Today's Current Affairs 25th April 2023

NATIONAL

PM Modi Flags Off Kerala's First Vande Bharat Train From Thiruvananthapuram Central Station

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express train from Thiruvananthapuram Central Station. The high-speed train will run between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod. As indicated by Prime Minister's Office, the Vande Bharat train will cover 11 regions to be specifically Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod. The Vande Bharat train between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod will cover a distance of around 588 kilometres in around eight hours.

PM Narendra Modi also layed the foundation of different rail projects including the redevelopment of Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Varkala Sivagiri rail line stations; extensive improvement of the Thiruvananthapuram region, including Nemon and Kochuveli, as well as an increase in the sectional speed of the Thiruvananthapuram-Shoranur section.

PM Narendra Modi flagged off India’s first water metro in Kochi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day Kerala visit, flaged off India's first water metro that connects 10 islands around Kochi through battery-operated electric hybrid boats for seamless connectivity with the city.

Water Metro provides a distinctive urban transportation system that offers a comparable level of convenience and travel experience to traditional metro systems. This mode of transit is particularly valuable in cities such as Kochi.

ABOUT THE KOCHI WATER METRO - The metro project will start with eight electric hybrid boats developed under Cochin Shipyard Limited. The Kerala government and the German company KfW are funding this dream project. It consists of 38 terminals and 78 electric boats.

The KWM service will launch in the first phase from the High Court-Vypin and Vyttila-Kakkanad terminals. The tickets for the boat trip start at Rs 20. For frequent travellers, there are weekly and monthly passes available.

Using a Kochi One Card, one can travel on both Kochi Metro Rail and Kochi Water Metro. The Kochi One App allows users to digitally purchase tickets.

Operation Kaveri: INS Sumedha With 278 Indians Onboard Departs Port Sudan For Jeddah.

The first batch of Indians stranded in Sudan were evacuated under Operation Kaveri on Tuesday. INS Sumedha departed Port Sudan for Jeddah with 278 people onboard. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday that India has launched Operation Kaveri to rescue its citizens stranded from war-torn Sudan. Jaishankar said the government was "committed to assist all our brethren in Sudan". The government said it was focusing on the safety of over 3,000 Indian citizens presently located throughout Sudan.

India said on Sunday that it had positioned two transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and a naval ship at a key port in Sudan as part of its contingency plans to bring back stranded Indians. According to the MEA, there are risks and logistical challenges associated with overland movement, and Sudanese airspace remains closed to all foreign aircraft. It stated that the security situation in Sudan remained "volatile" despite reports of intense fighting emanating from a variety of locations in Khartoum, the nation's capital.

For the past 12 days, the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group have been engaged in bloody combat, reportedly killing over 400 people.

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Udai Tambar, Indian-origin CEO on racial justice advisory board New York

Udai Tambar, an Indian-origin CEO involved in youth development services in the US, is among 15 experts appointed as members of the newly-formed racial justice advisory board in New York City.

Tambar, the CEO and President of New York Junior Tennis and Learning (NYJTL) was named as a member of the advisory board on implementation of the Racial Justice Charter Amendments, launched last week by Mayor Eric Adams and Mayor’s Office of Equity Commissioner Sideya Sherman.

The board will help ensure that New York City continues to lead the nation in innovative, racial equity work and carries out the city's newly enshrined charter changes, according to a statement by the Mayor's office.

Tambar most recently served as Vice President of Community Health at Northwell Health and is currently the President & CEO of NYJTL, the largest nonprofit youth tennis and education programme in the US.

He has devoted much of his career to serving youth, including serving as Chief of Staff and Director of Youth & Children Services for the NYC Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and as the Executive Director for South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!), which provides comprehensive youth development services for NYC's under-resourced South Asian community,

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Delegate’s Day

Every year on April 25th, International Delegate’s Day is observed to pay tribute to the delegates who are an integral part of the United Nations (UN) and play a significant role in its functioning.

Delegates bring the United Nations to life. Without them, this Organization would not be what it is. They negotiate agreements and coordinate with their home countries. Some form alliances, others struggle for compromises. In that way, they embody the multilateralism, which the UN stands for.

The delegates represent their countries in meetings at the United Nations. Unless a politician of higher rank is present, the delegates speak and vote on behalf of their country at the UN General Assembly, and other fora, such as the UN Security Council. The delegates are appointed by their countries. Hence, they follow the interests of the government they serve.

International Delegate’s Day marks the anniversary of the first day of the San Francisco Conference, also known as the United Nations Conference on International Organization. On 25 April 1945, delegates from fifty countries came together for the first time in San Francisco. Coming together after the devastation of the second world war, their aim was to set up an organization that would restore world peace and impose rules on the post-war world order.

World Malaria Day

World Malaria Day is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. It was instituted by WHO Member States during the World Health Assembly of 2007.

The theme for World Malaria Day 2023 is "Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement", emphasizing the urgency to invest resources, innovate strategies and implement actions towards achieving the goal of zero malaria

About: Malaria - Malaria is an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Ratan Tata receives highest Australian civil honour

Industrialist and Tata Sons' chairman emeritus Ratan Tata has been conferred with the Order of Australia, the highest Australian civil honour. Australian Ambassador to India Barry O’ Farrell confirmed the development on Twitter over the weekend and hailed Tata as “a titan of business, industry and philanthropy”. He said Tata's contributions have made a significant impact in Australia.

The Order of Australia honour comes a month after the industrialist was appointed as an Honorary Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO) for his service to foster Indo-Australia ties, specifically in trade, investment, and philanthropy. Known for his humility, Ratan Tata took charge as the chairman of the group in March 1991 and stepped down in 2012.

About: Order of Australia - The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Government.

RANKING

India ranks 4th on list of countries with largest military spending in the world: SIPRI

India’s military spending was uo 6 per cent year-on-year to $81.4 billion in 2022, making it the fourth highest spender after the US, Russia, and China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

While Beijing spent an estimated $292 billion in 2022, Moscow’s military expenditure stood at $86.4 billion during the same period. However, the US outpaced other countries in terms of defence spending with a bill of $877 billion, according to the report

Saudi Arabia rounded the top five with an annual expenditure of $70 billion. Total military spending surged to $2,240 billion in 2022.

India slipped a spot from last year in terms of military spending. Meanwhile, the US remains the world’s largest military spender equalling the expenditure of nearly 10-15 countries. China also slipped from the second spot having spent nearly $400 billion, with some amount remaining undeclared.

Russia rose to the second spot in these rankings owing to the war with Ukraine. In what is the first war of attrition since the Second World War in Europe, Ukraine has spent nearly 40 per cent of its GDP on defence, according to the report.