Daily Current Affairs and GK | 9 December 2020

Topic: Important Days

1. Army Service Corps celebrated its foundation day on 8 December.

• Army Service Corps has celebrated its raising day on 8 December.
• Its origin can be traced from the years of 1760s when there was a Commissariat for the armies of presidencies of Bengal, Madras and Bombay.
• It was renamed as Indian Army Service Corp on 8 December 1950 after Independence. On this day, it had dropped the use of the suffix ‘Royal’.
• Army Service Corps:
  • It is part of the Indian Army, which provides logistic support to the Defence forces.
  • It is responsible for provisioning, procurement and distribution of supplies and petroleum products to the Army, Air Force, Navy and other Paramilitary forces.
  • It is also responsible for the carriage of ammunition, animals, fighting vehicles, etc.
  • The motto of Army Service Corps is “SEVA ASMAKAM DHARMAHA”.
  • It is the oldest and largest administrative service of the army.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Appointments

2. Indian-origin Anil Soni appointed as first CEO of WHO Foundation.

• Indian-origin Anil Soni has been appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the WHO Foundation.
• He will take his position from 1 January 2021. He was head of Global Infectious Diseases at Viatris. Viatris is a global healthcare company.
• He has served as Senior Advisor, HIV at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and CEO at Clinton Health Access Initiative.  
• He has also worked in different roles for Global Fund to fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis and for Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
• WHO Foundation:
  • It is an independent grant-making organization with headquarters in Geneva.
  • It was started in May 2020. Professor Thomas Zeltner is its founder. He is also chairman of its Board.
  • It works alongside the WHO and the health community all over the world. It is legally separate from WHO.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

3. United Kingdom becomes first country to launch COVID-19 vaccine on large scale to the Public.

• United Kingdom has started the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. It has become the first country to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine on a large scale.
• Indian origin, Dr. Hari Shukla, become the first person to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
• The vaccine will be given in two doses to a person, in an interval of 21 days. Full immunity of this vaccine develops after seven days of the second dose.
• Priority for this vaccine will be given to older persons, nursing-home workers and other high-risk health-care staff. 
• Britain is the worst-hit European country from COVID-19, with over 61,000 deaths.
• Pfizer and BioNTech have claimed that their vaccine candidate is 95% effective in preventing the coronavirus.
• The Prime Minister of India has announced that India will implement its COVID-19 vaccination drive with the help of mobile technology.
• Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India have applied for emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine candidates in India.

Topic: Art and Culture

4. UNESCO names fort cities of Gwalior and Orchha in list of World Heritage Cities.

• UNESCO has named the fort cities of Gwalior and Orchha in the list of World Heritage Cities.
• Both Gwalior and Orchha are located in Madhya Pradesh. ‘Orchha’ means ‘hidden palace. It was the capital of the Bundela kingdom in the 16^th century.
• Raj Mahal, Jehangir Mahal, Ramraja Temple, Rai Praveen Mahal, and Laxminarayan Mandir are some famous places in Orchha.
• Gwalior is a city founded in the 9^th century. Gurjar Pratihar Rajvansh, Tomar, Baghel Kachvaho and Scindias ruled over it.
• It is known for places and temples, especially Sas Bahu Ka Mandir temple.
• Additionally, it is famous for Gwalior Fort, which has a sandstone plateau. Gujari Mahal Palace of 15^th century is located within the fort.
• Ahmedabad and Jaipur are two other Indian cities already included in the World Heritage site list.
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
  • UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations based in Paris, France.
  • UNESCO was established on 16 November 1945.
  • It works to promote world peace and security by means of international cooperation in the areas of education, sciences, and culture.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

5. India’s first Water Metro ferry will be launched in January 2021.

• India’s first water metro ferry project will be launched from the Cochin shipyard in January 2021. It will be first launched on the Vyttila-Kakkanad route.
• The project is implemented by Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL). It will connect 10 islands spread over 78.2 km with 38 terminals.
• Kochi is the first city to integrate water transport as a feeder service to the metro network.
• The ferry used for this project will have a seating capacity of 100 passengers and these ferries will be electric-solar powered.
• Kochi Metro Rail Corporation (KMRL) had signed a loan agreement with the German Development Bank for the finance of this project.
• It will help in providing last-mile connectivity to the people living in islands around Kochi.
• Kochi:
  • It is a major port city of India and it is part of Ernakulam district of Kerala.
  • It is an important spice trading center of India.
  • Kochi Metro is spread over 18.4km with 16 operational metro stations.

(Source: Timesnow News)

Topic: Space and IT

6. Nokia to head the EU’s 6G project Hexa-X.

• European Commission’s funded 6G project ‘Hexa-X’ will be headed by NOKIA. This project will focus on providing a wireless network for the next generation.
• It will commence from 1 January 2021, with a planned duration of 2.5 years.
• The Hexa-X project’s main aim is to connect the physical, digital, and human worlds to the 6^th generation wireless.
• The 6G technology will connect humans to machines and it will also connect humans with the digital world.
• It could create a technology that would understand human intentions, anticipate needs, and will make interaction with the physical world more effective.
• Nokia has been the pioneer in providing wireless technology of every generation to the world. The 6G technology is likely to be commercially available from 2030.

• 6G technology:
  • It will be the sixth-generation wireless network technology.
  • It will be the successor of 5G network technology.
  • It will be around 100 times faster than 5G technology.
  • China has launched an experimental 6G test satellite on 6 November 2020.

Topic: Defence

7. Army chief started his visit to UAE & Saudi Arabia to strengthen Defence ties.

• Army chief General M M Naravane has started his Week-long trip to UAE & Saudi Arabia.
• The main objective of this trip is to strengthen Defence ties between India and these two important Gulf countries.
• It will be the first-ever visit by an Indian army chief to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
• In this visit, the Army chief will hold meetings with civilian and military leaders and will also visit Defence establishment of these countries.
• The army chief is scheduled to visit UAE on 9-10 December and he will travel to Saudi Arabia on 13 December.

Topic: Space and IT

8. First high altitude suborbital test flight of SpaceX’s futuristic starship ended before it was completed.

• First high altitude suborbital test flight of SpaceX’s futuristic starship ended before completion on 8 November 2020.
• Space X’s goal was to send Starship prototype to an altitude of 12.5 km and return it back to a vertical landing.
• The company has already carried out five Starship test flights successfully up to a maximum height of 490 feet (0.15 km).  Tuesday’s test flight was meant to carry starship prototype to the highest altitude so far.
• The spaceship prototype was a stainless steel version and was the first one with a nose cone, body flaps and three Raptor engines.
• SpaceX has a rocket production, testing and launch site in Texas. It is called the Boca Chica launch site.
• SpaceX aims to use starships to send extremely big satellites into orbit around Earth and send people and cargo to Moon and Mars.
• The company has earlier announced that Yusaku Maezawa will be its first private passenger. He will fly around Moon in 2023.
• SpaceX:
  • It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk.
  • It is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company.
  • It is known for its reusable rockets and astronaut capsules.
  • Its headquarters is located in California.
  • CEO of SpaceX is Elon Musk.

(Source: The Hindu)

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

9. UP government working to include Tharu villages in home stay scheme of UP Forest Corporation.

• UP government is working to include Tharu villages in home stay scheme of UP Forest Corporation.
• Tharu villages are located in Balrampur, Bahraich, Lakhimpur and Pilibhit districts of UP.
• Tourists visiting Tharu villages will live within the huts of the Tharu tribe. As a result, Tharu people will directly earn money by providing home-cooked foods and huts to the tourists. 
• UP Forest Corporation will train Tharu people in communication with the tourists.
• The population of Scheduled Tribes in UP was over 11 lakh as per Census 2011. The population of Tharu tribe is the largest among them.
• Tharu tribe belongs to Terai or Tarai region. It is a lowland region between Shivalik hills or lower Himalayas and Indo-Gangetic plain.
• It is believed that the word Tharu comes from the word sthavir. It means followers of Theravada Buddhism.
• Along with UP, Tharu people live in Uttarakhand and Bihar. They also live in Nepal.  Other important points about the Tharu tribe are given below:
  • Occupation and food habits: They are mostly forest dwellers consuming alcoholic beverages. Some practice agriculture and eat beef.
  • Languages: They speak different forms of Hindi, Urdu, and Awadhi and dialects of Tharu (an Indo-Aryan language).
  • Worship: They worship Lord Shiva and believe in Narayan as a supreme being providing sunshine, rain, and harvests.
  • Dishes: Bagiya or dhikri (steamed dish of rice flour) and ghonghi (cooked edible snail) are their dishes.

(Source: The Indian Express)

Topic: National News

10. HAL-IISc Skill Development Centre in Challakere started its first training programme.

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) - Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Skill Development Centre in Challakere started its first training programme.
• HAL-IISc Skill Development Centre was inaugurated by Defence Minister in August 2020. It is located in IISc’s new campus in Challakere, Chitradurga district (Karnataka).
• Challakere is called Science City. Premier Scientific institutions of India such as IISc, DRDO, and ISRO have set up their campus in Challakere. 
• ISRO will set up its Human Space Flight Centre in Challakere. Challakere is also called oil city.