IMPORTANT DAYS
Air Force Day 2024 observed on October 8
• Air Force Day is observed annually on October 8, commemorating its establishment in 1932.
• Theme for 2024: The theme is 'Bharatiya Vayusena: Saksham, Sashakt aur Aatmnirbhar,' emphasizing capability, strength, and self-reliance.
• 92nd Anniversary: In 2024, the Indian Air Force celebrates its 92nd anniversary with a grand ceremony in Chennai.
• An air show took place on October 6, 2024, at Marina Beach, showcasing aerial prowess.
• The official celebration will culminate in a significant ceremony on October 8.
• The President of India serves as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Air Force.
• The Chief of Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, leading the force today.
• The first Chief of the Air Staff was Sir Thomas Walker Elmhirst, setting the foundation for the IAF.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade will open its first overseas campus in Dubai.
• The first overseas campus of IIFT will open at the India Pavilion in Expo City, Dubai.
• The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade was founded in 1963 under the Ministry of Commerce.
• IIFT is set to launch short- and medium-term training programs in Dubai by early 2025.
• This initiative will benefit the 3.5 million-strong Indian community living in the UAE.
• IIFT will collaborate with Expo City Dubai for various research projects.
• The Dubai campus will mark IIFT's first step outside India.
• The campus will be located within Dubai’s Expo City, offering a strategic location for international exposure.
• This expansion highlights India’s growing academic presence in global trade education.
India, Australia, and Japan are participating in Malabar 2024 naval exercise.
• Malabar 2024 naval exercise, hosted by India, is taking place from October 8-18, starting with a harbour phase in Visakhapatnam, followed by the sea phase.
• India, Australia, Japan, and the United States are the key participants in this year's maritime exercise.
• The exercise first began as a bilateral event between India and the U.S. in 1992, with Japan joining permanently in 2015 and Australia in 2020.
• The focus of Malabar 2024 is on enhancing cooperation in areas such as air defence, surface warfare, and anti-submarine warfare.
• Various Indian naval assets, including submarines, guided missile destroyers, multi-role fighter aircraft, and helicopters, will be involved.
• This year's edition aims to boost interoperability and cooperation between the participating navies through advanced warfare operations.
NATIONAL NEWS
An internal committee constituted by CBDT for a comprehensive review of the Income Tax Act.
• The Finance Ministry is seeking suggestions on the Income Tax e-filing portal from stakeholders, experts, and the public.
• The committee aims to simplify the Income Tax Act to reduce litigation and improve tax certainty for taxpayers.
• The internal committee has been set up by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to review the Income Tax Act, 1961.
• This review was announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the 2024-25 Union Budget.
• The focus is on making the Income Tax Act clearer, more concise, and easier to understand.
• Suggestions are categorized into four areas: simplifying language, reducing litigation, lowering compliance burdens, and removing obsolete provisions.
• The goal of the committee is to ensure a more transparent and efficient tax system.
• The review is intended to modernize tax laws while reducing unnecessary disputes and increasing certainty for taxpayers.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda was elected as chairperson of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Committee.
• JP Nadda emphasized India’s efforts in combating non-communicable diseases during the session.
• The 77th session of WHO’s South-East Asia Regional Committee is being held in New Delhi.
• Union Health Minister JP Nadda was elected as Chairperson of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Committee.
• Delegates from member nations such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, and others are attending the meeting.
• The focus of the session is on strengthening accessible public health systems and tackling demographic and epidemiological challenges.
• Razia Pendse, WHO's Chef de Cabinet, stressed the growing concerns over non-communicable diseases and mental health issues in the region.
• Participating countries include those from Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, and Timor-Leste.
• The session highlights key public health issues affecting the Southeast Asian region, including the burden of non-communicable diseases.
RANKING AND INDEX
In the last decade, India slipped on the academic freedom index.
• India's academic freedom index has declined from 0.6 in 2013 to 0.2 in 2023, according to the “Free to Think 2024” report.
• India’s current academic freedom status is categorized as "completely restricted," its lowest score since the mid-1940s.
• The report is part of the Scholars at Risk (SAR) Academic Freedom Monitoring Project, involving a network of 665 universities globally.
• Prominent institutions like Columbia University, Duke University, and New York University are part of the SAR network.
• Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has implemented new policies, including banning protests near academic buildings.
• South Asian University and JNU have introduced restrictions that limit student expression and activism.
• Over 200 students from JNU, Delhi University, and Jamia Millia University were detained during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians outside the Israeli Embassy.
• India's slide on the academic freedom index highlights growing restrictions on academic expression and student activism over the last decade.
STATE NEWS
Ustad Allauddin Khan Festival started in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh on 08 October 2024.
• The Ustad Allauddin Khan Festival commenced in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh, on October 8, 2024.
• This year marks the golden jubilee of the festival, celebrating 50 years of musical heritage.
• The three-day festival will run until October 10 and features performances by renowned personalities from India.
• The event is organized collaboratively by the Madhya Pradesh Culture Department, Ustad Allauddin Khan Music and Art Academy, and Maihar District Administration.
• Two exhibitions are being held in conjunction with the festival.
• The first exhibition, titled ‘Devi,’ showcases miniature paintings inspired by the 108 names of Goddesses.
• The second exhibition, named ‘Tantu,’ highlights a collection of string instruments.
• The festival serves as a significant cultural event, promoting music and the arts in the region.
AWARDS
Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
• Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• They received the prize for their discovery of microRNA and its significant role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.
• MicroRNA is crucial for regulating gene activity in cells, which share the same genes but perform different functions.
• The Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute selected the winners for this prestigious recognition.
• Ambros and Ruvkun will receive a monetary award of 11 million Swedish crowns (approximately $1.1 million).
• In 2023, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their pioneering work on mRNA vaccines for COVID-19.
• This year's award highlights the importance of microRNA in understanding gene regulation and cellular functions.
John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics.
• John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics.
• The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognized them for their groundbreaking discoveries that laid the foundation for machine learning using artificial neural networks.
• Each laureate will receive a cash prize of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1 million).
• Hopfield developed an associative memory system capable of storing and reconstructing images and patterns from data.
• Hinton created a method for autonomously discovering properties within data, allowing for tasks like identifying elements in images.
• In 2023, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’Huillier for their work in generating attosecond pulses of light to study electron dynamics.
• The first Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded in 1901 to Wilhelm Röntgen for his discovery of X-rays.
