This is the current affairs of 28 to 31 December 2024. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
PDF Download: Click here
1. Naval exercise ‘SLINEX’ was held between India and which country in December 2024?
a. Pakistan
b. Sri Lanka
c. bhutan
d. bangladesh
Answer: b. Sri Lanka
– Event duration: 17th to 20th December 2024
– Event location: Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command
– Indian ship INS Sumitra and Sri Lankan ship SLNS Sayura participated in this event.
– This maritime exercise was first held in 2005. Since then, it has been held annually.
– Through this, India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) initiative is being promoted.
Sri Lanka
– Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Legislative) and Colombo (Executive and Judicial)
– President: Anura Kumara Dissanayake
– Prime Minister: Harini Amarasuriya
————–
2. When is International Epidemic Day celebrated?
a. 27 December
b. 30 December
c. 03 January
d. 26 December
Answer: a. 27 December
– On this day, there is a discussion on the threat of infectious diseases and the urgent need for active measures to overcome them.
– In view of the damage caused by COVID-19, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established International Pandemic Preparedness Day in December 2020.
————–
3. Which country has approved the construction of the world’s largest dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) river, raising strategic and environmental concerns for India?
a. Bhutan
b. Pakistan
c. Bangladesh
d. China
Answer: d. China
– In December 2024, China approved the construction of the world’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River in Tibet.
– Its estimated cost is $137 billion.
– China will generate 60 gigawatts of electricity from it.
– It is located near the Indian border.
– This hyper-dam will have serious negative impacts on India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
– It has particularly raised strategic and environmental concerns for India and Bangladesh.
– This dam could give China the ability to control water flow and potentially flood border areas during a conflict.
– India is building its own dam on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh to counter China’s potential control.
World’s Largest Dam and Potential Threat
– So far, the world’s largest hydroelectric dam is China’s Three Gorges Dam, located on the Yangtze River in Hubei province, China.
– The new dam on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet will be larger than the Three Gorges Dam.
– A concern is that Tibet, known as the “Roof of the World,” is located on a tectonic plate boundary.
– For millions of years, the European Plate and the Indian Plate have collided beneath Tibet and the Himalayas.
– This creates the risk of earthquakes.
– This dam could affect downstream countries like Bangladesh, which are highly dependent on the Brahmaputra.
Brahmaputra River
– It originates in Tibet.
– It enters India through Arunachal Pradesh, flows through Assam, and then enters Bangladesh.
India-China Expert Level Mechanism (ELM)
– India and China established the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) in 2006 for discussions on trans-border rivers.
– During the flood season, China provides India with hydrological data.
————–
4. Who became the new Prime Minister of Tonga?
a. Siaosi Sowaleni
b. Vivek Rajjada
c. Aisake Walu Eke
d. None of the above
Answer: c. Aisake Walu Eke
– In December 2024, Tonga’s Parliament elected Siaosi Vaulasi Ake as the new Prime Minister.
– He replaced former Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaeleni, who resigned suddenly.
– Currently, Tonga is facing strained relations between the monarchy and the government, economic issues, and the impact of natural disasters.
Tonga
– It is located in the South Pacific Ocean.
– Capital: Nuku’alofa
– Monarch: Tupou VI
– Currency: Paʻanga (TOP)
– Population: 100,000
– Area: 750 square kilometers (slightly larger than the city of Lucknow).
————–
5. Osamu Suzuki, former chairman of which company, passed away at the age of 94 on 25 December 2024?
a. Yamaha Motor Corporation
b. Suzuki Motor Corporation
c. Tata Motors Limited
d. Toyota Motors Corporation
Answer: b. Suzuki Motor Corporation
– Suzuki Motor Corporation is a Japanese car company.
– Osamu Suzuki was born in 1929.
– Initially, his name was Osamu Matsuda. He adopted the Suzuki title from his wife’s family.
– In fact, it is a common practice in Japan where, in the absence of a son (or brother-in-law), the son-in-law adopts the wife’s family name.
– After a banking career, he joined Suzuki Motors in 1958 and began his journey with the company. Over the next two decades, Suzuki gradually progressed and became the company’s president in 1978.
– In the 1980s, Suzuki entered the Indian market, which at the time was a relatively underdeveloped area for automobiles.
– He had invested in the Indian company Maruti.
– It was during this partnership that Maruti Suzuki was launched in 1983.
————–
6. Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh passed away on 26 December 2024, he had also been the Finance Minister during which PM’s tenure?
a. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
b. Inder Kumar Gujral
c. PV Singh
d. PV Narasimha Rao
Answer: d. PV Narasimha Rao
– Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away at the age of 92 on 26th December 2024.
– He was born in the village of Gah, Punjab, in undivided India.
– Manmohan Singh is credited with bringing economic liberalization to India. He also served as the Finance Minister in the government of P.V. Narasimha Rao (1991-96).
– Afterward, Dr. Manmohan Singh served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 (for two terms).
– During his tenure as Prime Minister, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the Right to Information Act were passed.
– Dr. Manmohan Singh is credited with successfully implementing economic reforms in the country.
– He is also known for signing the nuclear civil agreement with the United States.
Decision to Allocate Space for a Memorial
– The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the decision to allocate space for Dr. Manmohan Singh’s memorial.
– After a cabinet meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge about this decision.
————–
7. Which of these former cricketers was made a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC)?
a. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
b. Sachin Tendulkar
c. Rajendra Kapoor
d. Ummed Singh Verma
Answer: b. Sachin Tendulkar
– MCC is one of the most prestigious sports clubs in the world.
– It manages the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
– The club has announced that the legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has accepted its invitation to become an honorary cricket member.
– This honorary membership recognizes extraordinary contributions to the sport of cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar
– Test Career: 15,921 runs in 200 matches, 51 centuries, 46 wickets
– ODI Career: 18,426 runs in 463 matches, 49 centuries, 96 half-centuries
– T20 Career: Played only one T20 International in 2006 against South Africa.
Retirement
– Last Test Match: November 2013 (Wankhede, Mumbai)
– Last ODI: March 2012 (against Pakistan)
– Bharat Ratna: Received in the year 2014.
—————
8. Which Indian woman player won the FIDE Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship for the second time?
a. Irene Sukander
b. Vaishali Rameshbabu
c. Koneru Humpy
d. Harika Dronavalli
Answer: c. Koneru Humpy
– India’s Koneru Humpy has won the World Rapid Chess Championship title for the second time.
– In this tournament held in New York, Humpy defeated Indonesia’s Irene Sukandar in the final.
– Earlier, Humpy won this championship in 2019 in Georgia.
– India’s number 1 player is the second player after China’s Ju Wenjun to win the title more than once.
– She is also the first female player from India to become a Grandmaster.
– Russia’s Volodar Murzin won the men’s title. 18-year-old Volodar Murzin from Russia claimed the men’s title.
—————
9. The Indian Army installed the statue of which great man on Pangong Tso Lake in December 2024?
a. Subhash Chandra Bose
b. Rajendra Prasad
c. BR Ambedkar
d. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
Answer: d. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
– On 26th December 2024, the Indian Army’s Fire and Fury Corps installed a statue as a symbol of Maharaja Shivaji’s valor and foresight.
– Height: The statue is located at an altitude of 14,300 feet above sea level.
– Pangong Tso: Located in the Ladakh Himalayas, Pangong Tso is a long, narrow, deep, endorheic (landlocked) lake situated at an altitude of over 14,000 feet.
– Length: This 135 km long lake stretches over 604 square kilometers in the shape of a boomerang and is 6 km wide at its widest point.
– Saline water: This lake freezes during the winter season, making it an excellent location for ice skating and polo.
– Due to its saline water, there is no fish or other aquatic life in the lake. However, it serves as an important breeding ground for many migratory birds.
– Out of the 135 km stretch, 45 kilometers of the lake is located in India, while 90 kilometers lies in China. The Line of Actual Control passes through the middle of the lake.
—————
10. Which country’s former President Jimmy Carter passed away on 29 December 2024?
a. France
b. Brazil
c. Canada
d. USA
Answer: d. USA
– Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States.
– He passed away at the age of 100 on 29th December 2024.
– He was born on 1st October 1924 in Georgia, USA.
– He served as the President of the United States from January 1977 to January 1981.
– He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
————–
11. Name the youngest Indian to scale the highest peaks of the seven continents of the world?
a. Kamya Karthikeyan
b. Sarala Balan
c. Saroj Verma
d. None of these
Answer: a. Kamya Karthikeyan
– On 24th December 2024, she completed her climb of Mount Vinson in Antarctica, achieving this goal.
– In the final climb, her father, Commander S. Kartikeyan, was with her.
– At the age of 16, Kamya became the youngest Indian to climb Mount Everest.
Conquered Summits
– Africa: Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
– Europe: Mount Elbrus (Russia)
– Australia: Mount Kosciuszko (Australia)
– South America: Mount Aconcagua (Argentina)
– North America: Mount Denali (USA)
– Asia: Mount Everest (Nepal)
– Antarctica: Mount Vinson (Antarctica)
————–
12. Which country’s parliament passed an impeachment motion against its then acting President Han Duk-soo, thereby stripping him of his powers?
a. north korea
b. south korea
c. taiwan
d. China
Answer: b. south korea
– In December 2024, after the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol was passed in Parliament, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo assumed the position of acting president. Yoon was accused of attempting a coup by imposing martial law.
– However, after that, Parliament also passed an impeachment motion against Acting President Han Duck-soo. He was accused of not filling a vacant judge position in the Constitutional Court.
– In fact, executive powers in South Korea are mainly concentrated in the president’s hands, but if the president becomes incapacitated, the prime minister leads the country. If an impeachment motion is passed against the prime minister, the deputy prime minister is appointed as the acting president.
– Attention is now focused on South Korea’s Constitutional Court, which faces the challenge of either upholding the impeachment motion and removing Yoon Suk-yeol from office or dismissing it and restoring his presidential powers.
– The court has 180 days to make a decision. If Yoon is removed or decides to resign, South Korea will have to conduct a presidential election within 60 days.
South Korea
– Capital: Seoul
– President (Impeachment Passed): Yoon Suk-yeol
– Deputy Prime Minister (Acting President): Choi Sang-mok
– Currency: South Korean Won
– Neighboring Country: North Korea
– Seas: Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea
————–
13. Name the acting President of South Korea?
a. Yoon Suk Yol
b. Choi Sang-mok
c. Yoo Wo Kin
d. None of these
Answer: b. Choi Sang-mok
– After the impeachment motion against Acting President Han Duck-soo was passed in Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok assumed the position of Acting President.
– In South Korea, executive powers are primarily concentrated in the president’s hands, but if the president becomes incapacitated, the prime minister, followed by the deputy prime minister, leads the country.
– Attention is now focused on South Korea’s Constitutional Court, which faces the challenge of either upholding the impeachment motion and removing Yoon Suk-yeol from office or dismissing it and restoring his presidential powers.
– The court has 180 days to make a decision. If Yoon is removed or decides to resign, South Korea will have to conduct a presidential election within 60 days.
————–
14. Which team won the title of Senior National Men’s Handball Championship 2024?
a. Chandigarh
b. Kerala
c. Karnataka
d. Punjab
Answer: b. Kerala
– Kerala made it to the final and won the title.
– Kerala defeated Chandigarh in an exciting match by 34-31 in the final.
– Devendra was awarded the ‘Best Player of the Championship’ and Rahul was honored with the ‘Best Goalkeeper’ award.
—————
15. Which team won the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2024 title?
a. Patna Pirates
b. Lucknow Nawabi
c. Haryana Steelers
d. Punjab Patiala
Answer: c. Haryana Steelers
– Where the event was held: Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune
– In December 2024, Haryana Steelers defeated Patna Pirates to win the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2024 title.
– They defeated Patna Pirates 32-23 in the final.
– Haryana Steelers received a prize of INR 3 crore, while Patna Pirates received INR 1.8 crore.
—————
16. What is the target set by the Defence Minister for defence exports by the year 2029?
a. Rs 20,000 crore
b. Rs 30,000 crore
c. Rs 40,000 crore
d. Rs 50,000 crore
Answer: d. Rs 50,000 crore
– On 29th December 2024, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh set a target to increase defense exports to 50,000 crore rupees by 2029.
– He had arrived on a visit to the Army War College (AWC) located in Mhow Cantonment.
– In 2024, the annual defense export reached 21,000 crore rupees.
—————-
17. Who became the highest paid employee in the world?
a. Bill Gates
b. Rajendra Kumar
c. Jagdeep Singh
d. Amandeep Singh
Answer: c. Jagdeep Singh
– Indian-origin Jagdeep Singh has become the highest-paid employee in the world.
– The former founder and CEO of QuantumScape, Jagdeep has received an annual package of ₹17,500 crore (approximately $2.3 billion), which amounts to around ₹48 crore (approximately $5.8 million) per day.
– This salary is higher than the annual revenue of many large companies.
– During the annual shareholders meeting of QuantumScape, a compensation package of nearly $2.1 billion was approved for the CEO.
– This package includes stock options worth $2.3 billion, which made Jagdeep Singh’s salary approximately ₹17,500 crore.
– Stock options are a type of investment opportunity that gives employees the right to buy their company’s shares at a predetermined price in the future.
– Jagdeep Singh is known for creating battery technology for electric vehicles (EVs). He founded QuantumScape in 2010 in the United States. The company specializes in the next-generation solid-state battery, known for improving EV performance and reducing charging time.
—————-
18. When is International Cello Day celebrated?
a. 21 December
b. 25 December
c. 29 December
d. 31 December
Answer: c. 29 December
– The cello is a bowed stringed musical instrument.
– It has four strings, which are tuned to perfect harmony.
– It looks like a large violin and is played while sitting and holding it between your legs.
– On this day cello players, composers, conductors, and music lovers come together and honor the cello instrument and the wonderful art of music.
– This day also celebrates the birthday of the famous cello player Pablo Casals.
—————-
19. Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Certification Laboratories (NABL)?
a. Dr. Rajesh Verma
b. Dr. Sandeep Shah
c. Ajay Gokul
d. Rajaram Verma
Answer: b. Dr. Sandeep Shah
– He replaced Prof. Subbanna Ayyappan.
– The parent organisation of this organisation is Quality Council of India (QCI).
– It accredits labs in India.
—————-
20. Who has become the new CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)?
a. Amit Agarwal
b. Rajan Kumar
c. Bhuvnesh Kumar
d. Ummed Singh Rastogi
Answer: c. Bhuvnesh Kumar
– He is a 1993 batch IAS officer of UP cadre.
– UIDAI chairman is Neelkanth Mishra.
– This organization is under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
– Its main work is to operate the Aadhaar biometric system in the country.
—————-
PDF Download: Click here
