Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2020

Notes:
Major technology company IBM has dropped facial recognition software amid racial profiling concerns.
The Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna has notified the US Congress that IBM is not offering its the general-purpose facial recognition or analysis software any more. It also firmly opposes the technology that is used for mass surveillance, racial profiling and violations of basic human rights.

Notes:
India’s leading digital payments platform PhonePe has partnered with ICICI Lombard to launch the first-of-its kind domestic multi-trip insurance cover.
This comprehensive insurance cover has been exclusively made available for the users of PhonePe. It provides affordable annual insurance cover for unlimited trips. Under this feature, there is no need to insure every trip separately unlike traditional insurance products.

Notes:
The United States Department of State releases the annual ‘International Religious Freedom Report’, in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
The report submitted to the US Congress, describes the status of religious freedom in every country. It was in news because the report raised concerns over the religious freedom of India. The report also mentioned about the revocation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir and the parliamentary approval of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Notes:
Spain has recently granted professional status to women’s football. As per the Spanish federation, the top two women’s football divisions in Spain have gained professional status.
This decision is expected to promote the development of these competitions which were considered amateur football, until now. The sports council of the country also accepted the change in status for the competitions and it will also be valid for men’s and women’s futsal competitions of the country.

Notes:
The Coral Triangle Day is held every June 9 across the world. Coral Triangle is the ocean spread across 6 countries in the Asia-Pacific region: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste, also called the “CT6” countries.
The day is celebrated by all countries which are benefitted by the rich marine resources of the Coral Triangle. It is also one of the 3 great ecological complexes in our planet, along with the Congo Basin and the Amazon Rainforest.

Notes:
A Central Public Sector Enterprise Under Department of Fertilizers, National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) has tied up with Industrial Training Institutes located near to its plants to train youth in several trades.
The partnership is expected to upskill the youth and to enhance their employability in heavy industries. NFL becomes first CPSE to start this initiative in Punjab, by signing an MoU with ITI, Nangal. The students will be trained under Dual System of Training Scheme where they will learn both theoretical skills and on-the-job training in Nangal plant.

Notes:
Veteran economist and former member of the Planning Commission, A.Vaidyanathan recently passed away.
He served as a Chairperson of the Government of India Task Force on Revival of Cooperative Credit Institutions in 2004. He joined the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in 1956. He also served in the Food and Agricultural Organisation, Rome. He played a crucial role in developing India’s statistical system and the National Sample Survey.

Notes:
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has submitted a mid-term report to the United Nations on the human rights situation in the country.
This is the first time NHRC is submitting the report mid time, in which is highlighted the policies of the government on climate change, rights of women, children, disabled and the elderly. NHRC also informed that the Government of India is actively considering the proposal of a Universal Basic income (UBI).

Notes:
Technology Major Amazon banned Police from using its facial recognition software “Rekognition”, for a year, amid the nation-wide protests in the United States.
The use of facial recognition systems has faced criticism for incorrectly identifying people with darker skin. Though law enforcement agencies use facial recognition only to identify suspects, the critics say it can be misused. Earlier, IBM revoked its facial recognition software. Microsoft also joined the companies in banning Police use its recognition software.

Notes:
World Day Against Child Labour is celebrated on 12 June, every year. This year, the theme of the World Day against Child Labour 2020 is ‘COVID-19: Protect children from child labour, now more than ever’.
The event focusses on the impact of child labour crisis. Due to the prevalent Covid-19 pandemic, this is conducted as a virtual campaign. It is being organized jointly with the Global March Against Child Labour and the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture (IPCCLA).