Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
Global leader in payments technology Visa has partnered with Federal Bank to deploy Visa Secure to the bank’s cardholders.
Visa Secure is an authentication program that uses the latest standards of the EMV protocol. This upgraded technology will provide security to curb online frauds and quick check-out experience to the card-holders.

Notes:
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has recently inaugurated and laid foundation stones of 11 highway projects in Haryana worth over 20,000 crore rupees.
These projects are part of the new Economic corridors in the state, which includes the Ambala Kotputli corridor among others. The projects will provide better connectivity to neighbouring states such as Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

Notes:
France celebrates its national day Fête nationale also called as Bastille Day every year on July 14. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille fortress on July 14, 1789, which was a turning point in the French Revolution.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, the country celebrated a downsized ceremony, as the historic annual military parade was called off, for the first time since 1945. Only half of the soldiers gathered at the Place de la Concorde.

Notes:
The Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan announced during the meeting with the 15th Finance Commission, that the Government is to gradually increase the public health expenditure to 2.5 per cent of the country’s GDP by 2025.
This is the government’s target of the National Health Policy 2017. He also confirmed that the primary health expenditure will be made about two-third of the total public health expenditure in the country.

Notes:
Jack Charlton, who was a part of the 1966 World cup winning English Football team, has recently passed away, at the age of 85.
He played for the Leeds United football club for nearly 21 years before managing the Republic of Ireland. He was also a Manager of British football club Newcastle United F.C.

Notes:
The flagship initiative of NITI Aayog, Atal Innovation Mission, (AIM) has launched a programme named ‘Demo-Days’.
The programme aims to identify start-ups with potential Covid-19 innovations and help them develop their ideas into workable solutions which will be deployed across the country. This was launched in partnership with other state-owned bodies including BIRAC, DBT, DST, Start-up India etc.

Notes:
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report titled the ‘World Wildlife Crime Report 2020’.
As per the report, Pangolin is the world’s most trafficked mammal and the number of times the mammal’s scales were seized increased nearly ten times between 2014 and 2018. The report also highlighted that zoonotic diseases account for 75 per cent of all emerging infectious diseases.

Notes:
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has postponed the 2022 Dakar Youth Olympics for four years, to 2026.
This decision has been taken due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Youth Summer Games, to be held in Senegal’s capital, will be the first Olympics to be organised in Africa. The Tokyo Olympics is scheduled to be held in July 2021 and Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022.

Notes:
The Lourdes Roman Catholic shrine located in France has recently organised the world’s first ever e-pilgrimage after the coronavirus crisis.
About 80 million from across the world attended the programme. Mass and prayers are broadcasted on television and social media for the e-pilgrimage named ‘Lourdes United’. During summer, pilgrims visit the shrine and light candles in the sanctuary, where Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared.

Notes:
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar has informed that the Zonal Master Plan of Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone has been approved by the government.
The Minister announced this during the review meeting of the Chaardhaam Road Project. This approval will fast-track the execution of the project of the Uttarakhand state and will help to conserve ecology in the state.