Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam - 30 December, 2013

Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam

The Communist Party of China (CPC) finds itself in an awkward position as it goes forward after commemorating the 120th birth anniversary of the most important of its founding fathers.
A year ago, the CPC’s propaganda chiefs decreed that Mao Zedong’s 120th birth anniversary, which fell on December 26, would be celebrated with fanfare, aimed at underlining the Great Helmsman’s lasting contributions in founding a new China and, at the same time, boosting the party’s legitimacy at a time when it is struggling to renew its ideological appeal.
But in the weeks leading up to the anniversary, the party appeared to have had a change of heart. First, the official broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), said it would cancel a long-planned 100-episode television series about the life of Mao, scheduled to coincide with his birth anniversary. Then, the CPC’s new leader, President Xi Jinping, on a visit to Mao’s native Hunan province told provincial officials any planned celebrations needed to be “pragmatic.”
What is clear is that Mao’s legacy continues to be a divisive issue in China. For those on the conservative Left, Mao’s political authoritarianism is often framed as a platform to oppose economic and political reforms, which they view as a fundamental threat to the party’s future.
Those on the liberal Right, who favour market reforms and political loosening, see his persisting political legacy as an obstacle.

As 2013 draws to a close, the outlook on globalisation and sustainability suggests a tentative balance between two alternative futures: one of intensifying zero-sum competition — a scenario that would be disastrous for the world’s poor — and one of increasing co-operation in a revitalised, rules-based order.
Globalisation, the engine of emerging economies’ growth over the past 15 years, appears to be entering a period of increased stress.
Having previously outstripped GDP growth for 30 years, trade has expanded more slowly since 2011.
About 1,500 “stealth protectionist measures” have been introduced by G20 members since 2008, when they promised to eschew such practices. And amid stagnant wages, high unemployment, and anaemic growth, support for globalisation is waning in advanced economies.
Meanwhile, the world remains way off track for sustainability.
Global greenhouse gas emissions are now 46 per cent higher than they were in 1990, and the International Energy Agency estimates that existing policies will result in long-term warming of between 3.6°C (38.5°F) and 5.3°C — well into the zone where catastrophic climate tipping points could be triggered, potentially wiping out progress made on poverty reduction over the past 15 years.

A top Iranian nuclear negotiator expressed hope on Sunday that a deal with world powers could be implemented within a month, but said technical talks on the matter are proceeding slowly, Mehr news agency reported.
The deal, signed in November, saw Iran suspend parts of its contested nuclear programme for six months in return for limited sanctions relief while a longer term agreement is hammered out.
“If expert-level talks are fruitful, a date will be decided which I guess will be at the end of January” for the deal to be implemented by, said Abbas Araqchi, a Deputy Foreign Minister, in comments run by Mehr.
His remarks came on the eve of the third round of technical talks between Iranian representatives and the so-called P5+1 group of world powers — the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany.
The talks are aimed at setting a framework to implement the nuclear deal clinched in Geneva on November 24, which seeks to buy time to thrash out a diplomatic solution to a decade-long standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Let us begin to view the law as not an ‘end’ in itself, but as a mere spoke in the wider societal wheel, a spoke requiring constant re-evaluation and recalibration
Edging closer to the New Year, India seems to be flitting from one scandal to another. Indeed, the last two months have been particularly boisterous in terms of the controversies courted.
First, there was Justice Ganguly and a devastating blog post by a law intern.
Then came the “lacerating” Tarun Tejpal.
Followed soon by the Supreme Court’s abominable criminalisation of homosexuality.
The Devyani Khobragade scandal had most of the nation up in arms against an apparently Janusian superpower.
As one navigates these issues, one cannot help but recall the Bard’s sagacious sentiment in Macbeth : “Fair is foul. And foul is fair.”
Indeed, what is fair to some is foul to the others. And therein lies the issue.
More problematically, however, our notions of fairness appear to be predicated solely on the law, with commentators arguing endlessly about whether there was any “legal” violation or not.
Few people have dug deeper into the underlying socio-cultural malaise that triggers such issues in the first place.
Fewer still have resisted the black versus white frame and moved beyond to explore the fuzzier shades of grey.

South Africa led the way one step at a time, seamlessly blending morning’s consolidation with afternoon’s urgency.
India played the secondary-role, offering the defensive counter-point, muffling the blows while trying to stop the host’s bid to gain a victory in Jacques Kallis’ last match.
At a venue where it suffered four defeats over the last five years, South Africa secured the match and then enhanced its chances of winning a contest that is often losing time to dark clouds moving in from the Indian Ocean.
At close on the fourth day of the second Test here at the Kingsmead Stadium, India scored 68 for two in its second innings after South Africa posted 500 and gained a 166-run first-innings lead. The host is now ahead by 98 runs.