Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Nov 05, 2016

ANSWER: Sanjiv Arora

Explanation:
Sanjiv Arora is an Indian IFS officer who was appointed as the ambassador to Lebanon on 31st Oct 2016.

• Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a sovereign Western Asia state.
• Arora was the Indian ambassador to Qatar before this.
• He has also served in diplomatic missions across Egypt, Sri Lanka, Germany, Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia.
• He also headed the UN Political Division in MEA from 2005-2008.
• Joining the service in 1984, he was appointed the Union Government nodal official for the UNGA sessions.

Both India and Lebanon share the following:

• Democratic, parliamentary system of government
• Written constitution
• Certain Basic Freedoms
• Human Rights

ANSWER: 182

Explanation:
The Paris Agreement has entered into force on Nov 4, 2016.

• The agreement involves GHG emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance.
• Paris Agreement’s entry into force comes after countries representing 55 percent of the world’s emissions joined the deal.
• As per Nov 2016, 192 states have signed the agreement.
• The EU is also a signatory to the agreement.
• 97 of these parties have ratified or accepted the agreement.
• Notable among these are the leading GHG emitters China, the US and India.
• The Paris Agreement is inked within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• Language of the agreement was negotiated by 195 nations at the 21st COP of the UNFCC in Paris.
• It was adopted by consensus on 12th December 2015.
• It was launched for the signatories on 22nd April 2016 in NYC.
• The EU ratified the agreement in Oct 2016.
• The agreement has come into force due to ratification by enough countries.
• The prime aim of the protocol is to limit global average temperature to well below 2 degree C above pre-industrial levels.
• COP has established a global goal on adaptation of enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and lowering vulnerability to climate change.
• Averting, minimising and coping with losses due to climate change is another mitigation based goal.

Other aspects of the agreement focus on:

• Technology Transfer
• Capacity Building
• Financing
• Implementation
• Review

ANSWER: Shamik Chowdhury

Explanation:
In Oct 2016, Indian researcher Shamik Chowdhury was awarded the German Green Talent Award.

• 25 researchers were conferred this award.
• Shamik won the award for his innovative approach to sustainable development.
• He has also pioneered resource efficiency, cleaner production and eco-innovation research.
• His main area of focus is in creating green technologies based on renewable feedstocks to enhance living quality.
• His award winning research on carbon capture uses innovative absorbents.
• The Green Talent Award is hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research each year to promote global change for innovative green ideas.
• The year 2016 saw the eighth edition of the award being conferred.

ANSWER: Rekha

Explanation:
Indian actress Rekha will be honoured by the Dubai International Film Festival with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

• The festival will be held in Dec 2016.
• Rekha has been honoured for her 40-year career and participation in more than 180 movies.
• Acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, she started her career in the 1960s as a child actor.
• Her film debut as a lead was in the movie Sawan Bhadon.
• She has appeared in mainstream as well as parallel cinema.
• She is also a winner of three Filmfare Awards.
• The National Film award winning actress was honoured in 2010 with a Padma Shri by GoI.
• The Dubai International Film Festival is the leading festival conceived in 2004.
• The festival has served as an influential platform for filmmakers in the Arab world.
• The ruler of Dubai and UAE Vice President and PM His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the patron of this festival.

ANSWER: 7

Explanation:
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GoI will be hosting the COP7.

• The Conference of Parties will be inaugurated by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, JP Nadda.
• Conference will be held at Greater Noida’s District Gautam Buddha Nagar UP.
• This is the first occasion that a COP meeting is being held in India.
• GoI has a strong commitment to increase international cooperation and awareness of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control internationally and in the SE Asian region.
• Delhi Declaration for supporting measures to combat tobacco control will also be framed at COP7.
• The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the first international evidence based public health treaty.
• The rights of people to the highest standard of health has been recognised.
• The treaty was developed by nations in response to the globalisation of the tobacco epidemic.
• Currently, there are 180 parties to the convention.
• India has ratified the public health treaty in 2005.
• It was the 7th nation to ratify the convention.
• The treaty was ratified on 27th February by India; the nation is now obligated to comply with the treaty provisions and guidelines to reduce tobacco consumption internationally.
• India has provided the leadership role in the negotiations of FCTC and was a regional coordinator for the SE Asia region.
• COP is the governing body of the WHO FCTC and is comprised of the Parties to the Convention.
• It keeps under regular review of the implementation of the convention.
• COP ensures decisions are in place to promote effective implementation.
• It may also adopt protocols, amendments and annexes to the Convention.
• COP conference is held once every 2 years.

ANSWER: PM Theresa May cannot invoke Brexit without approval from the Parliament

Explanation:
High Court of the United Kingdom on Nov 3, 2016 held that the British government cannot invoke Article 50 of the EU treaty.

• According to the ruling, PM Theresa May cannot initiate the Brexit process without Parliamentary approval.
• Britain plans to leave the EU hit a large speed bump when the HC made the ruling.
• PM May has however said that she will use the royal prerogative to invoke Article 50 of the EU treaty which launches two years of exist negotiations towards the close of March 2017.
• Government has said the HC decision will be challenged in the SC.
• Brexit Secretary David Davis indicated that a 17.4 million leave vote gives the government the mandate to leave the EU.
• The historic referendum has given the British government the biggest mandate in history to leave the EU.
• If the government’s appeal is rejected by the SC, then the PM could trigger a snap election to seek a bigger parliamentary mandate.
• People of Britain in a June 24 referendum voted in favour of living the EU with 51.9 percent voting in favour as against 48.1 in the against.
• The referendum saw N. Ireland, London and Scotland voted strongly to stay back with the EU while Wales and England back Brexit.

ANSWER: Rupee denominated bonds

Explanation:
The Reserve Bank of India has permitted banks to issue rupee denominated bonds in the overseas market.

• These are also called masala bonds.
• The aim is to shore up the capital base and financing as well as affordable housing infrastructure.
• Banks can raise perpetual debt instruments which can be considered for calculating the bank’s additional tier 1 capital or debt capital instrument that can calculate the bank’s tier 2 capital.
• Bonds will be issued under Basel III norms.
• They will therefore have the loss absorption clause.
• As per the clause, the bank can opt for not honouring coupon payment in the event of financial stress.
• For financing infrastructure, and reasonable housing, banks can issue long term bonds which don’t have the loss absorption clause.
• Central bank first announced the notion of masala bonds on Aug 25, when a slew of measures were announced to develop the bond and currencies market.
• Additional funds generated from the rupee bond route will help develop the market of masala bonds overseas.

ANSWER: Munnar

Explanation:
The nation’s first tea museum was inaugurated at Munnar in the high ranges of the Idukki district in Kerala.

• The museum gives a view of the tea plantation and its growth over 100 years in the verdant hilly district of Kerala.
• The souvenirs and mementos kept in the museum include an original tea roller for the present tea processing factory in Madupatty.
• They also include a granite sundial made in 1913 by the Art Ind School in Nazareth in TN.
• Rotovane the old time CTC tea processing machine and a peloton wheel used in the power generation plant in Kanniamally estate from the 1920s were also part of the display.
• An EPABX of the telephone system dated 1909 was also part of the museum exhibits.
• There is a tea testing section here as well.
• Kerala was formed on Nov 1, 1956.

ANSWER: Canada

Explanation:
The European Union and Canada have signed a free trade deal.
This deal exposed the difficulties of securing agreement from 28 EU member states.

• The deal was almost derailed by objections from the French speaking Belgians.
• EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker indicated there was no parallel between the deal and forthcoming Brexit talks.
• Known as CETA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership and Trade Agreement) paved the way for import duties to be removed early in the next year.
• Treaty currently needs approval of many EU national and regional parliaments besides the UK to enter into full force.
• CETA supporters say it will boost Canadian-EU trade by 20 percent.
• It will boost EU economy by 12 billion euros and Canadian economy by 12 billion Canadian dollars.