Page1 CURRENT AFFAIRS February 1, 2016 The 9 countries involved in this matter are China, Britain, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States. 1) Which tiny Pacific Ocean country The Marshall Islands had will bring a lawsuit against 9 decided to sue the world’s countries including India for nuclear heavyweights as it has allegedly failing to halt the nuclear a particular awareness of the arms race? –Marshall Islands dire consequences of nuclear weapons. Between 1946 and Explanation: The tiny Marshall 1958 the United States Islands in March 2016 will seek to conducted repeated nuclear persuade International Court of tests in the Marshall Islands. Justice (ICJ) to take up a lawsuit In the cases brought against against nine countries that includes India and Pakistan, the court India, which it accuses of failing to will examine whether the halt the nuclear arms race. tribunal based in The Hague is The International Court of competent to hear the lawsuits. Justice on 30 January 2016 announced dates for separate hearings for the three cases 2) Novak Djokovic won the men’s between 7 and 16 March 2016. singles title of 2016 Australian Open In 2014, the Marshall Islands on 31 January 2016 to win his sixth accused nine countries of not title of the career. Whom he fulfilling their obligations with defeated in the final? – Andy respect to the cessation of the Murray (Britain) nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear Explanation: Novak Djokovic of CURRENT AFFAIRS AFFAIRS CURRENT disarmament. Serbia defeated Andy Murray in 2 straights sets by 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 to Page earn his sixth Australian Open title title? – Angelique Kerber of his magnificent career. (Germany) Explanation: Seventh seeded This was Djokovic’s 11th Grand Slam title overall. His 11th grand German player Angelique Kerber slam title also means he has ended six-time champion and top drawn level with Bjorn Borg seeded Serena Williams’ unbeaten and Rod Laver. streak in finals on 30 January 2016 and won a major title for the first On the other hand, Murray has now lost all five Australian time. Open finals he has played, four Williams was an overwhelming of them against Djokovic. He favourite to win the final where thus also became only the she had won all six previous second man (behind his former times she’d reached the final. coach Ivan Lendl at the US But Kerber displayed great guts Open) to lose five finals at the to stun Williams by 6-4, 3-6, 6- same Grand Slam since the 4. open era began in 1968. It is worth mentioning that Williams won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles last year before losing to Roberta Vinci in the US Open semifinals. 4) Which state became the first non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 3) Who defeated six-time champion state to sign agreement for the Serena Williams (US) in the central government power reforms women’s singles final of the CURRENT AFFAIRS AFFAIRS CURRENT plan – Ujwal Discoms Assurance Australian Open on 30 January to 3 Yojana (UDAY)? – Uttar Pradesh win her maiden Grand Slam tennis Page Explanation: Uttar Pradesh on 30 Explanation: Vice Admiral Girish January 2016 became the first non- Luthra took over charge as the Flag BJP ruled state to sign the MoU for Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Ujwal Discoms Assurance Yojana Southern Naval Command (UDAY). It became the fourth state from Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba on (overall) to sign MoU after 30 January at a function held at the Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Naval base in Kochi. Jharkhand. The total states that have given in-principle approval of On the other hand Vice Admiral joining the UDAY reforms are now Sunil Lanba assumed the 15. charge of the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Western For the states that sign up for Naval Command at a function UDAY, one of the first steps is held at Mumbai on 31 January to take over 75% of discom 2016. He took reins from Vice debt as on 30 September 2015 Admiral SPS Cheema, who over two years – 50% in 2015- retired on the same day. 16 and 25% in 2016-17. UP, with its five distribution companies (discoms), has a total debt exposure of Rs 53,200 crore, outstanding as on November 2015, will now be restructured under UDAY. 6) Former Army Chief General KV 5) Who took over as the Flag Krishna Rao, who passed away on Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the 30 January 2016, was known to Southern Naval Command on 30 have played a key role in which January 2016? – Vice Admiral war? – 1971 Bangladesh CURRENT AFFAIRS AFFAIRS CURRENT Girish Luthra Liberation War 4 Page Explanation: General Rao was the Sylhet area and liberation of 14th Chief of the Army Staff of North-East Bangladesh. Indian Army and had an illustrious After his retirement he was career spanning over four decades appointed Governors of four in the force. He headed Indian states (Nagaland, Manipur, Army from 1 June 1981 to July Tripura and Jammu & Kashmir) 1983. for different tenures. He was made Governor of Jammu & His Division participated in the Kashmir in 1989, a time when 1971 India-Pakistan War in militancy was at its peak in the Eastern Theatre and was state. instrumental in the capture of February 2, 2016 military regions into five new battle zones – the East, West, South, North and Middle battle zones. These new zones will now shoulder the responsibility of responding to their respective security threats, upholding peace and constraining 1) Chinese Army on 1 February conflict. 2016 implemented which major It is worth mentioning that step as part of the comprehensive China is pushing major reforms plan to carry out reforms in in its military establishment for country’s military structure? – It some time now. established military’s five new The reforms include battle zones establishing a joint operational CURRENT AFFAIRS AFFAIRS CURRENT 5 Explanation: Chinese Army on 1 command structure by year February 2016 reclassified seven 2020 and rejigging existing Page military regions, as well as Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had cutting troop numbers by promised OBC status to the 300,000. community during Assembly It has already inaugurated a elections in 2014. general command unit for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) The protest, which was going in 2015. Later PLA’s four on for some days, turned military headquarters were split violent on 31 January 2016 as into 15 new units – covering the agitators went on rampage, everything from logistics to setting four coaches of equipment development, Ratnachal Express on fire at political work and fighting Tuni station near Vijayawada corruption. and blocked the national highway-16 in East Godavari district. However, no casualty took place as all passengers had vacated the bogies. Seven trains were cancelled, four others partially cancelled and six diverted on the 2) Which community of Andhra Vijayawada-Rajahmundry- Pradesh came to news for being Visakhapatnam section due to engaged in a stir seeking the protest. reservation under OBC category, Later on 1 February 2016 the which turned violent on 31 January leaders of Kapu community 2016 after a train was sent ablaze? called off its agitation after –Kapu Community assurances from Chief Minister Explanation: Andhra Pradesh’s Chandrababu Naidu. Kapu community has been demanding job reservations under CURRENT AFFAIRS AFFAIRS CURRENT Other Backward Caste (OBC) 6 category for quite some time. Chief Page Bajaj Auto purchased the Vikrant metal and processed it to be a part of its new brand. The company feels that the new bike will therefore preserve a significant piece of 3) Which two-wheeler company on Indian military history. (Photo 1 February 2016 launched ‘V’, a Courtesy : The Hindu) new bike, which contains the metal from India’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant? – Bajaj Auto 4) Which Indian player won the Explanation: Bajaj Auto, the men’s singles title of the Syed Modi Pune-based two and three-wheeler Badminton Grand Prix Gold that maker, rolled-out the 150-cc bike, concluded on 31 January 2016 at christened ‘V’. The main attraction Lucknow? – K Srikanth of ‘V’ is that it has been built from Explanation: Top-seeded and metal used in the country’s most world no. 9 Kidambi Srikanth of celebrated aircraft carrier – the INS India defeated Huang Yuxiang of Vikrant. The bike sports a special China in the men’s singles finals of logo to commemorate the aircraft the Syed Modi Badminton Grand carrier. Prix Gold Cup on 31 January. He INS Vikrant was commissioned defeated Huang by 21-13, 14-21, as the first aircraft carrier of 21-14 in three games to claim the Indian Navy in 1961. After title. years of distinguished service, Srikanth had reached the she was decommissioned in summit clash in the last edition January 1997 and served as a as well. This was his fifth major museum till 2012. In late 2014, title, having won the 2013 Vikrant was dismantled and CURRENT AFFAIRS AFFAIRS CURRENT Thailand Grand Prix Gold, 2014 sold as scrap metal. 7 China Super Series premier and Page Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold and India Super Series during Explanation: T.N. Gopakumar was 2015. the editor-in-chief of Asianet, a In the women’s singles final, Malayalam TV channel. He was also South Korean Sung Ji Hyun the popular anchor of the show edged out Japan’ s Sayaka Sato ‘Kannadi’. 12-21, 21-18, 21-18 to win the title. His show was noted for sharp commentary and revealing However, Indian men’ s doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry portraits of Kerala that was far Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar away from the development wasted two match points in the tapestry as it was hailed to be.