Today's Current Affairs 22nd December 2022

INTERNATIONAL

India recorded 4 cases of BF.7 that's causing surge in China

• The BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron that is prevalent in China is thought to be the cause of the present spike in Covid-19 infections there. This isn’t the first time BF.7 has been in the spotlight; back in October, it began to displace the main variations in the US and several other European nations. The massive Covid rise in China is being caused by the BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron, which has been found in four cases in India. In Gujarat and Odisha, the instances of BF.7 Covid Variant first came to light. Currently, the Covid protocol is not required in the nation.
• As the main stem of the SARS-CoV-2 tree sprouts branches and sub-branches, so do viruses when they change, creating lineages and sub-lineages.
• The Omicron sub-lineage BA.5 and the BF.7 are identical. The latter is also known as BA.5.2.1.7.
• The study found that another Omicron sub-variant named BQ.1 had a more than 10-fold higher neutralization resistance than BF.7, which is not the most resilient sub-variant.

 NATIONAL

Indian Navy launches its first anti-submarine warfare ship "INS Arnala”

• The Indian Navy launched ‘Arnala’, the first of the eight indigenously-built anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft (ASW-SWC), at the shipbuilding facility of L&T in Chennai’s Kattupall. Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), ‘Arnala’ made its first contact with the water of the Bay of Bengal.
• The ship has been named ‘Arnala’ to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Arnala, located about 13 kilometres north of Vasai, Maharashtra, by Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
• The ‘Arnala’ class of ships will replace the ‘Abhay’ class ASW ships of the Indian Navy. These are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters and low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO), including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters. The 77.6-metre-long ASW-SWC ships have a displacement of 900 tonnes with a maximum speed of 25 knots and endurance of 1800 nautical miles (NM).
• It is anti-submarine warfare vessel in 700 ton displacement range and will replace Abhay-class corvette (a corvette is a small warship) currently serving in Indian Navy.

 SPORTS

T20 World Cup for the Blind: India beat Bangladesh to claim third successive title

• The Indian national blind cricket team won the T20 World Cup for the Blind for the third time in a row. They defeated Bangladesh at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium by a commanding score of 120 runs. The Indian captain, Ajay Kumar Reddy elected to bat after winning the toss, and his side eventually set a challenging total of 277 runs for Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi team could only muster 157 runs for three in return.
• Sunil Ramesh won Man of the Match award in the championship. He was also given the B3 category’s Man of the Series award. India, the tournament’s victors and unbeaten team, won Rs. 3 lakh as prize money, while Bangladesh took second place and received Rs. 1.5 lakh. Ajay won the title of Man of the Series in the B2 division. Mohammed Mahmud Rashid of Bangladesh won the title of Man of the Series in the B1 division.

 SCIENCE & TEHNOLOGY

Gaganyaan: India Targets Q4 2024 For Launch Of Its Maiden Human Space Flight Mission

• The Government has said, the country’s maiden human space flight mission, Gaganyaan, is targeted to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2024. Science & Technology Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, in view of the paramount importance of crew safety, two uncrewed flights are scheduled, before the final human space flight- ‘H1 mission’, to demonstrate the performance of the crew escape system and parachute-based deceleration system for different flight conditions.
• He said, uncrewed ‘G1 mission’ will be targeted in the last quarter of next year, followed by the ‘G2’ in the second quarter of 2024. Dr. Jitendra Singh said the astronaut designates for the Gaganyaan are identified and undergoing mission-specific training at Bengaluru. The first uncrewed flight of Gaganyaan programme ‘G1’ mission is aimed at validating the performance of the human rated launch vehicle, Orbital module propulsion system, mission management, communication system, and recovery operations. The mission will carry a humanoid as a payload.

 OBITURY

Songwriter Shirley Eikhard, who wrote 'Something to Talk About', dies at age 67

• The legendary singer and songwriter Shirley Eikhard died at the age of 67. Shirley Eikhard was one of the most prolific songwriters in the industry. She penned the Grammy-winning single Something to Talk About.
• Shirley Eikhard died on Thursday at the healthcare centre in Orangeville. According to her publicist, Eric Alper, she died cause of severe cancer-related complications. She took her last breaths at the Headwaters healthcare Centre in Ontario.
• During her musical journey, Shirley Eikhard released 18 albums between 1972 to 2021. She was a self-taught performer and taught herself to play instruments like drums, bass, guitar, piano and many others.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

National Mathematics Day 2022: 22^nd December

• National Mathematics Day is celebrated on December 22 across the nation every year. The National Mathematics Day is marked to recognise and celebrate the works of Srinivasa Ramanujan. Srinivasa Ramanujan, the Indian mathematical genius, was born on this day in 1887. This year nation celebrates his 135th birth anniversary of Ramanujan. The main objective behind the celebration of National Mathematics Day is to make people aware of the development of mathematics and its importance in the growth of humanity.
• The day was announced on 26 February 2012 by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of the Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan (22 Dec 1887- 26 Apr 1920). 2012 was also observed as National Mathematics Year. Ramanujan had a wealth of ideas that have transformed and reshaped 20th-century mathematics. These ideas continue to shape the mathematics of the 21st century.

 AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Oscars 2023: RRR's Naatu Naatu, Last Film Show, among others shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards

• The Gujarati-language Chhello Show (The Last Show), which is India’s official entry for the 2023 Academy Awards or Oscars awards in the International Feature film category, has been shortlisted for next year’s Academy Awards. Meanwhile, the track Naatu Naatu from SS Rajamouli’s RRR has been shortlisted in the Best Original Song Category. The Academy announced the list of shortlisted entries in 10 categories. The nominations for the Academy Awards will be announced on January 24.
• India’s history with the Oscar entries for the last few years were – Koozhangal, Jallikattu, Gully Boy, Village Rockstars, Newton, Visaranani, all of which have failed to make the Oscar shortlist. The only Indian films to have been nominated for an Oscar so far have been Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan.
• As far as RRR’s best song category is concerned, 15 songs have been shortlisted from among 81 tunes. Other songs include ‘Nothing Is Lost’ from ‘Avatar: The way Of Water’, ‘Lift Me Up’ from ‘Blank Panther: Wakanda Forever’, ‘Hold My Hand’ from ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ among others.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

Parliament proceedings: Note in circulation rise 8% annually to ₹32 lakh crore

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said note in circulation (NiC) has witnessed an annual growth of 7.98 per cent to Rs 31.92 lakh crore as of December 2, 2022. The demand for currency depends upon several macroeconomic factors, including economic growth and level of interest rates, she said.
• Six years after demonetisation, the currency in circulation has jumped to a new high of Rs 32 lakh crore reflecting that cash still remains the preferred choice of payment for Indians. Compared with the pre-demonetisation period, it has increased by a massive 72 per cent from Rs 17 lakh crore on November 4, 2016. The demonetisation (of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes that ceased to be legal tender) was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016, with the aim of reducing the circulation of black money in the economy, among other objectives.

IPL Turns Decacorn As Valuation Crosses $10 Billion, Witnesses 75% Growth Since 2020

• IPL surpasses $10 billion valuation: The Indian Premier League (IPL), whose total valuation has surpassed $10 billion, has evolved into a decacorn. A D and P Advisory report made public on Tuesday states that the league is currently worth $10.9 billion. Notably, it has shown a startling 75% rise since 2020.
• IPL’s expansion has been aided by lucrative agreements with industry titans in media.A company valued at more than $10.0 billion is referred to as a decacorn.
• In less than 15 years since its beginning, the IPL has reached the milestone.
• The D and P Advisory said in a study titled “Beyond 22 Yards” that the IPL attained the significant milestone after selling its media rights for the years 2023 to 2027. The league recorded a three-fourth increase in revenue over the previous cycle when it sold its media rights for $6.2 billion. The rights were divided among numerous broadcasters for the first time.

Gross Direct Tax collections for the FY 2022-23 show 25.90% growth: CBDT

• The Gross collection of Direct Taxes has registered a growth of 25.90 percent which stood at 13,63,649 crore rupees in the financial year 2022-23. The Gross collection in the corresponding period stood at 10,83,150 crore rupees. According to the Finance Ministry data, the Net Direct tax collection for FY 2022-23 stood at 11,35,754 crore rupees, registering a growth of 19.81 percent. The Net Direct tax collection for the corresponding period was recorded at 9,47,959 crore rupees.
• It stood at ₹11,35,754 crore compared to ₹9,47,959 crore in the corresponding period of the preceding financial year, which is about 80% of the full-year Budget target.
• The net direct tax collection of ₹11,35,754 crore includes Corporation Tax (CIT) at ₹6,06,679 crore (net of refund) and personal income Tax (PIT) including Securities Transaction Tax (STT) at ₹5,26,477 crore (net of refund).
• There has been a remarkable increase in the speed of processing of income tax returns filed during the current fiscal, with almost 96.5% of the duly verified ITRs having been processed till 17.12.2022.