January 15, 2018 - Current Affairs Quiz - Current Affairs MCQ

Chhattisgarh High Court has issued a directive to all trial courts in the state to mandatorily obtain Aadhaar Cards of accused persons and sureties before issuing release warrant of a prisoner/accused. The order is an attempt to curb the rampant practice of obtaining bail on the basis of forged revenue papers or by impersonating the real surety. Chhattisgarh High Court has also instructed that trial courts should verify the genuineness of Aadhaar card and revenue papers. In case if these documents are found to be forged, a First Information Report (FIR) should be lodged against such person. However, some legal experts are of the opinion that this directive may hamper the rights of the prisoners/common people who have yet not enrolled for Aadhar card.

Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh inaugurated the International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (IWDRI) in New Delhi. This workshop was organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). Experts from about 23 countries, representatives from multilateral development banks, the United Nations, academia and other stakeholders participated in the workshop.Deliberations at the workshop focused on global cooperation for developing Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. The workshop also served as a platform for exchange of experiences, lessons and solutions in the area of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) has launched a month-long ‘Saksham-2018’ campaign. PCRA (established in 1978, under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas) is engaged in promoting energy efficiency in various sectors of Indian economy. Saksham (SanrakshanKshamta Mahotsav) is an annual flagship event of PCRA aimed at creating focused attention on fuel conservation through people centric activities. Activities undertaken under Saksham also create awareness among masses about conservation and efficient use of petroleum products, which consequentially leads to better health and environment.People centric activities under Saksham 2018 would include Training Programs for Drivers,Fleet Operators, Group Talk with Ladies, Cooks, Maids on fuel saving & benefits of LPG/PNG over biomass, Fuel Efficient Driving Competitions, Educational Programs for Schools/Colleges/Universities, Awareness Programs for Farmers, Walkathons, Concerts, Exhibitions, etc.

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) approved authentication based on facial recognition in combination with fingerprint or iris scan for Aadhaar users. This move will benefit persons who have difficulty with other biometric authentications like fingerprint and iris. The facial recognition-based authentication will come into act from 1st July 2018. The facial recognition-based authentication will be allowed only in fusion mode combined with fingerprint or iris or OTP (One Time Password) to authenticate Aadhaar user. Also, this facial recognition based-authentication will be permitted “on need basis”. Since photos of users are already available in the UIDAI database collection of new data is not required.

Indian peacekeepers in UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have re-built a key bridge in record time in strife-torn South Sudan’s Akoka village.In June 2017, heavy rains washed away a 300-metre-long road segment across a river in Akoka village. Indian Peacekeepers rebuilt it in record 10 days in collaboration with the local government. This bridge will enable people to cross the river and reach a town to access basic services. Besides it will also enable faster aid delivery and will smoothen other critical road repairs in the region.

Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa announced that the country has granted citizenship to Wiki Leaks founder Julian Assange. In 2012, Assange, an Australian-Ecuadoran, had sought refuge at Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced an investigation over rape allegations. He was granted asylum, and has been staying at Ecuadorian Embassy in London since then. The Swedish case against Assange has been dropped but Assange has not moved out as he may be arrested in Britain for jumping bail. Besides, he also fears a possible extradition to US as he has been involved in leaking of classified State Department documents.Ecuadoran officials are trying to arrive at an agreement with British authorities for finding a way through which Assange can leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London without facing legal action.

India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements for collaboration in Information and communication technology (ICT) sector, connecting of National Knowledge network (NKN) for collaboration among universities and academics and setting up of e-office system. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation was signed by Union Minister for Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad with his Sri Lankan counterpart in Colombo. With this agreement, Sri Lanka has become the first country to be connected to NKN. NKN will be connected to Sri Lanka’s Education & Research network (LEARN) through a Gigabyte optical fibre network. Owing to this, universities in India and Sri Lanka will be able to share research ideas and best practices. A model E-office system for Sri Lanka, set up by India’s National Informatics centre (NIC) has also been formally inaugurated.

Brazil’s securities regulator prohibited local investment funds from buying cryptocurrencies. The prohibition has been imposed, citing the reason that Cryptocurrencies cannot be considered financial assets. Owing to this decision, Brazilian funds cannot directly invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. However, funds considering to indirect investment in cryptocurrencies by acquiring a stake in foreign funds have been advised to await further clarification from the regulator. In the context of this news, it is important to note that crypto currencies including Bitcoin are decentralised digital currencies which are not backed by any Sovereign Government, Central Bank or monetary authority.

Punjab State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to set up bio-gas and bio-CNG plants in the state. The MoU with IOC was signed by Punjab Bureau of Industrial Promotion (PBIP) and Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) in presence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. This agreement is in line with Punjab State Government’s efforts to find sustainable solutions to paddy straw burning, which has emerged as a major cause of air pollution in North India. Initially 42 plants will become operational in 2018. Over the next 3-4 years, total 400 such plants will become operational. Setting up these plants would entail investment of Rs 5000 crore, and will generate 4000 employment opportunities for people of Punjab.

Actor Sudhir Dalvi was presented the Janakavi P Sawlaram award at a function in Thane, Maharashtra. Sudhir Dalvi was handed over the Janakavi P Sawlaram award along with a citation by Meenakshi Shinde, Thane Mayor. The Janakavi P Sawlaram award is instituted by Thane Municipal Corporation in association with the Janakavi P Savlaram Kala Samiti. Dancer Jaishree T was awarded the Ganga Jamuna award. This award is awarded in memory of a popular song written by Sawlaram.

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved appointment of Vijay Kumar as Managing Director and CEO of National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX). Earlier, Mr. Vijay Kumar was chief business officer at NCDEX.He is regarded as a veteran of agro-industry and has worked for Cargill and National Bulk Handling Corporation. Mr. Kumar will assume the office next week and will succeed Samir Shah who was appointed as MD & CEO of NCDEX in 2013.

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) scientists have discovered “SPT0615-JD”, the farthest known galaxy in the universe. “SPT0615-JD” galaxy is a cluster of 500 million year-old stars. The image of SPT0615-JD was captured by NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. The images were captured through gravitational lensing. SPT0615-JD was found in Hubble’s Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS) and companion S-RELICS Spitzer programme. According to preliminary analysis SPT0615-JD has a weight of 3 billion solar masses. It is nearly 2,500 light-years away

Assam Hockey won the 8th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2018 (B Division), at Hojai Hockey stadium, in Assam.Assam Hockey beat Hockey Rajasthan 3-2 in the final and won the 8th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2018 (B Division). Hockey Rajasthan had a good start by scoring five goals. Assam Hockey recovered in the second half of the match. The Championship was hosted by Assam.

Hyderabad Hunters won the 3rd edition of the Premier Badminton League championship at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, in Hyderabad. Hyderabad Hunters won over Bengaluru Blasters 4-3 in the final and emerged as winners of the 3rd edition of the Premier Badminton League championship. The matches were tied three all. In the mixed doubles finals Hyderabad Hunters’ R. Satwiksairaj and Pia Zebadiah defeated Bengaluru’s Kim Sa Rang and N. Sikki Reddy 15-11, 15-12 and Hyderabad Hunters won the Premier Badminton League championship.

Gnani Sankaran, Tamil writer and journalist passed away at his residence in Chennai.Gnani Sankaran was 64 years old. He had been suffering from kidney ailment for a long time.He was also a dramatist and political analyst. He was the editor of Dheemtharikida, a Tamil magazine. He also worked with the drama troupe Pariksha.

Sarod maestro Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta passed away following cardiac arrest at his home in south Kolkata. Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta was 84 years old. He was an Indian classical musician. He had been suffering from respiratory problems for a brief period of time. He is survived by his wife and two sons. He is a recipient of Padma Bhushan award. He was also awarded Sangeet Mahasamman and Bangabibhusan awards.

Raghunath Jha, former Union minister, passed away at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, in Delhi. Raghunath Jha was 78 years old. He was suffering from kidney ailment. He is a former Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise. He was associated with various political parties like the Indian National Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Socialist Party and Samajwadi party.

Indian Army Day was celebrated in several places of India. Indian Army Day is celebrated on 15th January every year. On 15 January 1949, General K M Cariappa became the first Commander-in-Chief of Indian armed forces after independence. Indian Army Day is celebrated to honour Indian soldiers who fought and sacrificed their lives for India. Army chief General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba and Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa paid tribute to soldiers at Amar Jawan Jyoti, in New Delhi.