Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar has recently launched a portal named India Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
The portal would contain all major initiatives taken by the Government of India address the climate change and environment related issues. The portal is expected to be a single point of information regarding climate change initiatives.

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:
As many as 12 leopards from Sakkar Baug Zoological Park, which came in conflict with the humans, have been transferred to a private rehabilitation centre by Gujarat Forest Department.
The leopard’s maintenance would be done in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode by the Government of Gujarat and Reliance Industries Ltd- RIL’s Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Kingdom. This is the first of its kind PPP model for protection of wild animals in India.

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:
The United Kingdom has become the first nation in the world to approve coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer – BioNTech.
The country’s medical regulator has given a nod for commercial production and mass vaccination. The vaccine is said to offer 95% protection against Covid disease. The country aims to produce 8 lakh doses in the next few days.

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:
Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a small country on the north-eastern coast of South America. It was previously known as ‘Dutch Guiana’.
The 7th India-Suriname Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was recently held virtually. The JCM was co-chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan and his counterpart in Suriname.

Notes:
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has mandated to mention the 8- digit HSN code or tariff code for 49 chemical-based products.
The HSN (Harmonised System of Nomenclature) code should be mentioned while issuing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) invoice. At present, businesses mention up to 4-digit tariff code, while issuing invoice. This new direction is expected to curb tax evasion.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan has made an announcement to construct a memorial for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims.
Nearly 3700 people were killed due to the leak of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from Union Carbide factory at Bhopal on December 3, 1984.

Notes:
Microsoft India and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) have partnered for the India edition of the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2021.
Imagine Cup is an annual innovation challenge held by Microsoft for students and technology enthusiasts. It aims to empower students to apply artificial intelligence and other technologies to solve the sustainability issues of the world.