23 December 2022

Q1. Which country is the host of the ‘UN Biodiversity Conference- COP15’?

1. China
2. Sweden
3. Canada
4. Australia

C – Explanation:

• The United Nations Biodiversity Conference or COP15 was organised in Montreal, Canada. Governments from around the world are convened to agree to a new set of goals for nature over the next decade.
  The negotiators at a UN biodiversity conference reached an agreement, which seeks to spend USD 200 billion toward supporting biodiversity by 2030.

Q2. Which country is the FIFA World Cup champion in the year 2022?

1. France
2. Argentina
3. England
4. Morocco

B – Explanation:

• Argentina became FIFA World Cup champion by beating the defending Champion France 4-2 in penalties.
  Argentina lifted the FIFA World Cup title for the third time. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick for France, while Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored a brace and Angel di Maria netted one goal for Argentina.

Q3. Sela Pass tunnel, which was seen in the news, is located in which state?

1. Odisha
2. Arunachal Pradesh
3. West Bengal
4. Assam

B – Explanation:

• The Sela Pass tunnel is being built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), to provide all-weather connectivity to China border in Arunachal Pradesh.
  The tunnel being built at a height of 13,000 feet, will give the Indian Army access to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near Tawang.

Q4. ‘Rythu Bandhu’ is a flagship scheme of which Indian state/UT?

1. Kerala
2. Telangana
3. Karnataka
4. Odisha

B – Explanation:

• ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme is being implemented by the state of Telangana. The government offers crop investments to farmers through this programme at a rate of ₹10,000 per acre for both the Kharif and rabi seasons
  The State government would deposit ₹7,600 crore in the bank accounts of farmers, by January this year before the Sankranti festival.

Q5. As per the UN Nature Deal, what percent of the planet is sought to be protected by 2030?

1. 25 %
2. 30 %
3. 50 %
4. 75 %

B – Explanation:

• A UN nature deal has recently proposed calls to protect at least 30 percent of the planet by 2030. At present, just 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine areas are protected.
  The proposal called on rich countries to increase financial aid to the developing world to USD 20 billion annually by 2025, rising to USD 30 billion per year by 2030, to save their ecosystems.

Q6. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) has 23 targets that the world needs to achieve by which year?

1. 2025
2. 2030
3. 2035
4. 2040

B – Explanation:

• The 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
  The framework has 23 targets that the world needs to achieve by 2030. In 2020, the world had failed to meet the last set of targets, the Aichi Targets.  COP15 had representatives of 188 governments on site and agreed on the framework.

Q7. Which institution released the report titled ‘Coal 2022: Analysis and forecast to 2025’?

1. UNEP
2. FAO
3. UNFCC
4. IEA

D – Explanation:

• International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report titled ‘Coal 2022: Analysis and Forecast to 2025’. As per the report, the global coal demand is set to increase to an all-time high in 2022, mainly driven by coal power growth in India, the European Union (EU) and to a smaller extent by China.
  The largest increases in coal burn are forecast for China, India and Southeast Asia. The global coal use is set to rise by 1.2% in 2022, surpassing 8 billion tonnes in a single year for the first time.

Q8. Which Union Ministry launched the country’s first-ever surety bond insurance product?

1. Union Finance Ministry
2. Union Road, transport and highways Ministry
3. Union Corporate Affairs Ministry
4. Union Commerce and Industry Ministry

B – Explanation:

• Union Road, transport, and highways minister Nitin Gadkari launched the country’s first-ever surety bond insurance product.
  Unlike a bank guarantee, the Surety Bond Insurance does not require large collateral from the contractor, resulting in freeing up funds for the contractor, which they can utilise for the growth of the business.

Q9. Which country has launched ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers?

1. Ukraine
2. India
3. Sri Lanka
4. Bangladesh

B – Explanation:

• India has recently launched a ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers, during its current presidency of the UN Security Council.
  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced that New Delhi will soon have a database that will record all crimes against the peacekeepers. India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal are co-chairs of the group. India, among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping, has lost 177 of its peacekeepers in the line of duty.

Q10. Which country has partnered with PTC India for supply of power from Indian power market?

1. Nepal
2. Sri Lanka
3. Bangladesh
4. Bhutan

D – Explanation:

• Bhutan, through Druk Green Power Corporation, has entered into an agreement with PTC India, for purchase of power from Indian power market, to meet its power requirement during the dry winter season.
  With all approvals, Bhutan will now start procuring up to 600 MW of power, through PTC, from the Indian power market.