Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Sep 13, 2016

ANSWER: 279A

Explanation:
Union Cabinet on 12th September 2016 approved the process, formation and functioning of the Goods and Services Tax Council

• Council will comprise FM and state Finance Ministers making recommendations on important issues pertaining to GST including items and rates
• Creation of the GST Council is as per A279A of the amended Constitution
• Creation of the GST Council Secretariat took place with its office in New Delhi
• Appointment of the Secretary (Revenue) as the Ex Officio Secretary to the GST Council also took place
• Chairpersons were included while CBEC was a permanent invitee (non-voting) on all proceedings of the GST Council
• A post of additional secretary to the GST Council in the GST Council Secretariat and 4 posts of Commissioner in the GST Council Secretariat was also approved
• As per Article 279A of the amended Constitution, GST Council shall comprise the following members:
• Union Finance Minister- Chairperson
• Member: Union Minister of State in Charge of Revenue of Finance
• Members: Minister in charge of finance or taxation or any other minister nominated by the state government
• On September 8, 2016 President Pranab Mukherjee have assent to the 122nd Constitutional Amendment Bill paving the way for the rollout of GST
• The new tax regime will do away with indirect taxes ushering in one tax for the entire country
• Around 18 states have ratified the bill
• GST is a single indirect tax which will subsume most of the central and state taxes as VAT, excise duty, service tax and CST

ANSWER: Stan Wawrinka

Explanation:
Third seed Stan Wawrinka on 11th September 2016 defeated the world number one Novak Djokovic to lift the 2016 US Open Men’s Singles title.

• Swiss player Wawrinka defeated Serbian Djokovic 6-7,6-4,7-5,6-3 to clinch the title
• This is Wawrinka’s maiden US Open title and third major title
• He has reached three Grand Slam singles finals in his career
• He has also won the three- 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open
• Prior to the 2014 French Open, he requested and ATP granted formal change in name from Stanislas Wawrinka to Stan Wawrinka
• 2016 US Open was a tennis tournament played on hard courts
• 2016 US Open was the 136th edition of the US Open, fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year.
• It took place at NYC in the US. While Angelique Kerber won the women’s singles event, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares won the men’s doubles title

ANSWER: Both a and b

Explanation:
Researchers have described a prototype of the system which they tested on a stack of papers, one with each letter printed on it

• The system was able to identify letters on the top 9 sheets
• It was done with the help of terahertz radiation which is a band of electromagnetic radiation between microwaves and infrared light
• New system developed by researchers from MIT and Georgia Tech uses a standard terahertz camera to emit ultra short bursts of radiation and then measure how long it takes for the radiation to be reflected back
• Algorithm then gauges the distance to each of the individual pages of the book
• Terahertz radiation can be emitted in such short bursts that the distance it has travelled can be gauged from the difference between emission time and time at which reflected radiation returns to sensor
• This gives better depth resolution than ultrasound
• System cashes in on the fact that tiny air pockets about 20 micrometers deep are trapped between the pages of the book
• Difference in refractive index and degree to which they bend light between the air and the paper means that the boundary between the two will reflect terahertz radiation back to the detector
• Terahertz radiation can differentiate between ink and blank paper in manner that X-ray or ultrasound does not, offering much better depth resolution
• Terahertz radiation has been widely researched for use in security screening because different chemicals absorb different frequencies of terahertz radiation to different degrees yielding distinctive frequency signature for each.

ANSWER: Lyon

Explanation:
World’s first driverless bus service began carrying passengers in the first week of September 2016 in Lyon France

• Two electric minibuses at speed of 10 km per hour were used
• Buses include features like LIDAR radar technology and motion sensors to help avoid collisions
• Equipped with a range of detectors which help to track location, these can hold up to 15 passengers
• Bus is designed by French company Navya and electric busses were tested in several French cities and Switzerland before coming to Lyon
• LIDAR is a surveying technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser light
• It’s an acronym of Light Detection and Ranging.
• It was created as a portmanteau of light and radar
• The technology is used to make high resolution maps applied in geography, geology, geomatics. archaeology and other topics

ANSWER: Lav Diaz

Explanation:
A revenge drama Ang Banbeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left) on 10th September 2016 won the Golden Lion for Best Film award at the 73rd Venice Film Festival.

• This four hour black and white revenge drama is about a woman wrongfully jail for 30 years
• Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky and Mexican film director Amat Escalante shared the Silver Lion for Best Direction for films Paradise and The Untamed
• Tom Ford’s noir thriller Nocturnal Animals from the US won the Grand Jury Prize.

The complete list of winners is :

i. Golden Lion: Lav Diaz for Ang Babaeng Humayo
ii. Silver Lion Director (tie): Andre Konchalovsky for Paradise and Amat Escalante for The Untamed
iii. Jury Grand Prize: Nocturnal Animals
iv. Special Jury Prize: The Bad Batch
v. Actor: Oscar Martinez for The Distinguished Citizen
vi. Actress: Emma Stone for La La Land
vii.Screenplay: Noah Oppenheim for Jackie
viii. Marcello Mastroianni Price for Young Performer: Paula Beer for Frantz
ix. Luigi De Laurentiis Lion of the Future: The Last of Us

• Venice Film Festival/International Film Festival was founded in 1932
• It is one of the big three film festivals the other two being Cannes and Berlin International Film Festival
• It is the oldest film festival in the world
• It takes place in Lido Venice in Italy in Aug/Sept.

ANSWER: South Africa

Explanation:
India and South Africa signed an MoU for the promotion of bilateral cooperation in the field of information and communication technologies

• MoU will establish inter institutional cooperation and relation between two parties to promote cooperation in ICT
• Cabinet has been apprised of MoU
• The Cabinet also approved MoUs with Kenya and Mozambique apart from an extradition treaty with Afghanistan
• MoU was signed between India and Kenya on cooperation in the field of NHPDM
• Cabinet was also apprised of an MoU signed between India and Mozambique in the field of Youth Affairs and Sports

ANSWER: Six Machine

Explanation:
West Indies opener Chris Gayle launched his autobiography Six Machine which contained extensive details about life and career of the cricketer.

• Book was unveiled by BCCI chief Anurag Thakur
• Autobiography gives a comprehensive account of the life of the batsman who delighted T20 cricket fans
• Title of the autobiography Six Machine aptly describes Gayle, Thakur felt
• Former West Indies cricketer Gayle was also congratulated by Virender Sehwag on the launch of his book
• Gayle is a former West Indies captain as well.

ANSWER: 30

Explanation:
Government has issued fresh flexi fund guidelines that provide more freedom to states for spending money under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes to meet local developmental requirements.

• As per the new norms, flexi funds in each CSS has been increased from 10 to 25 percent for states and 30 percent for UTs
• States can use the fund to undertake mitigation or restoration activities in case of natural calamities or to satisfy local requirements in areas affected by internal security disturbances.
• State governments will constitute state level sanctioning committee to avail of this fund
• This fund facility is not for CSS which emanate from legislation like MNREGA
• Subgroup of CMs in consultation with the stakeholders had earlier supported rationalisation of CSS

ANSWER: 12 Sept

Explanation:
President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee extended greetings to the Republic of Cabo Verde on their National Day’s eve.

• The national day is celebrated on September 12, 2016
• The current President of this nation is Mr. Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca
• Shri Mukherjee also greeted India on the eve of Idu’l Zuha
• Festival recalls the selfless sacrifice by Hazrat Ibrahim and inspires people to embrace universal brotherhood, peace and harmony
• Vice President Shri Hamid Ansari also greeted the citizens on the occasion of this festival which inculcates spirit of “sacrifice, sympathy and and brotherhood” in the community
• This festival is celebrated with traditional fervour and zest in India and the world
• National state and local government offices, post offices and banks are closed
• This festival is considered a festival of sacrifice and gets its name from “iwd” festival and Zaha or uzhaiyya which translates into sacrifice
• The tradition of sacrificing comes from an ancient legend revolving around Ibrahim/ Abraham.

ANSWER: YUDH ABHYAS 2016

Explanation:
Part of ongoing Indo-US defence cooperation, a joint military training exercise “YUDH ABHYAS 2016” will be conducted in the foothills of Himalayas at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand from September 14 to 27.

• Under the aegis of the Headquarter Central Command, this is one of the longest joint military training and bilateral defence cooperation endeavour between India and the US
• Two week exercise will witness the participation of 225 personnel of the US Army and a Congo Brigade of the Indian army
• This is the 12th edition of the exercise hosted alternately by the two nations
• Both nations will work for counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations in mountainous terrain under UN charter.
• Training will lead to a final validation exercise in which troops of both nations can carry out operations against terrorism
• The exercise will have a section on the Brigade HQ based Command Post Exercise
• This is an infantry company carrying out field training exercise and discussions on issues of mutual interest by experts in both nations.