Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 4th May 2025

 International News 

1. Australia’s Albanese wins a second 3-year term 

• Anthony Albanese claimed victory as the first Australian Prime Minister to clinch a second consecutive three-year term in 21 years on Saturday and suggested his government had increased its majority in the next Parliament by not modelling itself on U.S.
• President Donald Trump’s administration. “Australians have chosen to face global challenges the Australian way, looking after each other while building for the future,” Mr. Albanese told supporters in a victory speech in Sydney. “We do not need to beg or borrow or copy from anywhere else. 
• We do not seek our inspiration overseas. We find it right here in our values and in our people,” he added. 
•  His centre-left Labor Party had branded Mr. Albanese’s rival Peter Dutton, the opposition leader, “DOGE-y Dutton” and accused his conservative Liberal Party of mimicking Mr. Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency. 
•  Mr. Albanese had condemned Mr. Trump’s tariffs as an act of “economic self-harm” and “not the act of a friend”. 
•  Mr. Dutton had earlier conceded his alliance of conservative parties had been defeated in the election and that he had lost his own parliamentary seat that he had held for 24 years. 
• Majority to go up Labor had held a narrow majority of 78 seats in the 151-seat house House of Representatives, the lower chamber where parties form governments. 
• Australian governments are usually elected for at least a second term, but are expected to lose seats at the second election. 
• But the Labor party is on track to increase its majority in its second term. Elated Labor supporters swigged craft beers emblazoned with Mr. Albanese’s face at an election party in Sydney, chanting his “Albo” nickname as results were declared on TV. Mr. Albanese has promised to embrace renewable energy, tackle a worsening housing crisis, and pour money into a creaking healthcare system. 
• Mr. Dutton wanted to slash immigration, crack down on crime and ditch a longstanding ban on nuclear power. 

2. U.K., India can be exemplars of how culture unites people: Lisa Nandy 

• India and the United Kingdom can be the world’s “exemplars” of using cultural collaborations to transcend national boundaries and bring people together, U.K. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy said on Saturday. 
• On Friday, India and the United Kingdom signed a new bilateral Cultural Cooperation Agreement. 
• This pact is expected to facilitate increased U.K. creative exports to India and enable more partnerships between British and Indian museums and cultural institutions. 
• ‘Start of next chapter’ The U.K. The Culture Secretary remarked on Saturday that the agreement serves as a “signal of intent” and marks “the beginning of the next chapter” in the relationship, anticipating further collaborations. 
• Observing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to use India’s significant cultural heritage to unite people globally, Ms. Nandy noted this aligns closely with the message from the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In an interview with The Hindu, Ms. Nandy, who is on a three-day visit to India, said that while cultural collaboration between the two countries was economically important, its greater significance lay elsewhere. 
•  “We feel that at a time when the world feels very divided, [the] U.K. and India can be real examples of how you can use culture to bring people much closer together,” she said. Ms. Nandy stressed the importance of acknowledging India’s influence on modern Britain, which she feels is often overlooked compared with Britain’s impact on India. 
• “Even the Beatles, which was a quintessentially British band, was profoundly influenced by the sounds of Indian music,” she said. “Without which we would not have the vibrancy across our music industry.” 
• “It is important to our people that we help to celebrate and interpret that for them: How the partnership between India and the U.K. has helped shape modern Britain,” she said. 

Schemes and Committees News 

3. Vay Vandana Yojana: Delhi CM rolls out mobile vans 

•  Over 28,000 senior citizens have registered under the Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojana, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday as she flagged off mobile vans from Munirka to expedite enrolment under the newly launched health insurance scheme. 
•  The scheme allows those aged 70 and above to avail of free secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation of up to ₹10 lakh. 
•  “The Delhi government is bringing this service to your doorstep. Ensuring that all our senior citizens benefit from this scheme is our top priority. 
• This is not just a health card. It is a guarantee of dignity, respect, and protection for our seniors,” she said. The vans will travel across all 70 Delhi Assembly seats.

 Infrastructure and Energy News 

4. I&B Ministry unveils global partnerships for creative tech institute in Mumbai 

• The Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry on Saturday unveiled the vision for the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT), an upcoming Mumbai-based national centre of excellence dedicated to the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sector in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). 
• On the third day of the WAVES (World Audio Visual and Entertainment) summit, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the institute’s partnerships and long-term collaborations with global industry leaders, including JioStar, Adobe, Google and YouTube, Meta, Wacom, Microsoft, and Nvidia. 
• These companies have agreed to provide support to the IICT in curriculum development, internships, scholarships, start-up funding, and job placements, Mr. Vaishnaw said.
•  Letters of Intent signed by IICT representatives signed several Letters of Intent at the event, including with Jiostar, Adobe, Google, YouTube, and Meta. 
• Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vaishnaw said the IICT was on track to evolve into a premier institution in its field, on the lines of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). 
•  “We have started an initiative which is completely novel in the world of film and entertainment. 
• This [initiative] follows the vision of our Prime Minister that India can take the global lead in the media and entertainment sector,” he said. Industry leaders present on the occasion included Richard Kerris of Nvidia, Sanjog Gupta of JioStar, Mala Sharma of Adobe, Preeti Lobana of Google India, Rajiv Malik of Wacom, Sandeep Bandivdekar of Microsoft, and Sunil Abraham of Meta. Also present were members of the IICT’s Board and Governing Council, including Ashish Kulkarni, Biren Ghosh, Manvendra Shukul, Munjal Shroff, Chaitanya Chinchlikar, and Subhash Sapru.