Daily Current Affairs

A joint statement by the countries said that they have agreed on further specific actions to reduce emissions. It said that the United States and China are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands. The statement said that both nations will continue to discuss concrete actions to reduce emissions aimed at keeping the Paris Agreement-aligned temperature limit within reach.

Both the countries also agreed to help developing countries finance a switch to low-carbon energy. China and the US are the world’s top carbon polluters, emitting nearly half of the fossil fuel fumes that are warming the earth’s atmosphere.

US President Joe Biden will be holding a virtual climate summit on April 22 and 23, which China says it is looking forward to. It’s not clear yet whether Chinese President Xi Jinping will join the world leaders at the summit or not.

After 10 years of war, the Syrian government now controls most of the big population centres in the country. About four lakh people have been killed and over half of Syrians have been displaced in the country due to civil war.

Syrian parliament has said that the country will vote in the presidential election next month on 26th May. The move is likely to maintain President Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power. Assad is not expected to face serious opposition despite ongoing conflicts and economic crises.

Speaker of the People’s Council of Syria Hammouda Sabbagh said that Syrians abroad will be able to vote at embassies on 20th May  while nominations start tomorrow. In Syria, an elected president gets a seven-year term to serve

Punjab State reiterated the commitment of the State to achieve ‘Har Ghar Jal’ target by 2022 as planned. Punjab has 34.73 lakh rural household, out of which 25.88 lakh (74.5%) have tap water supply. In 2021-22, the State plans to provide 8.87 lakh tap connections, thereby providing tap connection to every rural household. Punjab has 1,634 habitations, which are Arsenic, Fluoride and other contamination affected. Out of these 558 habitations have been covered by the State, while for the remaining habitations, as a short-term measure, the State will provide potable water in all the quality-affected habitations.

World championships silver medallist Deepak Punia had to settle for silver medal in the Asian wrestling championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan yesterday. Deepak, who has already secured a place in Olympics, lost 10-0 in two minutes 53 seconds to the world champion Hassan Yazdani in the 86kg freestyle final.

Sanjeet bagged bronze for India in the 92 kg category. He lost to Uzbekistan’s Rustam Shodiev 8-11. India thus ended the Asian Championships with seven medals in the men’s freestyle event and an overall tally of five gold, three silver and six bronze medals.

India’s Mirabai Chanu set a new World Record in the women’s 49kg Clean and Jerk with an impressive 119 kg lift at Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent yesterday. The 26-year-old lifted 86kg in snatch and a world record of 119kg in clean and jerk for a total of 205kg which also won her the bronze medal at the event. NASA’s Mars helicopter makes history with successful flight on the Red Planet. As per the U.S. space agency NASA, the miniature robot helicopter Ingenuity performed a successful take off and landing on Mars early today. This is the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft over the surface of another planet.

Mission managers at NASA’s burst into applause and cheers as data beamed back from Mars confirmed that the 4-pound (1.8-kg) twin-rotor helicopter had performed its maiden 40-second flight as planned .

The robot rotorcraft was programmed to ascend 10 feet (3 meters) straight up, then hover and rotate in place over the Martian surface for half a minute before settling back down on its four legs. Officials said data returned from Mars showed that this had in fact occurred