1. Number of TB patients increases worldwide after 20 years: WHO
Tags: Science and Technology International News
According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report “Global Tuberculosis Report 2022” released on 27 October 2022, the incidence of Tuberculosis (TB) patients worldwide has shown an increasing trend reversing a 20 year trend of decline due to covid pandemic.
According to the WHO a total of 16 lakh people died from TB in 2021 which is an increase of 14% as compared to 2019. In 2019 14 lakh people died due to TB while in 2020 it was 15 lakhs.
The WHO says that due to the ongoing war in different parts of the world, the global energy crisis and the food crisis, the situation of TB may worsen in the coming times. “The first priority should be to restore patient access to TB related services so that the detection and treatment of TB cases can be brought back to 2019 levels,” the report says.
Main Highlights of the WHO Report
- TB is the 13th leading cause of death and the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19.
- About 10 million people became ill with TB in 2021, which is 4.5 percent more than in 2020.
- An estimated 66 million lives were saved through TB diagnosis and treatment between 2000 and 2020.
- Globally, TB incidence is falling at about 2% per year and between 2015 and 2020 the cumulative reduction was 11%.
- Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- In 2021, the largest number of new TB cases occurred in the South-East Asian Region, with 46% of new cases, followed by the WHO African Region, with 23% of new cases and the WHO Western Pacific with 18%.
India leads the New TB cases
According to the WHO, in 2020, 87% of new TB cases occurred in the 30 high TB burden countries. Eight countries accounted for more than two thirds of the global total.
Maximum new cases were reported from India and followed by, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
TB related Deaths
India ranks first among the four countries that have the highest number of TB related deaths. It is followed by Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines.
The report says that it is possible that TB will once again be the number one cause of death in the world. Last year it was covid -19.
What is TB?
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs. Tuberculosis is curable and preventable.
TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air. A person needs to inhale only a few of these germs to become infected.
India and TB
The government has set a target to eliminate TB from India by 2025.
Every year March 24 is observed as World Tuberculosis Day in the world.
World Health Organisation (WHO)
- The World Health Organisation is a specialised agency of the United Nations which was founded on 7 April, 1948.
- Headquarters of WHO : Geneva, Switzerland
- Members : 194 countries
- Director General of WHO: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia .
2. Elon Musk finally acquires the micro blogging site Twitter
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
South African born American billionaire Elon Musk on 28 October 2022 completed the acquisition of the microblogging site Twitter for $44 billion.
As part of the agreement, the world’s richest man will pay $54.20 per share to common shareholders and will consequently operate the social media giant as a private entity henceforth.
Billionaire and Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Tesla Elon Musk is now the new owner of Twitter and has fired the social media company’s four top executives, including Indian-origin CEO Parag Agrawal and legal executive Vijaya Gadde.
The 51-year-old has promised to transform Twitter by loosening the service's content moderation rules, making its algorithm more transparent and nurturing subscription businesses, as well as laying off employees.
Background to the deal
On 14 April 2022 Twitter revealed in a securities filing that Musk has offered to buy the company outright for about $44 billion.
On July 8, Musk says he will abandon his offer to buy Twitter after the company failed to provide enough information on the number of fake accounts.
Twitter sued Musk on July 12 to force him to complete the deal.
A court in Delaware, United States asked Musk to close the deal by 28 October 2022.
Twitter Company
The microblogging site was founded in 2006 in California, United States by Jack Dorsey, Evans Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass.
The social site provides an online microblogging service that distributes short messages of no more than 280 characters—called tweets.
Headquarters of Twitter: San Francisco, California, United States
3. President of India presents Silver Trumpet and Trumpet Banner to the President’s Bodyguard
Tags: National News
President Draupadi Murmu presents the Silver Trumpet and Trumpet Banner to the President's Bodyguards (PBG) during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 27, 2022.
Important facts
The event is special because the President's bodyguards are celebrating 250 years of its founding.
It is being celebrated along with the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' being celebrated across the country.
About President’s Bodyguard
The President's Bodyguard is the oldest regiment of the Indian Army.
It was established in 1773 as the Governor-General's bodyguard (later the Viceroy's bodyguard).
As the personal guard of the President of India, it is the only military unit of the Indian Army which has the privilege of carrying the Silver Trumpet and Trumpet Banner of the President.
In the year 1923, this honor was given to the bodyguards of the President by the then Viceroy Lord Reading on the occasion of completion of 150 years of service of the bodyguards.
After that all the Viceroys presented silver trumpets and trumpet banners to the bodyguards.
On January 27, 1950, the regiment was renamed as President's Bodyguard.
Each President continued the practice of honoring this regiment.
Instead of a coat of arms (the custom in the colonial era), the president's monogram appears on the banner.
The first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad presented his Silver Trumpet and Trumpet Banner to the President's bodyguards on May 14, 1957.
The President's bodyguards were formed in Banaras (Varanasi) by the then Governor-General Warren Hastings.
Its initial strength was 50 cavalry, later another 50 cavalry were also included in it.
The President's bodyguards consist of selected male soldiers with certain physical characteristics.
4. Tata, Airbus to make C-295 transport aircraft for IAF in Gujarat
Tags: Defence National News
A consortium led by the Tata group and Airbus will manufacture the C-295 transport aircraft in Gujarat, the government said in a statement on 27 October.
Important facts
The total cost of the project is ₹21,935 crore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the transport aircraft manufacturing project for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Vadodara, Gujarat on October 30.
As part of the contract, 16 aircraft will be delivered in flyaway condition and 40 will be manufactured in India.
It will manufactured by the Indian Aircraft Contractor, Tata Consortium of Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) led by TASL.
This is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company.
The aircraft can also be used for civilian purposes.
The first 16 fly-away aircraft will be received between September 2023 and August 2025.
The first Made in India aircraft is likely to be received by September 2026.
Aircraft capability
C-295MW is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology.
It will replace the ageing Avro aircraft of IAF.
It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo.
Short take-off/land from semi-prepared surfaces is another of its features.
It will strengthen the logistic capabilities of the IAF.
5. GEAC approves Genetically Modified mustards for field trials
Tags: Environment National
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has recommended “environmental release (larger field trials)” of a transgenic mustard hybrid.
The regulator has given approval for field trials of GM mustard for four years and is renewable for two years at a time based on compliance reports. However the final decision will be taken by the ministry of environment and forests and climate change.
Who has developed the GM mustard seed?
The GM mustard seed DMH 11 was developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plant (CGMCP) of Delhi University.
Patent on indigenously developed GM mustard is jointly held by National Dairy Development Board and the University of Delhi under Deepak Pental.
If the trial is successful then it will be the first genetically modified food crop to be cultivated in India.
Genetic Crops in India
The first transgenic crop to be approved in India was Bt.Cotton in 2002, which has led to a massive jump in the production of cotton in India. India is now the largest producer of cotton in the world.
The second crop which was approved for field trial was Bt. Brinjal in 2009. However, the decision was later stayed by the then environment minister Jairam Ramesh on grounds of “insufficient scientific evidence about safety”.
What is a transgenic crop?
A transgenic crop is a genetically modified organism (GMO).Here transgenic means that one or more genes of a different unrelated plant or from different species is inserted artificially in a crop using recombinant DNA technology. This is done to introduce desired quality in the crop and improve its productivity.
Benefits of GM Crops
Improve crop protection and production
- One of the objectives for developing plants based on GM organisms is to improve crop protection. It can be used to modify the genes of the crops so as to increase the resistance of plants to specific insects and diseases, thus increasing the production. For example Resistance against insects is achieved by incorporating into the food plant the gene for toxin production from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
- This helps in reducing the consumption of the insecticides and herbicides saving money for the farmers.
- It can help in creating plants which are more tolerant to cold, frost, or drought. It will make crops grow in harsh climatic conditions and will be extremely helpful in in a constantly changing environment.
- It also helps in increasing the production of crops as they grow faster than the traditional crops and also taste better. This will in turn lower the prices of the crop produced.
- Genetically engineered foods are reported to be high in nutrients and contain more minerals and vitamins than those found in traditionally grown foods.
- Genetically engineered foods have an increased shelf life and hence there is less fear of foods getting spoiled quickly.
Problems with Transgenic crops
Fear of adverse effect on Human health
The consumption of transgenic foods is believed to have a harmful effect on the human body as it can cause the development of diseases which are immune to antibiotics.
The long term effect of these foods on human beings is not known.
Fear of MNC controlling food production
The process to develop such transgenic crops needs resources, qualified personnel and technology which is mainly with large multinational corporations. The seeds of the transgenic crops can be used only once. Hence the farmers have to buy the seed again and again from the company which holds the patent of the crop. This makes the farmers and developing countries dependent on the company which can be a serious threat to the food system and economy of the developing countries.
Religious and cultural reasons
Many religious and cultural communities are against such foods because they see it as an unnatural way of producing foods. Many people are also not comfortable with the idea of transferring animal genes into plants and vice versa.
Unknown impact on Ecosystem
The introduction of a new crop in the ecosystem having foreign genes can have unpredictable consequences for the ecosystem. An ecosystem develops symbiotic relationships amongst its organism over a long period of time. Introduction of a new species with foreign genes can disrupt the ecosystem with unpredictable consequences.
Union Minister for Environment ,Forest and Climate Change : Bhupendra Yadav
6. Record horticulture production in 2021-22
Tags: Economy/Finance National News
India's production of horticultural crops consisting of fruits, vegetables, spices and medicinal plants increased to a record 342.3 million tonnes (mt) in the crop year 2021-22 (July-June) as against 334.6 million tonnes recorded in 2020-21.
Important facts
According to the third advance estimate released by the agriculture ministry on October 27, the increase in production over the previous year was due to growth in the cultivation area.
The area under horticultural crops was 28 million hectare in 2021-22 compared to 27.4 million hectare in the previous year.
The horticultural crops production continues to be higher than the foodgrain production.
According to the fourth advance estimate of foodgrain production released in August, India's production of rice, wheat and pulses in the crop year 2021-22 was estimated at a record 315.7 million tonnes.
Vegetable production is estimated to increase by 2.1% to 204.8 million tonnes in 2021-22 as compared to 200.4 million tonnes as per the final estimates for 2020-21.
Onion production is estimated to increase by 17% to 31.2 million tonnes in 2021-22 from 26.6 million tonnes in the previous year.
At the same time, potato production is estimated to decline by 5% to 53.3 million tonnes in the 2021-22 crop year, from 56.1 million tonnes in 2020-21.
Tomato production is estimated to decline by 4% to 20.3 million tonnes as compared to 21.1 million tonnes as per the final estimates for 2020-21.
The third advance estimate of fruit production is estimated to be 107.2 million tonnes in 2021-22 as compared to 102.5 million tonnes in the 2020-21 crop year.
Production of Banana is estimated to increase by more than 32.45 million tonnes (2%) in 2021-22 over the previous year, while Mango production is estimated to be 20.3 million tonnes in 2021-22 which is the same level as compared to the previous year.
7. Saudi Aramco executive jailed for one week in Chamoli for carrying satellite phone
Tags: National News
A senior British executive of oil giant Saudi Aramco had to spend nearly a week in a Chamoli in Uttarakhand jail after taking a banned satellite phone to a yoga retreat.
Important facts
Fergus MacLeod, head of investor relations at Saudi Aramco, was released after paying a fine of ₹1,000.
McLeod, who was arrested on July 12, said he was unaware of the ban on satellite phones, which were used by terrorists who attacked Mumbai in 2008.
McLeod reportedly turned on the satellite phone in his hotel room but claimed he did not use it.
About Satellite Phone
It is a type of mobile phone that connects to other phones or telephone networks by radio via orbiting satellites rather than at terrestrial cell sites, as cellphones do.
Its advantage is that its use is not limited to areas covered by cell towers, it can be used in most or all geographic locations on the Earth's surface.
These phones are capable of receiving and making calls anywhere in the world, even in remote parts, be it the Himalayas or an uninhabited island in the Pacific.
The concept of satellite phones is not new. Actually, the first satellite phone was launched by Motorola in 1989.
8. Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise ‘Simbex’ - 2022
Tags: Defence National News
The Indian Navy is hosting the 29th edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) in Visakhapatnam from October 26 to 30, 2022.
Phases of SIMBEX-2022
Port Phase at Visakhapatnam from 26th to 27th October 2022
Sea phase in the Bay of Bengal from 28 to 30 October 2022
Important facts
Two ships from the Republic of Singapore Navy, RSS Stalwart (a Formidable Class Frigate) and RSS Vigilance (a Victory Class Corvette) arrived at Visakhapatnam on 25 October 2022 for participation in the exercise.
The Harbor Phase saw extensive professional and sporting interactions between the two navies which included cross deck visits, Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) and planning meetings.
About SIMBEX series of exercises
It began in 1994 and was initially known as Exercise Lion King.
The scope and complexity of the exercise has risen substantially over the past two decades to include advanced naval drills covering a wide spectrum of maritime operations.
The exercise exemplifies the high level of cooperation between India and Singapore in the maritime sector.
It also highlights the commitment and contribution of the two countries towards enhancing maritime security in the Indian Ocean region.
9. Cyclone Sitrang
Tags: International News
Bangladesh has been devastated by Cyclone Sitarang, where densely populated, low-lying areas have been badly affected.
Important facts
This cyclone named by Thailand is the first tropical cyclone of the post-monsoon season of 2022.
The India Meteorological Department has predicted that a low pressure area is likely to form over southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal.
Due to this, the low pressure area may turn into a cyclonic storm which may affect Odisha, West Bengal, northern part of Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas.
About Cyclone Sitrang
A tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm that originates from warm tropical oceans, characterised by low atmospheric pressure, high winds and heavy rainfall.
The name of this cyclone is given by Thailand.
Cyclone Sitarang comes after Cyclone Asani, which developed in the Bay of Bengal in early May this year.
This will be the second cyclonic storm of 2022.
Cyclones forming in the North Indian Ocean including the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are named by the IMD.
Thirteen countries – Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen – have been warned of tropical cyclones and storm surge by the IMD.
Common names of Cyclone
Hurricanes – In the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific
Typhoons – In Southeast Asia
Cyclone – In the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific around Australia
10. Narendra Singh Tomar presides over the 7th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agro-Forestry
Tags: Person in news International News
The 7th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting (AIMMAF) on Agriculture and Forestry was held virtually on 26 October 2022. The meeting was co-chaired by the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar.
Agriculture Ministers of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam also participated in the meeting.
In the meeting, the progress in implementation of various programs and activities under the Medium Term Action Plan of ASEAN-India Cooperation (Year 2021-2025) was reviewed. The meeting also welcomed the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations.
Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)
It is considered to be one of the most successful regional groups in the world.
It was set up in 1967 as a group of South-East Asian nations.
At present there are 10 members in the group. They are:
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The headquarters of ASEAN: Jakarta, Indonesia.
