WHO and WADA Signs MoU to Collaborate on Clean, Drug-free Sport
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and World Health Organisation (WHO) have recently inked a fouryear Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that enables experts from both global organizations to work
together and exchange information concerning areas where the realms of anti-doping and public health
intersect.
The MoU was signed in Geneva, Switzerland, between WADA president Witold Banka and WHO DirectorGeneral Tedros Ghebreyesus.
Key Points:
- Addressing and evaluating health risks
associated with the usage of psychoactive
substances and related disorders, with a
particular emphasis on doping substances
and their use within the athlete
community.
- Promoting awareness and advocating for
the integrity of clean sports and the
prevention of substance misuse on a
global scale
- Enhancing awareness through
educational initiatives, facilitated by goodwill ambassadors and influencers, to foster positive change.
- Collaborating on issues related to substandard and counterfeit medical products, including the
identification of emerging psychoactive substances by sharing information, offering mutual support, and
engaging with sports federations.
- Reporting instances of abuse and misuse of counterfeit and substandard medical products within the realm
of sports.Top of Form
About WHO:
It is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world
safe and serve the vulnerable
Director General – Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Established – 1948
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
Member states – 194
About WADA:
It is an international independent agency to lead a collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport.
President – Witold Bańka
Established –1999
Headquarters – Montreal, Canada
WHO recommends R21/Matrix-M, Malaria vaccine by Oxford & Serum Institute
- World Health Organization(WHO) has recommended R21/MatrixM, the new malaria vaccine developed by Jenner Institute at
Oxford University(the United Kingdom -UK) and Serum
Institute of India (SII) Private Limited leveraging Novavax’s
adjuvant technology, for the prevention of malaria in children.
- The vaccine was developed with the support of the European and
Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), the Wellcome Trust, and the European Investment Bank (EIB)
- The recommendation follows advice from the WHO: Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on
Immunization (SAGE) and the Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG).
NIIF Collaborated with JBIC to Launch India-Japan Fund of Rs 49 Billion
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL) has entered into a collaboration with the
Japan Bank for International Cooperation
(JBIC) to launch its first bi-lateral fund
called India-Japan Fund (IJF) of Rs 49
Billion (USD 600 million).
The Fund was established by NIIF Limited
(NIIFL), a collaborative investment
platform for international and Indian
investors.
The fund is anchored by the Government of
India and JBIC
Key Points:
- The India-Japan Fund (IJF) will focus on
investing in environmental sustainability
and low-carbon emission strategies such as
renewable energy, e-mobility, waste management and water management projects
- It aims to enhance Japanese investments into India and strengthen collaboration between the two countries
in the area of climate and environment by being a ‘partner of choice’.
About National Investment And Infrastructure Fund Limited(NIIFL):
Managing Director(MD) & Chief Executive Officer(CEO) – Rajiv Dhar
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established in – 2015
About Japan Bank for International Cooperation(JBIC):
Managing Director(MD) & Chairman – Tadashi Maeda
Headquarters – Tokyo, Japan
Established in – 2012
Anne L’Huillier, Pierre Agostini, and Ferenc Krausz Wins the Nobel Prize in Physics
2023
- Anne L’Huillier of France, Pierre Agostini of France, and Ferenc Krausz of Hungary were awarded the
2023 Nobel Prize in Physics “for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the
study of electron dynamics in matter.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded by the Royal
Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.
- In 1987, Anne L’Huillier and her colleagues did an
experiment of passing an infrared laser beam through a
noble gas that produces overtones
- Pierre Agostini and his research group in France
successfully created and investigated a pulse train of
250-attosecond light pulses in 2001
- Ferenc Krausz and his team in Austria developed a
technique to separate an individual 650-attosecond pulse
from a pulse train
- Anne L’Huillier is the fifth woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Anne L’Huillier is the fifth woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Former Indian cricket Player Sachin Tendulkar was named as the ‘Global Ambassador’ for the
International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket One Day International (ODI) World Cup 2023.
Sachin unveils the World Cup trophy
before the inaugural match between
England and New Zealand on 5th October
2023.
Sachin has played six ODI World Cups
including 1989, 1992, 1996, 2003, 2007,
and 2011.
Key Points:
- The 13th edition of the Men’s ODI World
Cup is set to be held from 5th October to
19th November 2023, comprised 48
matches across 10 venues in India.
- Both the inagural and final matches set to
be held in Narendra Modi Stadium in
Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
- Mascot: ICC announces two mascots including ‘Blaze‘(female mascot- Bowler) and ‘Tonk’ (male mascot
– Batsmen)
- India won the men’s world cup twice, including in 1983 and 2011..
- Sachin Tendulkar was also part of the 2011 ODI World Cup-winning team.
About International Cricket Council (ICC):
Chairman – Greg Barclay
Headquarters – Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Established – 1909
World Animal Day 2023 – October 4
World Animal Day (WAD) is annually observed across the
globe on October 4 which aims to brings together the
animal welfare movement to work towards creating a better
world for all animals.
The day celebrates the diversity of the animal kingdom and
reflects on the importance of animal welfare around the
world.
The theme of World Animal Day 2023 is ‘Great or Small,
Love Them All’.
Key Points:
- The idea of World Animal Day was initially proposed by
Heinrich Zimmerman, a writer and publisher of the German magazine “Mensch und Hund” (Man and
Dog).
- The first World Animal Day celebrated on 24th March 1925
World Space Week 2023 – 4th to 10th October
- United Nations (UN) World Space Week (WSW) is annually observed across the globe from 4th to 10th
October to celebrate the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human
condition.
The theme for World Space Week 2023 is “Space and Entrepreneurship”.
- The theme highlights the growing importance of the commercial space sector and its potential for
entrepreneurs. As miniaturisation and cost-efficiency continue to advance, the future of space exploration belongs not only to governments but also to
visionary entrepreneurs
- Every year, the theme of WSW is selected by the
World Space Week Association (WSWA) Board
of Directors in close coordination with the UN
Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) to
provide a focus on the activities and events that
take place in over 80 nations from 4-10 October.
About United Nations Office of Outer Space
Affairs (UNOOSA):
Director– Aarti Holla-Maini
Headquarters– Vienna, Austria
Established in– 1958
World Teachers’ Day 2023- October 5
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s World Teachers’ Day
(WTD) is annually observed across the globe on 5 October to
recognise the important role that teachers play in education
around the world
- WTD also aims to reflect on the support teachers require to
maximize their impact on students and society and to rethink
the future of the teaching profession globally.
- The 2023 theme of WTD is, “The teachers we need for the
education we want: The global imperative to reverse the
teacher shortage“
- The theme underscores the need to support, respect, and
celebrate educators to address teacher shortages and make the teaching profession more appealing
- WTD is co-convened in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Education International (EI)
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Director-General– Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters– Paris, France
UNESCO’s Constitution was adopted in London (United Kingdom) in 1945, it entered into force in 1946.
Assam CM launched Mukhya Mantri Lok Sevak Arogya Yojana for Medical Bill
Reimbursement
On 2 October 2023, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti,
Assam Chief Minister (CM) Himanta Biswa Sarma
launched the Ayushman Asom: Mukhya
Mantri Lok Sevak Arogya Yojana, an online medical
bill reimbursement scheme for the Government of
Assam’s employees, pensioners and their dependents, at
the event held in Sankardev Kalakshetra International
Auditorium in Guwahati, Assam.
As part of the event, the CM transferred the first
installment of Rs. 9,000 each to the bank accounts of 1
lakh beneficiaries under the Individual Household
Latrine (IHHL) scheme.
Key Points:
- The scheme promises to reimburse medical bills at rates equivalent to the Central Government Health
Schemes (CGHS) through the online IT portal.
- Payments will be directly credited to the accounts of the claimant employees, eliminating delays and
troubles
- The scheme will progressively introduce a cashless payment option, further simplifying the healthcare
reimbursement process
- Eligible individuals can now have their medical bills reimbursed for treatment at any hospital, a departure
from the earlier requirement to seek treatment exclusively at government-impaneled hospitals for
successful bill processing
- Paperwork is currently in progress to expand cashless medical treatment benefits.
HP CM Launched Sukh Ashraya Yojana for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Sections of
Society
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched the
‘Mukhyamantri Sukh Ashraya Yojana’ at the Ridge in Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) to provide
comprehensive support to orphans, specially-abled children, destitute women, and elderly individuals in
Himachal Pradesh.
With this scheme, Himachal Pradesh became the first state
in India to enact a law aimed at supporting orphan children
and other vulnerable sections of society.
The Himachal government decided to adopt the orphans, the
specially-abled children as the ‘Children of the State’ and
work for their upliftment and well-being, including parental
care.
Key Points:
- Financial benefits worth Rs 4.68 crore were distributed to
eligible children which includes Rs. 15.52 lakh for fees and other hostel expenses, along with Rs. 11.52
lakh as monthly expenses benefiting 48 orphaned children for pursuing higher education.
- Apart from this, Rs. 7.02 lakh for fees and Rs. 4.08 lakh for monthly expenses were also distributed to 17
orphaned children enrolled in a few professional courses.
- Rs 6 lakh was allocated to 3 beneficiaries for the establishment of small and micro-industries
- Financial benefits amounting to Rs. 2.65 crore were transferred to the bank accounts of 1,106 beneficiaries
through foster care and sponsorship
- For the construction of a house, the landless orphaned children will be provided financial assistance of Rs
3 lakh and additionally three biswa of land in the rural areas and two biswa in urban areasMonthly financial assistance of Rs 4,000 for approximately 2,700 newly identified orphans (until the age
of 27 years) living with relatives
- Monthly financial assistance of Rs 4,000 for approximately 2,700 newly identified orphans (until the age
of 27 years) living with relatives
About Himachal Pradesh:
Chief Minister– Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
Governor– Shiv Pratap Shukla
Stadium– Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA Stadium- Outdoor) and The Indira
Gandhi Stadium (Outdoor)