December 7, 2017 - Current Affairs Quiz - Current Affairs MCQ

Kerala State Government issued an ordinance raising the minimum age for liquor consumption from 21 to 23. This ordinance seeks to make suitable amendments to Kerala’s Abkari laws. The decision has been taken with an objective to curb the liquor consumption among youngsters. Since 2016, when CPI-led government came to power in Kerala, it has considerably diluted state’s liquor policy. Its predecessor, Congress-led government, followed a stringent policy inclined towards banning liquor in phased manner. In context of this news, it is important to note that Kerala has the second highest level of per capita liquor consumption (after Andhra Pradesh) among all Indian States and Rs. 40000 crore revenue from liquor trade constitutes one fourth portion of Kerala State Government’s annual revenue .

India, Israel open centre for floriculture in Tamil Nadu On December 7, 2017, a centre for excellence in floriculture jointly set up by India and Israel was inaugurated at Thally in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. This centre is the first agro-technology development centre set up with assistance of Mashev, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A similar centre specialising in vegetables such as capsicum, cucumber and tomatoes will be established in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. This centre is expected to be launched in January 2018. The centre at Thally and upcoming centre at Dindigul are part of a three-year Indo-Israel agricultural partnership signed between Mashav and mission for integrated development of horticulture of Union Agriculture Ministry. These centres would develop agricultural practices suitable for that particular geographical region and will share the best practices with local farmers.

India and Cuba signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for enhanced cooperation in the health sector in New Delhi. This MoU was signed between Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, J P Nadda and Cuba’s Public Health Minister, Dr Roberto Tomas Morales Ojeda. The MoU seeks cooperation between India and Cuba in the field of health by sharing technical and scientific insights. The objective of this MoU is to enhance the quality and reach of healthcare infrastructure, education and research in both countries. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology, in which Cuba has made remarkable progress has also been listed as potential areas of cooperation under this MoU.

Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Rotary International’s India National PolioPlus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for concerted efforts towards achieving immunization target. The MoU was signed in New Delhi in presence of Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, J P Nadda. As per the terms agreed in the MoU, India National PolioPlus will provide support to Government’s efforts in Polio Eradication Programme and Routine Immunization including Mission Indradhanush and Intensified Mission Indradhanush. Under the MoU, both the entities will collaborate for social mobilisation of beneficiaries, especially in urban slums and underserved areas. Awareness will be generated through innovative approaches. Besides, private practitioners and local leaders will also be involved for generating awareness and mobilisation of beneficiaries.

The Rajasthan government will soon introduce ‘Guru-Shishya’ (student-teacher dialogue) programme to address problems faced by students in various colleges in all districts. According to Rajasthan Higher Education Minister Kiran Maheshwari, the programme will be held in one nodal college in each district where students selected on merit and elected members of students union would participate. It will soon begin from Jaipur. Under the Guru Shishya scheme college students can discuss with their teachers the issues and problems related to their institutes

Uttar Pradesh became the first state to endorse Central Government’s draft bill that makes the practice of instant “triple talaq” a cognisable and non-bailable criminal offence. In August 2017, Supreme Court of India banned the practice of “triple talaq”, calling it “unconstitutional”. As per Supreme Court, practice of “triple talaq” violates Article 14 (Equality before law) of Indian Constitution. Central Government’s draft provides for three-year imprisonment and a fine to a man who tries to divorce his wife through triple talaq. State Governments have been asked by Central Government to submit their respective views on this draft bill by December 10, 2017. A Government official has stated that 66 cases (maximum reported from Uttar Pradesh) of triple talaq have been reported even after the Supreme Court verdict.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the BR Ambedkar International Centre in Janpath, New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also unveiled two statues of BR Ambedkar at the BR Ambedkar International Centre. The foundation stone for the centre was laid by Prime Minister in 2015. Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot was also present at the event.

Australia joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA).i. This decision was jointly announced by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Minister for Environment and Energy, Josh Frydenberg and Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop. Australia which is a world leader in the solar energy sector will now share its expertise in solar technologies and research with other ISA member countries. In Australia, around 17 per cent households have rooftop solar panels. It has the highest per capita rate in the world. Decision to join ISA reiterates Australian Government’s commitment to clean energy cooperation and will help in meeting its Paris Agreement emissions targets.

Central Government has roped in ICICI Bank to enable online payments at 470 mandis integrated with national portal of electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM). e-NAM was launched in April 2016 with an aim to revolutionise agri markets by ensuring better price discovery, bringing in transparency and fostering competition to enable farmers to get better remuneration for their produce. Currently, payments on e-NAM are done through conventional modes via bank branches, debit cards and net banking. ICICI Bank will enable Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) on the e-NAM portal for making cashless payments. These modes will provide seamless experience for making online payment of trade and services undertaken on 470 mandis integrated with the e-NAM platform. Government has set a target to connect 585 mandis with e-NAM by March 2017

The Financial Services Commission, Mauritius said it has opened its representative office in Mumbai. The Financial Services Commission, is the integrated regulator for the non-bank financial services sector in Mauritius. The representative of the Commission in India will be P K Kuriachen. He was former Chief General Manager of SEBI. The office of the Commission is currently housed within the Mauritius Consulate in Mumbai. Through its presence in Mumbai, the Commission is establishing the mechanism to further strengthen and deepen its partnership with its Indian counterparts in the fields of capacity building, financial literacy and exchange of expertise

International or overseas branches of Indian banks will now be able to refinance external commercial borrowings (ECB) of AAA-rated private and public sector companies. Announcement in this regard was made after RBI’s fifth bi-monthly monetary policy review on December 6, 2017. Currently Indian banks are allowed to fund dollar loans but are not allowed to refinance these borrowings abroad. This restriction was placed to avert any risks linked to excess foreign currency exposure. Owing to these restrictions, companies sought refinance only through foreign lenders. Now, with RBI’s permission, Indian banks can also participate in refinancing and can earn a higher return on their funds abroad. From borrowers perspective, this decision will improve the liquidity in refinance market and will thus, marginally reduce the cost of borrowing.

World Bank Group announced that its executive board has approved a $1.15 billion development policy loan for Egypt to support its economic reform programme.i. The break-up of this $1.15 billion loan is: $500 million from the World Bank Group, $150 million from Britain and $500 million from the African Development Bank. This loan is the last in a series of three annual loans (issued from 2015-2017) totalling $3.15 billion. Funds procured through this loan will be deployed for creating jobs, strengthening public finances, ensuring energy security, and enhancing business competitiveness in Egypt.

Uttarakhand State Government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with multinational Information Technlogy (IT) company, Hewlett Packard (HP) to provide tele-medicine facilities in the remote areas of the state. This MoU was signed in presence of Uttarkhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. Under this MoU, HP will create tele-medicine facilities at four Community Health Centres in Uttarakhand. Usage of telecommunication and information technology to provide clinical health care from a distance is referred to as tele-medicine. As Uttarakhand is a hilly state, many areas do not have access to proper healthcare facilities. Tele-medicine facilities which will be set up by HP under this MoU will boost State Government’s efforts in making adequate healthcare facilities more accessible.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has inscribed Kumbh Mela (the mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith) on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Kumbh Mela was inscribed in this list at 12th session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Jeju, South Korea. Kumbh Mela which is held in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik has been adjudged by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee as the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth.

Time magazine named “The Silence Breakers” who have shared their stories about sexual assault and harassment that triggered a national reckoning in the United States as Person of the Year. US President Donald Trump was runner-up in the Person of the year ranking, ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Time designated as “silence breakers” the individuals, mostly women, who came forward this year to publicly expose patterns of sexual harassment, assault and even rape by some of society’s most powerful public figures. Those recognized by Time range from famous actresses to ordinary women who shared their stories of abuse using the hashtag #MeToo and its foreign language equivalents.

The world’s biggest lithium-ion battery has been plugged into an Australian state grid, delivered by Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk. The lithium-ion battery has the capacity to power 30,000 homes for up to an hour in the event of a severe blackout. The battery power packs are installed near the Outback town of Jamestown, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of the state capital Adelaide. They store energy generated by the neighboring Hornsdale Wind Farm, owned by French renewable energy company Neoen, to bring added reliability and stability to the state grid.

The world’s heaviest bony fish ever caught weighing 2,300 kilograms has been identified by Japanese experts. The fish is a Mola alexandrini bump-head sunfish, according to researchers from Hiroshima University. Bony fish have skeletons made of bone rather than cartilage.The study was published in the journal Ichthyological Research. The researchers were led by Etsuro Sawai. Ocean sunfishes count among the world’s largest bony fish. Specimens can measure up to three meters (total length), and many weighing more than two thousand kilogrammes have been caught.

Double Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar has quit his role as a National Sports Observer for wrestling. Sushil Kumar is a 34-year-old wrestler. He was among 12 national observers appointed by then Sports Minister Vijay Goel. Sushil Kumar is still active in wrestling. Recently, Mary Kom had also resigned as the national observer for boxing after Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore made it clear that active sportspersons will not be considered for the position.

Afghanistan cricket team spinner Mujeeb Zadran has become the first 21st century born male cricketer to play international cricket. The first 21st century born to play international cricket is Ireland women’s all-rounder Gaby Lewis. Mujeeb Zadran has become the first 21st century born male cricketer to play international cricket. Mujeeb Zadran was born on March 28, 2001. He made his ODI debut against the Ireland cricket team at Sharjah on 5th December 2017.

South Indian music director, Adithyan, passed away in Hyderabad following a kidney problem. Adithyan was 63 years old. He was undergoing treatment in Hyderabad for the past one week for his kidney ailment. He is survived by wife and two daughters. He is known for his songs in movies like Amaran, Seevalaperi Pandi, in the early 90s. He has composed music for many Telugu and Malayalam movies. Adithyan also hosted a culinary show in a popular Tamil TV channel.

Indian Armed Force Flag Day was celebrated across India. The Indian Armed Forces Flag Day is observed every year on December 7 since 1949 to honour the soldiers, airmen and sailors of India who fought on the borders to safeguard India’s honour. It is a day dedicated to collection of funds from people for the welfare of the Armed Forces personnel. The Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB), distributes small paper flags, stickers in return of voluntary contributions from people across India. This year the Ministry of Defence launched the Armed Forces Week to conduct a digital campaign to bring together the entire nation to express solidarity with the Armed Forces personnel.

On 7th December 2017, International Civil Aviation Day was celebrated all over the world. The purpose of International Civil Aviation Day is to help generate and reinforce worldwide awareness of the importance of international civil aviation to the social and economic development of states. Also the unique role of ICAO in helping states to cooperate and realize a truly global rapid transit network at the service of all mankind is highlighted. For 2015-2018 inclusive the following theme has been declared: Working Together to Ensure No Country is Left Behind.