Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 21 August 2015

Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 21 August 2015

:: National ::

Deforestation threats in Western Ghats

Due to growing human intervention in Western Ghast, Bats living there are facing tough times, says a new study. According to researchers, human intervention has resulted in deforestation, reducing the living habitat for bats.
Study authors blame growing human population in the area and their dependency on agriculture for such negative change.
A team of researchers from the University of Leed in Britain Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore andNational Centre for Biological Sciences, conducted a survey in which they observed all the bat species found in the Western Ghats to evaluate the impact of deforestation for agriculture.
After analysing the reports, researchers found that all type of plantation doesn’t affect the population of bats. It was found that some bat species can survive with coffee plantation while all other types of plantation seem to adversely affect the population.
The survey revealed that nearly all the bat species found in Western Ghat are near to extinction and only proper steps from wildlife management team can save the species.
India’s Western Ghats comes among most biodiverse regions across the world. While being most biodiverse, it is also most densely populated biodiversity around the globe.

:: International ::

Google,s net neutrality interest in India

Internet giant Google could be on the side of forces working towards thwarting net neutrality in India. The company has allegedly been trying to prevent the Internet and Mobile Association of India, a body that represents internet firms in India, from opposing Zero Rating, the practice of letting users access select applications/websites free of data charges by striking deals with telecom operators.
According to a report by MediaNama, a news and analysis website that focuses on digital and telecom sectors in India, Vineeta Dixit, a member of Google's public policy and government relations team, pushed for removal of any mention of 'Zero Rating' from the IAMAI's submission to the Department of Telecom, in response to its report. The website mentions that it has access to copies of the emails.
As per the report, Dixit's email to the IAMAI government relations committee asked for the removal of any reference to Zero Rating arguing that there was no consensus among internet companies on the issue. The email is dated 14 August 2015.
In its report, the DoT had opposed Zero Rating plans from content providers like Facebook and had said that "content and application providers cannot be permitted to act as gatekeepers and use network operations to extract value in violation of core principles of Net Neutrality, even if it is for an ostensible public purpose."
It had said that partnerships between telecom operators and content providers that enable gatekeeping should be actively discouraged, opposing Facebook's Internet.org.

Intel releases Stephen Hawking’s speech software for free (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: India & world

India accepts invitation to victory parade in Beijing

Ending weeks of speculation, India has accepted China’s invitation to a military parade in Beijing on September 3 to celebrate the end of World War II.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh will represent India, sources here and Beijing said on Wednesday.
China has invited the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Russia, even Japan and other nations to the parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary celebrations of what it calls the “victory of the anti-fascist forces”.
New Delhi was cautious in accepting the invitation, weighing in the consequences on its bilateral ties with Japan.
Chinese Ambassador to India Le Yucheng recalled on Tuesday the support Beijing received during the war from leaders like Mahatama Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.

Ties with Japan

“Relations between India and Japan have been strengthened over time, even after the war when the International Military Tribunal [for the Far East’s trials of Japanese war crimes committed during the WW-II] was set up.
India submitted a judgment which said the defendants were not guilty. India also did not sign the 1952 peace treaty, opting to sign a separate peace treaty with Japan; so Tokyo and New Delhi have an independent relationship,”

:: Business ::

Centre accepted Bankers demand

Bringing cheer to lakhs of bank employees, the government has accepted the long-pending demand of workers to declare second and fourth Saturdays holidays, with effect from September 1.
At present, all PSU and private sector banks work half-day on Saturdays. "This s a welcome move. This will be a big relief to employees and I hope that this will improve the productivity," AIBEA general secretary C H Venkatachalam said.
In case of a month having five Saturdays, banks will be closed only on second and fourth Saturdays.

:: Sports ::

Saina Nehwal Back as world Numero uno

It was double delight for Saina Nehwal on Thursday. The World Championships silver medallist regained the No. 1 rank - surging 2,180 points ahead of Carolina Marin - and also struck a landmark deal with management company IOS Sports & Entertainment.
Saina's deal is worth Rs 25 crore over two years. IOS also manages top sportspersons like Suresh Raina, MC Mary Kom, Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh.
Saina said she was delighted at her new association with IOS. "I am happy to join them. I am sure they will take care of the deals and I just have to worry about the game and do well," she said. "I have been performing well on the international circuit but always felt that the management of my brand image, logistics plus commercial activities was not being done in the best professional way.
Having seen how IOS has built MC Mary Kom as a big brand in the industry, I was convinced that I should allow them to manage my portfolio too. That was the major reason for deciding to join hands with IOS," said Saina.
The shuttler was also excited to be back on the top of the world rankings. She secured the No. 1 rank for the first time on April 2 but remained there only for five weeks. However, this time round, the Indian will enjoy a longer reign.
With 82,792 points, Saina is 2,180 points ahead of world champion Carolina Marin. Third placed Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei is over 12,000 points behind the Indian.