Current Affairs Questions & Answers - July 20, 2017

ANSWER: BRICS

Explanation:
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the approval for the signing of Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) in respect of tax matters between India and the Revenue administrations of BRICS countries.

The BRICS countries are Brazil, Russian Federation, China and South Africa

The MoC aims to further promote cooperation amongst the BRICS Revenue administrations in international forum on common areas of interest in tax matters and in the area of capacity building and knowledge sharing.

It envisages regular interaction amongst the heads of Revenue administration of BRICS countries to continue discussion on common areas of interest and strive towards convergence of views and meeting of the Experts on tax matters to discuss the contemporary issues in areas of international tax.

In addition, the MoC accords confidentiality and protection to information exchanged under this MoC.

The MoC will stimulate effective cooperation in tax matters.

The collective stand of BRICS countries can prove to be beneficial not only to these countries but also to other developing countries in the long run in tax matters being steered by the G20.

Need for MOC

• The Heads of Revenue of the BRICS countries have been meeting regularly to discuss the potential areas of cooperation in tax matters and to exchange opinions.
• They also discuss views based on the existing commitment to openness, solidarity, equality, mutual understanding, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation, as stated in the Goa Declaration issued on October 16, 2016.
• The BRICS countries have identified four areas of mutual interest on which understanding and cooperation can be further strengthened.
• The heads of Revenue of BRICS countries in their meeting held on the sidelines of FTA plenary at Beijing, China in May, 2016 decided to sign a MoC outlining these areas of cooperation.

ANSWER: Zion Harvey

Explanation:
The first child in the world to undergo a double hand transplant is now able to write, feed and dress himself, doctors have said, declaring the ground-breaking operation a success after 18 months.

10-year old Zion Harvey, who underwent surgery to replace both hands in July 2015 is now even able to play baseball.

Eighteen months after the surgery, the child is more independent and able to complete day-to-day activities.

He continues to improve as he undergoes daily therapy to increase his hand function, and psychosocial support to help deal with the ongoing demands of his surgery.

Harvey had his hands and feet amputated at the age of two, following a sepsis infection. He also had a kidney transplant.

Harvey was already receiving drugs to suppress any immune reaction to his kidney, which was a key factor in his selection for the 10-plus hour hand transplant surgery.

Immunosuppressive drugs must be taken continuously to prevent a patient’s body from rejecting the transplant.

These drugs carry risks, including diabetes, cancer and infections.

The child has “undergone eight rejections of the hands, including serious episodes during the fourth and seventh months of his transplant.

All of these were reversed with immunosuppression drugs without impacting the function of the child’s hands.”

Harvey continues to take four immunosuppression drugs and a steroid.

Before the double hand transplant, Harvey had limited ability to dress, feed and wash himself through adapted processes, using his residual limbs or specialist equipment.

The donor hands became available in July 2015 from a deceased child.

Within days of the surgery, Harvey discovered he could move his fingers, using the ligaments from his residual limbs.

Eight months after the operation, Harvey was using scissors and drawing with crayons.

Within a year, he could swing a baseball bat using both hands. He also threw out the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game last August.

Regular meetings with a psychologist and a social worker were part of the recovery process, aimed at helping him cope with his new hands.

Scans have shown his brain is adapting to the new hands, developing new pathways to control movement and feel sensations.

The world’s first double hand transplant in a child has been successful under carefully considered circumstances.

The first successful hand transplant in an adult was carried out in 1998.

ANSWER: Hizbut Tahrir

Explanation:
The Indonesian government on July 19, 2017 banned Hizbut Tahrir, an organisation that wants to establish a global caliphate.

This is under a new presidential decree criticised as draconian by rights groups.

The decree signed last week by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo gives the government almost unfettered power to ban organisations deemed against the constitution and the official state ideology Pancasila.

Rights group say governments could easily abuse the decree’s power.

The measures follow months of sectarian tensions that shook the government and undermined Indonesia’s reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam.

ANSWER: Sao Paolo

Explanation:
While Uber has changed ground transport in many cities, Sao Paulo’s infernal traffic jams have sparked a new app that opens the sky to commuters.

Voom is a helicopter taxi service that charges according to distance and the passenger’s weight.

It’s a godsend for those in a rush - but only if the weather permits.

Sao Paulo - South America’s biggest city, home to 12 million residents within its municipal limits and millions more in satellite towns - is regularly choked by gargantuan traffic jams.

There are 5.9 million vehicles, or one for every two people. At peak hour, traffic can be backed up as much as 576 km

A new venture launched in April by Europe’s Airbus, Voom has taken a page out of Uber’s marketing manual to put clients above it all - at a competitive price.

The app asks passengers to enter their weight and that of any baggage, then immediately sends the calculated fare.

Using a traditional taxi on the clogged roads would have cost travellers $50 and an hour and a half of frustrating stop-and-go. Choosing the chopper taxi is no-brainer!

ANSWER: France

Explanation:
French leader Emmanuel Macron faced the biggest crisis of his young presidency on Wednesday following the resignation of the head of the armed forces.

Macron had rebuked him for criticising defence spending cuts.

The row between Mr. Macron and General Pierre De Villiers blew up last week when the chief of staff told a parliamentary committee that he would not allow the armed forces to be harmed by the government’s plans to slash 850 million euros from this year’s budget.

Mr. Macron, 39, slapped down the 60-year-old, five-star General, telling the army top brass at their annual summer party “I am the boss” and that he deeply regretted that the budget dispute had been dragged into the “public sphere.”

General De Villiers, who had been in the job for three years, said he felt he had no choice but to stand down.

“I no longer feel able to ensure the sustainability of the model of the armed forces that I think is necessary to guarantee the protection of France and the French people,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Macron named 55-year-old General Francois Lecointre, currently the top military adviser to the Prime Minister, as his replacement.

At a weekly Cabinet meeting, the President hailed General de Villiers for his “remarkable service” and promised to hike the defence budget again in 2018, government spokesman Christophe Castaner said.

ANSWER: Iran

Explanation:
The Trump administration on 18th July 2017 unveiled new economic sanctions against Iran over its ballistic missile program and for contributing to regional tensions.

This comes one day after warning Tehran that it was not following the spirit of its nuclear agreement with world powers.

The US Department of Treasury, in a statement, said it was targeting 16 entities and individuals for supporting what is said was “illicit Iranian actors or transnational criminal activity.”

Those sanctioned had backed Iran’s military or Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by developing drones and military equipment, producing and maintaining boats, and procuring electronic components, the U.S. said.

Others have also ‘orchestrated the theft of US and Western software programs’ sold to Iran’s government, the Treasury Department said.

The US State Department had also designated two Iranian organizations involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program, according to the Treasury Department.

2015 Nuclear Deal: Know More

• The 2015 Nuclear Deal was a preliminary framework agreement signed between Iran and P5+1 countries (United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France, China- plus Germany) and the European Union in July 2015.
• The deal is also called as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) or Vienna agreement.
• The deal aims to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions.
• Under it, Iran has agreed to give up its most advanced centrifuges and use only its oldest models.
• But it still allows Iran to continue enrichment in lower quantities for civilian purposes such as power plants. As part of the deal Iran has agreed to reduce its stockpile of uranium by 98%.
• Under this deal, Iran could keep 300 kg enriched uranium for the next 15 years and it will get rid of extra uranium by shipping it to Russia.

ANSWER: MCI

Explanation:
Supreme Court has allowed the Union Government to replace the oversight committee set up to supervise the functioning of the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a fresh panel of five eminent doctors.

The Supreme Court also gave the Government liberty to replace any doctor in the list with another if he does not wish to be a part of the oversight committee.

Earlier, Government had proposed the names of five eminent doctors to replace the earlier members of the oversight committee whose term had just expired.

The Supreme Court using its rare and extraordinary powers under the Article 142 of the Constitution had set up the oversight committee court in May 2016 to oversee the MCI’s functioning for a period of one year or till a suitable mechanism was brought in by the Government to substitute it.

The committee was led by former Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha.

MCI is a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India.

It grants recognition of medical qualifications, gives accreditation to medical schools, grants registration to medical practitioners, and monitors medical practice in India

ANSWER: USS Ponce

Explanation:
US Navy test fired the world’s first operational and deployed laser weapons from a warship in the Persian Gulf.

The world’s first active laser weapons system was fired from the Austin-class amphibious transport dock USS Ponce.

The laser successfully destroyed an unnamed aerial vehicle (UAV) and moving surface targets.

The new weapon releases photons - elementary particles which transmit light - at the speed of light silently hitting their target and burning it to a temperature of thousands of degrees.

Unlike depicted in movies such as Star Wars, the laser beam, essentially a narrow beam of focused light, is entirely invisible.

It operates in an invisible part of the electromagnetic spectrum so you don’t see the beam, it doesn’t make any sound, it’s completely silent and it’s incredibly effective at what it does.

Lasers are primarily intended for short-range defence (one to five miles) against aircraft, drones, and small boats.

Second-generation laser weapons systems are currently under development intended to take on faster targets such as incoming ballistic missiles.

During previous tests, lasers have taken out cruise missiles, mortars and other projectiles, according to the USDD.

The $40 million weapons system requires a crew of three and a supply of electricity (generated from its own small generator) to operate.

The 30-kilowatt, laser weapon, installed aboard the USS Ponce already in 2014, is extremely accurate and can be scaled depending on the target.

Unlike a traditional gun, a laser never runs out of bullets given that it has an infinite magazine as long as it is connected to a power source.

Furthermore, in comparison to missile-based defensive systems firing a laser is cheap at $4 million per shot.

The downside of laser weapons systems is that they consume a lot of energy on the one hand, and that they have difficulties penetrating dust, haze, and smoke on the other hand, which makes it difficult to effectively operate them under adverse weather conditions.

Possible counter-measure against laser weapons include fitting aircraft, boats and drones, with anti-laser coating or laser-deflecting mirrors.

An international agreement prohibits the targeting of human beings with laser weapons of any type.

ANSWER: TR Zeliang

Explanation:
Senior Naga People’s Front (NPF) legislator TR Zeliang (65) was sworn in as the 19th chief minister of Nagaland.

He was administered oath to office and secrecy by Governor P.B. Acharya. Earlier Governor had dismissed the Shurhozelie Liezietsu government under Clause (I) of Article 164 of the Constitution after he failed to prove majority on the floor of the Assembly.

Prior to it, Zeliang had staked claim to form government in Nagaland with a majority support of 47 members in the 60 member Legislative Assembly.

TR Zeliang will now have to prove his majority on the floor of the House. This is his second stint as chief minister in a little more than three years.

Earlier in February 2016, Zeliang was forced out of office following large scale protests over holding of urban local bodies election with 33% reservation for women.

After his resignation NPF had made party chairman Shurhozelie (80) as the CM.

But recently, he faced rebellion from his party MLAs.

The Governor had asked the Speaker to summon an emergent special session of the state assembly for the ousted CM Shurhozelie Liezietsu to seek the confidence vote.