NATIONAL NEWS

ITU-World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the International Telecommunication Union ITU – World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi this morning.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the 8th edition of India Mobile Congress 2024 during the programme.

WTSA is the governing conference for the standardization work of International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations Agency for Digital Technologies, organised every four years.

It is for the first time that the ITU-WTSA is being hosted in India and the Asia-Pacific.

World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly is a pivotal global event that will bring together more than three thousand industry leaders, policy-makers and tech experts from over 190 countries, representing telecom, digital, and ICT sectors.

It will provide a platform for countries to discuss and decide the future of standards of next-generation critical technologies like 6G, Artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, Big Data, cybersecurity and others.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar to visit Islamabad for SCO Summit

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will embark on a two-day visit to Islamabad to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

The External Affairs Minister had earlier remarked that his Pakistan visit is for a multilateral event and he had ruled out bilateral talks.

This will be the first high-level visit of an Indian Foreign Minister to the neighbouring nation in nine years.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation. It comprises of nine member states – India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The SCO focuses on strengthening mutual trust among the Member States, promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, economy, research, technology, and culture.

India and Colombia to Sign Audiovisual Co-Production Agreement

The Audiovisual Co-production Agreement between India and Colombia will be signed in New Delhi.

This agreement is expected to benefit producers from both countries in pooling their creative, artistic, technical, financial and marketing resources for the co-production.

The agreement will also lead to an exchange of art and culture among the two countries. It will also create goodwill and better understanding among the people of both countries thereby boosting cultural ties between the two countries.

Currently, India has co-production treaties with 16 countries, resulting in 29 projects over the last five years. Colombia is the 17th country with which India is signing a Co-Production Agreement.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Global Hunger Index 2024

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a comprehensive tool that tracks and measures hunger at the global, regional, and national levels.

India ranks 105th out of 127 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2024, placing it in the “serious” hunger category.

India’s GHI score is 27.3, indicating a severe level of hunger.

The 2024 GHI report is the 19th edition, published by Concern Worldwide (Ireland) and Welthungerhilfe (Germany).

The report underscores that achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of Zero Hunger by 2030 is increasingly unlikely without substantial progress.

 The disparity between the global right to food standards and the harsh reality faced by millions remains significant.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

New CMD and CEO of IRFC

On October 10, Manoj Kumar Dubey, a 1993-batch Indian Railway Accounts Service officer, was appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC).

IRFC is a miniratna public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railways.

Manoj Kumar Dubey previously served as Director (Finance) and Chief Financial Officer at the Container Corporation of India (CONCOR).

He has a strong track record in financial management and strategic operations.

AWARDS & PRIZES

2024 Nobel Peace Prize

The Norwegian Nobel Committee Norway has chosen the anti-nuclear weapon Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.

The Norwegian Committee chose the Nihon Hidankyo organisation for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and demonstrate through victims of nuclear weapons testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.

Representatives of the Nihon Hidankyo organisation will receive their 11 million Kroner prize at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on 10 December 2024.

Nihon Hidankyo is the shortened Japanese name of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations. They are the largest and most influential Hibakusha organisation in Japan.

Nihon is the Japanese name of Japan.

Nobel in Economics 2024

2024 Nobel laureates in the economic sciences are Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity.

Societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better.

Their research highlights the different ways in which colonization impacted institutional development in various regions.

In some colonies, the colonizers exploited the local population and established extractive systems to serve their own interests.

In others, they created inclusive political and economic systems that allowed for the long-term prosperity of the population, particularly for European migrants.

SPORTS

ATP Shanghai Masters 1000 Singles Title

World Number One male tennis player Jannik Sinner of Italy defeated 24 Grand Slam winners Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the final to win the ATP Shanghai Masters 1000 singles title.

The ATP Shanghai Master 1000 was held in the Chinese city of Shanghai from 2 to 13 October 2024. The Shanghai Master is played on a hard court.

In the final of the Shanghai Masters, played on 13 October 2024 in Shanghai, Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.

The pair of Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and Nikola Mektic of Croatia defeated the Argentinian pair of Maximo Gonzales and Andres Molteni 6-4, 6-4 to win the doubles title of the Shanghai Masters tennis championships.

ATP, or the Association of Tennis Professionals, was founded in 1972 to promote men’s professional tennis worldwide. It is the global governing body of professional men’s tennis.

It organises a series of events known as the ATP Tour every year.

Aryna Sabalenka Wins WTA Wuhan 1000 Singles Title

World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus defeated World No.7 Zheng Qinwen of China to win her third consecutive WTA Wuhan 1000 singles title.

The WTA Wuhan 1000 Tennis tournament was held in the Chinese city of Wuhan from 7-13 October 2024. Wuhan Open is played at the Hard Court.

Aryna Sabalenka defeated the local favourite Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the final played on 13 October 2024 at Wuhan.

This was Aryna Sabalenka's third title at Wuhan, having won it in 2018 and 2019.

The pair of Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Irina Khromacheva of Russia defeated the American pair of Asia Muhammad and Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6(6) in the final of the Wuhan Open.

2024 Bendigo International Badminton Tournament

21-year-old Tanya Hemanth of India won the 2024 Bendigo International badminton tournament women's singles final.

She defeated Tung Ciou-tong of Chinese Taipei in the final at Bendigo, Australia, on 13 October 2024 in straight sets 21-17, 21-17.

This was Tanya’s third international title after the 2022 India International and the 2023 Iran Fajr International.

The Bendigo International badminton tournament was held in Bendigo, Australia, from 9-13 October 2024. It is a Grade 3 International Challenge tournament.