Current Affairs Quiz-December, 2019

Notes:
Recently released United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report-2019 warns that the Earth’s average temperature may rise by 3.2 degrees Celsius by 2021. Moreover, despite all scientific warnings and political commitments emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) couldn’t decrease globally. The report was released prior to United Nations Climate Conference (COP-25) to be held in Spain from 2 December 2019. It states that GHG emissions have increased by 1.5% since last decade and that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have reached an all-time high figure of 55.3 gigatons. China, United States of America (USA), European Union (28) and India are among the top four greenhouse gas emitters.
UNEP report highlights that India is regularly considering deadlines and targets to curb carbon emission. As per the report, India’s per capita emission is one of the lowest within G20 countries. Also, India is one of the leading countries that are looking for electric vehicle development.

Notes:
On November 29,2019 the Greater Chennai Police received the Union government’s SKOCH Award under the category ‘Swachh Police Station’, for maintaining cleanliness in all their police stations. This comes after the police’s efforts to clear up abandoned and unclaimed vehicles from all station premises. A huge pile of abandoned and unclaimed vehicles around nearly all police stations in the Greater Chennai area used to take up a lot of space, besides giving the stations a shabby look. On the instruction of Commissioner of Police A.K. Viswanathan, senior officers took account of all these vehicles in each police station in the city.

Notes:
The seventh Indo-Sri Lanka joint military exercise Mitra Shakti was held on December 1, 2019 at Aundh military station. The main objective of the exercise is to build and promote positive relations between the countries. The exercise was scheduled to be conducted at the Foreign Training Node in Pune between December 1 and December 14, 2019.

Notes:
The government on December 1,2019 appointed Soma Roy Burman, a 1986-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service Officer, as the new Controller General of Accounts (CGA). Ms. Burman is the 24th CGA and is the seventh woman to hold this position. During her 33-year long career, she has held cadre positions at different levels in ministries such as Home Affairs, Information & Broadcasting, Industry, Finance, Human Resource Development and Shipping, Road Transport & Highways.

Notes:
Maharashtra’s Savitribai Phule Pune University (STPU) and Qatar’s Milestone International Education signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enable the University to set up its campus in Doha. The aim of the agreement is to provide opportunities in higher education to around 8 million Indian diasporas based in Qatar.

Notes:
Centre launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 across the country. The government’s flagship scheme is aimed at immunizing children under the age of 2 years and pregnant women against eight vaccine preventable diseases. The IMI covers vaccines for diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles, meningitis and Hepatitis B. Vaccines for Japanese encephalitis and hemophilus influenzal are also being provided in selected areas. The IMI 2.0 aims to achieve targets of full immunization coverage in 272 districts spread over 27 States. The IMI 2.0 will be carried out between December 2019 and March 2020.

Notes:
Priyanka Chopra Jonas will be honoured at the Marrakech International Film Festival for her contribution to cinema. Even though the festival celebrated Indian cinema back in 2012, this is the first time that an Indian celebrity is being honoured there. A tribute will be given to Priyanka Chopra Jonas at the mythical Jemaa El Fna Square in the presence of people and at a special venue where there have been no award ceremonies hosted in the past.

Notes:
On December 2, 2019, the Ministry of Human Resource Development informed Lok Sabha that the “Indian Ranking Society” was approved by the ministry in August 2019. The aim of the society is to develop methodologies and systems to rank higher educational institutions in the country. The proposal was approved in the 127th meeting of the AICTE Executive Council. At present, the educational institutes of the country are ranked according to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

Notes:
The NATO 2019 summit will take place in Watford, UK. Some of the world’s most important leaders will meet at The Grove Hotel at Chandler’s Cross. NATO summits are a periodic opportunity for Heads of State and Heads of Government to meet and evaluate NATO’s current strategies, evaluate the alliance’s current position and brainstorm strategic direction.

Notes:
ISRO has planned to launch sharp-eyed surveillance satellite RISAT-2BR1 (Radar Imaging Satellite-2) with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on 11 December 2019. RISAT-2BR1 is a radar imaging satellite. It is dubbed as a spy satellite.  It can take pictures of the earth during day and night even under cloudy conditions.  The satellites will help 24/7 border surveillance along with checking infiltration. It will keep an eye on terror or anti-national activities across the borders