ANSWER: C

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: A

ANSWER: D

• Indian telecom operators have asked the government to auction the spectrum that will be used for direct-to-mobile (D2M) services.
• The government is also considering to reserve 526-582 MHz spectrum for D2M services.
• Telecom operators consider this spectrum to be “precious” as they are already being identified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for mobility services.
• The science behind D2M is similar to that of an FM radio, where a receiver within the device can tap into different radio frequencies.
• This new-age technology is a combination of broadband and broadcast that uses mobile phones to capture territorial digital TV signals.
• Using D2M, multimedia content, including live TV matches, can be streamed to phones directly without using the internet.
• Other advantages
  • Emergency Alerts are delivered directly, reliably and without dependence on internet/cellular networks.
  • Targeted Disaster Management audio content

ANSWER: D

• India started its four-year term as a member of the United Nations Statistical Commission

ABOUT UN STATISTICAL COMMISSION

• Established in 1947
• It is the highest decision making body for international statistical activities, responsible for setting of statistical standards and the development of concepts and methods, including their implementation at the national and international level.
• Headquarters- New York, USA
• The Commission consists of 24 member countries of the United Nations elected by the United Nations Economic and Social Council on the basis of an equitable geographical distribution. These include-
  • Five members are from African States,
  • four from Asia-Pacific States,
  • four from Eastern European States,
  • four from Latin American and Caribbean States and
  • seven members from Western European and other States.

ANSWER: C

• North India’s first river rejuvenation project ‘Devika’ is in the final stages and it will be soon dedicated to the nation.
• Built on the lines of ‘Namami Ganga’, the project was launched by the Prime Minister in February 2019.
• Besides a Liquid Waste Management Project, a Solid Waste Management (SWM) project will also be constructed under Devika Rejuvenation Project.

ABOUT DEVIKA RIVER

• Devika river is considered the sister of the sacred river Ganga, and it has a great religious significance.
• It originates from the hilly Suddha Mahadev temple in the Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir and flows down westward towards Pakistan, where it merges with the Ravi River.
• In the Nilmat Puran that was written in the 7th century by Nela Muni, it is mentioned that the Devika River is a manifestation of the mother Goddess Parwati herself to benefit the people of Mader Desha that covers areas between river Ravi and Chenab.

ANSWER: B

• Francoise Bettencourt Meyers has made history by becoming the first woman to amass a staggering $100 billion fortune.
• L’Oréal– The French beauty empire was founded by her grandfather and is on track for its best stock market performance in decades.
• Ms Bettencourt Meyers is the vice-chairperson of the company’s board.
• She and her family are the single biggest shareholders of L’Oréal with a stake of around 35%.

ANSWER: A

• January 4 is celebrated as World Braille Day annually as a tribute to Louis Braille, the visionary behind the braille system.
• He was born on this day in 1809 in France and became blind after birth due to an accident in childhood.
• This day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 and celebrated since 2019.
• Braille is a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number and even musical, mathematical and scientific symbols.

ANSWER: B

• Startups like Pine Labs and Udaan have been planning for Reverse Flipping.

WHAT IS REVERSE FLIPPING?

• It is a term used to describe the trend of overseas start-ups shifting their domicile to India and listing on Indian stock exchanges.
• Here, start-ups that once relocated their holding companies outside India are now considering a strategic move back to India.
• Reasons for Reverse Flipping-
  • to capitalise on India’s large and growing economy,
  • access to deeper pools of venture capital,
  • favourable tax regimes,
  • better intellectual property protection,
  • young and educated population, and
  • favourable government policies.

ANSWER: A

• Queen Margrethe of Denmark has announced her abdication after 52 years, leaving her son, Crown Prince Frederik, as the successor.
• She will formally step down on 14 January 2024, 52 years to the day since she became queen.
• The 83-year-old is the longest-serving living monarch in Europe, having taken the throne after the death of her father King Frederik IX in 1972.