Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Oct 16, 2015

ANSWER: Malabar 2015

Explanation:
This is the latest in exercises conducted to advance maritime relations and mutual security issues across the 3 nations of US, India and Japan.Navies of the 3 nations will participate in the event called Complex, High-end war-fighting exercise and engage in training as well as knowledge sharing. Sessions comprise military-to-military coordination, submarine familiarisation, air defence and surface warfare exercises.

ANSWER: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Explanation:
PM Narendra Modi celebrated the birth anniversary of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and his being a “Rashtra Ratna” before being a “Rashtrapati”. A statue of the former president was also unveiled in DRDO Bhawan. A commemorative postal stamp was also released on Dr. Kalam. As part of the celebrations, AMRUT/ Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation selected Rameswaram at TN as a city with basic urban infrastructure. This was the 84th birth anniversary of the former president. With the inclusion of this city, TN will now have 32 cities and towns under the Atal Mission.

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
Pact on tax avoidance aims to end tax evasion and ensure taxation is levied only when Indian or Israeli companies have permanent establishments. The visit by President Mukherjee is historic because it is the first by an Indian Head of State. The Knesset (Israel Parliament) was also addressed by the president during his visit. A cultural exchange program has also been signed between India and Israel.

ANSWER: Nalanda University

Explanation:
Portugal has become the first European nation to sign an MoU on the establishment of Nalanda University at Rajgir, Bihar. The country is also the 17th overall and 4th outside East Asia summit to do so. Nalanda University was established through the Nalanda University Act 2010. It was formally inaugurated on 19th September 2014.

ANSWER: Omid Kordestani

Explanation:
Ex Google adviser Omid Kordestani was appointed as the Executive Chairman of Twitter on 14th October 2015 succeeding Jack Dorsey who resigned from the post to become CEO of the social media platform. Omid Kordestani is a tech industry veteran who is also Non-Executive Director at Vodafone, the UK based telecom group. He joined Google in 1999 and became its Chief Business Officer in 2014.

ANSWER: Kundhavi Kadiresan

Explanation:
Kundhavi Kadiresan was appointed as assistant director of UN FAO and regional representative for Asia and the Pacific by FAO DG General José Graziano da Silva. She succeeds Hiroyuki Konuma who retired from FAO in 2015. Kadiresan has close to 25 years of experience in economic and policy development apart from PhD in Economics and MBA in International Business. She has worked in numerous parts of the world including Asia, Africa, EU and Latin America.

ANSWER: Nand Bhardwaj

Explanation:
Well known Rajasthani and Hindi writer as well as former Director, DD, Nand Bhardwaj has joined other Sahitya Akademi winners in the protest against religious intolerance in the nation. Bhardwaj returned the award he had received in 2004 for the novel Samhi Khulto Marag. He expressed solidarity with late rationalist M. M. Kalburgi. He is also the Rajasthan coordinator for Jaipur Literature Festivals since it was conceived. This takes the number of authors who have returned their Akademi award to 29 and around 5 writers have also resigned from official positions in the literary body.

ANSWER: 40,000

Explanation:
Modern humans migrated out of Africa close to 50,000 years ago based on analysis of fossil teeth found in China. This suggests they reached China 80,000-1,20,000 years ago. Modern humans populated East Asia close to 40,000 years prior to Europe. 47 human teeth were found buried in clay in the Fuyan Cave close to town of Daioxian. Till now, earliest proof of Homo Sapiens came from the Tianyuan Cave close to Beijing which dated around 40,000 years back.

ANSWER: Zaheer Khan

Explanation:
Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan who had debuted in 2000, announced his retirement from international cricket on 15th October 2015. He is counted as a leading pacer in Indian cricket. He has taken 311 wickets in tests and 282 in ODIs.

ANSWER: Saurolophus angustirostris

Explanation:
Baby dinosaur fossils with fragments of egg shells have been discovered in Mongolia being the youngest ever of a type of giant hadrosaur that resided on earth 70 million years ago namely Saurolophus angustirostris which stands for “lizard crest”. This discovery shows how dinosaurs grew and developed from birth to adulthood. The fossils were discovered from a site called Dragon’s Tomb in Gobi Desert.

ANSWER: Majlis

Explanation:
Majlis, Iran’s Parliament has approved the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or Vienna Agreement on 13th October 2015 ending 12 years of wait. The agreement had been signed by Iran and P5+1 nations namely US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany on 14th July 2015. The agreement stipulated the conventional arms embargo will last 5 years and restrictions on ballistic missile technology will last another 8 years. Violation of this deal can lead to resurgence of sanctions within a period of 65 days. UN ban on Iranian students to study nuclear physics will also be lifted as part of the agreement.

ANSWER: Gangtok

Explanation:
The 4th International Tourism Mart was inaugurated by Dr. Mahesh Sharma and was organised by Union Ministry of Tourism in association with the North Eastern States and the state of West Bengal. Sikkim is set to have its own airport by December 2016 and is going to become the first 100% organic state in the nation. Tourism is an important boost for growth and development and can contribute to 8 to 9 percent of GDP. India’s share in global tourist arrivals across the world is currently 0.68%. Tourism helps to generate jobs and promote women empowerment. Facility of e-Visa has been extended to 113 nations and will be extended to 150 nations towards the close of March in 2016.

ANSWER: Michael Conlan

Explanation:
Michael Conlan became the first Irish boxer to win an AIBA World Boxing Championship title. Belfast based Conlan who is a EU and Commonwealth Champion won against Uzbekistan's Murodjon Akhmadaliev. During the championship, another record was also set when Cuban boxer Joahnys Argilagos won gold, aged just 18 beating Russia's Vasili Egorov.

ANSWER: Science Express Climate Change Special

Explanation:
India launched a mass awareness drive on 15th October by flagging off the Science Express Climate Change Special to cover a distance of 18,000 km and stop at 64 locations spread over as many as 20 states. The exhibition aboard SECCS aims to create awareness on numerous issues associated with climate change. SECCS will conclude its journey in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

ANSWER: Facebook

Explanation:
Real estate development major TATA Housing on 14th October 2015 has collaborated with Facebook for the sale of affordable homes online. The company has launched a new campaign called Social Sell on Facebook. The company aims to generate 30% from its sales from online sources. It started selling homes online in 2013 through a collaboration with Google. It also tied up with real estate portal Housing dot com and Snapdeal to sell housing units in India.

ANSWER: Altera

Explanation:
EU regulators have cleared Intel, the biggest chipmaker in the world to purchase US firm Altera for USD 16.7 billion in a massive Silicon Valley deal. EU Commission has cleared the acquisition of electronic component supplier Altera as the merged entity will face competition in Europe. California based Intel will pay USD 54 per share in cash for Altera. The latter firm designs processors for server systems, phone networks, cars and other devices. The buyout is the largest in Intel’s 47 year history and will boost its IoT portfolio. Intel attained a target of USD 55.9 billion sales in 2014. Founded in 1983, Altera has more than 3000 employees in 20 nations and attained sales totaling USD 1.9 billion in the past year.

ANSWER: Autorisk Management Services

Explanation:
Mahindra First Choice Wheels Ltd has acquired the business assets of a pre insurance inspection services business in India, Autorisk Management Services Pvt Ltd. The sum for which the acquisition was made was not publicly disclosed. This acquisition is in line with the total growth agenda of MFCWL and it will add a new client base with enhanced resource footprint.

ANSWER: 8

Explanation:
Myanmar has signed a peace accord with 8 ethnic armed groups in the presence of the following nations as international witnesses- India, China, Japan, Thailand, UN and EU. The 8 groups among ethnic minorities which signed the peace accord belong to the Kayin and Chin groups. This pact aims at ending decades of civil war.