Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Jan 13, 2017

ANSWER: Indira Gandhi International Airport

Explanation:
Indira Gandhi International Airport claimed to be the world's first aerodrome to adopt Arc.

Arc is a unique performance and benchmarking digital platform.

The digital platform at T3 helps in monitoring and tracking building performance and has been developed by Green Business Certification Inc and US Green Building Council.

USGBC is a global certifying body for all Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design projects.

It will be used by airport operators to measure and manage performance of the airport on resource consumption, quality of passenger space and carbon emissions.

Airport authorities will measure, manage and improve performance against other green building projects in the world.

IGI’s Terminal 3 had earned LEED Gold certification in 2011 under the new construction category.

Know More About LEED

• Stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
• It is one of the most popular green building certification programs used worldwide.
• Developed by the non profit US Green Building Council.
• It includes a set of rating systems for design, construction, operation and maintenance of green buildings, homes and neighbourhoods.
• It aims to build owners and operators to be environmentally responsible and use resources effectively.

Top 10 Busiest Airports in the World


• In 2015, twelve of the 30 busiest airports are located North America.
• Six are located in Europe; one each in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
• The rest are located in Asia; four are in China and one each in India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and the UAE.

ANSWER: Paperfuge

Explanation:
Engineering scientists at Stanford University have build an ultra-low cost human powered blood centrifuge separating blood into individual components in 1.5 minutes.

It is created from 20 cents of twine, paper and plastic and is called a paperfuge.

It can spin at speeds of 1,25,000 revolutions per minute and exert centrifugal forces of 30 thousand Gs.

It is the fastest spinning object driven by human power. It has the potential to enable precise diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as malaria, HIV and TB.

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
The US Army is planning to use biodegradable bullets loaded with special seeds that sprout into plants eliminating ammunition debris and contaminants, reducing soil pollution in training grounds.

Spent shells litter training facilities across the world. Shells contain metals and other chemicals which can rust and pollute groundwater and soils.

US Department of Defense are soliciting proposals for biodegradable bullets loaded with seeds to grow environmentally beneficial plants.

These eliminate ammunition debris and contaminants. The US Army has developed and tested the seeds which can be embedded into biodegradable composite.

These seeds have been bioengineered to germinate only after they have been in the ground for several months.

Plants that grow from these seeds could also remove soil contaminants and feed local wildlife.

ANSWER: Silicon

Explanation:
Japanese scientists have said that silicon is likely to be the mystery element in the inner core of the earth. This could solve one of the biggest secrets of the planet.

Consensus has long been that centre of the planet comprises:

• Iron-85%
• Nickel-10%
• Sulphur, Oxygen and Silicon-5%

But Japanese scientists have found that iron nickel alloys mixed with silicon were able to sustain pressure and temperature found in the inner core of the earth.

Data for the mixed material observed with X-rays matched seismic data namely sound velocity, or seismic waves obtained for the inner core.

Finding could reveal if earth was rich in oxygen before photosynthesis.

Oxygen has been listed as another potential candidate for mystery element in the inner core.

About the Layers of the Earth

• Earth is composed of three main layers: outer layer, mantle and core.
• Outer layer is solid where creatures reside.
• Mantle is composed of hot magma and other semi solid materials.
• Core is composed of outer layer of liquid iron and nickel and inner layer - a hot dense ball of mostly iron.

ANSWER: Airtel

Explanation:
Airtel launched its first payments bank in the country. The company has rolled out the service in all the 29 states of the country.

Airtel Payments Bank is a fully digital and paperless bank.

It aims to take basic banking services to the doorstep of every Indian by leveraging Airtel's vast retail network.

Airtel retail stores across the country will also function as banking points.

Customers will be able to open savings accounts, deposit and withdraw cash across any of these banking points.

No processing fee is to be charged for customers and merchant partners for digital transactions.

Accounts can be opened on Aadhaar based e-KYC and the Airtel mobile number will be the bank account number.

The account holders can keep maximum of Rs 1 lakh in their accounts which will fetch an annual interest rate of 7.25 % on deposits, while the company will charge 0.65% fees on withdrawals.

Know More on Airtel

• Industry: Telecommunications
• Founded: 7 July 1995
• Founder: Sunil Bharti Mittal
• Chairman and MD: Sunil Bharti Mittal
• Products: Fixed line and mobile telephony, broadband and fixed-line internet services, digital television and IPTV
• Revenue: ₹966.021 billion (US$14 billion) (2016)

ANSWER: Aziz Ansari

Explanation:
Indian American comedian and TV star Aziz Ansari will become comedy sketch SNL's first host of South Asian descent.

He was also the first Indian American to be nominated for outstanding lead actor in a comedy at the Emmy.

The 33-year-old stand up comic won his first Emmy for comedy series “Master of None” for outstanding writing.

Other “Saturday Night Live” hosts of Asian descent include Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan, who both hosted the show in 2000. Bruno Mars and Fred Armisen, who are multiracial, have also hosted.

ANSWER: N. Chandrasekaran

Explanation:
TCS MD and CEO, N Chandrasekaran has been appointed Chairman of TATA Sons. He is expected to take charge on Feb 21, 2017.

Popularly called “Chandra” the 54-year-old was chosen to step in as the new chairman after the removal of Cyrus Mistry. He will replace interim chairman Ratan Tata.

This is as per the recommendation of the Selection Committee.

He will now step down from his position in TCS which will be taken over by Rajesh Gopinathan, currently the company’s CFO,

Meanwhile, a battle is on at the National Company Law Tribunal with Mistry, who has challenged his ouster.

About Chandrasekaran's Career Milestones

Mr. Chandrasekaran was the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Consultancy Services since 2009.

A Tata employee for life, he had joined the company in 1987.

He was appointed as a Director on the board of Tata Sons on October 25, 2016.

He is the third non Tata to be chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of Tata Group .

Chandrasekaran is an avid photographer and a passionate long-distance runner and completed several marathons around the world.

Know More About TCS

• Industry: IT services, IT consulting
• Founded: 1968
• Founder: J.R.D. Tata, F.C. Kohli
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman: Ishaat Hussain
• CEO and MD: Rajesh Gopinathan

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
CNS Kaiyangxing or Mizar, China's new electronic reconnaissance ship has been added to its expanding fleet. The PLA now has 6 electronic reconnaissance vessels.

In 2016, the PLA Navy commissioned 18 ships, including missile destroyers, corvettes and guided missile frigates.

China has also said it is building a second aircraft carrier. China's only carrier is the second-hand, Soviet-built Liaoning.

CNS Kaiyangxing or Mizar, with hull code 856, was on Tuesday delivered to a combat support flotilla of the North Sea Fleet at the eastern port of Qingdao.

Capable of all-weather, round-the-clock reconnaissance on multiple and different targets, it is a sophisticated system.

China Is currently involved in a spat with its neighbours on SCS islands.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on these islands.

ANSWER: Both are same

Explanation:
Scientists have discovered a new species of gibbon living in south-west China’s rainforests.

It has been named the Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon by its discoverers, who are Star Wars fans.

The name is also a nod to the fact that the Chinese characters Hoolock tianxing, mean “Heaven’s movement.”

The research team, led by Fan Peng-Fei from Sun Yat-sen University in China, first suspected that the gibbons they were studying in Gaoligongshan nature reserve were different. They lacked typical facial markings of white eyebrows and beards.

Gibbons are renowned for their loud song, which they use to mark territory, and this also sounded unusual.

The scientists estimate that about 200 Skywalker gibbons are living in China and also potentially in neighbouring Myanmar, but say that the species should already be classified as endangered.

Habitat loss and fragmentation is putting the gibbons at risk of extinction.

ANSWER: INS Khanderi

Explanation:
INS Khanderi, the second indigenously built Scorpene submarine, was launched. It was at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai on 12th Jan 2017.

The submarine's features include superior stealth and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons.

The attack can be launched with torpedoes, as well as with tube-launched anti-ship missiles, while underwater or on surface.

The submarine is designed to operate in all theatres, including the tropics.

All means and communications are provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a naval task force.

It can undertake multifarious types of missions, i.e anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance, etc.

Khanderi is the second of the six submarines being built at the MDL in collaboration with DCNS of France.

It is part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy.

The first one, Kalvari, is completing sea trials and will be commissioned shortly into the Navy.

Khanderi is named after the Island fort of Maratha forces ensuring their supremacy at sea in the late 17th century.

Khanderi is also the name of Tiger Shark.

Submarine has been built on principle of modular construction. This involves dividing the submarine into a number of sections and outfitting them concurrently.

All equipment has been installed in the submarine, with 95 per cent cabling and piping also being completed.

The important safety milestone of vacuum-testing was completed in the first attempt itself on January 5.

This matched the record of Kalvari.

As per tradition, ships and submarines of the Navy are brought alive again after decommissioning.

The first INS Khanderi was commissioned into the Navy on December 6, 1968 and decommissioned on October 18, 1989.

Indian Submarine Day

• The Indian Navy’s submarine arm will complete 50 years on December 8, 2017.
• Submarine Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the birth of the submarine arm with the induction of the first submarine (Kalvari, into the Navy on December 8, 1967).
• Submarine contracting nations were joined by India on Feb 7, 1992 with the commissioning of INS Shalki.
• This was followed by INS Shankul.