Current Affairs For Bank, IBPS Exams - 16 September, 2015

Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams

16 September 2015

:: International ::

China building airstrip on 3rd artificial island, images show

New satellite images show that China has started construction of an airstrip on a third artificial island in the South China Sea that will strengthen Beijing's military capacity in the contested waters, Western analysts say.
The photographs, released by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, show preparation for airfields on Mischief Reef and Subi Reef, submerged reefs in the contested Spratly Islands that China has transformed into islands, according to the centre.
The airstrip on Mischief Reef is about 30 kilometres from a small Philippine military garrison on an existing tiny island and will put the installation under great pressure, said James Hardy, Asia-Pacific editor of IHS Jane's Defense Weekly.
That airstrip will most likely be used for turboprop patrol, but it could easily be equipped for "full military action" if needed, Mr Hardy said. The most important function of the strip, he said, will be as yet another site for Chinese listening devices and early warning radar, much like the technology being installed on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands of the South China Sea, which are also contested. Evidence of that will probably appear soon on Mischief Reef, he said.
China completed a 3,000-metre runway several months ago on Fiery Cross Island, one of five artificial islands it has created in a large reclamation project in the South China Sea this year.
The South China Sea is one of the top areas of disagreement between China and the United States that will be discussed during a state visit by President Xi Jinping to Washington next week.

:: Miscellaneous ::

World Ozone Day

Reducing our carbon footprint, be it in our personal lives or industrial activity remains key to saving the Earth from environmental degradation, say experts in the city as the world observes the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on Wednesday.
More commonly known as the ‘World Ozone Day’, September 16 commemorates the Montreal Protocol that was signed on this date by 24 UN member nations in 1987, to limit and ultimately phase out the production of manmade chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and 95 other ozone-depleting materials.
The slogan for this year “Ozone: All that is there between You and UV” is meant to show how human activity can impact the ozone layer and ultimately, the survival of the Earth and its environment as we know it.
The ozone layer forms a protective shield around the Earth and staves off the ultraviolet radiation of the Sun.
“Ozone in the lower atmosphere is harmful for human and plant life, while in the higher level (stratosphere) it protects our planet against ultraviolet radiation.

Hasina wins UN award on climate change

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been declared as one of the winners of the UN Champions of the Earth award in recognition of her "leadership and vision" in both making climate change an issue of national priority and advocating for a global response.
UNEP noted that Bangladesh is one of the world's most populated countries, with over 159 million people. It is also one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
The award cites, among other initiatives, the progressive Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan of 2009, which made the South Asian nation the first developing country to frame such a coordinated action plan.
Bangladesh is also the first country to set up its own Climate Change Trust Fund, supported by nearly USD 300 million of domestic resources from 2009-2012.
The award also noted that the Bangladesh government currently earmarks 6 to 7 per cent of its annual budget ? some USD 1 billion ? on climate change adaptation, with only 25 per cent of this coming from international donors.

:: Sports ::

Gutta and Ponnappa included in TOPS, finally

Finally, top Indian women's doubles shuttlers Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa have been included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) by the sports ministry after a long wait.
The ministry informed on Tuesday that the duo, along with the men's doubles pair of Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Atri, has been included for the TOPS funding from National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) to prepare for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The amount will be spent by the shuttlers on their training, competition and equipment in the run up to the Summer Games.
The decision will put an end to the unwarranted controversy that was going on for a couple of months. Shocked by their exclusion, both Gutta and Ponnappa had launched a tirade against the ministry and chief national coach Pullela Gopichand in recent times.
The pair had accused Gopichand of bias and serious "conflict of interest" while selecting five of the six singles players in the TOPS from his Hyderabad-based private badminton academy.