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 long and cumbersome nomenclature ‘Common High Court of UT of Jammu and Kashmir and UT of Ladakh’ has been changed to ‘High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh’. The order was notified by the Department of Justice in the Law Ministry.
President Ram Nath Kovind has signed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2021, which spelled out the original name.

Notes:
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, is an immigration policy that grants some extra rights to illegal immigrants who were brought into the United States as minors. As per the program, they can claim a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and can receive work permits.
Recently, a Federal judge in Texas has ruled that the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program created by former president Barack Obama is illegal because Congress never properly approved it.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank, headquartered in the Philippines, has released the Asian Development Outlook (ADO).
The report has downgraded India’s economic growth for the financial year 2021-22 to 10 per cent from its earlier projection of 11 per cent. This downgrade is on account of the severe impact of Indian economy due to wave 2 of COVID 19 pandemic. The projection for 2022-23 is upgraded from 7 per cent to 7.5 per cent.

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:
China has launched a high-speed train that works on magnetic levitation (maglev), which is designed to achieve a top speed of 600 kmph. This is stated to be the world’s fastest ground vehicle.
This project was launched by China in the year 2016 and the prototype was made ready in the year 2019. The model was tested in 2020 and now it is made operational.

Notes:
State owned PSU – Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) would build the country’s first ‘green hydrogen’ plant at its Mathura refinery. This is a part of the company’s plan to produce cleaner forms of energy.
Mathura has been selected by virtue of its proximity to TTZ (Taj Trapezium Zone).

Notes:
The Gujarat High Court has become the first high court to begin live-streaming of court proceedings. Chief Justice of India NV Ramana launched the first live broadcast of the court functioning.
The Chief Justice also announced that the Supreme Court will start the live broadcast soon. This is seen as a step towards ensuring transparency and openness in the Indian judiciary. He also released the Gujarat High Court (Live Streaming of Court Proceedings) Rules, 2021.

Notes:
The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) is an intergovernmental cooperation among 6 nations namely – India, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. It was established in the year 2000 to boost diplomatic cooperation among these countries.
Recently, the 11th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) meeting was organized, and India was represented by the External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Notes:
Rasmi Ranjan Das, a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, has been appointed as member of the UN tax committee for the 2021 to 2025 term
A group of 25 tax experts from around the world are appointed as members of the UN tax committee, formally known as the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters. It aims to guide the efforts of countries to adopt stronger tax policies.