Current Affairs Quiz-December, 2019

Notes:
Researchers from the National Astronomical Observatory of China have discovered a black hole in the Milky Way. The black hole is so huge that it challenged the existing models of the evolution of stars. The black hole was discovered by an international team of scientists using China’s sophisticated Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) telescope. The black hole, LB-1, is located 15,000 light-years away from Earth.

Notes:
Union Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has launched 3 books for children namely Kumbh, Garam Pahad and Dilli ki Bulbul (Sindhi edition)in New Delhi. The 3 books, penned by Dr. Anita Bhatnagar Jain (an officer of Indian Administrative Services (1985 batch), are a collection of stories for children and have documented the environmental issues & topics like socio-cultural unity, cultural heritage along with the message of save environment in a very lucid manner.

Notes:
Particles, the French-Swiss film directed by Blaise Harrison won the Golden Peacock Award at the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. The IFFI 2019 concluded on November 28, 2019. The Golden Peacock Award includes a cash prize worth Rs 40 lakh, a trophy and a citation. The jury described ‘Particles’, which is produced by Estelle Fialon, as an “ambitious yet modest film about the mysteries of being a teenager.” The prize money is to be distributed equally between the director and producer.

Notes:
Former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), H R Khan has been appointed as the first chairman of the steering committee of the Code for Responsible Lending (CRL) in micro-credit. The CRL is a self-regulatory step for the micro-credit industry making diverse entities like banks, NBFC-MFIs and NBFCs adhere to standards of customer protection.

Notes:
World AIDS Day is observed on 1 December every year. The day aims to raise public awareness about AIDS. The day aims to motivate the people who are infected by the fatal disease. The theme of the 2019 World AIDS Day is Communities Makes The difference. The theme provides an opportunity to recognize the essential role that communities have played and continue to play in the AIDS response at the local, national and international levels.
Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a pandemic disease that is caused due to the infection of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV causes damage to the immune system.

Notes:
China will require telecom operators to collect face scans when registering new phone users at offline outlets starting, according to the country’s information technology authority, as Beijing continues to tighten cyberspace controls.In September, China’s industry and information technology ministry issued a notice on “safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of citizens online”, which laid out rules for enforcing real-name registration.The notice said telecom operators should use “artificial intelligence and other technical means” to verify people’s identities when they take a new phone number.

Notes:
The Government of India is planning to establish a National Maritime Heritage Museum at Lothal in Gujarat. The museum will also act as an independent research center for archaeology of boat building, reconstruction of maritime history and materials traded. It will hold display of salvaged materials from shipwreck sites in Indian Ocean waters. India has vast potential with its rich maritime history. The archaeological evidence from South East Asia and Persian Gulf say that Indian maritime voyagers ventured into eastern and western seas even before 4000 years ago. Studying about sunken ships will help to fill in gaps in India’s maritime history and trade links with other countries.

Notes:
Government launched the Operation Clean Art across India. The operation aimed to crackdown illegal trade in the mongoose hair. This is the first time such an operation is happening in India. It was initiated by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB).The mongoose is a small carnivoran found in southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. It is listed in Schedule II (Part II) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. As per the act, smuggling Mongoose or possession of its body part is a non-bailable offence. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has placed Mongoose on the Least Concern category in the Red List.

Notes:
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $206 million loan on 2 December. The aim of the MoU is to develop water supply and sewerage infrastructure in 5 cities of Tamil Nadu. It will strengthen the capacities of urban local bodies (ULBs) for improved service delivery. The project aims to improve the lives of the urban people in the identified cities of Tamil Nadu. It will provide universal access to water supply and sanitation, improve sewage treatment and drainage systems.

Notes:
Santhali language on December 6, 2019 made its debut in Rajya Sabha when a lawmaker from Odisha used it to raise a matter of urgent public importance during the Zero Hour. Sarojni Hembram of the Biju Janata Dal spoke in Santhali, an Austroasiatic-Munda language spoken mostly by tribals in Odisha. She also demanded Bharat Ratna for Raghunath Murmu, who in 1925 created the Ol Chiki script for the Santhali language.