The 12th edition of the INDRA military exercise between India and Russia will take place in Volgograd from August 1st. 250 personnel from each country will participate in counter-terrorism operations as a joint UN force. The Indian contingent includes a mechanized infantry battalion that underwent training in India. The joint satellite mission NISER between ISRO and NASA aims to measure land surface changes using radar and is proposed to launch in early 2023. China is developing an experimental nuclear reactor that runs on liquid thorium instead of uranium, and uses molten salt for cooling which solidifies quickly on exposure to air, releasing less radiation than traditional reactors in case of a leak.

1. CURRENT AFFAIRS
1 AUGUST 2021
DR.A.PRABAHARAN
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2. INDRA: India-Russia to hold 12th edition of joint
military exercise in Volgograd from August 1
◦ The 12th edition of the INDRA military exercise between India and Russia will
entail the conduct of the counter-terror operations under the United Nations
mandate by a joint force against the International Terror Groups.
◦ As per the Indian Army, 250 personnel from the armies of India and Russia will
form part of the military exercise.
◦ The Indian Army contingent which will participate in the upcoming military
exercise will comprise a mechanized infantry battalion.
◦ The contingent also underwent rigorous training at different locations in India to
refine their drills for participation in the joint military exercise.
◦ Volgograd is a major city in Russia that is situated on the Western Bank of the
Volga River.
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3. NISER: ISRO-NASA joint satellite project
proposed to be launched early 2023
◦ NISER, a joint project by the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) and National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA), aims at making the
global measurement of land surface changes using
advanced radar imaging.
◦ The Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh
informed on July 30, 2021, that the joint satellite
mission NISER (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture
Radar) of ISRO-NASA is proposed to be launched in
early 2023.
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4. China set to activate first-of-its-kind commercial nuclear
reactor:
◦ China has unveiled plans to build the first-of-its-kind
experimental nuclear reactor that will not require
water for cooling and is expected to be safer than
traditional reactors.
◦ The molten-salt nuclear reactor, which runs
on liquid thorium rather than uranium, is expected
to be safer because the molten salt cools and
solidifies quickly when exposed to the air, insulating
the thorium.
◦ Hence, any potential leak would spill much less
radiation into the surrounding environment in
comparison to leaks from traditional reactors.
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5. Puri becomes first city in India to have Drink from
Tap project
◦ Odisha’s Puri has become the first city in India to have a Drink from Tap project
that will dispense safe hygienic drinking water directly from a tap 24x7. Read all
about the Drink from Tap project.
◦ Odisha’s Puri on July 26, 2021, became the first city in India to have a Drink
from Tap project that will dispense safe hygienic drinking water directly from a
tap 24x7. CM Naveen Patnaik on July 26 launched the ‘Sujal: Drink from Tap’
project.
◦ Highlighting that quality drinking water is closely linked with the human
development index, human health, and economy. Odisha government has
increased its budget from Rs 200 crores to Rs 4,000 crores in five years, he
further said.
◦ People of Puri and two crore tourists visiting the city can now get quality
drinking water right from tap without the need of storing and filtering water.
Drinking water fountains have been set up at 400 places which will also eliminate
the need of carrying plastic bottles.
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6. US President Joe Biden announces agreement to
end US combat mission in Iraq
◦ The US President said that the US’s role in Iraq will be to be available, to assist, to
continue to train, and to deal with ISIS as it arises, however, the country will no longer
be, by the end of 2021, in a combat mission in Iraq.
◦ The President of the United States Joe Biden and Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa al-
Kadhimi announced an agreement on July 26, 2021, to formally end the US combat
mission in Iraq by the end of 2021.
◦ Both the leaders met in the Oval Office for their first face-to-face talks as a part of the
strategic dialogue between Iraq and the United States.
◦ The US-Iraqi statement issued by both countries is expected to detail a number of
non-military agreements related to energy, health, and other matters.
◦ The Invasion of Iraq by the US in 2003 had occurred as part of the former US
President George.W. Bush’s war on terror after September 11 attacks, despite no
connection of the latter to Iraq.
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7. Basavaraj Somappa Bommai sworn in as new
Karnataka Chief Minister
◦ Basavaraj Somappa Bommai is the son of former Chief Minister of Karnataka
SR Bommai, who was a senior leader of the Janata Parivar and served as the
11th Chief Minister of Karnataka.
◦ Basavaraj Somappa Bommai, senior BJP leader and son of former
Karnataka Chief Minister, was sworn in as the 23rd Chief Minister of
Karnataka in an oath-taking ceremony at the Glass House in Raj Bhavan on
July 28, 2021. He was administered the oath of the office by new
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.
◦ Basavaraj Somappa Bommai took the oath of office alone. The 61-year-old
leader was appointed as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka during a meeting
of the BJP Legislature Party in Bengaluru on July 27, a day after BS
Yediyurappa resigned as Chief Minister of Karnataka.
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8. Nandu Natekar, Indian badminton legend, passes
away at 88
◦ Nandu Natekar won the men’s singles championship in the
Selangor International Tournament in Kuala Lumpur in
1956. Natekar’s victory was also the first international victory
by an Indian Badminton player.
◦ Legendary badminton player of India, Nandu Natekar
passed away on July 28, 2021, at the age of 88. He was the
first Indian to win an International Title in 1956.
◦ The former World No. 3 is survived by his son Gaurav and
three daughters. His son informed that he passed away
peacefully at home and that family was with him and that he
was ailing for the past three months.
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9. Parliament passes Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Amendment Bill 2021
◦ The Rajya Sabha passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Amendment Bill 2021, thereby amending the Juvenile
Justice (Care and Protection of Children), Act, 2015.
◦ The amendment of the Act was taken up after the National
Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in a survey of
children’s shelter homes in India found that over 7,600 children were
living in poor living conditions with no access to basic amenities.
◦ Smriti Irani, Minister for Women and Child Development said:
◦ •The Act stresses shifting the accountability to the district magistrates
or additional district magistrates to take responsibility for the well-
being of vulnerable children in shelter homes across the country.
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10. India’s newest airline Akasa Air
◦ India’s billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala has announced to launch his own ultra-
low-cost airline called Akasa Air
◦ With 40 per cent ownership and an investment of USD 35 million, Jhunjhunwala said the
airline is expected to have 70 aircraft within 4 years.
◦ Jhujhunwala is expecting a no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Aviation,
Government of India in the next 15 days.
◦ Airbnb and Par Capital Management are among the investors in Akasa Air.
◦ Aditya Ghosh, former President of Indigo will be the co-founder of Akasa Air with a 10
per cent stake. He will not be on the management but will be Jhunjhunwala’s nominee.
◦ •Former Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube will be the CEO of Akasa Air with a 15 per cent
stake. As per media reports, a former senior executive of Delta Air Lines Inc. will be part
of the founding team.
◦ •Media reports also state that other key people at Akasa Air will see former GoAir revenue
management VP Anand Srinivasan as CTO, former Jet Airways senior VP Praveen Iyer as
COO, former Jet flight operations VP Floyd Gracious as CTO or a similar role, and
industry veteran Neelu Khatri as Head, Corporate Affairs.
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11. Lovlina Borgohain first Assamese woman to win a
medal at Olympics
◦ Lovlina Borgohain, Olympic debutant, has
assured another medal for India by defeating
Chen Nien-Chin in the quarterfinals of the
women’s welterweight event at Olympics 2020.
◦ The 23-years old is the first Assamese woman
and the third Indian boxer to win an Olympic
medal after Mary Kom and Vijender Singh.
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12. ◦ Abhimanyu Mishra, a 12-years old Indian-origin boy, became the youngest
ever Grandmaster in Chess breaking the record of 12 years and 7 months
set by GM Sergey Karjakin in 2002.
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