Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2020

Notes:
China-based global technology company Huawei has recently named David Li as the Chief Executive Officer of its India operations.
David Li is set to replace the previous CEO Jay Chen, who will now look after the Asia Pacific Region operations. David Li had joined Huawei in 2002 and has served in various designations in India including Vice President (Sales). He was last serving as the CEO of Cambodia region.

Notes:
The Parliament of Lebanon recently made the cannabis farming done for medicinal use, legal. This decision has been made to increase the export of the medicinal products made from the plant and thereby developing the agricultural sector.
This step is expected to increase the revenue of the Government, amidst the prevalent coronavirus pandemic, as the country’s economy is paralyzed with financial crisis. Earlier, about 25 tonnes of a particular drug made from cannabis were ceased, which were hidden for smuggling.

Notes:
Major Technology company Facebook has recently announced an investment of Rs. 43,574 crores in Jio Platforms, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited.
This investment will enable Facebook acquire a 9.9 stake in Jio platforms. This is claimed to be the largest foreign direct investment for minority stake in the country. A partnership agreement was also made among Jio Platforms, Reliance Retail Limited and WhatsApp to boost JioMart platform through WhatsApp and support small businesses on WhatsApp.

Notes:
The World Games was previously scheduled to be held in Birmingham, Alabama, United States in July 2021. It comprises of sports and events that do not fall under the Olympics.
As it was postponed to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organising committee has recently unveiled an updated logo, website and title. ‘The World Games 2022’ is the modified title of the games, which will be held in July 2022.

Notes:
The Kusuma School of Biological Sciences (KSBS) of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has developed a COVID-19 test kit and it has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), thereby becoming the first institute to be approved for a real-time kit.
The test kit, which tests the swab of the suspected patient is also claimed to be more affordable than the other kits available. Commercial production can be easily done as the kit does not require fluorescent probes, as per the researchers.

Notes:
One of the largest Asset Management companies in India, the Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund has recently announced to have shut down six of its funds owing to market disruptions amid Covid-19.
The Association of National Exchange Members of India (ANMI) sought the intervention of the SEBI and Finance Ministry to protect investor capital in six mutual fund schemes. These funds collectively managed a corpus of over ₹25,000 crore.

Notes:
The World Health Organisation has announced an initiative called ‘Access to Covid Tools’ (ACT) Accelerator, which will be a collaborative step towards developing a vaccine and managing the pandemic.
Several heads of states and political leaders committed themselves to join this initiative and ensure the availability of vaccine and other drugs associated with Covid-19, to all countries of the world. The European Union will start the funding campaign from May along with European countries and Middle East countries.

Notes:
In its latest circular, the labour and employment ministry has notified that the banking industry is classified as a public utility service for six months with effect from April 21. The Department of Financial services also notified about the classification of the labour ministry.
This declaration has been made under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act. After being placed under this act, the people working in banking sector would not be able to participate in any strike during the said period.

Notes:
Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan was seen in news recently because she has been given a three-month extension after the Central Government made a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle.
Ms.Preeti Sudan who is at present the Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, was due to superannuate on April 30. The reshuffling has been done amidst the coronavirus pandemic. About 23 senior IAS officers have been appointed as secretaries in different central government departments.

Notes:
The chemical exports of India increased by 7.43 per cent to 2.68 lakh crore rupees during April-January period of the last fiscal.
The chemical industry became the top exporting sector of the country for the first time. The export of chemicals in the said period constitutes 14.35 per cent of the total exports. This was announced by the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers.