Daily Current Affairs for State Exams 5 June 2023

दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स 5 जून 2023

Important News: International

India urges G20 countries to tackle global vaccine inequity

Why in news: COVID-19 has served as a wakeup call, highlighting the importance of global collaboration in vaccine research and development. India, with its ongoing G20 Presidency, is also working to foster global collaboration for vaccine research.

1. On June 3, on the sidelines of the 3rd G20 Health Working Group meeting in Hyderabad, India organised the Global Vaccine Research Collaborative for a discussion on 'Vaccine Research and Development: Building Consensus for Future Health Emergencies Prevention, Preparedness, and Response’.
2. The Global Vaccine Research Collaborative aims to leverage expertise and resources from various stakeholders to expedite vaccine development and mitigate the impact of future pandemics.
3. The event provided a platform for global leaders to discuss strategies, exchange best practices, and foster collaboration in the field of vaccine research and development.
4. International cooperation is essential to advance vaccine development for emerging pathogens, and the G-20 can serve as a vital platform to facilitate collaboration between governments, research organisations, pharmaceutical companies, and other stakeholders.

 (SOURCE – THE HINDU)

Li-ion battery recycling technology

Why in news: This indigenous technology can process various types of discarded lithium-ion batteries, recovering over 95% of lithium, cobalt, manganese, and nickel contents in the form of corresponding oxides/carbonates with a purity of about 98%.

1. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has transferred cost-effective Li-ion battery recycling technology to nine recycling industries and start-ups as part of Mission LIFE under the "Promoting Circularity Campaign”.
2. The recycling process involves leaching followed by hierarchical selective extraction of metal values through the solvent extraction process. These secondary raw materials can be used in battery manufacturing or other potential applications.
3. MeitY has developed this technology in collaboration with industry partner, M/s Greenco Energies Private Limited, Hyderabad under the "Centre of Excellence on e-Waste Management" set up at Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), Hyderabad.
4. India generates more than 50,000 tons of lithium-ion battery waste annually, growing in the range of 40-80%. India currently imports all of its Li from Australia and Argentina and 70% of its Li-ion cell requirement from China and Hong Kong.

 (SOURCE – LIVEMINT)

Important News: National

Foot rot disease

Why in news: Footrot is a highly contagious disease affecting the interdigital (between the toes) tissue of ruminants. It is one of the most common causes of lameness in cattle and sheep and can result in serious economic loss.

1. Bacteria are responsible for causing foot rot. The main foot rot-causing bacteria in cattle is Fusobacterium necrophurum, a ubiquitous bacterium found in the environment. Researchers have isolated it on the surface of healthy feet, in the rumen, and in the feces of beef cattle. Other bacteria that are present on healthy feet can increase the virulence of F. necrophores and, therefore, increase the incidence of foot rot.
2. This doesn't happen unless there is an injury to the foot - walking on rough surfaces or getting wet, damp and/or wet. Or standing in a muddy position, as a result of which the leg tissue becomes weak - that bacteria get in and wreak havoc on the foot. Another common cause of foot rot is when cattle quickly move from wet conditions to dry conditions.
3. This can cause the skin to crack and crack, giving necroforum a chance to penetrate the hoof tissues. Mineral deficiencies in zinc, selenium and copper are also known causes of foot rot (NRC, 2017). Because foot rot can be caused by a ubiquitous bacterium, it is not considered contagious.
4. Clinical foot rot will present with the following symptoms:

- Extreme pain, leading to sudden onset of lameness

- Swelling can lead to more separation of the paws than usual

- Necrotic lesions in the interdigital space with a foul smell

-Reduced feed intake

1. Once a proper diagnosis is made, foot rot can be treated. Treatment for foot rot is most successful when completed early in the beginning of its onset. It is important to consult a local veterinarian for recommendations about the most common method of treatment, tetracycline, antibiotics, antibiotics, and appropriate dosage levels.

 (SOURCE –NEWS ON AIR)

Duty-free quota-free (DFQF) scheme

Why in news: The Scheme requires all developed and developing country members to provide preferential market access for all products originating from all LDCs.

1. India became the first developing country to extend this facility to LDCs in 2008, providing market access to 85% of India’s total tariff lines to better integrate LDCs into the global trading system and improve their trading opportunities.
2. The scheme was expanded in 2014, providing preferential market access on over 98% of India’s tariff lines to LDCs. India offers 11,506 preferential tariff lines to LDCs, of which 10,991 are duty-free.
3. World Trade Organisation (WTO)
   • It was set up on 1st January 1995 and was born out of the 1986-94 Uruguay Round of Negotiations.
   • It is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations.
   • It is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
   • The main function of the WTO is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.
   • It further consists of two principles, the Most-favoured Nation (MFN) principle and the National treatment principle.
   • It is a 'member-driven' organization, with decisions taken by consensus among the member governments.

 (SOURCE – HINDUSTAN TIMES)

‘Kavach’ and why is it trending after the Odisha train accident.

Why in news:  Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that a "change in electronic interlocking" was the real reason for the tragic train accident in Odisha's Balasore. 

1. Electronic interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements between trains through an arrangement of tracks. It is basically a safety measure to prevent signals from being changed in an improper sequence.
2. The aim of this system is that no train gets the signal to proceed unless the route is proven safe.
3. The Kavach system was announced in the 2022 Union Budget as a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Around 2,000 km of rail network is planned to be brought under the indigenous system to enable safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23.
4. It is India’s own automatic protection system, which is in development since 2012, under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which got rechristened Kavach or “armour”.
5. Once the system is activated, all trains within a 5-km range will halt to provide protection for trains on adjacent tracks.

 (SOURCE – TIMES OF INDIA)

Important News: State

Myristica swamps

Why in news: Few people in Goa, even among naturalists, are aware that the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary in Sangame is home to three regions with the unique Myristica swamp forest ecosystem.

A.Myrica swamps are rare and prominent ecosystems, dating back to 140 million years, and are rich in biodiversity. They are characterized by their roots, which can withstand perennial water-logging conditions.

B.The Western Ghats of southern India are known for myristica swamps, which play an important role in maintaining the perennial water flow of streams and have a high capacity to store carbon. First reported from the Travancore region of Kerala in 1960, the Myristica swamp is a remnant tropical ecosystem.

1. Biologists studying this ecosystem want swamp forests to be provided protection as they retain monsoon rain water and then slowly release it into streams during lean weather.

D.The ability of swamp forests to sequester carbon helps mitigate the threat posed by global warming.

 (SOURCE – PIB)

Important News: Sports

Flanders cup 2023

Why in news: The Tour of Flanders (Dutch: Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as De Ronde ("The Tour"), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organized by Flanders Classics. Its nickname is Vlaanderens Mooiste (Dutch for "Flanders' Finest"). First held in 1913, the Tour of Flanders had its 100th edition in 2016.

1. Indian sprinter Amlan Borgohain won two gold medals in the men's 100m and 200m races at the Flanders Cup 2023 Athletics Meet in Merksem, Belgium.
2. Borgohain emerged as the fastest runner of the tournament with a time of 10.70 seconds. He holds the 100m national record of 10.25 seconds.
3. In the 200m, the 25-year-old Borgohain clocked 20.96 seconds, ahead of Hoffman (21.42s) and Samuel Rowe (21.88s).
4. Meanwhile, Sapna Kumari finished second in the women's 100m hurdles behind Belgium's Amber Vanden Bosch with a time of 14.10 seconds.

 (SOURCE – INDIAN EXPRESS)

Important News: Day

World environment day

Why in news:  World Environment Day 2023 marks the completion of 50 years of its establishment. This year, the theme of the WED 2023 is "BeatPlasticPollution."

A.The Industrial Revolution, increasing urbanization and population, as we know it, have led to the constant disruption of our natural world. Thus, World Environment Day, organized under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is a day to raise awareness and action on the environmental disasters of the modern world. A major initiative of this day is to encourage people to live sustainable lifestyles.

B.Held on June 5 each year, World Environment Day has a specific host country and a theme. For 2023, the host is the West African country Cote d'Ivoire in partnership with the Netherlands; While the theme is to prevent plastic pollution.

C.The 45th World Environment Day was also led by India with the same theme under the hashtag #BeatPlasticPollution. The theme is an initiative to raise awareness about the production, use, disposal and effects of plastic.

D.From raising awareness of environmental issues to making significant changes to global environmental policies – UNEP's World Environment Day has seen historic significance. With our dwindling natural resources, highly politicized environmental outlook and slow impressive plans, our world is on the verge of ecological collapse

E.In the face of these environmental disasters, World Environment Day stands as a mouthpiece for many environmentalists. It is a day to mark and remind global citizens of the continuing negative impact of global warming and climate change.

F.Loss of life, property, biodiversity and even resources are some of the effects of climate change as a result of environmental ignorance. World Environment Day, for more than 50 years, has served as a platform for environmental activists to help ordinary people understand and help our nature.

 (SOURCE – TIMES OF INDIA)