Indian IAS Academy (iiA): (15.09.2014) Dear UPSC aspirants Todays Current Titbits: National News 1) Uma Bharti reiterates commitment to clean Ganga in 3 years- Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Uma Bharti has reiterated her commitment to clean Indias longest river Ganga and promised to do so in three years. She also asserted that she will not entertain any questions in this regard before the task was achieved.Uma Bharti said this at a felicitation ceremony of teachers organised by the Coordination Committee of Public Schools (CCPS) in New Delhi.She also congratulated all the teachers who were felicitated in the programme. She asked teachers to becomereal gurus and students to become better human beings rather than grow professionally. 2) Doordarshan turns 55 today- Public service broadcaster Doordarshan is celebrating its 55 years today Doordarshan made a modest beginning in India on 15th September 1959, when the first experimental centre at Delhi with a small transmitter of 05 kilowatt was inaugurated by President Rajendra Prasad. Doordarshan has been serving as a major source of information, education and entertainment for years. Initially the coverage range was limited which increased widely after May,1975. 80s was the decade dedicated to Doordarshan when serials like Buniyaad ,mythological dramas like Ramayan and Mahabharat ,Chitrahaar, Karamchand, glued millions to their TV sets.Surabhi was a hit show of early 90s. Amid the row of private channels, Doordarshan still stands apart with its qualitative content and programmes of public interest .Doordarshan today provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional India, as well as overseas through the Indian Network and Radio India. International News 1) France holds International Conference on Iraq- An International Conference is being held in Paris today to help Iraq in fighting the Islamic State militants and accelerate the humanitarian relief operations. The meeting will be attended by top diplomats from around 20 countries led by United States and its global coalition partners to counter the militant group. The Paris Conference on Iraq comes at a time when President Obama has announced US is at war against the Islamic militants group and vowed to destroy them. The talks are slated to firm up the global coalition to fight them. However, the US has refused to allow Iran to attend the conference while Teheran dismissed the talks as just for show. The US led coalition of 10 western nations to fight Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria has expanded to nearly 40 countries. Most of the Arab nations have agreed to confront the militants both financially and militarily. Reports quoting US State department officials say many Arab nations have offered to carry out airstrikes against militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. US has expanded airstrikes in Iraq targeting them. France and Italy have said, they are willing to join air strikes in Iraq if necessary while Britain has ramped up military assistance to Iraq to take on militants. The radical Islamists have captured vast territory in Iraq and Syria, unleashed a reign of terror carrying out mass executions and beheaded two US journalists and a British aid worker. 2) Chinas President Xi Jinping begins South Asia tour in Maldives- Chinas President Xi Jinping began his three-nation South Asia tour last night when he arrived in Maldives for a first ever visit to the country by the Chinese head of state.Xi will hold talks with Maldives President Abdulla Yameen and will be the guest of honour at a state banquet. He will depart for Sri Lanka tomorrow and on Wednesday heads for India.Earlier, in an article published in the Chinese official media on the eve of his Maldives visit, Xi Jingping called on the Maldives to get actively involved in the creation of a 21st century maritime silk route that would link China to the east coast of Africa and the Mediterranean.The issue of climate change will be on the agenda during the talks today. China is expected to assure Maldives of cooperation in countering the effects of climate change and that China will work closely with it at various global forums on global warming. Maldives is threatened by the prospect of getting destroyed by rising sea levels due to global warming, and has been at the forefront of raising global awareness about it. Business News Indian economy to grow at 5.6% in 2014-15: Survey- Indian economy will expand by 5.6 per cent for financial year 2014-15 as the Reserve Bank is not likely to cut interest rates this year. This was revealed in Economic Outlook Survey of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, FICCI in New Delhi. The survey said, objective of restoring growth and governance in governments 100 days rule restored confidence amongst investors. Agricultural growth is expected to remain steady despite weak monsoon. Outlook for the industrial sector seems to have improved considerably, it is expected to grow by 4.7per cent in the current fiscal. The growth in the services sector is expected to grow by 6.9 per cent. Sports News H S Prannoy clinches Indonesian masters title- Young Indian shuttler H S Prannoy clinched the maiden title of his career after winning the Indonesian Masters Grand Prix Gold, following his straight-game victory over local favourite Firman Abdul Kholik in the finals played at Palembang, Indonesia today. In a 43-minute battle, fifth seed Prannoy, who finished runners-up at the Vietnam Grand Prix in Hochiminh City last week, got the better of qualifier Firman 21-11, 22-20 in the mens singles competition. Prannoy won a silver medal in Boys singles at 2010 Summer Youth Olympics.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 06:21:26 +0000