Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Oct 13, 2016

ANSWER: Qatar

Explanation:
India currently ranks 4th in terms of FDI to the Arab kingdom according to Qatar Financial Centre/QFC. QFC us a completely onshore business and financial centre under the Qatar government. A multi-city roadshow has been organised to boost investments in the Gulf state currently

• Many domestic companies have invested USD 450 million in the Arab nation in the past 7 years, creating 2,000 jobs in Qatar
• A total of 21 Indian companies have invested in Qatar between January 2010 and May 2016- USD 225 million was invested in Doha alone
• Indian companies invested in Qatar included LIC, TCS, L&T, ICICI Bank, HDFC, SBI, Voltas and Shapoorji Pallonji.
• Qatar has invested in world class infrastructure and aims to grow in the run-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and also attain the Kingdom’s 2030 vision for sustainable growth
• Non-hydrocarbon exports are growing at a healthy rate of 12 percent, a positive sign for growth from India
• Investments are in diverse areas such as IT, BFSI and professional services.

ANSWER: India

Explanation:
Half the original mass of India and Eurasia was swallowed up by the Earth’s interior 60 million years ago, before the two landmasses commenced their slow motion collision.

• Study conducted by University of Chicago researchers has important implications for understanding how the contents grew to their present size and the chemistry of earth’s interior has evolved
• The collision of Eurasia and India which commenced 60 million years ago created the Himalayas; it is still in slow progress
• The scientists computed the amount of landmass or continental crust prior to and after the collision
• They found half of the mass that was there 60 million years ago is missing from the surface of the earth today.
• Researchers concluded that this mass discrepancy could only be explained if the missing chunk had gone back down to the earth’s mantle- scientists considered this impossible on such a scale before
• According to plate tectonic theory, the earth’s surface comprises a mosaic of rigid plates in relative motion
• Plates move atop the upper mantle and plates topped with thicker, buoyant continental crusts ride higher than those topped with thinner oceanic crusts
• Oceanic crust can dip and slid into the mantle which mixes together with the mantle material.
• Continental crust like the one involving the Eurasia-Indian collision is less dense and geologists have believed that when the mantle is touched by t, it pushes up back, never mixing back in
• But now, researchers have found out that significant amounts of crust have disappeared and the only place it could go into is the mantle
• Earlier the scientists used to think that the mantle and the crust interacted only in a minor way
• Computing the crust before was a problem involving careful dating of the strata and reconstruction of the past plate positions
• Scientists concluded the based on precise calculation that amount of mass before and after the collision and careful accounting of the same, the earth’s crust was absorbed by the mantle

ANSWER: Mahanadi

Explanation:
For the first time, a national seismic programme has been launched to trace hydrocarbon resources such as oil and natural gas in Mahanadi basin.

• This programme was launched in Taranga village under Soro block in Balasore, Odisha
• The programme aims to undertake a fresh appraisal in the sedimentary basins across India to have better understanding of the hydrocarbon potential of the nation
• Under the programme, ONGC and OIL will conduct a survey across India
• The survey of around 40,835 Line KM will be conducted on the land part of 26 sedimentary basins in 18 states and UTs of India
• This includes Odisha’s Mahanadi basin
• OIL will carry out a survey of 7408 LKM in states of Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland
• Survey project will be completed by March 2019
• Mahanadi basin has been chosen as the first location for the roll-out of the national level programme
• The seismic survey of the unappraised area in Mahanadi basin will establish the potential of hydrocarbon resources in the state
• Close to 2189 LKM of Bhadrak-Jaipur region and 341 LKM of Chilika area of Mahanadi basin have been identified for the survey
• This will cover Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jaipur, Kendrapara, Mayurbhanj, Puri, Kurdha and Ganjam districts
• Outcome of the project will contribute better to understanding the sub surface with the petroleum systems across wider geological ages to explore hydrocarbon reserves in the state
• Once hydrocarbon potential of Odisha is established through these initiatives, it will lead to exploration and production activities and attract significant investment to the sector in generating employment and economic growth.
• Cutting-edge modern technology is being used for the survey including 2D seismic acquisition, processing and interpretation in the Mahanadi basin area
• The acquisition stage is in Oct-June 2018

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
Indian shooter Jitu Rai has been awarded the Champion of Champions title for pistol shooting in 2016 by the International Shooting Sports Federation

• The 29-year-old shooter was awarded the honour for his exceptional performances in the international circuits over the past 6 months
• The Army man won two world cup events in Maribor and Bangkok
• Jitu Rai also won 5 podium positions and nine top 8 finishes making him world number 6 prior to the Olympics
• An eighth place finish in the Rio Olympics thwarted his performance
• Silver medal finishes in Baku, Granada and Bologna made him the only Indian shooter competing for the world number 1 spot in 2016
• The National Rifle Authority of India and shooter Abhinav Bindra published a report that Jitu lacked access to the right expertise for a superlative performance in the Rio Olympics
• The ISSF pistol shooting tournaments are over with Jitu ending the lander year ranked sixth in 10m pistol and seventh in 50 m pistol, becoming the only Indian shooter in the world top 10

ANSWER: 97

Explanation:
India secured the 97th rank in a survey of 118 nations by the International Food Policy Research Institute Global Hunger Index in 2016 behind Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

• However, India was ahead of Pakistan and three other Asian nations
• It was positioned at 80 of the 104 countries in the previous year
• India has improved its score on various parameters over the past few years
• But, 2 in 5 children below 5 years of age are stunted in India
• Stunting measures chronic malnutrition and affected children’s height which is lower beyond the average for their age
• The country also has serious hunger levels according to the 2016 Index
• The country has only the fifth highest rank in the whole of Asia, better than North Korea, Pakistan, Timor Leste and Afghanistan
• Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had higher ranks among 96 nations than India
• India also had the lowest rank among BRICS nations with Brazil in the top 16, Russia at 24, China at 29 and South Africa at 51
• The Central African Republic, Chad and Zambia were estimated to have the highest level of hunger
• For the developing world, GHI score was estimated at 21.3 according to the report which is at the lower end of the serious category.
• The Global Hunger Index is based on the performance of the country on indicators such as proportion of the undernourished in the population, prevalence of wasting in children under 5 years, prevalence of stunting in children under five years and the under-five mortality rate
• Data presented in the report showed that on each of these indicators, India has progressed over the past few years
• Towards the close of 2016, around 15 percent of the country’s population was undernourished down from 17 percent till the close of 2009.

ANSWER: 2012

Explanation:
The day was first observed in the year 2012. It was conceived by Rona Ambrose, minister of the status of women in Canada.

• The move was aimed to spread awareness about gender inequality young girls were subjected to especially in areas of education and health
• Observing 11th Oct as UN International Day of the Girl was also sown by Plan International, a child rights organisation based in 70 nations across the world. The organisation started the Because I am a girl campaign which attracted support from across the globe
• The theme for this year’s International Day of the Girl is Girl’s Progress= Goal’s Progress: What Counts for Girls
• Theme focuses on understanding the importance of data and regulating policies as per the issues girls face across the globe
• The UN holds that there is lack of systematic analysis to understand the problems young women and girls around the world face
• This year’ s International Day of the Girls is about making girls visible and giving them the recognition they deserve.

ANSWER: China

Explanation:
Just after appointing an ambassador to India, China appointed the first ambassador to Mars to promote the country’s plan to send a spacecraft to Mars by the year 2020.

• Along with 10 other Chinese celebs, the ambassadors will popularise the space programme, encouraging interest in science and technology among the Chinese youth
• In April 2016, China launched the plan to send a rover to Mars to explore the red planet
• The aim is to launch it around 2020
• China is pursuing a lot into its space program, though India beat them with the mission to Mars in Sept 2014
• The United States has successfully landed two rovers on Mars while the former Soviet Union and the ESA have also sent missions to the arid planet
• China’s first attempt to send a satellite to Mars fell apart in 2011

ANSWER: San Francisco

Explanation:
World Economic Forum has established a new centre in San Francisco to connect tech companies and policy makers in the heart of the tech industry of the world

• WEF has organised its annual Davos meeting of global leaders and also opened toe new centre to focus on policy issues, develop new technologies such as AI, drones, IoT, digital currencies and more
• Office is named the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
• This is in light of the recent Davos gathering in January which promotes collaboration between industry stakeholders
• The plan is also to develop existing forum projects such as the security of connected devices, digital trade, and use of technologies to manage the oceans of the world
• It plans on collaboration to use existing Forum projects such as the security of connected devices, digital trade and use of new technologies to manage the oceans of the world
• The European Commission is in the planning stages of regulations to better secure Internet connected devices, amidst a wider overhaul of communications and digital policy aimed to enhance the regulatory environment to new technologies
• World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation based in Cologny, Geneva
• The forum was founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, a German born professor at the University of Geneva
• First named the European Management Forum, it changed its name to the World Economic Forum in 1987
• It has aimed to broaden its vision to include a platform for resolving international conflicts
• Recognised by the Swiss authorities as an international institution for public-private cooperation, the mission aims at improving the state of the world by engaging political, business, academic and other leaders to shape global, regional and industry agendas
• The forum is best known for annual winter meetings in mountain resort Davos at the Alps region of Switzerland

ANSWER: Russia

Explanation:
China and Russia will hold their second joint anti-missile drills in 2017

• Chinese state media said on 11th Oct that this followed plans to deploy by US and South Korea to deploy an anti missile system
• Russia and China held their first exercises in May as the US terminal high altitude area defence system was put in place in Washington and Seoul to protect against North Korean threats
• THAAD is now being deployed and the powerful radar of the system has increased defensive on the Korean peninsula
• Tension on the Korean peninsula is high commencing with the North Korea’s fourth nuclear test in January followed by a satellite launch, a test of numerous missiles and the fifth and largest nuclear test in the previous month.

ANSWER: 12^th

Explanation:
India is the 12th largest foreign holder of the US government securities with exposure to the tune of 118.9 billion USD as of March end

• Despite the reduction of exposure to USD 1.245 trillion China is currently the top holder of securities in March 2016, according to data released by the US treasury department
• China owned bonds valued at USD 1.252 trillion
• China is followed by Japan which owns securities of around USD 1.137 trillion
• India is the 12th largest overseas holder of securities one place ahead of Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Arabia’s holding stood at USD 116.8 billion on March 31
• Saudi Arabia’s holdings were lumped together with that of other oil exporting nations such as Iraq and Venezuela
• In March, India owned American government securities of around USD 118.9 billion
• In terms of exposure, other countries ahead of India include Brazil, Ireland, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Taiwan and Belgium
• Among BRICS grouping Brazil ad Russia fell to USD 246.4 and 86 billion respectively
• Treasury department also said that short term and long term US securities as well as banking flows were a monthly net Treasury International capital outflow of USD 98.3 billion