Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2020

Notes:
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital is to organise an online international conference on ‘Aerosol Air Quality, Climate Change and Impact on Water Resources and Livelihoods in the Greater Himalayas’.
ARIES, an autonomous research institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) is organising the conference along with Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University between 14th -16th September 2020.

Notes:
A team of scientists of Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune has discovered Ultra Violet light originating from a galaxy named AUDFs01 which is 9.3 billion light years away from Earth.
The UV light was detected by India’s first multi wavelength satellite “Astrosat”. This discovery was made by the team of scientists, led by Dr Kanak Saha.

Notes:
The country’s longest river crossing ropeway has been built and opened across river Brahmaputra.
It is a 1.8 km long ropeway built across the river extending from central to northern Guwahati. It will reduce the time of travel to 8 minutes. The cost of the project is Rs.56 crore and has been completed after 11 years of starting the work.

Notes:
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has launched a new insurance product for pet animals, called ‘Bajaj Allianz Pet Dog Insurance Policy’.
This is said to be the first and only retail comprehensive pet insurance cover for pet dogs. It will provide a complete coverage to all breeds of pet animals over their life time from 3 months to 10 years. It also covers the treatment costs of specified diseases or deaths due to illness.

Notes:
The State Government of Andhra Pradesh headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced that Rs.22,000 crore worth residential building sites would be registered to 30 lakh women belonging to weaker sections of the state.
The Government is the process of marking layouts and selection of beneficiaries for the house sites. After favourable verdict from the Supreme Court, the state will distribute the sites.

Notes:
Hong Kong based Private Equity (PE) firm – PAG, has announced a strategic investment worth Rs.2244 crore in Edelweiss Financial Services.
PAG, formerly called Pacific Alliance Group would acquire 51% stake that means a controlling stake in wealth management, investment banking biz of Edelweiss. PAG is one among the largest Asia-focused alternative asset management firm.

Notes:
The United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivered the 19th Darbari Seth Memorial lecture, organised by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
The UN Secretary General delivered the lecture titled ‘The rise of renewables: shining a light on a sustainable future’. He called India and other G20 countries to invest in clean and sustainable systems after the world recovers from Covid-19 pandemic.

Notes:
The World Bank releases the ‘Ease of doing business’ report, to rank 190 countries on the basis of their measures to promote trade.
Recently, the World Bank announced that it has paused the publication of the report amidst concerns of Data manipulation. A Wall Street Journal report said that data of four countries including and the UAE is said to have been allegedly altered.

Notes:
Every year, International Day against Nuclear Tests is observed on 29th August.
A resolution in this regard was first adopted by the United Nations on 2nd December 2009. The resolution calls for creating awareness about the effects of nuclear weapon test and the need to end them for creating a nuclear weapon free world.

Notes:
Using the Hubble Space Telescope of NASA, scientists have discovered immense envelope of gas called halo which surrounds the Andromeda galaxy.
Scientists have stated that the reservoir of gas contains fuel for future star formation within the galaxy. This nearly invisible Halo of diffuse plasma extends 1.3 million light-years from the galaxy, about half way into the Milky Way galaxy.