Current Affairs

10^th December 2022

Top 15 Daily Current Affairs: National & International News 

Here is the Daily Current Affairs of the 10th December 2022 covering the following news headlines: Human Rights Day, Miracles of Face Yoga, Eden Hazard, Nirmala Sitharaman, Passport Index 2022, Reserve Bank of India

International News

1. Japan, Britain and Italy to Jointly Build Sixth Generation Fighter Jets

Japan has announced that it will jointly develop its next-generation fighter jet with the United Kingdom and Italy as it looks to expand defense cooperation beyond its traditional ally, the United States.

The Mitsubishi F-X fighter jet will replace the aging fleet of F-2s that Japan previously developed with the United States. The nations will merge their current plans for development of next-generation planes – the F-X and Britain’s Tempest, a successor to the Eurofighter Typhoon – to produce the new combat aircraft for deployment in 2035.

The deal will give Japan greater support in countering China’s growing assertiveness and allow Britain a bigger presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

2. World Bank’s Flagship Gender Toolkit Launched

A Gender Toolkit based on “Enabling gender-responsive urban mobility and public spaces” was launched in a session conducted by the World Bank and the Chennai Urban Metropolitan Transport Authority. 

The World Bank developed a two toolkit that outlines a four-pillar implementation structure for urban entities to construct a gender-responsive urban transportation and public spaces programme.

Assessing the ground situation: The first pillar involves evaluating the current reality on the ground, which includes comprehending gender variations in mobility patterns, safety issues, and infrastructure and policy inadequacies.

States News

3. KCR Launches Bharat Rashtra Samithi Party After ECI Approval

The Election Commission informed TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that it has accepted the name change of his party from Telangana Rashtra Samithi to Bharat Rashtra Samithi. In a letter to TRS, the EC cited a letter that the party sent to the poll body on October 5 requesting its name change.

Telangana’s ruling TRS on October 5 changed its name to ‘BRS’, heralding the party’s foray into ‘national politics.’ A resolution to this effect was passed at the party’s general body meeting here. Rao read out the resolution and announced that the party’s general body meet unanimously resolved to change the name from TRS to BRS.

Appointments News

4. Sushmita Shukla appointed as VP &  COO, Federal Reserve Bank

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has appointed Indian-origin Sushmita Shukla as its First Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer (COO), making the insurance industry veteran its highest-ranked official after President and CEO, John C Williams. The appointment was approved by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

She has served in leadership roles in the insurance industry. In a career spanning more than twenty years, she has primarily led operations, technology, and enterprise-wide transformation efforts.

Since January 2018, she has been working with Chubb, which is based in New York, and is the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. She is its Senior Vice President, and Chief Operations Officer (International Accident and Health).

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York President: John C. Williams;

Federal Reserve Bank of New York Founded: 1914, 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York HQ: New York, New York, United States.

5. GoI appointed Meenesh C Shah as the Managing Director of NDDB

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has appointed Meenesh C Shah as its Managing Director with effect from November 15. Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala informed that the Gujarat-based NDDB does not have regular chairman since December 2020.

Varsha Joshi, the then Joint Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, held the additional charge of the post of Chairman, NDDB, from December 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021.

National Dairy Development Board was set up in 1966 as a society under the Societies Act 1860. The first chairman of NDDB was Verghese Kurien. Kurien is also called as the father of White Revolution in India.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

National Dairy Development Board Headquarters: Anand, Gujarat;

National Dairy Development Board Founded: 1965;

National Dairy Development Board  Founder: Verghese Kurien.

Banking News

6. RBI Signs Currency Swap Agreement with Maldives Monetary Authority

The Reserve Bank of India has signed a Currency Swap Agreement with the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) to enable MMA to make drawals in multiple tranches up to a maximum of $200 million from the RBI.

This agreement has been signed under the SAARC Currency Swap Framework. The agreement will provide swap support as a backstop line of funding for short-term foreign exchange liquidity requirements.

The word swap means exchange. A currency swap between two countries is an agreement or contract to exchange currencies with predetermined terms and conditions.

Ranks and Reports News

7. India ranked 87th in the world’s strongest passport list 2022

Passport Index 2022 published by Arton Capital ranked the world’s strongest and weakest passports. A passport is a travel document issued by a country’s government to its citizens that verifies the identity and nationality of the holder for the purpose of international travel. India was ranked at 87th position in the world’s strongest passport list.

The UAE has the strongest passport in the world. Holders of this passport can travel visa-free or “visa on arrival” to 180 countries. With a UAE passport travelers can enter to 180 countries hassle-free, seven more than European countries such as Germany and Sweden, and nine more than Japan, the index showed.

India was ranked at 87th position in the world’s strongest passport list.

Countries with the weakest passports are Afghanistan (38) Syria (39), Iraq (40), Pakistan (44).

Nine out of top 10 most powerful passports are issued by the European countries.

Germany, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, and France are among the top 10 performers.

8. Nirmala Sitharaman, Falguni Nayar in ‘World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ list

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Nykaa founder Falguni Nayar are among six Indians who have made it to the Forbes’ annual list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women”.

Ranked at number 36, Nirmala Sitharaman has made it to the list for the fourth time in a row. In 2021, the 63-year-old minister was ranked at number 37 in the list, while she was in the 41st spot in 2020 and 34th in 2019.

HCLTech Chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra (rank: 53),

Securities And Exchange Board Of India (SEBI) Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch (rank: 54),

Steel Authority Of India Chairperson Soma Mondal (rank: 67).

For her leadership during the Ukraine war, as well as her handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen sits atop the 19th annual Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

Schemes News

9. Govt of India Invest Rs 5000 Crore in the SWAMIH Fund to Complete Housing Projects

The government has put in an additional Rs 5,000 crore into the SWAMIH Invest Fund-I to help the stressed realty investment platform achieve its final close at Rs 15,530 crore.

The fund set up under the Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing is India’s largest social impact fund, which said the government recently infused Rs 5,000 crore. It intends to provide priority debt financing for the completion of stressed, brownfield and residential projects registered with regulatory bodies that fall in the affordable, mid-income housing category.

10. Govt Extends Rooftop Solar Scheme Till March 2026

Central Government announced that it has extended the Rooftop Solar Programme till 31 March, 2026. The subsidy under the programme will be available until the target under the Programme is achieved now.

The government has advised all residential consumers to not pay any additional charges to any vendor on account of fee for application on the National Portal or any additional charges for net-metering/testing which are not prescribed by the respective distribution company.

On the National Portal, any consumer willing to install rooftop solar from any part of the country can apply and track complete process starting from registration to release of subsidy directly into his bank account.

Sports News

11. McLaughlin-Levrone & Mondo Duplantis won World Athlete of the Year 2022 awards

World champion American hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis won the World Athlete of the year awards. McLaughlin-Levrone broke the world women’s 400m hurdles record twice while Duplantis set three new world highs this year.

World Athletics also named Adriana Vilagoš of Serbia and American Erriyon Knighton their Rising Star of the Year winners.

Confederacao Brasileira de Atletismo, Member Federations Award

Katie Nageotte of the United States and Holly Bradshaw of Great Britain, Fair Play Award

Martin Rickett, Photograph of the Year

Ukranian Athletic Association, President’s Award

Donna Fraser of Great Britain, Woman of the Year

Gennadii Zuiev of Ukraine, Coaching Achievement Award.

12. 1000 Khelo India Centers To Be Opened Across Country By August 15

Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said one thousand Khelo India centres will be opened by the 15th of August next year across the country. He added that out of these one thousand centres, 733 centres have been already sanctioned.

The minister said as compared to 2014, when the budget of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports was Rs 1,219 crore, it had increased to 3,062 crore for the year 2022-23, which is almost three times more. Thakur highlighted some of India’s major sporting triumphs that had taken place since the coming of the Modi government in 2014.

13. Eden Hazard announced his retirement from International Football

Belgium captain Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from international football after Belgium’s early exit from the FIFA World Cup 2022. He was the captain of Belgium in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Hazard made his international debut in 2008 and scored 33 times in 126 appearances. He helped Belgium reach the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, where they lost to eventual champions France, and beat England in the third-placed playoff.

Books and Authors News

14. Author Mansi Gulati released her Book ‘Miracles of Face Yoga’

The Founder of Manasvani, Mansi Gulati has released her book ‘Miracles of Face Yoga’, which has been appreciated by the President of India Droupadi Murmu.

Mansi Gulati, an international Yogi, celebrated author, and thought leader, devoted her efforts to learning everything possible about yoga practices and philosophy.

This book introduces the concept of ‘face yoga’, a natural exercise for the face in addition to various other yoga exercises. Facial yoga can also help you relax and rejuvenate your body. The face yoga ‘as an as’ release stress and tension from the face and neck. They will also make us more aware of our facial muscles so that we can relax them within seconds that indirectly helps to tighten our skin.

Important Days

15. 72nd Human Rights Day 2022 observed on 10th December

Human Rights Day is celebrated across the world on December 10 every year. It marks the day that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948.

Human Rights Day focuses on the fundamental rights and freedoms that people globally are entitled to simply by virtue of being humans. It celebrates and advocates for rights that cut across the distinctions of nationality, gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, religion, or any other status.

This year marks the 74th anniversary of the adoption of the UDHR and the 72nd Human Rights Day.

The campaign will be centred around the theme, “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All.”