Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Aug 08, 2016

ANSWER: 4%+/- 2

Explanation:
Government has notified 4 percent inflation target with a range of plus/minus 2 percent for the next 6 years under the monetary policy framework agreement with the Reserve Bank

• Powers conferred by Section 45ZA of the RBI Act 1934, central government in consultation with the bank hereby notified the inflation target beginning from the date of publication of the notification and ending on March 31, 2021
• Notification fixes inflation target at 4 percent with upper tolerance level of 6 percent and lower limit of 2 percent for 2016-2017 and subsequent years
• Government has amended the RBI Act through Finance Act 2016 for providing the Monetary Policy Committee with a specific inflation goal yet does not notify the inflation target
• Central government in consultation with the RBI shall determine the inflation target in terms of the CPI once every five years
• Central government has initiated the process of setting up an MPC which will take over the job of interest rate setting from the central bank.

ANSWER: Russia

Explanation:
International Paralympic Committee has banned Russia from its games in the coming month September 2016 due to the widespread doping culture in the nation

• IPC also announced the decision to suspend Russian Paralympic Committee in Rio
• Russia announced it will be appealing against the ban to the Court for Arbitration for Sport
• IPC decision followed the publication of the McLaren report which said that Russian para-athletes were found guilty of doping
• IOC opposed a blanket ban on Russia as against IPC

ANSWER: Tiantong-01

Explanation:
China on 6th August 2016 launched the first satellite for mobile telecom Tiantong-01.

• This is a satellite launched from SW China’s Xinchang Satellite Launch Centre with the Long March 3B carrier rocket
• More geostationary satellites will be sent into orbit for the system
• This is the first satellite of the homemade satellite mobile telecom system of China and it is designed by China Academy of Space Technology.
• It will be operated by China Telecom.
• It will establish a mobile network with ground facilities, providing services for China, the Middle East, Africa and other areas.
• It was the 232nd flight of the Long March series carrier rockets, and the 36th launch of the Long March-3B.
• The three-stage Long March 3B rocket is currently the most powerful Chinese booster in service.

ANSWER: Safe drinking water for all

Explanation:
PM Shri Narendra Modi has launched Mission Bhagiratha at Komatibanda Village, Gajwel, Medak, Telangana

• Scheme has been launched by state governments to provide safe drinking water to all

ANSWER: Kerala

Explanation:
South India’s first Doppler weather radar providing advanced information about severe weather conditions such as storms and cyclones was inaugurated at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram Kerala

• This is India’s second C-Band Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radar (C-DWR)
• First was unveiled by PM Narendra Modi in Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, in May 2015.
• Doppler weather radar is used for forecasting storms, cyclones and other severe weather conditions so that necessary preventative steps can be taken to protect lives and homes.

ANSWER: Apple

Explanation:
To accelerate digital transformation in India, IBM has partnered with Apple to launch a global development hub called Garage for iOS apps

• It is working in Bangalore
• Garage will enable clients to complete digital mobility projects as quickly as possible
• There are 22 inter disciplinary teams working at Garage to provide iOS solutions

ANSWER: Both b and c

Explanation:
Joseph Stiglitz, Mark Pieth quit Panama Probe citing lack of transparency and accountability.

• Stiglitz and Swiss anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth joined a seven-member commission tasked with probing Panama's notoriously opaque financial system, but they say they found the government unwilling to back an open investigation.
• Both quit the group after they say Panama refused to guarantee the committee's report would be made public.
• The Panama Papers cover a period of almost 40 years, from 1977 until December 2015, and show that some companies set up in tax havens with the help of Mossack Fonseca may have been used for money laundering, arms and drug deals as well as tax evasion.

ANSWER: China

Explanation:
A genome project for newborn babies was launched in China on 7th August to aid early treatment and identification of genetic diseases

• Jointly initiated by Chinese Board of Genetic Counseling and Children's Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai, the project will carry out genetic testing on 100,000 newborns over the coming five years.
• The findings will be gathered in a database and a genetic testing standard for hereditary diseases will be developed, which will improve the identification and treatment of inherited diseases.
• Also, the Chinese Board of Genetic Counseling and Reproductive Hospital, which is affiliated with Shandong University, jointly launched China's embryo genome project.

ANSWER: Adam Peaty

Explanation:
Adam Peaty of Britain set a world record of 57.55 seconds in the men's 100m breaststroke heats - The triple gold medallist of the 2015 World Championships did not know how he did it as well, reports Xinhua.

• First-time Olympian Zhang Mengxue won the gold medal in the women's 10-metre air pistol event on Sunday, extending China's gold medal streak in the sport.
• With a score of 199.4 points in 20 shots, the 25-year-old Zhang handily defeated Vitalina Batsarashkina from Russia, the silver medallist with a score of 197.1. Anna Korakaki from Greece won the bronze.

ANSWER: Abhijeet Gupta

Explanation:
Grandmaster and former world junior champion Abhijeet Gupta has won the Commonwealth Chess championship crown in Colombo, Sri Lanka, while International Master Tania Sachdev also finished with a gold medal.

• In fact, all the medals in the senior category were won by the Indians players.
• Grandmasters S L Narayanan and Deep Chakravarthy got the silver and bronze medals respectively in the open section, while Mary Ann Gomes and Kiran Manisha Mohanty reached the podium in the women's section.

ANSWER: Vietnam

Explanation:
The country won its first ever Olympic gold medal beating regional rival China

• Hoang Xuan Vinh, a 41-year-old a serving army colonel who first learned to shoot with AK47 rifles, made history in Rio overnight when a near-perfect final shot in the men's 10 metre air pistol clinched him gold.
• Vietnamese state media reported that Vinh would receive $100,000 from the state on his return
• Vinh's victory shunted Brazil's Felipe Almeida Wu and China's Pang Wei into second and third respectively, something that was seized on by jubilant Vietnamese.