Current Affairs Quiz-December, 2019

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:
Ursula von der Leyen took charge as the President of the European Commission. She replaced Jean-Claude Juncker. She is the first woman to become the President of the European Commission. Ms.Ursula, the 60-year-old gynecologist, started her political career at her early age of 40. In 1990 she joined Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) and worked for 14 years. Leyen moved to the Labor Ministry in 2009. She became the first female defense minister in 2014.

Notes:
The Mumbai Central Terminus of Western Railway has been certified as India’s first ‘Eat Right Station’ with a 4-Star rating awarded by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), as a part of ‘Eat Right India’ movement launched in 2018. FSSAI is an autonomous body under Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW).
The honour came on basis of compliance of food safety and hygiene, food handling at preparation, promotion of local and seasonal foods, trans-shipment and retail or serving points, food waste management, availability of healthy diet, as well as creating awareness on food safety and a healthy diet.

Notes:
ISRO has set-up a Space Technology Incubation Centre (S-TIC) at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirappalli. The centre will work with ISRO on the technical problems at hand related to the future Space programmes and shall provide solutions. This S-TIC will cater to the southern region of India, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Telangana, the Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

Notes:
The fifth edition of “MED – Mediterranean Dialogues”, the annual high-level conference promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ISPI (Italian Institute of International Political Studies), is held in Rome from December 5 to December 7,2019. The core of MED has not changed since the first edition put the spotlights on the positive development in the region. The event aims at drafting a “positive agenda” for the Mediterranean by stimulating debate and promoting new ideas, rethinking traditional approaches and addressing shared challenges at both the regional and the international level. The conference builds upon four pillars: Shared Prosperity, Shared Security, Migration, and Civil Society and Culture.

Notes:
The Siu-Ka-Pha Award was presented to noted educationist, Botanist and folklore researcher Dr. Padmeswar Gogoi. It was presented at a programme held at Siu-Ka-Pha Samannay Kshetra in Golaghat. The award recognized his effort and contribution in the field of botany and science.
The inaugural edition of the award carried a citation, a memento, a cheleng chador and Rs.10,000. It was presented by Golaghat Deputy Commissioner Dhiren Hazarika. Gogoi donated the cash amount that was presented to him to the organizing committee to spend on activities that are done in order to promote the ideals of Chaolung Siu-Ka-Pha.

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:
Virat Kohli scored 19 off 17 in the second T20I against West Indies to get to 2,563 T20I runs. India skipper Virat Kohli has surpassed Rohit Sharma as the leading run-scorer in the T20 International (T20I) format. Kohli now has 2,563 runs in 69 innings while Rohit has scored 2,562 runs in 95 innings.

Notes:
Former professional wrestler-actor Dave Bautista will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida, as part of WrestleMania week on April 2, 2020. The Guardians of the Galaxy series star is a six-time WWE World Champion and has founded the faction Evolution, alongside iconic performers Ric Flair, Triple H, and Randy Orton. Mr. Bautista, who transitioned to full-time Hollywood, said receiving the news of the honour from Vince McMahon, CEO of WWE, was a “great feeling”.

Notes:
As per the latest SIPRI Report, Arms manufacturers’ profit rose to USD 420 billion in 2018. Three Indian companies were part of this index. These companies are – Hindustan Aeronautics (38), Indian Ordnance Factories (56) and Bharat Electronics (62). However, Lockheed Martin of the USA secured its first place in the index.