Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2021

Notes:
The Prime Minister-designate of Lebanon Saad Hariri has stepped down from the post since he has failed to form a responsible government in the country for the last 8 months.
He resigned from the position, after meeting the country’s President Michel Aoun. It is said that the PM refused to accept the amendments proposed by President Michel Aoun on the latest cabinet lines proposed by the PM.

Notes:
The Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy – Shri R.K. Singh has launched an initiative named NEERMAN Awards, which stands for “National Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Movement towards Affordable & Natural Habitat”.
This initiative has been announced as a part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’ and is aimed to encourage exceptionally efficient building designs that comply with BEE’s Energy Conservation Building Codes.

Notes:
Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) is located in the state of Telangana. The Telangana Forest Department have recently identified 14 tigers in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) during the 2020-2021 annual estimation and monitoring exercise.
During the previous survey conducted in 2019-2020, 12 tigers were identified. Of the 14 tigers, five are male, seven are female and two could not be classified. Also, there might be more big cats in the reserve that are yet to be identified. Spotted deer and wild boar are found most in the reserve.

Notes:
As per the recent data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN children’s agency UNICEF, India recorded the greatest increase in the world in the number of children who didn’t receive the first dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis combined vaccine in 2020.
The data highlights that 23 million children globally missed the basic vaccines through routine immunisation services in 2020, due to disruptions caused by COVID-19.

Notes:
July 18 is celebrated as Nelson Mandela International Day marking his birth date. He is known and remembered all over the world for his efforts to promote peace and reconciliation.
He became the first Black President of South Africa and was awarded the Noble Prize for Peace in the year 1993. The South African anti-apartheid revolutionary served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Notes:
Bashar al-Assad has won the recent election held in Syria and has sworn in as the President of the country for the 4th time. He has been serving as the 19th president of Syria since 17 July 2000. He would serve as the President for a seven-year term.
He has won the recent elections with more than 95% votes favouring him, while his opponents claim the election to be illegitimate.

Notes:
The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully flight tested indigenously developed low weight, fire and forget Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM).
The DRDO also successfully flight tested the New Generation Akash Missile (Akash-NG), a surface to air missile, from Integrated Test Range (ITR) off the coast of Odisha.

Notes:
Ariel Henry was recently appointed as the new Prime Minister of Haiti, amid political turmoil caused by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon and former cabinet minister was chosen as Prime Minister by the President, days before he was assassinated at his home. Ariel Henry will lead the nation until a new President is chosen in an election scheduled in September.

Notes:
A pair of rare Chrysilla volupe spiders was recently spotted at Puttenahalli lake in Kerala. The Chrysilla volupe was believed to be extinct for 150 years, until it was discovered at the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) in 2018.
The spider belongs to the family of jumping spiders (Salticidae). Male spiders are 5.44 mm long including stretched legs and 1.76 mm wide. They have a upper skin in reddish orange colour with two shining blue stripes. Females measure 2.61 mm long and 0.88 mm wide, and have a greyish upper skin with grey eyebrows with yellow legs.

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.