Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Sep 08, 2016

ANSWER: J Satyaranayana

Explanation:
Government has chosen retired IAS officer and former DeITY secretary J. Satyanarayana as the chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority of India.

• He succeeds former Infosys founder Nandan Nilekani
• Nilekani was the first UIDAI chairman and he stepped down from the post in 2014
• Due to the recently passed Aadhaar Act, government appointed a part time chairperson of the UIDAI
• Present CEO of UIDAI is serving IAS officer Ajay Bhushan Pandey
• GoI appointed two private persons as part time members namely Rajesh Jain, founder and MD of netCORE solutions and Anand Deshpande, founder and CEO of Persistent Systems
• Government had also set up a screening committee for filing the top posts at the UIDAI and the ACC headed by the PM makes appointments
• Delta ID’s iris software makes Aadhaar authentication more secure
• Satyanarayana was DeITY secretary from 2012 to 2014; this department has been closely associated with the Aadhaar project
• He contributed to the e-governance sector and was a founder of the e-seva programme for citizen services
• He also took part in the Passport Seva project of the MEA and various e-governance projects in Karnataka.
• He also served as special chief secretary in AP
• Rajesh Jain, the netCORE solutions founder is an IITan with a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University
• He has been convenor of the Friends of BJP, a network of professionals on social media who worked with BJP during the 2014 campaign
• Anand Deshpande, CMD of Persistent Systems is a B.Tech from IIT Kharagpur and a MS in Computer Science from Indiana University
• Both Jain and Deshpande will work as part time members of UIDAI

ANSWER: Merging of central black holes following collision of two galaxies

Explanation:
Gravitational waves are formed around 10 million years after two galaxies collide and the central black holes merge which is around 100 times faster than previously thought, according to a new study.

• Gravitational waves were detected for the first time earlier this year, a century after Albert Einstein predicted the phenomenon in his General Theory of Relativity
• It was not possible to predict the point at which g-waves are triggered and spread through space when galaxies merge before this
• International group of astrophysicists from Zurich University, Institute of Space Technology (Pakistan) and University of Heidelberg (Germany) and Chinese Academy of Sciences have made this calculation for the first time using extensive simulation
• Galaxies have supermassive black holes in the core, which has millions or billions of solar masses
• In a realistic simulation of the universe, merging of two roughly 3 billion year old galaxies lying relatively close to one another was simulated
• Assisted by supercomputers, researchers have calculated the time two central black holes with around 100 million solar masses needed to emit strong gravitational waves after galaxies collided
• Merging of the two black holes has triggered the first gravitational waves after 10 million years- around 100 times faster than previously assumed
• Simulation study conducted required an innovative computational approach with various numerical codes on different supercomputers
• In the process, each supercomputer was responsible for calculating a certain phase of the orbital convergence of two massive black holes and their parent galaxies
• Relations between orbits of the central black holes and the realistic structure of the parent galaxies was factored into the present stimulation

ANSWER: 28 million

Explanation:
According to UNICEF, close to 50 million children throughout the world are uprooted or forcibly displaced from home countries by violence, war and persecution.

• Analysis of global data revealed that 28 million of these children were displaced by violence and conflict including 10 million child refugees
• There were also one million asylum seekers whose refugee status is pending and close to 17 million children displaced within their own countries lacking access to humanitarian aid and critical services
• Close to 20 million other children have left their homes for various reasons including gang violence or extreme poverty
• Many are at risk of abuse or detention because they lack legal status and their well being cannot be systematically tracked
• Children are increasingly crossing borders on their own; close to 100000 minors applied for asylum in 78 countries in 2015 tripling the numbers from the year before
• UNICEF pointed to children accounting for disproportionate and growing proportion of people seeking refuge outside their birth countries
• Children constitute a third of the world’s population but half of all refugees
• In 2015, close to 45 percent of the child refugees under the UN refugee agency’s care came from Syria and Afghanistan

ANSWER: Light Utility Helicopter

Explanation:
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 6th September 2016 successfully completed test flight of indigenous Light Utility Helicopter in Bengaluru

• During the test flight, the chopper remained air borne for 15 minutes
• LUH will replace the Chetak and Cheetah helicopters flown for over three decades
• HAL LUH is a 3 tonne helicopter constricted exclusively for Indian army and IAF.
• It is a single engine light helicopter powered by Sagran HE Ariden 1U engine
• Along with two pilots, the chopper can accommodate six passengers at sea level with load capacity reducing with altitude
• The engine of this helicopter delivers 750 kw of power permitting flight operations at the height of 6500m
• Limited series production will be done in Bengaluru and production will soon be ramped up to 60 choppers in a year
• In phase II, production will be ramped up and HAL intends to speed up flight testing of the LUH by distributing it over three prototypes
• HAL will obtain initial operational certification by 2017

ANSWER: Nuakhai

Explanation:
Western Odisha on 6th September 2016 celebrated the festival of Nuakhai, an agricultural festival of the region with fervour.

• Celebrations commenced with Nabanna in which freshly harvested rice was offered to Goddess Samaleswari as per Lagna or the auspicious moment
• The deity was also adorned with new vestments and ornaments not the occasion.
• People then offered Nabanna to presiding deities.
• This agricultural festival is observed by Western Odisha’s agrarian community to welcome the new rice of the season
• Festival is linked to Goddess Samaleswari in Sambalpur while Patneswari in Balangir, Sureshwari in Subarnapur and Sekharbasini in Sundargarh are worshipped.
• The Hindu calendar holds that this this festival is marked by gratitude to the bumper crop, good rain and suitable farming weather and is observed the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi on the fifth day of the lunar calendar of August-September.
• Eldest members of the family also worship paddy fields and cattle during this festival

ANSWER: Iran

Explanation:
United Kingdom and Iran in September 2016 appointed ambassadors in each other’s country for the first time since 2011.

• The appointment marks the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two nations
• Nicholas Hopton, a Middle East specialist and former Britain ambassador to Qatar and Yemen was appointed as UK ambassador to Iran
• Hamid Baedinejad, a key figure in the Iranian nuclear negotiating team was appointed as Iranian ambassador to the UK
• Foreign Office announcement came a year after the start of the British Embassy in Tehran
• Embassy was reopened in August 2015 by British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and two countries resumed ties in Charge d’Affaires level
• British embassy in Tehran was closed after being stormed and ransacked by protestors in 2011.
• UK also ordered the Iranian embassy in London to be closed

ANSWER: Thithi

Explanation:
Acclaimed Kannada movie Thithi on 6th September 2016 won the Best Film Award at the first BRICS film festival that concluded in New Delhi.

• BRICS film festival was organised as part of the special events planned in the run-up to the BRICS summit to be held in India
• Five day long festival screened movies from India, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa
• China’s Chengdu city will host the next edition of the BRICS film festival.
• Thithi is a 2016 Kannada film written and directed by Raam Reddy and is a story about three generations of men reacting to the death of their 101 year old patriarch
• Film premiers in 68th Locarno International Film Festival on 8th August 2015 where it won the Golden Leopard in the Filmmakers of the Present category for Reddy as well as the first feature award from Swatch
• At the 63rd National Film Awards, the film also won the National Film Award for the Best Feature Film in Kannada
• Filmmaker Jianqi Huo from China won the best director award for Xuan Zang
• Russia’s Yulia Peresild received the Best Actress Award for the Battle of Sevastopol
• South Africa’s Thabo Rametsi clinched the best actor award for rile in Kalushi

ANSWER: KG George

Explanation:
Veteran award winning film director KG George on 6th September 2016 won the prestigious JC Daniel Award for overall contribution to the Malayalam film industry.

• Award will be given along with State Film Awards
• Kulakkatil Geevarghese George is an Indian film director and screenwriter
• He revolutionised Malayalam cinema in the 1970s
• He made his debut with Swapnadanam in 1975 and won the National Film Award for the Best Feature Film in Malayalam
• His well known movies include Mela, Yavanika and Ulkadel
• JC Daniel Award is Kerala’s highest award in Malayalam cinema
• George is also the founder and chairman of the Malayalam Cine Technicians Association
• JC Daniel is widely regarded as the father of Malayam Cinema
• The award was instituted in 1992
• Actor Madhu was the first recipient of this award

ANSWER: Mahindra Electric

Explanation:
Mahindra & Mahindra has rebranded its electric mobility portfolio as Mahindra Electric aiming for more focus on technology and electric models besides supplying powertrains to other manufacturers.

• Under the umbrella brand, Mahindra Electric, the company will manufacture electric cars, license out electric vehicle technologies, electrify new and existing platforms and help deliver integrated zero emission mobility solutions
• Company which currently sells electric models such as e20 and Verito also plans to launch electric version of minivan Supro in the next 2-3 months
• Mahindra Supro is a 7 seater used in cargo and passenger vehicle space
• Mahindra is expected to power new and existing vehicles with electric drivetrain technology from Mahindra Electric.
• With the FAME or Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India scheme, a conducive environment for companies making electric vehicles is on the anvil.

ANSWER: PRABAL DOSTYK-16

Explanation:
PRABAL DOSTYK-16 is a joint army exercise conducted by India and Kazakhstan from 7th-17th September 2016.

• The Indian army is represented by a platoon strength
• Kazakhstan Army contingent comprises platoon from Special Ops Force Unit
• This is a pioneering endeavour being conducted in Karaganda region of Kazakhstan
• Primary aim of the 14 day exercise is to enhance interoperability while undertaking counter terrorism and counter insurgency operations
• The first stage will be about gaining knowledge of tactics, drills,weapons and equipments
• The second stage will be when the armies will jointly execute a helicopter borne operation in a simulated environment.
• PRABAL DOSTYK-16 means Robust Friendship and the aim is to foster good bilateral ties between the two nations in the field of military and diplomacy