embankments, bridges etc along Brahmaputra river. It was successfully validated near Majuli island to demonstrate its practical applicability.

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Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) in Amritsar won the 2023 Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy for the 25th time. The trophy is awarded annually by the President of India to the university with the best overall performance in sports at national, international, and inter-university competitions.

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On 21 December 2023, the Sahitya Akademi has announced to give the Sahitya Akademi Award for the year 2023 to Maithili language writer Basukinath Jha for his Maithili essay collection “Bodh-Sanketan”.
Maithili litterateur Basukinath Jha is a resident of Samastipur district of Bihar. Maithili litterateur Basukinath Jha, in Maithili language, wrote Vidyapati Kavya Lochan (Classical Criticism), Anushilan-Avabodh (Critical Research and Essay Collection), Parivaha (Modern Critical Essay Collection), Bodh Sanketan (Collection of Introductions to Books written by Various Authors), Vastuvaachi Sanketan. Has written many books including (Literary Trend based Essay Collection), Vyaktiwaachi Sankhanan (Personality based essay collection), Maithili literary outline (Part one and two), Novel and Social consciousness.

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National Farmers Day, also known as Kisan Diwas, is celebrated in India on December 23rd. The day recognizes the contributions of farmers to the country’s socio-economic fabric. It also honors the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. The theme for National Farmers Day 2023 was “Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience”.

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Recently, unusual shiny clouds called nacreous clouds were seen in the skies over parts of Scotland, northern England, and the West Midlands. These rare clouds look like mother of pearl and shine with pale, rainbow-like colors during sunset and sunrise. This effect happens as sunlight bends around tiny ice crystals in the clouds, creating colors like a thin layer of oil on water does. The process that causes these colorful iridescent clouds is optical diffraction – when light waves interact with small particles and bend or spread out into spectral colors.

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BRI 1335-0417 is the name of the galaxy showing a spiral structure in its early developing phase, located over 12 billion light years from Earth. Analysis of gas flow patterns inside BRI 1335-0417 enabled documentation of a phenomenon similar to ‘seismic waves’, a first for early galaxies. Researchers compare its rotating disc comprising stars, gas and dust to ripples formed when a stone is thrown into a pond. Study of this exceptionally distant spiral aims to advance comprehension of mechanisms driving rapid star formation in early cosmic epochs.

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It is located in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh. On his Arunachal visit, Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the government is committed to develop NEIAFMR as the national hub of folk medicine. Additional Rs 53 crore infrastructure will help build its capacity towards research on Ayurveda and folk medicine and enable introducing quality Ayurveda education.

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The Amnya fort along the Amnya River in western Siberia consists of pit-house depressions with earthen walls and wooden palisades, suggesting advanced agricultural and defensive capabilities.

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The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has approved the transfer of a cheetah, African lion, and Chimpanzee from Dubai Safari Park to Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) in Odisha. The NZP, in exchange, will provide various animals including Hippopotamus, blackbuck, hog deer, gaur, red junglefowl, and gharial.