Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Aug 19, 2016

ANSWER: 66th

Explanation:
India has been ranked 66th in the list of world’s most innovative economies.

• It has moved 15 places from the year 2015 as per a new UN report that calls for more more transparent policies if the country aims to be a global innovator.
• In a report by the UN World Intellectual Property Organisation, India moved up from 81 to 66 in the overall global rankings.
• Global Innovation Index 2016 released by the WIPO, Cornell University and INSEAD business school has ranked India among the top 50 economies overall in two pillars namely market sophistication (33) and knowledge and technology outputs (43).
• India maintained a stable or improved ranking across all pillars with the most significant improvement in human capital and research up by 40 spots and business sophistication up 59 spots.
• Within human capital and research, India’s data coverage increased with respect of graduates in science and engineering stream ranked eighth overall this year.
• India’s ranking in the business sophistication pillar is impacted by substantial improvement in knowledge workers up 46 spots and knowledge absorption up 33 spots
• India also improved in ranking of firms offering formal training by as much as 56 spots to reach rank 42.
• India improved access across all indicators within the knowledge absorption pillar and metamorphosed it into a solid ranking in the Global Innovation Index’s newly incorporated research talent in business enterprise where it is ranked 31st.
• India ranked 117th in business environment and 118th in education , indicating it can improve the ease of starting business and pupil teacher ratio.

ANSWER: Sakshi Malik

Explanation:
Opening India’s account at the Rio Olympics, Sakshi Malik became the first woman wrestler from India to bag the Olympic medal and only the fourth female athlete from the country to stand at the pinnacle of world sport.

• The 23-year-old wrestler from Haryana is also a silver medallist at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Bronze winner at the 2014 Inchoeon Asian Games.
• She beat Kyrgyzstan’s Aisuluu Tynbekova 8-5 to script history.
• This is the first medal for a lady wrestler in India at the Olympics.
• It is also India’s 25th medal since 1947.
• The UP government has also announced the Rani Laxmi Bai award for bravery and outstanding achievement of women goes to Sakshi for her tremendous feat.
• Sakshi clinched bronze in the 58 kg category freestyle wrestling; she also received INR 50 lakh cash award and promotion to gazetted officer’s grade.
• Indian railway employee Sakshi also receives INR 2.50 crore from the Haryana state government in honour of her achievement.
• Meanwhile South Korea won its first taekwondo gold medal at the Rio Olympics restoring pride to a country that has invented the game.
• Seventh ranked Sohul Kim beat Serbia’s Tijana Bogdanovic to find their form. Kim won 7-6 in the 49 kg category.
• Bronze medals were won by Patimat Abakorova of Azerbaijan and Panipak Wongpattanakit of Thailand.

ANSWER: Niku

Explanation:
A mysterious 200 km wide chunk of ice discovered beyond Neptune’s orbit called Niku (which means rebellious in Chinese) has been discovered going around the sun in a backward direction and its orbit is titled by 110 degrees from the plane in which all planets stay.

• The object has been discovered by an international team of researchers that discovered it through the Pan-STARRS-1(Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 Survey)
• Astronomers have discovered many objects such as these beyond the orbit of Neptune.
• These objects are collectively called TNOs or Trans Neptunian Objects.
• They orbit the sun at an average distance of 30 AU or 1.5 billion km.
• Laws of physics dictate that when a planetary system like the Solar System forms, all bodies orbit in the same direction
• But Niku is going clockwise meaning some unknown force is acting on it; orbit of Niku is unusual in that it is nearly perpendicular to the plane of the solar system. It is orbiting in the opposite direction of most solar system bodies
• Scientists posit that undiscovered planet nine could be causing this but the team found the object too close to the rest of the solar system for its orbit to be effected by Planet Nine.

ANSWER: BharatNet

Explanation:
TRAI has indicated a public private partnership model for the ambitious BharatNet project, saying the arrangement will ensure maintenance and marketing of mega infrastructure.

• TRAI Chairman RS Sharma made this announcement during a NASSCOM meet.
• Government has proposed providing broadband connectivity to 2,50,000 village panchayats under the project.
• PPP model would overcome difficulties in maintenance, marketing and usage of infrastructure for this project.
• Without the PPP model over 1000000 panchayats only will be covered; wireless alone cannot solve the problem of data connectivity in India.
• With respect to public Wi-Fi hotspots, TRAI has suggested Common Service Centres could be used as common hotspots for Wi-Fi connectivity.
• BharatNet seeks to connect Indian households, particularly in the rural areas through broadband by 2017 forming the base of the Digital India programme.
• At present BBNL or Bharat Broadband Network Ltd is handling the NOFN project executed by BSNL, Railtel and Power Grid.
• PPP model that aligns private incentives with long term service delivery n a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer model of implementation should be the preferred means of implementation.
• Concessionaire should be handed the task of deployment of NOFN and network infrastructure, according to the telecom regulator.

ANSWER: Airlander 10

Explanation:
The world’s largest aircraft embarked on its maiden flight on August 17th 2016 from an airfield in Cardington, Central England.

• It is called Airlander 10 and is part plane part airship.
• Successful flight comes after another airship R101 took off in 1930 killing 48 people on board in a crash in France and halting the development of airships in Britain for years.
• Airlander 10 also developed originally for the US army as a surveillance aircraft, the 92 metre long aircraft also has potential uses in the commercial sector such as carrying cargo according to makers Hybrid Air Vehicles.
• The firm has described Airlander as the largest aircraft currently flying receiving the British government grant of USD 3.7 million to develop the project.
• Airlander 10 hybrid airship can fly up to 4880 metres and reach speeds of 148 kilometres per hour according to HAV.
• Filled with helium, it can stay airborne for more than two weeks unmanned and up to 5 days if manned.
• HAV CEO is currently Stephen McGlennan and the aircraft was cheaper and greener than helicopter technology.

ANSWER: August 19

Explanation:
President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee extended greetings and felicitations to Government and people of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on the eve of their Independence Day (August 19, 2016).

• Currently the President of Afghanistan is Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and traditional ties of friendship between India and this nation have contributed to peace, stability and progress in SE Asia.
• PM Shri Narendra Modi visited Afghanistan in June 2016. He was conferred with Afghanistan’s highest civilian honour Amir Amanullah Khan Award.
• He was bestowed the honour by President Ghani after the inauguration of the landmark Afghan—India friendship dam in Herat.
• The award was named after national Afghan hero Amanullah Khan (Ghazi) who championed the cause of the nation’s freedom.
• Award was instituted by Afghanistan government in 2006 and previous recipients include US President George Bush, Kazakh’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, NATO General James Jones, former Afghan President spiritual leader Sibghatullah Mujaddedi, and Afghan Chief Justice (CJ) Abdul Salam Azimi
• Indian Afghanistan Friendship Dam will irrigate the fields of 640 villages in the following regions Chiste, Obe, Pashtun Zarghun, Karokh, Gozara, Injil, Zindjan, Kohsan and Ghoryan . It would also bring light to over two hundred and fifty thousand homes in this area.

ANSWER: Kerala

Explanation:
Kerala police has a new addition in the Pink Police. These lady officers will move in pink coloured cars and have a special badge.

• Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan launched the new beat of city police called Pink Police Patrol aimed at enhancing women’s security
• 20-25 policewomen and 5 vehicles will be assigned in the city per day. Each team will have sub inspector ranked women officer and may be present in any part of the city from bus stops to buses and places near educational institutions.
• Coordinator of the Pink Police Assistant Commissioner A Pramod Kumar said the initiative has been named pink for girls as blue is associated with boys and pink with girls.
• Team will monitor crowded areas from 8 am to 8 pm and can be reached by the public through toll free number 1515.
• The aim is to look at crimes against women in public places. This includes harassment, anti social activities women abuse. The patrol will guard women, children and those with disabilities especially late in the evening.
• Two Pink Patrols have been constituted and they will work on alternative days.
• Pink team will work with shadow police, a special wing constituted 5 years ago for crime prevention and resolution which will function as an independent team.