Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Oct 17, 2017

ANSWER: Merger of two neutron stars

Explanation:
The LIGO-VIRGO collaboration, three members of which won this year’s physics Nobel Prize, strikes again, this time, to detect the merger of two neutron stars - extremely dense, massive but tiny, objects.

What is more striking is that gamma rays bursting from the event were observed by nearly 70 ground and space-based observatories.

This is the very first time that a cosmic event has been observed with gravitational waves as well as the light emanating from it.

Earlier observations made by LIGO have been of black hole mergers, and as no light can escape from a black hole, there was no such light counterpart to the measurements.

On August 17, LIGO’s real-time data analysis software caught a strong signal of gravitational waves from space in one of the two LIGO detectors.

At nearly the same time, the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor on NASA’s Fermi space telescope had detected a burst of gamma rays.

The fact that these two signals [the gravitational waves and the gamma ray bursts, which are essentially light waves] arrived at nearly the same time tell us that the speed of gravitational waves is extremely close to the speed of light.

This was predicted by Einstein, but it is the first time we are making a direct measurement,

LIGO-VIRGO collaboration includes about 1,500 scientists and of this about 40 are Indians.

The neutron stars of the signal detected on August 17 were located about 130 million light years away.

As these neutron stars spiralled together, they emitted gravitational waves that were detectable for about 100 seconds.

When they collided, a flash of light in the form of gamma rays was emitted.

This “gamma ray burst” was seen on Earth about two seconds after the gravitational waves were observed.

As a result, the gravitational wave detectors caught the signal which is the longest “chirp” heard so far - it lasted 100 seconds.

Neutron Stars: Know More

• Neutron stars are the smallest, densest stars known to exist.
• These could be about 20 kilometres in diameter and have masses much greater than the Sun.
• A teaspoonful of neutron star material could hold a mass of a billion tonnes.
• They are formed when massive stars explode in supernovae.
• From informing detailed models of the inner workings of neutron stars and the emissions they produce, to more fundamental physics such as general relativity, this event is just so rich.

ANSWER: Both a and b

Explanation:
The International Cricket Council's (ICC) revamped playing rules, which came into effect from September 28, will bring about some interesting changes in the way the sport is played.

However, the ongoing India-Australia limited-overs series will continue to be played as per the old rules.

All of these rules will come into effect from the two upcoming Test series - when South Africa host Bangladesh and Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates.

Another rule which will surely challenge the skills of batsmen is the restriction on the dimensions of the bat, since the massive pieces of willow which have made even mishits go for maximums will be a thing of the past, making timing and skill that much more important.

There will also be changes to the Decision Review System (DRS). The playing conditions will now incorporate the relevant clauses from the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code), meaning that all the playing regulations will be captured in one document for each format.

To maintain the balance between bat and ball, the size of the edges of the bats as well as their thickness will now be restricted.

The restriction on the length and width of bats remain unchanged but the thickness of the edges can't be more than 40mm and the overall depth can be 67 mm at the most.

Umpires will be issued with a new bat gauge, which they can use to check a bat's legality.

In a new playing condition pertaining to players' conduct, a player can now be sent off the field for the rest of the match for any serious misconduct through a red card.

"Threatening to assault an umpire, making inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with an umpire, physically assaulting a player or any other person and committing any other act of violence all constitute Level 4 offences.

Also, in the new the DRS rules a review will now not be lost in case of a decision that remains unchanged, solely as the result of an 'umpire's call'.

As for DRS in Test matches, there will be no more top-up reviews after 80 overs of an innings, meaning that there can only be two unsuccessful reviews in each innings, while the DRS will now also be allowed to be used in T20Is."

An important change with respect to run-outs is that if a batsman is running or diving towards the crease with forward momentum, and has grounded his/her bat behind the popping crease but subsequently lost contact with the ground at the time of the wickets being put down, the batsman will not be run out.

The same interpretation will also apply for a batsman trying to regain his/her ground to avoid being stumped.

For boundary catches, airborne fielders making their first contact with the ball will need to have taken off from within the boundary, otherwise a boundary will be scored.

Besides, a batsman can now be out caught, stumped or run out even if the ball bounces off the helmet worn by a fielder or wicket-keeper.

ANSWER: Leslie Thng

Explanation:
Full service carrier Vistara on Monday said Leslie Thng has taken over as its Chief Executive Officer after receiving all requisite approvals.

Mr. Thng, whose appointment is effective from Oct 2017, replaces Phee Teik Yeoh, who has returned to Singapore Airlines.

A joint venture between Tata group and Singapore Airlines, the airline began its commercial operations in January 2015.

Currently, it has a fleet of 16 aircraft and has ambitious expansion plans, including flying to overseas destinations.

He has joined the carrier from Budget Aviation Holdings - a Singapore Airlines Holding Company - where he was serving as the Chief Commercial Officer.

Mr. Thng started his career with Singapore Airlines in 1999 and has held many senior positions at the carrier. Among others, he has served as Chief Executive of Silk Air.

TATA SIA Airlines Ltd operates under the brand name Vistara.

ANSWER: Footwear Design and Development Institute

Explanation:
Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI) has been declared an ‘Institute of National Importance’ under Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.

The FDDI bill was passed by the Parliament in July 2017. The Provisions of FDDI Act 2017 have come into force from today, according to the Notification published in The Gazette of India on October 5, 2017.

It is the commitment of the Government to resolve the degree issue has culminated in the grant of the status of ‘Institute of National Importance’ to FDDI.

With this, the government has also ensured upgradation of FDDI to a position of eminence so as to enable the Institute to effectively serve the Sector/Industry.

To empower the youth of the nation and to help them march alongside the Prime Minister’s Skill Development mission and Make in India initiative, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India proposed the FDDI INI bill to Parliament.

FDDI, after becoming an INI, now has the autonomy to design its courses as per the requirement of the industry, and award its own degree to the students.

FDDI can now independently develop and conduct courses leading to graduate and post graduate degrees, doctoral and post-doctoral courses and research in the areas of footwear and leather products design and development and allied fields.

FDDI: Know More

• Presently FDDI is imparting skill based graduate and post graduate courses in the fields of footwear, leather goods, retail and management to around 2,500 students across eight campuses spread over India.
• With the enhancement of the status of FDDI as an Institute of National Importance by the virtue of the FDDI Act, 2017, the institute will now be able to enrol around 2,500 more students in the upcoming admission session, across its 12 campuses, out of which four new campuses will become functional with the next academic session.
• FDDI is a premier Institute, serving as a ‘One stop solutions provider’ in footwear, leather and allied industry.
• Since its inception in 1986, FDDI has been playing a pivotal role in facilitating Indian industry by bridging skill gaps in the areas of footwear, leather, fashion, retail and management.
• FDDI has been functioning as an interface between the untapped talent and industry and its global counterparts, by fulfilling the demand of skilled man power with its specific curriculum, state of the art laboratories, world class infrastructure and experienced faculty.

ANSWER: New Delhi

Explanation:
As India gets ready to host its biggest food event aiming to transform the food economy and double farmers’ income, a glimpse of the grandeur and the immensity of the event to industry leaders, heads of foreign missions and media in an interactive session was shared.

India is the second largest producer of food, leader in milk, fruits & vegetables, cereals and marine. It has a huge potential with 127 agro climatic zones and proximity to food importing nations.

With a 1.3 billion population, and a retail sector that is set to treble by 2020, it offers a large demand driven market.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana, an enabling environment and an innovation culture to foster strategic partnerships in the food processing industry to create an advantage to all the stakeholders.

World Food India 2017 provides that platform for global partnerships to achieve the said goal.

The potential of India in the food processing industry will be realized during this event.

With World Food India 2017, the Minister said, India is poised to attract an investment target of roughly US$ 10 billion in food processing sector, which will generate 1 million jobs in the next 3 years.

World Food India platform will reinvigorate India’s position as a ‘Global Food Factory’ and a ‘Global Sourcing Hub’.

In a nutshell, the World Food India 2017 gears up to host over 2,000 participants, over 200 companies from 30 countries, 18 ministerial and business delegations, nearly 50 global CEOs along with CEOs of all leading domestic food processing companies, and representatives of 28 States in India.

Germany, Japan and Denmark are Partner Countries to World Food India whereas Italy & Netherlands are Focus Countries.

Curated by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, the ‘Food Street’ is set to be World food India’s most attractive highlight.

Food Street is an experiential platform that will bring together culinary practices, flavours, fragrances from the world's cuisines, and celebrate India's rich cultural heritage and diverse uniqueness of its produce to create contemporary renditions and fusion food.

The conference also saw a war against food wastage with #NoWasteOnMyPlate campaign.

The campaign lends itself to the strategic intervention that World Food India 2017 will provide in achieving two most critical goals of the Government - doubling farmers’ income by 2022 and reducing post-harvest losses by bringing together global and Indian leaders to collaborate and co-develop solutions across India’s food value chain.

ANSWER: Conclave on Nutrition Security: Partnership and Convergence

Explanation:
Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare released a comprehensive report on “Large Scale Food Fortification in India - The Journey So Far and Road Ahead” at the national ‘Conclave on Nutrition Security: Partnership & Convergence’ organized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on the occasion of World Food Day.

Shri Choubey also launched the food fortification website at the function.
It is not enough that the food is available but the food should be nutritious as well. He emphasized on the need to raise awareness about nutrition rich food and cautioned people against food adulteration.

At the function, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India introduced its new initiative ‘Indian Food Recovery Alliance (IFRA)’ - A coalition of food recovery partners in country to fight the issue of hunger and also prevent food loss and food wastage in India.

The food recovery partners showcased their existing models of food recovery and showcased an integrated web-based platform that is being developed.

This web based platform, released on a pilot level, allows interested donors, individuals and volunteers to register themselves to be a part of this initiative.

The donors will be able to track all the data, information and the status of the food they donate through their personal logins.

This platform will also provide guidance to citizens, food businesses and various food recovery agencies on prevention of food loss and food waste, and safe recovery of surplus food.

Through creating a network of networks from entities across sectors in India and leveraging the power of technology, FSSAI’s aim is to create an ease of communication among all the stakeholders so that everybody can take a step closer towards reducing food wastage in a uniform direction.

With respect to fortification, the next phase involves wide consumer outreach to build awareness and sensitise people to the need for fortification.

ANSWER: INS Kiltan

Explanation:
The country is rapidly marching towards indigenisation and the commissioning of the third Kamorta class Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvette is a classic example of that.

On 16^th Oct at the Eastern Naval Command the Raksha Mantri commissioned INS Kiltan, the third of the four Project-28 Kamorta class ASW.

This ship is unique, as about 81% is built indigenously and is the first built by India that has a superstructure made up of carbon fibre composite material.

This makes it a stealth corvette and makes India one among the few nations that have this technology or this class of ships.”

Builder’s Navy

The keel was laid in 2010 under the Project-28 scheme and was built by Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.

Indian Navy was moving from the status of a ‘buyer’s navy to builder’s navy.’

This is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and we need to become more self-reliant.

We have already gained the expertise in building hulls and we now need to focus on propulsion and weapon technology.

India had a long coastline with a vast EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) and there was a need to have a capable and potent navy.

The Indian Navy, she said, had been playing an important role in defending the borders as well as in peace and humanitarian missions.

The partnership between GRSE and the Indian Navy began in 1961 and so far it had built over 100 ships for the Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.

INS Kiltan: Know More

• INS Kiltan has been constructed using high grade steel (DMR 249A) produced by the state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
• It has a displacement of 3500 tonnes, spans 109 meters in length and 14 meters at the beam and is propelled by four diesel engines to achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots with an endurance of 3450 nautical miles.
• The carbon composite material gives it an extra stealth edge and also lowers the top weight and maintenance cost.
• The installed propulsion and auxiliary systems provides very low radiated underwater noise feature, required for anti-submarine warfare.
• The enhanced stealth features include ‘X’ form of Hull, full beam superstructure, inclined ship sides and use of Infra Red Signature Suppression (IRSS).

ANSWER: FAO

Explanation:
FAO celebrates World Food Day each year on 16 October to commemorate the founding of the Organization in 1945.

Events are organized in over 150 countries across the world, making it one of the most celebrated days of the UN calendar.

These events promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all.

World Food Day is a chance to show our commitment to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 – to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030.

It’s also a day for us to celebrate the progress we have already made towards reaching #ZeroHunger.
Why should we care about World Food Day and #ZeroHunger?

• The right to food is a basic human right.
• Investing in sustainable food systems and rural development means addressing some of the major global challenges - from feeding the world’s growing population to protecting the global climate, and tackling some of the root causes of migration and displacement.
• Achieving the 17 SDGs cannot happen without ending hunger, and without having sustainable and resilient, climate-compatible agriculture and food systems that deliver for the people and the planet.
• Reaching #ZeroHunger is possible: out of the 129 countries monitored by FAO, 72 have already achieved the target of halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015.
• Over the past 20 years, the likelihood of a child dying before age five has been nearly cut in half, with about 17,000 children saved every day; extreme poverty rates have been cut in half since 1990.

Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development is the theme of this day on 2017.

ANSWER: “Challenges and opportunities in climate-resilient agriculture for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”

Explanation:
The International Day of Rural Women is observed every year on October 15 to recognize the crucial role and contribution of rural women.

The 2017 theme of the day is “Challenges and opportunities in climate-resilient agriculture for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”.

The observance of day highlights role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women in enhancing rural and agricultural development, eradicating rural poverty and improving food security and ensuring sustainability of rural households and communities, improving rural livelihoods and overall wellbeing.

International Day of Rural Women

• The International Day of Rural Women was instituted by the UN General Assembly by passing resolution 62/136 in December 2007.
• It was first observed on 15 October 2008.
• According to UN, empowerment of rural women is pre-requisite for fulfilling vision of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) which aims at ending poverty and hunger, achieve food security and empower all women and girls.
• Rural women, make up over a quarter of the total world population. Majority of them depend on natural resources and agriculture for their livelihood.
• They produce, prepare and process much of the food available, thereby giving them primary responsibility for food security.
• Thus, International Day of Rural Women recognises contribution and significant role played by these rural women in food security and poverty elevation.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna will be conferred with the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for 2015-16.

The singer, who won the Ramon Magsaysay award for bringing “social inclusiveness in culture” in 2016, will be presented with the honour by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on October 31, Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary.

Mr. Krishna is not only one of the prominent vocalists in the rigorous Carnatic tradition of Indian classical music, but also an activist who has worked on creating egalitarian spaces for music and breaking down caste-barriers in the form.

He was also part of a movement to help the Tamil-dominated and war-ravaged northern province of Sri Lanka rebuild its classical music traditions.

An outspoken columnist, Mr. Krishna, has written and talked on a wide range of socio-political issues, including women’s rights, children’s needs, issues that make a society civil or un-civil, and the dangers of the mentality of war and narrow nationalism.

The Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration was instituted in 1985 by the Congress in its centenary year.

The award is conferred on October 31 for promoting national integration, understanding and fellowship among different communities and cultures of India.

The earlier recipients include spiritual leader Swami Ranganathananda, freedom fighter Aruna Asaf Ali, the Bharat Scouts and Guides, bureaucrat P.N. Haksar, singer M.S. Subbulakshmi, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi (posthumously) and former presidents A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Shankar Dayal Sharma (posthumously).

Others winners include the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust (Indore, Madhya Pradesh), musician A.R. Rahman, Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Narainpur, Chhattisgarh (jointly), poet Gulzar, scientist M.S. Swaminathan and activist P.V. Rajagopal, besides filmmaker Shyam Benegal and lyricist Javed Akhtar.