Daily Current Affairs and GK | 9 September 2023

Topic: International News

1. African Union formally joins G20 group on 9 September 2023.

• African Union officially took its seat as a new member of the G20 at the invitation of summit host and Indian PM Modi.
• A Leaders Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit.
• The 18th G20 summit is being held at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
• India’s G20 presidency theme is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam- One Earth, One Family, One Future”.
• African Union:
  • African Union is made up of 55 countries of the African continent.
  • It was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Libya on 9 September 1999 to establish the African Union.
  • It was founded in 2001 in Ethiopia to replace the Organisation of African Unity and was launched on 9 July 2002 in South Africa.
  • It has the status of a permanent observer at the United Nations General Assembly.
  • Its headquarters are located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  • Kiswahili is one of the official language of the African Union.
  • Current Chairperson: Azali Assoumani

Topic: State News/ Andhra Pradesh

2. Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh has been arrested on allegations of corruption.

• The chief of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and formed CM of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu was arrested over the charges of corruption.
• He has been arrested in connection with an alleged scam of 317 crore in Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation during his tenure.
• AP State Skill Development Corporation was established to provide skill training to youth during TDP regime from 2014 to 2019.
• The formed CM has been charged under sections for criminal conspiracy, cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property and 465.
• The Prevention of Corruption Act has also been invoked.
• YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is the current Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He is the founder and president of YSR Congress Party.

Topic: Defence

3. Phase II of the 21^st edition of Varuna Exercise 2023 conducted in Arabian Sea.

• The second phase of the Indian France bilateral naval exercise-Varuna 2023 was conducted in the Arabian Sea.
• The first phase of Varuna exercise was conducted off India’s Western Seaboard from 16 to 20 January 2023.
• 21st edition of the Varuna exercise marks the 25th year of India-France strategic partnership.
• The bilateral naval exercise between Indian and French Navy started in 1993. Later, the exercise was named as “Varuna” in 2001.
• This exercise provides an opportunity to learn from each other's best practices and procedures.

Topic: International News

4. The Horizon Europe research funding scheme rejoined by the UK.

• On September 7, the UK government announced that it would rejoin Horizon Europe, the European Union's €95 billion research funding program.
• With this move, UK scientists will now have access to a significant source of funding. The UK left the EU in early 2020 (Brexit).
• The European Commission and the United Kingdom have signed an "agreement in principle" to let Britain benefit from the scheme again.
• Horizon Europe funds individual researchers and cross-border scientific associations in the EU and "associated" non-EU countries, who pay into the scheme in return for the opportunity to win grants and engage in international collaboration.
• In 2016, all of this was thrown into jeopardy when UK voters decided to leave the European Union in a referendum.
• Although the UK's cooperation with Horizon Europe was negotiated as part of the 2020 Brexit withdrawal agreement, disputes over trade in Northern Ireland bittered relations with the EU and the Commission refused to sign off on the deal.
• Beginning in 2024, the UK will rejoin Horizon Europe as an associated country, paying €2.6 billion per year for access to the scheme.
• In addition, Britain will also rejoin the EU's Earth observation program, Copernicus.

Topic: Banking System

5. “RuPay NCMC Prepaid Card” has been launched by the State Bank of India.

• This ‘Nation First Transit Card’ has been launched to facilitate easy digital ticketing fare payment in the metro, buses, water ferries, parking, etc. through a single card.
• Besides this, individuals can also use the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) to make retail and e-commerce payments.
• SBI is also implementing an NCMC-based ticketing solution in MMRC Metro Line 3 and Agra Metro, which is in an advanced stage of execution and will be available to the public very soon.
• Nation First Transit Card is powered by RuPay and National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) technology.
• It is set to revolutionize the commuting experience and is aligned with the national vision of “One Nation One Card”.

Topic: Space and IT

6. The Center will stop sites from weaving “dark patterns” to mislead buyers.

• The Center has sought public comments on the draft guidelines to prevent and regulate "dark patterns" on the Internet, especially on e-commerce platforms.
• Dark patterns have been a prominent feature of many apps and websites throughout the development of the Internet, and regulators around the world have begun to take steps to limit them.
• The draft guidelines defined dark patterns as "any practice or deceptive design pattern used to impair user interface or user experience interaction on any platform; designed to mislead or trick users to do something they originally did not intend or want to do, and amounting to the misleading advertisement, unfair trade practice or violation of consumer rights.”
• The guidelines will be applied to all individuals and online platforms, including sellers and advertisers.
• The guidelines include ways to prevent and regulate false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced actions, Subscription traps, and other such "dark patterns".
• Types of dark patterns:
  • False urgency means falsely stating or implying a sense of urgency.
  • Basket sneaking means the inclusion of additional items at the time of checkout without the consent of the user.
  • Confirm shaming means using a phrase, video, audio or any other means to create a sense of fear, shame or ridicule or guilt in the mind of the use.
  • Forced action means forcing a user into taking an action that would require the user to buy additional goods.
  • Subscription Trap is the process of making cancellation of a paid subscription impossible or a complex.
  • Interface interference means the design element that manipulates the user interface.
  • Bait and switch is the practice of advertising a particular outcome based on the user’s action.
  • Drip pricing is another such practice whereby-elements of prices are not revealed upfront.
  • Disguised advertisement and nagging have been defined by the Ministry in the guidelines.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

7. The genome mystery of Indian oil sardine decoded by Scientists.

• The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute scientists’ team in Kochi has decoded the complete genome of the Indian oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps).
• This is a milestone in Indian marine fisheries and can also help in climate studies.
• This is the first time that the genome of a marine fish species from the Indian subcontinent has been decoded.
• The decoded genome is 1.077 GB in size and contains a total of 46,316 protein-coding genes.
• Indian oil sardine is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Sardinella.
• Indian oil sardines are a transboundary resource, which contributes about 10% of the country's total marine fisheries industry.
• The decoded genome will be a valuable resource for understanding the biology, ecology, and evolution of the oil sardine.
• This can be used to improve management strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of this species.
• Whole genome information can also be used for certification of fisheries and identification of the origin of the catch.
• The latest findings may also help understand the genetic differences between Indian oil sardines found in Indian waters and the Gulf of Oman.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

8. Indore stood first in the Clean Air Survey 2023 among the million plus population cities.

• The awards of Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan-2023 (or Clean Air Survey) were announced by Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on 7 September.
• Under the first category (million plus population)- Indore stood first.
• Under the second category (3-10 lakh population)- Amravati stood first.
• Under the third category (less than 3 lakh population)- Parwanoo stood first.
• Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan-2023 was conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has been implementing a National Clean Air Program (NCAP) at a national level since 2019, outlining actions to reduce air pollution levels at city and regional scales in India.
• Under this program, 131 cities have been identified for implementation of city-specific action plans. It aims to reduce air pollution by up to 40% by FY26.
• NCAP focuses on the preparation and implementation of national-level action plans, state-level action plans, and city-level action plans for the targeted 131 cities.
• Under NCAP, the Ministry has also launched a portal 'PRANA- Portal for Regulation of Air-pollution in Non-Attainment cities' to monitor the implementation of NCAP.
• The action plans of cities, states, and line ministries will be reflected in this portal and monitored for the status of their implementation.
• Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2023 winners:

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Space and IT

9. Japan launched SLIM Moon Lander on 7 September 2023.

• Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) has been launched by Japan via H-IIA rocket.
• Japan aims to become the fifth nation to achieve soft landing on the surface of the moon.
• SLIM is taking a long route to the Moon and is expected to make a landing in four to five months.
• According to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), SLIM will spend the first month in Earth's orbit before heading to the moon through a series of orbital manoeuvres over a period of three to four months.
• SLIM is a light and small spacecraft that has been developed by Mitsubishi Electric.
• The lander uses vision-based navigation to identify a landing spot and avoid obstacles on the surface.
• On 23 August, India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully soft-landed on the moon’s surface. India became fourth country to do so.

Topic: Art and Culture

10. Salem Sago gets GI tag.

• The Salem Starch and Sago Manufacturers Service Industrial Cooperative Society Ltd (SAGOSERVE) received GI tag for Salem sago recently.
• Salem district of Tamil Nadu is famous for Sago.
• Sago was produced first in Salem district, the main centre for sago production in India (on a cottage scale basis).
• Sago is obtained from the wet starch powder crushed from tapioca roots.
• Sago is the form of small hard globules or pearls and is pearl white in color.
• The dry powder obtained from tapioca is used as a raw material for industrial purposes.
• In July 2023, three famous products from Tamil Nadu - Jaderi namakatti, Kanniyakumari Matti banana, Chedibutta saree – got the GI tag.
• Geographical Indication (GI) Tag is form of intellectual property, a certification or sign or name given to certain goods/products that are unique to a particular geographical region or location.

Topic: International News

11. Abortion has been decriminalized by Mexico's Supreme Court throughout the country.

• On 6 September, Mexico's Supreme Court has legalized abortion in the country.
• The court said in a statement that the system that punishes abortion is unconstitutional because it violates women's human rights.
• The decision comes two years after a similar ruling that said abortion is not a crime and gave women access to abortion without fear of prosecution in the country.
• The court ruled that the portion of the federal penal code outlawing abortion is no longer in effect.
• Previously, women seeking an abortion in Mexico faced up to 3 years in prison and a fine.
• No woman or health worker will now be punished for abortion.
• Earlier in 2007, abortion had been legalized in 12 cities of 32 states of Mexico, including Mexico City.
• Now, the new ruling legalized abortion across all 32 states.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

12. World First Aid Day 2023: 9 September

• World First Aid Day is observed every year on the second Saturday in September. The first treatment given to a patient is called first aid.
• This year, it is being celebrated on 9 September.
• It is celebrated to provide first aid training to prevent injuries and save lives in critical situations.
• The theme of World First Aid Day 2023 is "First Aid in the Digital World".
• In 2000, the World First Aid Day was first observed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
• Every year many people and animals die due to a lack of timely first aid assistance. First Aid plays an important role in saving the life of the victim.