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:
Minister of Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has laid the foundation stone for “Sanskritik Sadbhav Mandap” at Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.
The centre is being constructed with the cost of Rs 92 crore by Union Minority Affairs Ministry under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram (PMJVK). This community centre will be utilized for various socio-economic-cultural activities, skill development training and relief activities.

Notes:
Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has unveiled National Anti-Doping Agency’s first mobile application to provide information about prohibited substances and their use.
This application is expected to provide easily accessible information of NADA, so that the athletes and their coaches would remain cautious about the prohibited drugs and medicines. The app also provides means for easy process of conducting a dope test.

Notes:
Veteran diplomat Indra Mani Pandey has been appointed as India’s next Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva.
The Indian Foreign Service officer is currently serving as an additional secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He is to succeed the current representative hRajiv K Chander in Geneva. I.M Pandey had served in Indian missions in several places including Cairo, Islamabad and Kabul among others.

Notes:
The Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has recently inaugurated an urban forest, in the Union Territory of New Delhi.
The urban forest is created with as many as 12,000 seedlings of 59 indigenous species. It is developed at the Office premises of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. This is expected to form into a full-fledged forest by 2021 and will improve the Air Quality Index of the UT.

Notes:
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is set to replace the 25-year-old NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement).
The renegotiated deal comes into effect from July 1. USMCA is a trilateral agreement between three countries namely the United States, Mexico and Canada. The deal was originally signed in 2018 and since then the countries have been working to implement the new deal. It seeks to support the technology sector and include USD 600 million to address environmental problems.

Notes:
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has partnered with Bharat Biotech for development of potential COVID-19 vaccine called Covaxin.
The Drugs Controller General of India has granted permission to conduct phase-1 and 2 human clinical trials. Recently, ICMR has announced that it is acting in accordance with the globally accepted standards to develop the vaccine.

Notes:
Social Media giant WhatsApp has launched its first brand campaign named ‘It’s Between You’ in India.
WhatsApp has collaborated with Indian director Gauri Shinde along with advertising agency BBDO India to create two advertisements, that highlight how the features of WhatsApp help to imitate in-person conversations.

Notes:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed an MoU with Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad to establish a Research cell at the IIT.
The Defence research cell aims to meet the upcoming defence technological requirements of the country. This DRDO – IITH Research Cell will conduct research programmes in specific technology areas. This will be established as an extension of the DRDO Research and Innovation Centre (RIC), Chennai.