Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
The Indian Navy has taken two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from an American defence company, on lease for 1 year.
The unmanned aerial vehicles, manufactured by US firm General Atomics, have been obtained on lease, to enhance surveillance over the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The vehicles arrived at the naval air station INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu.

Notes:
China’s first domestically made nuclear reactor ‘Hualong One’, has started its operations, as per the China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC).
The third-generation pressurised water nuclear reactor has been connected to the national grid. The reactor can generate 10 billion kw-hours of electricity each year and cut carbon emissions by 8.16 million tons. This is expected to reduce China’s dependency in nuclear power from its western allies.

Notes:
‘Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare’ is observed on November 30 every year, across the world.
United Nations observes the day to pay tribute to millions of lives lost round the globe in the wake of chemical warfare. ‘Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) is the implementing body for Chemical Weapons Convention. It is headquartered at the Hague, Netherlands.

Notes:
Four Indian Boxers who are bound to appear for the forth coming Olympics have been included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
The TOPS scheme is launched by the Ministry of Sports and is implemented through the Sports Authority of India. Through the scheme, potential Medal winning athletes and sports personalities are identified for the forthcoming Olympic games.

Notes:
Facebook-backed Libra cryptocurrency has been renamed as “Deim” which means “Day” in Latin.
The Libra Association has made this decision in order to gain approval from regulators and to increase its publicity. The new Deim crypto currency is proposed to be launched in early 2021, which would be backed by USD.

Notes:
The New Zealand Government has recently declared a climate emergency. This decision has been taken by the government to stress the fact that if emission cuts are not recorded, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predictions on adverse environmental effects would be witnessed.
The country also announced that its public sector would strive to become carbon neutral by 2025.

Notes:
‘737 MAX’ is the best-selling airliner of US-based leading multi-national aerospace company Boeing. It was grounded in March 2019 after two crashes in five months killing a total of 346 people.
The redesigned version of the ‘737 MAX’ airliner has recently staged its first post-grounding flight with media on board. It made a 45-minute flight from Texas to Oklahoma in the US. The flight’s first commercial passenger flight is scheduled in the month-end of December.

Notes:
The Senate of United States of America has passed a bill which envisages to remove the restrictions on number of employment related immigration visas from a particular country.
This bill has been passed unanimously by the Senate. This relaxed legislation is expected to benefit many Indian professionals in America.

Notes:
The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is one of the commissions of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), headquartered at Vienna, Austria.
Recently, during a reconvened session of CND, 53 member states voted for removing Cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, where it was listed with deadly and addictive drugs. 27 members including India, voted for removing Cannabis from the convention.

Notes:
The Government of Denmark has made a land mark decision to phase out all its oil & gas exploration activities by the year 2025.
This decision has been seen as significant step by the nation to combat climate change. The country is presently is a major oil producer carrying out oil exploration in the North Sea.