Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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WHO steps up fight against tobacco

News

The World Health Organization has launched new guidelines on the role that tobacco product regulations can play in reducing tobacco demand, saving lives and raising revenues for health services to treat tobacco-related diseases.

Guidelines

• Most countries hesitate to implement policies, due in part to the highly technical nature of such policy interventions and the difficulties in translating science into regulation.
• Failure to regulate represents a missed opportunity as tobacco product regulation, in the context of comprehensive control, is a valuable tool that complements other tried and tested tobacco control interventions, such as raising taxes, and ensuring smoke-free environments.
• The new guidelines provide practical, stepwise approaches to implementing tobacco testing. Such guidance is relevant to a wide range of countries in various settings, including those with inadequate resources to establish a testing facility.

The laboratory guide has comprehensible information on how to test tobacco products, what products to test, and how to use testing data in a meaningful way to support regulation.

U.S. tariffs: ‘India must raise dispute at WTO’

News

Experts said that,India should drag the United States into the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) dispute mechanism against the latter’s move to hike import duties on steel and aluminium, as the decision will impact exports and is not in compliance with the global trade norms.

Beyond News

• The decision of the U.S. would not only impact India’s export of these goods to America but also affect global trade.
• Such decisions are protectionist in nature. India needs to approach the WTO against this move as it would severely hit global trade.
• Former Commerce Secretary said the country should take action against America and also raise duties on products like almonds, pistachio and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

NASA satellites recreate solar eruption in 3D

News

Scientists have mapped and recreated solar bursts in 3D using three NASA satellites, an advance that may help predict how such events may affect weather around Earth, endanger spacecraft and astronauts.

Beyond News

• The new models can help see how shocks associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) propagate from the Sun by combining data from three satellites to produce a much more robust mapping of a CME than any one could do alone.
• Much the way ships form bow waves as they move through water, CMEs set off interplanetary shocks when they erupt from the Sun at extreme speeds, propelling a wave of high-energy particles.
• These particles can spark space weather events around Earth, endangering spacecraft and astronauts.
• Understanding a shock’s structure particularly how it develops and accelerates is key to predicting how it might disrupt near-Earth space.
• However, without a vast array of sensors scattered through space, these things are impossible to measure directly.

India commits $1.4 billion for solar energy worldwide

News

India announced one of the world’s largest investment plans in solar energy at the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Beyond News

• The $1.4 billion line of credit will cover 27 projects in 15 countries and boost the much-required financial power to the solar sector.
• Prime Minister said that,India will provide assistance to 15 countries for $1.4 billion.

The Founding Conference was co-chaired by Mr. Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. Mr. Modi presented a 10-point action plan aimed at making solar power more affordable while raising the share of power generated.

• The solar energy sector, facing a challenge of funding, received considerable support at the conference.
• Mr Macron is heading to Mirzapur where he will inaugurate a 100 MW solar power project .

Mr. Macron identified three issues to be addressed the solar energy potential in each country should be identified; mobilisation of finance; and the provision of a favourable framework.

India’s first coastal policing academy to start from next month

News

The country’s first national academy to train police forces in effectively safeguarding the Indian shoreline will start functioning in Devbhumi Dwarka district of Gujarat from next month.

Beyond News

The Union Home Ministry recently sanctioned the launch of the National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP) from a campus of Gujarat’s Fisheries Research Centre located in coastal Okha.

To be run by a team of paramilitary and defence forces, the academy will sharpen the skills of marine forces of coastal States.

Scientists link 36 genes to heart failure

News

Scientists have identified 36 new genes linked to heart failure, paving the way for novel personalised drug therapies to treat or prevent the deadly condition.

Beyond News

Researchers confirmed that one of those genes plays a causal role in cardiac hypertrophy abnormal thickening of the heart muscle which can lead to heart failure.

This is an exciting direction for personalised medicine.

It can predict whether a patient should be prescribed a different drug using just a blood test.

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