10 PM Current Affairs Quiz #5 August 6, 2019

Explanation: Uday (Utkrisht Double Decker Air Conditioned Yatri) Express trains are specially designed air-conditioned chair car trains of Indian Railways. These express trains are primarily allocated on the busier routes to increase the carrying capacity. Wi-Fi facility, striking interiors, cushioned seating, and display screens are a few of the attractions of UDAY Express. The first service of the train was flagged off between Coimbatore Junction and Bangalore in June 2018. The Express consists of nine double-decker coaches and two power cars.

Explanation:
•Regulation of surrogacy: The Bill prohibits commercial surrogacy, but allows altruistic surrogacy. Altruistic surrogacy involves no monetary compensation to the surrogate mother other than the medical expenses and insurance coverage during the pregnancy. Commercial surrogacy includes surrogacy or its related procedures undertaken for a monetary benefit or reward (in cash or kind) exceeding the basic medical expenses and insurance coverage.
•Purposes for which surrogacy is permitted: Surrogacy is permitted when it is: (i) for intending couples who suffer from proven infertility; (ii) altruistic; (iii) not for commercial purposes; (iv) not for producing children for sale, prostitution or other forms of exploitation; and (v) for any condition or disease specified through regulations.
•Appropriate authority: The central and state governments shall appoint one or more appropriate authorities within 90 days of the Bill becoming an Act. The functions of the appropriate authority include; (i) granting, suspending or cancelling registration of surrogacy clinics; (ii) enforcing standards for surrogacy clinics; (iii) investigating and taking action against breach of the provisions of the Bill; (iv) recommending modifications to the rules and regulations.
•Registration of surrogacy clinics: Surrogacy clinics cannot undertake surrogacy related procedures unless they are registered by the appropriate authority. Clinics must apply for registration within a period of 60 days from the date of appointment of the appropriate authority.

Explanation: India has slipped one notch in the World Bank’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rankings in 2018, and is now the seventh-largest economy with the United Kingdom and France ahead of India. In 2018, India’s GDP was $2.72 trillion, while that of the United Kingdom was $2.82 trillion and France was $2.77 trillion. The world’s top four economies in the World Bank list in 2018 were the United States, with a GDP of $20.5 trillion, followed by China ($13.6 trillion), Japan ($4.9 trillion) and Germany ($3.9 trillion). In 2017, India had overtaken France as the sixth largest economy.

Explanation: NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft orbited Mercury for more than four years. Among its accomplishments, the mission determined Mercury’s surface composition, revealed its geological history, discovered details about its internal magnetic field, and verified its polar deposits are dominantly water-ice. The mission ended when MESSENGER slammed into Mercury’s surface.

Explanation: It is a standard item of the bridal trousseau at Tamil weddings, with the names of the bride and the groom inscribed on it. Indeed, the fine, handmade Pathamadai mat, which is made of Korai grass, is a symbol of pride for Tamil Nadu. It has even been granted Geographical Indication (GI) status by the trademarks and GI authorities.