Current Affairs Quiz-December, 2019

Notes:
India has successfully conducted another night trial of its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-2 missile from a mobile launcher of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha coast. The successful test fires were part of a routine user trial for armed forces and met all parameters. Earlier, the flight test of surface-to-surface missile was carried out barely a 15 days after two back-to-back trials of Prithvi-2 were conducted successfully at night from same base on 20 November.
It is a tactical surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) with a strike range of 350 kilometres and is capable of carrying 500-1,000 kilograms of warheads. The state-of-the-art missile is powered by liquid propulsion twin engines and uses an advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target.

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

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:
Former India table tennis head coach Bhawani Mukherji died of an unspecified stomach ailment here on December 6,2019. Mukherji, 68, is survived by his wife and a son. Mukherji, the first Dronacharya awardee in table tennis, did his schooling and graduation from Ajmer where his father was a medical practitioner. He joined the National Institute of Sports (NIS) Patiala in the mid-1970s after obtaining diploma in coaching.

Notes:
Four eminent diplomats have been honoured with the ‘Diwali – Power of One’ award in recognition and of their work, especially at United Nations (UN), for a secure and peaceful world. The Winner were honoured with the ‘Power of One’ awards during a ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York, United States. The award annually honours those who have made exemplary contributions in upholding the values that the United Nations stands for.
The awards which have now come to be known as ‘Oscars of Diplomacy’ were established by Diwali Foundation USA, Inc in 2017. The awards seeks to promote a peaceful and consensus-based process to achieve societal good, as befitting high hopes and ideals of humanity enshrined in UN Charter. The co-organisers of this year Diwali Foundation USA’s Power of One awardees were- Permanent Missions of Belarus, Georgia and India to UN, along with 32 co-sponsors.

Notes:
Sanna Marin has been elected as the Prime Minister of Finland. She became the world’s youngest Prime Minister ever. She also became the third female government leader of the country. She defeated Antti Lindtman to take over the government’s top post from incumbent Antti Rinne. The new government will be approving her appointment quickly. Marin was a lawmaker since 2015. She was the Social Democratic Party’s vice chairwoman. She served as the minister for transport and communications.

Notes:
International Anti-Corruption Day is observed on 9 December. The day aims to raise awareness about corruption and the measures that can be taken to combat corruption. The theme for the year 2019 is United Against Corruption. The theme was set by the UN to support the 2030 Agenda. UN conducts the #UnitedAgainstCorruption. #UnitedAgainstCorruption: The campaign focuses on corruption as it is one of the biggest obstacles to achieve the SDG.

Notes:
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) and Saudi Aramco (Asia) for the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ecosystem in India in Oil & Gas Sector. The MoU will pave a way for accredited Indian MSMEs to carve out a space as vendors in Global space.
Saudi Aramco: It is a Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas company based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It is world’s largest Oil & Gas Company and is one of the largest companies in world by revenue.

Notes:
Week-long extravaganza, set to kick off on January 9,2019 will celebrate the diamond jubilee of the formation of the State. Coinciding with the diamond jubilee of the formation of Maharashtra, the films to be screened at the 18th edition of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) will showcase the State’s heritage and cultural values, eminent filmmaker.

Notes:
The second phase of Russia’s SIRIUS Deep Technology Learning and NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission ended on December 9, 2019. The joint programme was conducted based on a Memorandum of Understanding between SIRIUS and AIM.The event was held between 28 November, 2019 and 8 December, 2019. Around 50 Russian and Indian students participated in the event.
SIRIUS is Scientific International Research in Unique Terrestrial Station. It is a series of experiments that investigate flights to moon. It was started in 2017.