Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam

22 April, 2014

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

• Mr Garcia Marquez, widely considered one of the greatest Spanish-language authors of all time was eulogized in the dramatic art deco lobby by the presidents of both Mexico and Colombia, two countries linked by the writer through his birth, life, heritage and career.

• ‘He will live on in his books and writings. But more than anything he will live forever in the hopes of humanity’ according to his admirers.

• Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said the death was ‘a great loss not only for literature but for humanity. Various generations found answers to the questions of life in his stories and tales.’

• At the end, attendees tossed up a flurry of yellow paper butterflies, one of Garcia Marquez's most famous literary images from One Hundred Years of Solitude, and his favorite color.

ND Tiwari : the biological father of Rohit Shekhar

• After a six-year legal battle, the Delhi High Court today declared veteran Congress leader ND Tiwari as the biological father of Rohit Shekhar.

• Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw also injuncted Mr Tiwari from denying in public that Mr Shekhar is not his natural born son.

• The court passed the order after taking into account newspaper reports in which Mr Tiwari had admitted that Mr Shekhar is his natural born son.

• Rohit Shekhar, in 2008, had filed the paternity suit, claiming the veteran Congress leader and 67-year-old Ujjwala Sharma were his biological parents.

• Earlier, the court had rejected the plea of Mr Tiwari that he be allowed to "explore" the possibilities of an "amicable" out-of-court settlement of the 2008 paternity suit, saying that the other parties were not agreeing to the proposal.

• However, the counsel for Mr Tiwari had reiterated that he was still willing to go for mediation.

• The court had also closed the right of Mr Tiwari to lead evidence as he failed to appear and testify in the case.

• The court had on July 27, 2012 read out that the DNA report in the case according to which Mr Tiwari was shown as Rohit's biological father.

• Mr Tiwari had given blood sample for the DNA test on May 29 last year at his residence in Dehradun following the apex court's order in the case, after repeatedly contesting against undergoing the test on various grounds.

Happy Earth Day doodle

• Google is celebrating Earth Day”(April 22), which is marked to raise awareness for our planet's environment, through animated doodles featuring six creatures from the animal planet.
• Earth Day was first held in 1970 and is now observed in over 192 countries each year, with activities being coordinated by the nonprofit Earth Day Network which is chaired by the first Earth Day coordinator Denis Hayes.

These are a few facts about these animals:

• The Rufous Hummingbird, which is the first to appear, is beautifully incorporated in the doodle. A couple of blooming flowers become the Os of Google as the Rufous hummingbird, which is known to attack flowers relentlessly, flaps its wings at the speed of light while devouring the nectar.
• The Rufous Hummingbird makes one of the longest migratory journeys of any bird in the world, as measured by body size.

• Next is a pair of sleeping Japanese Macaques sticking to each other for warmth in the falling snow as they make the Os of Google. They are also knowns as "snow monkeys" and inhabit three out of four main islands of     Japan.

• Then there is the bloated, rotating puffer fish which is known for its ability transform and enlarge its body in a split of a second. It also makes one of the Os of Google.
• The puffer fish is one of the most poisonous creatures on Earth and is considered a major delicacy in Japan. When prepared correctly, the flesh of the fish gives a tingling sensation on the tongue because of a non-lethal dose of tetrodotoxin which is a potent neurotoxin and has no antidote.
• However, anyone eating a badly made dish of puffer fish could completely be paralysed and die.

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