Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Oct 12, 2015

ANSWER: 25%

Explanation:
Around 25% of the original habitats have remained intact in the eastern Himalayas and several new species in the region face continued threat to their existence according to report--'Hidden Himalayas: Asia's Wonderland', a World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Living Himalayas initiative. Close to 200 news species have been discovered between 2009 and 2014. The 211 discoveries include 133 plants, 39 invertebrates, 26 fish, 10 amphibians, one reptile, one bird and one mammal. Population growth, deforestation, poaching, mining, pollution, hydropower development and overgrazing pose a threat to the Himalayas.

ANSWER: Shiv Thapa

Explanation:
Asian bronze medallist Shiv Thapa settled for a bronze medal at the World Boxing Championships, remaining in contention for an Olympic berth. He lost 1-2 to Asian silver medallist Murodjon Akhmadaliev from Uzbekistan. 20 year old Thapa will now face Dmitry Asanau in an important bout. He is only the third India following Vikas Krishnan and Vijender Singh to secure a World Championships medal.

ANSWER: AUDS

Explanation:
3 UK firms Enterprise Control Systems, developed the product along with Blighter Surveillance Systems and Chess Dynamics. They have created a new system called AUDS/Anti UAV Defence System for covertly jamming a drone’s signal and making it unresponsive through a new technique using radio beams to freeze drones and prevent them from coming into sensitive areas. The AUDS operator can freeze the drone for a short period or until its battery dies and it crashes.

ANSWER: Increases

Explanation:
Hermann Minkowski and Max Abraham came up with opposite equations that both seemed to be supported by polar experimental data, as far as the question of what happens to the momentum of light is concerned. Using indigenous equipment, IISER scientists have found the former was correct and light does enter another medium and gain momentum. At angles close to TIR, the water surface was discovered to be bent upwards due to the pressure exerted by the photon beam and was spread to 100 times in excess of the area of the pumped laser. The analysis demonstrated that the light particles actually gained momentum. The equipment designed can also help in the development of better biosensors, lab-on-chip devices, easily reconfigurable lenses and molecular imaging tools.

ANSWER: KP Sharma Oli

Explanation:
Nepal got its first PM under the freshly introduced constitutional system in Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist leader KP Sharma Oli. However, Madhesi leaders have opposed the appointment. Oil secured 338 votes out of 598 defeating incumbent Sushil Koirala of the Nepali Congress.

ANSWER: ONGC

Explanation:
Benchmark BSE Sensex rose rapidly by 858 points during the first week of October causing 9 of the top 10 most valued companies to gain INR 80,086.27 crore in market cap. ONGC posted the biggest gains. Sensex surged to 27,079.51, second straight weekly rise. Apart from Infosys, top 9 companies which saw market valuation rise included ITC, RIL and TCS. M-cap of ONGC surged to INR 2,25137.72 crore from INR 26,393.68 crore. TCS topped the list of companies being followed by RIL, ITC, HDFC Bank, Infosys, ONGC, Sun Pharma, CIL, HDFC and SBI.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Gujarati author Ganesh Devy and 5 other noted writers decided to return their Sahitya Akademi awards on 11th October 2015 while Kannada writer Aravind Malagatti resigned from the body's general council. The writers returned the award as a mark of protest against rising intolerance and communal atmosphere following the murder of rationalists and the Dadri lynching episode. Delhi based Aman Sethi, Kannada writer Kum Veerabhadrappa, writers from Punjab, Gurbachan Bhullar, Ajmer Singh Aulakh and Atamjit Singh, also announced that they were returning their Sahitya Akademi awards.

ANSWER: Permanent

Explanation:
Jammu & Kashmir HC has ruled that A370 granting special status to the state has a permanent place in the Indian Constitution and is beyond amendment, abrogation or repeal. A35A also gives protection to current laws working in the state. Though entitled as Temporary Provision and included in the Para XXI titled ‘Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions’, the article has assumed a permanent position in the Constitution. Court also said President under Article 370 (1) is conferred with power to extend any provision of the Constitution to the State with such “exceptions and modifications” as deemed suitable subject to consultation and/or concurrence with the State government.

ANSWER: INS Trikand

Explanation:
The ship INS Trikand will engage with the Egyptian navy in professional, sports and social engagements to enhance cooperation and understanding between the two nations. The Indian Navy is currently on the Bridges of Friendship mission for strengthening global cooperation with friendly nations and providing assistance in maritime domain awareness, search and rescue and hydrographic survey. The current visit also seeks to enhance solidarity and bonds between India and Egypt.

ANSWER: Both a and b are same

Explanation:
Well known South Indian Tamil actress Gopishantha better known by stage name Manorama died of a heart attack at the age of 78 on October 10, 2015. She was a comedian, singer and stage performer who appeared in Tamil, other South Indian and Hindi films as well. She appeared in more than 1000 films in a career spanning 60 years. Her first movie was Maalaiyitta Mangai and she has won several awards such as National Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1989. The iconic actress was widely popular.

ANSWER: President Pranab Mukherjee

Explanation:
The University of Jordan conferred Honorary Doctorate in Political Science on President Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony in Amman on October 11, 2015. Both India and Jordan have supported each other on multilateral fora including the US and converge on views regarding issues such as Palestine, the Middle East Peace Process, Syria, Iraq and the challenges confronting in the region plus the agreement on the need to expedite UNSC reforms reflect common approach to these important issues.