ISSUE 08 27th March – 2nd April 2011

CURRENT AFFAIRS 2011

1. Lights went off around the world as landmark buildings and ordinary homes flipped their switches while
the annual 'Earth Hour' circled the planet in what was dubbed as the world's largest voluntary action for
the environment. Sydney's Opera House, Beijing's 'Bird's Nest' Stadium and New York’s Times Square
were among some of the global landmarks to switch off their illuminations in an attempt to enhance
___________ of energy use and ___________ ___________. Since its ___________ in 2007, ‘Earth
Hour’ has sought not only to conserve power and preserve the environment, but also to signal to the
masses that small actions can amount to considerable change when people rally together to support a
common cause.

Link/Compare/Contrast this with:

• Other environmental conservation efforts, such as movements to reduce carbon footprints, the use
of environmentally friendly vehicles which reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, etc.
• The effectiveness of various environmental conservation efforts.
• The use of nuclear energy to alleviate the depleting sources of energy in the world.

2. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani watched the
India-Pakistan semi-final of the ___________ World Cup together, with the match serving as an
opportunity to improve ___________ ties, demonstrating the potential of sport to ease political tensions.
Issues up for discussion include counter-terrorism, the 2008 Mumbai attacks – carried out by extremists
who travelled from Pakistan, and which left 166 dead – as well as the problematic subject of
___________, which is jointly administered by both countries. It is heartening to see their love for cricket
uniting them in the face of political diplomacy, especially as the international community had been pushing
both countries to the negotiating table to help ease tensions in an already volatile region.

Link/Compare/Contrast this with:

• Other sporting events that invoked political interest, such as the ‘Reunification’ football match
between North and South Korea on 7 Sep 2002, the 1976 boycott of the Olympics to protest
against South Africa’s apartheid policies, the 1968 Olympics Black Power Salute, etc.
• Other border conflicts involving the Gaza Strip that separates Egypt and Israel, the North-South
Korea border, the Iran-Iraq border, etc.

3. The global use of the death penalty continues to drop even though China, Iran, North Korea, Yemen, the
United States and Saudi Arabia still execute thousands of people each year, according to reports from
Amnesty International. Following on from 2009, when Mongolia declared a ___________ on the death
penalty and Gabon became the 16th African Union member country to ___________ the practice, official
global executions – excluding ___________, which keeps its figures secret – have fallen from at least 714
in 2009 to at least 527 in 2010. Despite this decline, a number of countries continue to use ___________
punishment beyond the most serious of crimes, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, where it is
frequently used for drug offences or adultery cases.

Link/Compare/Contrast this with:

• Human rights movements which advocate that the death penalty violates Sections 3 and 5 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• The arrest of Alan Shadrake, whose book Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock
on the death penalty in Singapore was deemed to impugn Singapore's judiciary system.

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ISSUE 08 27th March – 2nd April 2011

4. In a report by the United Nations, countries that face the 'least developed' condition has generated less
development compared to other countries, and will continue to do so unless their basic problems are
tackled. This is despite most of the countries concerned registering some ___________ growth. A total of
48 nations, with more than two-thirds of them in Africa, are classified by the United Nations as Least
Developed Countries (LDCs). This classification is based on several criteria including per capita gross
national income of less than S$1,142. The UN report blamed the widening poverty gap between LDCs
and other countries on poor ___________, health and nutrition, limited ___________, dependence on
fragile ___________ sectors and a limited range of exports.

Link/ Contrast/ Compare this with:

• Implications of having developed countries provide aid to least developed countries.
• Evaluate the efforts of organisations that combat global poverty.
• Impact of globalisation on the widening poverty gap.

5. The “Fukushima 50” have been ___________ as heroes for risking their lives to contain the spiking
radiation levels at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Dubbed the “Fukushima 50” because they work in
50-person shifts, these 700 or so employees, who have volunteered to remain at the plant, continue to toil
in ___________ living conditions. Already, at least 17 have been exposed to high levels of radiation ever
since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out power at the plant. Yet, their sense of duty
remains a source of ___________ to those fighting the crisis in Japan, as well as others around the world.

Link/ Contrast/ Compare this with:

• Other instances of heroic acts in the face of natural disasters
• Implications of their heroic acts on values, morals and principles that are lacking in mankind today

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ISSUE 08 27th March – 2nd April 2011

6. Making use of the clue given, source for the picture which you think best fits the clue and insert the picture
in the box below. The picture is to be accompanied by a short write-up explaining the significance of the
event and/or person.
The clue for this week’s issue is:
Two mushrooms that once grew and have never grown again since.

-Insert picture here-

Write-Up

Source of picture:

Brief background information of incident/person:

The significance behind this incident/person and the issue(s) raised: