WTO Ministerial Conference to begin from June 12 in Geneva

• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead the Indian delegation in the Conference.
• The key areas of discussions and negotiations in this year’s conference include WTO’s response to the pandemic, Fisheries subsidies negotiations and Agriculture issues including Public Stockholding for Food security.
• Regarding intellectual property, India seeks: (i) a recognition of the difficulties faced by developing countries and LDCs in utilising TRIPS flexibilities to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and (ii) a reaffirmation of the TRIPS waiver decision under the responses’ declaration.
• India is a founding member of the WTO since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 8 July 1948.

Buddha relics to be taken to Mongolia, Rijiju to lead team

• The Holy Relics will be displayed at the Batsagaan Temple within the premises of Gandan Monastery. The Holy Buddha relics, currently housed in the National Museum, are known as the ‘Kapilvastu Relics’ since they are from a site in Bihar first discovered in 1898 which is believed to be the ancient city of Kapilvastu.
• It is another historic milestone in India-Mongolia relations and will further boost cultural and spiritual relations between the two countries.
• Modi was the first-ever Prime Minister of India to visit Mongolia in 2015.
• Kapilavastu was an ancient city on the Indian subcontinent which was the capital of the clan of the Shakyas. King Śuddhodana and Queen Māyā are believed to have lived at Kapilavastu, as did their son Prince Siddartha Gautama (Gautama Buddha) until he left the palace at the age of 29.

National Museum of Customs and GST in Goa, Dharohar

• The two-storey ‘Blue building’, which was earlier known as Alfandega, during the period of Portuguese rule in Goa, has been standing on the banks of the Mandovi River in Panaji for more than 400 years.
• Dharohar is one of its kind museums in the country that showcases not only the artifacts seized by Indian Customs but also depicts various aspects of work performed by the Customs Department.
• ‘Dharohar’ has eight galleries. GST Gallery is a brand new addition to the Dharohar Museum.
• A first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, this GST Gallery takes one through the long and arduous journey of GST spanning two decades.

India signs pact with Russia for supply of radio equipment for 24 airports

• The Russian company will manufacture 34 sets of instrument landing system (ILS) 734 for the modernisation of 24 airports in India. The contract comes amid the war in Ukraine and pressure from the West on India to diversify its dependence for defence needs.
• The domestic manufacturer received the right to conclude a contract based on the results of a global tender, in which, in addition to RTS, the world’s largest suppliers of radio equipment took part.
• According to the contract, the first part of landing systems ILS-734 must be shipped before November. Payments within the transaction will be carried out in national currencies, the statement said, without specifying the contract value.

SEBI raises concern on crypto

• SEBI has essentially flagged the problems with regulating crypto assets because they “are maintained in decentralised distributed ledgers, which are nested in computer nodes spread all across the globe.”
• SEBI has elaborated upon the possible need for different regulators to deal with different aspects of a crypto asset market. Crypto exchanges, for instance, could be brought under the regulatory purview of the RBI.
• The subscribers or customers of crypto assets form another important part of the market. SEBI has suggested that the Consumer Protection Act of 2019 be invoked to make sure their interests are safeguarded.
• It has also sought clarity on whether cryptocurrencies can be legally classified as securities.

WHO report on Covid-19 origins

• The panel, set up in October, comprises 26 experts from around the world and is called the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO).
• Its work follows a previous WHO-China report on COVID-19 which pointed towards a natural origin for the pandemic, likely from bats, rather than a lab leak.
• The new report says a zoonotic origin is the most likely explanation for the emergence of the novel coronavirus. The first human cases were reported in December 2019 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
• However, it says that neither the original animal source, the intermediate host, nor the moment the virus crossed over into humans, has been identified.
• Can the lab leak theory be true? The panel also said that no further information has been provided on whether the coronavirus may have reached humans via a laboratory incident, meaning more data and investigations remained important.

House Passes Red-Flag Bill as Senate Talks on Gun Violence Continue

• The bill, which passed 224/202 largely along party lines, comes in light of two devastating mass shootings in the US that occurred in less than a fortnight.
• Currently, 19 US states, and also Washington D.C., have these ‘red-flag’ laws in place. The latest push is to create a federal law of the same nature to check gun violence.
• The ‘extreme risk protection laws’, known informally as ‘red-flag’ laws, are among the possible solutions offered to tackle the endemic gun violence in the United States.
• These laws allow courts to issue a special protection order which authorises the police to temporarily confiscate guns from people that display concerning behaviour, such as issuing threats of harm. If the judge determines them to be dangerous to themselves or others, they can be barred from possessing or purchasing new firearms.

Justin Bieber Reveals Facial Paralysis

• Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is neurological disease in which a virus – Varicella Zoster – causes inflammation of the nerves involved in facial movements. The Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) is the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles.
• When the nerves get inflamed, they lose their ability to function, leading to temporary facial palsy or paralysis. What it means is that facial muscles in the infected person cannot receive necessary signals to function properly.
• There are 12 cranial nerves in the body. Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is the viral infection impacting the 7th cranial nerve that is involved in facial movements.
• The symptoms include painful, red rash and blisters in and around the ear, and facial paralysis on the same side. Patients also report hearing loss in the ear that has been impacted apart from Tinnitus or ringing sounds. Inability to close the eye causes dryness.
• The disease is not contagious but can lead to chickenpox in those not vaccinated for the disease.
• It is treated using anti-viral drugs, steroids and physiotherapy. Steroids and anti-viral drugs are the cornerstone of the treatment.