Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
The Supreme Court has endorsed the suggestion of the Uttar Pradesh government in the composition of the commission to probe the encounter involving gangster Vikas Dubey and other events leading to his death.
Former judge of the Supreme Court of India, Justice B S Chauhan will head the Commission. Another High Court Judge Shashi Kant Aggarwal and former DGP K.L Gupta will be the members of the commission, which will submit its report in two months.

Notes:
The United States has recently ordered China to close its consulate in Houston. This is a sequel of punitive measures against China including the travel bans, strict registration requirements among others.
The State Department said it ordered the consulate to shut down within 72 hours to protect American intellectual property and the private information of Americans. China has its embassy in Washington, its mission to the United Nations in New York, and consulates in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

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:
E-Commerce Giant Flipkart has announced that it will acquire parent Walmart’s wholesale business, ‘Best Price’.
The loss-ridden cash-and-carry business of Walmart in India is the last part of Walmart to be acquired by Flipkart marking a complete consolidation. This acquisition is expected to help Flipkart to expand its business-to-business vertical.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India has released the ‘Report of the Committee for Analysis of QR (Quick Response) Code’.
The Committee was constituted by RBI in December 2019 under the Chairmanship of Prof. D.B. Phatak, to review the present system of QR Codes in India in digital payments. The report asked the Government to provide incentive schemes to popularise QR code transactions among consumers. It also recommended phasing out proprietary and closed loop QR codes.

Notes:
The Saudi Arabian Oil Company otherwise called as Saudi Aramco is a multinational petroleum and natural gas company. It is the world’s biggest energy firm, with USD 1.75 trillion market capitalization.
Recently, the Reliance Industries surpassed Exxon Mobil Corp. to become the world’s second largest energy company. Reliance has the world’s biggest oil refinery complex. Its market value is USD 189 billion, as on July 27, 2020.

Notes:
The 2023 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup is to be organised in India. ICC has recently launched a 50-over World Cup Super League.
This Qualification league will determine the seven teams in the World Cup. As India is the host, it will automatically qualify to the game. The league will start with a series between England and Ireland, scheduled on July 30.

Notes:
As per the latest report released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), about 403 infrastructure projects are hit by cost overruns of Rs 4.05 lakh crore.
Due to delays and other reasons, the projects each worth Rs 150 crore or more have been affected by overruns. MoSPI monitors infrastructure projects worth Rs 150 crore and above. Out of the 1686 projects, while 403 ones reported cost overruns and 530 projects reported time escalation.

Notes:
IRCTC and SBI Cards & Payment Services have jointly launched their Co-branded Contactless Credit Card on RuPay Platform.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal introduced this new card. The card has several advanced features like Near Field Communication and payback for AC tickets among others. The cards can also be used for retail, dining and entertainment payments.

Notes:
Thudiyurulippara hill in the Pramadom grama panchayat of Kerala has been announced as a biodiversity heritage site.
The Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) has formally announced the ecologically sensitive hill as a biodiversity heritage site on the recommendations of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB). This has been announced on the occasion of World Nature Conservation Day.