African Union seeks India’s help

• In a bid to fight the rapid spread of the Ebola virus disease, the African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa, a team formed for emergency response on Ebola that is under the African Union Commission Social Affairs, has urged the Indian government to lend support with medical human resources.
• The Indian government has had disasters, including natural and human made in many aspects and is very good at emergency preparedness and emergency response, hence, working with them in that aspect could really be supportive to tackle the issues, according to Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko, the commissioner for social affairs at the AUC. — IANS

U.N. support to Satyarthi, Malala

• Lauding this year’s Nobel Peace laureates Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said the two “remarkable” Asians give hope to people around the world struggling against exploitation and assured the world body’s support to their “vitally important work”.
• Mr. Ban congratulated Mr. Satyarthi and Ms. Yousafzai in his remarks to the Asia Society Game Changer Awards here on Thursday, noting that the awards celebrate an array of “remarkable” Asians.
• The inaugural award has been instituted by leading educational and cultural organization Asia Society honouring “true leaders making a positive contribution to the future of Asia.”

Hong Kong demonstrators try to retake protest camp

• Fresh clashes broke out in Hong Kong on Friday night as demonstrators attempted to retake a protest camp partially cleared by police earlier in the day, jeopardising talks to end weeks of mass democracy rallies.
• Officers used pepper spray and batons to beat back activists as they tried to reoccupy a busy main road in the bustling Mongkok district, which has been home to a protest camp for nearly three weeks, an AFP reporter on the scene saw.
• “We want to take back this spot because it’s what we had,” said Gary Yip, a 17-year-old high school student.
• It is the third consecutive night that violence has broken out after a fortnight of comparative calm — a development that risks sinking only recently resurrected plans to hold talks between student leaders and the city’s Beijing-backed authorities.
• The Asian financial hub has been rocked by demonstrations for nearly three weeks — some of which drew crowds of tens of thousands — calling for free elections and the resignation of the city’s leader Leung Chun-ying.
• Protesters have held sit-ins at three major intersections causing significant disruption to a city usually known for its stability, and presenting Beijing with one of the most significant challenges to its authority since the 1989 Tiananmen protests.
• China has insisted that Mr. Leung’s successor must be vetted by a loyalist committee before standing for election in 2017, a proposal protesters have dismissed as “fake democracy”.
• Earlier in the day, officers had significantly reduced the size of the northern Mongkok camp — the second largest after the main protest site opposite the government’s headquarters in central Hong Kong — in a swift dawn raid that saw no resistance from demonstrators.
• Mongkok had previously seen clashes between protesters and masked government loyalists earlier in the month.
• Throughout Friday, demonstrators managed to hold on to one side of a multi-lane road where the camp had been located. Police then struggled to maintain order as crowds of pro-democracy supporters began to swell during the evening.
• Violence broke out around 8 p.m. (1200 GMT) after several protesters tried to push through a police cordon.

Nigeria claims deal with Boko Haram

• Nigeria’s military and presidency on Friday claimed to have reached a deal with Boko Haram militants on a ceasefire but released contradictory statements on whether a deal for the release of more than 219 kidnapped schoolgirls was in place.
• “A ceasefire agreement has been concluded between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad [Boko Haram],” Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Alex Badeh said. “I have accordingly directed the service chiefs to ensure immediate compliance with this development in the field.”
• Separately, President Goodluck Jonathan’s Principal Secretary Hassan Tukur told AFP that an agreement to end hostilities had been reached following talks, as well as the release of 219 girls held captive since April. “Boko Haram issued the ceasefire as a result of the discussions we have been having with them,” said Mr. Tukur, adding that the announcement was made “last night” (Thursday). “They have agreed to release the Chibok girls,” he continued, referring to the 219 teenage girls held hostage after their April 14 kidnapping from a secondary school in Chibok, northeast Nigeria.
• Nigeria’s chief security spokesman, however, said that there was no deal in place for the release of the schoolgirls. “No. That part has not been agreed but we are inching closer and closer,” the head of the National Information Centre, Mike Omeri, said.
• The different branches of the government have frequently made contradictory statements on major national events in the past, with competing agendas often leading to confusing and contradictory positions.
• Questions surrounded the purported deal, given that Jonathan is expected to declare his re-election bid and positive news about the hostages and violence could give him a political boost.
• There was also uncertainty about the identity of Danladi Ahmadu, who was said by Mr. Tukur to be Boko Haram’s representative at the talks and who gave a radio interview broadcast this morning.
• Multiple analysts cast doubt on Mr. Ahmadu’s credibility as a Boko Haram envoy while Nigeria has made similar ceasefire claims in the past which failed to materialise.

India, China agree to defuse tensions

• Indian and Chinese diplomats agreed to defuse tensions of the past three months at a two-day meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) in Delhi that concluded here on Friday. But a month after Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi committed to restarting the high-level talks of Special Representatives on border issues, India is yet to announce its nominee for the dialogue.
• Sources tell The Hindu that officials in New Delhi and Beijing are deadlocked over “issues of bureaucratic rank,” given that Chinese Special Representative Yang Jiechi is a “state councillor,” equal to the Indian rank of Minister of State, while National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who would have been the obvious choice for the post, has not been designated to that rank.
• Ahead of Mr. Xi’s visit to India, Mr. Doval travelled to Beijing as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy, and the announcement of his nomination as Special Representative was expected during the President’s visit. However, Chinese officials made it clear informally that Mr. Doval should have the Minister of State rank for the talks to continue. Former NSAs Shivshankar Menon and M.K. Narayanan were both of that rank. Upset with China’s rebuff, New Delhi is learnt to have put off the announcement.
• Some reports speculated that the Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board Shyam Saran or India’s Ambassador to the U.S., S. Jaishankar, both of whom have been Ambassadors to China, could be alternative choices and would be given other responsibilities on external security issues.
• Experts say the delay has come at the cost of resumption of dialogue at the highest level, making the Line of Actual Control more vulnerable to stand-offs of the kind seen in Chumar since July 25 — first over the construction of a road near Chumar by China and then an irrigation canal and observation post by India.
• “Clearly, without having the Special Representatives in place, the government cannot signal any interest in resuming this very important process of clarifying the LAC,” says Srinath Raghavan, a military expert at the Centre for Policy Research.

CPI inflation declined to 6.46 percent in September 2014

• Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation or retail inflation of September 2014 stood at 6.46 percent as compared to the 7.3 percent in August 2014. The CPI inflation data was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on 13 October 2014.
• The retail inflation of September 2014 is the second straight fall, due to lower food and fuel costs. This fall is the lowest since the new series of Consumer Price Index was released in January 2012.
• The retail inflation of fuel and light cost came down to 3.45 percent from 4.15 percent of August 2014.
• The retail inflation for over all food inflation dropped to 7.67 percent in September 2014 from 9.35 percent in August 2014.
• The retail inflation of fruits slowed to 22.4 percent in September 2014 from 24.27 percent in August 2014. There is a price rise in protein rich items like eggs, fish and meat was slower in September against August 2014.
• The retail inflation is 6.34 percent in urban areas and 6.68 percent in rural areas in September in 2014.
• The RBI is expected to reduce the CPI inflation 8 percent by January 2015 and 6 percent by January 2016.

Global Hunger Index Report 2014 released: India Ranked at 55th Position

 > Global Hunger Index Released

• The 2014 Global Hunger Index (GHI) was released on 13 October 2014 by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide.
• It revealed that two billion people were suffering from hidden hunger even though the levels of hunger in many developing countries decreased. The 2014 GHI was calculated for 120 developing countries and countries in transition, 55 of which have a serious or worse hunger situation.
• The 2014 GHI presented a multidimensional measure of national, regional, and global hunger. It showed that the world has made progress in reducing hunger since 1990, but still has far to go as the levels of hunger remain alarming or extremely alarming in 16 countries. Globally, 805 million people still suffer from hunger.
• Regionally, the highest hunger levels are observed in Africa South of the Sahara and South Asia which have also experienced the greatest absolute improvements since 2005. South Asia saw the sharp absolute decline in GHI scores since 1990. Progress in addressing child underweight was the main factor behind the improved GHI score for the region since 1990.
• From 1990 to 2014, 26 countries reduced their scores by 50 percent. In terms of absolute progress, Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chad, Ghana, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, Thailand, and Vietnam witnessed the biggest improvement in scores since 1990.
• The severity of hunger was found to be low in 44 countries. These countries include Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mexico and Turkey.
• Moreover, countries like Burundi and Eritrea were classified as extremely alarming as per the 2014 GHI. However, reliable data for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia was sorely lacking.

 > Hidden Hunger

• One form of hunger that is often ignored or overshadowed by hunger related to energy deficits is hidden hunger which is also called micronutrient deficiency. It affected some 2 billion people around the world.
• Hidden hunger can coexist with adequate or even excessive consumption of dietary energy from macronutrients such as fats and carbohydrates and also with obesity in one person or community.
• Poor diet, disease, impaired absorption and increased micronutrient needs during certain life stages, such as pregnancy, lactation, and infancy are among the causes of hidden hunger.
• Possible solutions to hidden hunger include food-based approaches: dietary diversification, fortification of commercial foods and biofortification, in which food crops are bred with increased micronutrient content.
• Food-based measures require long-term, sustained and coordinated efforts to make a lasting difference. On the other hand, vitamin and mineral supplements can help vulnerable populations combat hidden hunger in short span of time.
• Moreover to eliminate hidden hunger, Governments and multilateral institutions need to invest in and develop human and financial resources, increase coordination and ensure transparent monitoring and evaluation to build capacity on nutrition.
• Governments must also create a regulatory environment that values good nutrition. This could involve creating incentives for private sector companies to develop more nutritious seeds or foods.

> India's Performance as per 2014 Global Hunger Index 

• India improved its position in the Global Hunger Index in 2014 as it climbed to 55th position among  76 emerging economies from 63rd position in 2013. Though, it is still trailing behind countries like Thailand, China, Ghana, Iraq, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
• A sharp reduction in the percentage of underweight children has helped India improve its hunger record. India’s improved ranking is due to its progress in dealing with underweight children.
• However, India remains home to the largest number of chronically malnourished and stunted children under five. In the first GHI in 2006, India ranked 96 among 119 countries.

> About Global Hunger Index

• The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger globally and by country and region. It is calculated each year by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
• The GHI highlights successes and failures in hunger reduction and provides insights into the drivers of hunger. To reflect the multidimensional nature of hunger, the GHI combines three equally weighted indicators in one index number: 1. Undernourishment: The proportion of undernourished as a percentage of the population (reflecting the share of the population with insufficient calorie intake) 2. Child underweight: The proportion of children younger than the age of five who are underweight (low weight for age reflecting wasting, stunted growth, or both), which is one indicator of child under-nutrition. 3. Child mortality: The mortality rate of children younger than the age of five (partially reflecting the fatal synergy of inadequate dietary intake and unhealthy environments).
• The GHI ranks countries on a 100-point scale. Zero is the best score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst, although neither of these extremes is reached in practice. A lower GHI score implies better nutritional standard and a higher rank for a country.

Khaled Bahah appointed as Prime Minister of Yemen

• Khaled Bahah on 13 October 2014 was appointed as Prime Minister of Yemen. He was appointed by the President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. At the time of appointment Bahah was serving as permanent representative of the Republic of Yemen to the United Nations.
• The appointment comes under a power-sharing deal signed between Houthis and President Mansour Hadi in September 2014. The deal aims to bring the Houthis and the wing of a separatist group into a more inclusive government.
• In October 2014, President Mansour Hadi proposed Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak as Prime Minister but he was rejected by Houthi, Shiite Muslim group. Houthi group proposed three names and Khaled Bahah was one among them.
• Khaled Bahah was born in 1965.
• He holds the master’s degree in administration, business and finance from University of Pune, India.
• He served previously as oil minister in Yemen before being appointed Yemen's envoy to the United Nations.

British House of Commons passed symbolic motion to recognise Palestinian state

• British lawmakers on 13 October 2014 voted in favour to recognise Palestine as an official state. The vote saw 274 MPs in support of the motion, while 12 voted against. This move of the lawmakers would not alter the government policy but carries symbolic value as Palestinians pursue international recognition.
• The non-binding motion that was passed in Britain’s lower house (House of Commons) by 274 votes reads - this House believes that the Government should recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution.
• Although the motion was passed with an overwhelming majority but does not signify an official change in Britain’s position regarding the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. 
• The government may not officially recognize Palestine as a state, but says that it can change that position if it feels doing so would be constructive step to the peace process.
• The vote was closely watched by Palestinians and Israelis seeking to gauge the readiness of European countries to act on Palestinian hopes for unilateral recognition by United Nations member states.
• Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza, with its capital in East Jerusalem. 
• The debate on Palestinian statehood was first hosted by the House of Commons since 2012, after an online petition calling for the motion gathered over 100000 signatures.
• The UN General Assembly in 2012 approved the de facto recognition of Palestine as a state but the United States, the European Union and most EU countries, including Britain, have yet not approved unilateral independence of Palestine.

Earth-observing instrument activated on ISS

• NASA successfully installed and activated its first Earth-observing instrument - the ISS-RapidScat - on the International Space Station (ISS).
• The ISS-RapidScat will monitor ocean winds for climate research as well as weather predictions and hurricane monitoring. The instrument has already begun collecting data.
• “Its antenna began spinning and it started transmitting and receiving its first winds data Oct 1,” a NASA statement said.
• “Most satellite missions require weeks or even months to produce data of the quality that we seem to be getting from the first few days of RapidScat,” informed Ernesto Rodriguez from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, California.
• “The quality of these data reflect the level of testing and preparation that the team has put in prior to launch,” Dr. Rodriguez added. ISS-RapidScat instrument was launched aboard the SpaceX CRS-4 mission on September 21.