Current Affairs : International : July 31 – August 5, 2009
July 29, 2009: China’s Views on Co2 Emmissions
July 31, 2009: U.S. signs U.N. disabilities Pact
July 31, 2009: Nigerian Islamic sect leader Mohammed Yusuf killed in Police detention
August 1, 2009: Russia Opens a plant in Tajikistan
August 5, 2009: Pak bans 25 organisations, including JuD and LeT
China says that rich nations must agree to large, measurable cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions, if the world is to set a framework to tackle global warming at U.N.-led talks in December.
Who said this ?
Xie Zhenhua, a deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission who steers climate change policy. He said this after the United States and China signed a deal during recent visit of Hilary Clinton to China. The deal promises more cooperation on climate change, energy and the environment without setting firm goals.
Notes:
- China is the world’s biggest annual emitter of greenhouse gasses but on a per capita basis and over the course of history it is far outpaced by western nations that have smaller populations and have had decades of emissions intensive growth. (India and China have more or less similar conditions).
- China & United States are worl’d top two biggest Co2 emittors accounting for 42 % of world’s emissions.
- What will happen in Copenhagen?
Nations will gather in Copenhagen in December to work out a new agreement on reducing emissions to succeed the current Kyoto Protocol, whose first phase ends in 2012. This is scheduled to be held in December. Before that there is a UN summit in September to give momentum to the things.
July 31, 2009: U.S. signs U.N. disabilities Pact
The United States has signed a U.N. convention on Thursday which aims to ensure equal rights for the world’s 650 million disabled people.
Some Points:
- This pact is a 32-page U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities outlaws all forms of discrimination at work on the basis of disability, including in hiring, promotion and working conditions.
- It requires equal pay for work of equal value.
- Earlier Bush administration refused to endorse this pact.
- This is the first human rights treaty of the 21st century.
- U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice inked the pact.
- The pact joins United states with other 141 countries that have signed the convention.
July 31, 2009: Nigerian Islamic sect leader Mohammed Yusuf killed in Police detention
Mohammed Yusuf, the leader of a radical Islamic sect in northern Nigeria was killed in police detention after he was captured by the security forces.
Who was Yusuf?
He was a militant preacher in Nigeria and his sect was Boko Haram. This sect wants a wider adoption of Sharia (Islamic law) across Nigeria.
Violence erupted after his death and more than 200 people died.
Note : Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation.
August 1, Russia Opens a plant in Tajikistan
Russia has opened a large hydroelectric plant in Tajikistan. It is a $720 million power plant due to account for 12 percent of Tajikistan’s electricity output. The name of the plant is Sangtuda -1.
Why Russia Opened this Plant?
The idea behind opening this plant by Russia is to push to counter growing U.S. clout in ex-Soviet Central Asia. This will help Russia to boost its position in the strategic Central Asian Country. The United states is taking steps to forge closer ties with ex-soviet republics. Tajikistan is strategically important for United States because of its role as a transit nation for U.S. troops fighting the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Capital of Tajikistan Dushanbe. There was a blast on the eve of Russian President President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Tajikistan.
August 5, 2009: Pak bans 25 organisations, including JuD and LeT
The Pakistan government has banned 25 religious and other organisations. Thease include Jamaat-ud-Dawah, the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashker-e-Tayiba. The interior ministry of pakistan presented a list of the banned organisations in the National Assembly.
The organizatios are JuD, LeT, JeM, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan,Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muahammadi, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Al-Akhtar Trust, Al-Rasheed Trust, Tehreek-e-Islami, Islamic Students Movement, Khair-un-Nisa International Trust, Islami Tehreek-e-Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Islam, Balochistan Liberation Army, Jamiat-un-Nisar, Khadam Islam and Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan.
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Month: Current Affairs - August, 2009
Anonymous
September 23, 2009 at 10:47 pmCan u pls provide in brief the objectives/goals of Montreal protocol,Kyoto protocol and the acheivements untill now.