Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 27th July 2024

 International News 

1. Sri Lanka presidential polls to be held on Sept. 21 

• Sri Lanka's presidential polls will be held on September 21, the Election Commission said on Friday. Some 17 million voters will have their first chance of electing the country's leader, after a mass people's uprising ousted former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa two years ago. 
• President Ranil Wickre-mesinghe was among the first to formally get into the fray. His office announced making a cash deposit at the Commission for his candidacy as an Independent, although he has relied on the Rajapaksas' Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP or People's Front) since his rise to presidency through an urgent parliamentary vote, after Mr. Gotabaya's resignation amid the 2022 economic downturn. 
• During his two years in office, Mr. Wickremesinghe has vowed to rebuild the country's economy with an International Mo- netary Fund-led austerity and reform programme. While no official announcement in regard to his candidacy was made until Friday, the senior politician has sought to highlight his efforts towards economic stability in recent public speeches, signaling a desire to contest. However, his government faces fierce criticism over high living costs, with several sectors demanding salary hikes to cope. 
• Mr. Wickremesinghe, 75, has served as Prime Minister six times, and as President for two years now, but has never won a presidential election through a popular vote.
•  In the election scheduled to be held this September, he faces two prominent challengers in Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa, and Leader of the National People's Power (NPP) alliance Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Sri Lanka's first three-coгnered presidential race 

State News

2.Royal burial mounds of the Ahom dynasty from Assam make it to UNESCO World Heritage List 

• The Charaideo Maidams, a 700-year-old mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty from Assam, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on Friday, making them the 43rd property from India to be included in the prestigious index. The announcement was made at the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee being held here. 
• "This historic recognition brings global attention to the unique 700-year-old mound-burial system of the Ahom kings at Charai deo, highlighting the rich cultural heritage of Assam and Bharat," Union Minister for Culture and Tourism 
• Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told the media after the announcement. Similar to the pyramids of Egypt, the Moidams are earthen burial mounds of the members of the Ahom royalty whose 600-year rule was ended by the British takeover of the region. The Ahoms adopted the Hindu method of cremation after the 18th century and began entombing the cremated bones and ashes in a Moidam at Charaideo. 
• The highly venerated Modems make the Charaideo district a tourist destination. 
• First from Northeast 
• The Moidams are the first from the northeastern States to be recognised as a World Heritage Site in the cultural category. Assam has two other such sites in the natural category Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park, both upgraded to tiger reserves. 
• "THIS IS HUGE. The Moidams make it to the #UNESCO World Heritage list under the category Cultural Property a great win for Assam. Thank You Hon- 'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, Members of the @UNESCO World Heritage Committee and to the people of sam," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X. 
• He said the Charaideo Moidam embodies the deep spiritual belief, rich civilisational heritage, and architectural prowess of Assam's Tai-Ahom community. 
• The Moidams were nominated as India's official entry in 2023. 
• Of the 386 Modems explored so far, 90 royal burials at Charaideo are the best preserved, representative, and most complete examples of this tradition. . 

Schemes and committes 

3.AAI flags increase in fire accidents at airports, stresses need to follow SOP 

• The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has issued a safety advisory expressing concern over the recent increase in fire accidents at airport buildings. The safety advisory laid emphasis on following the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to prevent and respond to fires. 
• The Directorate of Aviation Safety, AAI, urged all employees engaged in airport operations and air traffic services to scrupulously follow the SOP set for the purpose. The recent incidents of building fires at some of the international and domestic air ports had raised concern about the maintenance and operation of fire-prevention equipment, prepa-redness of the staff to deal with contingency situation, and storage of inflammable materials, it said. Fire in a terminal building could create chaos and result in loss of life and/or flight disruption at an air- port. 
• On the other hand, fire in operational buildings housing navigational equipment could lead to contingency situations not only at airports, but also for aircraft in the air. 
• The advisory pointed out that though fires were unpredictable and destructive, they were highly preventable with proper safety measures. By practicing fire safety and prevention at the workplace, every employee of AAl could contribute to a safe environment, and there would be no disruption of civil aviation on account of fire incidents. 
• It gave a check-list of Do's and Don'ts in regard to measures to prevent fire hazards, such as ensuring the efficacy of smoke alarms, displaying emergency hotline numbers at prominent places, and promoting fire safety by including all the staff members, including contractual employees, in fire drills. To minimize risk of loss of life, damage to property and flight disruption, it was essential for all AAI employees engaged in airport/ air traffic operation to be aware of fire reporting and be trained in basic fire-fighting and rescue operations, it said. 
• The safety guidelines. come in the wake of different incidents of fire reported in airports across the country. On May 17, a fire was reported at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and fire tenders pressed into service. There were no casualties. 
• A few days later, a fire broke out in the Air Traffic Control tower building at the Chennai airport. The blaze, noticed on the fourth floor of the ATC around 3.30 a.m., was put out in about 30 minutes. An electrical short circuit in one of the rooms was suspected to have caused the fire.