Current Affairs of Today are
1) XVIII NAM Summit
The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu will lead the Indian delegation at the XVIII Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to be held at Baku, Azerbaijan on 25-26 October.
The theme for the XVIII NAM
The theme for the XVIII NAM Summit is “Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of the contemporary world”. The Ten Principles of Bandung, a political statement encapsulating the need to promote world peace and cooperation were formulated at the Asian-African Conference in 1955.
About NAM Summit
- The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 developing world states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.
- Drawing on the principles agreed at the Bandung Conference in 1955, the NAM was established in 1961 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia through an initiative of the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito. This led to the first Conference of Heads of State or Governments of Non-Aligned Countries. The term non-aligned movement first appears in the fifth conference in 1976, where participating countries are denoted as "members of the movement".
The Summit will focus on a whole gamut of contemporary issues such as Terrorism, threats to peace and security, UN reform, climate change, sustainable development, economic governance, and south-south cooperation.
2) Cabinet approves proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and St. Vincent & the Grenadines on cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given ex-post-facto approval to the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and St. Vincent & the Grenadines on cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine.
Perks of MoU
The MoU will provide a framework for cooperation between India and St. Vincent & the Grenadines for the promotion of traditional systems of medicines and will mutually benefit the two countries in the said field. It will lead to the promotion and propagation of Traditional Systems of Medicine in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Activities mentioned in the MoU will boost the importance of AYUSH Systems of Medicine in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. As a consequence of the MoU, the exchange of experts for training of the practitioners and Scientists undertaking collaborative research in Traditional Systems of Medicine is expected to lead to new innovations in drug development and practice of Traditional Medicine.
3) Cabinet approves the proposal for Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation between India and the United States of America.
Benefits:
- The agreement will open a new chapter in bilateral relations as both sides will leverage complementary strengths spurred by a significant convergence of mutual interests in science and technology.
- The Agreement would provide an opportunity to promote ‘high quality’ and ‘high impact’ research and innovation partnerships as well as broadening and expanding relationships between the extensive scientific and technological communities.
Salient features
- Exchanges of scientific & technical information and experts.
- Convening of seminars and meetings.
- Training of scientists and technical experts.
- Conduct cooperative research projects.
- Establishment of science & innovation-based public-private partnerships.
- Use of advanced research facilities.
4) Successful Firing of The Brahmos Surface To Surface Missile at Trak Island
Indian Air Force BrahMos unit has successfully fired two Surface to Surface missiles at Trak Island in Andaman Nicobar group of islands on
21 & 22 Oct 19. The twin firings have been carried out by the IAF as a part of the training mission. The BrahMos land-attack cruise missiles engaged the designated mock targets to close to300 Km away and achieved direct hit in both the cases.About BrahMos
- The 2.8 Mach BrahMos missile is a state-of-art supersonic cruise missile designed and developed by BAPL. The missile is ideally suited for launch from large stand-off ranges to engage fortified targets deep inside the enemy territory with precision.
- The BrahMos missile provides Indian Air Force a much-desired capability to strike from large stand-off ranges on any target at sea or on land with pinpoint accuracy by day or night and in all weather conditions. Supersonic speeds combined with the capability to attack the assigned target in Single or Salvo mode ensures quicker target engagement with a high degree of assurance. The missile functions on the Fire and Forget principle with high accuracy.
5) First National Protocol to Enumerate Snow Leopard Population in India Launched
- In a major boost towards protecting and conserving Snow Leopards, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Shri Prakash Javadekar launched the First National Protocol on Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India, on the occasion of International Snow Leopard Day.
- Snow Leopard enumeration of the Nation, which is the first of its kind, has been developed by scientific experts in association with the Snow Leopard States/UTs namely, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Snow Leopard is found in 12 countries. They are India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
6) Union Cabinet approves revival plan of BSNL and MTNL and in-principle merger of the two
- Administrative allotment of spectrum for 4G services to BSNL and MTNL to enable these PSUs to provide broadband and other data services. The said Spectrum will be funded by the Government of India by capital infusion in these PSUs at a value of Rs 20,140 Cr also; the GST amount of Rs 3,674 Cr to this spectrum value will also be borne by the Government of India through Budgetary resources. By using this spectrum allotment, BSNL and MTNL will be able to deliver 4G services, compete in the market and provide high-speed data using their vast network including in rural areas.
- BSNL and MTNL will also raise long-term bonds of Rs 15,000 Cr for which sovereign guarantee will be provided by the Government of India (GoI). With the said resources, BSNL and MTNL will restructure their existing debt and also partly meet CAPEX, OPEX and other requirements.
- BSNL and MTNL will also offer Voluntary Retirement to their employees, aged 50 years and above through attractive Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), the cost of which will be borne by the Government of India through budgetary support. The ex-gratia component of VRS will require Rs. 17,169 Cr also, GoI will be meeting the cost towards Pension, Gratuity, and Commutation. Details of the scheme will be finalized by BSNL/MTNL.
- BSNL and MTNL will monetize their assets to raise resources for retiring debt, servicing of bonds, network up-gradation, expansion and meeting the operational fund requirements.
- An in-principle merger of BSNL and MTNL
7) Hong Kong officially kills extradition Bill
Hong Kong’s legislature on Wednesday formally withdrew planned legislation that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but the move was unlikely to end months of unrest as it met just one of five demands of pro-democracy demonstrators. The rallying cry of the protesters, who have trashed public buildings in the Chineseruled city, set street fires and pelted police with petrol bombs, has been “five demands, not one less”, meaning the withdrawal of the bill makes no difference
About the bill.
The Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 is a proposed bill regarding extradition to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in relation to special surrender arrangements and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance The bill was proposed by the Hong Kong government in February 2019 to establish a mechanism for transfers of fugitives not only for Taiwan but also for Mainland China and Macau, which are excluded in the existing laws.
8) Quantum leap in computing
Quantum leap in computing to have achieved a near-mythical state of computing in which a new generation of machine vastly outperforms the world’s fastest supercomputer, known as “quantum supremacy”. A team of experts working on Google’s Sycamore machine said their quantum system had executed a calculation in 200 seconds that would have taken a classic computer 10,000 years to
complete.What's special in it
Regular computers, even the fastest, function in a binary fashion: they carry out tasks using tiny fragments of data known as bits that are
only ever either 1 or 0.
But fragments of data on a quantum computer, known as qubits, can be both 1 and 0 at the same time. This property, known as superposition, means a quantum computer, made up of several qubits, can crunch an enormous number of potential outcomes simultaneously
9) Massive Monster galaxy found hidden amid cosmic dust
Astronomers have found a massive galaxy, dating back to the early universe, lurking in cosmic dust clouds an advance that may open the doors for discovering a new galaxy population type.
According to the researchers, the signal came from so far away that it took nearly 12.5 billion years to reach the Earth when the universe was still in its infancy.
The galaxy is actually a massive monster galaxy, with as many stars as our Milky Way, but brimming with activity and forming new stars at 100 times the rate of our own galaxy
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