Daily Current Affairs and GK | 10 December 2024

Topic: International News

1. After Assad’s ouster, Syria’s rebels started work to form the government.

• President Bashar al-Assad left Syrians and the rebel alliance took its first steps to form the government.
• The Syrian civil war started 13 years ago during the Arab Spring.
• More than 500,000 Syrians have died, and millions more have fled their homes during this civil war.
• Bashar Assad took power in the year 2000 and is part of the family that has run Syria since a 1970 coup.
• Assad portrayed himself as a modern reformist, but he responded to peaceful protests during the Arab Spring with brutal crackdowns,
• Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was formed at the beginning of Syria’s civil war.
• The last phase of the civil war started when the rebels HTS and the Free Syrian Army captured the city of Aleppo.
• The rebel fighters took control of the Saydnaya prison and released the political prisoners locked up by the Bashar Al Assad regime.
• Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has declared Syria and Damascus free from Assad's rule and asked the fighters to preserve the government buildings.

Topic: Important Days

2. World Human Rights Day: December 10

• World Human Rights Day is observed annually around the world on 10 December.
• The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
• “Our rights, our future, right now” is the theme of the World Human Rights Day.
• This day advocates for a world where justice and equality prevail.
• Human Rights Day guarantees the rights of every individual everywhere, without distinction based on nationality, place of residence, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, etc.

Topic: Personality in News

3. Payal Kapadia made history with a Golden Globe nomination for All We Imagine as Light.

• A historic milestone has been achieved by filmmaker Payal Kapadia as she becomes the first Indian director to be nominated for the Best Director (Motion Picture) category at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards for her film All We Imagine As Light.
• The film is also nominated in the Best Motion Picture (Non-English Language) category, making it two nominations at the prestigious ceremony.
• The film has also secured the Best International Film award at the New York Film Critics Circle and Best International Feature at the 2024 Gotham Awards, further enhancing its global acclaim.
• Nominees for Best Director (Motion Picture), announced by Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut on December 9, include Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Sean Baker (Anora), Edward Berger (Conclave), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) and Coralie Fargeat (The Substance).
• Emilia Pérez leads this year's Golden Globe nominations with 10 mentions, followed by The Brutalist (7), Conclave (6), and Anora and The Substance (5 each).
• The 82nd Golden Globe Awards will recognize excellence across film and television on 6 January 2025.

Topic: MoUs/ Agreements

4. An MoU inked by DPIIT with Flipkart to invest in and mentor Indian startups.

• In an important step, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has partnered with Indian domestic e-commerce marketplace Flipkart.
• Along with this, an MoU has been signed to support and empower technology startups across the country.
• The partnership aims to foster the growth of innovators and entrepreneurs, and builds on existing efforts under the Flipkart Leap and Ventures initiative with a USD 100 million fund.
• So far, the company has invested in 20 companies and is identifying startups with high growth potential.
• This collaboration will offer startups access to industry reports, research, government datasets, and fast-track patent application processing to enhance market opportunities.
• This MoU reflects DPIIT's strong commitment to enable its partners to access and connect with Startup India's programs and network for greater adoption, reach and participation.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

5. The Material Cost under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) enhanced by 13.70% by the Union Education Ministry.

• The cost of material has been increased from Rs 5.45 to Rs 6.19 for primary and Bal Vatika classes and from Rs 8.17 to Rs 9.29 for upper primary classes.
• The revised rates have come into effect from December 1, 2024.
• Due to this increase, the Central Government will bear additional cost of more than Rs 425 crore in the financial year 2024-25.
• The new rates will apply to all states and union territories, however, they are free to contribute more than their prescribed share.
• The PM POSHAN Scheme, a centrally sponsored initiative, provides one hot-cooked meal to 11.70 crore students in Balvatika and classes 1 to 8 across more than 10 lakh government and government-aided schools on every school day.
• The aim of this scheme is to provide nutritional support and increase student participation in school.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

6. UNESCO has selected the Abathsahayeshwarar Temple in Thukkatchi, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu for the Award of Distinction for 2023.

• The 1,300-year-old temple has received recognition for its preservation of its cultural legacy.
• King Vikrama Chola and King Kulothunga Chola built the temple.
• Five prakarams are claimed to have existed in the past in the temple.
• Soundaryanayaki Ambal, Ashtabhuja Durga Parameshwari, Aadhi Sarabeshwarar, Pillayar, Murugan, Chandikeswarar, two Bhairavars, two Suryas, and two Naagar were among the numerous deity shrines in the temple.
• The award was announced as part of UNESCO Asia - Pacific Awards for cultural heritage conservation.

Topic: Personality in News

7. Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Union Minister SM Krishna passed away at 92.

• He served as the CM of Karnataka from October 11, 1999, to May 20, 2004.
• He served as the governor of Maharashtra from December 6, 2004, to March 8, 2008.
• Known for his love of tennis, Krishna enjoyed designing men's clothes and reading.
• He was also part of the Indian delegation to the United Nations in 1982 and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in New Zealand in 1965.
• He was a delegate at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar at Westminster in 1990.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

8. Google has launched an AI model for weather prediction.

• GenCast, the AI model for weather prediction, has been launched by Google’s DeepMind team.
• GenCast outperforms the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
• It is the world’s top operational forecasting system.
• GenCast marks a critical advance in AI-based weather prediction.
• GenCast forecast comprises an ensemble of 50 or more predictions.
• Google will also launch real-time and historical forecasts from GenCast, and previous models.
• GenCast is part of Google’s growing suite of next-generation AI-based weather models.

Topic: National Appointment

9. Sanjay Malhotra has been appointed as RBI Governor.

• Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra has been appointed as 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• His tenure will begin on December 11, 2024, and will last for three years.
• He will succeed Shaktikanta Das, who has completed a six-year term as the RBI Governor.
• Sanjay Malhotra played a key role in formulating tax policies, including those for direct and indirect taxes.
• He has also served as Secretary in the Department of Financial Services at the Ministry of Finance.
• He has held various key positions across sectors such as finance, taxation, power, information technology, and mines.
• Shaktikanta Das’s term will end on December 10, 2024.
• He assumed office as the 25th Governor of the RBI on December 12, 2018, and his term was extended in 2021.

(Source: DD News)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

10. Bima Sakhi Yojana launched by Prime Minister Modi to empower women aged 18 to 70 years.

• On 9 December, LIC’s Bima Sakhi Yojana launched, and the foundation stone of the main campus of Maharana Pratap Horticultural University at Panipat in Haryana laid by PM Narendra Modi.
• The main campus and six regional research centers will be spread over 495 acres and will be set up at a cost of over Rs 700 crore.
• The university will have a horticultural college for undergraduate and postgraduate studies and five schools covering 10 horticultural disciplines.
• It will work towards world-class research for crop diversification and development of horticultural technologies.
• Bima Sakhi Yojana, an initiative of the Life Insurance Corporation of India, is designed to empower women in the age group of 18 to 70 years.
• They will be given special training and a stipend for the first three years to promote financial literacy and insurance awareness.
• After training, they can work as LIC agents, and Graduate Insurance Sakhis will get an opportunity to qualify for the role of Development Officer in LIC.

Topic: Banking System

11. MuleHunter unveiled by the RBI to prevent digital frauds.

• The introduction of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)-based model named MuleHunter has been announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• AITM is to prevent and reduce digital fraud through the use of mule accounts.
• This public infrastructure facility has been developed by the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH), Bengaluru, to help banks address the issue of mule bank accounts expeditiously and reduce digital frauds.
• MuleHunter is basically an infrastructure-level setup that will use the database of all the banks and all other payment system operators.
• Its AI engine will be trained to be able to identify fraud in the financial system more effectively.
• Banks, card systems, and other institutions are free to use their own fraud detection systems, but they can also use MuleHunter in addition.
• The idea behind launching MuleHunter is for RBI to create an infrastructure-level facility that can be used by others with multiple participants.

Topic: State News/ Tamil Nadu

12. Tamil Nadu launched the “Kalaignar handicrafts scheme” to empower artisans and craftsmen.

• To support artisans and craftsmen, the Tamil Nadu government has announced the Kalaignar handicrafts scheme.
• The scheme has been launched to benefit all sections of people who are engaged in 25 trades/crafts.
• It will promote support, skill and entrepreneur development for the expansion of existing trades.
• The artisans will get credit support of Rs 3 lakh, including a subsidy of 25 per cent (a maximum of Rs 50,000).
• Under this scheme, a five per cent interest subsidy to beneficiaries.
• A beneficiary should be at least 35 years of age to apply for the scheme.
• PM Vishwakarma Yojana was launched in 2023 to provide end-to-end support to artisans and craftsmen who work with their hands and tools in 18 trades.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

13. As per the UBS report, India’s billionaire count has reached to 185.

• India's billionaires witnessed a sharp increase as India reached to third position in the global billionaire count list.
• India is only behind from China and US.
• India witnessed a surge of billionaire over 20 per cent to 185 in 2024, from 153 in 2023.
• Chinese economy saw a decline in the billionaire count.
• From 2015 to 2020, billionaire wealth grew globally at an annual rate of 10 per cent.
• The total wealth of India's billionaire club has almost tripled by 263 per cent to $905.6 billion.
• Between 2015 and 2020, the total wealth of Chinese billionaires has increased by more than double.