Daily Current affairs: 06 Nov2020
Table of Content :1. Gov Tech-Thon 20202. Cybercrime-related Communication Services3. Myanmar Citizenship Law4. India-Italy relationship5. Fast Radio Burst (FRB)6. Hazira-Ghogha Ro-Pax ferry service7. Melanistic 'Black' Tiger8. Operation Blue Star
1. GOV TECH-THON 2020 :
Recently, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has organised the 'Gov Tech-Thon 2020'.
About Gov Tech-Thon 2020
- It is a pan-India virtual hackathon organized by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Oracle.
- The five challenges seeking innovative solutions from Gov Tech-Thon 2020 were:
- Suggest alternate crops or crop rotation for farmers during different seasons using artificial intelligence technology, considering the terrain and local challenges to increase the productivity
- Seed supply chain is a complex ecosystem involving various stakeholders. Address the issues of poor seed quality effectively by tracing the seeds using BlockChain technology
- A mobile/web based application for scanning, resizing and uploading documents (as required) in a single flow
- A tool for monitoring online exams from homes/institutions through a combination of remote-supervision software and web cam. System should ensure necessary authentication, control, fraud detection and compliance, using appropriate technology like AI/ML etc.
- A self-learning tool for automating Vehicle Fitness Test procedures transparently
National Informatics Centre (NIC)
- It is an attached office of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- It was established in 1976, and has rich experience in providing ICT and eGovernance support to the Government for the last 4 decades.
- It has emerged as a promoter of digital opportunities for sustainable development.
- NIC spearheaded “Informatics-Led-Development” by implementing ICT applications in social and public administration.
- NIC facilitates electronic delivery of services to the government (G2G), business (G2B), citizen (G2C) and government employee (G2E).
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
- It is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.
- IEEE and its members inspire a global community to innovate for a better tomorrow through its more than 419,000 members in over 160 countries.
- IEEE members collaborate on world‐changing technologies, from computing and sustainable energy systems to aerospace, robotics, communication, healthcare, and more.
Source: PIB
2. CYBERCRIME-RELATED COMMUNICATION SERVICES:
Recently, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has created two Cybercrime-related Communication Services i.e. Cybercrime Knowledge Exchange (CKE) and Cybercrime Collaborative Platform-Operation.
About Cybercrime Knowledge Exchange (CKE)
- It handles the general, non-police information and is open to all relevant users.
- It is open to law enforcement, governments, international organisations and cybersecurity industry experts to exchange non-police operational information on cybercrime.
- It is a dynamic communication channel that enables users around the world to discuss the latest cybercrime trends, prevention strategies, detection technologies and investigation techniques with authorized colleagues globally.
- The system is expected to foster an international network of subject matter experts to share knowledge and experience in this field.
- The law enforcement officers and members of the Interpol National Central Bureaus (NCBs) are invited to join the Cybercrime Knowledge Exchange workspace.
About Cybercrime Collaborative Platform-Operation
- It is first of its kind a centralised information database for coordination of global law enforcement operations against cybercrime.
- It assists in the law enforcement operations with access restricted to the operational stakeholders only.
- The platform would enable the member countries to see the bigger picture of cyberthreats and trends and better focus their resources and avoid duplication of effort.
- The vetted platform members from the NCBs and law enforcement authorities, besides international or regional organisations and private partners that the Interpol has cooperation agreements with, would be invited to join specific workspaces.
Source: The Hindu
3. MYANMAR 1982 CITIZENSHIP LAW
The Myanmar Army Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has said that the issue of the citizenship of Rohingya is solely a matter of domestic law.
About:
- He said that the citizenship process in Myanmar is subject to the 1982 citizenship law which identifies only 135 indigenous ethnic groups and Bengalis or Rohingya are not among these.
- He further said that Myanmar does not object to the Rohingya living inside the Myanmar territory. However, the issue of citizenship, definition of indigenous people and their rights are matters of domestic law. Refusing to accept international intervention, he said Myanmar is proceeding according to its own domestic law on this issue.
Source: All India Radio
4. INDIA-ITALY RELATIONS
A Virtual Bilateral Summit between Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Italy Prof. Giuseppe Conte was held on 6th November, 2020.
About:
- Prime Minister Modi recalled the 2018 visit of Prof. Giuseppe Conte to India and appreciated the rapid growth in India-Italy relationship in recent past.
- On regional and international issues, both sides agreed to coordinate closely at multilateral fora especially G-20. Italy will assume the Presidency of G-20 in December 2021 followed by India in 2022. Together, India and Italy will be part of the G20 Troika from December, 2020.
- India welcomed Italy’s decision to join ISA as soon as the ratification process is completed.
- 15 MoUs/Agreements in various sectors such as energy, fisheries, ship building, design etc. were signed coinciding with the Summit.
- Both countries are keen to firmly put behind the 2012 killing of two Indian crew members of a fishing boat off the coast of Kerala by Italian marines guarding an oil tanker Enrica Lexie, an incident that took bilateral ties to an all-time low.
Additional Information :Italy is currently India’s fifth largest trading partner in the EU, and bilateral trade was worth 9.52 billion Euros in 2019. India, however, ranks 16th as country of origin for Italian imports, and experts believe there is potential for considerable growth.
Source : Hindustan Times
5. FAST RADIO BURST (FRB)
NASA has reported that on April 28, it observed a mix of X-ray and radio signals never observed before in the Milky Way. Significantly, the flare-up it observed included the first fast radio burst (FRB) seen within the galaxy.
About:
- Essentially, FRBs are bright bursts of radio waves (radio waves can be produced by astronomical objects with changing magnetic fields) whose durations lie in the millisecond-scale, because of which it is difficult to detect them and determine their position in the sky.
- The source of the FRB detected in April in the Milky Way is a very powerful magnetic neutron star, referred to as a magnetar, called SGR 1935+2154 or SGR 1935, which is located in the constellation Vulpecula and is estimated to be between 14,000-41,000 light-years away.
- Before April this year, scientists did not have any evidence to show that FRBs could be blasted out of a magnetar. Therefore, the observation is especially significant.
What is a magnetar?
- As per NASA, a magnetar is a neutron star, “the crushed, city-size remains of a star many times more massive than our Sun.”
- The magnetic field of such a star is very powerful, which can be over 10 trillion times stronger than a refrigerator magnet and up to a thousand times stronger than a typical neutron star’s.
- Neutron stars are formed when the core of a massive star undergoes gravitational collapse when it reaches the end of its life.
Source : Indian Express
6. HAZIRA-GHOGHA RO-PAX FERRY SERVICE
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Ro-Pax terminal at Hazira and flag off Ro-Pax service between Hazira and Ghogha in Gujarat on Sunday.