24 december 2021 current affairs

1. CURRENT AFFAIRS
24 DECEMBER 2021
Dr. A. PRABAHARAN
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2. Why Belgium has decided to close all its
nuclear power plants by 2025?
 The Government of Belgium agreed in principle on December
23, 2021, to close all its nuclear power plants by the year
2025.
 However, the country has left open the possibility of extending
the life of two reactors if it will not be able to otherwise ensure
the energy supply.
 For months, the seven-party coalition of Belgium has been
wrestling with the topic, with the Greens adamant that a law of
2003 setting out a nuclear exit must be respected.
 On the other hand, the French-speaking liberals favored
extending the life of the two newest reactors.
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3. UP imposes night curfew from December 25
 Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath has imposed night curfew in the state from
11pm to 5 am from December 25, 2021.
 The night curfew has been imposed in UP as a preventive
measure against the new Covid variant- Omicron.
 The UP Chief Minister also directed the state officials to
restrict the number of people attending public gatherings
like marriages to 200.
 All such gatherings will also have to strictly follow Covid-
19 guidelines.
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4. Karnataka's anti-conversion bill
 Karnataka legislative assembly passed
the controversial anti-conversion bill on
December 23, 2021 amid long debates.
 The bill seeks to curb illegal religious conversions.
 The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of
Religion Bill, 2021 was introduced in the state
legislative assembly on December 21st and was
passed by voice vote amid protests from the
opposition that demanded longer debate on the
bill.
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5. Road projects in UP 2021: National Highway
Projects worth over Rs. 9,000 crores
launched in Uttar Pradesh
 The Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the
foundation stone of 240 km long National Highway
projects worth over Rs. 9,000 crores in Meerut and
Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.
 While speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister of
Road, Transport & Highways also said that the new
National Highways in Uttar Pradesh will help the sugarcane
farmers to easily transport their agricultural products to the
markets and sugar mills. Gadkari also emphasized the
farmers’ welfare by leveraging technology and research for
the economic prosperity of the state.
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6. Bharatiya Grahak Diwas 2021
 Bharatiya Grahak Diwas is observed in India annually on December
24 underlying the significance of the consumer movement in the country
and the need to make the consumers aware of their rights and
responsibilities.
 National Consumer Rights Day 2021 revolves around the principle of
‘Customer is King’ and no one can be more powerful than the consumer
who knows their rights.
 National Consumers Day 2021 or Bharatiya Grahak Diwas 2021 will revolve
around the theme of tackling plastic pollution. National Consumers Day
2021 signifies not only the rights and responsibilities of the consumers but
it also condemns the malpractices taking place leading to the financial loss
of the customer.
 Bharatiya Grahak Diwas highlights the practice of transparency with the
customers to inform them about the authenticity and the quality of the
products while purchasing.
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7. US waives in-person interviews for H-1B and
other types of work visas
 The United States has temporarily dropped the in-
person interview requirement for certain visa
categories including H-1B, L-1 and O01 amid rising
concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant of
Covid-19.
 This was confirmed by US State Department on
December 23, 2021.
 The State Department said that it is temporarily
dropping the in-person interview requirement for some
work-visa categories in 2022 to ease visa issuances in
the wake of a surge in COVID-19 cases.
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8. DRDO successfully flight tests high-speed
HEAT Abhyas
 Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
successfully tested indigenously developed High-speed
Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) Abhyas on December 23,
2021.
 It was flight tested from Integrated Test Range (ITR) at
Chandipur off the coast, Odisha.
 HEAT Abhyas demonstrated a high subsonic speed trajectory
at a very low altitude with high endurance during the flight
test.
 The two boosters provided initial acceleration during launch
and a small turbojet engine was used to sustain the high
subsonic speed with long endurance.
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