Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Sep 02, 2016

ANSWER: Regional Connectivity Scheme

Explanation:
Gujarat has signed an MoU with Aviation Ministry for regional connectivity. To boost regional air connectivity by developing small airports and airstrips attracting domestic airlines, Gujarat state government signed an MoU with the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the Regional Connectivity Scheme.

• With this Gujarat became the third state after Maharashtra and Jharkhand to have signed such an agreement with the Centre to boost regional connectivity.
• As per the agreement signed between both the parties, 11 airports in Gujarat will redeveloped as per the agreement and the RCS Scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation
• 11 airports include Bhavnagar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Surat, Porbandar, Mehsana, Mandvi, Amreli, Kandla, Keshod and Deesa.
• MoU between the state and the centre will provide benefits such as regional air connectivity linked to economic development.
• Apart from developing infrastructure at these airports under the RCS scheme, certain subsidies will be provided to airline operators to commence operation here. Three to four such operators are in contact with us
• A key component of the subsidy is in the form of cheaper Aviation Turbine Fuel.
• Cost of ATF is a major issue for operators and state government will need to bring down the cost by reducing the VAT charged by them.
• Airports in Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Porbandar are ready to commence operations.

ANSWER: 11

Explanation:
Environment related crimes fell by over 11 percent compared to 2014, in the year 2015.

• But there was no decline in states liken UP, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Assam where the number of violations increased over the past years.
• As per data released by National Crime Records Bureau, the number of green crimes in 2015 came down to 5156 from 5835 in 2014.
• Rajasthan contributed a large measure to the decrease with the number of green violations coming down significantly from 2927 in 2014 to 2074 last year.
• Despite the improvement, the state still reported the highest number of violations while UP’s green crimes rose from 1597 in 2014 to 1779 in 2015.
• Rajasthan and UP accounted for close to 74 percent of green crimes in the country in the past year.
• Analysis of NCRB data revealed nearly 77 percent of the crimes were related to violations of the Indian Forest Act.
• This marks the second time when the NCRB has come out with data on green crimes.
• The number of environmental crimes also rose in Jharkhand and Assam.

ANSWER: Greenland

Explanation:
Scientists have discovered the oldest fossils in the world aged about 3.7 billions years which pushed back the previous record by 220 million years and captures the earliest history of the planet.

• The team discovered the 3.7 billion year old stromatolite fossils in the world’s oldest sedimentary rocks in Isua Greenstone Belt along the edge of Greenland’s ice cap
• Discovery of these fossils provide deep understanding of early diversity of life on Earth which could have implications for understanding Martian life forms.
• Fossils predate the previous oldest stromatolite fossils in Western Australia by 220 million years
• Discovery pushes back the fossil record to near the start of the Earth’s geographical record and points to evidence of life on earth very early in history
• Isua stromatolites which were exposed by recent melting of a perennial snow path were laid down in shallow sea providing the first evidence of environment in which early life grew
• For much of earth’s history, life was just single cells and stromatolite fossils are mounds of carbonate constructed by communities of microbes
• This indicates that 3.7 billion years ago, microbial life was already diverse
• Diversity shows life emerged within first few 100 million years of earth’s existence in keeping with biologist calculations showing great equity of life’s genetic code
• This discovery represents a new benchmark for the oldest preserved evidence of life on earth

ANSWER: TEN Sports

Explanation:
Sony Pictures Networks India has entered into an agreement to acquire TEN Sports Network from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd and subsidiaries for USD 385 million subject to regulatory approval.

• Acquisition will add South Asia’s leading sports network to SPN’s portfolio of channels
• TEN Sports holds cricket rights in South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe
• Holding rights for major wrestling, football, tennis, gold, athletics and motor and cycling including Tour De France, it will diversify SPN’s interests
• Sony Entertainment Television and SAB TV are the main brands of SPNI although it owns many other brands and companies under the umbrella Sony brand.
• On 3 November 2015, MSM was renamed Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited after 21 years.

ANSWER: Brazil

Explanation:
Brazil’s Senate impeached President Dilma Rousseff in what is the biggest scandal that polarised Latin America’s biggest country amid massive corruption scandal and brutal economic crisis.

• Senators voted 61-20 o convict the first female president of the nation to use money from state banks for illegal bankroll public spending.
• Rousseff’s opponens hailed her removal
• Michel Temer who ran Brazil since her May suspension, has been appointed the President through to 2018
• The first televised address to the nation by Temer worked to battle fiscal crisis and record unemployment- Brazil’s unemployment rate is over 11 percent
• The country has slid into its deepest recession in decades and the Petrobras scandal has tarnished the coalition led by Rousseff.
• Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador withdrew their ambassadors following the impeachment.
• In an unprecedented move however, the senate 42-36 allowed Rousseff to retain the right to hold public office a break with Brazilian laws which hold that a dismissed president cannot hold a government job for 8 years

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Carnatic singer Thodur Madabusi Krishna and campaigner for eradication of manual scavenging, Bezwada Wilson on 31st August 2016 received the Ramon Magsaysay award 2016.
Others who won the award are Conchita Carpio Morales (Philippines), Dompet Dhuafa (Indonesia) Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers
Vientiane Rescue of Laos

• Wilson is the national convenor of the Safai Karamchari Andolan and received the award for promoting the right to human dignity
• He has been leading a grassroots movement to eradicate manual scavenging in India
• Krishna won the award under the Emergent Leadership category for social inclusiveness in culture
• He is a Carnatic music vocalist

ANSWER: Ashok Chawla

Explanation:
The Energy and Resources Institute on 31st August 2016 appointed former Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla as the new Chancellor of TERI University.

• The governing council took the decision on 19th August 2016
• The University ended its association with RK Pachauri who has been charged with sexually harassing a lady colleague
• Chawla has been serving as TERI chairman since February 2016
• The Energy and Resources Institute was set up in 1974
• It was formerly known as TATA Energy Research Institute
• In 2013, it won the top rank in a list of think tanks prepared by International Centre for Climate Governance