Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 19 March 2022

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 19 March 2022

::NATIONAL::

Indian pharma companies may replace Western manufacturers in Russia, says envoy

Indian pharmaceutical companies may replace the Western manufacturers leaving the Russian market, the Russian ambassador to India said on Friday as more foreign companies withdraw in the wake of the Ukraine war. Denis Alipov, the newly-appointed Russian envoy, told the Rossiya 24 broadcaster that India is a “world pharmacy” and leading manufacturer of generic drugs that are not inferior to the original, reported Sputnik news agency.
"The withdrawal of many Western companies from the Russian market and those niches that have been vacated may actually be occupied by Indian companies in many industries, in particular, in pharmaceuticals," Alipov said, as quoted by Sputnik.
India has been under tremendous pressure to choose a side in the ongoing conflict as the West continues to impose harsher sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine invasion. India has abstained from voting on resolutions at the United Nations that deplored Russian aggression while stressing the need to abide by international law and UN Charter.
As the US and other western countries imposed sanctions on Russian oil and gas companies, India decided to buy oil from Russia at a discount amid rising crude prices. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the US is in touch with the Indian leaders at various levels over New Delhi's decision to buy oil from Russia at a discounted rate.

::INTERNATIONAL::

Biden announces Indian American Puneet Talwar for Ambassador of Morocco

PuneetTalwar has held senior national security and foreign policy positions in the State Department, White House, and the United States Senate. He is currently a Senior Advisor at the State Department.
US President Joe Biden on Friday announced Indian American PuneetTalwar for Ambassador of Morocco as part of some key nominations for his administration, a White House press release said.
Other nominations included Candace Bond as the Ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Timmy Davis as Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Nasser Paydar as Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, Department of Education and Michael Lombardo as Member of the National Council on the Arts.
PuneetTalwar has held senior national security and foreign policy positions in the State Department, White House, and the United States Senate. He is currently a Senior Advisor at the State Department.
Previously, he has served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director at the National Security Council, and as a Senior Professional Staff Member at the Committee on Foreign Relations in the United States Senate.
Outside of government, he has been a Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, a Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Penn Biden Center, a Counselor to the conflict resolution NGO Inter Mediate, and a non-resident Scholar at Georgetown University's Center for Security Studies.
Talwar earned his B.S. Degree in Engineering from Cornell University and his MA in International Affairs from Columbia University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a native of Washington, DC.

::ECONOMY::

India's oil imports surge as refiners boost runs to meet demand

India's crude imports rose in February to 4.86 million barrels per day (bpd), their highest since December 2020, preliminary data from trade sources showed, as refiners cranked up runs to meet increasing demand on better refining margins.
Oil imports by Asia's third-largest economy rose 5% from January and were up 24% from a low base in February 2021, when a refinery at Bathinda in northern India was fully shut for maintenance, data showed.
Indian refiners typically buy oil two months ahead of processing. Refiners are raising runs to cash in on high margins to offset some of the losses incurred for selling fuels in the local markets.
Some Indian refiners have also deferred maintenance shutdowns of units to gain from exports, while meeting rising local fuel demand.

::Science and tech::

ISRO successfully conducts ground test of solid booster stage for SSLV

THE INDIAN Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday successfully completed the ground test of the solid-fuel based booster stage (SS1) of its new Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), completing the ground testing of all three stages of the launch vehicle. The new launch vehicle is now ready for its first development flight, which is scheduled for May this year.
“The successful test of solid booster stage has given sufficient confidence to proceed with the first developmental flight of SSLV (SSLV-D1), which is scheduled in May 2022. The remaining stages of SSLV i.e. SS2 & SS3 stages have successfully undergone necessary ground tests and are ready for integration,” the space agency said in a statement.
The space agency usually declares a launch vehicle operational after two successful development flights.
The SSLV launch, which was initially planned for 2020 end, has been repeatedly pushed as the pandemic resulted in fewer missions for ISRO – just four launches in the last two years. The delays, experts say, will result in India losing its global market share.
“Companies must have already booked their slots for the first development flight, but the problem is that they have been waiting for long. If the first launch is not followed by quick successive launches of the SSLV, the customers might move to other launch providers. ISRO will have to be ready with the manufacturing and assembly capacity before the first launch itself,” said AjeyLele, senior fellow at ManoharParrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

::Sports::

LakshyaSen, Treesa-Gayatri pair reach All England Open semis

Unseeded Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand on Friday became the first Indian pair to reach the semifinals of All England championships, joining in-form LakshyaSen, who too reached the last four round of the men's singles competition in Birmingham.
Playing their first Super 1000 event, Treesa and Gayatri, world no 46, recorded the biggest win of their career, a stunning 14-21, 22-20, 21-15 win over world championship silver medallists and second seeds Lee Sohee and Shin Seungchan of Korea.
World Championship bronze medallistSen had earlier in the day advanced to the men's singles semifinals after his opponent Lu GuangZu of China gave a walkover due to an injury suffered in the last match.
Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand are the only Indians to have reached the semifinals before in the prestigious event.