CURRENT AFFAIRS
1. What is Jal Hans that was launched recently ?
A. India's first floating Hospital.
B. India's first sea cargo service.
C. India's first floating bank.
D. India's first seaplane service.
E. India's first submarine service.
The seaplane which has been part of several Hollywood memorables has finally come to India as a delightful treat for flying enthusiasts. The first Seaplane service in the country named 'Jal Hans' was launched at the Juhu aerodrome in Mumbai on December 27, 2010 by the Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Praful Patel. The service will run on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. A joint venture has been formed between Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL) and the Island administration on an equal profit-sharing basis.The Cessna 208A seaplane, which has a seating capacity of eight passengers and two pilots, is Canada-made, six years old and costs around Rs. 8 crore. It can travel up to 250 km an hour and can land on most calm waters. It can also land using the wheels configuration.
2. Which two cities have decided to sign on sharing the waters of common rivers Teesta and Feni ?
A. New Delhi & Dhaka.
B. New Delhi & Hyderabad.
C. Calcutta & Dhaka.
D. France & Bangladesh.
E. New Delhi & Rangpur.
New Delhi & Dhaka have agreed to sign a 15-year interim accord on sharing the waters of common rivers Teesta and Feni. This was decided at a Secretary-level meeting of the Indo-Bangladesh Joint River Commission (JRC) in Dhaka on January 10, 2011. The proposed accord included formulation of a working plan on the sharing of the five other common rivers - Dharla, Dudhkumar, Manu, Kowal, Gumti and Muhuri. This would be the second major accord after the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty signed during the erstwhile Awami League government. The first visit of the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, to Bangladesh evoked enthusiasm but its results turned out to be disappointing to the Bangladesh government because the Indian authorities backed out from signing a much-anticipated deal for equitable sharing of water of the Teesta and Feni rivers. As reported in the media (Sep 5 2011) the Indian decision to back out was prompted by the opposition of the Paschim Banga chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, who seems to believe the clauses in the agreement will deprive her state of its due share of Teesta water.
3. With which Asian country have India's armed forces conducted the
"Nomadic Elephant" exercies ?
A. Vietnam
B. Thailand
C. Mongolia
D. South Korea
E. Japan
India and Mongolia held two-week long military exercises, called
Nomadic Elephant, which ended on 19 December 2010 in Belgaum, Karnataka. India- Mongolia joint military exercises were held with the objective of dealing with the problems of terrorism and insurgency. Army personnel of both India and Mongolia participated in the military exercise. India and Mongolia had held their first joint military exercise in 2004.
4. Consider the following statements:
1. Justice V. Rama Swamy was the first judge of Supreme Court to be impeached by
Lok Sabha.
2. Justice Soumitra Sen is the first judge of High Court to be impeached by Rajya Sabha.
Which among the above staments is/are correct?
A. Only 1
B. Only 2
C. Both 1 & 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2
V. Ramaswami was the Justice of the Supreme Court of India and the first judge ever against whom impeachment proceedings were initiated in independent India. A scandal surfaced in the middle of year 1990 when several media outlets reported about his ostentatious expenditure on his official residence during his tenure as a Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana. In a serious turn of events, on 1 February 1991, Supreme Court Bar Association passed a resolution calling for his impeachment and requesting Chief justice not assign him any further legal work. BJP and Left parties submitted a notice of motion to the Indian Parliament seeking his removal from office. Accepting the motion on 12 March 1991, Speaker Rabi Ray constituted a committee composed of Justice P B Sawant of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice P D Desai of the Bombay High Court and Justice O Chinnappa Reddy, retired judge of the Supreme Court to investigate the affair. The committee found Ramaswami guilty of 11 out of 14 charges.The impeachment motion was placed in the assembly for debate and voting on 10 May 1993. Of 401 members present in the assemby that day, there were 196 votes for impeachment and no votes against and 205 abstentions by ruling Congress and its allies. The motion which required not less than two third majority of the total number of members present in both houses of the Parliament and an absolute majority of its total membership thus failed to pass.
In a historic first, the Rajya Sabha voted in favour of impeaching Calcutta High Court judge Justice Soumitra Sen, finding him guilty of misappropriating funds as a judge and of misrepresenting facts.
5. Ursula Burns was recently listed in the World's 30 most powerful businesswomen
by Forbes 500. Which among the following company does she head ?
A. Sony
B. HTC
C. Xerox
D. Dupont
Ursula M. Burns (born September 20, 1958) serves as chairwoman and CEO of Xerox. She is the first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company.
She is also the first woman to succeed another woman as head of a Fortune 500 company.
In 2009, Forbes rated her the 14th most powerful woman in the world.
