Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2020

Notes:
India and Maldives have recently signed an agreement for establishment of ‘Emergency Medical Services’ in the capital of Maldives, Male.
India is set to grant assistance of around 20 million US dollars to Maldives for this project. India has been assisting the country in several small and medium projects. This medical service facility will ensure quality emergency care during critical times.

Notes:
European Union leaders have approved 1.82 trillion-euro (approximately 2.1 trillion) budget after discussions of four days at a Summit held in Brussels.
The EU also finalised a 750-billion-euro coronavirus recovery fund, which is sent to be provided as loans and grants to the member countries that are hardly hit by the coronavirus. The grants were finalised at a total of 390 billion euros.

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:
The Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently signed an order that bans all imports of wildlife either dead or alive including eggs and larvae.
The order also includes tougher penalties for crimes involving the trade in wildlife. Amidst the coronavirus spread, this ban has been imposed in Vietnam, which is a popular destination for endangered wildlife products used in medicine or cuisine.

Notes:
The Siachen Glacier, which is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas is the world’s largest non-polar glacier.
The glacier is currently a part of the union territory of Ladakh. Recently, the Indian Army announced that it will issue permits for civilian trips to its Siachen Base Camp and Kumar post in Ladakh. It is also claimed to be the highest battlefield.

Notes:
The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) is to set up its own Cotton warehouse in Vietnam, to boost Exports.
A government-to-government Memorandum of Understanding is also being prepared to export 1.5-2 million bales of cotton to Bangladesh. CCI holds surplus stocks of cotton before the next harvest season and this plan has been made.

Notes:
According to the recently released United Nations World Wildlife Crime Report, India and Thailand supplied highest illegal tiger products in the world.
It also highlighted that the biggest destination of the tiger parts was China, followed by Thailand and Vietnam. The most valuable body part of the tigers is their bones which are used to treat bone and ligament injuries in humans.

Notes:
During the Saint Petersburg declaration on tiger conservation that was signed by Tiger range countries in 2010, it was decided to celebrate 29th July as Global Tiger Day across the world.
The countries had pledged to double the tiger population by the year 2022. Global Tiger Day aims to create awareness on tiger conservation. Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has released the All India Tiger Estimation Report-2018 and said that India has nearly 70 per cent of the global tiger population.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth will jointly inaugurate the new Supreme Court building of Maldives.
The new building located in Port Louis has been built with the financial assistance of India. It is one among the five projects implemented under a USD 353-million special economic package provided by India in 2016.

Notes:
The government has recently notified changes in the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms on civil aviation.
As per the amendments, it will permit Non-resident Indian (NRI) nationals to own 100 per cent stake of Air India. The divestment process for the national carrier, Air India was initiated in the month of January and the deadline to bid has been for three times. Recently, the deadline was extended till August 31.