Daily Current Affairs and GK | 18 April 2025

Topic: International News

1. Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala sentenced to 15 years in prison for money laundering case.

• He was convicted by a court in Lima for unlawfully receiving financial support from the Venezuelan government and a Brazilian construction firm to fund his presidential campaigns in 2006 and 2011.
• The court also handed a 15-year jail term to his wife, Nadine Heredia, after finding her guilty of money laundering.
• However, after seeking asylum at the Brazilian Embassy, she was granted permission to travel to Brazil.
• Humala and his wife, who are co-founders of the Nationalist Party, accepted $3 million in illegal contributions from the company for his 2011 presidential campaign.
• The couple also faced accusations of accepting $200,000 from Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez to support their 2006 election bid.
• Humala was the first of four Peruvian presidents to be investigated in connection with the Odebrecht scandal.
• Last year, Alejandro Toledo, president from 2001 to 2006, was also handed a prison sentence of more than 20 years for receiving $35 million (£26 million) in bribes from the company.
• Peru is located in the western part of South America. Its capital and largest city is Lima. Its currency is Sol.

Topic: Art and Culture

2. Baisakhi celebrated for the first time at Washington State Capitol in Olympia.

• For the first time in the United States, Baisakhi was celebrated at the State Capitol in Olympia, Washington's capital city, earlier this week, with special proclamations issued to mark the occasion of the Indian festival.
• The Consulate General of India in Seattle hosted the event.
• The Washington State Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Senators, Legislators from the Washington State Legislature, and prominent members of the Sikh community in Washington attended the event.
• In addition, King County, covering 39 cities in the Greater Seattle area, along with Snohomish County, Kent, Auburn, and Marysville, issued proclamations declaring April 14th as Baisakhi Day across the region.
• Baisakhi is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
• He is known for founding the Khalsa Panth in 1699, a collective body of Sikhs that played a key role in shaping Sikh identity and values.

Topic: International News

3. India and other G4 nations opposed seats in the reformed UN Security Council based on religion.

• India and other G4 nations- Brazil, Germany, and Japan- have opposed proposals to allocate seats based on religion in a reformed UN Security Council.
• Parvathaneni Harish, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said that proposals to introduce new dimensions in reforming the Council, such as religious affiliation, were against established UN practice.
• India’s UN envoy emphasized that regional representation is the established basis for Council membership and not religion.
• Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently said that an Islamic country should be a permanent member of the Council.
• The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation had backed representation for the Islamic Ummah.
• Currently, there are five permanent members in the UN Security Council- China, US, UK, France, and Russia.
• G4 nations:
  • Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan are G4 countries that support each other's bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
  • It was formed in 2005.

Topic: Sports

4. Venue finalized for the Cricket competition to be held at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

• Cricket will be played in a temporary, purpose-built venue at the Fairgrounds in Pomona for the 2028 Olympics.
• Pomona is located in Southern California, approximately 50 kilometres from Los Angeles.
• The tournament will be played in the T20 format with six teams each in both men’s and women’s competitions.
• The cricket sport is returning to the Olympics after more than a century since it last appeared at the Paris Olympics in 1900.
• The Los Angeles Olympic Games are scheduled to take place from July 14 to 30 in 2028.

Topic: Sports

5. Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated world’s 17th Athlete Passport Management Unit (APMU) in New Delhi.

• The Athlete Passport Management Unit (APMU) was inaugurated at the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) in New Delhi.
• The Athlete Passport Management Unit is a specialized unit dedicated to monitoring and managing athletes biological passports, ensuring fair play and upholding the integrity of clean sport.
• The minister said that APMU is a key milestone in India’s fight against doping, enabling the longitudinal tracking of Athletes Biological profiles through the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) system.
• India will help its neighbouring countries that don’t have enough resources to set up similar systems and, in this way, AMPU will act as a beacon of support for Global South.
• Global South refers to the term comprising developing and least developed nations majority of which are located in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
• The idea of the "Athlete biological passport" came into discussion when scientists identified monitoring blood markers as a way to detect doping. After that, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) refined and standardized this idea, leading to the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).
• A biological passport is an electronic document that compiles data on an athlete's biological markers over time. By tracking variables such as blood parameters, hormonal levels, and other physiological markers, the APMU can detect any anomalies or trends indicative of doping without directly identifying banned substances.
• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is an international organization co-founded by the International Olympic Committee and the governments of over 140 nations. It aims to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. Its headquarters are located in Montreal, Canada.

Topic: Important Days

6. World Heritage Day 2025: 18 April

• International Day for Monuments and Sites, also known as World Heritage Day, is observed every year on 18 April by ICOMOS.
• Its aim is to encourage individuals and local communities to cherish their cultural heritage.
• “Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage – Preparedness, Response and Recovery” was selected as the theme for the Triennial Scientific Plan (TSP) 2024-2027 at the 2023 General Assembly in Sydney.
• This year, the theme of the day is Heritage under Threat from Disasters and Conflicts: Preparedness and Learning from 60 years of ICOMOS Actions.
• International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is a non-governmental organisation working to conserve and protect cultural heritage sites around the world.
• ICOMOS is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025.

Topic: Reports and Indices

7. AIIMS, New Delhi, has secured the 97th position in the 2024 World’s Best Hospitals ranking by Newsweek and Statista.

• The ranking evaluated over 2,400 hospitals from 30 countries. 
• It focused on factors like patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, hygiene, and recommendations from healthcare professionals. 
• AIIMS is recognized for its high-quality healthcare, research, and affordable treatment options. 
• Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh ranks 228th on the global list. 
• Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, established in 1962, is a vital healthcare and medical training center in northern India. 
• A private hospital in Gurgaon (Medanta - The Medicity in Gurgaon) is ranked 146th globally. 
• The recognition of these hospitals highlights India’s growing influence in global healthcare.
• In 2023, AIIMS, New Delhi, was ranked 122nd in the global list. 
• It has now reached to the 97th rank. 
• The World's Best Hospitals 2024 report was released by Newsweek. 
• Newsweek is an American media company. 
• The report was created in partnership with Statista, a global data platform. 
• The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, United States, was ranked as the best hospital in the world. 
• Cleveland Clinic in the U.S. secured the second position. 
• Toronto General Hospital in Canada was ranked third. 
• Johns Hopkins Hospital in the U.S. took the fourth spot. 
• Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden was ranked fifth.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. A new digital platform launched by Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil in Delhi to promote freshwater biodiversity conservation.

• The platform was launched during a review of projects by the Wildlife Institute of India under the National Mission for Clean Ganga. 
• The platform will act as a central hub, offering ecological data, case studies, and conservation insights. 
• It will provide detailed information on physiography, biodiversity, and community activities along major rivers like the Ganga, Cauvery, and Godavari. 
• The Minister highlighted the importance of involving local communities and building capacity in conservation efforts. 
• The Minister acknowledged the success of outreach and educational programs across river basins. 
• He specifically mentioned the role of Ganga Praharis in spreading awareness. 
• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was registered as a society on 12th August 2011.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

9. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) have made an agreement to strengthen efforts against money laundering.

• This agreement is in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). 
• It aims to support the implementation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and its regulations. 
• Vivek Aggarwal, Director of FIU-IND, and R.L.K. Rao, Executive Director of RBI’s Department of Regulation, signed the MoU. 
• Both organizations will collaborate on areas of shared interest, such as exchanging relevant intelligence and information. 
• They will work on improving Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Terrorist Financing skills in regulated entities. 
• Training and outreach activities will be conducted for these entities. 
• They will also assess the risks and vulnerabilities related to money laundering and terrorism financing in various financial sectors.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

10. DPS wetland in Navi Mumbai has been declared as a Flamingo Conservation Reserve by the Maharashtra State Board of Wildlife.

• This decision was made during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. 
• Forest Minister Ganesh Naik and senior government officials were also present at the meeting. 
• Kishor Rithe, Director of the Bombay Natural History Society, shared details about the decision. 
• He said that BNHS and other local groups had requested the government to protect the DPS wetland. 
• He also mentioned that conserving DPS lake could help reduce bird strike risks near Navi Mumbai International Airport. 
• The board approved the expansion of Bor Wildlife Sanctuary in Wardha district. 
• The expansion will include the villages of Garamsur, Yenidodka, Methiraji, Umarvihori, and Maraksur. 
• The board also agreed to protect Devrais, which are sacred groves located in the Western Ghats. 
• A committee will be formed under the chairmanship of APCCF West to prepare proposals for declaring the groves as conservation reserves.