Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 19 September 2015

:: International ::

In a middle-of-the night vote that capped a tumultuous struggle with opposition parties in Parliament, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan secured final passage of legislation on Saturday authorizing overseas combat missions for his country's military, overturning a decades-old policy of reserving the use of force for self-defense.
The legislation had been expected to pass; Abe's governing coalition controls a formidable majority in the legislature. But analysts said the grinding political battle and days of demonstrations that accompanied the effort could hurt his standing with a public already skeptical of his hawkish vision for Japan's national security.
The debate often doubled as a forum for airing views about Japan's most important ally, the United States. Many were hostile.
On Friday, Yamamoto held up the voting by taking a slow-motion "cow walk" to the podium to cast his ballot. Other opposition groups entered symbolic censure motions against Abe and officials in his Liberal Democratic Party or made long, filibuster-like speeches, often repeating the conviction that a military with expanded powers would end up being dragged into an unjustified American war.

Suspected Taliban militants launched a brazen attack on a Pakistani military base on Friday, killing 29 people including 16 who were gunned down inside a mosque during prayers.
The Pakistani army quickly blamed militants from neighboring Afghanistan, which Islamabad routinely accuses of harboring terrorists who launch attacks across their porous border.
The attack was a major blow to Pakistan's military, which had stepped up operations against militants following a horrific Taliban attack last December at a Peshawar school that killed 150 people, mostly children. It also underscored the ability of the militants to stage spectacular attacks on targets linked to the country's military and government.
All 13 attackers were killed after an hours-long firefight at the Badaber base on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar, army spokesman Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said. In addition to the dead, another 29 people were wounded.

Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism.
Taiwan is the perfect destination for eco-tourism as it is distinguished for its steep mountains, beaches, national parks, lush forests and hot springs.
The country features a full range of climates and terrains from the tropical to the frigid. The variations in weather, geology, and elevation also give Taiwan a richness of flora and fauna.
Subsequently, Taiwan has embarked on an ambitious plan to become a green jewel for Asia. Today, Taiwan boasts one of the worlds highest recycling rates (45.49pc in 2009), an efficient waste management system, and a wide range of wildlife refuges and national parks that help to attract millions of nature tourists each year.
Taiwan has some of the highest peaks in East Asia, which collectively have created a great network of hiking and skiing trails.
Additional ecotourism activities for this versatile nation include bird watching, kayaking, whale watching, C, scuba diving, and snorkeling.

Somdev India’s Somdev Devvarman returns to Czech Republic’s Jiri Vesely at the RK Khanna stadium in New Delhi on Friday Manit Balmiki dna
A small group of supporters crying “pojďme Ceské” (let’s go, Czech) and “přijde na Ceský” (come on, Czech) simply couldn't stop the rampaging Somdev Devvarman from taming Jiří Veselý to help India draw level on Day One of the World Group play-off tie at the DLTA Complex here on Friday.

Ajinkya Rahane, with his wife Radhika, after being conferred with the life membership by Cricket Club of India in Mumbai on Friday G Krishnan dna
Ajinkya Rahane, India's most consistent batsman in the last couple of years, has been conferred with the honorary life membership by the Cricket Club of India (CCI) here on Friday.
Honouring the top-order batsman was CCI president Kekoo Nicholson in the presence of past president Sevanti Parikh and other members.
Rahane joins an illustrious list of sportspersons, not just cricketers, to be conferred with the CCI membership and these include Sunil Gavaskar, Viv Richards, Geet Sethi, Michael Ferreira, Muttiah Muralitharan and MS Dhoni, to name a few.
The timing of the membership could not have been better as it came eight days before Rahane's first wedding anniversary. Rahane will be in Bengaluru attending Indian team's camp ahead of the Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Series on his wedding day (September 26). He will travel to Bengaluru on Sunday for the seven-day camp that begins the next day.
The 27-year-old right-handed batsman who has risen from humble background, who has come a long way from his early life in Dombivli to making centuries at the Home of Cricket, Lord's, has been looked upon by the club as the flag-bearer of Mumbai cricket at the world stage.