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.
