Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2020

Notes:
The evacuation exercise of India, considered to be one of the largest, has been named the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’, will engage about 64 flights to bring home Indian nationals stranded abroad.
Several countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, UK, Singapore and the US will be covered. In the first week of repatriation, the Gulf countries will be focussed. The highest number of flights to bring back people, were allotted for the states of Kerala (15), Tamil Nadu (11) and Delhi (11).

Notes:
The new Prime Minister of Iraq, Mustafa al-Kadhimi assumed office after the country’s parliament approved a new government. The parliament also approved 15 ministers in a vote of confidence and seven ministries including Foreign affairs and Oil were left empty.
There has been political crisis for more than six months in the country. The two previous nominees for the role of prime minister, Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi and Adnan al-Zurfi failed to secure the required support from cabinet ministers.

Notes:
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently inaugurated the strategically important Ghatiabagar-Lipulekh motor road.
The road connects the last Indian post on the Indo-China border in Uttarakhand’s Vyas valley. The construction of the road commenced in 2008 and was scheduled to be completed in 2013, but it was delayed due to the tough terrain. The Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra from Lipulekh pass is more convenient for pilgrims, after the road has been commissioned.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath has recently launched the ‘Pravasi Rahat Mitra’ application, which aims at incoming aiding migrant citizens.
The application has been developed by the state revenue department in collaboration with United Nation Development Program. The application collects data of the migrant workers, which will be used in formulating programs for employment and livelihood of these citizens. The application will also monitor their health status.

Notes:
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR through its flagship New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) programme has approved a project towards development of human monoclonal antibodies (hmAbs).
The antibodies can neutralize the mutated virus SARS-CoV-2 and could be used for fighting future SARS-CoV infections. The team that is going to develop the therapeutic antibodies comprises of academic institutes and industries.

Notes:
Recently, about 2 Crore Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings walked into the sea from Odisha’s coast. The turtles settle at the Gahirmatha and Rushikulya rookery in the state and lay eggs every year.
Several lakhs of turtles lay eggs on the coast, in a phenomenon called Arribada. These hatchlings will grow up and said to return to the same place for laying their eggs. The turtles get their name from the colour of its olive-green shell. As per the World Wildlife Fund, they are the most abundant of all sea turtles but they are vulnerable because they nest in only a few places.

Notes:
Pune-based National Institute of Virology under the Indian Council of Medical Research has successfully developed the first indigenous antibody detection kit for Covid-19 named ‘Covid Kavach Elisa’.
Technically, it is an anti-SARS-CoV-2 human IgG ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test kit for detecting coronavirus. As per the Union Health Ministry, the kit can test up to 90 samples together in 2.5 hours. This is expected to ramp up the testing speed in the country.

Notes:
The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) recently announced a research collaboration with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL) to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
The virus stains that had been isolated at the National Institute of Virology, Pune (an ICMR institute), have been transferred to the Biotech firm. The ICMR and BBIL will seek approvals to speed-up vaccine development, subsequent animal studies and clinical evaluation of the indigenous vaccine.

Notes:
A team of astronomers using the Chile-based La Silla Observatory of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has recently discovered the nearest black hole from Earth.
This triple-structure black hole named as HR 6819, is located just 1000 light-years from Earth. Unlike the other black holes that have been detected till date, HR 6819 does not actively interfere with their surroundings. The team was able to distinguish its existence and measure its mass.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank recently launched the Central University of Odisha Helpline ‘Bharosa’, through a virtual platform in New Delhi.
The helpline has been launched with an aim of assisting the student community during the difficult time of COVID-19 pandemic. The Helpline Number 080 46 80 10 10, aims at redressing grievances and providing services to all the students of the University.