16th BRICS Summit (Kazan, Russia)
- Theme: "Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security."
- Expanded Membership: First summit featuring new members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
- Kazan Declaration:
- Financial Reform: Focus on "BRICS Pay" (a blockchain-based system) to reduce reliance on the US dollar and SWIFT.
- Grain Exchange: Proposal for "BRICS Clear," an independent platform for trading grain and other commodities.
- Global Governance: Called for the reform of the UN Security Council and Bretton Woods institutions (IMF/World Bank).
- India-China Bilateral: PM Modi and President Xi Jinping held their first formal meeting in five years following the agreement on patrolling arrangements along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.
Nobel Prize 2024 Winners
| Category | Winner(s) | Core Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Physiology/Medicine | Victor Ambros & Gary Ruvkun | Discovery of microRNA and its role in gene regulation. |
| Physics | John Hopfield & Geoffrey Hinton | Foundational discoveries in machine learning via neural networks. |
| Chemistry | David Baker, Demis Hassabis, John Jumper | Computational protein design and protein structure prediction (AlphaFold). |
| Literature | Han Kang | Intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas. |
| Peace | Nihon Hidankyo | Grassroots efforts of Hiroshima/Nagasaki survivors to abolish nuclear weapons. |
| Economics | D. Acemoglu, S. Johnson, J. Robinson | Studies on how institutions are formed and affect national prosperity. |
National Affairs (India)
- 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI): Justice Sanjiv Khanna appointed to succeed Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.
- Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Conferred to veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty for his contribution to Indian cinema.
- Mission Mausam: A government initiative launched to enhance India’s weather forecasting and climate management capabilities using AI and advanced satellites.
- Cyclone Dana: A severe cyclonic storm that impacted the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal in October 2024.
International Relations & Defense
- SCO Summit 2024: Hosted in Islamabad, Pakistan. India represented by EAM S. Jaishankar; focus on regional security and the "Three Evils" (Terrorism, Separatism, Extremism).
- SIMBEX-2024: The 31st edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise held at Visakhapatnam.
- NASA Europa Clipper: Launched to study Jupiter’s moon, Europa, to determine if its subsurface ocean can support life.
Banking & Economy
- RBI Monetary Policy (October 2024):
- Repo Rate: Maintained at 6.5%.
- Stance: Shifted from "Withdrawal of Accommodation" to "Neutral," signaling potential future rate cuts.
- Unified Lending Interface (ULI): RBI launched this platform to provide "frictionless credit" to farmers and MSMEs by integrating data from various states and central agencies.