Whatsapp 93125-11015 For Details
Enhanced connectivity was bringing people of India and Sri Lanka closer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday at the launch of an international, high-speed passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam on the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in the northern province of Sri Lanka.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Tamil Nadu Minister E.V. Velu flagged off the craft from the Nagapattinam port, marking the resumption of the service after a gap of nearly four decades.
“Connectivity is not only about bringing two cities closer. It also brings our countries closer, our people closer and our hearts closer,” Mr. Modi said, emphasising the role of trade, tourism and people-to-people ties in promoting new opportunities for growth for the young people of both countries. In his remarks, he highlighted the rich history of maritime trade linked to Nagapattinam and nearby towns.
Sikkim’s fallen dam haunts India’s dreams in Bhutan (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The Chungthang dam of Sikkim Urja’s 1,200-MW Teesta-III hydroelectric project on the Teesta river gave way on October 4, leading to the death of at least 94 people in the downstream areas of Sikkim and West Bengal.
The devastation has refreshed worries over two of three Indian-assisted, under-construction mega hydropower projects in Bhutan — the 1,200-MW Punatsangchhu Stage-I (Puna-I) and the 1,020-MW Punatsangchhu Stage-II (Puna-II). These projects, and the 660-MW Kholongchu, are estimated to cost ₹21,637.28 crore, funded by India, benefiting northern and eastern States.
PM Modi confirms India’s bid to host 2036 Olympics (Page no. 1)
(Miscellaneous)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly articulated India’s aspiration to host the 2036 Summer Olympics and become the only fourth Asian country to host the Games. However, he did not mention which city would host the Games.
The Prime Minister underlined the significance of the IOC session taking place in the country after 40 years and also informed the audience about India’s victory against Pakistan in the World Cup in Ahmedabad on Saturday. I congratulate Team Bharat and every Indian on this historic victory.
News
Red Fort to host India’s maiden art, architecture and design biennale (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 1, Culture)
Come December, the national capital’s iconic Red Fort will house for a week, replicas of some landmark Indian buildings and structures such as the new Indian Parliament, the Velankanni railway station and Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar as part of the country’s maiden art, architecture and design biennale.
The India Art, Architecture and Design Biennale, 2023 (IAADB), being organised by the Union Culture Ministry from December 9 to 15, is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The week-long festival will see each day built around a uniquely conceptualised theme which will be complemented by exclusively curated exhibitions.
Centre seeks inclusion of traditional medicine on WHO’s list (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
In a move meant to put the Indian system of medicine on the world map and provide it with a common standardised language, the Union government has sought the inclusion of Ayurveda and related systems in the 11th revision of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD), as the second module of a supplementary chapter on traditional medicine conditions.
The ICD provides a common language that allows health professionals to share standardised information across the world.
The traditional medicine module of the 11th revision provides a list of diagnostics categories to collect and report on medicine conditions in a standardised and internationally comparable manner.
We are hopeful that the addition of Module-2 for Ayurveda could happen by next January.
World
Israel military says northern Gaza residents must not ‘delay’ evacuation (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The Israeli military said that Gaza City residents must not delay their departure before an expected ground offensive starts, as people leaving the north of the territory again jammed roads south.
Israel has designated two safe routes for more than one million residents of northern Gaza to leave for the south of the blockaded territory.
Military spokesman Richard Hecht said there is a safe passage “window” between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on the roads, down the Gaza coast and through the centre of the narrow Palestinian territory, which is about 40 km long.
Iran Minister warns Israel of spread of war across West Asia (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Iran’s Foreign Minister on Saturday called upon Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, warning that the war might expand to other parts of West Asia if Hezbollah joins the battle, and that would make Israel suffer “a huge earthquake.”
Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters in Beirut that Lebanon’s Hezbollah group has taken all the scenarios of a war into consideration and Israel should stop its attacks on Gaza as soon as possible.
Israel considers Hezbollah its most serious immediate threat, estimating it has some 1,50,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles that can hit anywhere in Israel.
The group, which has thousands of battle-hardened fighters who participated in Syria’s 12-year conflict, also has different types of military drones.
Science
How a 6.3 magnitude quake caused another of same intensity (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 1, Geography)
In what can be termed as unusual, a shallow focus (14 km depth) earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck about 40 kms northwest of Herat in Afghanistan at around 11:00 am local time on October 7 (Saturday).
The earthquake occurred as the result of thrust faulting near the far western terminus of the Hindu Kush Mountain range. Just 30 minutes after the first quake, Herat was struck by another shallow earthquake (about 13.5 km depth) of the same intensity — 6.3 magnitude.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): “[The first] earthquake was followed by a second earthquake [with 6.3 magnitude] that occurred approximately 30 minutes later.
Both earthquakes occurred on east-west striking fault planes that dip to either the north or south. The earthquakes occurred within the Eurasia plate in an intracontinental mountain belt”. There were about a half-a-dozen aftershocks following the earthquakes.
Deep-learning helps classification of tumours during surgery (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
A method to quickly classify central nervous system (CNS) tumours, combining rapid sequencing and deep-learned AI models, may enable molecular diagnosis in less than 90 minutes, according to a study published in Nature.
The findings demonstrate the potential feasibility of obtaining molecular diagnosis of tumours during surgery to assist surgical decision making.
Primary treatment of CNS tumours involves surgical removal of the tumours, which requires careful consideration to strike a balance between maximising the removal of tumorous tissue while minimising the risk of neurological damage and other complications.
The standard practice relies on preoperative imaging and histological analysis during surgery, but these methods are not always conclusive .
Sequencing DNA to uncover methylation profiles could reveal information about the origin and prognosis of a tumour, but it takes days to get the results.
Egypt is racing to eliminate hepatitis C (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
On October 9, WHO announcedthat Egypt had made “unprecedented progress” towards eliminating hepatitis C.
According to the WHO, Egypt became the first country to achieve “gold tier” status on the path to elimination of hepatitis C as per the global health body criteria.
The “gold tier” status to reach the stated goal of eliminating hepatitis C includes meeting specific criteria such as ensuring 100% blood and injection safety, maintaining a minimum of 150 needles/syringes per year for people who inject drugs (PWID), diagnosis of over 80% of people living with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV), treating of over 70% of individuals diagnosed with HCV, and the establishing of a sentinel surveillance programme for hepatitis sequelae, including liver cancer.
FAQ
Why are abortion laws in the spotlight again? (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
A married woman 26 weeks pregnant has approached the Supreme Court seeking to terminate her pregnancy citing inability to take care of the child due to post-partum depression and other health issues. She has two other children.
The Supreme Court on October 9 agreed to her plea, but two days later, a two-judge Bench of Justices Hima Kohli and B.V. Nagarathna delivered a split verdict when the government brandished a report from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) which said that the foetus was viable and had a heartbeat.
Aborting it at this stage would mean either putting a stop to the heartbeat or delivering the baby prematurely which might lead to severe complications both mental and physical for the child.
The case was then referred to a larger Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, which has observed that the highest court of the land cannot overlook the rights of an unborn child thus igniting a pro-life versus pro-choice debate.
According to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Amendment Act 2021, opinion of only one registered medical practitioner will be required for the abortion of a foetus up to 20 weeks of gestation and of two for the termination of pregnancy from 20 to 24 weeks of gestation.
The opinion of a state-level medical board is required for abortions over 24 weeks, in case of suspected foetal abnormalities.
Profiles
Silk Roads at a crossroads (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Chinese President Xi Jinping will host more than a dozen world leaders in Beijing, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, for the third Belt and Road Forum, which will mark the 10 year anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The BRI, as it turns 10, stands at a crossroads. China has poured in billions of dollars into the plan, revitalising railway connections to Europe, investing in ports around Asia, and building high-speed railways in Africa and Southeast Asia, among other projects.
Yet, on the anniversary, the project is also facing searching questions, particularly over the debt burdens faced by many BRI partners, from Sri Lanka to Zambia.
Israel’s missile defence shield (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
On the morning of October 7, around 06:30 local time in Israel, air raid sirens went off warning citizens of an aerial attack. Such instances have had occurred in the past.
However, this time it was different — this was a multi-pronged attack by Gaza-based militant group Hamas from land, sea and air.
Around 2,200 rockets were fired towards southern and central Israel, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Many of them were shot down by ‘Iron Dome’ defensive shield, while some landed in populated areas.
Iron Dome is a short-range anti-rocket, anti-mortar, and anti-artillery system with an intercept range of 2.5 to 43 miles and was developed by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems of Israel, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Israel has at least 10 Iron Dome batteries deployed throughout the country, each designed to defend a 60-square-mile populated area and can be moved as threats change, it noted.
Business
Centre unveils tradeable Green Credit
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The government has introduced a special programme allowing an individual or entity to earn Green Credit and trade it on a dedicated exchange.
Green Credit refers to a unit of an incentive provided for specified activities that deliver a positive impact on the environment.
A Green Credit programme is being launched at the national level to leverage a competitive market-based approach for incentivising environmental actions of various stakeholders.
This programme is a follow-up action of the ‘LiFE’-(Lifestyle for Environment) campaign. The notification added that the new programme is a voluntary one.