Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
The funding and implementation of the Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers project were approved by the Union Cabinet with a total cost of Rs 44,605 crore. It is the first project under the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers.
It seeks to transfer water from the Ken river to the Betwa river, both tributaries of the Yamuna.  A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA) will be set up.

Notes:
An Indian Air Force helicopter with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on board crashed in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor.
Thirteen people have been confirmed dead in the incident. Group Captain Varun Singh, honoured with the Shaurya Chakra this year, who was the lone survivor of the crash, is in critical condition.

Notes:
As per the ‘Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2021’, prevalence of hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) reached 9.1 per cent in 2020.
This is the highest prevalence that has been in the last 15 years, according to a new report jointly published by United Nations bodies including FAO, IFAD, WFP. The number of people living with hunger reached a total of 59.7 million people.

Notes:
Lok Sabha has passed the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021 for consideration and passage.
These Bills intend to provide enabling power to the government to extend tenure of the Chiefs of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) up to five years. At present, both the officers are given a term of two years.

Notes:
The Chilean President Sebastián Piñera recently signed a law permitting same-sex couples to marry and adopt.
The ceremony was attended by activists for LGBT and broader human rights. As per the country, the law ‘puts all love relationships between two people on an equal footing’. The law includes recognition of parental ties, full spousal benefits and adoption rights for married same-sex couples.

Notes:
Human Rights Day is observed on December 10, every year. This year, the theme is ‘Equality, Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights’.
United Nations General Assembly in 1948 adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This day is celebrated to raise awareness about people’s social, cultural and physical rights and to ensure the welfare of everyone.

Notes:
Mouse opossums are relatively small members of the Neotropical marsupial family Didelphidae. They are endemic to Americas, especially to South America.
Recently a newly-identified species, named the Adler’s mouse opossum (Marmosa adleri), is among the smallest subgenus Micoureus. It was named after the researcher Greg Adler and  has larger ears, with a short furry tail.

Notes:
As per a new research, Quetzalcoatlus was the largest known flying animal to have ever lived on Earth.
The animal is claimed to have a 12-metre wingspan, as per a research collection published by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. The research team found that the creature took flight like a fighter jet off an aircraft carrier after years of research.

Notes:
“Q-Commerce” stands for “Quick commerce”, which essentially involves delivering customer orders faster than it does currently, by setting up micro-warehouses located closer to the point of delivery.
Online grocer Grofers has rebranded itself “Blinkit”, with a focus on “quick commerce”. Grofers decided to change its business model from the conventional grocer model to the quick-commerce model.

Notes:
Parker Solar Probe of NASA has successfully flown through the Sun’s upper atmosphere, the corona. It is an extreme environment that’s roughly 2 million degrees Fahrenheit.
The probe has sampled particles and magnetic fields from the corona. A key instrument on board the probe, the Solar Probe Cup, collects particles from the Sun’s atmosphere. the outer boundary, which scientists call the Alfven point.