Current Affairs Quiz - July 2022

Notes:
The ancient Buddhist city, Mes Aynak was a vast city organised around the extraction and trade of copper. It was carved out of peaks near Kabul in Afghanistan.
It was believed to be between 1,000 and 2,000 years old. In 2007 the Chinese mining giant Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) signed a USD 3 billion contract to mine ore over 30 years. The project is once again a priority for Talibans and China.

Notes:
Veteran social worker and Padma Shri awardee Avdhash Kaushal passed away recently after a prolonged illness at the age of 84.
Kaushal founded and headed the non-governmental organisation (NGO) called ‘Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK)’, for development work amongst tribal hill communities in the areas of Jaunsar-Bawar, Dehradun. He was known for abolition of bonded labour system and securing the rights of marginalised communities in the region.

Notes:
‘Jezero’ is a crater on the red planet ‘Mars’ in the Syrtis Major quadrangle. NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover has taken its first sample from the Jezero delta.
The first activity the rover conducted on the rock called Skinner Ridge was an abrasion called Thornton Gap. The process of collecting the core was named Swift Run. At 6.70 cm long, it is the longest core of the mission so far.

Notes:
Indian Naval Warship, INS Satpura and P8I LRMRASW aircraft are taking part in one of the largest multilateral naval exercises, the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC).
The exercise involving the Navies of 28 friendly foreign countries is held at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, a state in the United States. INS Satpura is an indigenously designed and built 6000-tonne guided missile stealth frigate.

Notes:
The submarine named ‘INS Sindhudhvaj’ was recently decommissioned from the Indian Navy after serving for 35 years.
The submarine crest depicts a grey colour nurse shark and the name ‘Sindhudhvaj’ means flag-bearer at sea. The submarine was known for indigenised sonar USHUS, indigenised satellite communication systems Rukmani and inertial navigation system and indigenised torpedo fire control system.

Notes:
South European countries including Spain, Greece and France have been witnessing huge wildfires and heat-wave.
Hundreds of deaths were reported due to rising temperatures that are related to climate change. France has evacuated over 16,000 people threatened by wildfires in the south-west and fires spread in Spain, Croatia and Greece.

Notes:
DBS Bank was named as the ‘World’s Best SME Bank’ by Euromoney for second time. The bank also clinched three more awards.
They include World’s Best ‘Financial Innovation of the year’, ‘Asia’s Best Bank for Wealth Management’ and ‘Best Bank in Hong Kong’.

Notes:
NHPC has recently signed two agreements to develop green hydrogen technology in Leh, Kargil districts.
As per the agreement signed for Leh district, NHPC will develop a Pilot Green Hydrogen fuel cell-based Microgrid, including hydrogen production, to meet its power requirement. The hydrogen generated in Kargil will be used in fuel cells, to run buses in the local area.

Notes:
NTPC and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) have signed an agreement to set up a joint venture company for meeting the power requirements of projects of IOC refineries.
NTPC Green Energy (NGEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC, will form the JV Company for supplying RE-RTC power to Indian Oil Corporation.

Notes:
Researchers have discovered a new giant 18-million-year-old crocodile species that mysteriously disappeared.
Kinyang mabokoensis and Kinyang tchernovi are the names of the giant dwarf crocodiles, which inhabited east Africa. The species is similar to the dwarf crocodiles that may be found in central and western Africa at present.