Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 19 August 2016

:: National ::

Young badminton ace P.V. Sindhu lifted the gloom by storming into the final of the women’s singles with a 21-19, 21-10 win over Japan’s NozomiOkuhara.
Sindhu will meet Carolina Marin of Spain in gold medal match. The Indian’s victory was the icing on the cake after the bronze medal triumph by grappler Sakshi Malik in the women’s 58kg freestyle category.
Facing an opponent against whom she had tasted success only once in four outings, Sindhu produced a solid performance, similar to the way she had dispatched World No. 2 Wang Yihan in the quarterfinals.
Earlier, the 23-year-old Sakshi became the toast of the nation with a hard-fought win against Asian champion AisuluuTynybekova of Kyrgyztan. The Indian was 5-0 down in the first three-minute period before pulling off a sensational upset.
Sakshi had earned a breather after losing to ValeriiaKoblovaZholobova in the 1/4 round as the Russian made the gold-medal contest.
In Repechage, she had a fluent win over OrkhonPurevdorj (Mongolia) in the first bout before scripting history, winning eight points in a row in the final two minutes.

The war of words between India and Pakistan intensified with Delhi demanding that Islamabad address “more pressing” issues related to cross-border terrorism.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the latest offer of dialogue on Kashmir from Pakistan could progress only if Islamabad stopped the export of terror that hit Kashmir, as well as Mumbai on 26/11.
MEA also demanded the “earliest possible vacation of PoK [Pakistan-occupied Kashmir].”
The terror-specific demands from India came a day after India rejected Pakistan’s proposal for “Kashmir dispute-specific talks” and demanded that the proposed talks, which were to be held between the two Foreign Secretaries, should focus on “cross-border terrorism.”

Legendary tigress Machhli, who was the world's oldest tigress in the wild, died in Ranthambhore National Park in SawaiMadhopur district ofRajathan.
Also referred to as T-16, the tigress was named Machhli because of marks on her face which resembled a fish.
The celebrity tigress was also the world's most-photographed big cat and had a postage stamp and several documentary films on her name.
Machhli played a significant role in populating the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, as she was blessed with 11 cubs, including seven females and four males.
According to some estimates, she was contributing Rs. 65 crore a year as tourism revenue to the National Park for the last 10 years.
The park management organised regular feeding to Machhli for long and at times drove her away from periphery into the well-wooded park habitat so as not to come in conflict with the villagers.
In one of the most memorable incidents, a Ranthambhore-based artist had photographed Machhli in a combat with a 14-foot-long marsh crocodile across the bed of Raj Bagh lake.

The stalled Myitsone dam project — widely seen as a litmus test of a new phase of ties between China and Myanmar — came under sharp focus during talks between the visiting leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Chinese Prime Minister.
China signalled that the Myanmar government was reconsidering its position on the $3.6 billion project, and hoped to arrive at a resolution that suited both sides.
The mega project, which has been criticised by environmental groups, was frozen in 2011 by Myanmar’s previous government led by President TheinSein.
Analysts say Myanmar is expected to balance its ties between China and its other neighbours including India. China is Myanmar’s foremost foreign investors, with investments of $15.4 billion already in the bag.
Apart from the Myitsone project, the government commission will also review other proposed hydroelectric dams along the Thanlwin River. It is expected to submit its report by November 11.
The two sides have also decided to build a bridge at Kunlong, 32 km from the border in northeastern Myanmar, as part of counterinsurgency exercise.
The bridge will be close to the Kokang region, where an ethnic Chinese group battled the Myanmar’s troops last year.
The Irrawaddy noted that Myanmar’s “main and immediate concern is how to make use of Chinese influence on the ethnic armed organisations along the Sino-Burma border”.

After decades of delay and inaction, the much-debated Hindu Marriage Bill 2016 has finally been tabled in Pakistan’s National Assembly.
The report of the Standing Committee on Law and Justice on the Hindu Marriage Bill 2016 was presented in the National Assembly and is just one step away from being approved as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party is supporting it.
The bill is expected to put an end to the practice of abduction of married Hindu women and to curtail forced conversions.

Venezuela is counting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at this year’s Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) meeting in September, despite reports he is unlikely to, said visiting Foreign Minister.
“The Non-Aligned principles are today more relevant than ever. So we are sure that India will attend NAM and attend at the highest level,” the Venezuelan Foreign Minister said.
Ms. Rodriguez met with Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on the government’s offer of supplying Venezuela much needed pharmaceutical products in exchange for oil.
Opposition leaders say that if Mr. Modi skips the NAM summit, it would send out the wrong signal.

The Ministry of Mines unveiled a web portal for the easy access to information regarding the mining sector in India, including a framework for rating mines.
“The web portal will have all the ratings of the mines and will also have information of the Sustainable Development Framework (SDF) for the mining sector.”
The star rating system, which rates mines out of five stars, is a two-layered system based on a self-evaluation by the mine operator, which is then validated by the Indian Bureau of Mines under the Ministry of Mines.
There will be random third-party checks to see whether the information provided by the operators is correct, and there should be penalties for those providing false information.
The star rating system will be based on parameters such as efforts taken to mitigate environmental impact of the mines and to resettle and rehabilitate the people affected and on international standards for mining operations and reporting.

India Post Payments Bank has received the certificate of incorporation from the Registrar of Companies, paving the way for the postal department’s bank to begin operations in 2017 as announced.
This will be the first public sector undertaking under the Department of Posts.
The incorporation of the IPPB Ltd is a significant step forward as this also paves the way for the bank to begin hiring of banking professionals to set up the bank and begin its operations in 2017.
The Department of Posts is expected to complete the roll out of its branches all over the country by September 2017. The government said this could be the fastest roll out for a bank anywhere in the world.
The new bank is expected to commence operations by March 2017 and will set up 650 branches and 5000 ATMs across the country.