Current Affairs - 6 October 2014

5 killed, 26 hurt as Pak fires at Indian posts, civilian areas in J&K's Arnia

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  NEW DELHI: At least 5 people have been killed and 26 have been injured in a major ceasefire violation by Pak Rangers in Jammu & Kashmir's Arnia sector, according to Times Now.
  
  According to reports, Pak troops fired at BSF posts and also targeted civilian areas in Arnia sector.
  
  Reports say the firing started at midnight and is still on.
  
  On Sunday the Pakistan Army had fired at Indian positions along the line of control (LoC) in Poonch of Jammu & Kashmir, violating a 2003 ceasefire, the defence ministry said.
  
  The "unprovoked firing" that began at 8am in Mendhar sector lasted for 30 minutes.
  
  Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta said the violation was "effectively and appropriately responded to" by Indian troops. There were no casualties.
  
  "Pakistan carried out firing with automatics and mortar shelling. No casualty was reported," said the spokesperson.

Security scare: Just one person checking planes instead of 7?

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  NEW DELHI: The stun grenade found on an Air India flight kept on standby for a prime ministerial visit is threatening to blow up and expose the lacunae in security measures adopted by airlines.
  
  The two-member panel set up to probe the incident is learned to have found that almost all airlines may be cutting costs by employing less than the required number of security personnel.

Visa on arrival for American citizens may boost tourism

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  NEW DELHI: The Modi government's decision to extend 'visa on arrival' to US citizens is not just an emotional pitch but makes good economics too. US citizens happen to be the topmost spenders among foreign tourists.
  
  Analysis of tourism ministry and UNWTO data by think-tank Swaniti show that the US citizens are one of the higher spenders in the world with per capita spending at $1350 in 2012. It's no wonder that India is keen to woo them too.

Jayalalithaa in jail: AIADMK men undertake a 350km 'spiritual journey' to protest

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  CHENNAI: Like any other AIADMK member, they too were shattered by the imprisonment of former Tamil Nadu chief minister and party supremo J Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case.
  
  But unlike several others, they didn't express their shock by damaging public property or by shouting slogans or by taking any extreme step. 
  
  Madhil R Perumal, party's ward secretary in Ramavaram (ward number 5), and Sean Duvier, a party member, wanted to express their shock in a different way - by walking from Chennai to Parapana Aghara prison in Bangalore where Jayalalilthaa has been lodged since September 27. 
  
  Clad in black dress and holding AIADMK flags and a banner, Perumal (36) and Sean (48) set out for their 350-km walk "in search of justice for Amma" from Chennai on October 1, the day when the vacation bench of the Karnataka high court adjourned her bail plea to October 7. 
  
  "We want justice for Amma. We want to convey the message that she was wrongly sentenced. It's our own silent way of expressing our solidarity with Amma. We started our journey on foot from Chennai," said Sean, a cab service operator in Chennai. 

3-year-old girl, who went missing from India Gate, found

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  NEW DELHI: Three-year-old Jahnvi who had gone missing from India Gate a week ago was found in Janakpuri, west Delhi, on Sunday evening. Only hours before, Delhi Police had announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for anyone giving any information about her.
  
  Special commissioner Deepak Mishra confirmed to TOI that Jahnvi was found around 8pm, though it isn't clear if she was abducted and released under pressure or somebody saw her and informed police. Sources said she was found at Lajwanti Garden near Janakpuri market with a tonsured head and a board hung around her neck that had 'I am Jahnvi' inscribed on it.
  
  Her family, meanwhile, was overjoyed and thanked TOI for taking up the issue. "Police were evidently doing their best. I don't know if she was kidnapped as I have just been informed about her recovery. I am on my way to Mayapuri police station," the girl's father said.
  
  Jahnvi will be counselled

Hong Kong civil servants back at work as protests subside

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  HONG KONG: Hong Kong civil servants returned to work at the government's headquarters on Monday as pro-democracy protests which have paralyzed the area for more than a week subsided in the face of a deadline to disperse.
  
  Dozens of workers streamed along a footbridge and into the Central Government Offices complex in the harbourside Tamar district, an AFP reporter saw. Several hundred demonstrators remained in the area, well down on past numbers.
  
  A knot of protesters partially blocked the entrance to the complex with barricades, but kept a narrow section open to allow the officials to pass through.
  
  "I'm happy the protesters opened the barriers today," one female civil servant said as she pushed through a crowd of reporters. "I need to work!"
  
  Another who gave her name as Ms Cheung said: "I support the protesters and I have the right to support them after work".
  
  The crowds of protesters have been swelling and subsiding on a daily basis since their campaign began, but dwindled to their lowest point early on Monday as many had feared the police would use force to clear them.

Islamic State’s ammunition shown to have origins in US and China

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  In its campaign across northern Syria and Iraq, the jihadist group Islamic State has been using ammunition from the United States and other countries that have been supporting the regional security forces fighting the group, according to new field data gathered by a private arms-tracking organization. 
  
  The data, part of a larger sample of captured arms and cartridges in Syria and Iraq, carries an implicit warning for policymakers and advocates of intervention. 
  
  It suggests that ammunition transferred into Syria and Iraq to help stabilize governments has instead passed from the governments to the jihadists, helping to fuel the Islamic State's rise and persistent combat power. Rifle cartridges from the United States, the sample shows, have played a significant role. 
  
  "The lesson learned here is that the defence and security forces that have been supplied ammunition by external nations really don't have the capacity to maintain custody of that ammunition," said James Bevan, director of Conflict Armament Research, the organization that is gathering and analysing weapons used by the Islamic State. 
  
  Providing weapons to the regional proxies, Bevan added, is "a massive risk that is heightened by poorly motivated security forces that are facing great challenges." 

Current Affairs Quiz

• 1. In September 2014. Chinese President appointed ________ as China's New Ambassador to India.
  A. Su Ge
  B. Le Yucheng
  C. Zhang Dan
  D. Cheng Yonghua
• 2. Who became the first ever contestants to win 7 crore rupees in the television show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, hosted by Amitabh Bachchan?
  A. Sharma Brothers
  B. Narula Brothers
  C. Pandit Brothers
  D. Shivkumar Brothers
• 3. Recently Board of Inquiry recommended decommissioning of which submarine ?
  A. INS Sindhurakshak
  B. INS Vikramaditya
  C. INS Arihant
  D. INS Nirbhay
• 4. Recently, International Economic Association appointed which Indian as President-Elect ? 
  A. Kaushik Basu
  B. Aravind Subramanyam
  C. Narendra Jadhav
  D. Parthasarathi Shyam
• 5. Which Hollywood actor was appointed as United Nations Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change ?
  A. Matt Damon
  B. Leonardo DiCaprio
  C. Tom Cruise
  D. Brad Pitt
• 6. Music Maestro _______ player Uppalapu Srinivas died on 19 September 2014 in Chennai.
  A. Sitar 
  B. Mandolin
  C. Sarod
  D. Flute
• 7. Who was appointed as Secretary General of Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM) launched by International Peace Institute (IPI) is aimed at identifying policy proposals to enhance the multilateral system's ability to respond to evolving global challenges ?
  A. Hardeep Singh Puri
  B. Sheelkant Sharma
  C. Neelkant Sharma
  D. Vikram Sood
• 8. Which Operation of Indian Army lasted for about two weeks to protect people of the Jammu and Kashmir from effects of flood ?
  A. Operation Meghdoot
  B. Operation Thunder
  C. Operation Rahat
  D. Operation Megh Rahat
• 9. UN study titled World population projected the population growth on basis of data until 2012 and a Bayesian probabilistic methodology. As per this report,World population will reach 11 billion by _________.
  A. 2025
  B. 2045 
  C. 2085
  D. 2100
• 10. In September 2014 was appointed as the new head of the Pakistans spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) ?
  A. Lieutenant General Rizwan Akhtar
  B. Lieutenant General Ghayyur Mehmood
  C. Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam
  D. Lieutenant General Raheel Sharif.
• Answer
  
  1)B, 2)B, 3)A, 4)A, 5)B, 6)B, 7)A, 8)D, 9)D, 10)A