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  • Various political parties have mentioned the list of their star campaigners for the Lok sabha General Elections.

 

  • Star Campaigners
    • Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, deals with expenditure incurred by ‘leaders of a political party’, also known as ‘star campaigners’.
    • A recognised political party can appoint a maximum of 40 star campaigners while a registered unrecognized political party can appoint up to 20.
    • Expenditure incurred by star campaigners on account of travel is not deemed to be part of the election expenditure of a candidate of such party.

 

  • The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started work on ISHAN (Indian Single Sky Harmonized Air Traffic Management) Initiative. 

 

  • About ISHAN
    • It involves Combining India's four airspace regions (FIRs) into a single system overseen from Nagpur.
      • Currently, Indian airspace is divided into 4 FIRs i.e.  Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, and a sub-FIR in Guwahati, each managed separately.
    • Unifying these FIRs under a single authority in Nagpur is projected to improve efficiency, safety, and seamlessness in air traffic operations.
  • Prime Minister recently addressed the 6th edition of the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI).
    • ICDRI is an annual international conference of the CDRI.

 

  • About CDRI
    • About: It is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies, multilateral development banks to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems.
      • It was launched at UN Climate Action Summit in 2019 by India.
    • Strategic priorities: Technical Support and Capacity-building, Research and Knowledge Management and Advocacy and Partnership.
    • Members: 39 countries and 7 organizations
    • Key Initiative: Infrastructure For Resilient Island States (IRIS), Global Infrastructure Resilience Report etc. 
    • Governance: India is the permanent co-chair of the CDRI Governing Council and Executive Committee.
    • Secretariat: New Delhi

 

  • Philippines denied China’s claim on agreement over disputed South China Sea’s Second Thomas Shoal
  • South China Sea is a part of western Pacific Ocean stretching roughly from Singapore and the Strait of Malacca in the southwest, to the Strait of Taiwan in the northeast. 

 

  • Key Disputes in the South-China Sea
    • Nine-dash line (imaginary line) of  China: It covers most of the South China Sea and overlaps with the exclusive economic zone claims of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. It includes 
      • Paracel Islands: Controlled by China but also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
      • Spratly Islands: Claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, and Malaysia
        • Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef is located near this Island.
      • Scarborough Shoal: Claimed by China, Taiwan, and Philippines. 
  • The Tamil Nadu government is executing a synchronized survey to estimate the population of Nilgiri Tahr.

 

  • About Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiri Ibex)
    • Stocky goats with short, coarse fur with both sexes having curved horns, which are larger in the males.
    • It is the only Mountain Ungulate (Hoofed Mammal) in southern India.
    • Habitat: Open montane grassland habitats of South Western Ghats.
    • Conservation Status: Listed as Endangered under the IUCN Red List.
      • Protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
    • State animal of Tamil Nadu.
  • Recently, Rampage Missiles has been inducted by the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

 

  • About Rampage Missile
    • Long-range, supersonic, Air-to-Surface, precision strike missile.
    • Developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and Israeli Military Industries Systems.
    • Range: ~250 km.
    • Guidance: GPS/ Inertial Navigation System (INS) navigation with anti-jamming capabilities.
      • INS is an electronic system that can detect and measure changes in the motion of an object.
    • Integrated into Russian-origin aircraft fleet, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, and Jaguar fighters, and also into Indian Navy's MiG-29K fleet.
  • Negotiations are being under the aegis of UNEP to address plastic pollution across the life cycle including the issue of harmful chemicals such as BPA used in plastic packaging.

 

  • About BPA
    • Chemical used primarily in production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins.
      • Polycarbonate plastics are often used in containers that store food and beverages. 
      • Epoxy resins are used to coat the inside of metal products, such as food cans, bottle tops, etc.
    • Exposure to BPA can have health effects on brain and prostate gland of foetuses, infants and children.
  • US authorities have rejected some spice-related exports from an Indian company over salmonella (bacteria) contamination.

 

  • About Salmonella:
    • It is a group of anaerobic bacteria. 
    • These can be found in a variety of foods, including chicken, beef, pork, etc.
    • Humans become infected by bacteria most frequently through contaminated water or food.
    • They live in animal and human intestines.
    • Health Impacts: Food Poisoning, Diarrhea, etc. 
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