NATIONAL NEWS

India Eliminates Trachoma as a Public Health Problem

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that India has eliminated Trachoma as a public health problem.

India becomes the third country in the WHO South-East Asia Region to achieve this milestone.

The official certification was presented to Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director of the National Health Mission, by Ms. Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, at the WHO Regional Committee meeting in New Delhi.

Trachoma is a bacterial infection caused by Chlamydia Trachomatis.

It is a contagious disease, spread through contact with infected eyes, eyelids, or secretions from the nose or throat.

If untreated, it can lead to irreversible blindness.

Trachoma mainly affects underprivileged communities living in poor environmental conditions.

Nagaland Collaborates with Wales for 25th Hornbill Festival

Nagaland government has signed Wales as one of the Country Partners for the upcoming 25th Edition of the Hornbill Festival.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who is on an official visit to Wales, announced the signing of the agreement with the Welsh Government, the British Council, and Wales Arts International representatives in Cardiff.

The festival has been organised by the Nagaland government since 2000 between December 1 and December 10 every year to showcase and promote the best of Naga culture, cuisines and music to the world.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Myanmar to Participate in ASEAN SUMMIT

Myanmar will send a representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit for the first time in three years.

The decision to participate comes as the junta struggles to address an ongoing civil war and amid diplomatic isolation since the February 2021 coup.

The civil conflict in Myanmar is expected to be a significant topic during the summit, which is being held in Vientiane, Laos from October 9, 2024.

The junta initially agreed to a "five-point consensus" plan aimed at restoring peace, but it has largely ignored the agreement while continuing a crackdown on dissent.

Myanmar's attendance is viewed as a tacit acceptance of the five-point consensus, signaling a potential shift in its diplomatic approach.

 

BANKING

Paytm Money Introduces BSE Futures and Options Trading

Paytm Money, a wholly-owned subsidiary of One97 Communications (OCL), launched BSE Futures & Options (BSE F&O) trading service on its platform, as part of the Noida-based company’s efforts to expand its wealth management and financial services segment.

This would enable users to trade index derivative contracts offered by the Bombay Stock Exchange, including SENSEX, BANKEX, and SENSEX50.

The platform would enable users to trade both NSE and BSE F&O contracts in one app.

The company, ranked the 11th largest broker, said trading charges excluding taxes have been set at Rs 20 per trade order.

It includes real-time market data, advanced charting tools, and an integrated margin calculator for informed decision-making. Offers various order types (market, limit, stop-loss, intraday) with real-time tracking of positions and P&L.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) revealed that 93% of retail traders incurred an average loss of Rs 2 lakh over the past three years.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

2024 Nobel Chemistry Prize

The Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, has chosen David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M. Jumper for the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

American David Baker was honoured for his work on ‘computational protein design’. British Demis Hassabi and American John M. Jumper were honoured for their work in predicting protein structures from their amino acid sequences.

The cash prize of 11 million kroner will be shared among the three winners.

Half of the prize will go to David Baker, and the other half will be equally shared between Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper.

The award will be conferred to them in a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on 10 December 2024.

The Nobel Prize is awarded by the Nobel Foundation, which gives prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economics.

The Nobel Foundation was set up as per the will of the Philanthropist and inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel.

2024 Nobel Prize in Literature

The Swedish Academy has selected South Korean novelist Han Kang for the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. Han Kang is the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

She is the second South Korean to win the Nobel Prize after former President Kim Dae-Jung. President Kim Dae-Jung was conferred the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000.

Han Kang will receive her 11 million Kroner prize at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on 10 December 2024, Alfred Nobel's death anniversary.

The 2016 International Booker Prize-winning novelist Han Kang was selected by the Swedish Academy “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life."

       

SPORTS

Uttarakhand to Host Next Summer And Winter National Games

The Indian Olympic Association has chosen Uttarakhand to host the 38th Summer National Games.

The state will also hold the next Winter Games. The 37th National Games was held in Goa from 25 September -9 November 2023.

The Winter Games will be held outside Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh for the first time.

According to the Indian Olympic Association, Uttrakhand will hold the 38th National Games from 28 January -14 February 2025.

The National Games are organised by the Indian Olympic Association and hosted by the state government. Their main aim is to identify talents in the country who can represent India at the Summer Olympics.

King Of Clay ‘Rafael Nadal’ Announces Retirement From Tennis

One of the greatest men’s tennis players in the open era, Rafael Nadal, has announced his retirement from professional tennis.

The upcoming Davis Cup Final in Spain will be his last tournament as a professional player. The 2024 Davis Cup Final will take place from 19 to 24 November 2024 in Malaga, Spain.

Rafael Nadal will be part of the Spanish team that will take on the Netherlands in the quarter-finals on 19 November 2024.

Spanish-born Rafael Nadal turned professional in 2001 at the age of 15 and became the youngest male player to win a match in the professional tennis circuit.

During his stellar career, Rafael Nadal has won several tennis titles.

22 Grand Slam singles titles: 14 French Open, 4 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 2 Australian Open.

Olympic Medals: Singles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and gold in the men’s double at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Asian TT Championships 2024

The Indian men's and women's teams won bronze medals in their respective events at the 27th Asian Table Tennis Championships 2024, held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

This was the first medal for the women's team in the championships after 1960, when they won bronze at Bombay, while for the men’s team; it was their third consecutive bronze medal.

The Indian women's Table Tennis team of Ayhika Mukherjee, Manika Batra, and Sutirtha Mukherjee lost their semi-final match against the eventual winner, Japan, 3-1. In the Asian Table Tennis Championships, the losing semi-finalists are awarded the bronze medal.

This was the first medal for the Indian women’s team at the Asian Table Tennis Championships since the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) started organising the competition in 1972.

The India men’s team of Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai lost their semi-final match against the Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) 3-0 to settle for a bronze medal in the Championships.

The Asian Table Tennis Championships were earlier organised by the Table Tennis Federation of Asia (TTFA).

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day 2024 falls on the 10th of October.

World Mental Health Day with the theme 'It is Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace'

A non-governmental organization called the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) was established in 1948.

On October 10, 1992, Richard Hunter, who was the deputy secretary general of the WFMH at the time, declared the first World Mental Health Day.

Every year since 1994, a unique theme has been chosen for the international celebration.

 

OBITUTARY

Padma Vibhushan Business Tycoon Ratan Naval Tata

One of the icons of Indian business in the modern era, Ratan Naval Tata, passed away on 9 October 2024 at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Ratan Naval Tata was 86 years old, suffering from age-related medical complications and was in a critical condition.

Jamsetji Tata founded the Tata Group by establishing a cotton mill in Maharashtra.

The Tata Group is a diversified business group operating in Steel, cement, textiles, hydroelectric power, agricultural equipment, trucks, locomotives, software, the hospitality sector, etc.

In 1991, Ratan Tata was appointed the chairman of the Tata Sons after Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (JRD Tata) death.

1991 also saw the introduction of a new economic policy in the country, which encouraged the private sector and promoted the globalisation of the Indian economy.

Under Ratan Tata, the Tata Group expanded its business and aimed to become a multinational company.