Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2021

Notes:
China has been officially certified as ‘Malaria-free’ by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is only the second country in the Asia Pacific region to get the tag, after Sri Lanka in 2016.
China has maintained zero indigenous malaria cases for four consecutive years. In the 1940s, it had an estimated 30 million cases and 300,000 deaths per year.

Notes:
Saudi Arabian Airlines, owned by the state is the biggest carrier in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Others include low-cost carrier Flyadeal sand Flynas.
Recently, Saudi Arabia announced plans to launch a second national airline. This would push the kingdom to the fifth rank globally in terms of air transit traffic. The decision aims to turn the kingdom into a global logistics hub, diversifying from oil.

Notes:
As per a report titled ‘COVID-19 and Tourism’ released by the UNCTAD jointly with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the crash in international tourism due to COVID 19 pandemic can lead to a loss of about $4 trillion to the global GDP in 2020 and 2021.
The estimated loss is said to be caused due to direct impact and indirect ripple effect on other sectors closely linked to the tourism industry.

Notes:
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, ICAI will launch a mobile app for students of foundation, intermediate and final course students. The mobile app named, “ICAI-BOS” will provide next-generation interactive learning and innovative ways to improve quality services to the students.

Notes:
Union minister of education, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank released Unified District Information System for Education Plus report (UDISE+) for 2019-2020. UDISE+ report highlighted some interesting facts, both positive and negative about Indian school education system.

Notes:
The Glacial Lake Atlas of Ganga Basin was recently released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. It analyses changes in water bodies in the Himalayan regions over a period, which can then be used for studying the impacts of climate change and for pre-planning the disaster response. Around 4,000 glacial lakes have been mapped in the Ganga River basin, with the aggregate lake water covering an area of 20,685 hectares.

The atlas is currently available on Bhuvan portal of ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC). It provides latest information on the expansion or shrinkage of glacial lakes. It also monitors the addition of new lakes during a particular period of time.

Notes:
The French Navy hosted the 7th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS). It was concluded at Réunion island, a French department in the Indian Ocean.
Indian Ocean Naval Symposium is a biennial event, which was conceived by the Indian navy in 2008. IONS includes 24 member nations that touch or lie within the Indian Ocean Region and 8 observer nations.

Notes:
Bengaluru is the highest ranked Indian city in Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2021, released by StartupBlink. It is on the 10th position worldwide and on 1st position in India. India was placed at 20th place.
New Delhi and Mumbai were at 14th and 16th position (worldwide). 43 Indian cities got placed in the list of 100 countries. The top five countries are USA, UK, Israel, Canada and Germany. The top five cities in the Index are San Francisco, New York, Beijing, Los Angeles and London.

Notes:
NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) was recently given a two-year mission extension.
It is a near-Earth object (NEO) hunting space telescope, which searches for asteroids and comets – including objects that could pose a hazard to Earth. The telescope has provided an estimate of the size of over 1,850 near-Earth objects.

Notes:
Digital Communications Commission (DCC) is an apex body under the Department of Telecommunication, Ministry of Communication.
DCC has recently cleared a proposal of using satellite connectivity in telecom networks. This will help telecom operators to connect their mobile towers in tough terrains by using satellite services through VSAT (very-small-aperture terminal) system. This will, in turn help to provide services in remote areas