BASIC countries to meet on January 24

CAG Weekly
(Current Affairs & GK)
By Om Prakash (goldy sir) 

Others

BASIC countries to meet on January 24

• The group of four emerging economies – Brazil, South Africa, India and China – that played a major role in arriving at the Copenhagen Accord – will meet new delhi on January 24 to discuss issues before endorsing the agreement on climate change arrived at in the Danish Capital last month.
• The ministerial level meeting is likely to draft a collective response to a communication from the United Nations Secretary-General asking these countries to work quickly and diligently to get all other Parties of the conference to sign the Accord by January 31.
• Things have picked up pace following a clarification from the U.N. office that the Accord was a political document and could not be considered a legally binding document though those who agree to it would be bound by the commitments they have announced nationally or at the just concluded climate change meet.
• The Copenhagen Accord is being touted as an essential first step in a process leading to a robust international climate change treaty by the UNFCCC.
• China and South Africa have already confirmed their participation for the January 24 meeting while Brazil has also assured of its presence. The meeting will also take stock of the Copenhagen Accord and devise a strategy for the Bonn Ministerial meeting in May.
• Meanwhile, the U.N. Secretary-General was also considering setting up a panel to work on how the start-up financing would be organised so as to ensure the developed countries actually start putting up the $ 30 billion they have promised.

Coral reefs give birth to rich sea life

• Coral reefs give birth to a dazzling number of new species of sea creatures, according to a study that highlights their critical role in marine ecosystems.
• Scientists have found that the reefs not only harbour amazing biodiversity, but are actively involved in the generation of new life forms.
• The study overturns conventional thinking that much of the sea life in coral reefs originated elsewhere.
• Wolfgang Kiessling of the Humboldt University of Berlin, who led the study, said: "We found that coral reefs are very active at generating biodiversity in the oceans, and that they export biodiversity to other ecosystems. This was a surprise because many people had assumed that reefs were ecological attracters — that species go there from other places."

Pause in global warming

• A new study by Prof. Mojib Latif claims that the cyclical changes in ocean currents known as North Atlantic Oscillation could dominate over man-made global warming for the next few decades.
• Latif said the world could be in for a spell of cooler temperatures, rather than hotter conditions, for the next 20 or 30 years as a result of changes in the Arctic conditions which have brought many countries to a standstill over the past week.

1966 Indian Davis Cup team felicitated

• the Davis Cup team of 1966, which was the first Indian team to reach the final of the event, was felicitated in a court-side ceremony.
• Ramanathan Krishnan, Jaideep Mukerjea, S.P. Misra and Ajit Lall (brother of the late Premjit Lall) later engaged in a free-wheeling discussion about their memories of the 1966 Davis Cup season, the changes that the sport has undergone since their run, and the prospects of the current team in the World Group encounter against Russia.

Sriram Jha gets FIDE nod

• The World Chess Federation (FIDE) gave "conditional" clearance to Sriram Jha's Grandmaster title application.
• In its Presidential Board meeting at Bursa, Turkey, the FIDE conferred the title on Jha on the condition the player crosses the stipulated 2500-rating mark. Jha, armed with three GM norms and rated at 2511, becomes the 21st GM in the country.
• The FIDE also cleared IM applications of Debashis Das (rated 2400), Sahaj Grover (2448) and Swapnil Dhopade (2429). Rahul Sangma (2387), conditionally cleared by FIDE, will become an International Master once he touches the 2400-mark.

Courtesy:- Dialogue India and Career Plus