Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Nov 20, 2016

ANSWER: Sunway TaihuLight

Explanation:
China’s Sunway TaihuLight was recently declared the world’s fastest supercomputer.

• It was revealed in the latest edition of the semi-yearly TOP500 Supercomputer list released on 14th Nov 2016
• This marks the 8^th time in the row that a Chinese made computer has gained the first place in the list
• This also marks the first time a Chinese-made supercomputer has won without the use of US processors or technology
• TOP500 is considered an authoritative ranking of the supercomputers in the world; it is compiled on the basis of the machine’s performance on the Linpack benchmark by experts from US and Germany
• An Intel based Chinese Tianhe-2 supercomputer is on the second position in the list and can perform calculations with processing speed of 33.86 Pflops
• Currently US DOE/Department of Energy supercomputer Titan is in third place with a performance of 17.59 Pflops
• IBM’s Sequoia supercomputer system installed at the US DOE Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory grabbed the fourth position in the list
• The Cori supercomputer is on the fifth position in the list
• It is a new system installed at US Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with a performance of 14.0 Pflops
• Sunway TaihuLight is ranked as the third most energy efficient supercomputer in TOP500 with an efficiency of 6051.30 MFLOPS/W
• The machine designed by the National Research Centre of Parallel Computer Engineering and Technology is located at the National Supercomputing Centre in Wuxi in Jiangsu province China
• It is capable of performing 93 million billion calculations per second which is three times as fast as Tianhe-2 the second fastest supercomputer

ANSWER: Abhay, Humsa UG, NACS, AIDSS

Explanation:
The Indian Navy on 18^th Nov 2016 inducted 4 types of indigenously developed SONAR systems which can boost the underwater surveillance capabilities

• The four sonars have been designed and developed by NPOL/ Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory, a Kochi based lab of the DRDO

The four Sonar system are as follows.

1. Abhay is an advanced active cum passive integrated SONAR system which is designed and developed for smaller platforms such as shallow water crafts and coastal surveillance/patrol vessels, It can detect, localise, classify and track sub surface and surface targets in active and passive modes of operation
2. Humsa UG is designed for upgrading the existing HUMSA Sonar system of the Indian Naval platforms. The system will be installed in seven ships of three different classes of ships
3. NACS assesses the in-situ performance of the SONAR systems which is used to find frequency dependent 3-D transmission and reception characteristic of the sensor. It also measures the magnitude and phase characteristics of the Sonar transmission and reception electronics and the transducers
4. AIDSS stands for Near Field Acoustic Characterisation System which is a distress SONAR. It is an Emergency Sound Signalling Device used to indicate the submarine in distress and ensure quick rescue and salvage

ANSWER: 2018

Explanation:
The UN climate conference concluded on 19^th Nov with negotiators from over 190 countries setting a deadline of 2018 to finalise the rule book for operationalisation of the Paris Agreement

• The agreement has been on a clear roadmap to meet the deadline
• The Paris Agreement to take various climate actions by countries post 2020 to save the world from disastrous consequences of global warming, entered into force w.e.f. Nov 4
• The pre-2020 action is being covered by the Kyoto protocol of 1997 where only developed nations have to take action to reduce GHG emissions.
• Rules to implement the agreement will be framed to ensure transparency of action of all countries as per their respective pledges under the agreement adopted by 195 countries in December 2015
• Rules will specify the ways and means for measurement and accounting of emissions reductions in all nations
• They will also have a mechanism to mobilise climate finance to help the developing countries in adopting adaptation measures
• Signing of the framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance by 23 nations including Brazil, India and France during COP22 was a crucial step towards taking nations to a clean energy path
• Marrakech vision published a new document about the Climate Vulnerable Forum whereby important social justice actions for combating climate change were taken into account
• The Paris Agreement was reached after the Paris Conference on climate change which took place in December 2015 where a number of 195 countries signed the first ever binding global climate deal.

ANSWER: Antarctica

Explanation:
Sea ice in both the Arctic and Antarctic were at record lows this time of the year, in 2016 the first time since scientists began keeping track

• The NASA scientists have announced that this is the first time both sea ice are running at record low levels, with sea ice tracking going back to 1979
• Though record low sea ice is not new in the Arctic, it is new in the Antarctic
• Even the sea ice in the Arctic has seen a rapid and consistent decline in the past decade
• Temperatures in the Arctic have soared recently and air temperatures have been running more than 20 degree C above average
• Water temperature in the Arctic Ocean was several degrees above average which is the result of having less sea ice

ANSWER: VHS7

Explanation:
A bright radio burst detected by Australia’s Parkes telescope could help to determine what lies between galaxies in the universe, according to scientists on 18th Nov.

• Scientists from CSIRO witnessed a brief, ultra bright cosmic flash of radio waves last year and released details about the phenomenon
• The flash most likely came from VHS7 a galaxy seen a billion light years away
• It is one of the top 10 brightest sources in the entire sky
• Data suggests cosmic web has weaker magnetic fields than the Milky Way while there is a less turbulent gas within the far flung galaxy
• This is the first time scientists have found evidence for this hypothesis

ANSWER: Pakistan

Explanation:
Pakistan has banned two militant groups linked with the Taliban and al Qaida for their involvement in terror attacks

• Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Al-Alami (LeJ) were banned after recent deadly attacks in Balochistan and Sindh provinces
• This includes the assault at a Sufi shrine in Balochistan which killed over 50 people
• The two outfits were added to the list on Nov 11
• Jamaat - ud Dawa has been listed since January 17, 2007 as group “under observation”, which means its status can be changed as “banned” if there was enough evidence that it was involved in violence.
• Both LeT and JeM have been listed as banned entities since January 14, 2002

ANSWER: National Student Startup Policy

Explanation:
President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee launched the National Student Startup Policy on Nov 16, 2016

• The policy formulated by AICTE aims to create 100,000 technology based student startups and millions of employment opportunities within the next decade
• The policy plans on attaining this through development of an ideal entrepreneurial ecosystem and promotion of inter-institutional partnerships among technical institutions
• The emphasis is on an appropriate startup policy to propel the young of India through the 21^st century
• Job creation figures of 1.35 lakh in 2015, the lowest in 7 years is sought to be combated with this policy
• The student startup policy of AICTE will also help students turned innovators and entrepreneurs to successfully harness the market.

ANSWER: Har Ghar Bijli Yojana

Explanation:
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar launched a new scheme called Har Ghar Bijli Yojana which was launched by him as part of Seven Nischya Scheme in Bihar

• The scheme was launched during a program in Bihar
• The scheme will be implemented in the current financial year and electricity connections will be provided to 20 million homes
• Survey was conducted in 1.95 million homes before the scheme was launched
• Under this scheme, the government will pay money for connection to people not having money
• Consumer will then have to pay money in later instalments under the Yojana
• The goal of electrification is aimed for by 2018

ANSWER: PAHCHAN

Explanation:
Union Textiles Minister Smt. Smriti Irani distributed PAHCHAN identity cards to artisans in 5 clusters of Gujarat namely Jamnagar, Naroda, Surendranagar, Amreli and Kalol.

• She also announced that 20 artisans of each of these five clusters will be imparted training under Guru Shishya Parampara, where nationally acclaimed designers will train the artisans.
• Artisans belonging to minority communities, SC, ST and BPL families will also be provided free tool kits as per the art
• PAHCHAN ID cards will give national identity to artisans which will be covered under the national database
• Artisans will be able to benefit from government schemes as per the card
• It is a unique identity for handicraft artisans of the nation

It provides the following benefits:


• Easy loan, Insurance and Credit guarantee
• Easy to avail benefits of the schemes run by Government
• Easy to participate in any domestic/ international fair/event
• The artisan can get the benefit of life insurance and Rs. 1200 per year for the his/her children studying between class IX and class XII

ANSWER: 1000

Explanation:
Well known theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has said that humanity has 1000 years of viable existence left if it does not leave the planet and colonise the stars

• Humanity is unlikely to survive the different crises over the next millennium
• But they can avoid extinction if other planets have been colonised
• Biggest threats are nuclear terrorism, climate change and the rise of AI
• NASA has discovered many exo planets using Kepler
• Space colonisation is on the anvil with SpaceX looking to colonise Mars by 2024
• The biggest hurdles for this are the cost involved and the transportation to Mars. As of now, there is rocket for transporting vast groups of humanity to the moon, let alone Mars!