Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Sep 16, 2016

ANSWER: Reliance Communications

Explanation:
Anil Ambani’s Reliance Communication and Maxis Communications Berhad/MCB promoters of Aircel on 14th September 2016 agreed to merge their wireless business.

• They will form the fourth largest telecom operator in the country
• Merger is termed the biggest consolidation deal in Indian telecom sector
• R-Com will demerge its wireless business and transfer it to the new entity
• Standlone business will focus on enterprise segment and data centre businesses
• Sistema will hold 10 percent in standalone R-Com
• Both R-Com and Maxis will hold 50 percent each in the new entity
• Merged company will be one of India’s largest private sector companies with an asset base of INR 65,000 crore rupees and net worth of INR 35000 crore rupees
• Entity will enjoy benefits of scale driving revenue growth and capex as well as open synergies with net present value of INR 20,000 crore rupees
• Company will be managed by an independent professional team under the board’s supervision
• Following completion of the merger in 2017, R-Com’s overall debt will reduce by INR 20000 or over 40 percent of its debt
• Aircel’s debt will reduce by INR 4000 crore
• Entity will have the second largest spectrum holding among all operators, aggregating 448 Mhz across 850, 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz bands
• It will benefit from enhanced business continuity through an extended validity of spectrum holdings till 2033-2035

ANSWER: Isuzu

Explanation:
Japanese automobile maker Isuzu Motors on 14th September 2016 announced the appointment of Hiroshi Nakagawa as Chairman of the Isuzu Motors India with immediate effect.

• Former IMI Chairman Hiroyasu Miura will take over as CMD of Isuzu Engineering Business Centre India Private Limited with immediate effect
• Nakagawa has been involved in Isuzu business division for 20 years in key markets
• Isuzu Motors Limited is a Japanese commercial vehicle and diesel engineering manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo
• It is basically involved in production, marketing and sale of Isuzu commercial vehicles and diesel engines
• Company was established in 1916
• In 1934, it was fused with a carmaker and renamed Isuzu after the river of the same name
• By 2009, it has produced over 21 million diesel engines which can be found in vehicles all over the world
• Isuzu diesel engines are used by numerous manufacturers including Ford Motor Company and Renault Nissan Alliance

ANSWER: Slovenia

Explanation:
Ceferin has been elected the 7th president at the extraordinary congress in Athens

• He is an accomplished lawyer with little record in football before heading the Slovenian federation in 2011
• In a vote for UEFA presidency, he beat vice president Michael van Praag of Netherlands 42-13 in what many see as a verdict for change
• He was publicly backed by nations like Russia, Italy, France and Germany
• He has a degree in law and represents professional athletes and sports clubs
• He will also have to seek reelection before the next major event of UEFA, 2020 Euros
• UEFA or Union of European Football Associations is an administrative body for association football in EU
• Several member states are primarily or entirely located in Asia
• It is one of six continental confederations of world football’s governing body FIFA
• UEFA comprises 55 national association members
• Till 1959, its main HQ was located in Paris and later in Bern
• In 1995, the UEFA HQ was made in Nyon, Switzerland.
• The first president was Ebbe Stewart and Henri Delaunay was the first general secretary.

ANSWER: Both a and b are the same

Explanation:
President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee extended greetings and felicitations to Government and people of United Mexican States on the 206th anniversary of their Independence day on 16th Sept.

• Mr. Enriqué Peña Nieto is the current President of the United Mexican States\
• India and Mexico share close ties; PM Modi paid a visit to the country in recent times
• Meanwhile Indian observed Engineers day on 15th Sept
• It is the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna M. Visvesvaraya
• On his birth anniversary, Engineer’s Day is celebrated in India

ANSWER: Nuclear power plant in Southwest England

Explanation:
British government on 15th Sept approved the construction of UK’s first new nuclear power plant in more than two decades.

• This French and Chinese backed project has prompted high level fears regarding national security
• The decision has been made to proceed with the 18 billion pound plant in SW England.
• Future foreign funded infrastructure projects will be subject to tighter rules
• Plant will be financed by Chinese nuclear power provider CGN and French Energy Group EDF
• China and France welcomed the approval heralding a “golden era” of ties
• Under the deal, EDF will not be able to sell controlling stake in the project before completion without British approval
• France’s nuclear industry has been struggling in recent years as the industry leaned towards renewables and away from costly nuclear plants notably in the wake of 2011 Fukushima accident
• Trade unions and manufacturers in Britain also welcomed the deal, saying it could create close to 25,000 jobs
• Nuclear power supplies about 20 percent of Britain’s energy, but no new reactors have been built since the 1990s
• Hinkley Point project will cut GHG emissions which must fall by 80 percent on 1990 levels by 2050
• Opposition criticised the deal’s guarantee to operators of fixed above market electricity price for 35 years

ANSWER: Gaia

Explanation:
The largest ever survey of stars in the Milky Way was made public on 14th Sept, 2016.

• Data on 1142 million stars was gathered by Gaia a satellite launched by ESA in July 2014
• The release features the distances and motions across the sky for more than two million stars
• Gaia is currently a million km from earth
• It is scheduled to prepare a 3D map of a billion stars
• There are 100 billion stars in the Milky Way
• Gaia is at the forefront of astrometry
• Launched 1000 days ago, it began its scientific work in July 2014
• The first release encompasses 14 months of scanning the sky up to September 2015
• Satellite is working wel
• Transforming raw information into reliable data has been entrusted to a consortium of 450 scientists and engineers called the DPAC or Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium.

ANSWER: Ewan McGregor

Explanation:
Actor Ewan McGregor will receive the Britannia Humanitarian Award at the British Academy Britannia Awards in California.

• The 45 year old Hollywood star has won the award for creating positive social change through his movies
• In July McGregor travelled to Debaga cam to meet children and families displaced by conflict in Iraq and Syria
• He is also a UNICEF UK ambassador
• Scottish star also filmed a video for the UNICEF while at this northern Iraq location
• He is well known for movies like Trainspotting and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• He has also essayed the role of Obi Wan Kenobi in Star wars.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
On 14th Sept 2016, the White House announced the list of medal winners including Mel Brooks, Berry Gordy, Philip Glass and Audra McDonald for the National medal of arts and Wynton Marsalis and Terry Gross for the Humanities honour.

• The recipients for each of the honours are given below:

National Medal of Arts

i. Mel Brooks, Actor, Comedian and Writer
ii. Sandra Cisneros, Author
iii. Eugene O’Neill Theater Center
iv. Morgan Freeman, Actor
v. Philip Glass, Composer
vi. Berry Gordy, Record Producer & Songwriter
vii. Santiago Jiménez, Jr., Musician
viii. Moises Kaufman, Director & Playwright
ix. Ralph Lemon, Dancer, Choreographer, Writer, & Visual Artist
x. Audra McDonald, Actress & Singer
xi. Luis Valdez, Playwright, Actor, Writer & Director
xii. Jack Whitten, Painter

National Humanities Medal

i. Rudolfo Anaya, Author
ii. José Andrés, Chef & Entrepreneur
iii. Ron Chernow, Author
iv. Louise Glück, Poet
v. Terry Gross, Radio Host & Producer
vi. James McBride, Author
vii. Louis Menand, Author
viii. Elaine Pagels, Historian & Author
ix. Prison University Project, Higher Education Program
x. Abraham Verghese, Physician, Professor & Author
xi. Isabel Wilkerson, Journalist & Author

• National Medal of Arts is an award created by US Congress in 1984
• It was created for honouring artists and patrons of art
• It is the highest honour for people of arts on behalf of US
• Honourees are selected by National Endowment for Arts and presented the award by the US President
• Medal for the award was designed by sculptor Robert Graham