Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
The comet C/2020 F3 comet also called as NEOWISE was discovered on March 27, this year. It was seen in news recently, as the comet would be visible in the sky.
In India, the NEOWISE comet will be visible in the northwest sky which is 20 degrees from the horizon. It is expected to be visible after sunset for around 20 minutes for 20 days from July 14, 2020 and it will fade away in the month of August.

Notes:
Union Minister of State for Shipping Shri Mansukh Mandaviya has recently approved Rs. 107 Crore for improving fire-fighting facilities at Haldia Dock Complex, Kolkata Port.
The existing fire fighting facility does not support handling of petroleum products as per the guidelines of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. This augmentation is a step towards compliance of global standards for fire safety and secure handling of petroleum products.

Notes:
According to the statement released by the Ministry of Defence, special financial power has been delegated for capital acquisition cases up to Rs 300 crore, to the three armed services.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh has granted this power amid the growing border tensions between India and China, to fast-track urgent capital acquisition of arms and ammunition.

Notes:
India has signed bilateral agreements named ‘Air Bubbles’ with France and the US to operate international flights.
Under the agreement, the airlines of each country will operate international flights between each other. American air carrier United Airlines will be operating 18 flights between India and the US and Air France will be operating 28 flights between Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Paris.

Notes:
India has signed a new agreement with Israel to collaborate in the field of cyber security and to tackle the challenges in the field amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
The MoU has been signed between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and Israel’s National Cyber Directorate (INCD). Under the MoU, technological assistance and mutual services in cyber security will be exchanged.

Notes:
Cochin Shipyard Limited has signed a contract for construction and supply of two autonomous electric ferries for ASKO Maritime AS, Norway.
This firm is a subsidiary of NorgesGruppen ASA, one of the major players in the Norwegian retail market. The project is partially funded by the Norwegian government and aimed at emission-free transport of goods. The 67-metre-long vessels will be delivered as a full-electric transport ferry, initially. The Ship yard is also building 23 hybrid electric boats for the Kochi Water Metro.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced has released guidelines for ‘Fair Practices Code’ for Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs).
The guidelines are released by the RBI, under the powers conferred by the SARFAESI Act, 2002. As per the recent guidelines ARCs have to follow transparent and non-discriminatory practices in acquisition of assets.

Notes:
Solar Orbiter Mission is the collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) and it was launched in the month of February 2020.
NASA has recently released the images from the Orbiter including the closest pictures ever taken of the Sun, to the public. The spacecraft has closely passed the Sun for the first time in the month of June. The orbiter carries six imaging instruments, to capture the layers of Sun.

Notes:
India’s cybersecurity nodal agency, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, CERT-In has issued a notice to Social Media Giant Twitter, asking for full details of the recent global hacking incident that targeted high-profile users.
CERT-In also sought information on the number of Indian users who are affected and who have visited malicious tweets and links. The modus operandi of the operation was also said to have been sought from Twitter.

Notes:
Central Institute of Petrochemicals engineering and Technology, CIPET is a premium academic institution under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
Recently, CIPET has been accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) for Testing and Certification of PPE kit including Gloves, Coverall, Goggles and Medical masks. The Centre of CIPET at Bhubaneswar has been granted accreditation.