Ultra-Processed Foods Latest News

The Economic Survey 2024-25 has called for stringent front-of-the-pack labelling rules to be enforced, adding that consumption of ultra-processed foods is a big factor in undermining physical and mental health. 

About Ultra-Processed Foods

• UPFs refer to food products that have been significantly altered from their original form through various industrial processes.
• These foods typically contain numerous ingredients that are not commonly used in home cooking, such as artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers, and other additives designed to enhance flavor, texture, and shelf life.
• Consuming high amounts of UPF has been linked to chronic health conditions—cardiovascular disease, obesity, colorectal cancer, among others. 

Characteristics of Ultra-Processed Foods

• High levels of added sugar, fat, and salt: These ingredients are often added to enhance taste and appeal, but they can contribute to various health issues, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
• Low nutritional value: Despite being calorie-dense, UPFs generally lack essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
• Extensive use of additives: These foods often contain synthetic ingredients that are not typically found in traditional or minimally processed foods.
• Highly palatable and convenient: They are designed to be easy to consume and highly appealing, which can lead to overconsumption.

List of Foods Classified as Ultra-Processed Foods

• According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), UPFs include commercially produced bread, breakfast cereals, cakes, chips, biscuits, fries, jams, sauces, mayonnaise, commercially produced ice cream, protein packs powders, peanut butter, soy chunks, tofu, frozen foods with additives, commercially produced cheese, butter, paneer with additives, meats, plant-based meats, refined flours of cereals, millets and legumes, energy drinks, health drinks added to milk, beverages, and fruit juices. 
• The group also includes many culinary ingredients such as cooking oils, refined sugars, salt and spices, since cosmetic food additives such as artificial colours and emulsifiers are often used in their processing. 

Ultra-Processed Foods FAQs

Q1. How do you know if a food is UPF?

Ans. Ultra-processed foods are often high in salt, sugar and saturated fats. 

Q2. What are the named ingredients of ultra-processed foods?

Ans. Ultra processed options tend to contain: Five or more ingredients. Added sugar, salt, oils, fats, stabilizers and preservatives.

Q3. What is the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)?

Ans. ICMR is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination, and promotion of biomedical research.

Source: THBL

Geo-Economic Fragmentation Latest News

The Economic Survey 2024-25 stated that global economic integration is backsliding, with geo-economic fragmentation replacing globalization, leading to a significant rise in trade restrictions.

About Geo-Economic Fragmentation

• ‘Geo-economic fragmentation’ can be defined as a policy-driven reversal of global economic integration often guided by strategic considerations. 
• It is characterized by countries forming trade and financial partnerships based on geopolitical alignments.
• This process encompasses different channels, including trade, capital, and migration flows.
• This trend, marked by a retreat from multilateralism, has made geography less relevant than geopolitics in trade and investment decisions.
• Such fragmentation would result in permanent losses to global GDP.
• Based on IMF estimates, the costs of geoeconomic fragmentation can range from 0.2 percent to up to 7 percent of GDP in some economies.
• These losses can emanate from technological decoupling, trade restrictions, reduced capital movements owing to higher risk aversion, and a decline in international cooperation in the provision of global public goods among economies.
• Trade is the main channel through which fragmentation is reshaping the global economy.
• The impact of geo-economic fragmentation is seen in global FDI flows, which are increasingly concentrated among geopolitically aligned countries, particularly in strategic sectors. 

Geo-Economic Fragmentation FAQs

Q1. What is meant by geo-economics?

Ans. Broadly, one can think of geoeconomics as the interplay of international economics, geopolitics and strategy.

Q2. What are the effects of economic fragmentation?

Ans. Fragmentation not only fuels inflation, but also negatively impacts economic growth prospects, particularly in emerging markets and developing economies that depend on an integrated financial system for their continued development.

Q3. What are the major barriers to global economic flows?

Ans. The major obstacles to international trade are natural barriers, tariff barriers, and nontariff barriers

Source: NIE

Financialisation Latest News

The Economic Survey 2024-25 has warned that excessive financialisation can harm the economy, with potentially severe consequences for a low-middle-income country like India.

About Financialisation

• Financialization refers to the increasing influence of financial motives, markets, instruments, actors, and institutions in both domestic and international economies. 
• It involves the growing dominance of finance tools in firm management, the impact of financial markets on decision-making, and the significance of the global financial system in capital distribution worldwide.
• It represents the shift from traditional industrial or productive activities (like manufacturing) to financial activities that involve the trading, management, and speculation of financial assets.
• Financialization transforms the functioning of the economic system at both the macro and micro levels. 

Impacts of Financialisation

• Elevate the significance of the financial sector relative to the real sector; 
• Transfer income from the real sector to the financial sector;
• Increase income inequality and contribute to wage stagnation. 
• Financialization operates through three different conduits: changes in the structure and operation of financial markets, changes in the behavior of non-financial corporations, and changes in economic policy. 

Financialisation FAQs

Q1. What are the risks of financialization?

Ans. Financialization distorts economic investment and reduces the mutual dependence of capital and labor, eroding the social contract in which capitalism delivers profits to the owners of capital and a growing standard of living to citizens.

Q2. How to measure financialization?

Ans. From the macroeconomics perspective, the existing literature measures financialization by the proportion of industrial employment, industrial output value, and industrial profits to assess whether a country's economy is over-financialized.

Q3. What is hyper-financialization?

Ans. Hyper-financialization refers to an extreme stage of financialization where financial markets, institutions, and instruments dominate an economy to the point that traditional productive activities become secondary. 

Source: IE

Kurdistan Region Latest News

Recently, India has sent a shipment of medical supplies to support the residents of the Kurdistan region in Iraq. 

About Kurdistan Region

• It is a broadly defined geographic region traditionally inhabited mainly by Kurds.
• It consists of an extensive plateau and mountain area, spread over large parts of what are now eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and western Iran and smaller parts of northern Syria and Armenia.
• Governorates: Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Dohuk, Halabja.
• Capital: Erbil

Geographical Features of Kurdistan Region

• Mountains: It includes the mountain systems of the Zagros and the eastern extension of the Taurus.
• Rivers: Tigris and Greater Zab Rivers flows through this region and support agriculture and settlements.

India and Kurdistan region

• India established a consulate in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, in August 2016 to enhance economic and commercial ties with Iraq.
• Several Indian businesses have participated in trade fairs and exhibitions in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah in recent years.
• The Kurdistan region, comprising Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk, has seen a steady increase in Indian workers employed in sectors such as steel mills, oil companies, and construction projects. Workers from India are appreciated for their roles in these industries

Kurdistan Region FAQs

Q1: What is the capital city of Kurdistan?

Ans: Erbil city

Q2: Who controls Kurdistan?

Ans: Kurdistan Regional Government

Q3: What language is spoken in Kurdistan?

Ans: Kurdish language

Source: DD News

Rusty-Spotted Cat Latest News

For the first time ever, the elusive rusty-spotted cat was found frolicking in the jungles of West Bengal’s Purulia district recently. 

About Rusty-Spotted Cat

• It is the world’s smallest and lightest known cat.
• Scientific Name: Prionailurus rubiginosus

Rusty-Spotted Cat Distribution 

• The species has been recorded in dry deciduous and semi-deciduous forests in northern and central India, Western Ghats, Kachchh and Rajasthan, and peninsular India, besides Nepal and Sri Lanka.
• India holds 80 percent of the cat’s total population.

Rusty-Spotted Cat Features

• It weighs less than 1.5 kilograms, about half the size of a domestic cat. 
• They have a fawn-grey coloured coat with their eponymous rusty spots on their back and flanks. 
• Their head is short, rounded, and marked with two white streaks on the inner edges of the eyes. 
• The eyes are fairly large with irises of greyish brown to amber. Its large eyes may be an adaptation to its nocturnal behaviour.
• Their legs are relatively short, and their feet have black soles. 
• The tail is moderately long, more rusty coloured than the body, and unmarked.

Rusty-Spotted Cat Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

Rusty-Spotted Cat FAQs

Q1. Is the rusty-spotted cat extinct?

Ans. The rusty-spotted cat is currently classified as Near Threatened (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Q2. What is the world's biggest cat?

Ans. The world's biggest cat is the tiger (Panthera tigris). Among tigers, the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) holds the record as the largest subspecies.

Q3. What is the deadliest feral cat?

Ans. Black-footed cats are Africa's smallest cat and the deadliest of the entire cat family - with a 60 percent hunting success rate.

Source: TP

Saffron Reedtail Damselfly Latest News

Recently, two naturalists have spotted the saffron reedtail damselfly for the first time in Karnataka along the Netravati River.

About Saffron Reedtail Damselfly

• It is referred to as Indosticta deccanensis and commonly called saffron reedtail because of the saffron bodies.
• This particular species belongs to the family Platystictidae, commonly referred to as shadow damselflies.
• Saffron Reedtail Damselfly Appearance: They are slender and delicate insects.
• It is a rare species endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

Habitat of Saffron Reedtail Damselfly

• They are seen in streams surrounded by thick vegetation and usually found near slow-moving forest streams where they rely on pristine water quality for their lifecycle.
• Prior to this discovery, the distribution of these damselflies was documented in the southern parts of the Western Ghats (In Kerala and Tamil Nadu)
• The presence of them is an indicator of a healthy ecosystem, as they are highly sensitive to environmental changes and pollution.

What are Damselflies?

• They are a group of predatory, aerial insects that are in the order Odonata. 
• Habitat of Damselflies: Damselflies are found mainly near shallow, freshwater habitats and are graceful fliers with slender bodies and long, filmy, net-veined wings.
• They are generally smaller, more delicate, and fly weakly in comparison with dragonflies.

Saffron Reedtail Damselfly FAQs

Q1: Where is Western Ghats located?

Ans: A chain of mountains running parallel to India's western coast, approximately 30-50 km inland.

Source: TH

Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Latest News

Recently, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), in collaboration with the Lokmata Ahilyabai Trishatabdi Samaroh Samiti, organized a special lecture on the life and legacy of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar.

 About Devi Ahilyabai Holkar

• Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar (31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795) was the Holkar Queen of the Maratha Malwa kingdom, India.
• Under her rule Malwa enjoyed relative peace, prosperity, and stability, and her capital, Maheshwar, was turned into an oasis of literary, musical, artistic, and industrial pursuits.

Military contribution of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar

• She was military-trained under her father-in-law Malhar Rao Holkar and personally led armies into battle. 
• She appointed Tukojirao Holkar as the Chief of Army.

Administration of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar

• She held daily public audiences to help redress the problems of the common man.
• She earned a reputation for administering justice fairly during her rule, without partiality or partisanship. Ex: She sentenced her only son, found guilty of a capital offense, to death by being crushed by an elephant.
• She also made some landmark decisions during her reign, including the removal of traditional law confiscating the property of childless widows.
• Promotion of craft: She established a textile industry in Maheshwar, which today is very famous for its Maheshwari sarees. 

Cultural contribution of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar

• She welcomed stalwarts such as Marathi poet Moropant, Shahir Ananta Gandhi, and Sanskrit scholar Khushali Ram into her capital.
• She was a great pioneer and builder of Hindu temples.
• She built hundreds of temples and Dharmashalas throughout India.
• Her most notable contribution was the renovation and repair of the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple in 1780.
• She passed away on August 13, 1795, at the age of seventy. 
• Titles: John Keay, the British historian, gave the queen the title of ‘The Philosopher Queen’.

Devi Ahilyabai Holkar FAQs

Q1: Which temple was renovated by Ahilyabai?

Ans: Kashi Vishwanath temple

Q2: Who was the ruler after Ahilyabai Holkar?

Ans: Tukoji Rao Holkar

Q3: What is special about Maheshwari saree?

Ans : It has unique reversible borders done with a two-way weave called 'bugdi'

Source: PIB

About Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal

• It was established by amending the TRAI Act of 1997 in the year 2000.
• It was set up to adjudicate disputes and dispose of appeals with a view to protect the interests of service providers and consumers of the telecom sector and to promote and ensure orderly growth of the telecom sector.

Composition of Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal

• It consists of a Chairperson and two Members appointed by the Central Government.

Eligibility of Members of Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal

• Chairperson: The Chairperson should be or should have been a Judge of the Supreme Court or the Chief Justice of a High Court.
• Other member: They should have held the post of Secretary to the Government of India or any equivalent post in the Central Government or the State Government for a period of not less than two years or a person who is well versed in the field of technology, telecommunication, industry, commerce or administration.
• Tenure of office: The Chairperson of the tribunal shall hold office for a term of maximum four years or till the age of seventy years, whichever is earlier.
• Other members hold office for four years or till the age sixty-five years, whichever is earlier.

Powers and Jurisdiction of Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal

• It exercises jurisdiction over Telecom, Broadcasting, IT and Airport tariff matters under the TRAI Act, 1997, the Information Technology Act, 2008 and the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008.
• It exercises original as well as appellate jurisdiction in regard to Telecom, Broadcasting and Airport tariff matters.
• In regard to Cyber matters the Tribunal exercises only the appellate jurisdiction.
• In January 2004, the Government included broadcasting and cable services also within the purview of TRAI Act. After coming into force of the relevant provisions of the Finance Act 2017, the jurisdiction of TDSAT stands extended to matters that lay before the Cyber Appellate Tribunal and also the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal.

Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal FAQs

Q1: What is the function of the Appellate Tribunal?

Ans: Appellate Tribunal has been constituted to hear appeals against the orders of the Adjudicating Authority and the authorities under the said Act.

Q2: What is the main function of TRAI?

Ans: TRAI's mission is to create and nurture conditions for growth of telecommunications in the country in a manner and at a pace

Q3: What is the role of TDSAT?

Ans: It is empowered to entertain all telecom disputes

Q4: What is the composition of the TDSAT?

Ans: The Tribunal consists of a Chairperson and two Members appointed by the Central Government. 

Source: ET

Ocean Coordination Mechanism Latest News

Recently, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) announced the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) enabling the creation of the Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM). 

About Ocean Coordination Mechanism

• It was conceived under the 10-year CLME+ Strategic Action Program (CLME+ SAP), endorsed by countries in the Wider Caribbean in 2014.
• Its purpose is to establish a collaborative governance framework for the sustainable management of marine resources.
• Aim: To coordinate and streamline actions addressing critical marine issues such as sustainable fisheries, ecosystem restoration, pollution control, blue carbon development, marine spatial planning, and the establishment of marine protected areas.
• It solidifies a transformative effort to enhance integrated ocean governance in the Wider Caribbean region, including the North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem.
• It is designed to foster collaboration among countries, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and key stakeholders.
• Funding: It will receive funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the $15 million UNDP/GEF PROCARIBE+ Project for the period 2024–2028.

Significance of Ocean Coordination Mechanism 

The OCM is pivotal in addressing the Ocean-Climate-Biodiversity nexus by facilitating cross-country and cross-institutional collaboration. It ensures the sustainable development of the blue economy while prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable communities.

Ocean Coordination Mechanism FAQs

Q1: What does UNESCO stand for?

Ans: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Q2: Where is the headquarters of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission?

Ans: Paris, France

Q3: What is the global environment facility?

Ans: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral family of funds dedicated to confronting biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, and supporting land and ocean health.

Source: DTH

Microplastics Latest News

A first-of-its-kind study commissioned by the Delhi government has detected microplastics in groundwater samples across the Capital.

About Microplastics

• Microplastics are small pieces of plastics, usually smaller than 5 mm.
• They are persistent, very mobile and hard to remove from nature. 
• There are two categories of microplastics: primary and secondary.
• Primary microplastics are tiny particles designed for commercial use, such as cosmetics, as well as microfibers shed from clothing and other textiles, such as fishing nets. 
  • They enter the environment directly through any of various channels—for example, product use, unintentional loss from spills during manufacturing or transport, or abrasion during washing.
• Secondary microplastics are particles that result from the breakdown of larger plastic items, such as water bottles. 
  • This breakdown is caused by exposure to environmental factors, mainly the sun’s radiation and ocean waves.

Microplastics Impacts

• Once in the environment, microplastics do not biodegrade and tend to accumulate and persist.
• They can be ingested by marine organisms, leading to potential harm to aquatic life and bioaccumulation along the food chain.
• They can also carry toxic chemicals and pollutants, posing additional risks to organisms and ecosystems.

Microplastics FAQs

Q1. What is the main source of microplastics?

Ans. Where do primary microplastics come from? Microplastics come from synthetic textiles, city dust, tires, road markings, marine coatings, personal care products and engineered plastic pellets.

Q2. What countries have banned microplastics?

Ans. The Netherlands was the first country to introduce a ban on microbeads in cosmetic products in 2014. Several countries, including Australia, Canada, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, Sweden, the UK and the US have followed suit.

Q3. Is microplastics banned in India?

Ans. There is currently no regulation of microbeads in India , although the plastic waste management rules are regularly amended and there are some bans on single use plastic

Source: TH