Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Aug 23, 2016

ANSWER: Yongzin

Explanation:
China on 22nd August 2016 launched the first Tibetan language search engine that will serve as a unified portal for all Tibetan language websites. Search engine will serve as a unified portal for major Tibetan language websites in China.

• Yongzin means “master” or “teacher” in the Tibetan language. It will also be a global major source for information in Tibetan online.
• Search engine Yongzin has eight sections for images, videos, music, news, websites, encyclopedia, forums and literature.
• Search engine will meet the growing needs of the Tibetan speaking population and facilitate Tibetan digital archives and database.
• Project costs USD 8.7 million and is supported by the government. Work on the project began in April 2013
• More than 150 people were hired for the project according to the search engine developers. People of Tibetan ethnicity made up 80 percent of the team
• Popular search engines like Yahoo and Google enable searches in Tibetan but they mainly support searching with single characters
• yongzin.com enables searches using words and phrases to yield more accurate results
• Yongzin also leads to more web resources than competitors.
• New function leads to more than 200 domestic Tibetan language websites in China.
• It is expected to gain 1.2 million users in the initial stage.
• Contents are also organised according to different local dialects such as Kamba, Amdo and U-Tsang.

ANSWER: 30 times the mass of the Sun

Explanation:
A group of scientists have identified a young star located 11,000 light years away which provides deeper understanding of how massive stars in the universe are formed.

• Young star already more than 30 times the mass of our Sun is in the process of gathering material from parent molecular cloud and may be more massive on reaching adulthood.
• Average stars like the Solar System Sun formed over a few million years whereas massive stars formed in orders of magnitude faster around 100,000 years.
• These massive stars also burn fuel more quickly resulting in shorter overall lifespan.
• This makes them harder to catch when they are infants. Protostars identified by the research team reside in infrared dark cloud- a cold, dense region of space which is the ideal stellar nursery.
• Using the Submilimetre Array in Hawaii and the Karl. G. Jansky Very Large Array in New Mexico, researchers were able to penetrate the cloud and see the stellar nursery.
• The astronomers have identified a key stage in the birth of the very massive star and found these stars form in a similar way akin to smaller stars like Sun from a rotating disc of gas and dust.
• Team was also able to determine the presence of a Keplerian disc which rates more quickly at the centre than the edge.
• This type of rotation is also seen in the solar system- inner planets rotate around the sun more quickly than outer planets
• Finding such a disc across a massive young star suggests they form in a manner similar to lower mass stars like the Sun.

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
Indian football team goalkeeper Subrata Paul has been honoured with the Arjuna award.

• Paul has been nicknamed Spiderman for his acrobatic saves during the 2011 AFC ASIAN Cup.
• He has represented India for over a decade.
• Paul has also captained the team in several matches.
• Award will motivate him to do better, according to him; this is one of the highest awards for sportspersons in the country.
• Over the years Paul has won the AFC challenge Cup
• He also led the team in three editions of the Nehru Cup and the 2016 SAFF Suzuki Cup.
• He is the 24th footballer to have won the award.
• The previous footballer to win the Arjuna award was Sunil Chettri in 2011.

ANSWER: Google

Explanation:
Indian Railways is set to collaborate with Google for digitising and showcasing heritage on digital platforms.

• Search engine major Google will collaborate with Indian Railways to digitise its heritage assets
• It will also help create a digital repository for universal access online free of cost.
• Indian Railways has a massive list of heritage assets including bridges. steam locomotives, buildings, artefacts and museums to be showcased for a global audience.
• An agreement in this regard will be signed between National Rail Museum and Google Cultural Institute.
• GCI is a non profit organisation that partners with cultural organisations to showcase their heritage and share their cultural assets online.
• Collaboration will make NRM accessible online and offer virtual tours.
• It will also help digitise the national transporter’s entire heritage inventory including more than 20 museums and 100s of coaches, station buildings, bridges and steam locos.
• Once placed online, it will act as a great tourist attraction.
• GCI works with government organisations and NPOs for providing digital collection management systems and storytelling tools free of charge.
• Various ministers and government institutes have already collaborated with GCI to display and preserve India’s cultural heritage digitally.
• Google is also working with railways to provide free Wi-Fi service in 100 stations.
• Meanwhile, IR is preparing a comprehensive conservation management program to preserve and promote heritage assets.
• Dedicated rail heritage website under Railway Board’s website is also operational for dissemination of information.

ANSWER: Ramanlal Vora

Explanation:
Ramanlal Vora on 22nd August was elected unopposed Assembly Speaker.

• Vora is a prominent Dalit face of Gujarat BJP.
• He was earlier cabinet minister in the government for 15 years.
• He was recently dropped when Vijay Rupani took over as CM from Anandiben Patel.
• Assembly convened and Vora’s name was proposed by the CM and seconded by the Leader of the Opposition Shankersingh Vaghela.
• Another BJP leader Shambhuji Thakor was elected as Deputy Speaker gayer a voice vote.
• Chandrika Bariya was field from Congress for the post.
• On 23rd August, 2016, the assembly is said to ratify the Goods and Services Tax bill for constitutional amendment.

ANSWER: HP

Explanation:
Himachal Pradesh is the fourth state after Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand to ratify the GST Bill.

• HP Assembly on 22nd August 2016 ratified the GST bill unanimously.
• Bill was introduced by CM Virbhadra Singh and passed by voice vote.
• GST Bill was basically brought by the UPA government, the HP CM said, calling it the single biggest tax reform which will help in trade, services and commerce.
• Chattisgarh state assembly also unanimously ratified the GST Bill during a special one day session on the same date.
• Chattisgarh became the fifth state to ratify Constitution 122 Amendment GST Bill after Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and HP.
• Sixteen various types of taxes have now been tabled into a simple taxation system.
• GST Bill was earlier passed by LS and RS and requires a specific number of states to ratify it before it becomes a law.

ANSWER: Gymnothorax indicus

Explanation:
Scientists have discovered a new species of eel from the Northern Bay of Bengal.

• The eel species called Gymnothorax Indicus from the West Bengal coast is likely to be called Indian unpatterned moray.
• Discovery was published in international journal Zootaxia in August 2016.
• The new eel species was discovered by scientists in Sankarpur fishing harbour in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district.
• It was collected in a trawl net by fishermen in Northern Bay of Bengal around 70 km off the coast.
• Freshly discovered species is slender bodied and one feet long.
• This eel is edible.
• This one foot long eel has 194 vertebrae.
• When it is fresh the body is continuously pale brown without spots or patterns.
• It also has a pale eye rim.

ANSWER: Kamal Haasan

Explanation:
Kamal Haasan has been selected for the Chevalier de L’Odre Arts et Lettres (Knight in the National Order Arts and Letters) as announced by the French Minister of Culture and Communication in August 2016.

• Distinction is awarded to those with artistic excellence and distinguished career achievements.
• Haasan is the second Tamil star after Sivaji Ganesan to be honoured with this award.
• He is a noted Indian film actor, director and screenwriter.
• He has won several Indian film awards like National Film awards and Filmfare awards.
• He has starred in highest number of films submitted by India for the Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film Category.
• Breakthrough as a lead actor game in 1975 and won his first national film award for portrayal of guileless schoolteacher caring for childlike amnesiac in Moondram Pirai.
• He is also a Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee.
• Meanwhile, noted Hindu writer Sunita Jain on 17th August was awarded the 25th Vyas Samman 2015 for her poetry collection Kshama
• She received the award from the West Bengal Governor KN Tripathi.
• Kshama portrays fine emotions between noted poet Tulsidas and wide Ratnavalli.
• Award was instituted by KK Birla foundation and carries cash prize of INR 2.5 lakhs.
• Sunita Jain writers in Hindi and English and has over 100 books to her credit
• She began writing at 22 and her writing in English include A Girl of Her Age and two short-story anthologies A Woman is Dead and Eunuch of Time and Other Stories.
• She is also a Padma Shri awardee and former IIT professor.

ANSWER: Gobind Tej

Explanation:
Noted Odia filmmaker, actor and director Gobind Tej passed away on 18th August 2016.

• He died following a brief illness in Odisha’s capital city Bhubaneswar at the age of 88.
• In a career spanning 5 decades, he has created many Odia feature films as director and producer and acted in many of these.
• He started his acting career in Kedar Gouri a movie released in1954.
• he directed his first movie in 1979 titled Ramayana.
• He acted in films like Krushna Sudama, Bandhan, Bandhu Mohanty, Dharitri, Gouri, Mana Akasha and Schoolmaster.
• He has also received the State Film Award for Best Director for movies such as School Master, Kaberi, Tunda Baida and Gare Sindura Dhare Luha.
• He is also a recipient of the Odisha State Film Award In 1977 for Best Actor for his role in the movie Bandhu Mohanty.
• In 1986, he was honoured with the Jaydev Award for his lifelong contribution to the growth and development of Odia cinema.