Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 22 April 2022

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 22 April 2022

::NATIONAL::

Files on release of convicts in Rajiv Gandhi case sent to Prez in 2021, HC told

The files relating to all seven convicts in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case seeking their premature release, had been forwarded by the then Tamil Nadu Governor to the President on January 27, 2021, the Madras High Court was told.
When the writ petition from Nalini Sriharan, one of the seven convicts in the case and serving life imprisonment at the Special Prison for Women in Vellore seeking release even without the consent of the Governor came up for further hearing, Advocate-General R Shanmugasundaram said this to the first bench of Chief Justice M N Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy, today.
This submission was in response to a query raised by the bench last week. Presently, Nalini was availing a month's parole, offered by the state government. And the bench adjourned the matter till April 25 after directing the AG to ascertain whether Nalini was punished for the offences under the TADA Act.
The previous AIADMK cabinet in September, 2018, had passed a resolution and forwarded its recommendation to the then Governor BanwarilalPurohit to order the premature release of all the seven life convicts, under Article 161 of the Constitution. As there was no response from the Governor, Nalini and others had filed several petitions in the High Court for a direction to the Governor to consider their plea. But they were all rejected by the High Court. Hence, Nalini filed the present writ petition praying the court to order her release even without the consent of the Governor.
The seven convicts serving life imprisonment are: Murugan, Santhan, A G Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini. Rajiv Gandhi was killed in a suicide bomb attack at Sriperumbudur, near here, in May 1991.

::INTERNATIONAL::

‘Grateful to POTUS & American people’: Zelensky on fresh US package for Ukraine

Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky on Thursday thanked his United States counterpart, Joe Biden, for announcing a fresh package, in the form of military aid and worth USD 800 million, to help the war-ravaged nation which, since February 24, has been under an invasion from its neighbour Russia.
“I'm grateful to @POTUS and the American people for the leadership in supporting the people of Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression. This help is needed today more than ever! It saves the lives of our defenders of democracy and freedom and brings us closer to restoring peace in Ukraine,” Zelensky posted on Twitter.
Zelensky's reaction came shortly after Biden announced the latest package for the east European nation. According to Pentagon, the package includes 155mm howziters (72), armoured vehicles to tow them (72), ammunition (144,000 rounds), as well as more than 120 tactical drones, called ‘Phoenix Ghost’, developed by the United States Air Force specifically to address Ukraine's needs.
In further action against Moscow, the Democrat also announced a ban on Russia-affiliated ships at US ports, adding that the US treasury is putting up an additional USD 500 million for Ukraine to pay salaries, pensions and provide services. “We're in a critical window now of time where that they're going to set the stage for the next phase of this war. And the United States and our allies and partners are moving as fast as possible to continue to provide Ukraine ... the weapons their forces need to defend their nation,” he said.

::ECONOMY::

Group health policies see rise in premiums in renewal cycle, shows data

Group health insurance policies up for renewal in the current renewal cycle saw price correction, where insurers revised their premiums upwards. While in some cases premiums went up 15-18 per cent, others saw a marginal increase of 5 per cent, with the median increase being 10 per cent, said insurers and brokers.
Medical inflation, losses incurred due to Covid claims, and inclusion of modern treatment have weighed on group health insurance premiums. The impact of Covid claims on prices has been somewhat lower this year, said insurers. This is in stark contrast to last year, when they factored in the Covid claims received in the underwriting and increased prices accordingly.
Insurers have paid Rs 25,000 crore of Covid-related health claims in the two years of the pandemic, according to the General Insurance Council (GIC). The incurred claims ratio of private sector general insurers and standalone health insurers jumped by over 5 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, in 2020-21, compared to the year-ago period, illustrating the impact of Covid on health claims, revealed the data shared by the insurance regulator in its annual report.
A group health insurance plan covers people who work in the same organisation, the premium for which is borne by the employer. Coverage under such policies can be extended to family members of the employees in some cases. Group policies are tailor-made and priced in a way the insurers want, unlike individual policies, where the rate has to be filed with the regulator.

::Science and tech::

Astronomers discover the ‘most distant galaxy ever’

An international team of astronomers has discovered the most distant astronomical object of all time: a galaxy. Shining only about 300 million years after the Big Bang, it may contain the oldest stars in the universe or a supermassive black hole.
The findings of the study were published in 'The Astrophysical Journal'.
The team proposes two ideas: HD1 may be forming stars at an astounding rate and is possibly even home to Population III stars, the universe's very first stars -- which, until now, have never been observed. Alternatively, HD1 may contain a supermassive black hole about 100 million times the mass of our Sun.
"Answering questions about the nature of a source so far away can be challenging," says Fabio Pascucci, lead author of the MNRAS study, co-author in the discovery paper on ApJ, and an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics.
"It's like guessing the nationality of a ship from the flag it flies, while being far away ashore, with the vessel in the middle of a gale and dense fog. One can maybe see some colours and shapes of the flag, but not in their entirety. It's ultimately a long game of analysis and exclusion of implausible scenarios."
At first, the researchers assumed HD1 was a standard starburst galaxy, a galaxy that is creating stars at a high rate. But after calculating how many stars HD1 was producing, they obtained "an incredible rate -- HD1 would be forming more than 100 stars every single year. This is at least 10 times higher than what we expect for these galaxies." That's when the team began suspecting that HD1 might not be forming normal, everyday stars.

::Sports::

Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton join Broughton's bid to buy Chelsea

Former tennis world number one Serena Williams and seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton have joined Martin Broughton's bid to buy Premier League club Chelsea, a source close to the bid told Reuters.
Former Liverpool chairman Broughton's consortium includes World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and wealthy investors from around the world, who the group says all want to maintain Chelsea's top status.
Private equity veterans Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who own sport teams including the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers, are also backing Broughton's bid.
Williams and Hamilton have pledged an estimated 10 million pounds ($13.06 million) each to the bid, Sky Sports reported.