Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
Amazon has recently acquired the Self-driving Car start-up firm Zoox, in a deal estimated to be worth over USD 1 billion.
Zoox is an American company, which employs more than 1000 persons and was also developing an electric self-driving vehicle. As per sources, this is Amazon’s biggest investment so far in self-driving car technology. This is also one of its biggest purchases ever. The technology is expected to be deployed in automated delivery projects of Amazon.

Notes:
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a United Nations office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, headquartered at Vienna, Austria.
According to the latest UNODC World Drug Report, about 26.9 crore people used drugs in 2018, which was 30% more than the 2009 count. The largest share of drug users comprised of adolescents and young adults. Overall opioid users in India is estimated to have increased five times, as compared to those in 2004.

Notes:
The 36-year-old Indian umpire Nitin Menon recently became the youngest member of the International Cricket Council’s Elite Panel of Umpires.
He replaced England’s Nigel Llong for the upcoming 2020-21 season. Nitin Menon has officiated in three Tests, 24 ODIs and 16 T20Is. He is only the third from India to enter the prestigious group after former captain Srinivas Venkatraghavan and Sundaram Ravi. Michael Gough of England (40), had been the youngest in the current panel.

Notes:
National Statistics Day is observed on June 29 every year in India. This year it was celebrated through virtual conference with the theme of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) and SDG 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls).
The Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation instituted a new award ‘Prof. P. C. Mahalanobis National Award in Official Statistics’, which was conferred upon Former RBI Governor C Rangarajan. ‘Prof. P.V. Sukhatme National Award in Statistics 2020’ was given to Dr Arvind Pandey and Dr. Akhilesh Chandra Kulshreshtha.

Notes:
Young Indian author Kritika Pandey has won the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, for her short story ‘The Great Indian Tee and Snakes’.
The 29-year-old writer is currently studying at University of Massachusetts Amherst. She was also declared as one of five Regional Winners for the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for her literary work.

Notes:
The United Nations has raised USD 7.7 billion in humanitarian aid for the people affected by war in Syria.
The UN had organised a virtual donor conference with governments and non-official agencies. Among many countries that donated, Germany provided the single biggest country donation of 1.58 billion euros (USD 1.78 billion).

Notes:
The state Government of Madhya Pradesh is set to launch a new scheme called ‘Hamara Ghar-Hamara Vidyalaya’.
It means My Home-My school and the scheme aims to teach the school-going children, in a school-like environment. Under the scheme, the children of the state will learn to read and write and perform yoga, as per the State Education Centre.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Food and Public Distribution implements the “PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana” scheme.
The Minister for Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan has recently released the details of the 2nd Phase of PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. Under the scheme, 5 kilograms of Wheat or Rice to every family member and 1 kilogram of Chana (Pulse) for each beneficiary family will be provided without price for five more months, till November.

Notes:
India’s flagship fitness awareness movement, Fit India is launching a new series of interactive sessions with ace sportspersons of the country.
This series of interactive sessions has been launched with an objective of inspiring young children of the country and to encourage them to actively take part in sports. Badminton star P V Sindhu and Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri will launch the inaugural session, in the presence of HRD Minister and Sports Minister.

Notes:
Every year, July 2 is celebrated as World Sports Journalists Day or International Sports Journalists Day.
The day also recognises the importance of sports journalists around the world. It marks the anniversary of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), that was established in 1924 during the Paris Olympics. AIPS is the peak professional body representing the international sports media.