Current Affairs Questions & Answers - June 05, 2016

ANSWER: Only b and c

Explanation:
Pope Francis has proclaimed two new saints- a Lutheran convert who hid Jews during World War II and the Polish founder of the first men’s religious order dedicated to the immaculate conception. Pope Francis called Swedish-born Elizabeth Hesselblad and Stanislaus Papczynski “exemplary witnesses to this mystery of resurrection” during the canonization Mass on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square.

• Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary, as he is known, supported hospitals and shelters for the poor in the 17th Century. His crowning achievement was founding the order of Marian Fathers, which preached the cult of Holy Mary.

ANSWER: M Chandra Dathan

Explanation:
State government has chosen distinguished space scientist of ISRO and former director of VSSC Padma Shri M Chandra Dathan as scientific advisor to the new Chief Minister Pinnarayi Vijayan.

• It is perhaps for the first time in the history of state that a chief minister who is also in-charge of the science and technology portfolio appoints a space scientist as advisor on scientific matters.
• Dathan began his career in 1972 joining ISRO where he worked on the SLV-3 project during its design phase and later on moved to solid propellant formulations.
• In 2000, he became the head of the ablative nozzle production unit and went on to become the chief executive of the Solid Propellant Plant for PSLV and GSLV boosters where he supervised the establishment of a new Solid Propellant Plant commissioned in 2008.
• From there he took over as director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in 2008.

ANSWER: Eknath Khadse

Explanation:
In the eye of a storm over allegations of corruption including irregularities in a land deal, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse on June 4, 2016 resigned from the post. Khadse handed over his resignation to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

ANSWER: Both a and b

Explanation:
Swiss voters rejected by a wide margin on June 5 a proposal to introduce a guaranteed basic income for everyone living in the wealthy country after an uneasy debate about the future of work at a time of increasing automation.

• Supporters had said introducing a monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,563) per adult and 625 francs per child under 18 no matter how much they work would promote human dignity and public service.

ANSWER: Herat

Explanation:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Dr Ashraf Ghani jointly inaugurated the Afghan-India Friendship Dam with in Herat province in Western Afghanistan on 4 June 2016.

• The Dam was earlier known as Salma Dam on the river Chist-e-Sharif in western Herat neighbouring Iran. It will irrigate 75000 hectares of land and generate 42 Mega Watts of power.
• Afghan President conferred the the highest civilian honour of Afghanistan, the Amir Amanullah Khan Award on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

ANSWER: Haryana

Explanation:
The breeding and conservation of vultures is a significant step in the direction of saving the endangered species. Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar jointly released two Himalayan Griffons into the wild from the Conservation Centre.

ANSWER: Singapore

Explanation:
Asia’s largest annual security forum Shangri-La Dialogue was inaugurated in Singapore on 3 June 2016. It is the 15th Asia Security Summit to openly discuss and debate security matters in the Asia-Pacific region.

• It is expected that the 2016 discussions will by dominated by the issues like territorial disputes in the South China Sea, military provocations of North Korea and Islamist extremism, migration, counterterrorism, military competition and cybersecurity.
• The Singaporean government along with British think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies launched the Summit in 2002.

ANSWER: Cassius Marcellus Clay

Explanation:
Ali, boxer and civil rights champion who famously proclaimed himself “The Greatest” and then spent a lifetime living up to the billing, is dead.

• Ali died at a Phoenix-area hospital, where he had spent the past few days being treated for respiratory complications. Ali’s passed away at the age of 75.
• He had suffered for three decades from Parkinson’s, a progressive neurological condition that slowly robbed him of both his verbal grace and his physical dexterity.
• Born Cassius Marcellus Clay on Jan. 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, to middle-class parents, Ali started boxing when he was 12, winning Golden Gloves titles before heading to the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where he won a gold medal as a light heavyweight.

ANSWER: Garbine Muguruza

Explanation:
Garbine Muguruza defeated Serena Williams to claim her maiden grand slam title with a 7-5 6-4 win over the world number one and defending champion in the French Open final. The 22-year-old fourth seed, who lost to Williams in last year’s Wimbledon final,

• She became the first Spaniard to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1998.
• Veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes completed a ‘Career Slam’ in mixed doubles with Swiss partner Martina Hingis with a hard-fought win over compatriot Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig at Roland Garros.
• It was 18th Grand Slam title for Paes and 10th in the mixed doubles. For 35-year-old Hingis, it was Grand Slam title number 22nd and fifth trophy in the mixed double

ANSWER: HDFC ERGO

Explanation:
HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co. Ltd, the non-life insurance joint venture between HDFC Ltd and ERGO International of Germany, said that it will acquire L&T General Insurance Co. Ltd in an all-cash deal worth Rs.551 crore. Promoter Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) will exit the general insurance business via the deal.

• L&T General Insurance, which began operations in October 2010, sells auto, business, home and health cover.
• The company, with a paid-up share capital of Rs.705 crore, saw a gross written premium of Rs.483 crore during the year ended 31 March, which is 40% higher compared with the previous year.
• The company has 28 offices served by 800 employees. For the year ended 31 March, the company’s net-worth stood at Rs.142 crore.
• The insurer, a joint venture between India’s largest home finance company and Germany’s ERGO International, is currently the fourth largest general insurer in the country.

ANSWER: Drugs Kill Sports

Explanation:
Renowned Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has won gold medal on in people’s choice prize at world championship festival of sand sculpting Russe, 2016 in Bulgaria for his sand sculpture – “Drugs kill Sports”.

• After recently bagging a gold medal in Moscow for creating a beautiful sand sculpture on Peace and Nonviolence, Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik and his skills have done the nation proud, yet again.

ANSWER: My Stamp

Explanation:
India Post has released a Rs.5 stamp to mark the third anniversary of Amazon India’s services in the country. Called My Stamp, it shows a delivery boy with a carton labelled Amazon. Amazon India, which launched its services in India in June 2013, serves customers in over 19,000 pin codes through a network of 155,000 post offices.

• The department of post has released ‘My Stamp’ for the first time to commemorate a milestone with an e-commerce marketplace.
• The launch reinforces the Amazon-India Post relationship. India Post is one of Amazon India’s prime carriers.
• The marketplace uses the extensive postal network to reach its customers.

ANSWER: Odisha

Explanation:
Odisha is the first region in the country to give transgender people social welfare benefits – such as a pension, housing and food grains – usually allocated for only the most impoverished. Niten Chandra, principal secretary of Odisha’s Department of Social Security, said the move to give the transgender community the same benefits as those living below the poverty line was aimed at improving their overall social and economic status.

• In a landmark judgment in April 2014, Supreme Court recognised transgender as a legal third gender and called on the government to ensure their equal treatment.
• The court recognised the community as a marginalised group and directed authorities to implement policies to improve their socio-economic status.

ANSWER: 5

Explanation:
Five sports, including baseball, skateboarding and surfing, are set to feature at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after the IOC recommended them to attract a younger audience and boost local support for the Games.

• The International Olympic Committee must now rubber-stamp the inclusion of skateboarding, surfing, sports climbing and karate plus the joint baseball/softball bid at its session in Rio de Janeiro in August.
• The IOC Executive Board voted unanimously in favour of the proposal put forward by Tokyo 2020, recommending it as a package.
• Under new rules, Olympic host cities can hand-pick sports they want in the Games to join the existing 28 core sports.

ANSWER: Bigelow Expandable Activity Module

Explanation:
US space agency NASA successfully deployed the first experimental inflatable room attached to the International Space Station (ISS).

• NASA Astronaut Jeff Williams began introducing air into the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module. In total, Williams opened the air valve 25 times for a total time of 2 minutes and 27 seconds to add air to the module in short bursts as flight controllers carefully monitored the its internal pressure.
• The 1,400 kg Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) was built by Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace under a $17 million NASA contract. When manual operations ended, the module added 1.5 metres in length to reach 1.7 metres beyond its packed configuration and an internal diameter of 3.2 metres.