Daily Current Affairs of 14 October 2019

Current Affairs of Today

1) 2nd India-China Informal Summit

• The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi and the President of the People's Republic of China Mr Xi Jinping held their Second Informal Summit in Chennai, India, on 11-12 October 2019.
• Both agreed that it is important to support and strengthen the rules-based multilateral trading system at a time when globally agreed trade practices and norms are being selectively questioned. India and China will continue to work together for open and inclusive trade arrangements that will benefit all countries.
• Both Leaders are concerned that terrorism continues to pose a common threat. They recognized the importance of continuing to make joint efforts to ensure that the international community strengthens the framework against training, financing and supporting terrorist groups throughout the world and on a non-discriminatory basis.
• The two leaders have decided to designate 2020 as Year of India-China Cultural and People to People Exchanges and agreed that the 70th anniversary of the establishment of India-China relations in 2020 will be fully utilized to deepen exchanges at all levels including between their respective legislatures, political parties, cultural and youth organizations and militaries. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations the two countries will organize 70 activities including a conference on a ship voyage that will trace the historical connection between the two civilizations.
• To further deepen economic cooperation and to enhance their closer development partnership, the two leaders have decided to establish a High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue mechanism with the objective of achieving enhanced trade and commercial relations, as well as to better balance the trade between the two countries. They have also agreed to encourage mutual investments in identified sectors through the development of a Manufacturing Partnership and tasked their officials to develop this idea at the first meeting of the High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue.
• Prime Minister Modi and President Xi agreed to continue this practice of Informal Summits in the future. President Xi invited Prime Minister Modi to visit China for the 3rd Informal Summit. Prime Minister Modi has accepted the invitation. 
• Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that Beijing was pursuing an “unshakable policy” of developing close ties with India, and proposed a 100­ year plan to cement ties between the two ancient civilizations

2) U.S. Senator warns India against the use of Huawei 

India will risk losing intelligence from the U.S. if it allows Chinese telecom major Huawei to be part of its 5G infrastructure, a U.S.Republican Senator

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who also plays a crucial role in the U.S. reaction to developments in J&K

3) Indo-Japan Joint Military Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN 2019

Joint Military Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN 2019 between India and Japan will be conducted at Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, Vairengte from 19 Oct 2019 to 02 Nov 2019. Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (JGSDF) comprising 25 soldiers each will participate in the exercise with an aim to share experience gained during various Counter-Terrorism Operations in respective Countries.

About DHARMA GUARDIAN

Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN is an annual training event which is being conducted in India since 2018. Notably, in the series of military training exercises undertaken by India with various countries Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN with Japan is crucial and significant in terms of security challenges faced by both the nations in the backdrop of global terrorism. The scope of this exercise covers platoon level joint training on counter-terrorism operations in the jungle and urban scenarios

4) ADB, India sign a $190 million loan for improving road connectivity in Rajasthan.

The Asian Development Bank and the Government of India yesterday signed a $190 million loan to upgrade 754 kilometers of state highways and major district roads (MDRs) to two-lane or intermediate-lane standards that will benefit about 26 million people in 14 districts of Rajasthan.

5) The USA deployed additional 3,000 troops to Saudi Arabia

Special US Envoy for Iran, Brian Hook recently announced that the United States is ready to deploy additional 3,000 troops to Saudi Arabia. Troops will be deployed to Saudi Arabia to provide more security to the oil facilities.

6) NASA's recently launched a satellite 'ICON' to study the ionosphere 

NASA has launched a satellite named ICON to study the ionosphere. According to information released by NASA, this mission will bring out the information about where the Earth and the ionosphere meet. The mission was to be launched in 2017 but due to a technical flaw, it has been launched after two years.

7) India and Sierra Leone meeting

• India and Sierra Leone signed 6 agreements today to expand the bilateral relations in various fields and also agreed to push for UNSC reforms so that one-third of mankind residing in Africa and India occupy their rightful place in decision making bodies of the UN.
• The agreements were signed in the presence of Mr. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and the Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu who arrived in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, on the second and last leg of his tour to African nations
• India announced the decision to establish a High Commission in Sierra Leone
• Both countries have agreed to enhance cooperation in agriculture, food processing, Information Technology, infrastructure development, and capacity building.
• Shri Naidu announced a Line of Credit to the tune of US$ 30 million for Irrigation development in Tomabum to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production.
• A decision was taken to reactivate the US $ 15 million Line of Credit for a potable water project
• An MoU was signed for Sierra Leone to participate in India’s Pan-African tele-Education, Tele-medicine initiatives, e-VidyaBharati and e-Arogya Bharati
• India will soon initiate steps to set up the Centre of Excellence in IT in Sierra Leone

8) Shri Nitin Gadkari to Inaugurate Conference on One Nation One Fastag

• Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises will inaugurate a conference on One Nation One FASTag in New Delhi
• The conference will see the signing of MoUs with state departments / other agencies for bringing in a unified electronic tolling solution across the country. This would mean enabling the use of the same FASTag affixed on the windscreen of a vehicle at every toll plaza in the country under the jurisdiction of different states /agencies and other entities. This will help provide seamless services to consumers across the country.
• Another MoU will be signed , between the Indian Highways Management Company Ltd. (IHMCL) and Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) for the integration of FASTag with GST E- Way Bill System. The GST Council has already accorded ‘in-principle’ approval for this integration. The integration of the EWB system with FASTag will help revenue authorities track the movement of vehicles and ensure that they are traveling to the same destination that the transporter or the trader had specified while generating the e-way bill.

9) World Bank cuts India’s growth projection to 6%

• India’s growth rate is projected to fall to 6%, according to the World Bank.
• India' growth rate may recover to 6.9% in 2021 and 7.2% in 2022 as it assumed that the monetary stance would remain accommodative, given benign price dynamics

10) Mizoram is top State with HIV prevalence rate

• Mizoram reports nine positive cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) a day.
• The virus “strike rate” has made Mizoram top the list of States with an HIV prevalence rate of 2.04% followed by Manipur with 1.43% and Nagaland with 1.15%.
• Data compiled by the Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) show that 67.21% of the positive cases from 2006 to March 2019 have been transmitted sexually, 1.03% of the transmission route being homosexual.
• The next major cause, accounting for 28.12% cases, is infected needles shared by intravenous drug users.
• Analysis of the HIV positive cases confirmed at the testing centers show that people in the age group of 25­-34 years are the most vulnerable in Mizoram followed by those in the age brackets of 35­-49 years and 15-­24 years

11) Nepal, China ink road connectivity deal

• China and Nepal concluded agreements for all-­weather connectivity between Kathmandu and the Tibet Autonomous Region
• An agreement for the upgraded all­weather road connection that includes the building of Himalayan tunnels was reached between the Ministry of Finance of Nepal and the China International Development Cooperation Agency
• The tunnel network will connect Tokha and Chhahare within Nepal that will ultimately reduce the road distance between Nepal and China.
• Both sides also gave the green signal for a feasibility study of the trans­Himalayan rail connectivity aimed at connecting the Nepal capital with major commercial centers of the Tibetan Autonomous Region and beyond in China.
• Nepal agreed to allow Chinese banks to open branches and other financial services in Nepal and increase imports from China
• China has agreed to build the Madan Bhandari University for Science and Technology as a mark of respect for the late leader of the Communist Party of Nepal. 
• It also committed to building a railway line connecting Kathmandu and Pokhara with the birthplace of Lord Buddha at Lumbini.