Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Feb 21, 2017

ANSWER: Shahid Afridi

Explanation:
One of the most well known and controversial cricketers of his generation, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has finally called time on his international career.

The decision, announced after the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final here on 19^th Feb 2017, put an end to an illustrious and colour 21-year career.

The 36-year-old however, will continue to play in the PSL for the next two years.

Shahid Afridi: Know More

- Shahid Khan Afridi is a Pakistani professional cricketer and former captain of the Pakistan national cricket team.

- He also holds a record of taking most wickets and most player-of-the match awards in Twenty20 International cricket.

- Born: 1 March 1980 Khyber Agency, Pakistan

- Height: 1.82 m

ANSWER: Major arms

Explanation:
India is the world’s largest importer of major arms in the last five years and its overseas procurement is far greater than that of China and Pakistan.

According to the latest report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India accounted for 13 percent of the total global arms import between 2012–16 which is highest among all the countries.

Saudi Arabia was the second largest arms importer in 2012-16, with an increase of 212 percent compared with 2007–11. Arms imports by Qatar went up by 245 percent.

According to the report, Russia accounted for a 23 percent share of global exports in the period 2012–16 and 70 percent of its arms exports went to India, Vietnam, China and Algeria.

SIPRI/ Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: Know More

• Formation: 6 May 1966
• Purpose: provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public
• Website: www.sipri.org

ANSWER: All of the above-mentioned

Explanation:
BharatQR, another e-payment medium which has been termed the world’s first interoperable and low cost acceptance solution, was launched by the National Payments Corporation of India.

It was launched in association with MasterCard and Visa.

This is another step in the direction of making India a less-cash economy, said a joint press release by the companies.

BharatQR is linked with the RBI’s Payments Vision 2018, which outlines innovation, interoperability and security as the three pillars to transition the country into cashless economy.

RBI Payments Vision 2018

• The Vision-2018 for Payment and Settlement Systems in India reiterates the commitment of the Reserve Bank of India to encourage greater use of electronic payments by all sections of society so as to achieve a “less-cash” society.
• The objective is to facilitate provision of a payment system for the future that combines the much-valued attributes of safety, security and universal reach with technological solutions.
• This will enable faster processing, enhanced convenience, and the extraction and use of valuable information that accompanies payments.

The 5 Cs of Vision 2018


• Coverage - by enabling wider access to a variety of electronic payment services
• Convenience - by enhancing user experience through ease of use and of products and processes
• Confidence - by promoting integrity of systems, security of operations and customer protection
• Convergence - by ensuring interoperability across service providers
• Cost - by making services cost effective for users as well as service providers

ANSWER: Vitaly Churkin

Explanation:
Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, died suddenly on 20th Feb 2017 after falling ill in his office at the mission, Russian officials said.

Churkin, 64, was rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in New York, where he died.

His cause of death wasn't immediately known.

Churkin had been Russia's envoy at the United Nations since 2006 and was considered Moscow's great champion at the UN

He had a reputation for an acute wit and sharp repartee, especially with his American and Western counterparts.

Russia's foreign ministry called Churkin an "outstanding" diplomat and expressed condolences to his friends and family.

His death, the day before his 65th birthday, stunned officials at the UN's headquarters.

Churkin was previously ambassador at large and earlier served as the foreign ministry spokesman. He had a doctorate in history and was a graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

ANSWER: Chairman of Norwegian Nobel Committee

Explanation:
Kaci Kullmann, the chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which selects the Peace Prize laureates, has died aged 65 after a long illness, the organisation said on 20th Feb 2017.

Kullmann was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and underwent treatment but her condition worsened, and she was forced to cancel several appearances last year.

She was a role model for many young women.

Norway’s Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg condoled her death.

About Kaci Kullmann

• Kullmann became a member of the Norwegian Nobel committee in 2003, and was elected chair in 2015.
• She was among the decision makers who honoured former U.S. vice president Al Gore (2007), former U.S. president Barack Obama (2009), Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo (2010), and Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi (2003).
• She was the leader of the Conservative Party between 1991-1994.

ANSWER: HR McMaster

Explanation:
US President Donald Trump on 20^th Feb 2017 named Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster as his new National Security Adviser, the post left vacant after Michael Flynn's resignation.

Trump called him a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience.

Acting national security adviser Keith Kellogg, a retired three-star general will move from the post.

Robert Harward, a retired vice admiral and former Navy SEAL, reportedly turned down Trump's offer of the job last week over concerns that he would not be able to bring in his own team to staff the National Security Council.

National Security Agency: Know More

• Headquarters: Maryland, United States
• Founder: Harry S. Truman
• Founded: 4 November 1952
• Motto: "Defending Our Nation. Securing The Future."

ANSWER: Alibaba

Explanation:
China's leading e-commerce firm Alibaba and a Shanghai-based state-owned retail conglomerate Bailian Group announced a rare private-public strategic alliance to push forward partnership for creating a new shopping scenario.

The strategic partnership will allow Alibaba to put its New Retail concept into practice, changing customer experience and efficiency of logistics and services.

Alibaba's CEO Zhang Yong commented on the company's tie-up with the Bailian Group as increasing efficiency and enhancing customer experience.

It is rare for Chinese-state run firm to tie up with a private-owned company for business expansion.

The alliance does not involve capital ties at this stage.

Consumption contributed 64.6% to China's GDP growth last year, as the country moves from an export and investment-driven growth model into one that draws strength from consumption, innovation and the service sector.

Bailian Group: Know More

• Bailian Group is a state-owned enterprise in Shanghai, China's financial hub.
• Its main business covers department stores, shopping malls, outlets, large stores, supermarkets, convenience stores and specialty retail formats.
• It is also operating in non-ferrous metals, ferrous metals, automobiles, chemical lighting, electricity, timber and fuel, etc.
• It operates 4,700 stores in more than 200 Chinese cities.
• Ye Yongming, chairman of Bailian, said traditional retailing requires technology to provide consumers with new shopping experiences anytime and anywhere.

ANSWER: Natarajan Chandrasekaran

Explanation:
Tata Sons Chairman-designate Natarajan Chandrasekaran will also hold the chairmanship of the group's crown jewel Tata Consultancy Services from 21^st Feb 2017.

The country's largest software services provider has also named V Ramakrishnan as its Chief Financial Officer to succeed Rajesh Gopinathan, who will take over as the CEO and MD of the Tata Group company.

The nomination was duly noted by the directors at its meeting held on February 20, 2017.

Chandrasekaran, currently Chief Executive and Managing Director of TCS, will take charge as the Non-Executive Chairman of the board of directors of TCS with effect from tomorrow.

In a separate filing, TCS said its board of directors appointed V Ramakrishnan as the Chief Financial Officer with effect from February 21.

Ramakrishnan, or Ramki as he is popularly known, joined TCS Finance in 1999, and served as the Finance Head of TCS North America for seven years.

Earlier in the day, TCS also announced a Rs 16,000 crore buyback, the largest till date in the Indian corporate history.

Tata Sons had earlier appointed Ishaat Hussain as TCS Chairman on November 11.

TCS had said Hussain would hold office as the Chairman until a new Chairman is appointed in his place.

TCS: Know More

• CEO: Rajesh Gopinathan (21 Feb 2017)
• Revenue: 16.54 billion USD (2016)
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founders: J. R. D. Tata, F. C. Kohli

ANSWER: NABARD

Explanation:
The Telangana Government signed an MoU with NABARD here for a loan of Rs 874 crore to the Horticulture Development Corporation to cover 3.15 lakh acres under Micro Irrigation scheme for 2016-17 and 2017-18.

A Government release quoted Agriculture Secretary Parthasarathi as saying agriculture in the state is rain-fed and about 42.82 lakh acres depend on bore wells for irrigation.

Due to change in climatic conditions, the ground water level is decreasing and it is the need of the hour for the farmer to use micro irrigation.

Parthasarathi said the target for the year 2016-17 under the NABARD project is to cover 2.23 lakh acres allotted to all districts in the state.

NABARD: Know More

• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Established: 12 July 1982
• Chairman: Dr. Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
• Currency: ₹ (Rupees)
• Website: www.nabard.org

ANSWER: Mobile app for adolescent

Explanation:
Shri C K Mishra, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare launched the SAATHIYA Resource Kit including ‘Saathiya Salah’ Mobile App for adolescents, on 20th Feb 2017, as part of the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) program.

One of the key interventions under the programme is introduction of the Peer Educators (Saathiyas) who act as a catalyst for generating demand for the adolescent health services and imparting age appropriate knowledge on key adolescent health issues to their peer groups.

In order to equip the Saathyas in doing so, the Health Ministry has launched the Saathiya Resource Kit (including ‘Saathiya Salah’ Mobile App).

India has 253 million adolescents which is largest in the world in terms of absolute numbers and when RMNCH programs were launched globally, India was the first country to add the ‘+A’ i.e. adolescent component to the RMNCH, making it today’s RMNCH+A program’.

RKSK identifies six strategic priorities for adolescents i.e. nutrition, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), non-communicable diseases (NCDs), substance misuse, injuries and violence (including gender-based violence) and mental health.

The most important component and driving force of RKSK program are its Peer Educators and this resource kit has been launched to enable them to communicate with the adolescents of their community, specially designed to help the Peer Educator to be recognized and respected as ‘saathiya’, a good friend for the adolescents.

This Resource Kit comprises i) Activity Book, ii) Bhranti-Kranti Game iii) Question-Answer Book and iv) Peer Educator Diary.

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
Covering more than 7 million square kilometres in South America, the Amazon basin is one of the biggest and most impressive river systems in the world.

Brazilian scientists have found a new river in the Amazon basin – around 4km underneath the Amazon river.

The Rio Hamza, named after the head of the team of researchers who found the groundwater flow, appears to be as long as the Amazon river but up to hundreds of times wider.

Both the Amazon and Hamza flow from west to east and are around the same length, at around 6,000km.

Amazon 1km to 100km in width, the Hamza ranges from 200km to 400km.

The underground river starts in the Acre region under the Andes and flows through the Solimões, Amazonas and Marajó basins.

It is opening out directly into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Amazon flows much faster than the Hamza, however, draining a greater volume of water.

Around 133,000 cubic metre of water flow through the Amazon per second at speeds of up to 5 metres per second.

The underground river's flow rate has been estimated at around 3,900 cubic metre per second and it barely inches along at less than a millimetre per hour.

The researchers used a mathematical model to predict the presence of the underground river, based on the measured changes in temperature down the wells.

Facts About Rio Hamza

• The evidence of the river’s existence was discovered by a group of scientists from Brazil National Observatory’s geophysics department.
• The group was led by Valiya Mannathal Hamza and so, the river is named after him.
• The river is assumed to flow some 13,000 feet beneath the river Amazon.
• The river is identical to the Amazon in terms of its length and the direction.
• Hamza is around 3700 miles long and flows west to east.
• Water in Amazon flows at 5 meters per second but in Hamza, it flows at a speed of less than 1 millimetre per hour.
• Beneath the Andes is the Acre region where the Rio Hamza starts and flows through Solimões basin, Amazonas basin and Marajó basin and eventually opens directly into the depths of Atlantic.
• Scientists opine that the relatively low salinity of water where Amazon meets the Atlantic is probably due to Rio Hamza.
The river was discovered by using the data collected from 241 abandoned deep wells dug in Amazon region.

ANSWER: bank.sbi

Explanation:
The State Bank of India (SBI) on 20^th Feb 2017 announced rebranding of its website as bank.sbi.

According SBI, the new domain name bank.sbi is the highest domain protocol known as generic top level domain (gTLD), an official statement.

The SBI group has several businesses. For those wanting to do banking or want to know about the bank it is easier to type out www.bank.sbi.

The SBI group having presence in insurance, mutual fund and card may also go for such Generic top-level domain (gTLD).

With this, SBI has become the first banking organisation in India to use a gTLD for its online presence and providing an exclusive experience of assurance and security to its customers.

SBI being the largest bank has always been the pioneer in adapting new technology.

SBI has always believed in providing high-tech yet secure internet experience to its customers.

Bank's own gTLD is another step in this direction.

SBI's Chairperson is currently Arundhati Bhattacharya.

Bank's own gTLD aims at simplifying the digital experience of customers and brings in enhanced security against phishing and lookalike websites.

Due to its non-replicability, a gTLD site like ".sbi" conveys an assurance to the customer that the site is authorised, genuine and is not an inappropriate or phishing site.

The existing site of sbi.co.in will continue till customers get used to the SBI's new secure website.

SBI: Know More

• State Bank of India is an Indian multinational, public sector banking and financial services company.
• It is a government-owned corporation with its headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Founded: 1 July 1955
• Subsidiaries: SBI Cards, State Bank of Hyderabad etc