QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 04 September 2017

Solution: b.
It is called the European X-ray Free Electron Laser. India is not a member, neither is the USA.
• Germany not only hosts the XFEL, it has provided most of the funding and the technology. The other members are Russia, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland (and soon, UK as well).
• The facility, which has cost more than a billion euros to build, will be used to study the detailed structure of matter, atom by atom. It is one of the most powerful X-ray machines ever built.
• Scientists say the way it shines light on targets will permit, for example, chemical bonds to be filmed in the instant that they are made or broken. The researchers anticipate discoveries that lead to new medical treatments and novel materials, just to name two possibilities.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41117442;

Solution: d.
Intended to bring relief to both employers and employees, the Code amalgamates, simplifies and rationalises the relevant provisions of the four Central labour enactments, namely the Payment of Wages Act, 1936; the Minimum Wages Act, 1948; the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965; and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976. The four Acts will stand repealed with the passage of the Bill. Facilitating easier compliance of the law, the Code will ultimately create conditions for setting up of more enterprises and fresh employment opportunities.

http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/Code%20on%20Wages,%202017/The%20Code%20on%20Wages%20Bill%20Summary.pdf;
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?relid=170433;
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/govt-drops-plan-to-protect-transgender-labour-rights/article19617227.ece;
—

Solution: c.
Both statements are correct.
“Mr. Prabhu is no stranger to international trade-related issues as he was the Indian Sherpa to the G-20…”
• A Sherpa is a personal representative of the leader of a member country at an international Summit meeting such as the G8, G20 or the Nuclear Security Summit. The term is derived from the Nepalese Sherpa people, who serve as guides for mountaineers in the Himalayas.
• The Sherpa engages in planning, negotiation and implementation tasks through the Summit. They coordinate the agenda, seek consensus at the highest political levels, and participate in a series of pre-Summit consultations to help negotiate their leaders’ positions. Sherpas are career diplomats or senior government officials appointed by the leaders of their countries. There is only one Sherpa per Summit for each member country; he/she is assisted by several sous Sherpas.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-business/more-jobs-fdi-exports-to-be-in-focus/article19617062.ece;
http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/g20-meet-what-role-does-the-sherpa-play-in-the-negotiations-3015461/;

Solution: c.
Both statements are correct. Earth Overshoot Day is hosted and calculated by Global Footprint Network, an international think tank that coordinates research, develops methodological standards and provides decision-makers with a menu of tools to help the human economy operate within Earth’s ecological limits. It was earlier known as ‘Ecological Debt Day’.
http://www.overshootday.org/about-earth-overshoot-day/;
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/investing-in-the-ecosystem/article19616004.ece;
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/today-is-earth-overshoot-day-and-thats-worrying/article7536031.ece;

Solution: c.
“In April, the government of India proposed amendments to the RTI Act, one of the most empowering pieces of legislation inherited from the UPA era. The most controversial amendment pertained to Rule 12. It would allow the withdrawal of an application in case of the applicant’s death, making the job of those who file RTIs even more risky.” .. Risky, because information seekers may be killed as the information against them (vested interests) cannot be ordered to be disclosed in such cases.

http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/its-lonely-on-the-ground-4827124/;
—