Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2021

Notes:
The India-Russia joint military training Exercise INDRA 2021 commenced at Prudboy Ranges, Volgograd on 4th August, 2021 with an opening ceremony that saw the unfurling of the national flags of both the countries. An official release stated that exercise INDRA 2021 will enhance interoperability between the Indian and Russian Armies.

Notes:
Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain won the bronze medal in women’s welterweight (69 kg) category at the Tokyo Olympics on 4th August, 2021. The 23-year-old from Assam lost the semi-final to Turkey’s Busenaz Surmeneli.

Notes:
Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal (ACM) R.K.S. Bhadauria arrived in Israel to discuss enhancement of bilateral exchanges between the air forces of the two countries. He reached Israel on an invitation from Maj Gen Amikam Norkin, Cdr Israel Air Force. He is in Israel after a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Notes:
The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed in the Lok Sabha on 6th August, 2021. The bill seeks to do away with the contentious retrospective tax provision. The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill proposes to amend the Income Tax Act, 1961 to provide that no tax demand shall be raised in the future on the basis of the retrospective amendment for any indirect transfer of Indian assets if the transaction was undertaken before May 28, 2012. Pranab Mukherjee was the finance minister when retrospective tax provision was included in 2012.

Notes:
On 7th August, 2021 Rekha Sharma was reappointed as the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women for another 3-year term w.e.f. 07.08.2021, or till the age of 65 years or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.

Notes:
A 101 member contingent of the Indian Army will proceed to Russia to participate in International Army Games – 2021 from 22nd August to 4th September, 2021. The contingent will participate in Army Scout Masters Competition (ASMC), Polar Star, Elbrus Ring, Sniper Frontier and Safe Route games showcasing various drills in operations in snow, High Altitude Area terrain, sniper actions, combat engineering skills in obstacle ridden terrain. The contingent will also contribute two observers (one each) for the Falcon Hunting and Open Water games in which Pontoon Bridge laying and UAV crew skills will be showcased by the participating teams. The Indian Army contingent has been selected out of the best from various arms after three levels of screening.

Notes:
China made its newly constructed terminal operational at Lhasa airport in Tibet. This new terminal is the biggest terminal in Tibet opened to further expand the transport infrastructure in strategic Himalayan region. It will help Tibet to emerge as a global logistics hub for South Asia. New terminal would give a significant boost to passenger and cargo transport. Airport expansion project was completed at the cost of USD 603 million. It will help Tibet in becoming a global logistics hub for South Asia.

Notes:
A bill seeking to abolish as many as nine appellate tribunals, including the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), was approved by Parliament with the Rajya Sabha passing the proposed legislation on August 9, 2021. The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2021, was approved by Lok Sabha on August 3. As per the statement of objects and reasons of the bill, all cases pending before such tribunals or authorities will be transferred to the Commercial Court or High Court. The legislation also provides for uniform terms and conditions of service for chairperson and members of various tribunals.

Notes:
Bearing testimony to the growing defence ties between India and Saudi Arabia, INS KOCHI, the flagship destroyer of Indian Western Naval Fleet, arrived at Port Al-Jubail on August, 2021. The visit by the ship heralds a new chapter in the bilateral defence ties with the commencement of the harbour phase of first Naval Exercise between the two countries – ‘AL-MOHED AL-HINDI 2021’, according to a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.

Notes:
Indian and American bodies have signed an agreement on monsoon data analysis and cooperation to improve weather forecasts in the region. The agreement was signed by India’s National Institute of Ocean Technology Director, G.A. Ramadass and the U.S. Assistant Administrator for Research and Acting Chief Scientist, Craig McLean of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As a result of this, the two bodies would enhance technical cooperation in the development of the Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (RAMA) and the Ocean Moored buoy Network in the northern Indian ocean (OMNI) for improving weather and monsoon forecasts between NOAA of US and India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences.