Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 09 February 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 09 February 2021

::NATIONAL::

TERI to organize World Sustainable Development Summit on 10-12 February

The twentieth edition of The Energy and Resources Institute's (TERI) flagship event, the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS), will be held virtually from February 10-12, 2021. The summit will bring together a wide number of governments, business leaders, academicians, climate scientists, youth, and the civil society in the fight against climate change. India's Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), and Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), are key partners of the summit.
The summit will be inaugurated by Shri Narendra Modi, Hon'ble Prime Minister of India at 1830 hrs IST on February 10th, 2021. Other dignitaries present at the inauguration include H.E. Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana; Hon. James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Mr Mohamed Nasheed, Speaker of the People's Majlis, Republic of Maldives, Ms Amina J Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations, and Shri Prakash Javadekar, Hon'ble Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
Inaugurating the annual summit in 2018, Prime Minister Modi had said, "this summit is a reinforcement of India's commitment to a sustainable planet, for us and for future generations." He had emphasized on the need for collaboration between governments, industries, and people. “The developed world can help us achieve this faster. Successful climate action needs access to financial resources and technology. Technology can help countries like India develop sustainably and enable the poor to benefit from it", he had added.

::INTERNATIONAL::

China's smartphone shipments rebound to pre-pandemic levels in January

China's smartphone shipments nearly doubled in January 2021 versus a year ago, government data published on Tuesday showed, rebounding from a coronavirus-induced slump in the beginning of last year.
Shipments of smartphones within China jumped 94.3% annually to 39.6 million handsets in January, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications (CAICT), a state-backed think tank.
That was up from 20.4 million in January 2020 and higher than the 32.1 million in January 2019, suggesting China's smartphone sector has returned to its pre-pandemic levels.
Supply chain complications and consumer spending marred China's smartphone sector as Covid-19 spread in 2020, but the sector has since bounced back along with a broader economy.
Analysts expect sales in China to largely recover in 2021, but expect U.S. sanctions on Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, once the country's top vendor, to weigh on overall smartphone shipments.
Android rivals Xiaomi Corp have also seen sales increase, but analysts say they must ramp up output to offset a fall in the production of Huawei's high-end models.

::ECONOMY::

Centre’s new labour codes to allow 4-day work per week

The Centre under its new labour codes would soon provide an option for organisations to allow their employees to work for four days in a week. Union labour secretary Apurva Chandra said this provision will comprise a work limit of 48 hours per week, adding that organisations would have three choices - deploying employees for four days at 12 hours per day, five days at around 10 hours per day and six days at eight hours per day.
The Union labour ministry is in the process to finalise the rules under the four labour codes, Code on Wages, Industrial Relations, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) and Social Security Codes.
“The rule making process is already underway and likely to complete in the coming week. All stakeholders are also consulted in the framing of rules. This ministry would soon be in a position to bring into force the four Codes, viz., Code on Wages, Industrial Relations, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) and Social Security Codes,” Chandra said during the briefing. The ministry is aiming to implement all the four codes in one go.
According to the ministry, the portal would assist in the formulation of health, housing, skill, insurance, credit and food schemes for such workers and they would also be provided with an incentive of free coverage for one year for accidental and disability cover under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

Arab spacecraft closes in on Mars on historic flight

A spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates was set to swing into orbit around Mars in the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission Tuesday, the first of three robotic explorers arriving at the red planet over the next week and a half.
The orbiter, called Amal, Arabic for Hope, traveled 300 million miles in nearly seven months to get to Mars with the goal of mapping its atmosphere throughout each season.
A combination orbiter and lander from China is close behind, scheduled to reach the planet on Wednesday. It will circle Mars until the rover separates and attempts to land on the surface in May to look for signs of ancient life.
A rover from the U.S. named Perseverance is set to join the crowd next week, aiming for a landing Feb. 18. It will be the first leg in a decade-long U.S.-European project to bring Mars rocks back to Earth to be examined for evidence the planet once harbored microscopic life.
If it pulls this off, China will become only the second country to land successfully on Mars. The U.S. has done it eight times, the first almost 45 years ago. A NASA rover and lander are still working on the surface.

::SPORTS::

Australian Open 2021: Alcaraz, the 'next Nadal', gets first win at Grand Slam

Brushing aside the hype, the 17-year-old Alcaraz made quick work of his first-round opponent at the Australian Open, defeating Dutch qualifier Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 for his maiden win at a major.
Carlos Alcaraz had not even played a Grand Slam match when Toni Nadal, the uncle and longtime coach of Rafael Nadal, anointed him the successor of his illustrious nephew.
Brushing aside the hype, the 17-year-old Alcaraz made quick work of his first-round opponent at the Australian Open on Tuesday, defeating Dutch qualifier Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 for his maiden win at a major.