Current Affairs Questions & Answers - June 01, 2017

ANSWER: 30

Explanation:
India and Spain have signed seven agreements following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy at the Moncloa Palace in the Spanish capital.

The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Spain in nearly 30 years. The last Prime Minister to visit Spain was Rajiv Gandhi in 1988.

Earlier, PM Modi and the Spanish prime minister had met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Turkey in November 2015. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed Spain’s infrastructure, tourism, energy and defence companies to invest in priority sectors in India.

Spain is India’s 7th largest trading partner in the European Union. Bilateral trade between both the nations have totalled USD 5.27 billion in 2016.

Agreements Inked

• Agreements Agreement for Transfer of Sentence Persons
• MoU on Cooperation in Organ Transplantation
• MoU on Cooperation in Cyber Security
• MoU on Cooperation in Renewable Energy
• MoU on Technical Cooperation in Civil Aviation
• Agreement on visa waiver for holders of diplomatic passports.
• MoU between Foreign Service Institute and Diplomatic Academy of Spain.

ANSWER: ICBM

Explanation:
United States for the first time has successfully tested its defence system against an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

During the test, a ground based interceptor launched from the California air base had shot down a mock intercontinental ballistic missile target which was fired from the Reagan Test Site in the Marshall Islands.

A rocket from the Ground-based Midcourse Defence (GMD) entered into space and deployed its exo-atmospheric kill vehicle that smashed the target destroying it.

Such an interception of a complex, threat-representative ICBM target is hailed as an important milestone for the GMD system.

The GMD uses globally deployed sensors to detect and track ballistic missile threats. Need The test comes at the backdrop of US’s increased tensions with North Korea.

Recently, North Korea test fired its ninth missile this year. North Korea’s quest is to develop weapons capable of hitting the United States.

The test was the first live-fire test against a simulated ICBM for the Ground-Based Missile (GBM) Defense.

It has helped in the establishment of effective though limited ground-based defence against ICBMs.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
Making it harder for charities to operate in Egypt, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on 29 May 2017 signed into law a contentious new bill that regulates non-governmental organisations (NGO).

The measure restricts NGO activity to developmental and social work and introduces jail terms of up to five years for non-compliance and fines up to one million Egyptian pounds (more than $55000).

Under the new law, foreign non-governmental groups will have to pay up to 16500 dollars to start working in Egypt and renew their permit on a regular basis.

It has also a provision of a national authority including army and intelligence representatives to oversee the foreign funding of Egyptian non-governmental organisations and the activities of foreign non-governmental organisations.

The new law says that no organisation will be allowed to carry out or publish the results of a study or survey without prior permission from the state.

The law came into force on 30 May 2017 in Egypt after being published in the official gazette. It was approved by the President, six months after it was passed in the Parliament.

In addition to this, all NGOs or any other entity engaged in social work will have one year from 30 May 2017 to register in accordance with the still to be formed National Authority for the regulation of foreign NGOs.

Egypt: Know More

• Capital: Cairo
• Dialing code: +20
• Currency: Egyptian pound
• Capital and largest city: Cairo
• President: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

ANSWER: Paris Saint-Germain

Explanation:
Paris Saint-Germain on 27 May 2017 defeated Angers 1-0 in the final of the centennial edition to lift the 2017 French Cup trophy for a record 11th time.

The final was played at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris.

French Cup and Paris-Saint Germain: Know More

• Paris Saint-Germain Football Club is a French sports club.
• It was founded in 1970. It is based in Paris, France.
• The club is most notable for its professional football team, which plays in the highest tier of French football, the Ligue 1.
• The team has won six Ligue 1 titles, a record eleven French Cups, a record seven French League Cups, six French Super Cups and one Ligue 2 title.
• It has also won one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and one UEFA Intertoto Cup.
• The Coupe Charles Simon, also known as French Cup (Coupe de France), is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation.
• The cup competition is named after Charles Simon, a French sportsman who died while serving in World War I. The tournament is open to all amateur and professional football clubs

ANSWER: Manuel Noriega

Explanation:
Former Panama dictator Manuel Noriega passed away on 29 May 2017 following a prolonged illness. He was 83.

Noriega ruled Panama from 1983 to 1989.

He spied for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) until the United States invaded and toppled his corrupt government, putting an end to his criminal career that saw him working with drug traffickers like Pablo Escobar.

He was serving a sentence for murder in Panama at the time of his death. Born in Panama City on 11 February 1934, Noriega studied at a military academy in Peru.

After becoming a de facto ruler of Panama in 1983, he played a key role in mid-1980s Iran-Contra affair, which involved smuggling weapons and drugs to aid US undercover efforts.

Later in 1989, he was ousted as the ruler of Panama after US invasion. In 1990, Noriega surrendered himself to the US to face drug-trafficking, money-laundering and racketeering charges.

He was indicted in a US federal court on drug-trafficking charges in 1988 following which he was sentenced a 17 years jail term.

Panama: Know More

• Capital: Panama City
• Dialing code: +507
• Capital and largest city: Panama City
• Currencies: United States Dollar, Panamanian balboa
• Official language: Spanish

ANSWER: Hyalinobatrachium yaku

Explanation:
A group of scientists have discovered a new species of glass frog, of the genus Hyalinobatrachium.

The frog’s beating heart can be seen right through its chest. The new species, Hyalinobatrachium yaku was found in the Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador.

The frog boasts green spots across its back and a ‘red heart fully visible’ underneath, visible due to the transparent membrane around its organs.

Though Hyalinobatrachium yaku is not the only see-through species in existence, its markings, unusual call, and reproductive behaviour set it apart from the rest.

Given their habitat in the Amazonian lowlands, the researchers warn that these frogs are at risk. Apart from environmental concerns such as water pollution, extraction of natural resources, increased the level of regional road development, could also threaten populations of the new species.

Oil extraction and the resulting road development could destroy their habitat and create barriers between nearby populations, preventing their dispersal and interaction.

The glass frogs belong to the amphibian family Centrolenidae.

Glass Frog: Know More

• While the general background coloration of most glass frogs is primarily lime green, the abdominal skin of some members of this family is transparent.
• The internal viscera, including the heart, liver, and gastrointestinal tract, are visible through the skin, hence the common name is given glass frog.
• They are arboreal animals, meaning they spend most of their lives in trees and will come to the ground only during the mating season.
• Females lay 20 to 30 eggs on the underside of leaves that hang right above the water.
• Males guard the eggs until these are ready to hatch and fall on the below water stream. As of now, more than 60 different species of glass frogs are known, the latest being Hyalinobatrachium yaku.

ANSWER: CRISPR-Cas9

Explanation:
Researchers in the United States have reportedly identified a new way to slow down the growth of cancer cell, according to reports released on 28 May 2017.

The research, conducted by researchers belonging to the University of Rochester in the US, has been published in the latest issue of the journal, Science.

The new method involves a protein called Tudor-SN and the gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9.

Researchers after a comprehensive study discovered how Tudor-SN is significant in the preparatory phase of the cell cycle, the period when the cell gets ready to divide.

Tudor-SN is more abundant in cancer cells than in the healthy ones and so, targeting the protein could help slow down the fast-growing cancer cells.

The findings were made in kidney and cervical cancer cells in the laboratory and though they are still a long way from being applied on people, they could help cancer patients in the future.

ANSWER: Drones

Explanation:
NASA scientists are developing a technology to help drones land safely during emergencies. The announcement regarding the new technology was made by NASA on 25 May 2017. After eight test flights, the technology has successfully spotted safer landing zones like swamps or drainage ditches to crash instead of on top of people’s cars.

This crash-landing software for drones was developed by Patricia Glaab, an aerospace technologist at NASA Langley Research Centre, and her fellow NASA colleague Lou Glaab.

The software links on-board drone components like batteries and motors to monitor their health.

The technology help them identify when something on the drone goes wrong, and puts the aerial vehicles in a crash-landing mode.

When triggered, the software checks a pre-installed database of nearby safe zones and identifies one for safe landing. The software also incorporates technology that lets drones recognise and avoid objects on the ground using on-board cameras.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Punjab National Bank (PNB) on 30th May signed a $100 million loan - to be guaranteed by the Government of India - that will finance large solar rooftop systems on industrial and commercial buildings throughout India.

The PNB will use the ADB funds to make further loans to various developers and end users to install rooftop solar systems.

This is the first tranche loan of the $500 million multi tranche finance facility Solar Rooftop Investment Program (SRIP) approved by ADB in 2016.

The financing includes $330 million from ADB’s ordinary capital resources and $170 million from the multi donor Clean Technology Fund (CTF) administered by ADB.

The first tranche loan of $100 million would be financed entirely from the CTF.

With a sharp drop in the price of solar panels, India has a huge potential to expand its use of solar rooftop technologies.

The program will contribute to the government’s plans to increase solar power generation capacity, and also help India meet the carbon emission reduction target in line with its commitment at the recent global climate change agreement.

India’s solar rooftop market is expanding fast with an estimated total capacity potential of 124GW.

The project is aligned with the goal set by Government of India to increase the country’s solar rooftop capacity by 40 GW by 2022, and would also contribute to Government’s efforts to promote solar energy solutions as affordable and sustainable energy sources.

The entire Solar Rooftop Investment Program will cost $1 billion, inclusive of ADB $500 million funding, and the projects financed under the program will install solar rooftop system of around 1 GW capacity.

This will contribute to the climate change goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by about 11 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent over the typical 25-year lifetime of rooftop solar systems.

ANSWER: Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window

Explanation:
In accordance with the Government of India’s policy to introduce online Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR) for Group ‘A’ services, Smt. Rita Teotia, Commerce Secretary launched the SPARROW-ITS (Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window).

The window is to enable the Indian Trade Service (ITS) officers to fill their APAR online for the year 2016-17 onwards.

The APARs would be generated and transmitted online to the concerned officers for filling up of the self appraisal.

The officer can then submit the self appraisal online through Digitally Signed Signature (DSC) or through E-sign.

The subsequent processes of reporting and reviewing would also be done online by the Reporting and Reviewing Officer by using DSC or E-sign.

The timelines have been drawn up for each stage of the process.

The entire process of filling up of APAR would have to be completed by 31st December and no remarks can be added after that date.

The very idea of switch over from manual to online system is to ensure ready access of APAR dossier by the authorized users, preventing loss of APARs in transition, address the issues of ante-dating, remarks recorded by the Reporting Authorities without dates, etc.

Above all, it brings in transparency into the APAR management system. This would, in turn, ensure that the APAR dossiers are readily available for promotions at various levels which used to get delayed for want of updated APARs.

This is another step towards Digital India in the government, where various administrative processes are being moved to IT platform leading to transparency and ease of administration.

The 150 officers of ITS would, thus, get benefited by timely promotions and all other benefits dependent upon the evaluation of their APARs. SPARROW-ITS is e-sign enabled.

What is E-Sign Enabled?

• eSign is an innovative initiative for allowing easy, efficient, and secure signing of electronic documents by authenticating signer using Aadhaar eKYC services.
• Through this service, any Aadhaar holder can digitally sign an electronic document without having to obtain a physical digital signature dongle through OTP based authentication.
• The user should possess a 12 digits Aadhaar Number.
• For OTP based authentication, the mobile number should be registered with Aadhaar number at the time of Aadhaar Registration.

ANSWER: HP

Explanation:
An agreement for IBRD Credit of USD 36 Million from World Bank for “Himachal Pradesh Public Financial Management Capacity Building Program” was signed in New Delhi.

The Implementing Entity Agreement was also signed.

The objective of the project is to improve the efficiency of Public Expenditure Management and Tax Administration in Himachal Pradesh.

The Program is expected to contribute to enhancing efficiency of key departments, improving budget credibility, strengthening systems and procedures to improve fiscal discipline, improving revenue administration to increase fiscal space, and targeted organizational reforms including human resource reforms.

The Program focuses on the priority areas identified by the GoHP, which were articulated in various stakeholder workshops during Program preparation.

The programme size is USD 45 million, of which USD 36 million will be financed by the Bank, and the remaining amount will be funded out of State Budget. The duration is 5 years.