Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam - 13 January, 2014

Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwalhas abandoned plans to hold a "janta darbar" or public feedback session once every week, vowing instead to meet people instead more informally for two-three hours.
On Saturday, his first "janta darbar" ended in chaos with officials unprepared to handle the larger-than-expected crowd of thousands that showed up at the Delhi government's headquarter to share their complaints with their new chief minister and his cabinet.
Mr Kejriwal had to exit the venue mid-way. He promised better arrangements for the next session.
Though his revised plans have yet to be finalised, sources say Mr Kejriwal will no longer meet people with his ministers. Instead, his interaction will be on a smaller scale.
The "janta darbar" featured in a slew of features announced by Mr Kejriwal and his Aam Admi Party (AAP) to interact directly with residents of the capital to deliver better and swifter governance.
Mr Kejriwal has introduced a series of helplines for people to register complaints against corrupt bureaucrats or share feedback on electricity problems.
The AAP has said it stands committed to ensuring that politicians are accountable to the public.

India has dismissed a report by an influential U.S. think tank that placed it 23rd out of 25 countries in terms of securing its nuclear stockpile from non-state actors.
The report by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) improves India’s score by a mere one point on the basis of a financial contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Nuclear Security Fund.
A democracy like India with a healthy tradition of debate on nuclear issues needs to balance transparency with the need to protect its citizens against terrorism, with which it has to contend with unlike most countries listed by NTI.
Corruption is another marker in the NTI list.
Released in advance of the Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands, the NTI Index assesses 25 countries with one kilogram or more of weapons-usable nuclear material as well as 151 others with less than one kilogram or no materials but could be used as safe havens.

The CBI is expected to submit a sealed status report to the Supreme Court on developments in the probe into alleged irregularities in coal blocks allocation between 1993 and 2009.
In the ongoing court-monitored probe, the agency has so far registered 16 regular cases accusing several private companies, their directors and unknown government servants of entering into a conspiracy by extending undue favours, cheating and misrepresenting facts to obtain coal blocks.
In most cases, the agency found that the companies had not even begun mining.
The A-G is learnt to have recommended to the government that coal blocks allocated to private companies post-2005 be cancelled, in case the requisite mining licences have been not issued to them.
While it might take a decision on allocations made from 2005, the CBI is probing suspected irregularities in 195 coal blocks allocated between 1993 and 2009.
The agency has instituted separate preliminary enquiries pertaining to the allocations made during 1993-2005 and 2006-2009.
Pursuant to a Supreme Court directive, it has also launched an inquiry into the missing coal block files.

American tennis star Venus Williams has been knocked out of the Australian Open tournament in the first round itself following a 2-6 6-4 6-4 defeat by Russian Ekaterina Makarova on the opening day of the first Grand Slam event of the year.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion has fueled speculation that her glittering career might be nearing its end following her third opening-round exit from her past six Grand Slam appearances, after losing in the first round just three times in her first 54 majors.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, 22nd seed Makarova survived a spirited start by Williams to win the game and will next face unseeded Italian Irina Falconi, who beat Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3 6-1.
In other first-round matches on day one, ninth seed Angelique Kerber of Germany beat Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova 6-3 0-6 6-2, Belgian 18th seed Kirsten Flipkens defeated Britain's Laura Robson 6-3 6-0 and unseeded Australian Casey Dellacqua accounted for Russia's Vera Zvonareva 6-2 6-2, the report added.

World No 3 David Ferrer got his Australian Open challenge off to an impressive start with a straight-sets win over Alejandro Gonzalez.
Ferrer needed just over two hours to see off the Colombian with a 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory.
The Spaniard, who lost to Novak Djokovic in 89 painful minutes in the semi-final 12 months ago, will now take on Adrian Mannarino in the second round.
Ferrer is joined in the next round by fellow top-10 ranked stars Stanislas Wawrinka, Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet
Berdych, the seventh seed, disposed of Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-3 6-4 6-3 in 110 minutes.
Wawrinka, seeded eighth, was in complete control as he led Andrey Golubev 6-4 4-1 on Hisense Arena when a calf injury force the Kazakh player to retire.
Ninth seed Gasquet put his injury doubts behind him as he edged out fellow Frenchmen David Guez 7-5 6-4 6-1.