Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2020

Notes:
Isher Judge Ahluwalia has recently stepped down as the Chairperson of think tank Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).
She had held this position for 15 years and will be succeeded by the new Chairman Pramod Bhasin, who is currently the Vice Chair of the Board of governors at ICRIER. To honour her contributions, she will be retained as chairperson emeritus.

Notes:
The State Government of Andhra Pradesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US-Based IT firm The Boston Group (TBG).
The Boston Group has proposed to set up a dedicated R&D facility for Information Technology at Visakhapatnam, with a special focus on Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security and Machine Learning. This is expected to create new employment opportunities in Andhra Pradesh.

Notes:
According to a recent data from the NASA’s Dawn Spacecraft, the dwarf planet Ceres, which lies in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, is not a barren space rock.
It was earlier believed that the dwarf planet is barren but the data collected reveal that it is a water-rich place and there could be a large and deep reservoir of salt water. In the year 2015, the Dawn spacecraft arrived at Ceres, which us far smaller than the Earth’s moon.

Notes:
The Government of the Union Territory of Delhi has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding MoU with Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay and Tata Projects Limited for construction of a smog tower at Connaught Place.
The proposed 20 meter-high smog tower would be fitted with several air purifiers to purify the air. As per the terms of the MoU, the construction of the smog tower would be completed in 10 months.

Notes:
An Ayurveda Based Biodegradable Face Mask named “Pavitrapati” has been developed by Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, (DIAT) Pune.
In this regard, an agreement was signed between DIAT Pune and a private company for mass development of the product. The company has now offered the face mask for sale. Similarly, the technology of developing anti-microbial body suit named “Aushada tara” is also transferred to the company.

Notes:
Among all the Indian Prime Ministers, Narendra Modi has the longest tenure as head of elected government.
Including his term of more than 12 years as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, his total term as the head stands over 18 years and 300 days. He is also the longest-serving non-Congress prime minister of the country. The term as the head of Jawaharlal Nehru was over 16 years and that of Indira Gandhi was over 15 years.

Notes:
Indian cricket icon and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has announced retirement from international cricket.
The 39-year-old star is the only captain in the world who led his team to win all three ICC trophies so far. Under his captaincy, India won the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007, Asia Cups in 2010 and 2016, the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. Another Cricketer Suresh Raina also announced his retirement.

Notes:
The 4th Session of the BRICS Anti-Drug Working Group was conducted recently through video conferencing.
Representatives from all 5 member countries: Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India participated in the session, which was chaired by Russia. Indian delegation was led by Shri Rakesh Asthana, DG of Narcotics Control Bureau. Misuse of Darknet and advanced technologies for drug trafficking was the theme of the session.

Notes:
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved a new rapid saliva test to detect Covid-19 named ‘Saliva Direct’.
The new inexpensive test uses only saliva samples instead of the nasal and throat swabs to detect the coronavirus samples. As per the administration, the test also has higher sensitivity when compared to the usual methods of testing.

Notes:
A Quality control laboratory for seafood processors and exporters has been opened by Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) at Porbandar, Gujarat.
The lab helps the exporters in testing of seafood to ensure safety as per international regulatory standards. The lab is equipped with advanced instruments to test and analyse antibiotic residues and heavy-metals like arsenic, mercury in seafood.