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:
US based- Merriam-Webster, known for its dictionaries, has recently announced ‘pandemic’ as its 2020 word of the year.
As per the company, when the World Health Organisation declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, the searches on the site for ‘pandemic’ rose hugely. The word has roots in Latin and Greek. It is a combination of pan, meaning all, and demos, meaning people.

Notes:
Based on the shadow of the earth falling on the moon, the lunar eclipse is classified into three categories. Full, Partial or Penumbral Lunar Eclipse.
The Penumbral Lunar Eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the outer shadow of the earth. The last full moon occurring in November, before the winter solstice, is also called as the ‘Beaver moon’, named after Beavers, the rodents found in temperate regions.

Notes:
British Racing Driver and World Champion Lewis Hamilton has clinched the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix title.
Another French driver Romain Grosjean survived a horrific collision with a barrier on the opening lap. With this victory, Lewis Hamilton has won his 95th Formula one title. This is also his 11th victory of the season.

Notes:
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman delivered a Keynote Address at the 20th Edition of Sri Lanka Economic Summit (SLES) 2020 in virtual format.
SLES is annually organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC). The theme for this year’s event is “Roadmap for Take-off: Driving a People –Centric Economic Revival”.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 430 million multi-tranche financing facility (MFF) to improve Power Distribution Network of Uttar Pradesh.
Named as the ‘Uttar Pradesh Power Distribution Network Rehabilitation Project’, it aims to improve the quality of electricity supply in the state. The project is estimated to benefit around 70 million people in 46,000 rural villages.

Notes:
Manila-based Asian Development Bank has signed a USD 50-million policy-based loan for the West Bengal Public Finance Management Investment Programme.
The loan aims to improve financial management and operational efficiencies of the state. A centre for fiscal policy and public finance will be established along with a web-based grievance redressal system for transport corporations and urban local bodies.

Notes:
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft belonging to Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAEA) has successfully separated from a capsule in space, and is descending toward Earth.
The capsule is carrying samples from distant asteroid that is expected to provide information about the origin of Earth. The spacecraft was launched from Japan last year.

Notes:
The Special Borrowing Window to make good the GST Compensation Cess shortfall is operationalised by the Union Finance Ministry.
All states and 3 Union territories have opted for the “option 1”, under which centre has set up the special borrowing window under which the Government would borrow funds to be passed on to the states.

Notes:
The People’s Bank of China has stated that the country’s monetary policy and key price setting would be based on Depository-Institutions
Repo Rate or DR Rate. China has introduced a Variable Interest Rate Bond, which is linked to the DR. This step is aimed to improve the pricing mechanism for financial institutions and markets.