Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 11 September 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 11 September 2021

::NATIONAL::

Ban on festivals, political, religious gatherings to continue till October 31 in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu government extended its ban on religious gatherings in the state until October 31, as part of its efforts to prevent a third wave of Covid-19 infections in the state. Chief minister MK Stalin announced the extension of the ban, which has been imposed on top of the existing Covid-19 restrictions in the state until September 15.
In its order, the TN government expressed concerns that such events (festivals, political, social and cultural gatherings) could become potential super spreaders of Covid-19. The high caseload in neighbouring Kerala and the advent of Nipah virus have also been factored in making the decision, the order showed. The state referred to a report by the Union ministry of home affairs which had warned that a third wave is highly possible during the months of September and October.
The order assumes significance as the Ganesh Chaturthi festival is set to be celebrated on September 10. While the DMK government has banned public installation of idols and celebrations across the state, K Annamalai, leader of the state’s BJP unit, has said that the party would celebrate the festival by placing deities outside the gates of 100,000 homes. He also called upon the people to do the same.
However, for celebrating the birthdays and the death anniversaries of national/state leaders, district heads have been allowed to garland their icons and a maximum of five people from the families of such leaders and five more from the political fraternity have been allowed, conditional to a pre-approved permission by the district administration. No let up would be allowed in following Covid appropriate behaviours such as using masks and maintaining social distance.

::INTERNATIONAL::

PM Narendra Modi chaired the 13th BRICS summit

The situation in Afghanistan is likely to be among key global and regional issues which are taken up for discussion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday host the 13th summit of the BRICS bloc which, besides India, comprises Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa. Just like last year’s event, the current edition, too, will take place virtually due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, making it the second straight BRICS meeting to be held via videoconferencing.
The theme for this year’s programme is “BRICS@15: Intra BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus.” India’s chairmanship of this year’s summit coincides with the 15th anniversary of the grouping which initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa became a member in 2010.
This year's summit comes amid the prevailing situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban seized power last month. The situation in the war-torn nation is, therefore, likely to be among key global and regional issues which are taken up for discussion. “Leaders are likely to underscore the priority of fighting terrorism, including preventing attempts by terror groups to use Afghanistan as sanctuary to carry out attacks against other countries. The participating countries are also likely to emphasise the need to address the humanitarian situation and to uphold human rights, including those of women, children and minorities,” officials told news agency ANI.
India has highlighted four priority areas for its presidency of BRICS: reform of the multilateral system, counter-terrorism cooperation, using digital and technological tools to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and enhancing people-to-people exchanges.

::ECONOMY::

ADB approves $112 million loan to improve water supply in Jharkhand

Asian Development Bank and India have signed two separate loans totalling $412 million for projects in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. For Maharashtra, the lender signed an additional loan of $300 million to scale up rural connectivity. ADB and the government signed another loan of $112 million for development of water supply infrastructure in Jharkhand.
The additional financing of $300 million for the ongoing Maharashtra Rural Connectivity Improvement Project will help to improve an additional 1,100 rural roads and 230 bridges for a total length of 2,900 kilometers (km) in 34 districts of the state. The lender had approved $200 million in financing in August 2019.
“With the additional financing, the overall project will improve the condition and safety of 5,000 km of rural roads and over 200 bridges connecting rural communities with productive agricultural areas and socioeconomic centres in Maharashtra,” said Department of Economic Affairs Additional Secretary Rajat Kumar Mishra who signed the loan along with ADB Country Director for India Takeo Konishi.
The project is expected to generate around 3.1 million person-days of employment for local communities, out of which at least 25 per cent is for women.

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

China successfully launched new earth observation satellite "Gaofen-5 02"

China launched the Gaofen 5 (02) hyperspectral Earth observation satellite on Tuesday as the country races towards carrying out 40 missions in 2021.
A Long March 4C rocket lifted off from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 11:01 p.m. EDT Sept. 6 (0301 GMT or 11:01 a.m. local time Sept. 7). Insulation tiles can be seen falling from the payload fairing and uppermost stage as the rocket climbs from the launch pad.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), announced the success of the launch once the satellite had entered its planned orbit. U.S. space tracking reported the satellite to be in a roughly 426 mile (685 kilometers) altitude orbit inclined by 98 degrees.
This so-called sun-synchronous orbit means the satellite will pass the same point on Earth at the same local time each day. Gaofen 5 (02) — the second of two identical Gaofen 5 satellites — was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), one of the major arms of CASC. The satellite is based on a SAST3000 platform and carries seven instruments for hyperspectral monitoring of the atmosphere, water and land.
Hyperspectral imaging means the satellite will monitor hundreds of very narrow channels of light, from ultraviolet to long-wave infrared, allowing the satellite to produce images indicating the chemical-physical composition of objects in the image.
The new satellite will join other optical and radar remote sensing satellites in the Gaofen series which together form the China High-resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS). The first CHEOS satellite, Gaofen 1, was launched in 2013. Little is known about newer, higher numbered Gaofen satellites like Gaofen 11, which may have very high-resolution optical imagers.

::SPORTS::

Fifth and final Test between India, England at Old Trafford, Manchester canceled due to COVID-19 fears

England’s fifth and final Test against India, due to start in Manchester at 8pm AEST on Friday night, has been cancelled at the last minute over fears of a Covid-19 outbreak.
It follows four Covid-19 cases among India support staff this week, with multiple reports stating India’s players were unwilling to play until the results of another round of Covid-19 tests were received.
An England Cricket Board statement read: “Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI, the ECB can confirm that the fifth LV= Insurance Test between England and India Men due to start today at Emirates Old Trafford, will be cancelled.