Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Nov 26, 2016

ANSWER: Mary Kom

Explanation:
MC Mary Kom, the Olympic bronze medal winning boxer from India, is set to receive the Legends Award on 20th December 2016

She will receive the award from the International Boxing Association/AIBA on its 70th anniversary.

The Olympian and 5 time world champion is also a Rajya Sabha MP.

President Pranab Mukherjee nominated her as a member of the Upper House of the Indian Parliament in April 2016.

Mary Kom is also a multiple time Asian champion and was named as an AIBA brand ambassador during the 2016 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships .

Nicknamed Magnificent May, she belongs to the Kom-Kuki tribe of Manipur, India.

Her biography is “Unbreakable”

Mary Kom movie about her life starred Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra in a lead role.

Know Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom

• Mary Kom is the only woman boxer to have won a medal in almost each one of the 6 world championships
• First woman boxer from India to get Asian Games Gold medal in 2014
• Born: 1 March 1983, Churachandpur District

Awards conferred on Mary Kom include:


• Padma Bhushan
• Arjuna Award (Boxing)
• Padma Shree (Sports)
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
• People of the Year- Limca Book of Records

ANSWER: Dilip Padgaonkar

Explanation:
Noted journalist and ex Editor-in-Chief of Times of India, Dilip Padgaonkar passed away on 25th Nov 2016.

He died of a heart attack and multiple organ failure at the age of 72.

Padgaonkar along with Information Commissioner Prof. MM Ansari and Prof. Radha Kumar formed a 3 member interlocutors team.

He was chosen by Union Government in 2010 to conduct dialogues with people of J&K.

Born in Pune in 1944, he was educated at St. Vincent’s High School following graduation from Fergusson College.

He completed a doctorate in humanities from Sorbonne in France.

About Dilip Padgaonkar

Padgaonkar joined TOI as a correspondent from Paris and continued to serve different positions in the company till he was appointed as an editor in 1988.

• He worked in UNESCO at Bangkok and Paris from 1978-1986.
• He was a liberal who spoke out against communalism and terrorism.
• He wrote a book entitled “When Bombay Burned” based on the 1992-1993 Mumbai riots.
• He also wrote a book on Roberto Rossellini’s visit to India “Under Her Spell” which was published in 2008.

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
Scientists in the third week of Nov 2016 developed a new smart cane to help transform the lives of the blind and visually impaired by enabling them to sense obstacles beyond the physical length of their walking stick

Smart cane is named “mySmartCane”.

Inventor: Vasileios Tsormpatzoudis.

It works as a common car parking sensor.

The ultrasonic ball in the cane wirelessly measures the distance towards the approaching objects. It converts this data into an audio signal.

Visually impaired users can assess the distance of the object from the frequency of the sound before the cane reaches an object.

It is fixed with 3D printing and cheap sensors.

An ultrasonic sensory ball is attached to the bottom of the most existing white canes.

ANSWER: 25^th Nov

Explanation:
The 2016 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was observed across the world on 25th Nov 2016.

The theme for the day was “Orange the World - Raise Funds to End Violence Against Women”.

Colour orange in the theme symbolises a better future without the pervasive human rights violation.

Violence affects 1 in 3 women and girls all over the globe.

International Day For the Elimination of Violence Against Women is observed to raise awareness about violence against women.

The aim is also to discuss solutions that work for women community.

United Nations designated the day as:

• Violence against women is a human rights violation
• Violence against women is a consequence of discrimination against women in law, in practice and of persisting inequalities between men and women
• Violence against women impedes progress in many areas
• Violence against girls and women can be prevented
• Violence against women continue to be a global pandemic
• Date came from a brutal assassination in 1960 of three Mirabai sisters who were political activists in the Dominican Republic
• On 20th December 1993, UNGA by resolution 48/104 adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women

ANSWER: Egypt

Explanation:
Egypt has uncovered a lost city, more than 7000 years old dating from the first dynasty in the southern province Sohag.

Site was unearthed during an archaeological mission initiated by the country’s government.

It lies 250 miles south of Cairo about 400m from the temple of Seti I, one of the most famous sites in the region. It is named after Seti 1, a pharaoh who belonged to the New Kingdom period of Ancient Egypt.

Discovery included huts, pottery remains, iron tools and 15 graves. Grave size were bigger indicating that those buried beneath had high social standing.

This discovery is expected to throw light on one of Ancient Egypt’s oldest cities-Abydos.

Abydos was the Egyptian capital at the close of the Predynastic period and during the rule of the first four dynasties.

Some interesting facts about the site

• This discovery found a cemetery with Mastabas
• Mastabas are ancient Egyptian tombs made of mud brick
• These are rectangular in shape with sloping sides and a flat roof
• This cemetery is the instance of the oldest known Mastabas
• Before this, burial grounds of Saqqara were considered the most ancient

ANSWER: Praveen Garg

Explanation:
The Union Government on 24th Nov 2016 announced major shifts in the demonetisation plan after consideration of relevant aspects.

ACC approved the appointment of CA turned IAS Praveen Garg as the Chief Managing Director and Director Finance of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India.

Appointment has come following the demonetisation of INR 500 and 1000 rupee notes.

The MP cadre IAS officer is currently a DEA Joint Secretary.
With effect from 25th Nov 2016, old currency notes of INR 500 and 1000 will no longer be changed at bank counters. The aim is to encourage people to open accounts in banks.

ANSWER: Manoj Bajpayee

Explanation:
Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee won the Best Actor award at the 10th Asia Pacific Screen Awards on 24^th Nov 2016.

He beat Nawazuddin Siddiqui who was awarded a special mention in the same category.

He won the best performance for his role as Professor Siras in Aligarh, a powerful, personal drama based on true events.

Nawazuddin received a Special Mention in the Best Performance category for his role in Anurag Kashyap’s “Raman Raghav 2.0”.

The 10^th Asian Pacific Screen awarded were hosted in Brisbane.

Event was hosted by David Wenham and Anjali Rao.

The 2016 edition marks the 10^th year of the award in recognition and promotion of cinematic excellence and cultural diversity of the world’s fastest growing region.

Asia Pacific Region comprises 70 countries.

About the Asia Pacific Screen Awards

• These awards have been given since 2007
• Awards are a global cultural initiative of Brisbane City Council, Australia
• This is the Asia Pacific region’s highest accolade in film

ANSWER: Lepisiota canescens

Explanation:
An ant species living in Ethiopian forests– Lepisiota canescens– is ready to take over the whole world, according to scientists. Ant species are moving out of the forests into agricultural land and construction sites.

Super colonies spanning as much as 38 km in distance have been found.

Scientists hold that this ant species has the potential of spreading all over the world and posing a threat to other ants.

According to researchers, the super colony formation in ants is rare with documented cases of only 20 species worldwide

Other species in the same genus have been invasive- one in South Africa and the other in Australia

What is a Super Colony?

Super colonies are colonies that extend beyond a single nest. These colonies are sometimes thousands of miles in area.

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
Ice observations recorded by Antarctic explorers 100 years ago showed that sea ice at the South Pole has barely changed in size over the last century.

Ship logbooks of explorers such as Captain Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton have been used to compare where the Antarctic ice edge was during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Heroic age of Antarctic Exploration lasted from 1897-1917.

Study postulates that Antarctic sea ice is much less sensitive than Arctic ice to effects of climate change.

Extent of Antarctic summer sea ice is 14 percent smaller than during the early 1900s.

Sea ice in the Antarctic has risen slightly over the past 30 years since satellite observations commenced.

Findings of South Pole Explorers

• Study is the first to shed light on sea ice before 1930s
• Research suggests sea ice levels in early 1900s were similar to today
• The current sea ice levels are between 5.3 and 7.4 million square kilometres
• Only one region, the Weddell Sea, had a significantly higher ice cover
• Published research indicates sea ice was more in the 1950s
• A steep decline returned it to 6 million square km in past 10 years

ANSWER: Terracotta Warriors

Explanation:
Archaeologists have unearthed new items at the Terracotta warriors site in Xi’an China.

Stone helmets, armour and remains of animals and relics of animals were found

Different animal species were unearthed in Emperor Qinshihuang's mausoleum, including real animals and those made of pottery or iron.

This makes the mausoleum with the most animal species so far in China .

Most unearthed animal was horse; others were water fowl and birds.

The site is the Emperor Qinshihuang's mausoleum in Shaanxi province.

Terracotta warriors are thousands of detailed life size models .

These represent the army that triumphed over Chinese armies in the period which united imperial China 2,200 years ago.

They were buried with China’s first emperor Qinshihuang.

Emperor Qinshihuang is the Chinese monarch after whom the country is reportedly named.

Scientists believe it took 700,000 workers to build the terracotta army.

ANSWER: 54

Explanation:
Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, saw its first Nov snowfall in more than half a century.

The snow began falling before dawn with the mercury approaching zero as the cold weather system moved south.

The Japan Meteorological Agency indicated this was the first time snow had fallen in Nov in central Tokyo since 1962. Amounts were greater in suburban areas close to mountains.

Even central Tokyo saw brief accumulations, which the agency forecast to be as high as two cm or one inch.

This is the first Nov accumulation since 1875.

Weather officials added they were unclear if it meant climate change or events such as El Nino

Tokyo, which extends over a wide area and includes many suburbs, enjoys relatively mild winters compared to some other parts of the country where snowfall is more frequent.

Tokyo Snow After 54 Years

• Peculiar cold temperature was caused by Arctic air separating from normal route around North Pole. This has happened due to changes in atmospheric pressure. This is known as Arctic oscillation.
• Tokyo residents have a special word for snow arrival each year. It is called hatusyuki or first snow. It usually comes during Jan-Feb.

ANSWER: Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Explanation:


Union culture secretary Narendra Kumar Sinha on 25th Nov released a commemorative non circulation INR 500 coin and a INR 10 circulation coin to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Hindu saint and social reformer Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

In association with the ISKCON and Vrindavan Research Institute, the Centre is organising numerous programmes and exhibitions on Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s life and teachings.

He was a distinguished promoter for the Vaishnava School of Bhakti Yoga.

The Bhakti movement sought to eradicate the evils of caste and feudal systems during the middle ages in India.

The saint propagated the worship of Shri Krishna and promoted the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mantra to all without discrimination.

According to an official statement, it is held that in 1515, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited Vrindavan with the aim of locating the holy places associated with Lord Krishna.

It is believed through his intuitive powers, the saint was able to locate the places associated with Lord Shri Krishna and restore the pristine purity of religious practices.

About Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

• Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a spiritual teacher, saint and social reformer
• Founded Guadiya Vaishnavism
• Born: Feb 18, 1486, Nabadwip (now in Sylhet Bangladesh)
• Died: June 1534, Puri
• Guru: Ishvara Puri
• Parents: Jagannath Misra and Sachi Devi

ANSWER: AirSewa

Explanation:
Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Ashok Gajpathi Raju has indicated his ministry is committed to hassle-free and comfortable air travel.

To ensure this web portal and mobile app AirSewa was launched to offer people convenient and hassle free travel experience.

It will be available for Android and iOS platforms.

Portal will include a mechanism for grievance redressal and back-office operations as well as flight status/schedule information, airport information and FAQs.

Flight delays, problems in refund, long queues and lack of facilities are some of the most common problems that people face.

With the launch of AirSewa people can upload voice or video with description of their issues.

They will be provided a unique number for grievance which will be communicated through email and SMS.

Once the grievance is closed, the user has the option to provide feedback.

Nodal officers have been selected for stakeholder agencies to address grievances in time bound manner.

ANSWER: Both a and b are the same

Explanation:
To weed out black money and corruption from public life, GoI has constituted a committee of officers to ensure 100 percent conversion of Gov-Citizen transactions to the digital platform.

Committee is headed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and will identify and operationalise the time frame for user friendly digital options for payment across India.

Aim of the committee is to identify numerous digital payment systems appropriate to different sectors of the economy. It will also coordinate these to make them accessible and user friendly.

The committee will also identify digital payment system economies across all states and sectors.

It will be engaging regularly with Central ministries, regulators, state governments, district administration, local bodies and trade and industry associations

Members of the Committee of Officers for driving a digital payments economy in India include: -

• Secretary, Department of Financial Services,
• Ministry of Finance;
• Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology;
• Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion;
• Secretary, Department of Investment and public Asset Management;
• MD & CEO, National Payments Corporation of India,
• Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development,
• Chairman, National Highways Authority of India,
• Adviser, NITI Aayog.