Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
A MoU has recently been signed between the Indian Coast Guard and Indonesia Coast Guard, to boost maritime relations.
This agreement will enhance the partnership between the two countries in the fields of maritime law enforcement, search and rescue and pollution response. The Coast guards of the two countries would be engaged in exchange of information for reducing maritime crimes.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved the capital infusion for an overall value of Rs.12,450 crore in the three Public Sector General Insurance Companies (PSGICs) namely Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OlCL), National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) and United India Insurance Company Limited (UIICL).
This includes the Rs 2500 crore infused in the year 2019-20. The Cabinet also approved to increase the authorised share capital of NICL to Rs.7,500 crore and that of UIICL and OICL to Rs 5,000 crore.

Notes:
As per the official broadcasting service of Pakistan, the country’s mission to the United Nations has confirmed its bid to seek another term in the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Pakistan is to contest one of the four seats reserved for the Group of Asia Pacific countries for the 2021- 23 term. Pakistan was also a founding member of the UNHRC when it was founded in the year 2006.

Notes:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently set up an independent panel to review its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The panel is headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. This action has been taken after the United States has been criticising the organisation over its handling of the crisis.

Notes:
The Union Shipping Ministry has issued a draft ‘Aids to Navigation Bill, 2020’ and sought suggestions from stakeholders and general public.
This draft bill seeks to replace the colonial Lighthouse Act, 1927, which is over nine decades old. The bill seeks to empower the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) with additional power. It also proposes to include global best practices.

Notes:
The ‘World Population Day’ is observed across the world, on July 11 every year. The day was first celebrated in the year 1990.
Inspired by the awareness created by ‘Five Billion Day’ on the same day in 1987 when the world’s population reached 5 billion, UNDP recommended the observance of Population Day on July 11. “Putting the brakes on COVID-19: how to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls now” is the theme of the campaign for 2020.

Notes:
The Tiger Census of India has set a new Guinness Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey.
The fourth edition of the census, which was carried out between 2018-19, has entered the Guinness Book, for being the most comprehensive in resources and data taken. India conducts Tiger Census once in every four years.

Notes:
International environmental conservation group, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Fauna & Flora International (FFI) have warned about the change in the law of Myanmar, which has allowed commercial farming of endangered species.
The wildlife conservation groups have cautioned that the change may boost the demand for rare animals in the world and may create a parallel trade market. In June, Myanmar passed a law, which allowed private zoos to breed 90 wildlife species including endangered ones.

Notes:
The birth anniversary of Nepali poet Bhanu Bhakta Acharya is celebrated as ‘Bhanu Jayanti’, in the state of Sikkim.
The poet is revered in Nepali Literature as ‘Adikavi’ and he is said to have laid the foundation of the Nepali literature. He had also translated several religious scripts from Sanskrit to Nepali. The Governor Ganga Prasad and Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang participated in the commemorative event.

Notes:
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) became the first Indian company to hit a market capitalisation of Rs 12 lakh crore.
In less than a month, the company has added over a market capitalisation of Rs 1 lakh crore, to stand at Rs 12.24 lakh crore. Since April, the company witnessed investments from 12 global investors. Recently, the wireless technology leader Qualcomm invested Rs 730 crores in Jio platforms.