Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 20 December 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

::NATIONAL::

A 2019 sexual assault case of a 7-year-old in Tamil Nadu has brought to light several gaps in ‘Tamil Nadu State Policy for Children 2021’ as child rights activists say children continue to suffer due to the flaws in the policy.
The girl was assaulted during the Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdown in 2019 by her neighbour.
After a case was filed in 2020, the girl was medically examined in a gynaecology ward of a government/private hospital where she was referred to as a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act case.
The charge sheet said that the accused repeatedly assaulted the child and threatened her that he would kill her mother if she complained. The assault came to light when neighbours heard the child screaming one day.
Since she belonged to an economically weaker section, she continues to live in the same building as the accused man.
These experiences have continued to further traumatise the child and the state’s new children policy doesn’t address such ground realities, according to activists.

Leaders of the 27 EU member states unanimously agreed to extend economic sanctions against Russia by another six-month period, European Council President Charles Michel told reporters on Friday.
"EUCO leaders unanimously agreed to roll over economic sanctions against Russia," he said. "We call on Russia to keep its part of the bargain and proceed with Minsk implementation."
Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine and only acts as a mediator, along with the OSCE, France and Germany.
A source in one European delegation told TASS Thursday on the sidelines of the summit that the sanctions will be extended by six months, until July 31.
According to the diplomat, in the upcoming weeks, the decision will be formalized and published in the Official EU Journal, entering into effect. The current restrictions were supposed to end on January 31.
In 2014, the EU imposed sanctions against Russia over the events in Ukraine and Crimea’s accession to Russia. The restrictions were expanded and prolonged repeatedly. The negotiations on the visa-free regime and the new basic agreement on cooperation were suspended; Russian officials were barred from entering the EU, and their assets were frozen. Besides, trade, financial and military restrictions were imposed as well. In response, Russia banned import of European food products.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December 15 imposed a monetary penalty on ICICI Bank and Punjab National Bank (PNB) citing certain rule violations.
The RBI imposed a penalty of Rs 30 lakh on ICICI Bank and Rs 1.8 crore on PNB, the RBI said in a press release.
The RBI imposed the penalty on ICICI Bank for violation of rules related to ‘levy of penal charges on non-maintenance of minimum balances in savings bank accounts’.
The RBI inspections revealed non-compliance with the directions to the extent the bank levied charges for non-maintenance of minimum balance in saving accounts, which were not directly proportionate to the extent of the shortfall observed, the RBI said.
Later, the RBI came to the conclusion that the non-compliance with RBI directions warranted imposition of monetary penalty.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Friday suspended the US retail giant Amazon’s 2019 deal with Future Retail (FRL) for its deliberate design to suppress information about the scope and purpose of the deal.
In its 57-page order, the competition watchdog said it considered necessary to examine the combination afresh, given that the two players were known in the online marketplace and offline retailing and had contemplated strategic alignment between their businesses.
The antitrust regulator has imposed a penalty of Rs 200 crore on Amazon to be paid within 60 days of receipt of order.
The commission said in its order that Amazon ought to have notified the combination for the commercial agreements with Future Group, for the purpose of establishing strategic alignment and partnership between Amazon Group and FRL, as well as have a ‘foot-in-the-door’ in India's retail sector.
It said Amazon made false and incorrect statements, while seeking approvals.
Legal experts like Salman Waris, managing partner at technology law firm TechLegis Advocates & Solicitors, who analysed the CCI order, said the regulator's unprecedented decision is a huge setback for Amazon and could have far-reaching implications - for not only Amazon, but for the Indian market on the whole.

Nasa will launch its newest James Webb Space Telescope, which is considered the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, on Christmas Eve.
Bill Nelson, the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said on Friday that the James Webb Space Telescope will attempt to blast off on December 24. A European Ariane rocket will provide the lift from South America's French Guiana scheduled for 7:20am EST.
Nelson told The Associated Press he expects a smaller crowd at the launch site because of the holidays. “Since it's Christmas Eve, all the congressional delegations that were going down, all of that has evaporated,” he told AP.
Nasa says the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope will “solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it.”
Webb was supposed to soar Saturday, but could not as it was jolted by a clamp during launch preparations, resulting in a four-day delay. After that, a bad communication link on the rocket had to be fixed, postponing the launch another two days.
US and European space officials signed off Friday on the launch date, following one last round of testing.

Anurag Singh Thakur is the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports. He inaugurated the first-ever national-level Khelo India Women's Hockey League (Under 21) at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The hockey tournament is slated to be held from December 15 to 21. As many as 14 teams will be competing in 42 matches during the first phase of the tournament. Meanwhile, the second and third phase will be held in early 2022.
The Women's Hockey League will give away the winners a cash prize of ₹30 lakh -₹15 lakh from MYAS and ₹15 lakh from Hockey India.
Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports NishithPramanik and the Indian Olympic Association President NarendraBatra were also present at the event.