Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam

13 April, 2014

Climate panel on rising emissions

• The U.N.’s expert panel on climate change has highlighted the disconnect between international goals to fight global warming and what is being done to attain them.

• Emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases must drop by 40—70 per cent by 2050 to keep the global temperature rise below the 2—degree C (3.6—degree F) cap set in U.N. climate talks, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said.

• The opposite is happening now. On average global emissions rose by 2.2 percent or 1 gigaton a year between 2000 and 2010, outpacing growth in previous decades to reach “unprecedented levels” despite some efforts to contain them, the IPCC said.

• The graphics divided the world into four categories low, lower—middle, upper—middle and high income countries. Participants in the closed—door session said many developing countries objected to using such income categories.

• Counting all emissions since the industrialized revolution in the 18th century, the U.S. is the top carbon polluter. China’s current emissions are greater than those of the U.S. and rising quickly. China’s historical emissions are expected to overtake those of the U.S. in the next decade.

• Global temperatures have already risen about 0.8 C since record—keeping started in the 19th century. The IPCC said the goal of keeping the warming below 2 C by 2100 would require a significant shift in the energy system, away from oil and coal, which generate the highest emissions. That would mean a near—quadrupling of energy from zero— or low—carbon sources such as solar and wind power.

Missing plane's black box

• Following four strong underwater signals in the past week, all has gone quiet in the hunt for the missing Malaysian airline, meaning the batteries on the all-important black boxes may have finally died.

• Despite having no new pings to go on, crews are continuing their search for debris and any sounds that could still be emanating. They’re desperately trying to pinpoint where the Boeing 777 could be amid an enormous patch of Deep Ocean.

• No new electronic pings have been heard since April 8, and the batteries powering the locator beacons on the jet’s black box recorders may already be dead. They only last about a month, and that window has passed. Once officials are confident no more sounds will be heard, a robotic submersible will be sent down.

Favourite leader in Pakistan

• Fifty five per cent of the people surveyed in a poll by Gallup Pakistan have given the Nawaz Sharif government a favourable rating. The current government gets a Green Card and the favourable

• views exceed unfavourable views in the overall running of the government. The Net Performance Ratings for political leaders rated Nawaz Sharif (PML-N) at the top with a rating of a favourable 18 per cent while Imran Khan (PTI) was rated as minus 5 per cent unfavourable.

• Gallup Pakistan in its Annual Public Pulse Report 2014 released on Saturday said that the survey has revealed that the present PML-N government's Performance Ratings are a huge improvement over the

• PPP-Zardari-led government a year ago.

• For the six key indicators including Economy, Pak-India Relations, Overall Foreign Policy, Terrorism control, Corruption control and Inflation control, the present PML-N government received positive comparative net performance ratings. The economy recorded a positive 48 per cent comparative net performance, Pak India Relations 22 per cent, Foreign Policy 33 per cent, Terrorism control 31 per cent, Corruption control 36 per cent and Inflation control recorded a positive 20 per cent net change.

Denial of Arjuna Award

• The Supreme Court issued notice to the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on a petition challenging the withdrawal of the Arjuna Award from a triple jump athlete, Renjith Maheswary, hours before the presentation ceremony based on a news report that he failed a doping test in 2008.

• A Bench of Chief Justice P. Sathasivam and Justices Ranjan Gogoi and M.Y. Eqbal was acting on a writ petition filed by the Navalokam Samskarika Kendram, Kottayam.

• The petitioner submitted that Mr. Maheswary’s name was on the award list released on August 14, 2013. On August 29, he came to Delhi from Chennai and stayed at Hotel Ashoka, along with other award winners. He was presented a cheque for Rs. 5 lakh towards the cash prize the next day and made to participate in a rehearsal at Rashtrapati Bhavan for the function. The next morning, he was told to stay away from the ceremony as the award had been withdrawn.

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