Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
The Prime Minister of Ivory Coast, Amadou Gon Coulibaly has passed away recently, at the age of 61.
He is also the presidential candidate of Ivory Coast’s ruling party, in the upcoming Presidential elections. Due to his unprecedented death, a confusion has prevailed in the country about who will represent the party in the elections.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research and Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch Brazil’s Amazonia -1 satellite onboard PSLV.
This satellite has been designed, assembled and tested in Brazil and it will be the first Earth Observation satellite. The launch of the PSLV is scheduled to be held next month while the date is to be released by ISRO soon.

Notes:
The United Arab Emirates has recently announced its plans to send its first Mars mission and it has become the first Arab country to do so.
Until now, only the United States, India, USSR and the European Space Agency have successfully sent their Mars orbiter missions. China is in the process of launching its first Mars rover. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) is heading the Mars project of the UAE.

Notes:
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has constituted a working group to study feasibility of forming a ‘pandemic risk pool’.
A pool is proposed to be formed, which addresses the risks that are arising out of the pandemic. The existing insurance laws do not cover business interruption losses and this pool is aimed to address this issue. The panel is expected to submit its report in eight weeks.

Notes:
Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), an autonomous organization under the Department of Science & Technology has prepared a white paper on “Focused Interventions for ‘Make in India’: Post COVID 19” and “Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients: Status, Issues, Technology Readiness and Challenges”.
Union Minister Harsh Vardhan released the white papers prepared by TIFAC, during a virtual event. The paper highlights high priority sectors, technologies and strategies to accelerate growth in the time of COVID-19.

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:
Madhya Pradesh has topped in implementing the Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors Atma Nirbhar Nidhi-PM SvaNidhi scheme.
The scheme was launched to provide a free working capital of 10,000 rupees for one year to street vendors. The state also provides assistance for vendors of rural areas in the state, along with those in urban areas. Over 15000 cases have been approved in the state and loans worth above 15 crore have been approved.

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:
Former captain of Australian Football team recently announced that he is retiring from all forms of football.
He had earlier announced retirement from international football in the year 2018. The 35-year old footballer led the Australian men’s national team, also called as Socceroos, to the 2015 Asian Cup title.

Notes:
The World Health Organization and UNICEF has warned about the huge decline in the number of children receiving life-saving vaccines around the world.
Due to the disruptions in the immunization services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this dip has been observed. The HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccines to be sent to 106 countries are in the verge of lapsing. The number of children completing 3 doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) also reduced for the first, in the last 28 years.