Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Dec 11, 2015

ANSWER: 7.3

Explanation:
At 7.3% in 2016, India will remain the fastest growing economy in the times to come according to the United National World Economic Situations and Prospects/WESP report 2016. India is projected to record 7.3% economic growth in 2016 and 7.5% in 2017. India’s rival in South Asia is China which will see the slowdown in growth from 6.8 in 2015 to 6.4 percent in 2016. Report also indicated world economy will only see modest improvements in 2016-2017 as cyclical and structural headwinds persist.

ANSWER: INR 21054

Explanation:
GoI has collected INR 21,054 crore through the cess imposed on petrol and diesel in the previous financial year closing March 2015. The collection is higher by 22% as against INR 17330.87 crore collected in 2013-2014.

ANSWER: Both b and c

Explanation:
A complete ban has been placed on the use of plastic of any kind from Gomukhi to Haridwar along the Ganga river w.e.f February 1st according to the NGT while a penalty of INR 5000 has been imposed on hotels, dharamshalas and ashrams which violate the order. The green panel also divided the cleaning campaign of the river into different segments namely Gomukhi to Haridwar, Haridwar to Kanpur, Kanpur to border of Uttar Pradesh, border of Uttar Pradesh to border of Jharkhand and border of Jharkhand to Bay of Bengal. Apart from plastic ban, NGT has also prohibited the throwing of municipal, construction and demolition waste into the river. The bench also said that seriously polluting industries operating without the consent of the Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board shall be closed with immediate effect.

ANSWER: 13

Explanation:
French presidency of COP21 or 21st Conference of Parties on 10th December released a new and shorter version of the draft text of the Paris agreement. This 27 page draft text will be placed before negotiators now. Fresh text incorporates demand of India to recognise sustainable lifestyles and patterns of consumption and production in combating climate change. The new draft is an improved version with 50 brackets and 13 options. The deal will be sealed in New York in April 22, 2016 if all goes well.

ANSWER: UrbanClap

Explanation:
Continuing the funding of his startups, well known industrialist and chairman emeritus TATA group has invested in urban services marketplace UrbanClap. The value of the investment was not disclosed to the public. UrbanClap is India’s largest services marketplace and it operates in 6 cities offering close to 80 services. Company also has network of 25,000 service professionals. Tata has invested in firms like Snapdeal, Kaaryah, Urban Ladder, Bluestone, CarDekho, Sabse Technologies, Xiaomi and Ola. He has also joined some VC funds such as Jungle Ventures and Kalaari Capital.

ANSWER: Facebook

Explanation:
Bangladesh has lifted the ban on FB 3 weeks after the popular social networking service was blocked after the SC upheld death penalty of 2 opposition leaders convicted for war crimes in independence war against Pakistan in the year 1971. The bans on WhatsApp and VIber will continue for security reasons, the authorities said.

ANSWER: Freecharge

Explanation:
Anshul Khetrapal was appointed as CFO of online payments company Freecharge on 10th December 2015. He has 8 years of experience in the sector and also worked for companies like Airtel. He will craft strategies for the payments business at Freecharge and Snapdeal. Freecharge Wallet has over 10 million users and aims to reach 35 million wallets by March 2016.

ANSWER: Mexico

Explanation:
The first dengue vaccine in the world has won regulatory approval in Mexico raising hopes of preventing more than 100 deaths there in a year and millions across the world. Dengue affects 400 million people each year according to WHO. The vaccine is being manufactured by French pharma giant Sanofi.

ANSWER: Puppies

Explanation:
US scientists have created the world’s first litter of puppies conceived in a test tube. This could spur disease eradication in dogs as well as humans. The advance through IVF opens avenues for conserving endangered canid species, using gene-editing technologies to eradicate heritable diseases in dogs and for study of genetic diseases. Canines share more than 350 similar heritable disorders and traits with humans.

ANSWER: National Directorate of Security

Explanation:
R. Nabil has resigned from the National Directorate of Security in Afghanistan over lack of agreement on policy matters. He is said to have resigned w.e.f 10th December over disagreements with Afghan president A. Ghani. A rapprochement with Pakistan was strongly disapproved by Nabil.

ANSWER: Sun

Explanation:
- Scientists at Israel based Weizmann Institute of Science and Spain’s health research institute have joined hands with Sun Pharma to develop products for treating neurological diseases such as brain stroke.
- Scientists at Weizmann have developed a recombinant enzyme currently undergoing animal studies for indications of brain stroke and glioblastoma. Further studies of this enzyme will be conducted at the Health Research Institute in Spain.

ANSWER: Madhuri Dixit

Explanation:
DTH company TATA Sky has inked a partnership with Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit’s RnM Moving Picture to launch a dance studio which will offer lessons in racing to subscribers. Apart from Bollywood dance moves, subscribers can also acquire expertise in specialised dance forms such as salsa, kathak and tango.

ANSWER: 10th December

Explanation:
Human Rights Day was celebrated across the world on 10th December 2015 to promote and raise awareness of the two Covenants of Human Rights Day- International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This day marks the 50th anniversary of these two International Covenants, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office launched Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Human Rights Day commemorates the day on which the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) took on the UDHR in 1948.

ANSWER: C. Rajagopalchari

Explanation:
Well known freedom fighter C. Rajagopalchari’s birth anniversary was celebrated on 10th December 2015. This birth anniversary was marked by tributes paid by Indian PM Narendra Modi.

ANSWER: Luxembourg

Explanation:
Luxembourg on 8th December 2015 became the 10th country to ratify the Articles of Agreement (AoA) that will lay the legal framework for the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Australia, Austria, Brunei Darussalam, China, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Singapore and United Kingdom ratified the 60-article agreement so far. 10 nations are among the 57 member founder countries of the multilateral bank. Its headquarters are in Beijing.

ANSWER: CBD

Explanation:
India and Pakistan on 9th December 2015 agreed to replace 8-pointer Composite Dialogue Process (CDP) with 10-point programme of Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue (CBD). Issues covered under CBD include Siachen, Sir Creek, J&K and peace and confidence building measures.

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
- Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare along with Smt. Maneka Gandhi, Minister for Women and Child Development released the “India Health Report: Nutrition 2015” and “Global Nutrition Report” on 10th December 2015.
- The function Made in India: Good Nutrition for All: Implications of the Global Nutrition Report and the India Health Report for Nutrition Security in India is jointly organized by Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

ANSWER: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Explanation:
In a significant move, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare signed a Strategic Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Doordarshan (DD), Prasar Bharati on 10th December2015. The MoU was signed by Shri K B Agarwal, and Shri C Lalrosanga. This marks the first time such a strategic partnership agreement has been formed between DD and a Ministry for showcasing IEC activities.