Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 01 February 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

::NATIONAL::

The Central government on Monday issued orders to withhold nearly 250 URLs, including Twitter accounts and posts, that were running the hashtag #Modiplanningfarmergenocide, people familiar with the matter.
The withheld accounts include farmers collective KisanEktaMorcha, news outfit Caravan India, actor Sushant, Prasad Bharti CEO ShashiShekhar, activist HansrajMeena and former LokSabha MP and CPI(M) leader Mohammed Salim.
Officials familiar with the matter said that the blocking of ShashiShekhar was likely a mistake, as he was the one who drew the government’s attention to the issue.
The official added that the government had to step in to prevent any incitement to violence. “MHA’s agencies looked into the matter and conveyed that the situation had the potential to spiral,” said the official. “The accounts were tweeting about an impending farmer genocide. The government can’t allow anyone to incite violence.”

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his American counterpart Tony Blinken have spoken over phone during which the two leaders reaffirmed the growing bilateral partnership.
They discussed issues of mutual concern, including COVID-19 vaccination efforts, regional developments and next steps in expanding bilateral ties, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on Friday.
It was Blinkens first telephonic conversation with Jaishankar after he assumed the charge of the top American diplomat early this week.
Blinken underscored Indias role as a preeminent US partner in the Indo-Pacific and the importance of working together to expand the regional cooperation, including through the Quad, Price said.
Both agreed to coordinate closely on global developments and look forward to meeting in person at the earliest opportunity, Price said in a readout of the call, which was the first communication between them after January 20 when Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.
I was delighted to speak today with my good friend @DrSJaishankar to discuss U.S.-India priorities. We reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-India relationship and discussed ways we can better seize new opportunities and combat shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, the Secretary of State said on Twitter.

The government has decided to include 14 new minor forest produce items under the mechanism for marketing of minor forest produce through a minimum support price scheme to provide remunerative and fair prices to tribal gatherers of forest produces.
Newly included items are Tasar Cocoon, elephant apple dry, bamboo shoot, malkangani seed and wild dry mushroom among others.
The Central government had introduced a minimum support price for a selected list of minor produce items through mechanism for marketing of Minor Forest Produce through Minimum Support price and development of Value Chain of MFP Scheme in 2011.
It aims to provide a social safety net to these underprivileged forest dwellers, and to aid in their empowerment.

Following months of interdisciplinary research assessing tens of thousands of lung cells infected with the novel coronavirus, scientists have created one of the most comprehensive maps to date of the molecular activities that are triggered inside these cells at the onset of the viral infection, an advance that may lead to the development of new drugs to combat Covid-19.
From their analysis, the scientists, including those from Boston University in the US, discovered close to 18 existing drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that could potentially be repurposed to combat Covid-19 soon after a person becomes infected.
They said five of these drugs could reduce the spread of the coronavirus in human lung cells by more than 90 per cent.
In the research, published in the journal Molecular Cell, the scientists simultaneously infected tens of thousands of lab-grown human lung cells with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and tracked what happens in these cells during the moments after infection.

India's SumitNagal began his 2021 season with an opening round defeat at the Murray River Open, losing in straight sets to RicardasBerankis, in the run up to the Australian Open.
Nagal, who does not give up easily, suffered a rather tame 2-6 2-6 defeat in the USD 320775 ATP250 event.
The Indian, ranked 139 in the ATP singles chart could convert none of the two break chances he earned while dropped his serve four times in the match against the world number 72 from Lithuania.
It is first competitive event for all the players who have assembled in Melbourne for season's first Grand Slam and have completed quarantine.