Daily Current Affairs 18 & 19 December, 2022

Daily Current Affairs 18 & 19 December 2022 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

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NATIONAL NEWS

India climbs to 3rd spot from 7th in scientific publications ranking
India has jumped to the third position in the global ranking in scientific publications, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said after a review of the functioning of the ministry.

• Singh said that according to the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Science & Engineering Indicators 2022 report of the United States, India’s position globally in scientific publications, has improved from seventh position in 2010 to third position in 2020.
• He also added that India’s scholarly output increased from 60,555 papers in 2010 to 1,49,213 papers in 2020.According to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022 brought out by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), India’s GII ranking has also improved significantly from 81st in 2014 to 40th position in 2022.

SPORTS

Messi’s Argentina beat France on penalties to win World Cup
Lionel Messi crowned his glittering career with victory in the World Cup as Argentina beat France on penalties in a final for the ages, triumphing 4-2 after Kylian Mbappe’s hat-trick ensured the game ended level following extra time.

• Gonzalo Montiel rolled in the deciding penalty to give Argentina their third World Cup and prevent France becoming the first team in 60 years to retain the trophy.
• It is the second time in five World Cups that France have lost the final on penalties after they were beaten by Italy in 2006, and it is Argentina who are champions for the first time since 1986. 

Neeraj Chopra surpasses Usain Bolt to become world’s most written-about athlete in 2022
In the twenty-first century, very few have succeeded in surpassing Usain Bolt and that includes Indian Neeraj Chopra. According to World Athletics, the gold medalist in the men’s javelin event from the Tokyo Olympics surpassed Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt as the track and field athlete who received the most media attention in 2022. 

• According to World Athletics, the charismatic Bolt, who retired in 2017, is replaced in 2022 by Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra. Bolt still holds the 100- and 200-meter world records.
• Chopra had a fantastic year, coming in second place at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, becoming the first athlete from his nation to win the Diamond League final in the javelin, and becoming only the second Indian to win a medal at the global level after Anju Bobby George’s bronze in the women’s long jump in 2003.

India Hockey team wins Women’s FIH Nations Cup 2022
The Indian women Hockey team led by Captain Savita Punia beat Spain 1-0 in the final to win the inaugural FIH Nations Cup played at Valencia, Spain.

• The winning goal was scored by Gurjit Kaur of India. The inaugural FIH Nations cup was held in Valencia, Spain from 11-17 December 2022.
• India and Spain had played in the FIH women’s Hockey Pro League 2021-22 season as replacement teams after pull-outs by Australia and New Zealand due to COVID-19 related issues.

APPOINTMENTS

Harvard appoints Claudine Gay as first Black president
Harvard University has appointed Claudine Gay, a social scientist and faculty dean, as its next president, making her the first Black person and second woman to lead the prestigious academic institution.

• The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Ivy League school announced that the Harvard Corporation, the university’s main governing board, elected Gay to serve as its 30th president starting on July 1.
• She will replace Lawrence Bacow, who had guided the university through the COVID-19 pandemic and this year announced his plans to step down in June.

Indian-origin Dr. Leo Varadkar to return as Ireland PM
Indian-origin Leo Varadkar has returned for a second term as Ireland’s Prime Minister as part of a job-sharing deal made by the country’s centrist coalition government. His appointment was confirmed when he received the seal of office from President Michael D. Higgins, Ireland’s head of state.

• This is the second time that Varadkar has been elected as Irish prime minister. He first became the Irish prime minister in June 2017.
• In June 2020, the Fine Gael party led by Varadkar formed a coalition government with Fianna Fail and Green Party, in which he served as deputy prime minister and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw appointed as first Chancellor of Gati Shakti University
President Smt. Draupadi Murmu has named Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister of Railways, as the Chancellor of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya in Vadodara.

• It is noteworthy to mention that Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw will be the first Chancellor of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.
• Additionally, Dr. Manoj Chaudhary was chosen by the president as the founding vice chancellor of Gati Shakti University in Vadodara.

AWARDS

India’s Sargam Koushal wins Mrs World 2022 title after 21 years
Sargam Koushal scripted history as she won the Mrs World 2022 title after 21 years while representing India in the beauty pageant. Besting contestants from 63 countries, the 32-year-old secured the crown at the event that took place in Las Vegas in the US.

• Mrs Polynesia was named the first runner-up, followed by Mrs Canada as the second runner-up. The Mrs India pageant announced the winner on its official Instagram page.

Sonakshi Sinha named as PETA India’s 2022 ‘Person of the Year’
Actress Sonakshi Sinha, who was most recently seen in the film ‘Double XL’ and will be seen in OTT series ‘Dahaad’, has been named PETA’s 2022 Person of the Year.

• The animal rights non-profit organisation has conferred upon her the title in order to celebrate her actions to help spare the lives of animals killed for fashion and her strong advocacy for dogs and cats in need.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 

NASA launches International Mission ‘SWOT’ to survey Earth’s Water
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the newest Earth science satellite to track nearly all the water on Earth’s surface.

• The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft was launched atop a SpaceX rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California with a prime mission of three years.
• The SWOT mission is a satellite altimeter jointly developed and operated by NASA and CNES (French space agency) in partnership with the space agencies of the UK and Canada.

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