Daily GK & Current Affairs Quiz – 15th July 2020

• Correct Answer: D. China

  Explanation: Iran and China have drafted an economic and security partnership that would allow for billions of dollars in Chinese investments in energy and other sectors – including the military – despite the Trump administration’s efforts to isolate Tehran from the global economy. In exchange for this investment, Iran would supply Beijing with a heavily discounted supply of oil over the next 25 years. China is a key market for Iranian crude oil exports, which have been dampened by US economic sanctions imposed after Washington’s 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with Tehran.

  Iran has dropped India from Chabahar rail project which comprises rail line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, along the border with Afghanistan. The Iranian government cited delays from the Indian side in funding and starting the project, for its decision of dropping India from the project. Now, Iranian Railways will go ahead without India’s assistance and utilize around $400 million from the Iranian National Development Fund. ​

Correct Answer – C. Lee Hsien Loong

Explanation: Lee Hsien Loong has become the Prime Minister of Singapore after the ruling People’s Action Party won the General Elections held in the country. PAP won 83 of the 93 seats contested in General Election. With this, Lee Hsien Loong has won a fourth term as the Prime Minister of Singapore. Lee Hsien Loong is the 3rd Prime Minister of Singapore. The People’s Action Party is the ruling party in Singapore since independence in 1965. The General Elections held in Singapore are the only elections in South-East Asia, undertaken amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Correct Answer – C. Rs 75,000 crore

Explanation: Google CEO, Sundar Pichai has announced a $10 billion for “GoogleForIndia Digitisation Fund”. Under the fund, Google will invest roughly Rs 75,000 crore in India over the next 5-7 years. The investment will be done through a mix of equity investments, partnerships and operational infrastructure in ecosystem investments.

Google will focus on the following four areas of investment:

• Affordable access to Indian languages.
• Building new products and services unique to India.
• Empowering business.
• Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in health, education and agriculture.

In a separate announcement made at the Google-for-India event, the company will partner with 1 million teachers across 22,000 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools by December-end.

Correct Answer – B. Federal Bank

Explanation:  Visa, a global leader in payments technology has tied-up with Federal Bank to launch “Visa Secure” to the bank’s cardholders. “Visa Secure” is a modernized technology that provides a quicker and frictionless checkout experience to the consumers. Adoption of new improved technology will enable the bank to focus on customer-centric digital solutions that make online shopping experiences seamless. Visa Secure is a global authentication program which is built on EMVCo 3DS (3D Secure) 2.0 protocol. It offers additional layers of authentication for issuers and merchants and hence makes e-commerce more secure while reducing customer friction at point of purchase. The technology also offers smoother and more consistent user experiences to the consumers across multiple payment channels such as mobile, web, in-app, and connected devices.

Correct Answer – D. – 4.5 per cent

Explanation: Industry body Ficci on Sunday said its Economic Outlook Survey has projected the country’s annual median GDP growth for 2020-21 at (-) 4.5 per cent. With the rapid spread of COVID-19 pandemic manifesting into an economic and healthcare crisis globally, the latest forecast marks a sharp downward revision from the growth estimate of 5.5 per cent reported in the January 2020 survey.

Correct Answer – B. Andrzej Duda

Explanation: Andrzej Duda has been re-elected as the President of Poland. He won the presidential elections recently held in Poland after winning 51.21% of the votes, defeating the opposition candidate, liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski who got 48.79% votes. Andrzej Duda’s victory in the presidential election will ensure three years of uninterrupted rule by his conservative Law and Justice party (PiS). Andrzej Duda won the Poland’s presidential election in year 2015, when he defeated the incumbent Bronislaw Komorowski.

Correct Answer – C. Jharkhand

Explanation: Jharkhand government signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with HDFC Bank to provide digital payment solutions to the state’s transport department.

Correct Answer – B. India

Explanation: 4th edition of India’s 2018 Tiger census sets new Guinness World Record for being largest camera trap wildlife survey because the census had installed more cameras to monitor the tigers as compared to other countries. As per the census, in 2018, India had doubled the tiger population before 4 years of the target year, 2022 through the Sankalp Se Siddhi programme. As of now 75 per cent of the global tiger population are in India.

Correct Answer – D. Edappadi K Palaniswami

Explanation:  Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami has honoured with Paul Harris Fellow recognition by Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, Chicago. The person recognised as the fellow will receive a certificate along with a lapel pin. They are also eligible to buy a Paul Harris Fellow medallion.

The Paul Harris Fellow recognition is conferred to honour the efficient service of people who provide drinking water, sanitation, prevention of diseases, environment, world peace etc. to its people. It also acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of USD 1,000 to The Rotary Foundation.

Correct Answer – D. Institute for Human Development

Explanation: Institute for Human Development (IHD), an Indian non-profit institution conferred with ‘Development Marketplace Award 2020:Innovations to Address Gender-Based Violence’ from World Bank Group and Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) for the project alcohol, intimate partner violence and household economy: an assessment of liquor ban in Bihar. Apart from India, other 8 non-profit organizations from various countries have received this award.

Correct Answer – B. China

Explanation: China successfully launched “APSTAR-6D” telecommunication satellite via a Long March 3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center. China Academy of Space Technology has developed the commercial satellite ‘APSTAR-6D’. APSTAR-6D marked the 18th Rocket Launched by China in the year 2020.

About telecommunication satellite “APSTAR-6D” :

• The APSTAR-6D satellite was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology Corp.(CASC), a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. The satellite was purchased by APT Mobile SatCom Limited in 2016.
• The satellite aims to provide high-speed communications with a capacity of almost 50 gigabytes/sec. APSTAR-6D is a part of Chin’s First Global High-Throughput Broadband Satellite Communication System.
• It is expected to last about 15 years in space in geostationary orbit, as part of a broadband satellite communications system serving the Asia-Pacific region.

Correct Answer – D. Kezang D Thongdok

Explanation: Arunachal Pradesh filmmaker Kezang D Thongdok has bagged the Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2020 for a short documentary “Chi Lupo“. Chi Lupo, documented by Kezang D Thongdok is a short documentary on honey hunting. Chi Lupo sketches the tradition of honey hunting practised in the Shertukpen community in which “Chi” means honey while “Lipo” means hunters. This age-old tradition of honey hunting is slowly slithering away with each passing day. To keep this tradition of indigenous practice of honey hunting alive, Kezang D Thongdok documented the age old tradition of honey hunting.

Correct Answer – B. Lewis Hamilton

Explanation:  Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Britain) has won the Styrian Grand Prix 2020 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland) finished second while Max Verstappen ( Red Bull- Belgium) was third. It was the second race of the 2020 Formula One World Championship and the first running of the Styrian Grand Prix.

Correct Answer: C. Ruskin Bond

Explanation: The book titled ‘A Song of India’ authored by Ruskin Bond to be released on July 20, 2020. This book will mark the 70th year of the author’s literary career. The book has been published by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House India. The new book is the fourth instalment in his memoir series after “Looking for the Rainbow” (2017), “Till the Clouds Roll By” (2017) and “Coming Round the Mountain” (2019). In ‘A Song of India’, Ruskin Bond tells the story of his 16-year-old self and how he was struggling to begin his writing journey before he became a successful author.