Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2024

Notes:
Recently, five Army personnel, including a JCO and four jawans, died when their T-72 tank got stuck in the Shyok River near Nyoma-Chushul, Eastern Ladakh, due to a sudden water level rise. Despite rescue efforts, strong currents prevented their rescue. The T-72 tanks, initially designed by the Soviet Union and later modernized as T-72 Ajeya, were deployed in Ladakh post-2020 Galwan clash.

Notes:
Protests have arisen against a Chinese company’s exploration license threatening Congo’s Conkouati-Douli National Park, a UNESCO site rich in endangered species. The park is located in the Republic of the Congo, distinct from the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and is known for its biodiversity. Brazzaville, the capital, serves as a key inland port on the Congo River, highlighting the country’s geographical and environmental significance amidst conservation concerns.

Notes:
Senior IAS officer Sujata Saunik became Maharashtra’s first female Chief Secretary (CS), the 45th since the state’s formation in 1960. She succeeds Nitin Kareer, who retired. Saunik will serve a one-year tenure until June 2025. Her appointment by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was unanimous. The transition ceremony took place at Mantralaya, the State Secretariat in Mumbai.

Notes:
Former world chess champion Viswanathan Anand of India won the Leon Masters chess championship for the 10th time by defeating Jaime Santos Latasa of Spain 3-1 in the final on June 30, 2024, in Leon, Spain. Anand, a five-time world champion, has previously won the tournament in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, and 2016. The Leon Masters features four players, including Arjun Erigaisi and Veselin Topalov.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Coal and Mines launched the NIRMAN Portal, part of Mission Karmayogi. Announced by Coal India Limited (CIL), the portal aims to support UPSC Preliminary exam qualifiers from SC, ST, female, or third gender candidates with an annual family income under Rs 8 lakh. Eligible candidates, permanent residents of CIL’s 39 operational districts, will receive Rs 1 lakh.

Notes:
Using AI, researchers discovered potential cancer drivers in ‘junk’ DNA regions, which are noncoding sections of DNA. While DNA codes for proteins, not all sequences serve this function. Some noncoding DNA produces RNA components, but others have unknown functions and are termed junk DNA. In humans, 98% of DNA is noncoding, compared to 2% in bacteria. Evidence suggests junk DNA might have functional roles through exaptation, gaining functions beyond natural selection.

Notes:
After several decades, the locally extinct Indian gaur has been spotted in the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) in Andhra Pradesh. Known as the largest and tallest wild cattle, the gaur (Bos gaurus) is native to South and Southeast Asia. They inhabit evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, and moist deciduous forests with open grasslands, preferring hilly terrains below 1,500-1,800 meters with large, undisturbed forest tracts and abundant water.

Notes:
Sir Keir Starmer has been appointed as the UK’s 58th Prime Minister by King Charles III on 5 July 2024. His Labour Party won a landslide victory, securing 412 out of 650 House of Commons seats. He replaces Conservative leader Rishi Sunak, whose party won only 119 seats. Starmer will reside at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK Prime Minister.

Notes:
The 133rd Durand Cup, Asia’s oldest club-based football tournament, starts on 27 July 2024 and ends on 31 August 2024. Matches will be held in Kolkata, Kokrajhar, Jamshedpur, and Shillong, with Jamshedpur hosting for the first time. The tournament features 24 teams from the Indian Super League, I-League, and Armed Forces. The opening match, semi-finals, and final will be in Kolkata. Mohun Bagan Super Giant is the reigning champion.

Notes:
The Karnataka state government formed a nine-member committee to investigate Kaveri River contamination. The Kaveri River, also known as the Cauvery, is sacred to Hindus and originates from Brahmagiri Hill in the Western Ghats at 1,341m elevation. It flows 800 km through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The river basin covers 81,155 sq. km across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry. Major tributaries include the Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavati, Lakshmantirtha, Kabbani, Suvarnavati, Bhavani, Noyil, and Amaravati. Key dams are Krishna Raja Sagara, Mettur, and Banasura Sagar.