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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 26 April 2014

New sanctions against Russia

The United States and other nations in the Group of Seven agreed to “move swiftly” to impose additional economic sanctions on Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine.
In a joint statement released by the White House, the G—7 nations said they will act urgently to intensify “targeted sanctions.” The statement said the G—7 will also continue to prepare broader sanctions on key Russian economic sectors if Moscow takes more aggressive action.
The announcement came as top Ukrainians spoke of imminent invasion and Moscow said that pro—Russian separatists would not lay down their arms in eastern Ukraine until activists relinquish control over key sites in Kiev.
The G—7 nations said they were moving forward on the targeted sanctions now because of the urgency of securing plans for Ukraine to hold presidential elections in May.
The penalties are expected to target wealthy Russian individuals who are close to President Vladimir Putin, as well as entities they run. However, the U.S. will continue to hold off on targeting broad swaths of the Russian economy, though the president has said he is willing to take that step if Putin launches a military incursion in eastern Ukraine.
Tensions were heightened on the ground, with Russian fighter jets reported crossing into Ukrainian airspace and a team of unarmed foreign military observers detained by pro—Russian forces in Slovyansk, the heart of the separatist movement in the east.

India has successfully conducted two rounds of trials of its indigenously developed surface-to-air Akash missile as part of a user trial by the air force from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near Balasore in Odisha.
The sophisticated Akash missile was test fired twice in quick succession from launch complex-3 of .
Each missile targeted a toe body supported by Pilot Less Target Aircraft (PTA) ‘Lakshya’.
Akash is a medium range surface-to-air anti-aircraft defence system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
The missile has a strike range of 25 km and can carry a warhead of 60 kg. It has the capability to target aircraft up to 30 km away and is packed with a battery that can track and attack several targets simultaneously.
With the capability to neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles, defence experts compare Akash to the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system of USA.

Dismissing North Korea's nuclear threats, US President Barack Obama has reportedly warned the country of tougher sanctions if it were to go ahead with its fourth nuclear test.
Obama said at a joint press conference with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye that threats will get North Korea nothing, other than greater isolation.
South Korea’s satellite images revealed the North could be preparing for another test, Obama stressed that Washington and Seoul stood "shoulder to shoulder" in their refusal to accept a nuclear North Korea.
Obama also said that China is beginning to recognise that North Korea is not just a nuisance but a significant problem for their own security.

Bilateral trade between India and US in goods and services increased from almost $29 billion in 2004 to more than $95 billion in 2013 -- an average growth rate of nearly 15 per cent per year. Trade during 2013, however, grew at a slow pace of 2.5 per cent.
Over the 10-year period from 2004-2013, U.S. exports to India grew about 15 per cent annually and are currently at about $35 billion. This created an estimated 120,000 new U.S. jobs.
The top U.S. exports to India were: manufactured goods, transportation equipment, and chemicals, along with education services, which totalled nearly $15 billion during 2013.
India’s top exports to the United States were: manufactured goods, chemicals, and apparel and textiles, along with information technology (IT) services. India’s exports to the US in 2013 were in excess of $38 billion. The excess of Indian exports to over imports from the United States was nearly $26 billion in 2013.

The strikingly beautiful snow leopards are in "real danger" and there was need to observe, study and develop ways to conserve this rare and endangered species as only 400-700 of the world's best mountain climbers remain in India, according to a leading conservation organisation.
Launching a campaign "Save Our Snow Leopards", WWF-India said that poaching is the major challenge for the protection of this so magnificent species found high altitude Himalayan region.
Snow leopards are poached for their pelts while their bones and other body parts are also in demand for use in traditional Asian medicines.
Snow leopards also face habitat and prey loss with the increase of human settlements and developmental activities in their territories.
The snow leopard is found across almost 1,29,000 sq kms in India, in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
The WWF-India said that the snow leopard is at the apex of the mountain eco-system and is also an indicator species for the high altitude mountain ecosystem.

India's teen sensation P V Sindhu and Commonwealth Games gold medallist pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had to settle for bronze medals after losing their respective semifinals matches in the Asian Badminton Championship held at Korea.
The 18-year-old Sindhu fought hard for one hour and 18 minutes before losing to the two-time reigning All Englandchampion Shixian 21-15 20-22 12-21 in the women's singles competition.
In women's doubles, Jwala and Ashwini failed to breach the defence of Luo Yu and Luo Ying, and suffered a 12-21 7-21 loss to the world number 10 Chinese pair