{"id":136612,"date":"2024-10-09T19:05:27","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T13:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&p=136612"},"modified":"2024-10-09T19:05:27","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T13:35:27","slug":"news-in-shorts-09-october-2024","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/news-in-shorts-09-october-2024","title":{"rendered":"News In Shorts: 09 October 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n
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World Health Organisation (WHO)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"World<\/td>\n

Context: India<\/b>, the <\/span>sixth largest global contributor<\/b> of core funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO), has now committed to give <\/span>more than $300 million <\/b>for the organisation’s core programme of work <\/span>from 2025 to 2028<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

About World Health Organisation (WHO):<\/b><\/p>\n

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  • Specialised agency of the United Nations, r<\/b>esponsible for<\/span> International public health<\/b><\/li>\n
  • Founded in<\/b>: 1948<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Headquartered:<\/b> Geneva, Switzerland<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Membership<\/b>: 194 member states.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • World Health Assembly (WHA):<\/b> Highest decision-making body of WHO<\/b>\n
      \n
    • Comprises <\/span>representatives from all member States.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • WHA Appoints:<\/b>\u00a0 <\/span>Director-general every five years<\/b> and <\/span>votes on matters of policy<\/b> and <\/span>finance<\/b> of WHO, including the proposed budget.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Secretariat<\/b>: Responsible for carrying out the policies and programs approved by the WHA.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Regional Offices<\/b>: Six regional offices<\/span>\n
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      • Africa, the Americas, Southeast Asia, Europe, <\/span>Eastern Mediterranean<\/b>, and <\/span>Western Pacific<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Meetings<\/b>: Meets <\/span>annually<\/b> to set policies, approve the budget and elect the Director-General.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Funding mechanism<\/b>: Two Main Sources:\u00a0<\/span>\n
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        • Assessed contributions<\/b>: Dues <\/span>countries pay<\/b> in order to <\/span>be a member of the Organization<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Voluntary contributions<\/b>: From <\/span>Member States <\/b>(in addition to their assessed contribution) or from<\/span> other partners like United Nations organisations, intergovernmental organisations, philanthropic foundations, the private sector<\/b> etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Between April 2022 and April 2023<\/b>: <\/span>Assessed contributions<\/b> totalled $956.9 million (12.1 per cent of total revenue to date)<\/b>\n
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          • Voluntary contributions<\/b> totalled $6.92 billion<\/span> (87.5 percent of total revenue to date)<\/b>, and \u201cOther revenue\u201d totalled $28.1 million <\/span>(0.4 percent)<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Fattah 2<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Fattah<\/td>\n

Context:<\/b> Iran used hypersonic missiles like the <\/span>Fattah-2 <\/b>in the ongoing conflict with Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key Features of Fattah 2:<\/b><\/p>\n

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  • It is equipped with a <\/span>Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) warhead, <\/b>which allows the missile to manoeuvre and glide at speeds between<\/span> Mach 5 and 20.<\/b><\/li>\n
  • Fattah-2 <\/span>boasts a range of 1,500 km,<\/b> only slightly more than its predecessor, the Fattah-I.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The missile can accelerate outside the Earth’s atmosphere.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Its aerodynamic control surfaces allow for steering within the atmosphere.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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ISRO Third Launch Pad<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"ISRO<\/td>\n

Context: <\/b>The proposal for the third launch pad at Sriharikota has received approval from the National Space Commission.<\/span><\/p>\n

Need for a new Launch Pad:<\/b><\/p>\n

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  • To ensure redundancy and accommodate the <\/span>New Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV)<\/b><\/li>\n
  • The Launch pad will feature horizontal integration and tilting, unlike the traditional vertical launches.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Currently, the second launch pad is the only one capable of<\/span> handling larger vehicles<\/b> like GSLV and LVM-3, but there is<\/span> no backup if it becomes inoperable.<\/b><\/li>\n
  • The first launch pad was initially designed for PSLV and cannot support cryogenic stages, limiting its use for newer vehicles.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • NGLV is being developed to meet future demands, with a goal of launching 20-tonne payloads to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), compared to the current 9.2 tonnes with LVM-3.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Academic Freedom Index<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

Context: India\u2019s Academic Freedom<\/b> score dropped from <\/span>0.6 points<\/b> in 2013 to <\/span>0.2 points<\/b> in 2023, marking its <\/span>lowest score<\/b> since the mid-1940s.<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Academic Freedom Index:<\/b><\/p>\n