Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 17 July 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 17 July 2021

::NATIONAL::

Virtually 'Exercise Shield' maritime exercise conducted between India, Sri Lanka and Maldives

Top defence officials from India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives participated in a virtual trilateral table top exercise where they discussed best practices and procedures for countering common transnational maritime crime like curbing narcotics and assistance in maritime search and rescue.
The two-day exercise, TTX-2021, from July 14 to July 15 aimed at enhancing mutual understanding and exchange of best practices procedures for countering common transnational crime was coordinated by the Maritime Warfare Centre, Mumbai, the Indian High Commission here said.
The exercise focused on maritime crimes like curbing narcotics and assistance in maritime search and rescue in the region.
The exercise gains additional relevance in light of the successful Operation SagarAaraksha 2 executed in support of MV X-Press Pearl, the Singapore-flagged cargo ship that caught fire on May 21, the mission said.
Cargo ship MV X-Press Pearl was carrying 1,486 containers of chemicals and cargo when it went up in flames near the Colombo Port.

::INTERNATIONAL::

Lebanese prime ministerial candidate Saad Hariri resigns

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri of Lebanon said on Thursday that he had given up on trying forming a new government, opening a new political void as the country sinks further into an acute political and economic crisis.
Mr. Hariri had been tapped to form a new cabinet last October, after Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned in the wake of a huge explosion in the port of Beirut on Aug. 4.
But after nine months of political wrangling over who would head which ministries, Mr. Hariri told reporters that he had failed to come to an agreement with President Michel Aoun and was stepping down.
Lebanon is suffering through a financial contraction that the World Bank has said could be one of the world’s worst since the mid-1800s, and Mr. Hariri’s exit makes it even less likely that the country will receive aid soon.
Western powers and the International Monetary Fund have predicated any assistance on the formation of a new government and the enactment of reforms aimed at reducing corruption and getting state spending under control.

::ECONOMY::

Ministry of Power releases 9th Integrated Rating of State Power Distribution Units and Ranking

All four Gujarat state power discoms and one from Haryana (Dakshin Haryana BijliVitran Nigam) grabbed the top positions with A+ ratings in the 9th integrated rating and ranking report on the performance of the state power distribution companies. The key findings of the report also show marginal improvement in electricity supply losses which stood at 21.16 percent in FY20 as compared to 21.85 percent in FY19.
As many as 15 discoms achieved more than 10 percent reduction in electricity supply losses but 11 discoms’ had more than 10 percent deterioration on supply loss parameter. The discoms which saw deterioration in electricity supply losses includes Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Limited (MGVCL), Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd (KSEBL), Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company (TSSPDCL), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM), Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), Northern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Ltd (TSNPDCL), Jharkhand BijliVitran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL), South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (SBPDCL).
“Indian Power sector will beneﬁt from a fair and accurate assessment of the true position of the distribution sector which in turn will help in assessing and improving its performance. This will also assist State Governments, lending institutions and other stakeholders to take important decisions” said RK Singh Minister for Power and New & Renewable energy at the release of the 9th integrated rating report of the discoms.

::SPORTS::

South Korea removes banners at Olympic village after IOC ruling

South Korea’s Olympic committee said Saturday it has removed banners at the Olympic athletes’ village in Tokyo that referred to a 16th-century war between Korea and Japan after the International Olympic Committee ruled it was provocative.
n agreeing to take down the banners, the South Koreans said they received a promise from the IOC that the displaying of the Japanese “rising sun” flag will be banned at stadiums and other Olympic venues. The flag, portraying a red sun with 16 rays extending outward, is resented by many people in South Korea and other parts of Asia who see it as a symbol of Japan’s wartime past.