Learn Spanish (Spain): El Gobierno ha aprobado nuevas medidas contra la contaminación. - The government has passed new measures against pollution.

In Spanish, the adjective nuevo changes meaning slightly based on its position. After the noun, it means objectively brand new. Before the noun (nuevas medidas), it means 'another set of' or 'newly introduced'. The government is adding to existing rules, making the before-noun placement the most natural choice here.

Doesn't aprobar usually mean 'to approve' or 'to pass an exam'? Why is it translated as 'passed' here?

You are right that aprobar means to approve or to pass a test. In political and legal contexts, however, aprobar is the standard verb used for passing a law, a bill, or a measure. So, aprobar medidas naturally translates to passing measures.

Why is the word Gobierno capitalized in the middle of the sentence?

In Spanish, nouns referring to state institutions, official bodies, and government entities are capitalized when referring to the institution as a whole. You will frequently see this with terms like el Gobierno, el Estado (the State), and la Policía (the Police).

Why use the present perfect (ha aprobado) instead of the simple past (aprobó) for this completed action?