Daily GK Update - 19 December 2023 Current Affairs

                              Current Affairs

                                  National Affairs

India’s First Winter Arctic Expedition begins.

• The Raman Research Institute (RRI) here is participating in the first winter Indian expedition in the Arctic Region.
• Researchers would examine the characterisation of the radio frequency environment in the Svalbard region of the Arctic in Norway.

New variant of Covid detected in India.

• The Ministry of Health has detected cases linked to a new variant of Covid 19 virus.
• The name of the new variant of covid 19 is JN 1.
• This variant is also known as ‘Pirola’.

Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Meeting is taking place in Bangkok.

• A key meeting of Naval Chief of Many Countries including from India, is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand.
• In this meeting of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, Issues pertaining to the Indian Ocean and recent attacks near the Red Sea will be discussed.
• Indian Naval Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar is representing India in this key meeting.

                                 International Affairs

Chilean Citizen rejects demand for conservative constitution.

• 55% of citizens of the south american country Chile voted against in a referendum which proposed conservative constitution.

Abdul Fattah Al Sisi becomes President of Egypt for the 3rd time.

• Current Egyptian President, Abdul Fattah Al Sisi has been re-elected as president of Egypt for a record 3rd time in a row.
• He got around 89.6% of the vote in this presidential election.

Israel Appoints New Ambassador to India.

• Israel has appointed Reuven Azar as new Ambassador to India.
• He will act as non-resident Ambassador to Sri Lanka as well as Bhutan.

                                            Economy

Maharashtra becomes the largest economy and Uttar Pradesh becomes 2nd largest economy in India.

• According to research published by online blogging platform soic.in, Maharashtra, as per GSDP, is the largest economy in India.
• Maharashtra is followed by Uttar Pradesh is the second largest economy in India.
• Maharashtra has 15,7% share in the Indian economy whereas Uttar Pradesh has 9.2% share in the Indian economy.

Sports

Haryana defeats Rajasthan to win Vijay Hazare Trophy.

• In a tightly contested match between Haryana and Rajasthan, Haryana clinched the title of Vijay Trophy.
• Haryana Team was captained by Ashok Menaria whereas Rajasthan team was captained by Deepak Hooda.

1. MCQs from the Provided News Summary:

India:

What organization is leading India's first winter Arctic expedition?

a) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

b) Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

c) Raman Research Institute

d) Department of Science and Technology (DST)

Answer- Raman Research Institute

2.Which new variant of COVID-19 has been detected in India?

a) Delta Plus

b) Omicron BA.5

c) JN1 ("Pirola")

d) Lambda

Answer- JN1 ("Pirola")

3. Where is the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium currently taking place?

a) Mumbai, India

b) Colombo, Sri Lanka

c) Bangkok, Thailand

d) Jakarta, Indonesia

Answer- Bangkok, Thailand

4. How many times has Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi been re-elected as President of Egypt?

a) 1st

b) 2nd

c) 3rd

d) 4th

Answer- 3rd

5. Which state has become the largest economy in India according to recent research?

a) Tamil Nadu

b) Karnataka

c) Maharashtra

d) Gujarat

Answer- Maharashtra

                                       Daily Vocabulary

Word and its meaning

Synonym

Antonym

Inaugurating (Verb):

Officially opening or introducing something for the first time.

Launching, initiating, commencing, starting.

Closing, suspending, abolishing, discontinuing.

Characterization (Noun):

 The description or analysis of the distinctive features of someone or something.

Analysis, description, depiction, portrayal.

Misrepresentation, mischaracterization, distortion, generalization.

Variant (Noun):

A form of something that differs in some respects from the standard or typical form.

Mutation, strain, type, subspecies.

Prototype, original, standard, archetype.

Crucial (Adjective):

 Of great importance or significance; essential.

Vital, essential, important, paramount.

Trivial, minor, insignificant, marginal.

Symposium (Noun):

A formal meeting or conference for discussion or debate on a particular subject.

Conference, seminar, colloquium, workshop.

Casual meeting, informal discussion, brainstorming session, get-together.