Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 26 August 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 26 August 2021

::NATIONAL::

IBSA NSA meeting organized

National Security Adviser (NSA) AjitDoval hosted the inaugural meeting of the National Security Advisers of the India-Brazil-South Africa Trilateral Cooperative Forum (IBSA) grouping on Wednesday, as part of the preparatory process for the next IBSA Summit of Leaders scheduled for September this year.
During the inaugural meeting today, held virtually, discussions were held on maritime security, the fight against terrorism and transnational organised crime and cyber security.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release, the theme for India's Chairship under Prime Minister NarendraModi is “Democracy for Demography and Development”.
This was the first such gathering of National Security Advisers from IBSA countries, demonstrating the importance of closer cooperation among the three countries in confronting the world's growing political and security challenges.
India, Brazil and South Africa are three large developing countries located on three different continents bound by common values of democracy and pluralism.

::INTERNATIONAL::

What is Havana Syndrome?

The U.S. government is aiming to make 2021 the year it starts getting to the bottom of some unexplained mysteries. While, understandably, the Pentagon’s UFO report has drawn far more attention, in the past year the CIA has been escalating its efforts to determine why dozens of U.S. officials have experienced bizarre symptoms like headaches, pain or pressure in the head, vertigo, and vision problems.
Potential attacks have been reported by U.S. personnel stationed all over the world, and there are even concerns that one incident may have taken place near the White House. “I’m certainly persuaded that what our officers and some family members, as well as other U.S. government employees, have experienced is real, and it’s serious,” said CIA Director William Burns.
Below is everything we know about Havana syndrome, the U.S. intelligence probe into the phenomenon, and what’s being done to help the growing number of Americans who appear to have been targeted.
Symptoms of what became known as the Havana syndrome were first reported by CIA officials and State Department employees working at the American embassy in the Cuban capitol in late 2016. They described hearing harsh mechanical sounds and/or experiencing uncomfortable pressure, like the sensation of driving fast in a car with one window partially down. Some sufferers have said that when the symptoms first emerged, it felt like they were being hit with a beam of energy.
Vertigo, vision problems, and difficulty concentrating have also been reported. Hearing loss followed the auditory symptoms for some of the diplomats and agents, with some cases intense enough that employees were forced to end their tours early and return to the U.S. for study and outpatient treatment.

::ECONOMY::

Ohmium Launches India's First Green Hydrogen Electrolyzer Gigafactory

Moving in line with the green hydrogen roadmap that Prime Minister NarendraModi announced in his Independence Day speech this year, US-based renewable energy company Ohmium International, through its Indian subsidiary, started India’s first green hydrogen electrolyser manufacturing unit at Bengaluru on Tuesday.
"The company is already in talks with some state-run majors and private players keen on hydrogen projects for supply of electrolysers from our electrolysergigafactory in Karnataka," said PashupathyGopalan, an Ohmium Investor.
This comes at a time when industry majors like Reliance Industries, Adani Group, state-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), NTPC and Gail India have evinced interest in becoming part of India's green hydrogen roadmap.
While blue hydrogen is created from fossil sources, where the carbon emissions are captured and stored, green hydrogen is made from non-fossil sources. To produce green hydrogen through any process, electrolysis is required.
Electrolysis is the process used to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. An electrolyser is the system in which electrolysis is done, making it the most vital part in terms of making hydrogen economically viable.

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

Blue Origin to launch New Shepard spacecraft

Jeff Bezos’ space flight company Blue Origin is all set to launch its New Shepard (NS) spacecraft on Thursday from West Texas. The spacecraft will fly a NASA lunar landing technology demonstration on the exterior of the booster, and commercial and NASA-supported payloads inside the crew capsule, the company said in a statement.
“This will be the 4th flight for the New Shepard program this year and the 8th flight for this particular vehicle, which is dedicated to flying scientific and research payloads to space and back,” Blue Origin said in a statement on August 23.
The New Shepard spacecraft had flown Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, Wally Funk, and a fourth passenger to space in July. Till date, the spacecraft has flown more than 100 payloads to space across 11 flights. New Shepard is a 60-foot-tall and fully autonomous rocket-and-capsule combo that cannot be piloted from inside the spacecraft. The launch will be webcasted live on the company’s website.

::SPORTS::

Sporjo secures $2mn in Pre Series A funding and joins hands with Leander Paes

Founded in May last year by G Srinivvasan—a sports industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience—Sporjo is a one-stop destination for building a successful career in the Indian sports industry.
India’s fastest growing sports edtech startup Sporjo has announced its association with the Indian tennis great Leander Paes and also stated that the company has raised $2 million in a Pre Series A round led by a private investor PunitBalan of PunitBalan Group &PunitBalan Studios, in participation with other private investors.