Current Affairs Quiz - July 2022

Notes:
The US House of Representatives passed a bill to protect marriage equality. It is also feared that the Supreme Court could roll back the recognition of same-sex marriage.
The legislation ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ was passed as 47 Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting the measure. The bill will now go to the Senate for a vote.

Notes:
Former Supreme Court judge Vineet Saran has taken over as the BCCI’s ethics officer and ombudsman, filling the dual posts which were lying vacant for a year.
Vineet Saran has succeeded Justice (Retd) D K Jain, whose term ended in June last year. He is a former Chief Justice of Odisha High Court, and also served as a judge in Karnataka and Allahabad High Court.

Notes:
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi recently resigned after a collapse in support among his coalition backers,
President Sergio Mattarella called for an election for a new parliament in September. Mario Draghi was a former president of the European Central Bank. The country has been fighting inflation surge and an economic slowdown.

Notes:
In the 2022 edition of Henley Passport Index, Indian passport is ranked at 87 as it provides easy access to 57 countries.
Japan is at the first place of the index with hassle-free entry to 193 countries. Singapore and South Korea have the next powerful passports in the world with access to 192 countries. Indian passports had access to just 23 destinations in 2020.

Notes:
The Bihar state government signed MoUs with seven big companies, including Maruti and Flipkart, to provide placement opportunities to the students in ITIs and engineering colleges.
The MoU was signed on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day on July 15. Nine skill-awareness vans were also flagged off by the Bihar Skill Development Mission to motivate the youths of the state for skill development.

Notes:
A partnership of 18 economies, including India, the US and the European Union (EU), unveiled a four-point roadmap for building long-term resilient supply chains.
A virtual supply chain ministerial meeting was hosted by US secretary of state Antony Blinken, as a follow-up to the supply chain summit convened by US President Joe Biden last October. The measures are aimed at reducing the dependence of the 17 partners on Chinese supply chains.

Notes:
Lok Sabha has recently passed the Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022 moved by Minister of Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh.
The Bill aims to have India’s own national measures for protecting the Antarctic environment as the dependent and associated ecosystem. It also aims to ensure de-militarization of the region and stopping mining or illegal activities. It also aims for prohibition of nuclear test or explosion in the region.

Notes:
The Flag Code of India, which was brought into effect on January 26, 2002, is a set of conventions concerning the use, display, and hoisting of the Indian national flag in the country.
In July 2022, the Centre amended the Flag Code of India, allowing the national flag to be flown both in the day and at night. Earlier the flag could be hoisted only between sunrise and sunset. As part of the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, citizens are encouraged to hoist the national flag on their houses between August 13 and 15.

Notes:
Sports Authority of India has started a new initiative to cheer for Indian contingent of the Commonwealth Games with the campaign ‘Create for India’.
A 215-member Indian athlete contingent across 16 disciplines is set to participate in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Participants were asked to submit entries using the hashtags #create4India and #cheer4India.

Notes:
The Banga Bibhushan was introduced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2011, when she was selected as the Chief Minister for the first time after Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.
It is the highest civilian honour conferred by the West Bengal government others being Banga Samman and Banga Bhushan. This year 16 Banga Bibhushan and 20 Banga Bhushan awardess were selected by the state including Nobel laureate economist Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee. Veteran Nobel laureate Amartya Sen is said to have refused the award as he would not be available in India.