Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2021

Notes:
Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who is a Pulitzer Prize awardee for the year 2018, was killed in Afghanistan at Kandahar, while covering the escalating conflict in Afghanistan. He is known for his breath-taking images of wars, riots and human suffering across the globe.
He was reportedly killed while covering the clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters, near the Pakistan border.

Notes:
Two world former champions Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik played at the finals of Sparkassen Trophy at Dortmund, during which Viswanathan Anand defeated Vladimir Kramnik to win the trophy.
Viswanathan Anand is an India chess champion, who became a grand master as early as 1988. Also, he is one of the few in the world to surpass Elo rating of 2800.

Notes:
The Government has launched the National Logistics Excellence Awards. The awards are in two categories, the first group includes logistics infrastructure/service providers and second one is for various user industries.
Organisations will be invited to submit entries through the Ministry of commerce and industry website. Shortlisted entrants will present their case to a National Jury panel, and the winners will be announced on 31 October 2021

Notes:
The Ministry of Tourism has formulated a Draft National Strategy and Roadmap for Development of Rural Tourism in India – An initiative towards Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The Ministry has also invited feedback from all the State Governments/UT Administrations regarding the policy. The strategy focusses on new ideas like Digital technologies, Developing clusters among others. It has also identified Rural Circuit as one of the thematic circuits under Swadesh Darshan Scheme.

Notes:
Rural teacher-turned-politician Pedro Castillo became the winner of Peru’s presidential election. He is said to be the first peasant to become the President of the country,
He defeated right-wing politician Keiko Fujimori, who was backed by traditional elites, by just 44,000 votes. Peru is the world’s second-largest copper producer and its economy is devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, increasing the poverty level to almost one-third of the population.

Notes:
The Assam Cabinet announced that Gaon Buras, village-level functionaries of the district administration, will hereefter be called ‘Gaon Pradhans’.
The British appointed the oldest person in the village as the head, who would oversee matters relating to land and revenue. They were called as ‘Gaon Bura’ in Assam. As several youngsters are becoming the village-level functionaries, Bura (meaning Old in Assamese) has been replaced.

Notes:
As of February 2026, India’s foreign exchange reserves totaled USD 717.064 billion. Foreign currency assets comprised USD 570.053 billion, making it the largest component. Gold reserves accounted for USD 123.476 billion. Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) were USD 18.821 billion, while the reserve position with the IMF stood at USD 4.715 billion. FCAs are held in major international currencies.

Notes:
The remains of a collapsed underwater volcano, resembling “Eye of Sauron” from the fantasy series “The Lord of the Rings,” have been discovered in the Indian Ocean.
Two other seafloor structures named after places in Tolkien’s Middle-earth were also identified. The eye is actually an oval-shaped depression measuring 6.2 kilometers long by 4.8 km wide. Called as a ‘Caldera’, this giant structure is left over from the ancient collapse of a deep-sea volcano. It is located 280 km southeast of Christmas Island, an Australian external territory, at a depth of 10,170 feet.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation launched a customised space-themed merchandise programme. Recently eight companies have registered for partnership with ISRO, to undertake this programme.
Interested persons will be able to purchase authorised products related to ISROs missions and work, such as scale models, T-shirts, space-themed educational games, science toys, among others. This brand promotion exercise will create awareness and interest among students, children and public, in space science and technology.

Notes:
Indian Naval Ship Tabar arrived at St Petersburg to participate in the 325th Navy Day celebrations of the Russian Navy.
INS Tabar is a Talwar-class stealth frigate and is a part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet, based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command. During the stay at St Petersburg, the crew of Tabar will participate in various bilateral interactions with the Russian Navy.