Current Affairs 27th October 2021| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage- Oct 27

• The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (WDAH), which is celebrated on October 27 every year is an attempt to raise awareness about the need to take measures and acknowledge the importance of preserving audiovisual materials.
• The day was chosen by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 2005 to raise awareness of the significance and preservation risks of recorded sound and audiovisual documents.
• The theme of the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2021: “Your Window to the World”.
• The 33rd session of UNESCO’s General Conference adopted 33 C/Resolution 53 to proclaim 27 October as World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, in commemoration of the adoption, in 1980 by the 21st session of the General Conference, of the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Government sets up National Steering Committee for implementation of the NIPUN Bharat Mission                

• A National Steering Committee has been formed by the government for the implementation of the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy, NIPUN Bharat Mission.
• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be heading the committee while the Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi will be the Vice-Chair.
• The Department of School Education and Literacy had launched the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy, NIPUN Bharat Mission on July 5 2021.

Aim of the mission :

• To achieve the goal of universal proficiency in foundational literacy and numeracy for every child by grade 3, as envisaged by National Education Policy 2020.

The other members of the NSC include: 

• Secretary, School Education & Literacy
• Director NCERT
• Vice Chancellor NIEPA
• Chairperson NCTE
• Secretary Education Uttar Pradesh
• Secretary Education, Karnataka
• Director SCERT Gujarat
• Director SCERT Sikkim
• Representatives of 7 Union Ministries (Women and Child Development, Tribal Affairs, Social Justice and Empowerment, Health and Family Welfare, Finance, Electronics and Information Technology and Panchayati Raj
• Two Experts from NCERT and RIE Ajmer
• Three External Experts.
• Convenor : Joint Secretary and Mission Director NIPUN Bharat Mission

Roles and Responsibilities of the NSC for the NIUPN Bharat Mission:

• To oversee the progress of the National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy and provide guidance on policy issues.
• It will oversee the progress of the National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy and provide guidance on policy issues and achieve the desired target in 2026-27.
• To disseminate tools for measurement of yearly progress in the form of guidelines.
• To prepare and approve a National Action Plan (based on the State’s Action Plans) with KRAs for every State/UT vis-à-vis factors attributable for the gaps (i.e., lack of Fund, Vacancies, Teachers, Demography, Local issues, Need of Training for teachers, Curriculum & pedagogy related).
• To review programmatic and financial norms periodically to ensure they are synchronised with targets to be achieved.
• To develop methodology of assessment to analyse the progress and provide feedback to States/UTs.

About Ministry of Education :

• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Founded: 15 August 1947
• Union Minister :  Dharmendra Pradhan

19th meeting of SCO Prosecutors General to be hosted by Solicitor General of India

• The Nineteenth Meeting of Prosecutors General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, SCO Member States will be hosted by Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta.
• In the Nineteenth Meeting of Prosecutors General of the SCO, Member States will further deliberate on strengthening cooperation in preventing and combating the growing threat of trafficking in persons especially women and children, exchange of information and best practices in the field of laws, cooperation amongst the educational training institutions and anti-trafficking bodies of the SCO Member States.
• A Protocol incorporating the deliberations and decisions of the Nineteenth Meeting of Prosecutors General will be signed and adopted by the SCO Member States.
• The Prosecutors and Attorney General and senior officials and experts from the Ministries of Law and Justice of India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will participate in the meeting.
• The SCO Secretariat will be providing necessary assistance during the three-day deliberations.

India, Kyrgyzstan holds first strategic dialogue in New Delhi

• The first India-Kyrgyzstan Strategic Dialogue between the National Security Council Secretariats was held in New Delhi. 
• The Indian side was led by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and the Kyrgyz side was led by Secretary of Security Council Lieutenant General Marat Imankulov.
• The two sides held discussions on threats and challenges facing both countries as well as the regional security environment with special reference to Afghanistan.
• The two sides welcomed similarity of views on these matters and agreed upon steps to enhance bilateral security cooperation between the relevant bodies, including in the fields of counter-terrorism, combating radicalisation, narcotics control and defence cooperation

About Kyrgyzstan

• Capital: Bishkek
• Currency: Kyrgyzstani som
• President: Sadyr Japarov

AYUSH Minister has inaugurated Incubation Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

• AYUSH Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will inaugurate the Incubation Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AIIA- iCAINE) at All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. 
• The event will witness representatives from Ayurveda Sector across the country. Besides, a National Seminar on Start-ups in Ayush Sector- Scope and Opportunities (AYUR-UDYAMAH) is also being organized as a part of the programme.
• In order to promote entrepreneurship leveraging the academic knowledge, All India Institute of Ayurveda has set up an Incubation and Innovation Centre in its campus to nucleate a cluster of new age ventures.
• The incubation centre will be set up under the mandate of Ministry of AYUSH given to AIIA to nucleate a cluster of new age ventures and to promote entrepreneurship leveraging the academic knowledge.
• During the event, an immunity boosting ‘Bal Raksha Kit’ for children up to the age of 16 years will also be launched. It is proposed to distribute 10 thousand free Bal Raksha Kits to children on the occasion of Ayurveda Day. Recently, All India Institute of Ayurveda has also established a well-equipped Blood Bank which will be inaugurated.

PM Modi to attend 16th East Asia Summit virtually

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attended the 16th East Asia Summit which was held virtually.
• The East Asia Summit is the premier leaders-led forum in the Indo-Pacific. Since its inception in 2005, it has played a significant role in the strategic and geopolitical evolution of East Asia.
• At the 16th East Asia Summit, leaders will discuss matters of regional and international interest and concern including maritime security, terrorism and COVID-19 cooperation. Leaders are also expected to accept declarations on Mental Health, Economic recovery through Tourism and Green Recovery which are being co-sponsored by India.
• Apart from the 10 ASEAN Member states, East Asia Summit includes India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, United States and Russia. India, being a founding member, is committed to strengthening the East Asia Summit and making it more effective for dealing with contemporary challenges.
• ASEAN-India Summits are held annually and provide opportunity for India and ASEAN to engage at the highest level. Prime Minister attended the 17th ASEAN-India Summit held virtually in November 2020

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G.Kishan Reddy has launched Amrit Mahotsav Podcast

• As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G.Kishan  Reddy has launched the Amrit Mahotsav Podcast. 
• This podcast series is a tribute to the persons and movements that significantly contributed to India’s freedom struggle and some of which did not find a place in the conventional storyline.
• The first series, Zara Yaad Karo Qurbani, went live with an episode based on the Indian National Army. New episodes will be added on a weekly basis.
• Ministry of Culture,as an ode to the sacrifices made, it is only befitting to salute these heroes by recollecting their stories of courage and valour as part of commemorating 75 years of India’s Independence.

G-20 Leadership Summit-2021 has begun in Italy

• The two-day G-20 Leader Summit-2021 has begun in Italy.
• The G-20 is the international forum that brings together the world’s major economies, extending participation to guest countries and international organizations. Its leadership rotates on an annual basis among its members.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited Rome in Italy to attend the G-20 summi The 2021 G-20 Summit, under the Italian Presidency, will focus on three broad, interconnected pillars of action: People, Planet and Prosperity.
• Within these pillars, the G-20 aims to take the lead in ensuring a swift international response to the COVID-19 pandemic – able to provide equitable, worldwide access to diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines – while building up resilience to future health-related shocks
• The G-20 is made up of 19 countries and the European Union.
• The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, and the US.

SC reserves judgment on issue of grant of reservation in promotion to STs/SCs in govt jobs

• The Supreme Court reserved its judgment on the issue of the grant of reservation in promotion to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in government jobs.
• A three-judge bench headed by Justice Nageswara Rao heard all the parties in the matter including Attorney General K K Venugopal, Additional Solicitor General, Balbir Singh and other senior lawyers appearing for various states.
• The bench also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and B R Gavai that it is a fact of life that even after around 75 years those belonging to SCs and STs have not been brought to the same level of merit as the forward classes.
• The bench had earlier, would not reopen its decision on the issue of the grant of reservation in promotion to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) and it was for the states to decide how they are going to implement the same.

Government Notifies Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2021

• The Department of Telecom, Ministry of Communication has notified Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2021 by amending Indian Telegraph Right of Way (RoW) Rules, 2016. 
• This amendment was made to ease the rollout of communications networks by fixing nominal one-time fee at Rs 1,000 per kilometer and uniform procedure for establishment of Overground Telegraph Line. 
• This will also make the documentation for RoW application for overground telegraph lines simple and augmentation of Digital Communications Infrastructure across the country.

Addl.Info:

• Earlier also the fee was Rs 1,000 only per km, but some State local municipalities charge more like Kerala, Gujarat levy annual rent in addition to one-time charges.
• In order to overcome this, the amendment has been made.
• Also, earlier the RoW Rules had covered only underground optical fibre cable (OFC) and mobile towers.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India and Sweden celebrated its 8th Innovation Day

• India and Sweden are celebrating 8th Innovation Day on 27^th october.
• An online event themed ‘Accelerating India Sweden’s Green Transition‘ is being hosted by India Unlimited in association with the Embassy of India in Sweden, Sweden-India Business Council and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• India Unlimited was founded in 2013 to promote cross-cultural ties between India and Sweden in association with the Embassy of India in Sweden and Sweden-India Business Council.
• In the last seven years, the organization has hosted a number of events in Stockholm and Gothenburg showcasing the diversity of Indian cultural, economic and social life.
• The one-day event is divided into nine parts to discuss various aspects of climate change and the possible solutions to bring green transition.

About Sweden:

• Capital: Stockholm
• Currency: Swedish krona
• prime minister: Stefan Löfven

14% of world’s corals lost in 10 years due to Global Warming: Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2020 Report

• In accordance with the 6th edition of ‘Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020’ report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) there is loss of 14% of the world’s coral since 2009 to 2018. 
• The loss is varied by region, ranging from 5% in East Asia to 95% in the eastern tropical Pacific.
• The report provided the most detailed scientific picture to date of the elevated temperatures affecting the world’s reefs.
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) provided financial, technical and communication support to the report.

About UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)

• Executive Director– Inger Andersen
• Headquarters– Nairobi, Kenya

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

India and ADB has signed a project readiness financing loan to support urban mobility in Mizoram

• The Centre and the Asian Development Bank has signed a 5-million-dollar project readiness financing PRF loan to support project preparation and design activities to improve urban mobility in Aizawl, the capital city of the northeastern state of Mizoram.
• Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, in the Ministry of Finance Rajat Kumar Mishra signed for the Government of India, while Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission Takeo Konishi signed for ADB.
• Urban mobility in Aizawl, the center of Mizoram’s administrative and service industry is severely constrained due to rapid and unplanned urbanization.
• This results in traffic congestion on narrow road widths and adversely impacts road safety, efficiency in the movement of people and goods and environmental sustainability.
• The ensuing project, being developed through the PRF, seeks to resolve the city’s transport problems by adopting sustainable urban mobility solutions.

About ADB:

• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
• President: Masatsugu Asakawa
• Founded: 19 December 1966
• Membership: 68 countries

RBI has decided to allow FPIs to invest in debt securities issued by REITs, InvITs

• The Reserve Bank of India has decided to allow Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) to invest in debt securities issued by Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs).
• The move is expected to provide much-needed patient capital and liquidity to the new asset class.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in the Union Budget, 2019, had allowed FPIs to invest in REITs and InvITs, but the enabling was yet to take place.
• The Central Bank has now amended the Foreign Exchange Management (Debt Instrument) Regulations, 2021 to allow such investments.

Centre ties up $251-m ADB loan for Chennai flood protection project

• The Asian Development Bank and the Central government has signed a $251-million loan for climate-resilient, integrated urban flood protection and management in the Chennai–Kosasthalaiyar basin to strengthen the resilience of Chennai city to floods.
• Ministry of Finance’s Department of Economic Affairs Additional Secretary Rajat Kumar Mishra and ADB Country Director for India Takeo Konishi signed the agreement for the Integrated Urban Flood Management for the Chennai–Kosasthalaiyar River Basin Project.
• Chennai’s rapid urbanisation has encroached on the city’s natural landscape, reducing water retention capacity, which makes the city vulnerable to widespread flooding.
• The project will involve construction of 588 km of new stormwater drains, rehabilitate or replace 175 km of stormwater drains, improve 11 km stretches in the Ambattur, Ariyallur, Kadappakkam, and Korattur channels to enhance water-carrying capacity, and upgrade a stormwater pumping station and construct a new one.
• It will also construct 23,000 catchpits in roadside drains to recharge the groundwater aquifer and rehabilitate four disaster relief camps.

ICICI Lombard has launched BeFit – cashless OPD and wellness combination to customers

• ICICI Lombard has launched BeFit, a service provided through its ILTakeCare app that gives customers benefits of complete OPD services that is, doctor consultation, pharmacy, diagnostics services, etc.on a cashless basis.
• The solution empowers customers to benefit from a host of wellness services. As good health and immunity gain importance, this comprehensive solution will come in handy now more than ever
• ICICI Lombard’s BeFit benefit along with the standard health insurance policy will provide the policyholder with 360-degree support that they require
• this comprehensive offering “provides a digitally enabled health ecosystem, which is integrated to bring more than 11,000 doctors across cities”.

FGII Entered Into Bancassurance Partnership With Bank of India

• Future Generali India Insurance(FGII) Company Limited, a private sector general insurer, has entered into a bancassurance partnership with the Bank of India(BoI) to increase the reach of its insurance products. 
• Under this partnership, FGII will offer its wide range of best in class and innovative insurance solutions to the customers of 5084 Branches of BoI across 28 states and 8 Union

Addl.Info:

• To date, the FGII has partnered with around 15 public and private banks to enhance its distribution across India.

Bancassurance:

• Bancassurance is an arrangement between a bank and an insurance company that allows the insurance company to sell its products through the bank’s infrastructure to the customers of the bank.
• This partnership arrangement can be profitable for both companies.

About Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited:

• FGII is a joint venture of Future Group and Generali Group which are involved in retail and insurance business, respectively.
• MD & CEO– Anup Rau
• Incorporated in September 2007
• Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra

About Bank of India(BoI):

• MD & CEO– Atanu Kumar Das
• Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Tagline– Relationship beyond banking
• Founded on 7th September 1906
• Nationalised in July 1969

India Post Payments Bank and HDFC Ltd partner to offer home loans

• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and HDFC has entered into a strategic alliance to offer home loans to nearly 7 crore customers of the payments bank.
• Leveraging its country-wide network of 650 branches and over 1,36,000 banking access points (Post offices), IPPB aims to make HDFC’s home loan products and its expertise available to its customers across India.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the strategic alliance was signed between IPPB and HDFC Ltd.
• The partnership aims to facilitate HDFC’s home loans to customers, especially in unbanked and underserved areas with many of them having little or no access to finance, to fulfill their dream of owning a home.
• IPPB will offer housing loans through nearly 190,000 banking service providers (Postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Anita Anand has appointed as Canada’s new Defence Minister

• In Canada, Indian-origin politician Anita Anand has appointed as the new Defence Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, over a month after his Liberal Party returned power in the snap polls and amid calls for major military reforms.
• Anita Anand, has replaced long-time Defence Minister Indian-origin Harjit Sajjan, whose handling of the military sexual misconduct crisis has been under criticism.
• The new Cabinet maintains gender balance and has 38 members, up one person from before the election.
• Anand has a deep background as a corporate lawyer and has worked extensively on corporate governance, which refers specifically to the laws and rules in place to manage the operations of businesses.
• Anand, along with Sajjan and Bardish Chagger were the three Indo-Canadian Ministers in the dissolved Cabinet who emerged victorious in the Parliamentary polls.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONOURS

Tsitsi Dangarembga Receive 2021 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade; Becomes 1st Black Woman to Win Award

• Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, an association of German book publishers and book sellers, awarded 2021 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade to the Zimbabwean author and a filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga for a “new Enlightenment”, a work on violence in her country and all over the world.
• Dangarembga is the first black woman to win German Peace Prize She stresses on the need for a fundamental shift to overcome the structures of racial hierarchy that have led to violence in her home country and also across the world.
• She highlighted the various forms of violence on black inhabitants by the white colonialists in the 19th and 20th centuries.

About Tsitsi Dangarembga:

• Tsitsi Dangarembga is novelist, playwright and filmmaker, born on February 4, 1959, in mutoko, Zimbabwe.
• Her debut novel, Nervous conditions was the first to be published in English by black women from Zimbabwe.

About German Peace Prize:

• Borsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, the German Publishers and Booksellers Association in the Federal Republic of Germany, has been awarding the Peace Prize of the German Book of Trade.
• The association also runs the Frankfurt Book Fair.
• The prize embodies 25,000 euros, raised by the publishers and booksellers.
• The prize is traditionally awarded on Sunday Frankfurt Book Fair, usually takes place in the month of October

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUs AND AGREEMENT

Bharti’s OneWeb and Neom Tech of Saudi has signed a joint venture of $200 million

• Bharti Group backed satellite company OneWeb and Saudi Arabia’s Neom Tech and Digital Holding Company have signed a pact for a $200 million joint venture to provide satellite-based services to Middle East and East African countries.
• The joint venture firm will see the deployment of OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to provide connectivity to enable Neom’s ecosystem of cognitive technologies.
• Neom Tech and Digital Holding Company is the first holding company to be established as a subsidiary of Neom, a region in Saudi Arabia.
• Neom Tech and Digital Holding Company and OneWeb, the only licensed operator in Saudi Arabia, expect to complete ground infrastructure in 2022.
• The agreement also includes a long-term strategic partnership regarding research and development of future connectivity systems.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

CCI approves Phoenix Parentco’s acquisition of Parexel International Corporation

• Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved acquisition of Parexel International Corporation by Phoenix Parentco Inc.
• The proposed combination envisages acquisition of 100 percent of the equity shareholding of Parexel International Corporation.
• Phoenix Parentco is a special purpose investment vehicle that operates solely as an investment holding company.
• The Acquirer is jointly controlled by EQT Fund Management S.à r.l. (EQT) and the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (Goldman Sachs).

About Parexel :

• Parexel International is an American provider of biopharmaceutical services.
• It is the second largest clinical research organization in the world.
• CEO: Jamie Macdonald
• Founder: Josef H. von Rickenbach
• Founded: 1982
• Headquarters: Durham, North Carolina, U.S. Newton, Massachusetts, U.S

About CCI :

• Founded: 14 October 2003
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• First executive: Dhanendra Kumar
• Chairperson : Ashok Kumar Gupta
• Secretary : P K Singh

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

FM Nirmala Sitharaman participates in 6th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors of AIIB

• On Oct 26, 2021, Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 6th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) via video conference from New Delhi.
• The 2021 Annual Meeting has been jointly organized by AIIB and the Government of the United Arab Emirates.
• The theme of the Annual Meeting of AIIB was “Investing Today and Transforming Tomorrow”.
• At the Annual Meeting, the Board of Governors meets to take key decisions on important matters relating to AIIB, and its future vision.
• The Finance Minister shared her thoughts in the Governor’s Roundtable Discussion on the theme “COVID-19 Crisis and Post-COVID Support.

About AIIB :

• Headquarters: Beijing, China
• President : Jin Liqun
• Membership: 103 Members
• Formation: 16 January 2016
• The AIIB is a multilateral development bank that aims to improve economic and social outcomes in Asia.
• India is a Founding Member and the second largest shareholder in AIIB.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

India, UK Take Part In Tri-Service exercise Konkan Shakti 2021

• The sea phase of the maiden bilateral tri-service exercise ‘Konkan Shakti 2021’ between the UK and Indian Armed Forces commenced off the Konkan coast in the Arabian Sea from October 24 to 27, 2021. 
• The harbour phase is planned at Mumbai from 21 – 23 Oct 2021.
• All participating units were split into two opposing forces with the aim of achieving ‘sea control’ to land Army ground-troops at a pre-designated site.
• The exercise focused on multiple areas including enhancing aspects of interoperability and exchange of best practices.
• One force was led by the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet and comprised the flagship INS Chennai, other warships of the Indian Navy and HMS Richmond, the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate.
• The other force operated under the UK Carrier Strike Group comprising aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, other UK and Netherland naval ships, and Indian warships.

Representatives :

• Royal Navy (RN) will be represented by its aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, with her integral F35 fighter aircraft and helicopters, the Type 45 Daring Class air-defence destroyer HMS Defender, the Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Fort Victoria, and a Royal Netherland Navy Frigate HNLMS Evertsen
• The Indian Navy (IN) would be represented by three of its indigenously built stealth guided missile destroyers INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and INS Chennai, two stealth frigates, INS Talwar and INS Teg, and the tanker INS Aditya.
• The IN will also be participating with integral Sea King 42B, Kamov-31 and Chetak helicopters, MIG 29K fighter aircraft, Dornier and P8i (maritime patrol aircraft) and a submarine.
• The exercise will also see participation by IAF aircraft that include Jaguars, SU-30 MKI fighters, AWACS, AEW&C and Flight Refueling Aircraft.
• The joint phase of the exercise would also include air-tactical operations involving F35Bs, MiG 29Ks and Indian Air Force elements.

About UK :

• Prime minister: Boris Johnson
• Capital: London
• Currency: Pound sterling

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & SERVICES

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launches World’s First Instant Advice CUNSULT App               

• On Oct 25, 2021, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari launched World’s First Instant Advice App CUNSULT knowledge App and platform.
• The app has been prepared by former IAS Raghav Chandra.

Key People :

• CEO Niti Aayog Amitabh Kant and Former Secretary Raghav Chandra, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra also Presented the event.

About CUNSULT App :

• CUNSULT app is the first such global facility by which people who need information, advice, counsel, guidance can contact and call up experts in multiple sectors on-the-go.
• Each expert also gets a unique, exclusive page reflecting their contributions by way of articles and video-blogs and this serves as their intellectual legacy and helps to promote interest in them.
• CUNSULT uses the framework of context and convergence to instantly connect knowledge seekers and knowledge givers
• The app will be a forum for mentors to share their life experiences & it will allow people to learn from the wisdom which has been acquired over the lifetime.
• Through this app, people will get information on 65 subjects related to agriculture, economic information, women empowerment, social science, sports, health, literature, insurance, army, security, energy, environment, food, human resources, Indian history, railways, mobile .

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

France launches Syracuse 4A military communications satellite

• On Oct 24, 2021, France launched the Syracuse 4A military communications satellite on an Ariane 5 rocket that launched from the Guiana Space Center, in Kourou, French Guiana.
• It is designed to allow all of France’s armed forces across the globe to communicate swiftly and securely.
• Syracuse 4A features cyber-defense and data encryption technologies.
• The satellite can survey its close surroundings and move itself to escape an attack.
• It is designed to resist military aggression from the ground and in space, as well as interference.
• The satellite was also protected against the electro-magnetic pulses which would result from a nuclear explosion.
• Investments in France’s space programme are set to reach 4.3 billion euros ($5 billion) over the 2019-2025 budget period.

About Syracuse :

• Syracuse is the French military satellite communications (milsatcom) program that kicked off in 1980.
• Syracuse is intended to ensure the French military can communicate between mainland France and military units deployed around the world.
• The system is nominally under the command of the French Navy.
• The program is designed to provide an independent solution to meet France’s need for long-range, secure telecommunications, protected against electronic warfare.

About France :

• President: Emmanuel Macron
• Capital: Paris
• Currency : Euro

IIT Madras RBCDSAI Launches Industrial Consortium To Support AI Industries

• Indian Institute of Technology Madras Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBCDSAI) is launching the ‘RBCDSAI Industrial Consortium’.

Purpose :

• To provide information resources support on cutting-edge technologies to industries working on Artificial Intelligence.

About IIT Madras :

• Established : 1959
• Chairman : Pawan Kumar Goenka
• Director : Bhaskar Ramamurthi

About RBCDSAI :

• The Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI (RBCDSAI) was set up in 2017 as an outcome of the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Data Science (ILDS), with funding from the Institute to encourage interdisciplinary research.
• RBCDSAI is an interdisciplinary research centre with 28 faculty from 10 departments of IIT Madras working on various aspects and applications of AI

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS

New Book Titled Kamala Harris: Phenomenal Woman authored by US-based Indian journalist Chidanand Rajghatta

• A new book titled Kamala Harris: Phenomenal Woman authored by US-based Indian journalist Chidanand Rajghatta.
• The Book is Published by HarperCollins India &  it will be released on 28 October on ‘Softcover’, ThePrint’s online venue to release select non-fiction books.

About the Book :

• The Book focuses on several aspects of Kamala Harris’ identity and her political career, including her involvement in California politics and the Senate prior to her presidential run.

About Chidanand Rajghatta :

• Chidanand Rajghatta is an Indian-born, opinion columnist based in Washington, D.C.
• He is the present foreign opinion columnist and a United States liberal blogger for The Times of India.
• His previous works include The Horse That Flew: How India’s Silicon Gurus Spread Their Wings, and Illiberal India: Gauri Lankesh and the Age of Unreason.

About Kamala Harris :

• Kamala Devi Harris was born in Oakland, California,on October 20, 1964.
• She is an American politician & she is the 49th and current vice president of the United States.
• She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well as the first African American and first Asian American vice president.
• She served as the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017 and as United States senator representing California from 2017 to 2021.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Ex-South Korean President Roh Tae-woo Passes away

• On Oct 26, 2021, South Korean former president Roh Tae-woo Passed away.
• He was 88.

About Roh Tae-woo :

• Roh was born on 4 December 1932 in Daegu & His nickname was “Mul (Water) Tae-woo.
• He served as President of South Korea from 1988 to 1993.
• He was a leader of the Democratic Justice Party and was known for having passed the June 29 Declaration in 1987.
• He played a pivotal but controversial role in the transition to democratic elections in South Korea.
• Roh began his military career during the 1950-1953 Korean War and was the commander of a combat unit in the Vietnam War.
• He was a key participant in the December 1979 military coup that made his army friend and coup leader Chun Doo-hwan president after their mentor, dictator Park Chung-hee, was assassinated following 18 years of rule.

Daily CA On Oct 26 :

• The 4th General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) held virtually which was inaugurated and presided over by Union Minister Raj Kumar Singh, Ministry of Power and the President of the ISA Assembly.
• The Railway Board issued the letter stating that the Indian Railways has ordered to dissolve the Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC), an organisation under the Ministry of Railways.
• Minister of State (MoS) Devusinh Chauhan chaired the 7th meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) Communications Ministers 2021 through video conferencing.
• The Vigilance Awareness Week-2021 will be observed this year from 26th October, 2021 to 1st November, 2021.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the PM Ayushman Bharat Infrastructure Mission from Varanasi with a total outlay of 64,180 crore rupees
• Ministry of Textiles has approved the Pilot Project on skilling of Design and Commissioning technical personnel associated with the application of geotextiles in infrastructure projects.
• Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan has launched phase II of the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship to create opportunities for young and dynamic individuals to contribute to enhancing skill development at the grassroots.
• NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has launched a new digi-book- “Innovations for You”
• India, along with Australia, the UK and small island developing states (SIDS) have planned to launch a new initiative “Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS)”, on the sidelines of the Conference of Parties (COP26).
• The new comprehensive assessment report titled “From Pollution to Solution: a global assessment of marine litter and plastic pollution” released by the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme (UNEP) has stated that without proper efforts to reduce ocean plastic pollution, the amount of plastic waste entering the aquatic ecosystem is estimated to triple from 9-14 million tons per year in 2016 to 23-37 million tons per year by 2040.
• The G7 or Group of Seven countries finalised a set of principles that will govern cross-border data usage & digital trade. 
• Southeast Asian leaders began a virtual summit with Myanmar skipping the annual meeting in protest after its top general was shut out for refusing to cooperate in defusing the crisis in his country since the military takeover.
• HDFC Bank to acquire 4.99% of outstanding equity share capital of HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company.
• S&P Global Ratings has upgraded the long-term issuer credit rating of Manappuram Finance to ‘BB-‘ from ‘B+’ while keeping the outlook ‘stable’.
• On the lines of the guidelines issued by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in September 2021, on October 22, 2021, Fintech firm Razorpay launched a tokenization solution namely ‘Razorpay TokenHQ’. 
• India’s Largest Small Finance Bank AU Small Finance Bank has launched QR (Quick Response) Code Sound Box to boost its digital payments, while making it the first bank to launch such a product.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced a revised regulatory framework for Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) named ‘Scale Based Regulation’ (SBR) to regulate the NBFCs based on their size, activity, complexity, and interconnectedness within the financial sector.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued draft directions for implementing the Basel III capital adequacy norms for All India Financial Institutions (AIFIs) that are regulated by RBI viz, Exim Bank, NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development), National Housing Bank (NHB), and SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India).
• The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has picked Sanjay Khanna for the publish of Director (Refineries) at oil refiner Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL),
• Superstar Rajinikanth received the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the presentation ceremony of the 67th National Film Awards. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu presented the awards at the ceremony held at Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan.
• Invest India, a young ‘start-up’ within the Government of India has been unanimously elected as the President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) for 2021-2023.
• On the occasion of inauguration of Kushinagar International Airport, Uttar Pradesh, Ministry of Tourism has organised a two days’ conference titled “Tourism in Buddhist Circuit – A way forward” on 20th & 21st October 2021 at Kushinagar.
• Tata Power has inked a pact with IIT-Delhi to work together on clean energy and other projects that can be transformed from research and development level to pilot stage.
• The United States successfully conducted a test of hypersonic missile technology. 
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled Ahmedabad and Lucknow as the two new teams for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
• Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo has become the first Frenchman to win the 2021 MotoGP world championship.
• In the International Union of Kettlebell Lifting (IUKL) World Championship, Anshu Taravath (58kg category) and Payal Kanodia (35-39 years, 68kg category) from Haryana clinched silver medals for India in Budapest, Hungary held from October 22-24.
• On Oct 22, 2021,American actor Peter Scolari Passed away.

Daily CA On Oct 27 :

• The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (WDAH), which is celebrated on October 27 every year is an attempt to raise awareness about the need to take measures and acknowledge the importance of preserving audiovisual materials.
• A National Steering Committee has been formed by the government for the implementation of the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy, NIPUN Bharat Mission.
• The Nineteenth Meeting of Prosecutors General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, SCO Member States will be hosted by Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta.
• The first India-Kyrgyzstan Strategic Dialogue between the National Security Council Secretariats was held in New Delhi. 
• AYUSH Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will inaugurate the Incubation Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AIIA- iCAINE) at All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. 
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attended the 16th East Asia Summit which was held virtually.
• As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G.Kishan  Reddy has launched the Amrit Mahotsav Podcast. 
• The two-day G-20 Leader Summit-2021 has begun in Italy.
• The Supreme Court reserved its judgment on the issue of the grant of reservation in promotion to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in government jobs.
• The Department of Telecom, Ministry of Communication has notified Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2021 by amending Indian Telegraph Right of Way (RoW) Rules, 2016. 
• India and Sweden are celebrating 8th Innovation Day on 27^th october.
• In accordance with the 6th edition of ‘Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020’ report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) there is loss of 14% of the world’s coral since 2009 to 2018. 
• The Centre and the Asian Development Bank has signed a 5-million-dollar project readiness financing PRF loan to support project preparation and design activities to improve urban mobility in Aizawl, the capital city of the northeastern state of Mizoram.
• The Reserve Bank of India has decided to allow Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) to invest in debt securities issued by Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs).
• The Asian Development Bank and the Central government has signed a $251-million loan for climate-resilient, integrated urban flood protection and management in the Chennai–Kosasthalaiyar basin to strengthen the resilience of Chennai city to floods.
• ICICI Lombard has launched BeFit, a service provided through its ILTakeCare app that gives customers benefits of complete OPD services that is, doctor consultation, pharmacy, diagnostics services, etc.on a cashless basis.
• Future Generali India Insurance(FGII) Company Limited, a private sector general insurer, has entered into a bancassurance partnership with the Bank of India(BoI) to increase the reach of its insurance products. 
• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and HDFC has entered into a strategic alliance to offer home loans to nearly 7 crore customers of the payments bank.
• In Canada, Indian-origin politician Anita Anand has appointed as the new Defence Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, over a month after his Liberal Party returned power in the snap polls and amid calls for major military reforms.
• Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, an association of German book publishers and book sellers, awarded 2021 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade to the Zimbabwean author and a filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga for a “new Enlightenment”, a work on violence in her country and all over the world.
• Bharti Group backed satellite company OneWeb and Saudi Arabia’s Neom Tech and Digital Holding Company have signed a pact for a $200 million joint venture to provide satellite-based services to Middle East and East African countries.
• Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved acquisition of Parexel International Corporation by Phoenix Parentco Inc.
• On Oct 26, 2021, Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 6th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) via video conference from New Delhi.
• The sea phase of the maiden bilateral tri-service exercise ‘Konkan Shakti 2021’ between the UK and Indian Armed Forces commenced off the Konkan coast in the Arabian Sea from October 24 to 27, 2021. 
• On Oct 25, 2021, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari launched World’s First Instant Advice App CUNSULT knowledge App and platform.
• On Oct 24, 2021, France launched the Syracuse 4A military communications satellite on an Ariane 5 rocket that launched from the Guiana Space Center, in Kourou, French Guiana.
• Indian Institute of Technology Madras Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBCDSAI) is launching the ‘RBCDSAI Industrial Consortium’.
• A new book titled Kamala Harris: Phenomenal Woman authored by US-based Indian journalist Chidanand Rajghatta.
• On Oct 26, 2021, South Korean former president Roh Tae-woo Passed away.