Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2020

Notes:
The World Bank recently warned that 60 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty in 2020, after Covid-19 crisis.
The World Bank President David Malpass released analytical chapters from its flagship Global Economic Prospects report. He urged the countries to implement comprehensive policies to boost long-term growth and to address immediate health emergencies. The estimates are likely to increase further.

Notes:
Major technology company Microsoft has announced the launch of a programme named “Microsoft for Agritech Startups”.
The programme is to focus on the start-ups that are committed to driving transformation in agriculture. The programme seeks to assist start-ups in building industry-specific solutions, access to deep technology and markets. The selected start-ups can also get access to Azure FarmBeats, an aggregation platform available in Azure Marketplace.

Notes:
Ordnance Factory Board, which functions under the Ministry of Defence, recently bagged Rs 1,094 crore order from Defence Ministry to make 156 Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICVs).
The Infantry Combat Vehicles with upgraded features are to be developed for the use of Indian Army. As per the official statement, the ICVs will be manufactured by Ordnance Factory in Telangana. The vehicles, which will be highly mobile, will also be powered with high-powered engines.

Notes:
Veteran filmmaker and screen-writer Basu Chatterjee, passed away recently due to age related illness, at 93 years.
The film maker was known for his critically acclaimed films such as ‘Chhoti Si Baat’, ‘Baaton Baaton Mein’, ‘Ek Ruka Hua Faisla’ and ‘Rajnigandha’ among others. He was famous among the middle-class audience in the 70s for his unique film -making.

Notes:
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) recently released the State of India’s Birds report. As per the report, 15 bird species of Kerala have been flagged among ‘species of concern’.
The bird species on the list include Banasura, Ashambu laughingthrushes, White-bellied Sholakili, Broad-tailed grassbird, Nilgiri thrush, Nilgiri pipit and White-rumped vulture among others. The authorities said that the entry of two bird species- Heart-spotted woodpecker and Forest wagtail is more concerning.

Notes:
A tropical storm named Cristobal has been formed in the southern Gulf of Mexico. A heavy flood threat has been announced for Mexico.
Earlier in the year 2016, a tropical storm named Colin formed in the Gulf. As per the warning from the U.S. National Hurricane Center, the storm is expected to dip near the flood-prone city of Ciudad del Carmen and then make a northward turn and head towards the U.S. Gulf coast. It was formed from the miscellanies of the recent Tropical Storm Amanda.

Notes:
American private space company SpaceX has recently launched 60 new internet satellites into orbit using Falcon 9 rocket.
Only before some days, billionaire Elon Musk owned SpaceX has sent two NASA astronauts to International Space Station, thereby becoming the first private firm to send astronauts to space on Falcon-9 rocket. This is the 8th batch of satellites and the total number of Starlink constellation of satellites is 482, as of now.

Notes:
United Kingdom recently hosted the Global Vaccine Summit, which was held virtually due to the restrictions involved amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the conference and pledged $15-million as India’s contribution to the vaccines alliance GAVI. The British Prime Minister earlier urged all nations to pledge funds for vaccinations to save the lives of people across the world from outbreaks of infectious diseases in future.

Notes:
Leading Private sector bank of India, Axis Bank has recently partnered with Mastercard India and payment service provider, Worldline India to launch a digital point-of-sale solution named as ‘Soft POS’.
The solution aims to assist offline merchants and local kirana stores in accepting payments using their smartphones, through several digital form factors including Bharat QR, sending payment links to customers etc. It can accept NFC-based payments to boost contactless payments in the country and features like e-Khata for reconciliations.

Notes:
The Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, R K Singh launched the ‘#iCommit’ campaign, on the occasion of World Environment Day.
The initiative aims to bring together all stake holders including Governments, Corporates, several organisations, Think Tanks and Individuals and create a robust and sustainable energy system in the future. The campaign is led by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), under the administration of Ministry of Power.