Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Sep 11, 2017

ANSWER: Both a and b

Explanation:
Scientists have found a way to produce methanol - an important chemical often used as fuel in vehicles - using oxygen in the air, an advance that may lead to cleaner, greener industrial processes worldwide.

Methanol is currently produced by breaking down natural gas at high temperatures into hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide before reassembling them - expensive and energy-intensive processes known as ‘steam reforming’ and ‘methanol synthesis.’

However, researchers from Cardiff University in the U.K. have discovered they can produce methanol from methane through simple catalysis that allows methanol production at low temperatures using oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.

At present global natural gas production is about 2.4 billion tonnes per annum and 4% of this is flared into the atmosphere - roughly 100 million tonnes.

The approach of using natural gas could use this “waste” gas saving, saving carbon dioxide emissions.

ANSWER: Jordan

Explanation:
Jordan, a water-poor country that is 90% desert, has launched a project to turn its sand dunes into farming land to produce food using sun and sea water.

King Abdullah II and Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon recently attended a ceremony to mark the official opening of the “Sahara Forest Project” near the southern port city of Aqaba.

In the first stage, the project aims to produce up to 130 tonnes of organic vegetables per year from an area the size of four football pitches.

It will use solar panels to provide power and include outdoor planting space, two saltwater-cooled greenhouses, a water desalination unit and salt ponds for salt production.

The project, whose funders include Norway and the European Union, is to be expanded from three hectares to around 200 hectares of desert.

ANSWER: Rafael Nadal

Explanation:
With his game at a high level at the end of an unusually easy path through a Grand Slam field, Nadal overwhelmed first-time major finalist Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win his third championship at Flushing Meadows.

It is the No. 1-ranked Nadal's second Grand Slam title of the year and 16th overall.

Among men, only Roger Federer has more, with 19.

Each of those two longtime rivals won two of the four majors in 2017, marking a return of both to the heights of their sport.

At No. 32, Anderson was the lowest-ranked U.S. Open men's finalist since the ATP computer rankings began in 1973.

The 31-year-old South African never had been past the quarterfinals at any major tournament in 33 previous appearances, so when he won his semifinal on Sept 8 he climbed into the stands to celebrate.

Nadal added to his U.S. Open triumphs in 2010 and 2013 and improved to 16-7 in Grand Slam finals.

For the first time since 2013, he appeared in three in a single season, losing to Federer at the Australian Open in January and beating Stan Wawrinka for his record 10th French Open trophy in June.

Nadal's career haul also includes two trophies from Wimbledon and one from the Australian Open.

Not since Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 2000 had a man won a Slam tournament without facing any opponents ranked in the top 20.

ANSWER: Gender specific

Explanation:
The government has decided to recruit women jawans into the Army’s Corps of Military Police (CMP) for investigating gender specific crimes.

However, induction of women into the Army’s combat arms could still be a long way as the CMP is only a support arm.

Putting women jawans in combat roles will be a lunge forward for the Army, known for being male-dominated.

But is also a step that the male jawans may not be mentally prepared for, according to women officers.

Secondly, for women to progress on to roles of higher responsibility and hence equality, there need to be operational changes in the way the Army looks at its lady officers and at the same time bring out a mentality change.

The Army has four such combat arms - infantry, mechanised infantry, armour and artillery.

But women officers or jawans, being placed in physical combat situations in the army could still be a remote possibility.

ANSWER: Picture in picture feature for video calling

Explanation:
WhatsApp has lately been trying its hands-on different features on its platform.

In July this year, the Facebook-owned messaging app rolled out a testing version of picture-in-picture feature for video calling on Android O.

Now, the WhatsApp has rolled out the support for picture-in-picture mode to its users across the globe. Apart from that, the company has also added the ability to put text as a status message.

The first feature is called picture-in-picture.

After rolling out the picture-in-picture (PIP) video calls to beta users of its app, WhatsApp has now rolled out the feature to everyone.

This means both Android and iOS users will now be able to minimize video calling window and move it around while browsing through other messages in the background.

When in a video call, you can tap back to continue the video call in picture-in-picture mode.

The picture-in-picture video calls update will only be available for Android users whose smartphones have been updated to Android 8.0 Oreo.

For iOS users, the feature works fine on iOS 10.

The second feature allows you to post text-only updates to your status. The status, just like the photos and videos will be visible for a time interval of 24 hours.

WhatsApp Changes: Know More

• WhatsApp has been trying to bring in many new features on the app recently.
• Very recently, WhatsApp introduced a number of changes to its iOS and Android app.
• These features include the ability to pin favourite chats on top of the conversation list and the option to forward or delete shared images as one whole album.
• WhatsApp for Business is another feature that has been in news for a while now.
• It is currently testing new tools and the app is said to be free for small-scale companies. Large firms with a global base of customers will have to get the enterprise version of the app that might be a paid one.
• The feature will let business get company’s solutions to provide customers with useful notifications like flight times, scheduled, arrival, delays, offers and other updates.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
DRDO’s home made ATAGS (Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System) of which nearly 2,000 examples will soon equip the various units of the artillery regiment, has just proved itself to be a devastating weapon.

During the recently conducted field trials at the Pokhran range, the gun fired three shells out to a range of 47.2 kms.

This is farther than any other gun in the world!

The 155 mm 52-calibre gun is now a world record holder.

During tests, the gun fired a long range ‘High explosive – base bleed’ round. Most 155mm guns in the world max out between 40 km and 45 kms.

According to a Sputnik report, the reason for the longer range of the ATAGS is the 25-litre volume of its chamber that allows higher quantities of propellant to be used.

Other similar guns have a chamber of about 23-litre capacity.

The gun is also unique in having a six-round magazine that gives it a higher rate of fire compared to three-round magazines in others.

ANSWER: 7

Explanation:
Another home made missile has completed a successful test.

This time it's the Nag anti-tank missile.

India's indigenously developed third generation anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) Nag has been successfully flight tested by premier defence research organisation DRDO in deserts of Rajasthan, marking completion of development trials.

The missile can hit a target up to seven km.

India has been trying to ramp up its military capability in sync changing security dynamics in the

The flight tests and the trials in June marked the successful completion of development trials of Nag missile.

With these two successful flight trials, and the flight test conducted earlier in June in the peak of summer, the complete functionality of Nag ATGM along with launcher system NAMICA has been established and marked the successful completion of development trials of Nag missile.

ANSWER: Kailash Satyarthi

Explanation:
Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi is about to launch a new campaign against child abuse and trafficking.

It is a war on rapes, war on child sexual abuse and trafficking because these are not ordinary crimes and they cannot be solved through the business-as-usual approach– these were the Nobel winner's words on the campaign.

Two children are sexually abused every hour.

One child goes missing every eight minutes in India.

These children are trafficked– sold and bought with more than 9,000 children being trafficked in India in 2016, up nearly 25 percent from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

About 14,000 children were victims of rape and sexual harassment in 2015, data from the National Crime Records Bureau showed.

But those figures may only be the tip of the iceberg, with experts saying the government underestimates the numbers in a country where a shroud of silence surrounds such crimes.

Satyarthi hopes his "India March", which will kick off from the country's southernmost tip of Kanyakumari and finish in New Delhi on October 16 after travelling across all 29 states and seven union territories, will open people's eyes to the mounting epidemic.

Traffickers lure children, mostly from remote villages, with false promises of jobs before selling them off to brothels, factories or gangs which force them into begging.

The soft-spoken 63-year-old has been at the forefront of the drive against child labour in India, where over 10 million children are engaged in work, according to UNICEF.

He blames India's "failed" law enforcement, weak prosecution and low conviction rates for their plight.

Satyarthi founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Movement to Save Childhood) to rescue children working in horrifying conditions.

In 1980 he quit his job as an electrical engineer to take up the cudgels on behalf of India's most vulnerable citizens.

The married father of two recalled his first rescue operation in 1981—at a time when India had no law against child labour.

In 2014 Satyarthi jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize with Pakistani child activist Malala Yousafzai.

His movement has liberated 86,000 children from bonded labour across India and has activist networks in more than 140 countries.

In the 1990s he organised the Global March Against Child Labour, an international coalition of groups aiming to free millions of children from slavery worldwide.

ANSWER: A national kabbadi player

Explanation:
Within hours of 18-year-old Ragala Varun winning gold in the 77kg category, his elder brother, 21-year-old Ragala Rahul, clinched the honours in the 85 kg category in the Commonwealth weightlifting championship.

The championship was held in Gold Coast (Australia) on 7th Sept 2017.

Rahul is the more seasoned of the two lifters and broke 5 national records on his way to the gold.

Their father, Ragala Madhu is a national level kabaddi player and a farmer.

ANSWER: Grinvest

Explanation:
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras expressed his belief that the government has managed to change the international community's view on Greece.

The PM was noting that the image of Grexit has been replaced with 'Grinvest'.

In the first half of 2017 the economy growth rate has totalled 0.8 percent, adding that it was expected to rise to 2 percent by the end of year.

In 2017, direct investments have been the highest in a decade, while in 2017 the situation would be even better.

In the first four months the flow of direct investments had totalled 1.4 billion euros ($2.2 billion).

The growth of tourists inflow among positive achievements, saying that it provided nearly 20 percent of revenue and almost 1 million jobs.

The significant increase in unemployment and restoring of agricultural products exports after Russia's embargo, imposed in 2014 as a retaliatory measure to the Western sanctions was also stressed.

Since 2010, when the Greek debt crisis erupted, the European Commission, the European Central Bank, the EU Stabilization Fund and the International Monetary Fund agreed on three loan programs for Greece amounting to 326 billion euros ($344.6 billion).

This was in exchange for wide-ranging economic reforms in the country.

Greek economy is turning around and will no longer be under the supervision of the country's creditors in 2018.

ANSWER: Bhumibol Adulyadej

Explanation:
The Kingdom of Thailand will begin the five-day royal cremation ceremony next month for King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The Thai king's reign lasted seven decades.

The country’s military government has budgeted 3 billion-baht ($91 million) for the funeral.

The cremation itself is scheduled for October 26.

Thais believe the deceased monarch will ascend to heaven.

An ornate palanquin is being prepared for the royal funeral.

Bhumibol died on October 13, 2016 at age 88. The monarch, who took the throne in 1946, had come to symbolise continuity.

During his reign, the country had more than two dozen prime ministers and 10 military coups.

Bhumibol Adulyadej: Know More

• Bhumibol was born December 5, 1927, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his father, Prince Mahidol, was studying medicine at Harvard University.
• Bhumibol was survived by his wife, Queen Sirikit.
• His only son, Maha Vajiralongkorn, succeeded to the throne.
• His coronation will be held after the cremation.
• Bhumibol was the world's longest-reigning monarch at the time of his death.
• He was the ninth king in the two-century-old Chakri Dynasty, one of the world's wealthiest monarchies.
• On October 29, the final day of the cremation process, Bhumibol's ashes will be enshrined at two temples in the Thai capital: Wat Ratchabophit and Wat Bovoranives.
• A ceremonial royal urn will be moved to the crematorium at 7 am on October 26, the second day. The cremation will take place at 10 pm.
• The restored golden chariot will carry the royal run to the 40-storey high crematorium built at Sanam Luang.
• The royal family and foreign dignitaries will watch proceedings from a pavilion built next to the crematorium.
• The ornate pavilion can house 2,400 people.

ANSWER: "Take a Minute, Change a Life"

Explanation:
World Suicide Prevention Day is observed on September 10 each year to promote worldwide action to prevent suicides.

Various events and activities are held during this occasion to raise awareness that suicide is a major preventable cause of premature death.

World Suicide Prevention Day gives organizations, government agencies and individuals a chance to promote awareness about suicide, mental illnesses associated with suicide, as well as suicide prevention.

Organizations such as the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and World Health Organization (WHO) play a key role in promoting this event.

Activities for World Suicide Prevention Day:

• The launch of new government initiatives to prevent suicide.
• Conferences, open days, educational seminars or public lectures.
• Media programs promoting suicide awareness and prevention.
• Memorial services or candlelight ceremonies to remember those who died from suicide.
• Organizing cultural or spiritual events, fairs or exhibitions.
• Launches of publications about suicide awareness and prevention.
• Training courses about suicide and depression awareness.

World Suicide Prevention Day: Know More

• World Suicide Prevention Day, which first started in 2003, is annually held on September 10 each year as an IASP initiative.
• WHO co-sponsors this event.

World Suicide Prevention Day aims to:

• Raise awareness that suicide is preventable.
• Improve education about suicide.
• Spread information about suicide awareness.
• Decrease stigmatization regarding suicide.
• WHO and IASP work with governments and other partners to ensure that suicide is no longer stigmatized, criminalized or penalized.
• WHO’s role is to build political action and leadership to develop national responses to prevent suicide, strengthen national planning capacity to establish the core building blocks of such a national response, and build the national capacities to implement these responses.
• In 2011 an estimated 40 countries held awareness events to mark the occasion.
• The United Nations issued 'National Policy for Suicide Prevention' in the 1990s which some countries use as a basis for their suicide policies.

Themes

2003	"Suicide Can Be Prevented!"
2004	"Saving Lives, Restoring Hope"
2005	"Prevention of Suicide is Everybody's Business"
2006	"With Understanding New Hope”
2007	"Suicide prevention across the Life Span"
2008	"Think Globally, Plan Nationally, Act Locally"
2009	"Suicide Prevention in Different Cultures"
2010	"Families, Community Systems and Suicide"
2011	"Preventing Suicide in Multicultural Societies"
2012	"Suicide Prevention across the Globe: Strengthening Protective Factors and Instilling Hope"
2013	"Stigma: A Major Barrier to Suicide Prevention”
2014	"Light a candle near a Window"
2015	"Preventing Suicide: Reaching Out and Saving Lives"
2016	"Connect, Communicate, Care"
2017	"Take a Minute, Change a Life"