Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
Recently, researchers have found the presence of animal products, such as the meat of pigs, cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat in the remains of Indus Valley Civilization.
This has been conformed from the Lipid residue analysis of ceramic vessels found in the urban and rural settlements of the civilization in North and western part of India.

Notes:
The 5th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) has recently commenced with a focus on Arth Ganga – river conservation synchronised development.
The theme of the summit is comprehensive analysis and holistic management of rivers and water bodies. It is being organised virtually by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga).

Notes:
Google, Intel, Dell and Citrix along with other technology major in the industry have partnered to form Modern Computing Alliance. The alliance aims to address some of the greatest IT challenges faced by the players in the industry and would provide “cloud first” computing solutions.
The alliance would be creating a seamless, user-friendly experience across the web and devices.

Notes:
Indian Mountain Initiative (IMI) organized the 9th edition of Sustainable Mountain Development Summit in Dehradun. The summit has been organized in a Virtual Mode, on account of the COVID 19 pandemic.
It is a 4-day long summit where issues like migration, water security, climate resilience would be discussed by delegates.

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.

Notes:
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a referendum to add the efforts against climate change and the need to protect the environment in the French Constitution.
The President proposed a change in the constitution that requires a parliamentary vote, and then a referendum. Earlier, the EU leaders including Macron agreed to achieve at least 55 per cent compared with 1990 levels, by 2030.

Notes:
An indigenously built interceptor boat C-454 of the Indian Coast Guard was commissioned at Hazira port in Surat, Gujarat.
This Interceptor boat is built by L&T Jetty, Hazira and is capable of operating in shallow water with very high speed. The boat is fitted with advanced navigation and communication equipment.

Notes:
The Himalayan serow has been spotted for the first time in the Himalayan cold desert region, in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.
These are herbivores animals and are found between 2000 m and 4000 m altitude. They have an appearance similar to that of a goat, but with long ears. They have a habit of standing with fore legs stretched.

Notes:
The United States of America (USA) has lifted Sudan off the list named “State sponsor of terrorism”. Earlier the two countries in October 2020 reached an agreement to lift Sudan’s name from the list.
As per the agreement, Sudan is required to pay a sum of USD 335 million to the victims of 1998 twin bombings on the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.

Notes:
The United Nations Development Programme introduced a new measure named called the Planetary Pressures-adjusted HDI, or PHDI.
It assesses the impact caused by each country’s per-capita carbon emissions and its material footprint. While India stands at 131st rank in the Human Development Index, when this metric is considered, India is placed at 123rd rank in the list, which is topped by Ireland.