Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
Grand Renaissance Dam is a Hydroelectric power plant being constructed in Ethiopia since 2011. The dam formerly known as the Millennium Dam, is in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the Blue Nile river of Ethiopia.
The construction has been in conflict as Sudan and Egypt fear that the hydroelectric dam could lead to water shortage in their countries. But Ethiopia insists that the it needs the USD 4 billion dam to generate electricity for its people. Recently, the three countries have accepted to resume talks on the dam.

Notes:
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has recently laid the foundation stone for a Water Supply Project in the state of Manipur.
It is an externally funded project with an outlay of Rs 3054.58 crores with a loan funded by the New Development Bank. The Centre had provided funds under Jal Jeevan Mission for freshwater household tap connections (FHTCs). The project aims to provide FHTCs to remaining households across 16 districts of Manipur.

Notes:
United States President Donald Trump has announced a program named ‘Operation Legend’ in the country.
The plan aims at sending federal agents to more U.S. cities including Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, to take firm action on violent crimes. The federal law enforcement agents will be deployed to assist local police in combatting crimes.

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:
Technology giant Microsoft has partnered with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to set virtual fans in the game stands.
Microsoft will use its newly launched Teams app and 17-foot-tall LED screens to put around 300 virtual fans in the stands of each game. Fans can login the Teams app and use the “Together mode”, which simulates a group of people sitting in a room.

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:
‘Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana’ is a scheme of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for empowering the potters community.
Under the scheme, Training for advanced pottery products and Market linkages are provided through KVIC exhibitions. Recently, the Union Home Minister distributed 100 Electric Potter Wheels to trained artisans in Gandhinagar.

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 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.