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02 November 2014 National: Spirit of Kannada pride wafts as Mangaluru is unveiled The spirit of Kannada pride wafted ...

GK & Current Affair Updates: November 2-2014









02 November 2014

National:

Spirit of Kannada pride wafts as Mangaluru is unveiled

The spirit of Kannada pride wafted beyond formal stage functions and protocols with the unveiling of Mangaluru to replace the anglicised name the city had adopted thus far.

Why Western Ghats in Karnataka receive more monsoon rainfall

In a recent study of rainfall trends using remotely sensed satellite data and actual field data from the Indian Meteorological Department of the Western Ghats region over the past 14 years, it was found that during the monsoon months of June, July, August, September, the average rainfall was more over Karnataka than Maharashtra and Kerala. The Western Ghats run parallel to the Arabian Sea coast for approximately 1,600 km from the Maharashtra-Gujarat border to the southern tip of Kerala. There are several reasons for this. First, the mountain topography in Karnataka is broader than the narrow topography of the Ghats in Maharashtra. Due to the greater width of the mountains, the rain bearing winds have to necessarily travel a longer distance and have more time for the drops to coalesce and precipitate as rainfall, resulting in higher rainfall. In contrast, the narrow width of the Ghats in Maharashtra allows the rain-bearing wind to cross over to the leeward side rapidly before precipitation can occur. As for Kerala, the Ghats there are in the form of isolated mountains, where the rain-bearing winds can easily cross over to the leeward side through the gaps in between without precipitation occurring. Second, the slope of the mountain has a direct bearing on the possibility of precipitation. This is borne out by the Ghats of Karnataka where the mountains are gently sloping, compared to the steep slopes of the Ghats in Maharashtra and Kerala. The air parcel will retain its energy and speed for a longer time when the slope is gradual. This will provide sufficient vertical motion to cloud droplets to grow by collision–coalescence process and hence form precipitation. Third, the gentle slope provides a greater area for sunlight absorption and heating leading to greater convection when compared with an abrupt slope i.e. less Ghat area such as that of the Maharashtra and Kerala Ghats. Fourth, the continuous mountain range presents a greater barrier to rain-bearing winds than a range comprising isolated mountains with gaps in between where the winds can easily pass to the leeward side. Unlike in the case of Kerala, the Ghats in Maharashtra and Karnataka are continuous.


International:

Spain imposes ‘Google Tax’

The Spanish government has successfully passed a new copyright law which imposes fees for online content aggregators such as Google News, in an effort to protect its print media industry. The new intellectual property law, known popularly as the “Google Tax” or by its initials LPI, requires services which post links and excerpts of news articles to pay a fee to the organisation representing Spanish newspapers, the Association of Editors of Spanish Dailies (known by its Spanish-language abbreviation AEDE). Failure to pay up can lead to a fine of up to €600,000. A similar law passed in Germany saw Google removing the affected newspapers from Google news.


Kidnapped girls converted, married

Abubakar Shekau, leader of Nigeria’s Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, said he had not agreed to any ceasefire with the government and said more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls had been converted to Islam and married off. Boko Haram’s kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls taking exams at a boarding school in the remote northeastern town of Chibok in April prompted an international campaign for their release and criticism of Nigeria’s government for not taking quick action to free them. Dozens of the girls escaped on their own in the first couple of days, but 219 remain missing. Nigeria, with some 160 million people Africa’s most populous nation, is divided almost equally between Muslims who dominate the north and Christians in the south. The West African nation is the biggest oil producer on the continent and boasts its biggest economy.02 November 2014

Lithuania bans energy drinks to children

Lithuania has enacted a ban on selling energy drinks to anyone under 18, in what officials in the Baltic country claimed was a global first. Under the law which Parliament adopted in May, selling energy drinks to minors is now punishable by a fine of up to 400 litas ($146). A recent survey showed 10 per cent of school-aged youth consume energy drinks at least once a week in this EU Baltic state of three million people.

Historic Nazi gate from Dachau camp stolen

In Germany, a historic gate bearing the Nazis' cynical slogan Arbeit macht frei, or Work sets you free, has been stolen from the former Dachau concentration camp. Police said that the wrought-iron gate measuring 190 by 95 centimeters set into a larger iron gate was missing. Dachau, near Munich, was the first concentration camp setup by the Nazis in 1933. More than 200,000 people from across Europe were held there and over 40,000 prisoners died before it was liberated by US forces on April 29, 1945. The camp is now a memorial.

Business & Economy:

ATM users resent new RBI norm
Bank customers have resented the RBI’s new rule which states that more than five transactions a month at an ATM will be charged Rs. 20 each. Since this applies to home bank ATMs and covers all transactions, including change of pin or requesting a mini statement, residents say this will be extremely inconvenient. State Bank of India has come out with plans, including 10 free ATM transactions for those who meet certain requirements, and unlimited free transactions for those who maintain more than Rs. 1 lakh in their savings account. However, the restriction will not apply to ‘no-frills’/basic savings accounts.

Rajani Sankaran takes over as BHAVINI chief

Senior IAAS officer Rajani Sankaran took over as Chairman and Managing Director of Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI). A 1989 batch Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS) officer, Ms.Sankaran had a Fellowship in International Auditing from the General Accountability Office, USA. She was earlier Accountant General (Commercial and Receipt Audit), Tamil Nadu, Principal Director of Audit (South Central Railway) and Southern Railway.


Sports:

Djokovic retains Paris Masters title


Top—ranked Novak Djokovic easily defended his Paris Masters title with a 6—2, 6—3 victory over Milos Raonic. Djokovic, who did not drop a set during the whole week, won the indoor tournament for the third time and claimed the 20th Masters title of his career. The Serb also made a big step in his bid to finish the year at the No. 1 spot for a third time, extending his lead over Roger Federer before the ATP Finals in London. Djokovic’s only scare came in the first set when Raonic won eight straight points but failed to convert three consecutive break  opportunities.