Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 07 October 2015

:: National ::

A first-ever comprehensive scientific analysis of the US climate action plan
The threat of climate change is real and we can already see the impacts of extreme weather events in the sub-continent and beyond.
There is no question that all countries must take on decisive steps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, in the interests of all.
Many countries, including India, have now submitted their Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to the climate secretariat.
The US plan of action on climate was welcomed by all, given that it signals change in its stance on climate change. What the world needs is real change, not words.
The question is, how robust is the US climate action plan? Will it bring real reduction in emissions and if so, how much? Is it ambitious? Equitable? Sufficient? These are critical questions as real and measurable change in the US will provide confidence to the rest to act.
It is for this reason, we at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) decided to do a detailed and factual assessment of the US climate action plan.
Our findings are explosive and worrying. Our challenge is that US climate change action is nothing but business as usual.
We invite you to a press conference to share this new analysis. A study that has long-term and significant implications for the way we prepare ourselves to meet the climate change challenge.

The Reserve Bank of India notified on Tuesday that foreign portfolio investors (FPI) will be able to hold up to Rs 1.66 lakh crore worth of government securities from October 12 onwards, an increase of Rs 13,000 crore from the current limit of Rs 1.53 lakh crore.
This will be further increased to a limit of R1.79 lakh crore by January 1, the central bank said.
FPIs have also been permitted to invest in state development loans (SDL), which will be increased in phases to
2% of the outstanding stock by March 2018. This would amount to an additional limit of about Rs 50,000 crore.
From January onwards, FPIs can invest upto Rs 7,000 crore into SDLs.
Over the next two-and- a half years, FPI investment limits into government bonds and SDLs will be close to double the current figure of $30 billion allowed in government bonds, given that the RBI has said it would increase the limits in phases and has allowed investors to buy SDLs.
Each tranche would entail an increase in limits by around Rs 13,000 crore for central government securities, of which Rs 7,500 crore will be for long-term investors and Rs 5,500 crore for others.

Canadian Arthur McDonald, who shared the Nobel Physics Prize with Takaaki Kajita of Japan, said today he hoped their work on neutrinos could pave the way to nuclear fusion power.
Neutrinos are subatomic particles created as the result of nuclear reactions, such as the process that makes the Sun shine.
The prevailing theory was long that neutrinos had no mass, but work carried out separately in underground labs by teams led by Kajita in Japan and McDonald in Canada showed that this was not the case.
Speaking on Canada's public broadcaster CBC, McDonald said his work on the particles could be used for "measuring the fusion reactions that power the Sun."
In contrast to nuclear fission, nuclear fusion holds out promise of a cheap, plentiful and safe form of power.
Understanding how fusion works in the Sun would help efforts to replicate the process -- on an infinitely smaller scale -- on Earth.
At age 72, Arthur McDonald said winning the Nobel Prize brought him back many years.

Having slumped to an embarrassing T20 series defeat against South Africa, limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that "one bad performance per year" serves him a timely reminder that one should not use "too much brain" in shortest format.
"On and off, we have seen performances like these in T20s. Every year, we at least have one performance, where we are not up to the mark.
Maybe this is the performance and we will play freely in the next games," Dhoni told mediapersons after losing the second T20 international by sic wickets.
Although spoken in a lighter vein, Dhoni did say that not playing freely and over-thinking can complicate matters in T20 cricket.. AFP
Dhoni also backed his spinners as Ravichandran Ashwin was once again a revelation taking 3/24 despite defending a paltry 93. "If you see spinners have been our strength. I don't think there was a lot of assistance for them but they have got the experience to use the bounce and during times when the wicket is keeping low.