Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Nov 11, 2016

ANSWER: The World Science Day for Peace and Development

Explanation:
The World Science Day for Peace and Development 2016 was observed on 10th Nov 2016 across the world.

• The theme for 2016 is Celebrating Science Centres and Science Museum.
• To mark the day, UNESCO conducted several discussions, special campaigns, visit to science museums for school children and to raise awareness about benefits of science worldwide.
• For 2016, the theme Celebrating Science Centres and Science Museums is chosen to highlight the importance of museums and science centres for capacity building, advocacy, and sending strong messages about the criticality of science for sustainable development.
• Science centres and museums play a critical role in nurturing curiosity and serving as living labs of creativity.
• They help societies to meet challenges and provide a motivation for students to pursue careers in science.
• Objective is to strengthen public awareness on the role of science for peaceful and sustainable societies and promote international solidarity for shared science between nations.
• The aim is to promote national and international solidarity for shared science between nations.
• The World Science Day for Peace and Development was created as a followup to the World Conference on Science organised by UNESCO and the International Council for Science in Hungary Budapest in 1999.

ANSWER: Delhi Declaration on Agro-biodiversity Management

Explanation:
The 1st International Agro-Biodiversity Congress was held in New Delhi from Nov 6 - Nov 9 2016.

• It concluded with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Agro-biodiversity Management.
• Event saw the participation of 900 people from 60 nations.
• During the Congress, the delegates of all countries discussed various aspects of access, conservation and use of agro-biodiversity in 16 technical sessions, 4 satellite sessions,a gene bank roundtable, public forum, farmer’s forum and poster sessions.
• Based on these deliberations, the delegates adopted the Preamble and following declaration at the concluding session of Nov 9, 2016.
• Participating nations called to accord top priority to agro-biodiversity conservation and their sustainable use towards attaining targets of SDGs relating to poverty alleviation, nutritional security and food, good health, gender equity and partnership.
• They recognised the vital aspects of traditional knowledge to the agro-biodiversity conservation and their sustainable use towards attaining SDG targets pertaining to poverty alleviation and much more.
• Policy makers were asked to strengthen strategies and researchers to employ modern technologies for the purpose of ensuring science for all and promotion of agro-biodiversity.
• India was chosen to host the Congress on account of its diverse nature.
• It takes up only 2.4 percent of the world’s land area, harbouring 7-8 percent of all recorded species.
• According to the Convention on Biological Diversity 2014, species that live in India include 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals according to CBD 2014.

ANSWER: Pramila Jayapal

Explanation:
Pramila Jayapal on 9th Nov 2016 became the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives.

• She won the senate seat from the state of Washington leaving behind rival Brady Walkinshaw.
• Jayapal secured 57 percent of the votes from Washington State and beat her rival who secured 43 percent votes.
• Pramila Jayapal is a democratic politician from Washington State.
• She represented the 37th legislative district in Washington State Senate since 2015.
• Just before being elected to the US House of Representatives, she was a Seattle based civil rights activist serving till 2012 as ED of One America, a pro-immigration advocacy group.
• A bachelor’s degree from Georgetown, she holds an MBA from Northwestern University.
• She was the author of Pilgrimage: One Woman’s Return to a Changing India.

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris on 9th November 2016 became the first Indian American to win the US Senate from the state.

• She defeated fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez from her own party.
• She is the first black woman elected to the upper chamber in more than 2 decades.
• She is also the sixth black individual to be elected to the US Senate.
• Harris will replace Barbara Boxer who announces her retirement in 2014 after serving more than 2 decades in the senate.
• Kamala Harris is an American lawyer, politician and member of the Democratic Party.
• She is the 32nd and current Attorney General of California since 2011.
• She also worked as a Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County, California from 1990 to 1998.
• She was elected California’s Attorney General in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.
• She is also the first female, the first African American, the first Indian American and the first Asian American attorney general in CA.

ANSWER: Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana

Explanation:
Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship on 9th Nov 2016 launched the Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana to boost up the ecosystem of entrepreneurship for young persons.

• The scheme was launched for a time period of 5 years with project cost of INR 499.94 crore.
• It offers entrepreneurship education and training to 7 lakh students in 5 years through 3050 institutes.
• It will also offer easy access to information and mentor credit, advocacy and network to create a way out for youngsters.
• The institutes under the Yojana include 2200 higher learning institutes, 300 schools, 500 ITIs and 50 Entrepreneurship Development Centres.
• Institutes will carry out training through Massive Open Online Courses.
• Ministry also unveiled guidelines for State Engagement under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 2.0.
• It allocates over INR 3000 for States to achieve this target of training 10 million people in over 4 years.
• It also launched the Lab Guidelines towards standardisation of lab equipment across skill development training centres in the nation.

ANSWER: Ishaat Hussain

Explanation:
TATA Sons Ltd on 9th Nov 2016 announced the appointment of Ishaat Hussain as Chairman of IT giant, TCS with immediate effect.

• He will hold the position till the name of the new chairman is announced.
• Announcement was delivered to the company TCS through the letter dated 9th Nov 2016 from TATA Sons Ltd.
• Hussain succeeds Cyrus Mistry who was ousted from the position on 23rd Oct 2016 by the board of TATA Sons Ltd.
• Ratan Tata has been chosen as the Interim Chairman of the group till another suitable candidate was chosen.
• He is a member of the board of Tata Sons and director of several TATA Companies such as TATA Industries, TATA Steel and Voltas.
• He is also a member of the SEBI committees on insider trading and primary capital markets.
• He is also a member of the CII Finance Committee.
• Prior to TATA Sons, Hussain has served as the senior Vice President and Executive Director of finance at TATA Steel for 10 years.
• He joined the board of the Indian Tube Company (a TATA Steel Associate company) in 1981 and moved to TATA Steel in 1983 after the merger of both companies.

ANSWER: Kerala

Explanation:
India’s first Liquified Natural Gas driven bus was launched on 8th Nov 2016 in Kerala.

• Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan flagged off the bus.
• The LNG driven bus was rolled out of Union Government plans to use LNG.
• Liquified Natural Gas is a natural gas with methane and ethane and it has been converted to liquid form for easy storage or transport.
• It takes up 1/600th the volume of the natural gas in the gaseous state.
• It is odourless, colourless, toxic and non corrosive.
• LNG achieves a higher reduction in volume as against CNG so volumetric energy density of KNG is 2.4 times that of CNG or 60 percent of the diesel fuel.
• This ensures that LNG is cost efficient to transport over long distances where pipelines are not prevalent.
• Natural gas has the lowest CO2 emissions per unit of energy.
• Burning natural gas produces 30 percent less CO2 than burning petroleum and about 45 percent less than burning coal.

ANSWER: Pulsars

Explanation:
China on 10th Nov launched a navigation satellite to conduct in-orbit experiments using pulsar detectors to showcase new technologies.

• X-ray pulsar navigation satellite weighing more than 200 kilograms was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the northwest part of the country.
• It was carried by Long March-11 rocket the 239th Flight Mission by the Long March carrier rocket series.
• When in orbit, the satellite will undergo tests on detector functions and space environment adaptability.
• The satellite and the rocket were designed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation academies.
• X-ray pulsar navigation will help reduce the spacecraft’s reliance on ground based navigation methods and is expected to lead to autonomous spacecraft navigation in the future.

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
In 2015, the IB issued an alert of drone attacks in Delhi.

• Mumbai airport was put on high alert after the pilot spotted an unmanned aerial vehicle popularly called the drone.
• IISc and NIAS scientists have developed means to counter the same developing a system using that could remotely identify the flying objects using electromagnetic waves– UAVs piloted remotely using radio waves, invisible electromagnetic waves for control and either disabling them or safe landing them.
• Drones are rising in number and becoming a serious concern; despite this the punishment for flying a drone without permission is only a negligible fine.
• Another scientist posited that once there is regulation of drone usage, all manufacturers need to use a radio frequency identification chip and register them with security agencies.

ANSWER: Donald J. Trump

Explanation:
Following the election of Republican Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the US, it dawned on America that divisions are problem.

• While Clinton, Trump and Obama appealed for calm, 25 cities across the country protested "Not My President" and people lit candles.
• Social media initiatives sough support to ensure that Trump remains a one time president.
• Protests were reported in Oakland, Dallas, California, Boston, Chicago, Portland, Oregon, Seattle and Washington.
• College campuses in California, MA and Pennsylvania also witnessed student protests.
• Muslims, Hispanics and Blacks, the three communities at the receiving end of Trump’s campaign are most anxious.
• Trump has promised not to repeal Obamacare.
• Many Americans have held all their progress is at stake in the event of a Trump presidency.
• Trump won the presidential campaign on the electoral college, not popular vote.

ANSWER: World Bank

Explanation:
India on Nov 10, took a strong exception against the World Bank’s inexplicable decision to set up a Court of Arbitration and appoint a Neutral Expert to go into Pakistan’s complaint against it over Kishengaga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in J&K.

• India has opposed the violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.
• Under the Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan and also the World Bank in 1960, the World Bank has specified role in the process of resolution of differences and disputes.
• Pakistan has sought the establishment of a Court of Arbitration which is normally the next step in the process of resolution of the Treaty.
• Neutral expert can access the issues beyond mere technical difficulties.
• Pakistan has raised objections over the design of the hydel project in J&K as it is not in line with the criteria laid down under the IWT between the two countries, according to it.
• World Bank has decided to appoint a neutral expert and a court of arbitration, something which is legally untenable.