Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
The Kuaizhou-11 carrier rocket, that was launched by China, has recently suffered a failure during its maiden flight.
Kuaizhou means ‘fast ship’ in Chinese. It is a low-cost solid-fuelled carrier rocket, that was designed to launch low-Earth orbit satellites. A malfunction occurred during the flight though the exact reason for the failure is not yet known.

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:
The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of the NITI Aayog has launched the ‘ATL App Development Module’ for school children across the country.
NITI Aayog has partnered with the start-up company Plezmo, to launch the Application Development modules, under the flagship Atal Tinkering Labs initiative of the Atal Innovation Mission. The module is an online course and is conducted for free.

Notes:
The tropical Storm Fay has created heavy rains and floods and has made landfall in New Jersey, before it weakened and moved over the region.
As per the U.S. National Hurricane Center, the storm was moving north at 27 kph and producing top sustained winds of 64 kph. The storm created landfall along the coast of New Jersey. Several beaches in the place were closed and flash flooding is also expected.

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:
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:
The state of Tamil Nadu is set to launch a trial to study the efficacy of the BCG vaccine in reducing mortality due to COVID-19 in the elder people.
The trial, which has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), would be taken up by the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT), Chennai. The BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin) is being administered to new-born for 50 years as a vaccine against tuberculosis.

Notes:
As per the recent data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India posted a trade surplus of USD 790 million in June 2020.
This surplus has been recorded for the first time after over 18 years. Due to the Covid-19 induced decrease in domestic demand for crude oil, gold and other industrial products, the country’s import was deeply reduced. This led to a trade surplus with imports of USD 21.11 billion and exports of USD 21.91 billion.

Notes:
The United States President Donald Trump has signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act into law. He also signed an executive order ending US preferential treatment for Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Autonomy Act was passed unanimously by the Congress. It gives provisions to the country, to hold accountable the individuals involved in suppressing Hong Kong’s freedom. After this act, Hong Kong will be treated the same as mainland China by the US.

Notes:
Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated the virtual Digital Indo- Italian Business Mission on Food Processing’.
The two-day event comprises of digital conferences, trade fair and B2B (Business to Business) meetings, which are being attended by 23 Italian companies. This Digital Sectorial business Mission is expected to promote the bilateral trade between India and Italy.