12 March 2019: The Current Affairs section of QuickMySupport to help every competitive exam aspirant to revise the day at ease. The day’s updated questions cover the topics like world’s largest importer of weapons, Lok Sabha Elections 2019 and World Wide Web among others.
1. Which space agency’s lunar orbiter has observed water molecules moving around the dayside of Moon?
ANS: NASA
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has observed water molecules moving around the dayside of Moon, a finding that could help scientists learn about accessibility of water that can be used by humans in future lunar missions.
2. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the President of this nation, has delayed the elections and announced that he would not be seeking a fifth term.
ANS: Algeria
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has announced that he will not seek a fifth term and delayed the next month’s Presidential polls following weeks of protests against his candidacy. The 82-year-old leader said, the elections would follow a national conference on political and constitutional reform to be carried out by the end of this year. He did not give a date or timeline for the delayed election.
3. Google Doodle on March 12, 2019 celebrated 30 years of which invention?
ANS: World Wide Web
Google Doodle on March 12, 2019 celebrated 30 years of the World Wide Web (WWW), an invention of Sir Tim Berners-Lee. The doodle showed the Earth revolving inside a computer connected to a switch on its letters.
4. Which state has launched its 1st round polio immunization?
ANS: Nagaland
Nagaland has launched the first round of immunisation as part of the nationwide Pulse Polio programme. Around one-and-a-half lakh children of less than five years will be given polio drops to sustain polio eradication.
5. The Election Commission of India on March 11, 2019 formed a three-member committee to assess the situation on the ground in which state?
ANS: Jammu and Kashmir
The Election Commission (EC) formed a three-member committee to assess the situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir before it takes a decision about holding the Assembly elections in the state. The three members of the committee are two retired IAS officers Noor Mohammed and Vinod Zutshi and a retired IPS officer, A.S. Gill.
6. Which country was the largest importer of the weapons in the world during 2014-18?
ANS: Saudi Arabia
After maintaining its position of world’s largest arms importer for about 8 years, India dropped down to be the second largest importer of weapons during 2014-18. Saudi Arabia is now the world’s largest weapons importer.
7. The United Nations has requested which nation to establish a hybrid court to probe war crime allegations during LTTE war?
ANS: Sri Lanka
The United Nations has again requested Sri Lanka to establish a hybrid court consisting of international judges, lawyers and investigators to probe war crime allegations during three-decade long LTTE war. The demand had been rejected by Sri Lankan government earlier saying it has its own strong justice system.
8. Who took over as the Director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) recently?
ANS: A.K. Mohanty
Dr. A.K. Mohanty, distinguished Scientist, took over as the Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) from K.N. Vyas, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission. During the past 36 years, Mohanty has worked in several areas of nuclear physics covering collision energy from sub-Coulomb barrier to relativistic regime.
9. Which country was the world’s largest exporter of weapons during 2014-18, as per the report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)?
ANS: United States
As per the annual report ‘Trends in International Arms Transfers-2018’released on March 11, 2019 by the think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the five largest arms exporters in 2014-18 were the United States, Russia, France, Germany and China, respectively, accounting for 75 percent of the total volume of arms exports in 2014-18.
10. Who has been reappointed as the coach of Spanish football club Real Madrid till 2022?
ANS: Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane has been re-appointed as the coach of Spanish football club Real Madrid till 2022. The Frenchman replaces Santiago Solari, who was sacked after less than five months in charge. Former Real midfielder Zidane had resigned from the club after leading it to three consecutive Champions League titles.