Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Aug 01, 2016

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Following the withdrawal of the controversial National Encryption Policy, government has restarted the world on drafting the blueprint checking with industry bodies for advice.

• Ministry of Electronics and IT recently wrote to leading industry associations such as Cellular Operators Association of India, Association of United Telecom Service Providers of India and Internet Service Providers Association of India.
• Associations like COAI and AUSPI have asked the government to bring out a discussion paper on the issue.

ANSWER: Vodafone Foundation

Explanation:
Vodafone Foundation announced the launch of the sixth edition of the Mobile for Good Awards 2016 in partnership with NASSCOM Foundation.

• Award will recognise and support emerging and innovative mobile solutions from NGOs and for profit enterprises.
• Government departments that facilitate community empowerment and transform the economy to bring about inclusive growth will also be included.
• Mobile for Good Awards has evolved as a platform to acknowledge social innovations through mobile and wireless technologies that have created an impact on critical areas of health, governance, agriculture and education.
• There will be a total grant of INR 90 lakhs for winning non profits in addition to structured mentoring, monitoring and impact assessment from partner institutions.
• All winning projects will be featured in the Social App Hub a unique platform for social apps.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
Gullies on the surface of Mars were not carved out by flowing water. according to US space agency NASA.

• Gullies on the surface of Mars are similar to gullies found on the exterior parts of the Earth.
• Gullies found on the Earth are carved out by flowing water.
• There is no evidence of water being the cause of gullies found on the Martian surface
• According to NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, gullies on Mars appear to light up in different shades
• Martian gullies are a widespread and common feature on the planet as per observations by MRO High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera.
• These slopes appear in both hemispheres and occur on slopes that face towards the pole.

ANSWER: Caesars Interactive Entertainment Inc

Explanation:
Chinese consortium including game developer Shanghai Giant Network Technology Co Ltd and e-commerce film Alibaba Group Holding Ltd founder Jack Ma has agreed to acquire Caesars Interactive Entertainment Inc’s online games unit for USD 4.4 billion in cash.

• Caesars Interactive Entertainment is currently owned by Caesars Acquisition Co and Caesars Entertainment Corp.
• Sales will help two companies looking for cash as they embark on a complex merger.
• Caesars Entertainment’s main operating unit, Caesar Entertainment Operating Co Inc is currently involved in a USD 18 billion bankruptcy and is seeking creditor approval for restructuring the plan.
• Chinese companies are eager to expand beyond their home country which has the world’s largest online gaming market.
• Chinese’s biggest gaming group agreed to purchase a majority stake in Clash of Clans mobile game maker Supercell from SoftBank Group Corp in an USD 8.6 billion deal.
• Caesars online games business called Playtime makes games such as Bingo Blitz and Slotomania available on Apple Inc’s App Store.

ANSWER: Both b and c

Explanation:
A 3 person International Olympic Committee panel will make the final ruling regarding individual Russian athletes allowed to compete in the Rio Games

• Panel will decide whether to accept or reject the final proposal.
• Panel will comprise three executive board members: Ugur Erdener (Turkey) chairman of the IOC medical commission. Claudia Bokel (Germany) head of the athletes commission and Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr (Spain) vice president of the modern pentathlon federation.
• Panel will examine every single decision and athlete to ensure IOC is satisfied with the decision taken.
• This came after the IOC board decided not to ban Russia’s entire team from the games because of state sponsored doping.
• Russians banned include 67 track and field athletes barred by IAAF and 30 rejected under the new IOC eligibility criteria.

ANSWER: Novak Djokovic

Explanation:
Leading tennis ace Novak Djokovic defeated Japanese player Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5 on 30th July 2016 to win the Toronto Hardcourt tournament and claim his 66th career singles title.

• The Serb player collected his 7th trophy of the season duplicating the win over Asia’s top player three months ago in the Miami final.
• Djokovic improved to 10-2 in the series as he handed Nishikori a defeat in 81 minutes.
• Djokovic now leads the Masters 1000 winner list by two over Rafael Nadal.
• Djokovic closed with 13 winners as he improved 51-4 this season.

ANSWER: Ariya Jutanugam

Explanation:
Ariya Jutanugam earned her place in history on 31st July 2016 when she became the first Thai golfer (man or woman) to win the major title with a final round 72 and a 16 under par 272 total at the British Open Women’s tournament.

• Jutanugam’s lead was six shots by the time she birdied the long second and short sixth and beat playing partner Lee Mirim before securing a three stroke victory.
• Lee shared second place with 2014 champion Mo Martin.
• Ireland’s Leona Maguire won the Smyth Salver for the top amateur.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
India will host the Kabaddi World Cup this year, featuring 12 countries in October 2016.

• The countries playing in the event include US, UK, Canada, Australia, Iran, Poland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, Kenya and Japan.
• The current president of the International Kabaddi Federation is currently JS Gehlot.
• Kabaddi became a part of Asian Games in 1990 and India has won maximum gold medals since then.

ANSWER: Lewis Hamilton

Explanation:
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) cemented his lead in the Formula One Driver’s Championship to score 19 points after winning the German Grand Prix with ease on 31st July with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg coming fourth on home turf.

• Second was Daniel Ricciardo and his Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen was third
• 4 time champion Sebastian Vettel finished fifth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Hulkenberg who was seventh on home turf for Force India.

ANSWER: Munshi Premchand

Explanation:
Munshi Premchand inspired countless people with his famous novels like Godaan, Gaban and Vardaan.

• The UP writer was considered one of the greatest literary figures in Hindi writing during the 1920s-1930s.
• He was called Upanyas Samrat or emperor among novelists.
• Born Dhanpat Rai in a small north Indian village, he penned more than 250 short stories and numerous essays.

ANSWER: PM Narendra Modi

Explanation:
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi flagged off the Run for Rio from Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium India Gate to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Lodhi road.

• Youth and children participated in the 5 km run to show the Rio bound athletes that the whole country is supporting them.
• PM Narendra Modi also released an SAI publication on Indian Olympics Journey which carries interesting information regarding Olympic attainments and future plans.
• India is sending its largest ever contingent of 119 athletes to participate in the Rio Games.

ANSWER: India Business Forum

Explanation:
CII and India Business Forum has launched a social media account, a Wechat to create meaningful interaction between Indian and Chinese businesses and stay updated with latest industry news and trends.

• Wechat account was launched and is a unique initiative of CII-Shanghai aiming to bring together leading Indian industries in China on one common electronic platform.
• This is in keeping with growing social media trends.

ANSWER: Apojove

Explanation:
Following its departure from Earth 5 years ago, NASA’s Juno spacecraft will reach the farthest point in Jupiter’s orbit to understand the science behind the giant planet which has a mass of two and half times that of other planets in the solar system combined.

• The orbit is called apojove.
• It is 8.1 million km from the planet; After this point, the gravitational grip of the solar system’s largest planet on Juno will lead to the spacecraft falling back for another pass.
• Launched on August 5, 2011, Juno arrived at Jupiter on July4, 2016 and is currently executing one of two long orbits prior to the science mission.
• Capture orbit is when the science instruments of the spacecraft are turned off to simplify operations during flawless manoeuvre allowing Jupiter’s gravity to capture Juno into the first of two 53.4 day long orbits.
• Following orbit capture, Juno will fire the engine once more to shorten its orbital period into 14 days and commence its science mission.

ANSWER: US Postal Service

Explanation:

• A stamp was also sent to Pluto on the New Horizon’s spacecraft; it travelled 5,250,843,896 km becoming the stamp to travel longest distance ever in history.
• Stamp earned the Guinness World Records title for the farthest distance travelled by the postage stamp.
• The spacecraft was launched from the US on 19th January 2006 and arrived at Pluto on 14th July 2015.
• Stamp was from a special series which showed the planets of the solar system and vessels that had explored them.
• The Pluto: Not Yet Explored stamp on board the New Horizons Spacecraft will journey beyond Pluto visiting a Kuiper Belt Object called 2014MU69 considered a building block of the solar system.

ANSWER: 6

Explanation:
LS has passed the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill 2016 seeking to set up six new institutes of technology (IITs) in Goa, Dharwad, Bhilai, Tirupati, Palakkad and Jammu.

• The Act also seeks to bring ISM Dhanbad into its ambit.
• All these institutes will be declared institutions of national importance.

ANSWER: Both b and c

Explanation:
SWIFT has announced that ICICI Bank and Axis Bank are the first in India to sign up for global payments innovation initiative.

• Both banks will collaborate with close to 70 leading banks internationally.
• Initiative aims to enhance cross border payment through instant messaging platform ensuring global reach.
• It has the following key features:
  1. Same day use of funds
  2. Transparency and predictability of fees
  3. End-to-end payments tracking.
  4. Transfer of rich payment information.

ANSWER: Kharagpur

Explanation:
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur has collaborated with MIT for an course on urbanisation in the current developing world, where the concept is no longer limited to the precincts of what are administratively defined as “cities.”

• Course will see a partnership between IIT's Department of Architecture and Regional Planning and the MIT's School of Architecture and Planning.
• The course will be organised at Shanti Niketan in WB.
• IIT Kharagpur has also found a new way to raise funds to Learn-Earn-Return fund scheme where students will not have to pay fees if they pledge to donate money after getting a job.
• There has been a positive response from the alumni for this scheme.
• Students scoring in the top 100 will get a chance to be part of this scheme.
• Students may also be asked to teach under the Peer Assisted Learning programme or opt as Research assistance at the Institute or other institutional work as intern.
• The fund raised for this campaign will be partially channelized to support students+ and partially to build corpus to ensure self-sustainability of the scheme, officials said.

ANSWER: Yuriko Koike

Explanation:
Tokyo voters elected their first woman governor in Yuriko Koike the first female defence minister of Japan.

• She beat Hiroya Masdua and Shunter Torigoe according to an exit poll by public broadcaster NHK.
• The NHK exit poll showed Masuda was in second place, with Torigoe, a 76-year-old cancer survivor who was backed by several opposition parties, trailed both.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
42-year old skydiver Luke Aikins who has made 18,000 jumps made history by becoming the first person to sky dive without a parachute and land in a net.

• Following a two minute fretful, Luke landed dead centre in a 100X100 foot net at Simi Valley outskirts in a movie ranch.
• The stunt, broadcast live on the Fox network for the TV special “Stride Gum Presents Heaven Sent,” nearly didn’t come off as planned when Mr. Aikins revealed just before climbing into his plane that the Screen Actors Guild had ordered him to wear a parachute to ensure his safety.

ANSWER: 15

Explanation:
Niti Aayog will form a committee to establish the demand for food items in the next 15 years and chart a road map meeting the requirements.

• Aayog will constitute a working group of experts to assess food requirements in the country within the coming 15 years.
• Aayog will adjust food production targets based on public consumption trends to prioritise what would be required in the future.

ANSWER: Satish Mathur

Explanation:
Satish Mathur (DG, ACB) has been appointed as the Director General of Police Maharashtra by the State Government.

• He will take over from DGP Praveen Dixit and head the state ACB before being appointed as DGP Maharashtra
• He is a 1981 batch IPS officer.
• An SP level officer, he served with the CBI during the 1993 serial blasts trial as the DCP in Pune and with the Pune unit of the ACB.
• He subsequently became the first officer to be appointed as DG (Legal and Technical) when the post was created by the state government in 2014, and later became the state ACB chief after Mr. Dixit was appointed state police chief.

ANSWER: NJS Dhillon

Explanation:
Air Marshall NJS Dhillon took over as Senior Air Staff Officer, Western Air Command from Air Marshall B Suresh AVSM VM who assumed appointment of Air Officer in Charge Personnel at Air HQ.

• DHillon is a graduate of NDA and was awarded the Ati Vishishit Seva medal in 2013.
• Suresh is a graduate of Rashtriya Indian Military College and NDA and has received 2 AOC-in-C's commendations, the 'Vayu Sena Medal' and the 'Ati Vishist Seva Medal'.

ANSWER: 4th

Explanation:
4th edition of the Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival was inaugurated at ITA Machkhowa, Guwahati , K V Eapen, Additional Chief Secretary, Planning and Development, was the Guest of Honour for the programme this year. Renowned filmmaker Prakash Jha and sound designer Amrit Pritam were also present as Special Guests.

• This film festival is dedicated to NE films and is a three day event.
• It first started in 2013 and has completed three editions
• This is an initiative for offering a platform to NE filmmakers.

ANSWER: Swiss Confederation, Benin

Explanation:
President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee extended greetings to the government and people of Swiss Confederation and Benin for their National Day on August 1, 2016.

• The current president of the Swiss federation is JN. Schneider-Anmann.
• The Swiss PM visited India recently.
• President of the Republic of Benin is Mr. Patrice Talon.