Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2021

Notes:
Operation Sankalp was launched by the Indian Navy in June 2019, after there were explosions on board two oil tanker ships in the Gulf of Oman.
As per the official statement of the Indian Navy, the operation has provided safe passage to an average of 16 Indian-flagged merchant vessels in the Gulf region every day. The Indian Navy ship with an integral helicopter has been continuously deployed in the north-west Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf from June 2019.

Notes:
The Indian Navy has received two MH-60R multi-role helicopters from the US. The Indian Navy formally received the choppers from the US Navy in a ceremony held at a naval air station in San Diego.
The helicopters were manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation. They are all-weather helicopters, which are designed to support diverse missions with modern avionics and sensors.

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:
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:
The State Government of Kerala has amended its Dowry Prohibition rules and is set to appoint ‘Dowry prohibition officers’ in all 14 districts of the state.
This move has been made on the backdrop of rising number of dowry related complaints in the state. The district women and child development officers would act as dowry prohibition officers in each district.

Notes:
Russia has invited India for the first time to the Russia-US-China Troika Plus meet on Afghanistan. The meeting aims to discuss the role of Taliban and the future of the landlocked country, among other issues.
As per media reports, Iran has also been invited for the meeting. Pakistan and representatives from Afghanistan are also expected to take part in the meeting.

Notes:
The United States President’s “nuclear football” or the Presidential Emergency Satchel is said to contain the codes needed for a nuclear strike. One such briefcase nearly came within range of rioters storming the US Capitol on January 6, this year.
The Pentagon’s watchdog said that it would evaluate the safety protocols surrounding the issue and find if it were “lost, stolen or compromised.” Any nuclear strike order would be confirmed and processed only by the Military.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of a central university in Ladakh, at a cost of Rs 750 crore.
The jurisdiction of this university will cover the regions of Leh and Kargil. The Education Ministry is expected to bring two amendments to the Central Universities Act, 2009 for this matter. The government has identified a location near village Khaltsi, which is located between Leh and Kargil.

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:
Trinamool Congress (TMC) member Santanu Sen was suspended from Rajya Sabha for the rest of the ongoing Monsoon Session for unruly behaviour, after he snatched papers from IT minister Ashwani Vaishnaw while he was reading a statement on Pegasus software.
The Government sought Sen’s suspension under Rule 256 (2). It says a lawmaker, who disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the rules of the Council, through wilful disruptions can be suspended from the House, for up to the remainder of the parliamentary session, if the Rajya Sabha chairman deems it necessary.