Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 10th August 2024

 International news

 1. India to open a consulate in Auckland to strengthen diplomatic ties.

• India will soon open a Consulate in Auckland to further strengthen diplomatic ties with New Zealand. 
• Indian diaspora has played a key role in the development of New Zealand.
• As per the 2018 census, there are 2,50,000 members of the Indian diaspora in New Zealand 
• Indian-origin people constitute six per cent of New Zealand's population. 
• President Droupadi Murmu reached Wellington, New Zealand, on the second leg of her three-nation visit. 
• Bilateral relations were established between India and New Zealand in 1952. 

2. Three Indian Ocean structures named Ashoka, Chandragupta and Kalpataru. 

• Names for three underwater geological structures located in the Indian Ocean have been proposed by India. 
• The Ashoka seamount and the Chandragupt ridge are named after the rulers of the Maurya dynasty. 
• The Kalpataru Ridge is the third structure for which the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO have recently approved names proposed by India. 
• In total, there are now seven structures in the Indian Ocean named primarily after Indian scientists or proposed by India in this region of the Indian Ocean. 
• Recently, all the three named structures were discovered by oceanographers of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa.
• These are located in the Southwest Indian Ridge region of the Indian Ocean and were discovered during an international survey exploration programme. 
• In 2012, the Russian Sea vessel Akademik Nikolay Strakhov discovered the Ashok Seamount, an oval structure spanning 180 sq km, and discovered the Kalpataru Ridge same year, an elongated feature covering 430 sq km. 
• Later, in 2020, vessel MGS Sagar identified the Chandragupta Ridge, an elongated and oval-shaped body with an area of 675 square km. 

3. India and Zambia held their 4th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC). 

• At the 4th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) of India and Zambia, they decided to boost bilateral relations and explore new areas of cooperation. 
• During the meeting, both sides reviewed many bilateral issues, including institutional mechanisms, scholarships, training and capacity building, and collaboration in higher education. 
• They also discussed trade and commercial relations, and cooperation in key sectors such as defence, health, agriculture, mines, mineral resources, and small and medium enterprises. 
• Both countries’ delegations express satisfaction with the current state of their bilateral ties. 
• Additionally, regional and international issues of mutual interest were also discussed. 
• They discussed holding the next FOC in New Delhi. 

Business news 

4. Tan Su Shan became the first female CEO of DBS Bank. 

• Tan Su Shan will take the place of Chief Executive Piyush Gupta upon his retirement in March. 
• She will be the first female CEO of Singapore’s biggest bank. 
• Tan Su Shan will serve as the deputy CEO until March. 
• Tan’s appointment will also make her the first internal candidate to succeed as CEO. 
• DBS Bank is a Singaporean multinational banking corporation. It is headquartered at the Marina Bay Financial Centre in the Marina Bay district of Singapore. 
• DBS is the largest bank in Southeast Asia by assets and among the largest banks in Asia. 

Economy news

 5. Bill for Oil and Gas Policy Stability 

• The Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024 was introduced in Rajya Sabha. 
• It aims to boost investor sentiment by addressing many long-held concerns. 
• The Bill has proposed to replace "mining leases" with "petroleum leases". 
• The Bill also allows for a dispute resolution mechanism "in a place within India or outside 
• The Bill seeks to decriminalise the breach of petroleum law and introduces financial penalties instead. 

Science and technology news 

6. Late Blight Diseases 

• The Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) has issued an advisory for potato farmers about risk of late blight disease.
• Late blight disease, a fungal infection, is caused by Phytophthora Infestans. 
• The disease is favoured by cool, moist weather conditions, making the current weather scenario conducive to its spread. 

7. 34 New Enormous Cosmic Radio Sources 

• An Indian radio astronomers-led team announced the discovery of 34 new giant radio sources. 
• Many of these GRSs are among the best known, with two of them pushing against the previously accepted theories regarding their environments. 
• J0843+0513 and J1138+4540 is challenging the notion that GRSs grow only in low-density environments. 
• They used data from TIFR GMRT Sky Survey Alternative Data Release 1 at 150 MHz. 
• Giant radio sources are likely to be the largest single structures in the universe, with end-to-end extents of millions of light years.
• They are driven by supermassive black holes with masses ten million to a billion times that of the Sun, residing at the centre of the host galaxy. 

Miscellaneous news 

8. Ayush Standardisation Department will be established by the BIS. 

• The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will create a new dedicated department for standardising Ayush practices. 
• This is announced by the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ministry. 
• Its main aim is to enhance the safety, efficacy, and quality of Ayush products. 
• This department will cover Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homeopathy. 
• The Ayush department will form seven sectional committees, each focusing on a specific system within Ayush. 
• Evidence-based standards will be aligned with national and international guidelines. 

9. Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024 

• The Disaster Management Act, 2005 was enacted to provide for the effective management of disasters. 
• The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 introduced in the Lok Sabha. 
• The Bill seeks to create a “disaster database at national and State level.” 
• It also makes provision for the constitution of “the Urban Disaster Management Authority” for the State capitals and large cities having municipal corporations, except the union territories of Delhi and Chandigarh. 
• The Bill empowers the NDMA to take stock of the entire range of disaster risks in the country periodically, including emerging disaster risks. 
• It includes “risks of those disasters that may not have taken place, but may occur in future due to extreme climate events and other factors.” 

10. Four-Ringed Butterfly 

• A four-ringed butterfly belonging to a family with most members in China has resurfaced in India after 61 years. 
• The great four-ring (Ypthima cantliei) is a species of Satyrinae butterfly. 
• It was last reported in 1957 from (eastern) Assam’s Margherita. 
• The family Nymphalidae has some 6,000 species of butterflies. 
• Of this 35 Ypthima species recorded in India, 23 have been reported from the northeast. 
• Arunachal Pradesh has more than 600 of the 1,327 species of butterflies recorded in India so far. 

11. New Bill to give statutory powers to Railway Board 

• Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday introduced the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Lok Sabha, which seeks to grant statutory powers to the Railway Board and enhance the functioning and independence of the body. 
• The Railways was separated from the Public Works Department and the Railway Board Act was enacted in 1905, he said. "A contemporary railway law, the Railways Act, was enacted in 1989 by repealing the Indian Railways Act, 1890. However, the Railway Board continued to function through an executive decision without any statutory sanction." 
• "The current Bill proposes to simplify the legal framework by incorporating the proposals of the In- dian Railway Board Act, 1905 in the Railways Act, 1989. This will reduce the need to refer to two laws," Mr. Vaishnaw said in the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill. 

12. Budget Session ends ahead of schedule; 12 Bills introduced 

• Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on Friday after an eventful Budget Session as Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla thanked the MPs and floor leaders of various political parties for the smooth functioning of Parliament. The session was scheduled to end on Monday. 
• Mr. Dhankhar said the session had the rare distinction of witnessing the seventh Budget in a row by the "first full-fledged woman Finance Minister" Nirmala Sitharaman. 
• He said there was insightful discussion on the Budget and members effectively participated in the discussions on the Ministries of Agriculture, Urban Affairs, and New and Renewable Energy. 
• "Overall, the House functioned for 90 hours and 35 minutes," he said. 
• Expressing anguish at the boycott by Opposition members, he urged MPs to engage in introspection so that the members can use Parliament for furthering public cause and for contributing towards national welfare. "To earn admiration of the people for our contributions in the House should be our sole objective rising above non-partisan interests," Mr. Dhankhar said. 
• Mr. Birla said the Lok Sabha sat for around 115 hours and its productivity was 136% during this session. 
• He also hosted all floor leaders for the customary tea after the session, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, floor leaders of all parties, and senior Ministers. 
• Twelve Bills were introduced and four Bills passed during the session. 

13. TTEs to carry first-aid kits to help passengers who fall ill 

• In an effort to ensure time- ly medical attention for passengers, the Indian Railways has decided to equip travelling ticket examiners (TTEs) with special first-aid kits. These kits will be available for use during medical emergencies on board trains, significantly improving the response time for passenger care during journeys. 
• While first-aid kits are already accessible to stationmasters and train managers, this new initiative extends the provision to TTEs. The aim is to not only enhance immediate medical care but also prevent potential delays by avoiding unscheduled stops for medical emergencies. 
• The pilot project, set to run for 12 months, will be launched across the Northern and North Central Railway zones. All TTES on board will be supplied with first-aid kits containing both general and life-saving medications. 
• The move will significantly improve the response time for passenger care during journeys. 
• According to railway sources, there were numerous instances where passengers, particularly children, had experienced symptoms such as fever, extreme fatigue, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea conditions that could often be managed with basic medication. In the absence of medical facilities or doctors on board, TTEs previously had no choice but to notify the authorities concerned to arrange for medical assistance at the next stop. 
• "There have been several cases where trains were delayed due to unscheduled stops made to arrange medical assistance for ill passengers. This affects the overall punctuality of the service. The Special first-aid kits include tablets like Sorbitrate, which can be administered to passengers experiencing chest pain, under the guidance of a doctor on board or through consultation with a railway hospital via phone," a railway officer explained. 
• The kits will also include tablets and injectables. 
• TTEs will ensure that basic medications such as paracetamol are administered under the supervision of a passenger trained in first aid, the sources said. 

14. India to roll out new treatment regimen for drug-resistant TB 

• India is getting ready to roll out the BPaL (bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid) regimen for all multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) patients. The training for this new exercise is scheduled to begin this month. 
• This is a significant move in the country's battle against M/XDR-TB, with the new drug regimen indicating good results in countries such as Pakistan, South Africa, and Ukraine. Announcing this on social media on Friday, Soumya Swaminathan, principal adviser, National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme, said, "India is getting ready to roll out BPaL regimen for all M/ XDR TB patients training to begin this month. This should improve treatment outcomes & help thousands of patients. Scaling up NAAT coverage will be an essential element of the strategy." 
• A nucleic acid amplification test, or NAAT, for tuberculosis (TB) is a molecular New era for TB three 
• The upcoming BPaL regimen promises a significant shift in the fight against drug-resistant tuberculosis 
• BPaL is a new all- 1 oral combination of drugs consisting of bedaquiline (B), pretomanid (Pa) and linezolid (L) lar test used to detect the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) in a sputum or other respiratory sample. 
• Welcoming the announcement, Leena Menghaney, South Asia head of humanitarian aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières, said: "After the availability of generic bedaquiline cost to TB programmes has fallen BPaLM price is $426 ($130 bedaquiline, $238 pretomanid, $31 linezolid and $27 moxifloxacin). This is a momentous day for people with drug-resistant tuberculosis, because India will finally replace many of the longer, arduous, and less effective treatments by of-fering better, safer, and shorter BPALM treatment that is much more likely to cure this deadly disease." 
• A senior Health Ministry official explained that after the introduction of the new anti-TB drug pretomanid, which is prescribed as part of the BPaL regimen, medical practitioners and researchers noted that the combination drastically cut short the TB treatment duration by half. 
• From a treatment duration range of 18 to 24 months, BPaL brings down treatment time to around six months. Furthermore, the older all-oral drug regimen included nearly 14 different anti-TB drugs for a patient to take every day. With BPaL, it is likely to go down to just three come down to just three tablets daily. 
• In a paper titled "Savings from the introduction of BPaL and BPaLM regimens at the country level" published last month, the authors noted that in 2022, the World Health Organization recommended the six-month regimens BPaL (bedaquiline + pretomanid + linezolid) and BPALM (BPaLmoxifloxacin) as treatment options for most forms of drug-resistant TB. 
• The study found that through the BPaL and BPaLM regimens, drug-resistant TB treatment has become more effective, shorter, less burdensome for patients, and cheaper for both health systems and patients. 

Infrastructure and energy news 

15. Centre paves way for 8 new railway lines, PMAY-U 2.0 

• The Union Cabinet on Friday approved eight new railway projects at an estimated cost of 24,657 crore to provide connectivity, facilitate ease of travelling, minimise logistics costs, reduce oil imports and lower carbon dioxide emissions. 
• Expected to be completed by 2030-31, the projects cover 14 districts in the seven States of Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana and West Bengal, which will increase the existing network of the railways by 900 km. 
• The Cabinet also approved the Pradhan Mantri 
• Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY- U) 2.0 under which financial assistance will be provided to one crore urban poor and middle-class families to construct, purchase or rent a house at affordable cost. A total government subsidy of ₹2.30 lakh crore will be provided under the scheme which will have a total investment of ₹10 lakh crore, an official statement said. 
• Under PMAY-U, 1.18 crore houses have been sanctioned while more than 85.5 lakh houses have already been constructed. 
• Boost for agriculture The Cabinet gave its nod for the Clean Plant Programme (CPP), an initiative 
• proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture to provide virus-free, high-quality planting material to farmers. The Centre said the move would lead to increased crop yield and improved income opportunities for farmers. The scheme entails an investment of 21,765.67 стоге. 
• "The programme will prioritise affordable access to clean plant material for all farmers, regardless of their landholding size or socioeconomic status. The programme will actively engage women farmers in its planning and implementation, ensuring their access to resources, training and decision making opportunities," a government release said.

 Indian polity news 

16. Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has been established to review the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. 

• A 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) will review the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. 
• This committee has 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 members from Rajya Sabha. 
• Prominent figures such as AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and Congress MP Imran Masood will be members of this committee. 
• The motion to form the JPC was approved by both Houses of Parliament. 
• After strong objections from opposition parties, this bill has been sent to a joint parliamentary committee. 
• The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, will replace the existing Waqf Act of 1995. 
• The Joint Parliamentary Committee is expected to submit its report by the end of the first week of the next parliamentary session.