Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Oct 25, 2016

ANSWER: Illacme tobini

Explanation:
Scientists have discovered a bizarre new worm with 414 legs, 200 poison glands and silk-secreting hair. This belongs to the millipede family

• The worm was discovered hiding in dark marble caves in the Sequoia National Park, California
• In terms of its physical and genetic description, it appears to be a millipede’s evolutionary cousin namely the Illacme plenipes which has 750 legs
• The worm was found by Jean Krejca of Zara Environmental LLC exploring caves with the team
• They also discovered and catalogued many spiders, pseudoscorpions and flies besides threadlike millipede
• The new millipede is named after cave biologist Ben Tobin
• It was sent to diplopodologists or scientists who specialise in the study of millipedes
• The new species possess only 414 legs compared to the relative’s 750
• It has a similar complement of unique and bizarre anatomical features including a body with 200 poison glands, silk secreting hair and much more
• Its whole body is covered with long hair that exudes silk- it has paired nozzles on each of its over 100 segments that squirt a defence chemical of an unknown nature
• By exploring the world and documenting the biodiversity of this planet, we can deal with anonymous extinction- a process which a species goes extinct before one knows of its role in the ecosystem, potential benefit to humanity, or unique beauty

ANSWER: Lipocalin

Explanation:
A new tool which can differentiate between bacterial and non-bacterial infections is being showcased at a leading global competition called iGEM 2016

• The device has the potential to be placed in GP surgeries or walk-in centres to enable patients with flu based symptoms to provide a small blood sample so that the nature of the infection can be discovered
• The tool differentiates between bacterial and viral infection by detecting a protein called lipocalin
• The protein is produced in high levels by the immune system in response to bacterial infections
• The protein’s function is to bind small molecules which bacteria use to access iron to grow
• The device has been discovered to enable genetically modified bacteria to mix with the blood sample of the patient and turn fluorescent when there are low levels of lipocalin protein indicating a viral, not bacterial infection

ANSWER: Tom Hayden

Explanation:
A 1960s prominent anti-war activist and a prominent counter-culture radical, Tom Hayden went to serve the California state assembly and senate

• He passed away at age 76 on Oct 23, 2016 following a lengthy illness
• He was acquitted of charges after protesting at the Democratic national convention in Chicago in the 1960s
• Hayden was married to actress Jane Fonda from the 1970s to 1990
• He was elected to the California state assembly in 1982 and to the state senate 10 years later

ANSWER: Ratan Tata

Explanation:
On Oct 24, 2016, the TATA Sons board fired Cyrus Mistry less than 4 years into his term at the chief of the software-to-steel conglomerate

• The board did not give a reason for the removal of the 48-year-old Irish citizen
• Predecessor Ratan Tata was appointed as interim chairman
• Mistry had earlier headed the Shapoorji Pallonji Group’s construction business has been considered by many to be struggling to lift the conglomerate’s financial performance
• The divestment of its struggling UK assets and corporate divorce with NTT DoCoMo were seen as reasons for this abrupt dismissal
• While TCS and TATA Motors performed well, during Mistry’s period, the four other flagship companies underperformed
• TATA Trusts, the principal shareholder of TATA Sons with a 66 percent stake was not impressed with Mistry’s performance
• TATA Sons has set up a selection committee comprising Ratan Tata, industrialist Venu Srinivasan, Ronen Sen, Amit Chandra and Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya
• The Shapoorji Pallonji group which has 18.4 percent in TATA Sons is said to be working on a legal challenge to Mistry’s removal as chairman
• Mistry was the sixth chairman of the group
• He was only the second chairman who did not carry the TATA name after Nowroji Saklatwala

ANSWER: Pakistan

Explanation:
Pakistani authorities have frozen over 5,100 accounts of terror suspects including JeM chief Masood Azhar under the Anti Terrorism Act

• According to the officials, these accounts carry a net amount of INR 400 million
• Around 1,200 of these suspects, whose account were frozen by the State Bank of Pakistan were listed in category A of the ATA- the most high risk terrorists
• At least 44 people were killed and more than a 100 wounded overnight in a raid conducted in an overnight raid by militants on a police academy in Southwest Pakistan
• The attack on the Balochistan Police College located 20 km east of provincial capital Quetta which commenced around 1810 GMT on 24th Oct
• This is said to be the third deadliest terror attack in Pakistan

ANSWER: Indian armed forces

Explanation:
The government has amended electoral rules to permit postal ballots to be sent electronically to the armed forces personnel

• Armed forces personnel can now download the blank postal ballot sent to them electronically marking their preference and posting the filled up ballot back to their respective returning officer
• Two-way electronic transmission was not recorded for the security reasons by the EC
• Armed forces personnel serving in remote and border areas would greatly benefit from this present system of two way transmission of the ballot paper by the postal service
• The government has issued notification on Oct 21, amending rule 23 of the Conduct of Election Rules 1961 enabling service voters such as armed forces personnel to cast their vote in elections through e-postal ballot
• Commission proposed that more categories of voters including NRIs should be made eligible for the e-postal ballot system

ANSWER: Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of Security By a Person Resident Outside India) Regulations 2000

Explanation:
RBI has made changes to the Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of Security By a Person Resident Outside India) Regulations 2000 to notify amended norms for foreign investment in startups

• The notification states any FVCI/ Foreign Venture Capital Investors registered with SEBI will not acquire approval from the RBI and can invest in unlisted companies
• FVCI can invest in sectors such as infrastructure, biotechnology and seed research
• They can also invest in equity or equity linked instrument or debt instrument issued by an Indian startup regardless of the sector in which the startup is engaged
• They can invest in VCV registered with SEBI or units of scheme of a fund set up by VCF or Category 1 Alternative Investment Fund
• Downstream investments by a VCF or Cat-1 AIF which has received investment from FVCI will have to comply with provisions for downstream investment laid down in schedule 11 of the Principal Regulations

ANSWER: Media

Explanation:
AT&T, a telecom major has decided on 22nd Oct 2016 to purchase Time Warner Inc for USD 85.4 billion in a deal that will transform the phone company into a media giant

• The telecom company has agreed to pay USD 107.50 dollars per share, evenly split between stock and cash
• This deal is expected to close by 2017
• The new company will be headed by the telecom company’s CEO Randall Stephenson
• AT&T will tap USD 40 billion in bridge loans with USD 25 billion from JP Morgan and USD 15 billion from BoA
• AT&T will rely on its entertainment business for 40 percent of the revenue after this
• The decision will pair the wireless and pay television subscribers of the telecom major with Time Warner’s media lineup including networks like CNN, TNT and HBO channels

ANSWER: 24th Oct

Explanation:
The United Nations Day 2016 was observed across the world on Oct 24, 2016

• This day marks the anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter which is the founding document of the UNO in 1945
• In 2016, the UN day was observed to highlight concrete actions people can take to achieve SDGs
• The UN will also organise a concert to celebrate the reflect the work of the United Nations through music
• UN Charter of 1945 is the foundational treaty of the UN
• It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Centre in the US on June 1945 by 50 of the original member nations
• As a charter, it is a constituent treaty which binds all members
• A103 of the carter states obligations to the UN shall prevail over all other treaty obligations
• The theme of the music concert celebrating UN day this year was Freedom First