Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Dec 05, 2015

ANSWER: Voluntary

Explanation:
Gold Monetisation Scheme is considered purely voluntary for individuals and institutions and they can make their own decision for monetising gold held by them. This is in response to reports that government will directly intervene to monetise gold held by charitable, religious and other institutions.

ANSWER: 1.7

Explanation:
Startups have raised USD 1.7 billion in Q1 of 2015 according to the telecom ministry. This is 300 percent more than USD 450 million raised during the first quarter of 2014. Modi tackled lack of coherent policy framework to support innovation and induce inclusive development.

ANSWER: India State of Forest Report 2015

Explanation:
India will attain larger green cover and more potential for carbon absorption as part of the INDC or Intended Nationally Determined Contributions as the India State of Forest Report 2015 was released. As per the INDC, India has committed the creation of additional carbon sink for 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equal to 2030 through a planned afforestation drive. In INDC, a target of 250 crore tonnes of carbon sink will be created.

ANSWER: Saina Nehwal

Explanation:
Well known Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal has been nominated for Woman Player of the Year Award of Badminton World Federation following consistence occupation of the world number one spot. Saina is currently ranked number two and will view for the award with Spain’s Carolina Marin, China’s Bao Yixin and Zhao Yunlei. She has attained the feat of being the first world number one in women’s singles and also reaching finals of BWF World Championships and All England and Thaihot China Open.

ANSWER: MC Mary Kom

Explanation:
Olympic bronze medallist MC Mary Kom has won atleast a bronze medal by reaching the semifinals of the AIBA Olympic Test event in Rio de Janeiro. She defeated Venezuela's Karlha Magliocco 3-0 in the quarterfinal bout of the event, where boxers have been individually invited by the world body and the Rio Olympics organising committee.

ANSWER: Smart

Explanation:
A Japanese firm Kyocera has developed the first waterproof smartphone that can be washed with soap and water. Waterproof phones have been on the market for a while in Japan. However, that did not protect phones from the kind of rigorous scrubbing needed to actually clean the device and kill bacteria.

ANSWER: 400

Explanation:
Through the combined power of Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, scientists have unearthed the faintest object seen in the universe which existed 400 million years following the big Ban 13.8 billion years ago. The object has been named Tayna which stands for "first-born" in Aymara, a language spoken in the Andes and Altiplano regions of South America. This object represents a fainter class of newly forming galaxies which had escaped detection till now. The remote object is part of a discovery of 22 young galaxies at ancient times located nearly at the observable horizon of the universe.

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
ADAG led RCom has agreed to sell its telecom tower and associated infrastructure to Tillman Global Holdings LLC and TPG Asia. RCom has 45,000 phone towers valued at about Rs. 22,000 crore and optic fibre assets worth another Rs. 8,000 crore, taking the total deal size to Rs. 30,000 crore. This marks the largest acquisition in the telecom space.

ANSWER: Spain

Explanation:
On a Spanish river bank 14,000 years ago, what is the world’s first architectural drawing was created. The granite slab discovered at a prehistoric site in Barcelona depicts a campsite built by early hunter-gathered as they roamed looking for prey in the Iberian peninsula.

ANSWER: 4th December

Explanation:
The 44th Navy Day was observed on 4th December 2015 and saw screening of Navy Telefilm 2015 titled Empowering India Through Maritime Security and Indigenisation on DD National. This day is celebrated each year to celebrate the success of Operation Trident of Indian Navy on Karachi Harbour during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Innovation trophies were presented to 4 awardees on this day as well.

ANSWER: R. Venkatraman

Explanation:
The birth anniversary of former president R. Venkatraman was observed on 4th December 2015. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented floral tributes to the ex president’s memorial portrait on the occasion.

ANSWER: Thailand

Explanation:
National Day of Thailand was observed on December 5th 2015. The current king of Thailand is Bhumibol Adulyadej. Bilateral ties between India and Thailand are strong.

ANSWER: Arvind Subramaniam

Explanation:
Committee headed by the CEA Dr. Arvind Subramaniam on Possible Tax rates under GST submitted the Report to the Finance Minister; On the Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR), the Committee recommended the same in the range between 15 and 15.5 percent (Centre and states combined) with a preference for the lower end of that range based on the analysis made in the Report.

ANSWER: International India Science Festival

Explanation:
The first India International Science Festival was held on 4th December 2015 at IIT-Delhi to translate academic research into industrial occupations for helping common man. The festival sought to explore the growing importance of science and technology to communities in India and worldwide.

ANSWER: Sindhi

Explanation:
The Meeting of the Executive Board of National Council for Promotion of Sindhi Language (NCPSL) which is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Human Resource Development with its aim to promote, develop and propagate Sindhi language, on 4th December during which Executive Board decided to confer two Lifetime Achievement Awards which also carries a Sanman Rashi of Rs. 5.00 lakhs each under two categories, namely Sahitya Rachna Sanman and Sahityakar Sanman. Further, Lifetime Achievement Awards for the year 2014-15 will be conferred to Shri Lakshman Hardwani, and Shri Jairam Rupani, under the categories of Sahitya Rachna Sanman and Sahityakar Sanman respectively. For 2015-2016, the Lifetime Achievement Awards will be conferred to Shri Lakhmi Khilani and Shri Kanhaiya Lal Talreja under the categories of Sahitya Rachna Sanman and Sahityakar Sanman respectively.