31st May, 2023 Current Affairs

NATIONAL
Union Health Ministry notifies new rules for anti-tobacco warnings on OTT platforms

• Union Health Ministry has notified new rules for anti-tobacco warnings on OTT platforms. The notification mandates OTT platforms to carry anti-tobacco warning messages. Every publisher of online-curated content displaying tobacco products or their use shall display anti-tobacco health spots, of minimum thirty seconds duration each at the beginning and middle of the programme.
• Strict action will be taken if the publisher of online content fails to comply with the new rules. An inter-ministerial committee consisting of representatives from Health Ministry, Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Electronics and IT Ministry shall take actionsuomotu or on a complaint.
• The notification came on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day being observed today. This year, the theme of the day is We Need Food, Not Tobacco. According to the World Health Organisation, the 2023 global campaign aims to raise awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops.

NamamiGange program ensures effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of river Ganga

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi approved the flagship "NamamiGange" programme which integrates the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga River in a comprehensive manner.
• The River Ganga is important not only for its cultural and spiritual significance but also because it hosts more than 40% of the country’s population. It travels more than 2500 kilometers in the country. In 2015, the prime minister launched an integrated Ganga conservation mission called ‘NamamiGange’ to arrest the pollution of Ganga River and revive the river.
• The NamamiGange program ensures effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by adopting a river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral coordination for comprehensive planning and management and it aims to maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.
• Out of the 431 projects worth more than Rs33,000 crore launched under the mission, 248 have been completed fully till date while 133 projects are under progress.
• The Namami Ganga project was awarded the UN world restoration Flagship program and it is among the world’s 10 best examples of large scale ecosystem restoration. The mission made it to the list amidst 160 submissions from 60 countries.
• National Clean Ganga Mission had also won ‘Public Water agency of the Year’ award in Global water awards 2019 which is given by Global water intelligence. Many countries like Australia, Israel, Germany have shown interest in this river rejuvenation program and are working with the government.

INTERNATIONAL
North Korea’s attempt to launch its first military spy satellite ends in failure

• North Korea’s attempt to launch its first military spy satellite ended in failure after the rocket's second stage malfunctioned yesterday.
• An accident occurred as it planned to send up its first space satellite, causing it to crash into the sea. According to North Korean state media, the new satellite transport rocket Chollima-1 launch failed as it lost propulsion due to an abnormal startup of the engine on the second stage after the first stage was separated while flying normally. Authorities will analyze the cause of the accident and launch another rocket soon.
• Earlier, North Korea had announced its plans to launch a satellite by 11 June to monitor US military activities. Meanwhile, the launch prompted emergency alerts and brief evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan. The notices were withdrawn with no danger or damage reported. Both the countries have sparked concerns and urged North Korea to abandon the plan, emphasizing that it would be considered a breach as it violates UN resolutions.
• Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said that North Korea appeared to have fired a ballistic missile and the government was analysing the details. He added that there were currently no reports of damage following the launch. South Korea's military said the projectile might have broken up in mid-air or crashed after it vanished from radar and analysis was being conducted as per reports.

• This was North Korea's sixth satellite launch attempt, and the first since 2016. It was supposed to put the nuclear-armed state's first spy satellite in orbit.

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro visits Brazil for first time after ban

• Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has visited Brazil for the first time since he was banned by former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in 2019. Mr. Maduro was received by the new president, fellow leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, ahead of a summit of Latin American leaders in Brasilia.
• Lula said importance of  Maduro coming here is that it's the beginning of Maduro's return. Mr Maduro talked of a "new era" in bilateral relations. Lula said the region should tackle poverty.
• Venezuela was open for Brazilian investors, stressing that the two countries must be united, from now on and always.
• President Maduro last visited Brazil in 2015. Jair Bolsonaro was ideologically opposed to the leftist Venezuelan leader and unlikely to extend an invitation.

India-EU Connectivity Conference to be organized in Meghalaya from June 1

• The Ministry of External Affairs, EU Delegation to India and the Asian Confluence are jointly organizing the India-EU Connectivity Conference in Meghalaya from tomorrow. The objective of the two-day conference is to explore possibilities of boosting connectivity investments in India’s North Eastern States and with India’s neighbours -- Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
• The Conference is an outcome of the India-EU Connectivity partnership which was launched during the India-EU Leaders’ Meeting in May 2021. It will be inaugurated by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, and Minister of State fir External Affairs Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh. Senior officials of the Government, EU Commission, North Eastern states, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh and stakeholders from the private sector are expected to participate and provide their insights and views on the subject.

ECONOMY
India extends credit facility of USD 1 billion available to Sri Lanka for use till March 2024

• An Amendment Agreement to extend the tenure of a USD 1 billion Credit Facility was signed in Sri Lanka on Tuesday. The agreement marks an important step in continuing the financial support provided by from the Indian side to the Sri Lankan government for the procurement of essential items.
• The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Sri Lanka's state minister of finance, ShehanSemasinghe, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Finance of Sri Lanka and representatives from the High Commission of India in Colombo.
• The officials from the State Bank of India joined the event virtually.
• With the signing of amendment agreement, the billion dollar credit line that was made available to Sri Lanka last year has been extended until March 2024. The credit line was extended last year when Sri Lanka was in the midst of its worst ever economic crisis since its independence.
• The facility has been instrumental in the urgent procurement of critical supplies for the island nation such as fuel, medicines, food items, and industrial raw materials. This extension of financial support further underscores the strong commitment of the Government of India, as it continues to assist Sri Lanka with a comprehensive package of approximately USD 4 billion, in line with India's 'Neighbourhood First' Policy.

SPORTS
Khelo India University Games: Savitribai Phule Pune University clinches first Gold medal with win over Osmania University in women’s tennis event

• In Khelo India University games, Savitribai Phule Pune University conquered their final quest with a 2-0 victory over defending champions Osmania University to clinch their first Gold medal in the women’s tennis event in Ekana International Tennis Stadium Lucknow.
• Meanwhile, women tennis players of Jain University outdid the University of Madras 2-0 to clinch the bronze medal.

• Defending champions Anna University had to sweat it out against Bharthiar University as it went to a decider double where ultimately they pulled off a win in the super tie-break.
• For the bronze medal as well it was a nail-biting finish for Gujarat University as they overcame Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (Deemed to be University) (KIIT) by 2-1.

Finale Bahnen-Tournee 2023 cycling: India’s EsowAlben wins bronze medal in keirin

• Indian cyclist EsowAlben won the bronze medal in the elite men's keirin event at a UCI Class 1 Event-Finale Bahnen-Tournee 2023 cycling competition in Dudenhofen, Germany. The 22-year-old also listed himself in being the first cyclist from India to participate in the UCI Champions League. Alben was also the first Indian who won a medal in a cycling world championship.
• He clinched a silver medal in the year 2018 after finishing behind world championships medallist Germany's Marc Jurczyk and France's Sebastien Vigier.