February 11, 2018 - Current Affairs Quiz - Current Affairs MCQ

On February 9, 2018, ‘Integrated Automatic Aviation Meteorological System (IAAMS)’ was inaugurated at INS Garuda, a naval air station located in Kochi, Kerala. INS Garuda has become the fourth Naval Air Station to be the part of this integrated system. IAAMS is Indian Navy’s project aimed at modernising the Meteorological infrastructure of the nine Naval Air Stations. IAAMS comprises state of the art Meteorological Sensors viz., Transmissometer, Radar Vertical Wind Profiler, Ceilometer and Automatic Weather Observation System which automatically records relevant weather parameters (that are vital for accurate weather forecasting) on continuous basis. On detecting any abnormal change of weather parameters that may affect safe flying operations, the system raises an alarm to alert the duty staff about the same.

On February

dis and administering Albendazole tablets. NDD mobilizes health personnel, state governments and other stakeholders to focus on controlling Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) infections, which is one of the most common infections. For National Deworming Day launched on February 10, 2018, Government is aiming to reach more than 32.2 crore children.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched Gujarat University’s Centre for Spoken Sanskrit that will provide a spoken Sanskrit course. The Gujarat University has introduced a spoken Sanskrit course for six-month duration. This course will teach people how to speak Sanskrit. This course is said to be the first of its kind in India. This course has been introduced to familiarize Sanskrit in India. Co-ordinator of this course is Atul Unagar. The spoken Sanskrit classes will be held on Saturday and Sunday. The course fee is Rs.500. This course doesn’t require any prior knowledge of Sanskrit. Also an advanced course on sanskrit grammar will be launched for interested students helping them to read and understand ancient scriptures.

India Health Fund (launched by Tata Trusts in association with The Global Fund) will financially support innovations and technologies aimed at combating tuberculosis and malaria. Indian Health Fund (IHF) will be supporting individuals and organisation that are already involved in developing new products and strategies that impact the entire lifecycle (from prevention to post-cure recovery) of TB and Malaria. IHF’s role will be to make such solutions sustainable and scalable. In the context of this news, it is important to note that TB and Malaria, together account for over 4.23 lakh deaths and around 15 million cases every year.

In last few days, Central Government has released a sum of Rs. 1269 crore to Andhra Pradesh for various projects. Out of Rs. 1269 crore, Rs. 417.44 crore has been given as grant for the Polavaram multipurpose project across the Godavari River. Andhra Pradesh State Government has claimed that it has already spent over Rs. 7200 crore on the Polavaram multipurpose project. As this project has been accorded the status of National Project, it is eligible to receive grant from Central Government. However, Central Government has so far released grant of only Rs. 4329 crore. Amount of Rs. 417.44 crore which has been recently granted is a small portion towards filling up the gap. Out of Rs. 1269 crore released in last few days, Rs. 369.16 crore is post-devolution revenue deficit grant, as per the recommendation of 14th Finance Commission.

Union Defence Ministry has sanctioned Rs 1487 crore to Indian Army to fortify its bases in Jammu and Kashmir, North East and several other sensitive places. The funds will be used to plug security gaps at the bases and thereby building protection against any terror attacks. This project for strengthening perimeter security at army bases was cleared by Union Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman. A deadline of 10 months has been set to carry out this project and Army headquarters has been directed to monitor the implementation. In recent years, there have been several terrorist attacks targeting military installations. After the attack on the Pathankot air force base in 2016, committee headed by Lt Gen Philip Campose had recommended carrying out security audit of military bases.

According to a report by New World Wealth, Mumbai has ranked 12th out of 15 wealthiest cities globally. New World Wealth is a global market research group, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. It specializes in ratings, surveys, country reports and wealth statistics. In context of this report, total wealth, refers to the private wealth held by all the individuals living in each city. Government funds are not included in total wealth. Private Wealth includes assets (property, equities, cash, and business stakes) less any liabilities.

On February 10, 2018, a consortium of the Indian oil companies and UAE-based Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) signed a concessional agreement for the acquisition of 10% participating interest in the offshore Lower Zakum Concession. This is the first time ever that an Indian Consortium has received concession in the Gulf. The concessional agreement between Indian oil companies and ADNOC is for 40 years from 2018 to 2057 and the participation fees are valued at $600 million. For this agreement, the Indian consortium is led by Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), while Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petro Resources Ltd. are the other members.

Scientists have successfully accomplished growing of human eggs in a laboratory environment for the first time. Scientists have achieved successful growth of human egg from the earliest stage in ovarian tissue till maturity for the first time in laboratory. Earlier, this process had been achieved in mice. The results of this process were published in the journal Molecular Human Reproduction. Scientists from two research hospitals in Edinburgh and the Center for Human Reproduction in New York were involved in this research. Earlier, human eggs were grown in laboratory only from later stage of development. This process will help in regenerative medicine therapies and developing new infertility treatments.

China’s new generation J-20 stealth fighters have been commissioned into air force combat service. Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force has announced that the J-20 has been commissioned into combat units. J-20 is the fourth generation medium and long-range fighter jet of China. Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force said that, the J-20 will help to increase the air force’s combat capabilities and to defend the country. J-20 entered service in 2017. It was displayed to the public for the first time in 2016 at the Zhuhai airshow.

Indian Railways launched the “Voluntary Safety Reporting” website for its employees to anonymously report internal safety issues and hazards. The Voluntary Safety Reporting system has two features. Using the first one, employees can report issues anonymously. Through the second one, employees can mention their contact details for confidential feedback. In this case also, the identity of employees will not be disclosed.

Sharmila Nicollet has become the first Indian golfer to qualify for the China Ladies PGA Tour. Sharmila Nicollet is 26 years old. She hails from Bengaluru. In the CLPGA Tour Qualifying School, she played three rounds in 77-73-72 and completed in tied 21st. She has qualified for the China Ladies PGA Tour. The performance in the China LPGA Tour will earn players the Women’s World Golf Rankings points.

Rohan More, a Pune-based swimmer, has become the world’s youngest and first Asian swimmer to complete the Ocean Seven Challenge. The Ocean Seven Challenge is to cross seven of the world’s toughest ocean channels comprising a distance of nearly 200 km. The Ocean Seven Challenge covers the North Channel, the Cook Strait, the Molokai Channel, the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, the Tsugaru Strait and the Strait of Gibraltar. Rohan More is 32 years old. He is the ninth swimmer on the whole to complete the Ocean 7 Challenge.

Asma Jehangir, Pakistan’s reputed lawyer and human rights activist, died following a cardiac arrest in Lahore, Pakistan. Asma Jehangir was known as Pakistan’s Iron Lady. She was the head of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. She was also the chairperson of the Supreme Court Bar Association. She was a UN Rapporteur in the 1990s. In 1983, she was jailed for supporting the democrats during the rule of General Zia-ul Haq. She raised her voice against military dictators and law evaders.

Johann Johannsson, musician and producer from Iceland, passed away at his apartment, in Berlin, Germany. Johann Johannsson was 48 years old. The cause of his death is unknown and is being investigated. He had won Golden Globe award for his work in “The Theory of Everything”. His work in the movie “Arrival,” which was screened in 2016, earned him Golden Globe, BAFTA and Grammy nominations.

On 11th February 2018, International Day of Women and Girls in Science was celebrated all over the world. United Nations General Assembly declared 11th February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in order to gain access and participation for women and girls in science. This day also aims to work towards gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. On this day, celebrations are organized by UNESCO and UN-Women, jointly with institutions and organisations that promote women and girls’ participation in science.