Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 17 September 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 17 September 2021

::NATIONAL::

PM Modi included in Time's '100 Most Influential' list

Prime Minister NarendraModi, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the chief executive officer of the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune Adar Poonawalla were listed in the Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year, according to the list released by the magazine on Wednesday.
Among global leaders, US President Joe Biden, US Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Israel’s Naftali Bennett, Iranian President EbrahimRaisi were also listed among the 100 most influential people this year. Former US President Donald Trump and the Taliban government’s deputy PM Abdul GhaniBaradar of Afghanistan also were among the leaders.
PM Modi, who has found himself in the list a few times in previous years, was called one of the pivotal leaders of the country by the magazine. “Despite mishandling COVID-19—the death toll has been estimated to be much higher than the official count—his approval rating has slipped to a still sky-high 71%,” wrote FareedZakaria, of US news channel CNN, in the magazine.

::INTERNATIONAL::

6th Edition of SCO Peace Mission 2021 launched

Joint Counter Terrorism Exercise PEACEFUL MISSION is a Multilateral Exercise, which is conducted biennially as part of military diplomacy between Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states. The 6th edition of Exercise PEACEFUL MISSION is being hosted by Russia in the Orenburg Region of South West Russia from 13 to 25 September 2021. The aim of the exercise is to foster close relations between SCO member states and to enhance abilities of the military leaders to command multi-national military contingents.
The Indian military contingent comprising of an all arms combined force of 200 personnel to include 38 personnel from the Indian Air Force is participating in the Exercise PEACEFUL MISSION -2021. The Indian contingent was inducted to the exercise area by two IL-76 aircrafts. Prior to their departure, the contingent underwent training and preparation under the aegis of South Western Command.
The exercise will enable sharing of best practices between the Armed Forces of SCO nations. The exercise will also provide an opportunity to the Armed Forces of SCO Nations to train in Counter-Terrorism Operations in an urban scenario in a multinational and joint environment. The scope of the exercise includes professional interaction, mutual understanding of drills & procedures, establishment of joint command & control structures and elimination of terrorist threats.
Exercise PEACEFUL MISSION 2021 is a landmark event in military interactions and global cooperation to counter-terrorism.

::ECONOMY::

Indian economy to grow at 7.2% in 2021: UNCTAD

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has pegged India's economic growth rate to hit a four-year high of 7.2 per cent for 2021 against a contraction of 7 per cent in 2020.
At this rate, India would be the fastest growing economy after China, which is projected to grow by 8.3 per cent. Calculations are based on GDP at constant dollars in 2015.
In its Trade and Development report released on Wednesday, UNCTAD projected India's economy to outpace all other major economies in the next year even though the growth would be slower, at 6.7 per cent, than this year's projected figure.
The report said India's economy, which shrank by seven per cent in 2020, showed strong growth of 1.9 per cent in the first quarter of Calendar 2021, on the back of the momentum of the second half of 2020 and supported by government spending in goods and services.
"Meanwhile, a severe and broadly unanticipated second wave of the pandemic, compounded by bottlenecks in the vaccine roll-out, hit the country in the second quarter, on top of rising food and general price inflation, forcing widespread lockdowns and drastic consumption and investment adjustments," the UN body said.

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

Future risk of ALS linked to blood lipoprotein levels

The findings of a large epidemiology study published recently suggests that some blood lipid biomarkers linked to cardiovascular disease risk are also associated with a lower risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The study was published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
ALS is the commonest form of motor neuron disease - a progressive nervous system disease that destroys nerve cells responsible for voluntary movement such as walking and talking.
Single gene factors drive only a minority of cases of ALS, and in the remainder, the causes of the condition are not well understood. Lower weight, higher levels of strenuous physical activity levels, and relatively good cardiovascular health have been shown by some studies to be risk factors for ALS, but the relationships are complex and the evidence inconsistent.
Researchers are keen to identify biomarkers linked to ALS, which could ultimately lead to much earlier diagnosis, potentially before symptoms appear, and the hope of preventative treatments.

::SPORTS::

Paralympic silver medallist and IAS officer SuhasYathiraj says academic and sporting excellence achievable

SuhasYathiraj lives by the philosophy of 'sports help you conquer your own self'. And he lived by his own words by clinching a silver medal in Badminton at the Tokyo Paralympics. Significantly, his achievement also helped break a common stereotype in India that does not equate sporting excellence with academics.
Yathiraj is an officer in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), having achieved success in one of the toughest examinations in the country at the very first attempt. In fact, candidates often sacrifice years in pursuit of excellence in the Civil Service examinations and attempt it multiple times.
Yathiraj graduated in computer engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Karnataka in 2004. The bright Yathiraj went on to clear the Civil Services examination in 2006 and then began his career as an IAS officer in 2007.