Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2020

Notes:
The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Hassan Diab has recently stepped down from his post, after a massive blast occurred in the country.
The catastrophic explosion in the capital city Beirut, has triggered a public outrage in the country. It has caused heavy destruction, by killing more than 160 people and injuring over 6,000 people. There have been mass demonstrations against the Government demanding the steeping down of the leadership.

Notes:
The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, in association with the Armed Forces Medical College has released “Building Positive Health in Nine Simple Steps”.
It is a visual guide for reference by the people to know about the link between their lifestyle and mental health. The bilingual guide that has been issued in English and Hindi, which would be released in other regional languages also. The guide has been targeted at Urban audience.

Notes:
As per the findings published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, a new low-cost nasal swab test named ‘N1-STOP-LAMP’ has been developed.
As per the researchers, the test can accurately diagnose the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19, in just 20 minutes. It is also 100 per cent accurate in diagnosing the samples at high loads. It uses a single tube and involves only one step and so it is very efficient and affordable.

Notes:
Federal Bank, a Kerala-based private bank has partnered with Fiserv – a global payments and financial services technology solutions provider.
The partnership aims to digitise the card issuance and processing cycle completely. The bank will utilise the card management solution called “First Vision” of Fiserv. Fiserv would also support the Federal Bank for launch of its credit card.

Notes:
The Anti Drone System, developed by Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has been deployed at Delhi in the Independence Day celebrations.
The system can capture drone movements and jam them up to a distance of 3 km. The system can also bring down a target up to 2.5 km using laser. It is seen as an efficient mechanism to counter drone based anti-national activities.

Notes:
National Geographic has announced to premiere a Documentary Film named “The Next Frontier: India’s Smart Cities”. It is a 44-minute documentary on four cities of India namely Surat, Visakhapatnam, Pune and Varanasi.
The film reveals how the smart cities Mission is forming a strong ground for next cities of tomorrow. It would showcase the journey of 4 lighthouse smart cities along with the national initiatives that has transformed the lives of people residing in these cities.

Notes:
Legendary Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj has recently passed away in the United States, at the age of 90.
During his musical career spanning over 80 years, he has won several prestigious awards including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Fellowship, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. He was also honoured with the second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan in the year 2000.

Notes:
The World’s tallest Pier bridge is being constructed by Indian Railways in Manipur across the river “Ijai”. The height of its tallest pier is 141m. The bridge is a part of Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal railway line project. The existing record for the tallest pier bridge is 139m at Montenegro in Europe.
The bridge is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs.280 crore and the construction work is expected to be completed by March 2020. The total length of the bridge is estimated to be 703 meters.

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.

Notes:
Frozen shrimp was the major export product among the sea food followed by frozen fish in FY 2010-20. India has shipped 12.89 lakh tones of seafood during the last financial year amounting USD 6.68 billion.
The USA and China were the largest importers of Indian seafood. The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) is aiming to increase the country’s sea food exports to Rs 1 trillion by 2030.