13th edition of Joint Military Exercise Agni Warrior (XAW-2024) concluded in Maharashtra.

About Agni Warrior

• It is a bilateral exercise between Indian Army and Singapore Armed Forces.
• Objective: To maximise mutual understanding of drills and procedures to achieve jointness as a multinational force under United Nations Charter.

1st edition of Joint Table Top Exercise, CINBAX between Indian Army and Cambodian Army has commenced in Pune.

About CINBAX

• It is a planning exercise aimed to wargame conduct of joint Counter Terrorism operations under Chapter VII of UN Charter.
• It also involves discussion on information operations, cyber warfare, hybrid warfare, logistics and casualty management, HADR operations etc.

IMD has issued red and orange alerts for multiple districts in Kerala and Tamilnadu due to Cyclone Fengal’s residual impact.

About Cyclone Fengal

• It is a tropical storm. Cyclone is a large-scale system of air that rotates around centre of a low-pressure area.
• NDMA classifies cyclones broadly into two categories: 
  • Extratropical cyclones: Occur outside of tropic.
  • Tropical cyclones: Develop in regions between Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer. They are most devastating storms on Earth.

IMD Colour Coding for Cyclone warning

Pre-cyclone watch (Yellow); Cyclone Alert (Orange); Cyclone warning (Red)

Government has approved 9 global OSCs for Indian women in distress.

About Global OSCs

• Aim: To provide comprehensive assistance to women in vulnerable situations, addressing their immediate needs and offering critical support.
• They include 7 OSCs with provision of shelter homes in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia (Jeddah & Riyadh) and 2 OSCs without shelter homes in Toronto and Singapore.
• Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) will play a vital role in extending welfare measures to distressed Indian nationals, particularly women.
  • ICWF, set up in 2009, stands extended to all Indian Missions and Posts abroad.

Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) organized an MoU signing with executive search leaders to enhance the Independent Director Databank (IDDB).

About Independent Directors Databank

• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs for the capacity building of the existing Independent Directors.

• An independent director is a member of a board of directors who is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and has no material relationship with it.

• Allows companies to register and connect with individuals having the right skills for Independent Director roles.
• Developed under the Companies Act 2013.

Sponge Cities

The emerging concept and construction of “sponge cities” is an effective approach to solving urban floods.

About Sponge city:

• A sponge city refers to sustainable urban development including flood control, water conservation, water quality improvement and natural ecosystem protection.

• E.g., green roofs, constructed wetlands, increased tree cover etc.

• Benefits: Sponge cities increase air humidity, regulate urban microclimates, and reduce public health risks.
• Sponge cities around the world: Tirana in Albania is creating a ring forest to clean the air; Berlin’s use of green roofs and vertical gardens

A new global report on infection prevention and control (IPC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows there has been slow progress in addressing critical gaps to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

Key findings

• 71% of countries now have an active IPC programme, just 6% met all of the WHO IPC minimum requirements in 2023-2024.
• Financial and resource challenges E.g., Nearly a quarter of countries reported shortages in their supply of personal protective equipment in 2023.  
• Globally, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and WHO, nearly 3.5 million people can lose their lives due to HAIs every year up to 2050.

AOMSUC-14 is being held in New Delhi.

About AOMSUC

• It is held annually since its first edition in Beijing in 2010.
• It is a key event for meteorologists, earth scientists, satellite operators, and students. 
• It is hosted by India Meteorological Department (IMD), Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• Objective
  • Promote importance of satellite observations.
  • Advance satellite remote sensing science.
  • Facilitate dialogue and collaboration between satellite operators and users.
  • Inform community about status and future plans of international space programs

FSSAI has classified packaged drinking water as ‘High Risk Food Category’.

About High Risk Food

• High risk foods are ready to eat foods that support multiplication of pathogenic bacteria that could be harmful.
• These include dairy products; meat products including poultry; fish and fish products, etc.
• Food products that come under High Risk category are subjected to mandatory risk-based inspections.
• All Central Licensed Manufacturer/Processors under High Risk Food Categories shall get its business audited by FSSAI recognised food safety auditing agency every year.