Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Nov 21, 2016

ANSWER: Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Explanation:
Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Foreign Affairs Minister has been conferred the prestigious Mother Teresa International Award by Mumbai based NGO Harmony Foundation

• The minister is being honoured for work in establishing institutions that protect youth from radicalisation and indoctrination from terrorist groups and persons looking to initiate violence against innocent others
• The minister was chosen for his tremendous contributions in promoting peace and stability in West Asia
• The Mother Teresa Awards aim to honour individuals and organisations that promote peace, social justice and equality and aim to encourage the cause of justice and peaceful coexistence providing an impetus for society to absorb these values
• The Mother Teresa Awards aim to honour individuals in memory of Mother Teresa
• The award has been given once or twice a year since 2005
• This is an initiative of the Harmony Foundation created by Abraham Mathai in Mumbai
• It is the only award in the name of Mother Teresa recognised by the Missionaries of Charity.

ANSWER: National Legal Services Authority

Explanation:
The Union Government on 18th Nov 2016 announced the appointment of senior judge of the SC, Jagdish Singh Khehar as the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority

• A judge of the SC, he will succeed Anil R. Dave
• The National Legal Services Authority of India was firmed on Dec 5, 1995
• It was instituted under the authority of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987
• It seeks to provide free legal services to eligible candidates and organise Lok Adalats for speedy case resolution
• It aims to reduce the burden of the judiciary
• The CJI (currently Justice TS Thakur) is the patron-in-chief of NALSA while the second senior most judge is the Executive Chairman
• There is a provision for the same mechanism in state and district levels

ANSWER: Denton Cooley

Explanation:
Renowned and eminent heart surgeon Denton Cooley who performed the world’s first artificial heart transplant in the US has passed away at the age of 96 in Houston, Texas

• He was the founder of the Texas heart institute and pioneered many techniques used in heart surgery
• He performed 118,000 open heart operations
• He performed the first implantation of a total artificial heart
• He was founder and surgeon in chief of the Texas Heart Institute
• Other posts held by him included chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at St Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, consultant in Cardiovascular Surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital, and a clinical professor of Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Centre at Houston.
• Heart transplant is a surgery to remove the diseased heart from the person, replacing it with a healthy heart from an organ donor
• Two or more healthcare providers must declare the donor brain dead to remove his heart

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
RBI has proposed the opening of an Islamic window in conventional banks for gradual introduction of Sharia compliant or interest free banking in the nation

• Both GoI and RBI are exploring the possibility of introduction of Islamic banking for long to ensure financial inclusion of all sections of society that remain excluded on account of religious reasons
• Given the complexity of Islamic finance and numerous regulatory and supervisory channels and that Indian banks have no experience in the field, Islamic banking may be introduced in a gradual manner
• Conventional banking products may be needed for introduction through Islamic Window of conventional banks following necessary notification by the government
• “Introduction of full-fledged Islamic banking with profit-loss sharing complex products may be considered at a later stage on the basis of experience gained in course of time,” the RBI has told Finance Ministry in a letter
• Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on not charging interest
• Charging interest is prohibited under Islam
• The apex bank’s proposal is based on examination of legal, technical and regulatory issues regarding feasibility of introducing Islamic banking in India on the basis of recommendation of the Inter Departmental Group (IDG).
• RBI also prepared a technical analysis report sent to the finance ministry

Work areas include the following:

1. Operationalisation of Sharia boards and committees,
2. Feasibility of extending deposit insurance to Islamic banking deposits,
3. Identifying the financial risk and suggesting appropriate accounting framework for these products
4. In the annual 2015-2016 report, the apex bank has said that some sections of Indian society remain excluded for religious reasons that preclude them from using banking products with element of interest
5. The plan for Sharia bank was opposed by certain political and non political groups
6. The Committee on Financial Sector Reforms headed by former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan opined a closer look at interest free banking in the nation.

ANSWER: Dubai

Explanation:
World’s first Bollywood Park has just opened in Dubai at the Rajmahal theatre

• The park boasts cinemas, riders, simulators and 4D shows of popular Hindi movies as well
• The owner of Dubai Parks and Resorts heading this initiative is Raed Kajoor Al Nuaimi, CEO of DXB Entertainments PJSC,
• Dubai Parks and Resorts is paving the way for future entertainment destinations and shall change the face of family tourism and entertainment in the region
• Bollywood Park is part of the Dubai parks and Resorts which is the region’s largest integrated theme park resort
• The park will target visitors through Dubai
• Bollywood Parks is part of Dubai parks and resorts which is being developed as the region’s largest integrated theme park resort
• Spread over 25 million square feet or 2.3 million square meters, it will feature three theme parks and a water park
• Resort is located close to where Dubai is expanding its second airport to make it the largest in the world

ANSWER: Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite

Explanation:
The most advanced weather satellite ever built rocketed into space on 19^th Nov as part of the USD 11 billion effort to revolutionise forecasting and save lives

• The new GOES-R spacecraft will track US weather including hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, volcanic ash clouds, wildfires, lightning storms, even solar flares.
• The satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral at Florida and represents a quantum leap in NOAA satellites
• Faster, more accurate weather forecasts and warnings will result in more lives saved and better environmental intelligence
• Airline passengers will benefit as will rocket launch teams
• Improved forecasting will avoid bad weather for fliers
• This is the first in the series of four high tech satellites
• GOES-R was on unarmed Atlas V rocket
• NOAA teamed up with NASA for this mission
• Satellite is valued by NOAA at USD 1 billion and aims for a 22,3000 mile high equatorial orbit
• It will join three spacecraft with 40 year technology and known as GOES-16
• The second satellite in the series will follow in 2018
• All together the series should stretch to 2036
• GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite.
• The first one was launched in 1975.
• The premier imager of GOES-R will offer three times as many channels as existing systems, four times the resolution and five times the scan speed
• It will churn out full images of the Western Hemisphere every 15 minutes and continental US every 5 minutes

ANSWER: Both a and b are the same

Explanation:
British Parliament has approved a host of new surveillance powers for police and intelligence services denounced by critics

• The Investigatory Powers Bill will keep customer’s browsing history for up to a year by websites and permit law enforcement agencies to access these to help them with investigations
• Edward Snowden has said the powers went further than many autocracies
• The bill is the first major update of UK surveillance laws for 15 years
• It has been passed by the House of Lords and only needs rubber stamping by the Queen
• British PM Theresa May said the bill was a world leading legislation intended to reflect changes in communication with the advent of internet and online technology
• The bill gives legal footing to hacking of computers and mobile phones while introducing safeguards such as need for judges to authorise interception warrants
• It has been called snooper’s charter by critics which say that in authorising the blanket retention and access by authorities of records of emails, calls, texts and web activity, it breaches fundamental rights of privacy

ANSWER: 712 km

Explanation:
China has launched a 712 km quantum communication line

• This is said to be the world’s longest secure telecommunications network which boasts of ultra high security making it impossible to wiretap, intercept or crack the information transmitted through them
• The new quantum communication line links Hefei capital of Anhui province to Shanghai the country’s financial hub
• It is part of the 2000 km quantum communication line connecting Beijing to Shanghai according to the chief engineer of the line Chen Yu’ao
• The 712 km line has 11 stations and took three years of construction
• It is impossible to wiretap, intercept or crack information transmitted through this ultra high security quantum communication line
• The Beijing Shanghai quantum communication line will be completed by the close of 2016
• In August, China launched the world’s first quantum satellite nicknamed "Micius", after 5th century BC philosopher and scientist
• The communication line will be connected to this satellite through the Beijing station, enabling space to earth quantum communication network.