Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
“Go for zero” is a policy proposal released by Grattan Institute, a non-profit think tank that advises the government.
As a part of the policy, the Australian Government introduced several measures with the goal of eventually reaching zero new cases and not just to flatten the curve. As a result, the country passed three weeks without any local transmission of Covid-19.

Notes:
The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution stating that December 27th of every year to be observed as International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.
This has been decided to strengthen world wide measures to prevent pandemic like COVID-19. The resolution has been passed by a consensus by the 193-member.

Notes:
The companies of USA and China have dominated the global arms market in the year 2019, as per a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The arms industry of USA accounts for nearly 61% of the sales by top 25 arms manufacturers. Chinese firms account for 15.7% of the sales by top 25 arms manufacturers.

Notes:
The NASA is implementing a program for “Data sonification”, which involves the use of non-speech data to be translated into sound.
Recently, the Researchers at the Chandra X-ray center have used three important phenomenon of the universe and translated the frequencies of light into different pitches of sound. Crab Nebula, Bullet Cluster and Super nova are the three iconic images.

Notes:
The state Government of Karnataka has recently passed “Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020”.
This bill bans cow slaughter and proposes stringent punishment for violation of the law. This is a revised form of a bill that has been already passed in the state in 2010.

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:
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:
The Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has recently extended a USD 448-million line of credit (LOC) for various infrastructure projects in Uzbekistan.
Extended on behalf of the Indian government, the LoC would be used in various projects in transport, water and technology sectors in the country. EXIM Bank has so far extended 266 LOCs to various countries.

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:
Veteran aerospace scientist and Padma Vibhushan awardee Roddam Narasimha has recently passed away at the age of 87.
He served at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), teaching Aerospace Engineering from 1962 to 1999. He also served as the director of the National Aerospace Laboratories. He was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan award in 2013.