Daily Current Affairs- 21st October 2025

Daily Current Affairs- 21st October 2025

FSSAI Bans ‘ORS’ Label on Food Products

In the News: On October 18, 2025, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a directive prohibiting food manufacturers from using the term ‘ORS’ (Oral Rehydration Solution) on their product labels. The regulator clarified that “ORS” is a medical formulation regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and cannot be used as a marketing term for flavored drinks, fruit beverages, or electrolyte-based products sold as refreshments.

Key Highlights

• Misleading Claims Targeted: FSSAI found that several beverage brands were misleading consumers—especially parents and athletes—by labelling sweetened electrolyte drinks as “ORS,” despite not meeting WHO or pharmacopeia standards.
• ORS is a Medical Formulation: Genuine ORS is classified as a therapeutic rehydration formulation used to treat dehydration caused by diarrhoea and vomiting. It must meet specific composition standards notified under Indian Pharmacopoeia and WHO-UNICEF guidelines.
• Directive to Food Businesses: FSSAI has ordered all Food Business Operators (FBOs) to remove “ORS” or similar terms like “Electrolyte ORS,” “Hydration ORS,” “Instant ORS” from labels, advertisements, packaging, and promotional materials within 30 days.
• Mandatory Ingredient Compliance: Products that intend to market themselves as rehydration beverages must now comply with Food Safety and Standards (Food for Special Dietary Use) Regulations, 2022, and cannot make medical treatment claims.
• Public Health Concern: FSSAI flagged that excess sugar and sodium in imitation ORS drinks could worsen dehydration or cause electrolyte imbalance, posing risks to children, elderly persons, and athletes.
• No Medical Claims Allowed: Food products cannot claim to treat, cure, or prevent medical conditions unless approved as drugs by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
• Misbranding and Penalties: Violations will attract action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 for misbranding and misleading advertisements, including product recall and financial penalties.
• Difference Highlighted: FSSAI clarified the difference between ORS and sports drinks—while ORS is designed for clinical dehydration, sports drinks are meant only to replenish fluids after exercise and are not substitutes for ORS.

India–MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA)

In the News: India and MERCOSUR are exploring the expansion of their Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), originally signed in 2004, to cover a wider range of products and deepen economic engagement. Talks gained momentum in 2025 with both sides aiming to include services and investment in the upcoming negotiation rounds.

Key Highlights

• About the Agreement: The India–MERCOSUR PTA was signed in 2004 and came into force in 2009. It provides preferential tariff access to a limited number of products traded between India and MERCOSUR member countries—Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
• Product Coverage: The agreement currently covers 450 tariff lines from India and 452 tariff lines from MERCOSUR, offering 10–100% tariff concessions on items like pharmaceuticals, textiles, organic chemicals, auto parts, and agricultural products.
• Trade Value & Growth: Bilateral trade between India and MERCOSUR crossed USD 17 billion in 2023–24, with major Indian exports including diesel, chemicals, pharma, and engineering goods, while imports include soya oil, sugar, leather, and minerals.
• Expansion Talks in 2025: Both sides are considering expanding the PTA to over 3,000–4,000 products and include services, investment, and rules of origin to boost trade cooperation.
• Strategic Importance for India: The PTA enables India to diversify its energy and food imports, strengthens South-South cooperation, and improves India’s economic footprint in Latin America, a region rich in critical minerals and agri-resources.
• Importance for MERCOSUR: MERCOSUR gains access to India’s large consumer market and opportunities for cooperation in renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and automobile manufacturing.
• Trade Challenges: Current challenges include logistical barriers, high shipping costs, complex customs procedures, language barriers, and limited awareness among businesses on both sides.
• Potential Areas of Cooperation: Emerging sectors of collaboration include biofuels (ethanol blending), agri-processing, mining of lithium and rare minerals, pharmaceuticals, defence manufacturing, and digital trade.
• Institutional Mechanism: Trade discussions are governed by the Joint Administrative Committee (JAC) established under the PTA framework, which meets periodically to review implementation and resolve trade issues.

Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s First Female Prime Minister

In the News: Sanae Takaichi made history by becoming Japan’s first woman Prime Minister, breaking a political glass ceiling in a country long dominated by male leadership. She was elected as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) after Fumio Kishida stepped down, and was subsequently elected as Prime Minister by Japan’s National Diet.

Key Highlights

• Historic Milestone for Japan: Takaichi became the first female Prime Minister in Japan's history, a major development in a nation ranked low globally on gender equality in politics.
• Political Background: She is a veteran LDP politician and one of the party’s most conservative leaders. She has held important portfolios, including Internal Affairs and Communications Minister and Economic Security Minister.
• Close Ideological Ally of Shinzo Abe: Takaichi is known to be a protégé of former PM Shinzo Abe and is aligned with his nationalist and conservative political ideology, especially on defence and constitutional reforms.
• Focus on National Security: In her first address, she emphasized strengthening Japan’s self-defence capabilities amid regional threats from China, North Korea and Russia, and reaffirmed Japan’s alliance with the United States.
• Economic Agenda: Takaichi promised a pro-growth economic strategy with a focus on technological innovation, semiconductor production, supply chain security, and measures to counter Japan’s shrinking population and labour shortage.
• Stance on Constitution: She supports amending Japan’s pacifist Constitution (Article 9) to give legal recognition to the Self Defense Forces (SDF), a long-debated issue in Japan’s politics.
• Foreign Policy Outlook: She advocates a strong Indo-Pacific strategy, deeper partnerships with India, Australia, ASEAN, and standing firm against Chinese maritime aggression in the East China Sea.
• Domestic Policy Priorities: Takaichi has announced policies addressing economic security, energy independence, inflation control, and support for traditional family values, which has drawn both support and criticism.
• Controversies: Her political views are considered right-wing conservative. She has faced criticism for visiting the Yasukuni Shrine (seen by China and South Korea as a symbol of Japanese wartime militarism) and for opposing progressive gender reforms like separate surnames for married couples.

Tuvalu Joins IUCN as 90th Member State

In the News: On October 22, 2025, Tuvalu, a low-lying Pacific island nation threatened by sea-level rise, officially became the 90th Member State of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Tuvalu’s membership signals its commitment to global environmental governance and marine biodiversity protection.

Key Highlights

• Climate-Vulnerable Nation Joins IUCN: Tuvalu is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries and could be partially submerged by 2100. By joining IUCN, it aims to strengthen international support for its climate resilience and conservation strategies.
• Focus on Ocean Conservation: Nearly 98% of Tuvalu’s territory is ocean, and it sits within rich coral reef ecosystems. Membersip will help Tuvalu protect marine biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal ecosystems that are vital for its food security and economy.
• Access to Global Conservation Expertise: As an IUCN Member State, Tuvalu will now participate in global policy-making forums and gain access to conservation funding, technical assistance, and nature-based solutions for climate adaptation.
• Supports ‘Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project’ (TCAP): Tuvalu’s IUCN membership aligns with its national adaptation projects, including artificial island-building, mangrove restoration, and coastal defense mechanisms supported by the Green Climate Fund.
• Strengthening Pacific Environmental Diplomacy: Tuvalu’s entry follows a trend of Pacific Island nations taking leadership in climate negotiations. It enhances regional coordination with Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu within IUCN platforms.
• IUCN’s Role: The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world’s largest environmental network with 1,400+ members, including governments, NGOs, and scientific institutions. It is the authority behind the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• Environmental Priorities for Tuvalu: Key conservation priorities include coral reef protection, climate-induced displacement, ocean governance, fisheries sustainability, and protection of endemic species.
• Link to Climate Justice Agenda: Tuvalu has been a global advocate of “climate liability” and “loss and damage” financing, and its IUCN membership amplifies its voice in UNFCCC and COP climate summits.
• Digital Nation Initiative: Tuvalu has launched the “Future Now Project” to become the world’s first digital nation in case rising seas displace its population. Environmental protection is central to this initiative.

Chandrayaan-2 Observes Lunar Exosphere Changes

In the News: In October 2025, scientists from ISRO and Space Physics Laboratory (VSSC) reported new findings based on data from Chandrayaan-2’s CHACE-2 (Chandra’s Atmospheric Composition Explorer-2) instrument, showing significant seasonal and solar-driven variations in the Moon’s exosphere, especially in the presence of argon-40. The study provides rare insights into lunar surface dynamics and interior processes.

Key Highlights

• Discovery of Temporal Variations: CHACE-2 detected daily and latitudinal variations in argon-40 levels in the lunar exosphere, showing that the Moon’s extremely thin atmosphere is not static but constantly changing.
• Role of Solar Activity: Changes in solar radiation and space weather events such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were found to directly influence the density of lunar atmospheric particles, revealing Sun–Moon interaction dynamics.
• Evidence of Moon’s Interior Activity: Argon-40 originates from the radioactive decay of potassium-40 inside the Moon’s interior, escaping through cracks. Its fluctuations hint at ongoing radiogenic activity beneath the lunar crust.
• Exosphere Mapping: The mission conducted the first large-scale temporal mapping of the exosphere over multiple lunar days, providing long-term data crucial for future lunar habitation and resource planning.
• Impact on Future Missions: Understanding exosphere variations is important for lander and rover mission planning, as dust-charged particles and gas behavior can affect navigation, communication, and instrumentation.
• Support for Artemis Collaboration: Findings strengthen India's role in the Artemis Accords scientific community, helping global efforts to establish sustained human presence on the Moon.
• Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter Success: Despite the lander crash in 2019, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter continues to function normally, contributing valuable lunar science data even after six years in orbit.
• Precision Instrumentation: The CHACE-2 mass spectrometer is capable of detecting trace gases at parts-per-billion levels, allowing high precision analysis of lunar atmospheric composition.
• Helium and Other Gases Detected: Besides argon-40, the mission also detected helium-4 and neon, supporting theories that solar wind implantation is a major source of exospheric gases.

Morocco Stuns Argentina to Win Historic U-20 World Cup

In the News: On 20 October 2025, Morocco defeated Argentina 2-0 in the final of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Santiago, Chile — marking their first-ever FIFA tournament title.

Key Highlights

• Historic Victory for Africa: Morocco became the first African (and Arab) nation to win the FIFA U-20 World Cup, defeating six-time champions Argentina.
• Final Match Result: Morocco beat Argentina 2-0 in the final.
• Goals: The two goals were scored by Morocco’s star player Yassir Zabiri — one from a free-kick in the 12th minute and another close-range finish in the 29th minute.
• Path to the Final: Morocco defeated Brazil and France en route; Argentina had been favourites.
• Significance: This win highlights Morocco’s rising football infrastructure (youth academies, Mohamed VI Football Academy) and signals a shift in global youth-football dynamics.
• It also serves as a landmark achievement for African football.
• Coach and Strategy: Under coach Mohamed Ouahbi, Morocco combined disciplined defending with fast counters — effective against Argentina’s traditionally possession-based style.
• Argentina’s Missed Opportunity: Despite being favourites and having a strong tournament run, Argentina could not break down Morocco’s defence and stumbled in the final.
• Global Reaction: Celebrated by FIFA and African football communities as a major milestone.
• Future Implications: Boosts Morocco’s football profile and could motivate further investment in youth development across Africa.