Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 27 April 2022

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 27 April 2022

::NATIONAL::

Former six-time CM’s wife Pratibha Singh is Himachal Congress chief

The Congress high command on Tuesday named Pratibha Singh, LokSabha member from Mandi Parliamentary constituency and widow of former six-term chief minister Virbhadra Singh, as the new chief of the party’s Himachal unit. She will be replacing Kuldeep Singh Rathore.
Four-time legislator MukeshAgnihotri will remain the state’s Congress Legislative Party leader while Nadaun MLA and former state party chiefSukhwinder Singh Sukhu will lead the party’s campaign committee for the upcoming assembly elections. Sukhu will also be a member of the central election committee that plays a decisive role in the selection of candidates.
The rejig in the state unit was a long-pending demand of the party’s leaders amid squabbling between various factions to assert their dominance in the party. The Grand Old Party had been facing a leadership vacuum in the hill state after the demise of the stalwart Virbhadra Singh.
With Pratibha’s appointment, Congress not only looks to curb the infighting but also cash on the legacy of Virbhadra Singh. It is assumed that sympathy from the public following Virbhadra’s death had benefitted the Congress in the by-polls to MandiLokSabha seat and three assembly segments.
Besides, the Congress’ move to appoint a woman chief is also aimed at countering the BJP which is focusing on garnering support from the female population, which constitutes half the eligible voters in the state. Also, Pratibha belongs to the Rajput community, which has dominated the political landscapes of Himachal Pradesh. Except for Shanta Kumar, all chief ministers of the state have been Rajputs.
The 66-year-old Pratibha is a third-term MP from Mandi and her victory in incumbent chief minister Jai Ram Thakur’s home turf further solidified her claim for the post of PCC chief.
Virbhadra had a pan state following, but enjoyed overwhelming support in the old Himachal region which comprises Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts. The region had for long remained a strong bastion of the Congress.

::INTERNATIONAL::

Myanmar court sends Aung San SuuKyi to five years in jail for corruption

Aung San SuuKyi, the ousted civilian leader of Myanmar and Nobel laureate, was on Wednesday found guilty of corruption and sentenced to five years in jail, news agency AFP reported, citing sources.
A Myanmar junta court accused the 76-year-old leader of accepting a bribe of $600,000 cash and gold bars.
The case was the first of 11 corruption charges against SuuKyi, each carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Sources quoted by agencies declined to be identified because her trials were being held behind closed doors.
Journalists remained barred from attending the court hearings, while SuuKyi's lawyers were have been banned from speaking to the media.
Since a military coup deposed her government in February last year, plunging the country into a major civil unrest, SuuKyi had been facing a barrage of criminal cases that could see her jailed for decades.
The 76-year-old was already sentenced to six years in jail for incitement against the military, breaching Covid-19 rules and breaking a telecommunications law -- although she will remain under house arrest while she fights other charges.

::ECONOMY::

Russia and India in talks to restart coking coal supplies: Report

Russian and Indian officials met last week in an effort to resolve an impasse over the shipping of coking coal to Indian steelmakers, which has dried up since March over payment methods, a trade source and an Indian government source said.
Russia usually supplies about 30% of European Union, Japanese and South Korean coking coal needs, while India had planned to double its Russian imports to around 9 million tonnes this year.
Imports make up around 85% of India's overall coking coal needs, which total 50-55 million tonnes a year, and New Delhi last year signed a deal to import from Russia.
But complications with processing of payments and logistics as a result of sanctions against Russia mean steel mills are opting for alternative sources such as Australia and the United States, pushing up prices in the process.
As a result, Indian government officials and executives from JSW Steel met a delegation from Russia in New Delhi on Friday, the sources said of the previously unreported meeting.
Russian trade officials expressed concerns during the meeting over the sanctions imposed by the West and asked India to move forward with last year's deal, the sources said. "Their concern was that they have been hit hard by the sanctions," one of the sources said, adding: "They were primarily interested in how we can take the MoU (memorandum of understanding) forward."

::Science and tech::

Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn to form straight line, to be visible from Earth

After 1,000 years, a rare and unique astronomical event will take place during the last week of April when four planets including Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will align in a straight line in the eastern sky for around one hour before the sunrise, said SubhenduPattnaik, Deputy Director, PathaniSamanta Planetarium, Bhubaneswar.
Speaking to ANI, SubhenduPattnaik said, "During the last week of April 2022, a rare and unique planet alignment will occur, which is popularly known as 'planet parade'' Although there is no scientific definition for 'planet parade', it is being widely used in astronomy to denote an event that takes place when planets of the solar system line up in a row in the same area of the sky."
Pattnaik further explained the three most common types of 'planet parade'. He said when planets line up on one side of the Sun as seen up above the plane of our solar system is termed as the first kind of planet parade. The alignment of three planets on one side of the Sun is very common and can be seen for many days in a year.
Secondly, when some planets appear in a small sector of the sky at the same time regardless of their visibility conditions, from Earth's point of view we term the event also as a planet parade. A planet parade of this type last happened on April 18, 2002 and July 2020 when all planets of the Solar system that are visible to the naked eye lined up in a row in the evening sky," said Pattnaik.
He said the third type of planet parade is on rare occasions where there are favourable conditions for observation of all or some of the planets. These events are also referred to as planet parades. Three planets can be simultaneously observed in the same part of the sky several times a year.
"One hour before sunrise on April 26 and 27, the moon along with four planets will be visible within 30 degrees from the eastern horizon in a near-perfect straight line. If the conditions are right, one can see Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn in a line without the need for binoculars or telescopes. On April 30, the brightest planets - Venus and Jupiter - can be seen very close together. Venus will be 0.2 degrees south of Jupiter," he added.

::Sports::

Indian table tennis not a pretty picture despite Sharath, Mouma show

AchantaSharath Kamal jumped in delight and sprinted across the arena with hands raised as G Sathiyan’s return sailed long, handing him a record 10th men’s singles title at the table tennis national championships in Shillong. Sharath, three months shy of 40, had every reason to celebrate like a teenager. He is still India’s best (world ranking 38)—a rung above Sathiyan. His aching, battered body has taken a toll over the years but he continues to find ways to beat younger opponents and extend his dominance.
Mouma Das, five-time national women’s champion, would have been equally elated though she didn’t win in the end. Making a comeback after three years following childbirth, the 38-year-old was a surprise finalist in the 128-player draw. She eventually lost to AkulaSreeja in the final. It hardly mattered that Mouma’s world ranking has slipped to 782 and there are 22 Indians better placed in that list. ManikaBatra (world No 48), the Commonwealth Games champion who lost in the round of 16, tops that list followed by the promising ArchanaKamath (92), Sutirtha Mukherjee (97)—she played at the Tokyo Olympics—Sreeja (107) and Ayhika Mukherjee (115).
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