Noble Prize for Medicine 2020 – Discovery of Hepatitis C

NATIONAL NEWS

India successfully tests Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo

• SMART - India successfully tests Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo has been successfully flight tested on 5th Oct 2020 from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha.
• SMART is a missile assisted release of lightweight Anti-Submarine Torpedo System for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operations far beyond Torpedo range.This launch and demonstration is significant in establishing Anti-Submarine warfare capabilities.
• This missile was developed in various laboratories of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

Facts: Chairman of DRDO: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy

          Minister of Defence: Rajnath Singh

An Indian Institute recognised as one of the Global networks of Laboratories

• The Translational Health Science And Technology Institute (THSTI), an autonomous institute of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), has been chosen by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), as one of the global network of laboratories for centralised assessment of COVID­19 vaccines.
• The CEPI network will initially involve six labs, one each in Canada, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Bangladesh and India.
• The Ind-CEPI mission for establishment of BSL-3 facility, is a translational laboratory for platform technologies and a Bioassay laboratory for development of assays to measure clinical immunogenicity.

Fact: Minister of Science and Technology: Dr. Harsh Vardhan

Emission norms for tractors to be applicable from October 2021

• The emission norms of Bharat Stage TREM/CEV-V to be enforced by 1^st October of 2021.
• The ministry of Road Transport and Highways has amended the Central Motor Vehicle Rule 1989 in September 2020 to implement BS TREM/CEV-V.
• This rule is applicable for the production of tractors and construction equipment vehicles.

Facts: Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare: Narendra Singh Tomar

           Minister of Road Transport and Highways: Nitin Gadkari

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

12^TH BRICS Summit to be held

• The 12^th summit of BRICS nations to be help through video conferencing in November this year.
• The theme of BRICS 2020 is “BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth”.
• The chairman of BRICS 2020 will be Russia
• The BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have continued closed strategic partnership in all the three major pillars – 1) peace and security, 2) economy and finance, 3) cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Fact: Establishment of BRICS: June 2006

AWARDS

Noble Prize for Medicine 2020 – Discovery of Hepatitis C

• The Noble Prize for Medicine 2020 was awarded to the trio of scientists - Harvey J. Alter, Charles M. Rice and Briton Michael Houghton
• The award is for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus which belongs to the family Flavivirus.
• Its discovery made it possible to develop tests to screen bloodbank supplies and greatly reduce the spread of the disease, which can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer.