Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF):Recently, an Inter-Ministerial delegation from India led by the Department of Commerce participated in the second IPEF negotiating round in Bali, Indonesia.
It is an economic initiative launched by United States in May 2022.IPEF has fourteen member states: Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States and Vietnam.During the Bali Round, discussions covered all four pillars of the IPEF: Trade (Pillar I); Supply Chains (Pillar II); Clean Economy (Pillar III); and Fair Economy (Taxation & Anticorruption) – (Pillar IV).
India participated in the discussions related to Pillars II to IV.
International Liquid Mirror Telescope: The Union Minister of Science & Technology inaugurated Asia’s largest 4-metre ILMT at Devasthal in Uttarakhand.
ILMT is the first liquid mirror telescope designed exclusively for astronomical observations and is the first optical survey telescope in India.It has a 4-meter-diameter rotating mirror made up of a thin layer of liquid mercury to collect and focus light.The metal mercury is in liquid form at room temperature, which is highly reflective and designed to survey the strip of the sky passing overhead each night. The Devasthal observatory is equipped with the largest aperture telescope available in India that will use Big Data and AI algorithms to classify objects in the sky.The data collected from the ILMT, over an operational time of 5 years, will be ideally suited to perform a deep photometric and astrometric variability survey.Maintained by the Aryabhata Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES).
Dawn syndrome:Dawn syndrome is a genetic disorder, caused by the presence of an extra chromosome 21also known as trisomy of chromosome 21.It is one of the leading causes of genetic disorders around the world. There are three types of Down syndrome.
Trisomy 21:With this type of Down syndrome, each cell in the body has 3 separate copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual 2 copies.(95% people have this type of syndrome)
Translocation Down syndrome: This occurs when an extra part or a whole extra chromosome 21 is present, but it is “trans-located” to a different chromosome rather than being a separate Cr 21.
Mosaic Down syndrome:Mosaic means mixture or combination. For children with mosaic Down syndrome, some of their cells have 3 copies of chromosome 21, but other cells have the typical two copies of chromosome 21.Down syndrome is a lifelong condition and it cannot be cured. Early therapy programs can help improve skills.
International Telecommunication Union (ITU):It is an intergovernmental organization that coordinates between governments and private sector bodies with respect to global telecommunication and ICT services.It was established in 1865 as International Telegraph Union.In 1947, it became a UN specialised agency. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
It has a membership of 193 countries and nearly 800 private sector entities and academic institutions.
Functions: To allocate global radio spectrum and satellite orbits;coordination and setting of technical standards related to telecommunication/ICT;strive to improve access to ICTs in underserved communities worldwide. India and ITU: India has been an active member of the ITU since 1869 and has been a regular member of the ITU Council since 1952.
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