Current Affairs For Bank, IBPS Exams - 10 May, 2014

Current Affairs For Bank, IBPS Exams

A bi-partisan group of 22 American senators have expressed reservation on the export of natural gas to Asian countries such as India and China, arguing that such a move by Obama Administration would result in an increase in cost for consumers and businesses at home.
They said the “large-scale exports of natural gas to Asia could also jeopardize America’s goal of achieving energy independence, a goal made more achievable by the recent increase in domestic gas production”.
The senators urged Mr. Obama to consider the impacts on American manufacturing and families that rely on natural gas.
The recent approval for export of liquefied natural gas from a sixth export facility has meant that the total approved exports now exceeds the amount of gas currently being used in every single American home and commercial business.
The exports well exceeds the high export scenario referenced by a Department of Energy study in 2012 that indicated prices could increase by up to 54 per cent and it would translate into more than $60 billion a year in higher energy costs for American consumers and businesses.

Not being able to control blood pressure even after gulping pills would no longer be a problem. Soon, an implantable device will reduce blood pressure by sending electrical signals to the brain.
In a first, German researchers have successfully reduced the blood pressure in rats by 40 percent with this device without any major side effects.
This could offer hope for a significant proportion of patients worldwide who do not respond to existing medical treatment for the condition.
The implantable device uses an intelligent circuit to record the activity of the patient, for instance when they are exercising, and adjust the blood pressure accordingly.
The device consists of 24 individual electrodes that are integrated into a micro-machined cuff. It is designed to wrap around the vagus nerve, which extends from the brainstem to the thorax and abdomen — supplying and stimulating various major organs including the heart and major blood vessels.
The device works by picking up signals from specific sensors, known as baroreceptors, which are activated when blood vessels stretch.

A life-size bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi would be installed in Irving in Texas, fulfilling a long-cherished dream of Indian-Americans living in the city. A 7-foot tall and 30-inch wide bronze statue of Gandhiji, cast in Andhra Pradesh, will be installed on a 6-foot tall pedestal.
It will have a granite wall as a backdrop, inscribed with Gandhiji’s memorable words, as well as those from Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Albert Einstein, Barack Obama and others.

The Delhi high court has directed all National Sports Federations (NSF) to follow the national sports code. This simply means that the Union sports ministry's guidelines on age and tenure restriction have attained legal sanctity.
This is a shot in the arm for the ministry which suspended the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) and Archery Association of India (AAI) for not implementing age and tenure directives. The court's directive will certainly make all NSFs accountable and their functioning transparent.
The sports ministry has repeatedly outlined that recognition to any NSF would rely on the current legal status of the organisation, recognition by the respective international federation, the Asian federation and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The IOA had also challenged the government's authority, but the latest directive from the court has come as a jolt.