Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
National Broadcasting Day is celebrated in India on July 23 every year. On the same day in the year 1927, the first ever radio broadcast in the country was carried out from the Bombay Station.
The first broadcast was done by a private organisation called the Indian Broadcasting Company. At present, Prasar Bharati is the National public service broadcasting agency. It comprises of Doordarshan Television Network and All India Radio.

Notes:
A space technology start-up named Digiantra Research and Technology (DRT) developed India’s first in-orbit space debris monitoring and tracking system.
The company has also been selected for the ‘Society for Innovation and Development’ incubation program at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore. The country’s first air and space surveillance company has received a grant of Rs 25 lakhs for developing space debris monitoring systems.

Notes:
Turkmenistan became the 25th country with a status of an observer in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The member-states of the WTO General Council unanimously adopted the resolution on granting the status of an observer in WTO to the Central Asian country. There are 164 WTO member-states at present and 25 countries possess the status of an observer including Turkmenistan.

Notes:
National Intelligence Grid “NATGRID” is an attached office under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. It aims to allow investigation and law enforcement agencies to access real-time information.
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is to partner with the NATGRID to share the financial details of any entity with 10 agencies including the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and the NIA. This information-sharing mechanism is done under the NATGRID platform.

Notes:
Following a leak at a Lavera petrochemical refinery in southern France, an orange-brown chemical sheet spread over 15 acres in the Mediterranean Sea.
This area includes the nationally recognized marine life area. The plant is said to have spilled 200 gallons or more of iron chloride into the sea. The chemical could harm eyes and mucous membranes and could even cause death.

Notes:
India and Pakistan fought the Kargil War between May and July in the year 1999. India launched ‘Operation Vijay’ and cleared the posts in the Kargil sector that was occupied by the Pakistani soldiers on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC).
To commemorate its victory over Pakistan, India has been observing ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ on July 26 every year, on the day the war ended. It resulted in 527 deaths in the Indian side. On the Vijay Diwas, India pays tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives during the war.

Notes:
World Hepatitis Day is commemorated each year on 28 July across the world, by the World Helath Organisation.
It is observed to enhance awareness of viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that causes several health problems. This year, the theme of the ‘World Hepatitis Day’ 2020 is “Hepatitis-free future”. Among the five main streams, Hepatitis B and C are the most common cause of deaths.

Notes:
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate is to be called as ‘Covishield’ in India, as per the statement of the Serum Institute of India (SII).
SII is the largest vaccine maker in the world and it has partnered with AstraZeneca for manufacturing the Oxford vaccine candidate. Recently, it has sought permission from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the potential vaccine.

Notes:
The birth anniversary of 11th President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, October 15 has been recognised by the United Nations to be celebrated as World Students’ Day.
Recently, the country remembered the Missile Man of India on his fifth death anniversary, on July 27. While addressing students at Indian Institute of Management Shillong, the former President died of cardiac arrest.

Notes:
As per the latest United Nations policy brief on’COVID-19 in an Urban World’, the capital city of India New Delhi has witnessed a drop in levels of nitrogen dioxide by more than 70%, during lock-down.
The UN also highlighted that if the cities re-open without policies to prevent air pollution and promote de-carbonisation, this environmental gains could only be temporary. It also said that urban areas are the epicentre of the pandemic, with estimated 90 per cent of all reported cases.