Notes:
Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is an intergovernmental body that develops food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice. The CAC was established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The CAC’s headquarters are in Rome. Recently, India’s proposal at Codex Alimentarious Commission (CAC) meet for standards for millets, covering parameters like moisture content and quality, was unanimously endorsed. The standards cover 15 varieties and will aid the promotion of millets in global trade and food markets. The CAC praised India’s specifications. The decision comes as 2023 was declared the International Year of Millets to boost production and consumption.

Notes:
World AIDS Day is observed on December 1st every year. The theme for 2023 is “Let Communities Lead”. This theme highlights the importance of communities in the HIV response and the goal of ending AIDS by 2030. World AIDS Day is an international day that raises awareness of the AIDS pandemic and mourns those who have died from the disease. It also celebrates victories, such as increased access to treatment and prevention services.

Notes:
Several nations are witnessing outbreaks of a bacterial lung infection or pneumonia among children, which antibiotics are unable to treat effectively. In China, such cases being reported likely involve the mycoplasma pneumoniae pathogen. The ‘white lung’ syndrome leads to distinctive marks on scans. Beyond China, rise in the US, Netherlands and Denmark point to a wider spread.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin unveiled a statue of pioneering anti-caste activist Iyothee Thass Pandithar in Chennai in December 2023. The statue and memorial cost Rs 2.49 crores to build. Stalin hailed Iyothee Thass as the forerunner to Periyar in politically popularizing ‘Tamizhan’ and ‘Dravidian’ identity terms. Born in 1845 in Madras, Iyothee Thass promoted Dravidian ideology through the Dravida Mahajana Sabha he founded in 1891 with Rettamalai Srinivasan. In 1876, Thass had set up the Advaidananda Sabha and launched the magazine ‘Dravida Pandian’ alongside Rev. John Rathina. A prominent activist and Siddha medicine practitioner, he organized Nilgiri Hills tribes into the freedom movement in the 1870s. His most revolutionary declaration in 1886 was that Scheduled Castes were not Hindus, inspiring their separate socio-political mobilization. This declaration laid the grounds for the later Dravida Kazhagam. Thass urged Dalits to register as ‘Casteless Dravidians’ in the 1891 census. His anti-caste activities inspired Sri Lanka’s Anagarika Dharmapala as well. After a life dedicated to social justice, Iyothee Thass passed away on May 5, 1914.

Notes:
The common term used for tactics like false scarcity claims, confirm-shaming, forced bundling, and subscription traps in online transactions, which were recently addressed by the Indian government, is “dark patterns.” Government of India has notified guidelines banning online platforms from deploying deceptive designs or ‘dark patterns’ tricking users into certain choices benefitting the company. Any commercial entity systematically offering goods or services in India must refrain from such practices numbered in the rules. With e-commerce expanding, curbs became imperative as exploitative mechanisms undermine consumer autonomy and fair competition. Companies could face penalties for violations. As digital adoption rises, informed consent and transparency in interface flows matter. Hence regulations aim safeguarding web-use.