Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Jan 12, 2017

1)   Who was Germany's second President?

a. Roman Herzog
b. Horst Kohler
c. Karl Carstens
d. None of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Roman Herzog

Explanation:
Roman Herzog who was Germany's second president after reunification died on 10th Jan 2017 in Bad Mergentheim at the age of 82.

Like predecessor Richard bon Weizsacker, Herzog used the presidency, largely a ceremonial post to serve as a guardian for liberal and democratic values.

He was known to stress Germany's moral responsibility for past crimes. He was also known for a 1997 speech in Berlin where he spoke about structural reasons for the malaise.

Herzog called for overhaul of the labor market, the taxation system, health insurance and management of public works.

He also stressed on reduction in regulations and reducing unemployment among low wage workers.

Fellow Christian Democrat Helmut Kohl nominated Herzog for the post of president in 1994. His successor Gerhard Schroeder pushed in measures like cuts in unemployment and pension benefits.

Reductions in income tax and labour market overhauls were also initiated by Schroeder. The changes have been credited with a boom that transformed Germany.

During Herzog's presidency, Germany was still recovering and was known as the “sick man of Europe.”

These changes have been credited with a boom that transformed Germany into a robust economy.

Political Career: Roman Herzog

From 1973 to 1978, he represented the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Bonn, the West German capital.

From 1978 to 1980 he was minister of culture and sports in the state of Baden-Württemberg. From 1980 to 1983 he was a member of the Baden-Württemberg Legislature.

As the state’s interior minister, he developed a hard-line reputation.

As a judge on the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, which he joined in 1983, Mr. Herzog upheld the right of protesters who had converged on a nuclear power plant in Brokdorf, in northern Germany.

He became the court’s president in 1987.

He was not especially well known when Mr. Kohl nominated him to succeed Mr. von Weizsäcker, who had been president of West Germany since 1984 and served on after reunification in 1990.

Herzog stepped down from the presidency in 1999 and was succeeded by Johannes Rau, a moderate Social Democrat.

In 2002, Herzog helped found the Roman Herzog Institute, which works to improve public policy.

Know More About Roman Herzog

  • Born: Landshut, Bavaria
  • Date: April 5, 1934
  • Educational Career: Law at Ludwig Maximilian University (1953-1957)
  • Teaching career: Taught law and politics at University of Munich, the Free University of Berlin and the University of Administrative Sciences in Spreyer.
  • Joined CDU in 1970.
  • Served as its chairman from 1978 to 1983.
  • Germany's president from 1994-1999.
  • He is best remembered for the phrase “Germany needs a jolt.”
  • This is from his 1997 Berlin speech “Moving into the 21st century”


2)   Which journalist broke the news of WWII?

a. Clare Hollingworth
b. Claire Hollingsworth
c. Clara Hollingsworth
d. None of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Clare Hollingworth

Explanation:
Clare Hollingworth, the adventurous reporter who broke the news that WWII had started has died at the age of 105.

She was a young rookie reporter at Daily Telegraph when she got the scoop of the century.

Hollingworth broke the news that Germany had invaded Poland in Aug 1939.

Celebrated war correspondent Hollingworth was travelling from Poland to Germany when she spotted the German forces aligning on the Polish border.

Hollingworth, born in Leicester in 1911, secured a scoop when the Nazis invaded three days later.

She also helped 1000s of people escape from Nazi Germany by arranging British visas. Reporting over the years from Vietnam, Algeria and the Middle East, Clare decided to live in Hong Kong after her reporting career saw its final moments in Beijing in the 1970s.

She broke the story of Germany's invasion of Poland during her first week as a journalist. The reporter also unearthed British agent Kim Philby's defection to the Soviet Union in the 1960s.

Know More About Clare Hollingworth

  • Born: 1911
  • Grew up in England during WW1 and was an activist.
  • Her memoir named “Of Fortunes and War” highlights Hollingworth's work with refugees ahead of the Second World War after the start of her journalism.
  • She was a role model for foreign correspondents.
  • In Oct 2016, she celebrated her 105th birthday.
  • Twice married, she did not have any children.


3)   What is Sachin Saga Warm Up?

a. a book on cricket
b. a VCD on cricket
c. a game on cricket
d. None of the above
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: a game on cricket

Explanation:
JetSynthesys, a digital and technology company on 11th Jan 2017 announced the launch of a game on cricket called “Sachin Saga Warm Up” under the gaming arm Playizzon.

The company is associated with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar who trains players to gain expertise in playing cricket.

A batting game where players across the globe can complete in real time, this 2 minute powerplay allows users to get assistance from Sachin on shot selection.

The choice of play is determined based on where the ball pitches and what kind of delivery it is.

Game targets 8-45 year olds and is made in 7 languages.

The game will serve as a prequel to Sachin Saga where gamers across age groups can play an exciting new format of cricket digitally.

Know More About Sachin Tendulkar

  • Born: 24 April 1973, Mumbai
  • Height: 1.65 m
  • Education: Kirti M. Doongursee College
  • Movies: Sachin: A Billion Dreams
  • Awards: Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan


4)   Central government plans to set up how many electronic manufacturing clusters in 400 towns and cities?

a. 18
b. 19
c. 20
d. 21
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 18

Explanation:
Centre plans to set up 18 electronics manufacturing clusters in 400 towns and cities. India's electronic manufacturing market will be worth USD 400 billion by 2020 according to some estimates.

Government is focusing on domestic production of technology products, according to Union Minister for Communications, Ravi Shankar Prasad at the Pravasi Haryana Divas 2017.

Digital payment infrastructure and service is set to be a rising industry. Haryana has a lot of potential and possibilities for innovation in the field of digital payment, internet, AI, digital education and cybersecurity.

Considerable potential is there for small and medium level enterprises to grow.

About 42 mobile phone manufacturing companies and 30 component factories have been established in the country.

India has close to 105 crore mobile phones , 10 crore Aadhaar cards, 500 billion internet connections and 350 billion smartphones.


5)   Which financial body has asked intermediaries and companies to make regulatory payments in digital mode?

a. SEBI
b. RBI
c. NSE
d. BSE
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: SEBI

Explanation:
Joining focuses with the government on the post-demonetization cashless drive, market regulator SEBI plans to give option to market intermediaries and companies to make digital payments.

Move will help speed and ease of transactions while lowering failures due to payment gateway issues.

SEBI is said to follow many organisations on the digital drive, following demonetisation of high value currency by the RBI in Nov.

Intermediaries such as brokers, Foreign Portfolio Investors, Stock Exchanges, Custodians make payments to SEBI through online banking.

Payments made include penalties, disgorgement amounts, settlement amounts, legal charges and recovery amounts. An option for e-payment of the same through RTGS has been approved.

To enable digital payment, SEBI will pass an amendment in different regulations setting the option for payment to the regulatory authorities through the digital mode.


6)   Which company signed an MoU with Gujarat's Tribal Development Department on 11th Jan 2017?

a. Amazon India
b. Amazon Africa
c. Amazon-US
d. Amazon LLC
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Amazon India

Explanation:
To promote digital literacy among tribal entrepreneurs in Gujarat, Amazon India on 11th Jan 2017 signed an MoU with Gujarat Tribal Development Department.

The MoU was signed during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017.

As part of the MoU, Amazon India will educate, train and enable tribal entrepreneurs to sell products to Amazon customers in India and across the world.

Initiative will help tribals to grade and standardise their products, available to the Amazon customer base across the globe.

Amazon India will also train women entrepreneurs on making products attractive and appealing.

Product portfolio will include tribal products like paintings (Warli/Pithora/ Bhada), bamboo crafts, clay craft, minor forest produce, herbal medicines, embroidery items and tribal food items.

The agreement will benefit the local ecosystem and catalyse economic development among tribal communities.

Leading Retailer Amazon: Know More

  • Founded: July 5, 1994 (as Cadabra)
  • Location and HQ: Seattle, Washington, US
  • Area served : Worldwide
  • Owner/Founder/Chairman and CEO: Jeff Bezos
  • Key Executives: Werner Vogels (CTO), Andrew Jassy (CEO, AWS), Jeff Wilke (CEO, Consumer)
  • Industry: Internet


7)   Who has been appointed as Snapdeal's Chief Strategy and Investments Officer?

a. Rahul Yadav
b. Jason Kothari
c. Kunal Bansal
d. None of the above
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Jason Kothari

Explanation:
Ex Housing.com CEO Jason Kothari has been appointed the head of the Snapdeal strategy and investment operations.

This is following the merger of the realty portal with PropTiger.

Snapdeal's Chief Strategy and Investment Officer Kothari will work alongside Kunal Bhal and Rohit Bansal in a leading role.

Kothari will join Snapdeal on Jan 16, 2017. Both Housing.com and Snapdeal are backed by SoftBank.

Kothari's responsibilities will include:

  • Leading strategy.
  • Corporate development, including all investments and strategic partnerships.
  • Raising new capital for the company and portfolio management.
  • Overseeing companies that Snapdeal wholly owns or has invested in.
Housing.com announced merger with News Corp-backed real estate brokerage firm PropTiger.

The joint entity raised USD 55 million from Real Estate Australia (REA) Group and Softbank.

Before Housing.com, Kothari was CEO and Vice Chairman of character-based entertainment company Valiant Entertainment.

Know More about Snapdeal
  • Type of business: Private
  • Type of site: E-commerce
  • Founded: 2010
  • Headquarters: New Delhi, India
  • Founders: Kunal Bahl, Rohit Bansal
  • Industry: Internet
  • Subsidiaries: FreeCharge
  • Website: www.snapdeal.com


8)   What is Pluto's only moon called?

a. Charon
b. Neptune
c. Odin
d. None of the above
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Charon

Explanation:
Pluto's moon Charon which is half its diameter and orbits 12,000 miles away, is slowing down the decay of Pluto's atmosphere.

This moon protects the continuous stripping of Pluto's atmosphere by the solar wind.

Charon is between Pluto and the Sun, and it can reduce atmospheric loss significantly.

Though the moon does not have its own atmosphere, it does create a shield for Pluto and redirects solar wind around and away.

Barrier creates an acute angle of Pluto's bow shock, slowing down the deteriorating atmosphere's rate of decay.

This barrier creates a more acute angle of Pluto's bow shock, slowing down the deterioration of the atmosphere.

The study's predictions, before the New Horizons probe collected and returned data to Earth, matches measurements made it about about Pluto's atmospheric loss rate.


9)   A US based company has developed a smartphone that can be rolled up around the wrist. What is it called?

a. FlexPhone
b. FlexMobile
c. FlexCall
d. None of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: FlexPhone

Explanation:
A US-based company has developed a smartphone prototype that can be rolled up around the wrist.

To receive a call, it can either be used as a speaker or removed and straightened into a traditional phone.

At the end of the call, you may bend it back onto your wrist.

FlexPhone, developed by US-based Royole Corporation, can also function as a fitness tracker.

It monitors your physical parameters, including heart rate, the number of steps taken, and the distance travelled.

The phone is 6 millimetres thick and weighs 100 grams.
Phone's display as well as circuitry are flexible, making it sturdy in handling drops and bumps.

The phone features 3G connectivity, and is SIM-card compatible.

It was named the innovation awards honoree at the CES trade show in Las Vegas, US.


10)   Which government has issued a tax strike on digital economy?

a. Australia
b. India
c. Africa
d. None of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Australia

Explanation:
Australian government has announced plans to tax all digital transactions, part of what treasurer Scott Morrison calls a “Tax Strike” on the growing digital economy.

The government is currently unable to tax Australia's USD 7.37 billion annual online transactions.

As Australia moves towards a modern cashless economy, the aim is to also ensure tax systems remain modern.

Google and Netflix taxes have also been imposed to ensure MNCs and online services were paying tax properly.

Government is aiming at proper taxation for all digital sales in Australia to ensure everyone is paying their fair share of tax.


11)   A new plate boundary has been formed on the floor of which Ocean as a result of the Andaman Sumatra earthquake in 2012?

a. Indian
b. Pacific
c. Atlantic
d. Arctic
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Indian

Explanation:
Largest tremor that shook the Andaman-Sumatra region in 2012 may be resulting in a plate boundary on the Indian Ocean floor.

This is according to scientists who warn that the new fault system could trigger more quakes in the future.

Evidence of a possible new plate boundary forming on the floor of the Indian Ocean in the Wharton Basin has been found.

A slip-strike quake occurs when two plates slide horizontally against one another.

Such quakes can be caused by deformations that occur in plates distant from fault lines as pressure builds up across a plate.

They can lead to inter-plate earthquakes and cause a plate to break, resulting in a new boundary and this in turn can lead to even more quakes.

It is this scenario that the researchers believe happened in 2012 when two earthquakes struck the Andaman-Sumatran region (north-west part) of the Indian Ocean - the largest inter-plate earthquakes ever recorded.

Data also proved the plate had broken along a 1,000 km fracture zone, resulting in a new plate boundary - one that is likely to be the site of future fault-slip quakes.

Know More About Wharton Basin

  • Wharton Basin is the marine area of the north east quarter of the Indian Ocean.
  • It is named after William Wharton (1843-1905), Hydrographer of the Navy.
  • Alternative names are Cocos Basin (after the Cocos Islands) and West Australian Basin.
  • It lies east of the Ninety East Ridge and west of Western Australia.
  • It features a mix of Indian and Australian plates and has not been charted since 1960s.