• Amazon has announced that it will join the Indian government’s ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) platform.
• In 2022, Microsoft became the first big technology company to join the network with an intention of introducing group buying in the Indian market through social e-commerce.
• ONDC is an open e-commerce protocol set up by the Ministry of Commerce’s Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• Under ONDC, it is envisaged that a buyer registered on one participating e-commerce site may purchase goods from a seller on another participating e-commerce site.
  • Presently, buyers and sellers have to be on the same app for a transaction which happens through the same platform.

• Recently, Brazil has halted its beef exports to China after a case of Mad Cow Disease was confirmed in the northern state of Para.

About Mad Cow Disease

• Also known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is degenerative, transmissible, slowly progressive, and a fatal infection that affects the central nervous system of adult cattle.
• Causes:
  • BSE is caused by a protein called a prion normally found on cell surfaces, the normal prion protein changes into an abnormal prion protein that is harmful.
  • After getting altered, these proteins destroy the nervous system tissue- the brain and spinal cord.
  • The body of a sick cow does not even know the abnormal prion is there. Without knowing it is there, the cow’s body cannot fight off the disease.
• Transmission: A cow gets BSE by eating feed contaminated with parts that came from another cow that was sick with BSE.
• Symptoms:
  • A common sign of BSE in cows is incoordination. A sick cow has trouble walking and getting up and may also act very nervous or violent.
  • It usually takes four to six years from the time a cow is infected with the abnormal prion to when it first shows symptoms of BSE. This is called the incubation period. During the incubation period, there is no way to tell that a cow has BSE by looking at it.
  • Once a cow starts to show symptoms, it gets sicker and sicker until it dies, usually within two weeks to six months.
• Treatment:
  • There is no treatment for BSE and no vaccine to prevent it.

• A medicinal plant commonly called ‘Bor Thekera’ in the Assamese language, traditionally forbidden for raw consumption, has been found to protect from heart diseases.
• Garcinia pedunculata popularly known as Bor Thekera in Assamese, is an evergreen tree related to the more familiar purple mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana).
• The tree is endemic to the south-eastern regions of Asia such as parts of Myanmar and north-eastern parts of India.
• Uses:
  • The sun-dried slices of the Bor Thekera are used for culinary and medicinal purposes and are known to have therapeutic properties like anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, antibacterial, antifungal, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, nephroprotective, and even neuroprotective activity.
  • Multiple studies have been reported that G.pedunculata is a rich source of antioxidants.
  • In Assam, such slices are much valued and used for preparing delicacies like “tenga diya masor jol” meaning Assamese sour fish curry.

• It covers July 2021 to June 2022 period.
• All India Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) increased to 55.2% (Rural-57.5%, Urban-49.7%; Male-77.2%, Female-32.8%) from 54.9’o in 2020-21.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR) increased to 52.9% (Rural-55.6%, Urban-46.6%; Male-73.8%, Female-31.7%) from 52.6% in 2020-21.
• Unemployment Rate (UR) decreased to 4.1% (Rural-3.2%, Urban-6.3%; Male-4.4%, Female-3.3%) from 4.2% in 2020-21.
• PLFS categorises workforce into self-employed (which includes own account workers, employers and unpaid helpers in family enterprises); regular wage/salaried workers and casual labourers.
  • Own account workers run small enterprises without hiring any labour but may take help from family members, while employers hire workers.
• PLFS was launched in 2017.

Objective of PLFS is to estimate

• Key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. WPR, LFPR, UR ) in short time interval of three months for urban areas only in “Current Weekly Status”(CWS).
• Estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both ‘Usual Status’ (principal activity status + subsidiary economic activity status) and CWS in both rural and urban areas annually.

Terminologies

• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) – Percentage of persons in labour force (i.e. working or seeking or available for work) in the population.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR) – Percentage of employed persons in the population.
• Unemployment Rate (UR) – Percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in labour force.
• Activity status– Determined on the basis of activities pursued by person during the specified reference period.
  • Usual Status – activity status is determined on the basis of the reference period of last 365 days preceding the date of survey.
  • Current Weekly Status– activity status determined on the basis of a reference period of last 7 days preceding the date of survey.

• Global anti-money laundering watchdog the Financial Action Task Force has suspended Russia’s membership over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
  • Although suspended, Russia remains a FATF member.
• However, it will be barred from attending meetings and accessing documents.
• Also, FATF updated its list for Jurisdictions Under Increased Monitoring (i.e. Grey list) and High-Risk Jurisdictions (i.e. Black List).

About FATF

• FATF, established in 1989, is an inter-governmental body (India a member) that leads global action to tackle money laundering, terrorist and proliferation financing.
• Headquarters- Paris.
• The FATF sets international standards for more than 200 countries and jurisdictions and seeks to help authorities tackle serious crime including drug smuggling, human trafficking and terrorism.
• FATF lists
  • Grey list
    • Countries that are actively working with FATF to address strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.
    • Countries in grey list may face: Economic sanctions (from IMF, World Bank etc); Problem in getting loans from IMF, World Bank etc.; Reduction in international trade; International boycott etc.
    • UAE, Turkiye, Jordan, South Africa and 20 other nations are in Grey List.

• Black list
  • Countries that FATF considers non-cooperative in global effort to combat money laundering terrorist financing, and financing of proliferation.
  • Myanmar along with Iran and North Korea continue to be in Black list.

• A 53-year-old man from Germany, referred to as the Dusseldorf patient, has become at least the third person to have been “cured of HIV” with the virus not being detectable in his body even four years after stopping the medicine.
  • Referred to as the Berlin patient, Timothy Ray Brown became the first person to overcome HIV after he underwent two stem cell transplants in 2007 and 2008 for treating his blood cancer.
• This was achieved with a bone-marrow transplant from people carrying a specific HIV-resistant genetic mutation called CCR5-delta 32 genetic mutation.
• A bone marrow transplant is a procedure that infuses healthy blood-forming stem cells into body to replace bone marrow that’s not producing enough healthy blood cells.
  • Bone marrow transplants may use cells from your own body (autologous transplant) or from a donor (allogeneic transplant).

Process

• HIV mainly attacks CD4 immune cells (type of white blood cell) in human body, thereby reducing a person’s ability to fight off secondary infections.
• CCR5 receptors on surface of CD4 immune cells act as a doorway for HIV virus.
• However, CCR5-delta 32 mutation prevents these receptors used by HIV virus from forming on the surface, effectively removing the doorway.

About Stem cells

• Stem cells are special human cells that are able to develop into many different cell types.
• Stem cells provide new cells and replaces specialized cells that are damaged or lost. Based on the cell type/tissue of origin, stem cells are classified as
  • Somatic Stem Cells (also known as adult stem cells) and
  • Embryonic Stem Cells.

• The SJVN (Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam) has bagged the Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) award for best performing utility in the hydropower sector.
• The award is in recognition to the outstanding contribution made to nation building by successfully executing and operating mega hydropower stations — 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri station and 412 MW Rampur station — in the state.
  • The Rampur station is being successfully operated in tandem with the country’s largest Nathpa Jhakri hydropower station.
• As a result of the meticulously followed annual plant maintenance schedule using the latest technology, both the power stations have generated more than 9,000 million units during the past three years against the combined design energy of 8,490 million units.

• The state government has received the first instalment of grant-in-aid of Rs 225 crore from the Department of Pharmaceuticals of the Central Government for the development of common infrastructure for the bulk drug park at Haroli in Una district.
• The grant-in-aid has been given under the scheme guidelines for the promotion of the bulk drug park scheme notified by the Department of Pharmaceuticals of the Union Ministry of Chemical and Fertiliser.

• The Kerala government has launched robotic scavenger, “Bandicoot”, to clean sewages in the temple town of Guruvayur, becoming the first state in the country to use robotic technology to clean all its commissioned manholes.
• Genrobotics, a Technopark-based company, have developed “the world’s first robotic scavenger” Bandicoot in an effort to eliminate manual scavenging providing respite for workers engaged in manhole cleaning.
• The robotic Tron Unit, which is the major component of Bandicoot, enters the manhole and removes sewage using robotic hands, similar to a man’s limbs.
• The machine has waterproof, HD vision cameras and sensors that can detect harmful gases inside the manholes.

• SS Rajamouli’s directorial, ‘RRR’ has bagged the ‘Best International Film’ award at the Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards.
• Before bagging the ‘Best International Film’ award, ‘RRR’ won three awards at HCA – ‘Best Action Film’, ‘Best Stunts’, and ‘Best Original Song’.