Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December across the world. It commemorates the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948.
This year, the day was observed with the theme of ‘Recover Better – Stand Up for Human Rights’.

Notes:
Google launched a new health research app called the ‘Google Health Studies’. It enables the research institutions to connect with potential study participants.
Through this app, android users can take part in health studies by answering survey questions and providing relevant data. Its first study will focus on respiratory illnesses like COVID-19.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved an expenditure of Rs.22,810 crore, for providing a wage subsidy through the employee’s provident fund organization (EPFO).
This is a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana. This move is set to incentivize creation of new job opportunities during the Covid recovery phase of the economy.

Notes:
Indian state-owned telecommunications company BSNL in partnership with machine connectivity solutions company Skylotech India, to launch a satellite-based narrowband IoT network in India.
The solution will connect with the satellite ground infrastructure of BSNL. This is the world’s first satellite-based narrowband-IoT network. The IoT connectivity is already tested in Indian Railways and fishing vessels among others.

Notes:
Morocco has become the latest Arab League country to agree to normalise relations with Israel in a deal brokered with US initiative.
As part of the deal, the US has agreed to recognise Morocco’s claim over the disputed Western Sahara region. Morocco is also the fourth country to normalise ties with Israel since August, this year. Earlier, Bahrain and UAE signed such deal.

Notes:
Every year December 12th is observed as the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day by the World Health Organisation. UHC ensures that all people get access to quality health services without any financial hardships.
Universal health coverage has been inducted as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations.

Notes:
The Indian Embassy in Beijing recently launched a movie series “CinemaSCOpe”, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Under the programme, over two dozen Indian films dubbed in Russian, will be screened on a monthly basis. The screening will continue till India’s chairmanship of the SCO ‘Council of Heads of State’ meeting in 2023.

Notes:
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) has stated that more than 5 million people of Yemen would head towards hunger in the year 2021.
Also, FAO has estimated that more than 50,000 people in the country would be living in famine conditions by next year. Yemen has been in a civil war since 2014 and the normal life of the Arab country has been severely hurt.

Notes:
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare conducts a national level health survey called as the ‘National Family Health Survey’.
So far four editions of the survey have been conducted, with the latest being conducted in 2015-16. The Health Ministry has released the phase 1 results of the Fifth edition of the survey. The Under 5 and infant mortality rate (IMR) has decreased in 18 states and UTs.

Notes:
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Power celebrates December 14 as the National Energy Conservation Day.
The Day is being celebrated every year since 1991, to exhibit India’s steps taken towards energy conservation. BEE spreads awareness amongst the people about energy efficiency and the need to shift to sustainable energy sources.