USA, Sri Lanka - Current Affairs Questions and Answers

ANSWER: Ajit Pai

Explanation:
President Donald Trump has picked a critic of the net neutrality rules to be chief regulatory of airwaves and internet connections in the US.

Ajit Pai has been chosen as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commision wef 24^th Jan 2017.

Pai was also on five-member panel that regulates the country’s communications infrastructure, including TV, phone and internet service.

There are currently just three members on the panel.

The Republicans’ new majority at the FCC, along with their control of Congress and the White House, is expected to help them roll back policies for net neutrality.

Pai said he would aim for an industry friendly FCC. A deregulation-minded FCC could potentially allow more huge mergers, overturn new protections for internet users.

It could lead to higher costs for media and technology companies that rely on the internet to reach consumers.

Pai opposed online privacy regulations that force broadband providers to ask consumers for permission before using their data.

The Internet Association, a trade group that represents tech and video companies like Amazon, Facebook, Google and Netflix also lauded the move.

The FCC currently has a 2-1 Republican majority and two empty seats, which will be filled by one Republican and one Democrat.

Know More About Ajit Pai

• Pai, an Indian-American from Kansas, has been an FCC commissioner since 2012.
• During 15 years in government, he’s been a Senate staffer and worked at the FCC and the Justice Department.
• He was also a lawyer for Verizon and an attorney at the law firm Jenner & Block.

ANSWER: Sri Lanka

Explanation:
Sri Lanka’s new government under Maithripala Sirisena has made plans for a new constitution devolving power and preventing ethnic tensions that leading to a long civil war that closed in 2009. Sirisena has aimed at resolving the 26 year conflict between Tamil Tiger rebels and government troops. Shrines unseated former leader Mahindra Rajapaksa in a tightly contested poll in the previous year and made the promise to strengthen democracy and fundamental rights under a new constitution. The fresh constitution will aim for fundamental rights and freedoms for ensuring human dignity and an accountable government.

ANSWER: K. Velayudam

Explanation:
K. Velayudam, trade unionist and political as well as former State Minister for Plantation industries passed away at the age of 85 on 14th October 2015. Velayudam started his career in the 1970s as a member of trade union LJEWU. In the years between 2001 and 2004, he was MP and in August, in the year 2014, he re-entered the House.

ANSWER: Indian Investment Initiative

Explanation:
Indian Investment Initiative/III was launched on October 10, 2015 in collaboration with USAID and Calvert Foundation as we'll as the US State department. This initiative makes it easier for Indian Americans to invest in SMBs back home. III offers a tool for Indian Americans to attain goals of leveraging close relations between India and the US. One of the first investments is IntelleGrow which focused on investment in key areas such as education, sustainable livelihoods and health. US based retail investors will support the initiative through the purchase of Community Investment Notes by Calvert Foundation. USAID will also provide Development Credit Guarantee for supporting Indian financial institutions contributing to social enterprises.

ANSWER: India and United States

Explanation:
India has emerged as the most sought after developing market for the US with bilateral trade between the two nations pegged at USD 500 billion by 2025 according to a survey conducted by PwC and Indo American Chamber of Commerce (IACC). Trade between the two nations can grow through considerable efforts from stakeholders even as there has been a 4 fold growth in Indo-US trade since 2006 to USD 100 billion in 2014.

ANSWER: Interest rates in the US were kept the same

Explanation:
US Fed Reserve Chief Janet Yellen decided to keep the interest rates in the US economy unchanged. Indian fund managers and economists see this decision as another enabling factor for RBI to cut rates, which could give some more boost to the Indian economy that is again showing signs of stagnation.For the equity market, the immediate trend decider would be how the global markets react to the US rate decision. With Yellen not hiking the rates, FIIs are expected to be part of the Indian growth story.

ANSWER: India and United States

Explanation:
India and the US have created a joint challenge coin for unique partnership in the field of naval armament. One side of the coin is inscribed with the message Forward Together We Go and Chale Saath Saath in Hindi on the other side . This reflects the vision statements of the US president and the Indian PM respectively. One side of the coin that is golden in colour has India and US flags and the other shows an aircraft carrier floating on blue waters. The coin was created by JWG at the first meeting in August 2015 to symbolise partnership between naval forces which in turn was announced in January 2015 during president Obama’s visit to India.

ANSWER: Sri Lanka

Explanation:
India and Sri Lanka on 15 September 2015 exchanged four agreements in various fields including medicare facilities an aim to ensure peace and stability in the region.

These were exchanged during the visit of PM of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe to India from 14 September to 16 September 2015.The Four agreements exchanged between the two sides were as follows:

• Exchange of letters on orbit frequency coordination of satellite for SAARC region
• Exchange of MoU regarding supply of medical equipment to 200 bed ward complex at district hospital, Vavuniya
• Exchange of letters on establishment of emergency ambulance services in Sri Lanka
• Exchange of MoU regarding renewed India’s grant assistance for implementation of SDP

The two sides also discussed issues such as fishermen’s straying in waters of the nations and the Sri Lankan Tamil issue.

ANSWER: 3.7%

Explanation:
On 27th Aug’15 the Commerce Department revised sharply upward its estimate of economic growth in the second quarter to a healthy annual pace of 3.7 percent, from an initial estimate of 2.3 percent.

ANSWER: US Court

Explanation:
The three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that it found the arguments presented by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) in its case against Gandhi "without merit". SFJ had filed a lawsuit in 2013 against Gandhi accusing her of allegedly shielding and protecting Congress party leaders in the anti-Sikh riots that had erupted following the assassination of former Prime Minister and her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi.