Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL), has collaborated with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to scale-up alkaline electrolyzer technology for green hydrogen.
This is a first of its kind initiative to increase renewable energy production and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At present, electrolyzer plants are imported in India. The company plans to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2040.

Notes:
OSCAR 1 (Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio) is the world’s first non-governmental satellite, first amateur Radio Satellite. It was launched successfully on December 12, 1961.
It was also the first satellite built by a collection of private individuals. OSCAR 1 operated for nearly 20 days, testing radio reception from space.

Notes:
The United States witnessed over 30 tornadoes ripped through at least six states (Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee).
As per the officials, the death toll could exceed 80 due to the tornadoes that hit across parts of the central and southern United States. More damages were found in the state of Kentucky, where over 70 people died and several buildings, factories and warehouses were damaged.

Notes:
India voted against a UN Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution that linked climate change with global security challenges.
Moved jointly by Niger and Ireland, the draft resolution called on “integrate climate-related security risk as a central component into comprehensive conflict-prevention strategies.”India argued that this resolution would only create friction among the UN membership.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduced a prompt corrective action (PCA) framework for large non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
The PCA framework for NBFCs comes into effect on October 1 next year on the basis of their financial position on or after March 31. NBFCs not taking deposits and with an asset size of less than Rs 1,000 crore, primary dealers, government-owned NBFCs, and housing finance companies are exempt from this framework.

Notes:
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) suspended its over two-year-old approval for Amazon’s deal to acquire stake in retailer Future Coupons Private Limited.
The CCI also imposed a ₹ 202 crore penalty on the US-based e-commerce major for hiding facts and making false statements while seeking regulatory approvals in 2019. Amazon objected to Future’s deal with Reliance, citing the 2019 deal.

Notes:
Fossils of five ice age mammoths have been unearthed in Cotswolds, the UK in an extraordinary state of preservation. Seeds, snails, dung beetles, pollen and plant fossils were also found.
The remains of two adults, two juveniles and a child, who lived on the Earth around 200,000 years ago have been found. It may offer new clues to how Neanderthal ancestors lived in Britain. This is claimed to be one of the most important discoveries in British palaeontology.

Notes:
PANEX-21 is a trans-national, multi-agency exercise, which aims to develop capabilities in disaster management aspects for the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries.
The exercise was recently organised at the College of Military Engineering in Pune. The BIMSTEC regional organisation comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, besides India.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is set to provide USD 350 million loan to improve access to urban services in India.
The project aims to speed up policy actions and reforms to enhance service delivery and promote performance-based central transfers to urban local bodies (ULBs). ADB will also provide knowledge and advisory support to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in programme implementation.

Notes:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s R&D lab conducted a flight demonstration of Controlled Aerial Delivery System of 500 kg capacity (CADS-500).
The system was developed by Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Agra. It was para-dropped from an aircraft and steered to the designated landing point in autonomous mode