ANSWER: C

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: A

• India was re-elected to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council with the highest tally.
• India’s re-election falls under the Category of 10 states with “the largest interest in international seaborne trade”, alongside Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

 ABOUT INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANISATION (IMO)

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1948.
• Members- 175 members (including India) and 3 associate members.
• Headquarters- London
• It is the leading authority that regulates the maritime industry, which supports global trade, transportation, and all marine operations.
• The Organization consists of an Assembly, a Council, and five main Committees along with subcommittees.
  • The council is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the assembly, for supervising the work of the organization.
• Between sessions of the assembly, the council performs the functions of the assembly, except that of making recommendations to governments on maritime safety and pollution prevention.

ANSWER: C

• The inaugural meeting of the new Apex Autonomous Society called Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) Society, emphasized the need to define a “Bio-vision” for India.
• Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology is functioning as the nodal agency for promotion of Biotechnology in the country.
  • It was accorded the Cabinet approval for rationalization of its 14 Autonomous Institutions (AIs) by subsuming them under one Apex Autonomous Society Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC), for centralized and unified governance to maximize impact of biotech research across the country.
• The BRIC Society aims to
  • engage in public-private research partnerships,
  • receive endowments from non-governmental resources, and
  • maintain distinct research mandates for each of the 14 subsumed institutions under a common governing body.

ANSWER: D

• The first five days of the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, an annual tourism event of the state government, has attracted more than 78,000 visitors including 1,621 foreigners.
• The 10-day-long festival that began on December 1 is being held at the picturesque Naga heritage village Kisama.
• It has been billed as the Festival of Festivals.
• It was first held in 2000.
• Festival highlights include the traditional Naga Morungs exhibition and the sale of arts and crafts, food stalls, song and dance shows, indigenous games etc.
• It is named after the hornbill, a culturally significant bird embodying fidelity, beauty, and grace in Naga folklore.
• The Hornbill Festival symbolizes the collective celebration of identity.

FACTS-

• Hornbill is state bird of-
  • Arunachal Pradesh (Great Hornbill)
  • Kerala (Great Indian Hornbill)
  • Chandigarh (Indian grey Hornbill)
• Blyth’s Tragopan or Tragopan blythii – is the State Bird of Nagaland.

ANSWER: C

• The President of India paid floral tributes to Shri R. Venkataraman, former President of India, on his birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan on December 4, 2023.

ABOUT SHRI R VENKATARAMAN

• R Venkataraman was born in Rajamadam village in Tanjore district, Madras Presidency.
• He studied law and practised in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court of India.
• At a young age, he was an activist of the Indian independence movement and participated in the Quit India Movement.
• He was elected to independent India’s Provisional Parliament in 1950 as a member of the Indian National Congress party.
• He was a member of the constituent assembly that drafted India’s Constitution.
• He was also a member of the Lok Sabha from 1952 to 1977 onwards.
• He eventually joined the central government and served as the Minister of Finance and Industry in 1980-82 and Minister of Defence in 1982-84.
• He served as the 8^th President of India from 1987 to 1992.

ANSWER: D

• International Civil Aviation Day is observed on December 7^th
• This year’s celebration focuses on the theme of “Advancing Innovation for Global Aviation Development.”
• It focuses on how innovation will shape and improve civil aviation worldwide in the future.
• International Civil Aviation Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on 7 December 1996.

ABOUT ICAO

• The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) was established on 7 December 1944 to promote global cooperation and uniformity in civil aviation matters.
• It is a specialised agency of United Nations.
• Headquarters- Montreal, Canada.