Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2021

Notes:
Rashad Hussain is an American attorney, diplomat and professor. He has been nominated as the Ambassador-at Large for International Religious Freedom by Joe Biden, the President of USA. Rashad Hussain is Director for Partnerships and Global Engagement at the National Security Council.
He previously served as Senior Counsel at the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. He served as U.S. Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), U.S Special Envoy for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications and Deputy Associate White House Counsel.

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On August 1, 2021, Ismail Haniyeh was re-elected as leader of the Palestinian Islamist group ‘Hamas’. He is the chief of Hamas since 2017. He is a senior political leader of Hamas and he became the prime minister of Palestinian National Authority in 2006 after  Palestinian legislative elections. He has earlier controlled the political activities of Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the diaspora largely from outside Gaza, splitting his time between Turkey and Qatar for the past two years.
Hamas is a Palestinian militant and nationalist organization which rules the Gaza strip and has fought violent conflicts with Israel. It was founded in 1987. Its headquarter is in Gaza, a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

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Anshuman Rath, the Zonal Deputy Commissioner of Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation (South-east zone) said that Bhubaneshwar has become the first city to achieve 100% Covid-19 Vaccination. Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation (BMC) launched a massive vaccination drive against Covid-19. The officials said that they had set a target to complete vaccination in a specific timeline. They made different categories of people who are above 18 years like front-like workers, health workers, 18-44 age group, people above 45 years of age. They achieved this target by July 31.

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Shri Bhupendra Singh, Madhya Pradesh Urban Development and Housing Minister launched “Ek Mask-Anek Zindagi” public awareness campaign on August 1, 2021. The campaign will end on August 15, 2021.
The main idea behind the initiation of this campaign is to spread awareness about wearing masks as an preventive step towards controlling the spread of Covid-19. Mask Banks will be established under this scheme where people can donate new masks for poor and needy people. Citizens can donate mask or funds with the help of NGOs also.

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Marcell Jacobs won a gold medal in a 100m race at the Tokyo Olympics on August 1, 2021. He completed the race in 9.80 seconds and became the first Italian man to win an Olympic medal in a 100m race. He also set a European record in 100m race by finishing the race in 9.80 seconds. He is an Italian sprinter and long jumper. He won the 60metres title during the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships.

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World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is organised annually by World Health Organisation (WHO), World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) , United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). The Breastfeeding week is marked every year from August 1 to August 8 i.e. the first week of August. The main motive of World Breastfeeding Week is to raise awareness on the importance of breastfeeding for mothers and infants. The theme of 2021 is “Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility”.
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) was founded on 14 February 1999 by Anwar Fazal. Its headquarter is located in Penang (Malaysia).

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A core committee meeting was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat to review the progress of the vaccination programme across the state. As per the meeting reports, Gujarat is on the top position in terms of vaccinations per million people.
Officials said that about 5 lakh 17 thousand people have been vaccinated in the state against the population of ten lakhs. More than 3.32 crore doses of vaccines have been administered under state wide vaccination drive. In the month of July, more than 75 lakh vaccinations have been done.

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PhonePe became the first digital investment platform to launch UPI based AutoPay functionality for its Mutual Fund (MF) Systematic Investment Plans ( SIP) and offerings in India. The UPI AutoPay function will be available for existing as well as new investors on PhonePe app.
SIP is an investment route offered by Mutual Funds. In SIP, one can invest a fixed amount in a Mutual fund scheme according to their will at regular intervals.
SIPs are open-ended. Customers can initiate, pause, restart and terminate SIP at any time.
PhonePe  was founded in 2015 and was later acquired by Flipkart in 2016. Its headquarter is in Mumbai and Sameer Nigam is the current CEO of PhonePe.

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The Italian luxury brand ‘Bvlgari’ has appointed Priyanka Chopra Jonas as the global brand ambassador.
Bvlgari is known for its gemstone jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories and leather goods. Priyanka Chopra Jonas will support the Roman high jewellery house and promote brand around the world. The main focus will be on themes of women empowerment, diversity and inclusion.
Bulgari / Bvlgari was founded in 1884 by Sotirios Voulgaris.  Its headquarter is located in Rome, Italy. The current CEO of this brand is Jean-Christophe Babin.

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Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) has launched ‘Golden Residency Services’ to facilitate issuance of golden visa to doctors residing in UAE.  They will get a 10-year residency visa. The decision was taken to commend doctors for their contribution to the society during the Corona pandemic. The facilities will be provided according to the instructions of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai.