GK and Current Affairs Updates

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

-Kartarpur ready to welcome Sikh pilgrims for 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, says Pak PM Imran Khan

The two countries have decided that 5,000 pilgrims can visit the shrine everyday and that additional pilgrims will be allowed on special occasions, subject to capacity expansion of facilities by the Pakistani side.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday shared some of the dazzling pictures of the Kartarpur complex and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, saying the revered venue is ready to welcome the Sikh pilgrims for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.

Inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor on November 9.

-PM Modi attends India-Asean Summit; meets Thai, Indonesian leaders

PM Modi is in Thailand on a three-day visit during which he will participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), East Asia, and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summits.

The PM arrived in the Thai capital Bangkok on Saturday on a on a three-day visit during which he will also attend the 14th East Asia Summit, the third summit meeting of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and hold bilateral meetings with various world leaders.

The prime minister’s visit comes in the midst of renewed diplomatic efforts to convince New Delhi to support signing of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a mega trade deal involving 16 Asia-Pacific nations to facilitate creation of the biggest free-trade region in the world.

-Odisha plans social registry to weed out ghost beneficiaries of social welfare schemes

Officials said the idea behind the social registry is to improve the coverage, adequacy, effectiveness and efficiency of government schemes in the state as the current mix of social protection schemes remain fragmented.

- Odisha lokayukta serves notice to 6 officials for misappropriation of fund for Nagada

Nagada, a group of three villages, was in news in 2016 when the tribal children died of malnourishment and diseases prompting chief minister Naveen Patnaik to form a task force for the development of the area.

The Odisha Lokayukta has served notice to six government officials in Jajpur district over allegations of misappropriation of government funds meant for hunger hotspot Nagada, where 19 tribal children had died of malnutrition and other diseases in 2016.

Sources in the Lokayukta office said notices have been served to project director of Jajpur District Rural Development Agency, block development officer of Sukinda, Jajpur town executive engineer (Rural Development-1), executive engineer (electrical) Dhabalgiri, executive engineer (rural water supply and sanitation) and Jajpur district social welfare officer.

 Women Help Desks (WHDs)

-Centre is to set up Women Help Desks (WHDs) in ten thousand police stations and for Anti-Human-Trafficking-Units (AHTUs) in the remaining districts of India. The cost to be allocated for the implementation is Rs.100 crores each. The funding out will be of the Nirbhaya Fund.

Proposal: The proposal for the implementation of the project was initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It pursued the project with the Ministry of Home AffairS.

Safdarjang Hospital

-Safdarjang Hospital (SJH) is one of the biggest tertiary care referral centre of India. It functions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. SJH caters to all poor patients of uro-oncological cancers like kidney, bladder cancers, prostate, and kidney failures across India. SJH is the first Central Government hospital in India to start this latest Robot Surgery facility. The hospital provides treatment for all poor patients for free.

- India, Uzbekistan to sign MoUs for military medicine and military education

India and Uzbekistan are planning to sign two memorandum of understanding (MOUs) concerning military medicine and military education. The 2 MoUs were signed during the three-day visit of the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Uzbekistan, the Central Asian nation.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

-N.Korea test fired new multiple rocket launcher

North Korea conducted its third test-firing of a new super-large multiple rocket launcher. It has the ability to destroy enemy targets in surprise attacks. The North previously tested the system in August and September 2019. The two projectiles were launched from an area near Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. The missiles travelled more than 321 kilometers cross-country and landed in the waters of the North’s eastern coast. It is expected that North Korea will continue to ramp up weapons demonstrations before the deadline set by N.Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the US. Kim Jong Un offered the US a mutually acceptable terms to salvage fragile diplomacy strained by disagreements over exchanging sanctions relief and disarmament steps.

The 8th meeting of the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF) was concluded on 1 November 2019 in New Delhi

- The 8th meeting of the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF) was concluded on 1 November 2019 in New Delhi. IGEF was co-chaired by Mr. Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, Secretary of Ministry of Power from the Indian side and Mr. Christian Hirte, Secretary of State, Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, Germany. The Forum finalized the roadmap for future collaboration between the two countries, including the Flexibilisation of existing coal-fired power plants.

IMPORTANT EVENTS

1957 - Space -- Dog In Space

1957 : A dog was launched into orbit today as the first animal in space on board Sputnik 2, a Russian spacecraft, and became the first living animal to enter the Earth's orbit.

1957 - Space -- Dog In Space

1957 : A dog was launched into orbit today as the first animal in space on board Sputnik 2, a Russian spacecraft, and became the first living animal to enter the Earth's orbit.

1913 U.S.A. -- First Income Tax

The first American citizens receive information over the new national income tax. A married man living with his wife, who is in receipt of an income of $5,000 pays $10 a year and if his income is $10,000 he pays $60 per year.

2004 - U.S.A. - - George W Bush

2004 : George W Bush is elected president of the United States for a second term of office.

2011 - Cuba - - Cuba Allows Private Home Sales

2011 : The Cuban government has passed a law that allows citizens and permanent residents to buy and sell homes privately for the first time since 1959, marking an important milestone in free-market reform.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

-PM Modi arrives in Bangkok on three-day visit amid focus on RCEP negotiations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend 16th ASEAN-India Summit, the 14th East Asia Summit and the third summit meeting of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which is negotiating the trade deal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Saturday on a three-day visit in the midst of renewed diplomatic efforts to convince India to support signing of a mega trade deal involving 16 Asia-Pacific nations to facilitate creation of the biggest free-trade region in the world.

-Working on Vikram Lander’s second landing on Moon’s south pole, says ISRO chief

The Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) chief, Kailasavadivoo Sivan on Saturday weighed in on the second landing attempt of Vikram lander on Moon’s south pole, after the first could not find success.

Replying to media’s query if ISRO would attempt another landing on Moon’s south pole, Sivan replied, “Definitely”.

-Delhi’s Dwarka metro station, being visited by Angela Merkel today, has a German link

When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits the Dwarka Sector 21 metro station on Saturday morning, there would be a deep German connection to the station -- it has photo voltaic panels on the roof built with the cooperation of a German enterprise.

Power generated by the 500-kWp ‘Roof-Top Solar Power Plant’ in the station is used to meet its requirements.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the German government-owned not-for-profit enterprise GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit) set up the solar plant under the Renewable Energy Service (RESCO) model.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

-Pakistanis feel inflation, not Kashmir, is biggest problem facing them

The study, which was published by Gallup and Gilani Pakistan on Tuesday, said 53% of respondents believe the country’s economy, specifically increasing inflation, is the biggest problem facing the country.

Worries of inflation is followed by unemployment (23%), the Kashmir issue (8%), corruption (4%) and water crisis (4%), the survey has said.

-Thai king creates boot camp-style unity courses, officers to train in community service, loyalty to monarchy

As part of the programme, civil servants, police and teachers will get intensive training in community service and loyalty to the monarchy, according to the Thai Royal Palace.

-US opens national security investigation into TikTok

While the $1 billion acquisition of Musical.ly was completed two years ago, US lawmakers have been calling in recent weeks for a national security probe into TikTok, concerned the Chinese company may be censoring politically sensitive content, and raising questions about how it stores personal data.

- Donald Trump announces new acting US homeland security chief

Homeland Security is the third-largest department in the US government, overseeing a number of agencies including the Coast Guard, Secret Service and FEMA, which handles disaster preparedness, coordination and support.

US President Donald Trump announced Friday that a senior department official, Chad Wolf, would become the nation’s new acting homeland security chief, a role at the center of his crackdown on undocumented immigration.

SPORTS AFFAIRS

-Barcelona Players Offered To Alter Contracts To Re-Sign Neymar

 Gerard Pique has said Barcelona players offered to alter their own contracts to help the club buy Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain last summer. Barca attempted to re-sign Neymar, sold to PSG for a world record 222 million euros ($249 million) in 2017, but the two teams were unable to agree a deal. Key players, including Lionel Messi, were eager for the Brazilian to return and Pique says they tried to help the club's president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, complete the transfer while satisfying UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules.

- Lewis Hamilton Tops Charts In United States Grand Prix 2nd Practice As Sixth World Title Beckons

Lewis Hamilton needs only to finish in the top eight at the United States Grand Prix to be champion even if his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas wins the race.

Important Dates and Events

-2 November - All Souls' Day

-1698 Scottish settlers make landfall in Panama, establishing the ill-fated 'Darien Venture' colony.

-1749 English Ohio Trade Company forms first trading post

-676 Donus begins his reign as Catholic Pope replacing Pope Adeodatus II

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

-Jharkhand assembly polls to be held in 5-phase from November 30, results on December 23

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on Friday announced the dates for the Jharkhand Assembly elections. He said elections in Jharkhand will be held in five phases, which will start from November 30 and results will be declared on December 23.

-DGCA tells IndiGo to replace faulty engines on all Airbus A320neo planes by Jan 31 at all costs

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered IndiGo to make sure that its fleet of 97 Airbus A320neo aircraft have modified versions of P&W engines by January 31, failing which they will be grounded.

- India, Germany to intensify cooperation in combating terror

India and Germany have resolved to intensify bilateral and multilateral cooperation to deal with the threats of terrorism and extremism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday after holding wide-raging talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

After the two leaders co-chaired the fifth Inter-Governmental Consultations, India and Germany signed five joint declarations of intent and inked 11 pacts in fields such as space, civil aviation, maritime technology, medicine and education.

- Audi India cuts SUV Q5, Q7 prices by up to Rs 6 lakh for limited period

Under the 'limited period celebratory price' offer, the Audi Q5 in both petrol and diesel options will be tagged at Rs 49.99 lakh as against the current price of Rs 55.8 lakh, Audi India said in a statement. The Q7 petrol version will cost Rs 4.83 lakh less at Rs 68.99 lakh under the offer as compared to the existing price of Rs 73.82 lakh.

- This on-demand fuel pump is making deliveries, one doorstep at a time

Neogi Technologies and Research Private Limited is an enterprise that manufactures mobile fuel dispensing units enabling door-to-door delivery of diesel, kerosene, bio-diesel, lubricating oil, etc

IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS

DATES

1 November - World Vegan Day

1 November - All Saints' Day

-Significance of 1st November - After India's independence, several linguistic groups in the country demanded statehood resulting in the establishment of the States Reorganisation Commission in 1953 which led to the formation of states like Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

1st November 1956: Delhi became a territory of the Indian Union

On November 1, 1956, another important chapter was added to the grand old story of Delhi when it became a union territory of the Indian Union.

EVENTS

-1 Nov, 1993 - Europe - Maastricht Treaty

1993 : The Maastricht Treaty formally starts, establishing the European Union (EU). By 1993, 12 nations had ratified the Maastricht Treaty on European Union: Great Britain, France, Germany, the Irish Republic, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

1935 - Canada - Earthquake

Northern Canada was shaken by a violent earthquake. The center of this earthquake was detected to have been just north of Lake Ontario. In all, this quake had been felt in three Canadian provinces as well as in 17 states of the United States. It was thought to be one of the worst in history that has occurred in this region.

1952 - U.S.A. - Hydrogen Bomb

The United States detonates the world's first thermonuclear weapon, the hydrogen bomb, on Eniwetok atoll in the Pacific.

1957 - U.S.A. - Mackinac Bridge

The Mackinac suspension bridge opens connecting Mackinaw City and St. Ignace connecting the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. It becomes the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western hemisphere.

1982 - U.S.A. - Honda

Honda opens the first car manufacturing company factory to produce Japanese cars ( Honda Accord ) in the United States at Marysville, Ohio.

2007 - United States - Tesco opens its first Quick and Easy in America

Tesco, the UK's leading food retailer, begins opening its Fresh and Easy outlets in the US. It had over sixty stores, including thirty in southern California, by April 1, 2008. There were 168 stores as of September 22nd, 2010, which are based in California, Arizona, and Nevada.

2013 - Germany - Germany to Allow Third Gender

Germany is the first European country to allow parents of babies who are born with characteristics of both sexes to leave the gender line on birth certificates blank. This was done to alleviate pressure over choosing a gender and performing surgery on intersex newborns that could cause physical and emotional harm throughout their lives. People of the third gender would have it designated by an X on their passports.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

- Hong Kong in recession as protests slam retailers, tourism

On Thursday, the government said Hong Kong's economy shrank 3.2% in July-September from the previous quarter, pushing the city into a technical recession.

-North Korea conducts new test of ‘super-large’ rocket launcher:

South Korea’s military said Thursday that the North had launched two short-range projectiles from South Pyongan province. They each flew approximately 370 kilometres.

- Global smartphone market hits 380million units in Q3

Showing a sign of recovery, the global smartphone market saw 380 million units in shipments, as compared to 379.8 million units in Q3 2018, Counterpoint Research said on Thursday.

Samsung led the market with 21 per cent share with strong demand for its A and Note smartphone series while Huawei reached a record high with 18 per cent share.

Realme was the fastest growing brand, reaching the 7th spot globally.

NATIONAL AFFAIR

-Delhi: Run for Unity participants brave bad air quality in capital

Thousands of participants of the 'Run for Unity' on Thursday braved bad air quality in Delhi as they made their way through a smoky haze to mark the 144th birth anniversary Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

-RK Mathur sworn-in as first L-G of Union Territory of Ladakh

RK Mathur is the first L-G of the union territory of Ladakh after the two UTs of J-K and Ladakh came into existence on midnight Wednesday following a notification by the home ministry.

-Ban on night-time construction in NCR extended till Saturday

The window of the ban, which starts from 6 pm, has also been increased to 10 am from the earlier 6 am, the Supreme Court-mandated body said on Thursday. The ban on coal-based industries, barring power plants, in Faridabad, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Noida.

-Labour productivity falls over the last eight years

Labour productivity in India has gone down significantly over the last eight years from the average of 7.4% between 2010-11 and 2014-15 to a low of average 3.7% during fiscal year 2015-16 to 2017-18, an analysis of India Ratings and Research

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Fiat Chrysler to join forces with Peugeot to create world's fourth-largest auto firm

The boards of the two groups have mandated their respective teams to finalise discussions and reach a binding memorandum of understanding in the coming weeks, the two automakers said in a joint statement.

-Reorganisation of J&K internal affair: India slams China over Kashmir statement

We do not expect other countries, including China, to comment on the matters which are internal to India, just as India refrains from commenting on internal issues of other countries," Raveesh Kumar said. Asserting that the UT of J&K and Ladakh are integral part of India, he said India expects other countries to respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Twitter bans all political advertisements

The issue suddenly arose in September when Twitter, along with Facebook and Google, refused to remove a misleading video ad from President Donald Trump’s campaign that targeted former Vice President Joe Biden

Facebook agrees to pay 500,000 pound fine to UK over Cambridge Analytica

The social networking giant had initially appealed the penalty. The ICO then pursued its own counter-appeal.But finally, Facebook has agreed to pay the 500,000 pound fine but has made no admission of liability in relation to the fine.

Lost World War II British submarine found sunk off the coast of Malta

The wreck of a British submarine, which vanished at the height of World War Two, has been discovered lying at the bottom of the sea off Malta, university marine archaeologists said on Thursday.

HMS Urge had been based with other submarines in Malta and had carried out several deadly missions when the British navy ordered it and rest of the flotilla to redeploy to Egypt because of a relentless German siege of the Mediterranean island.

Urge set sail on April 27, 1942, carrying a 32-strong crew, 11 other naval personnel and a journalist. However, it failed to reach Alexandria on the agreed rendezvous date of May 6 and its fate has always been a mystery - until now.

Gas canister being used to cook breakfast in Pakistan train explodes, kills at least 65

A fire swept through a Pakistani train on Thursday, killing at least 65 people and injuring nearly 40 after a gas canister that passengers were using to cook breakfast exploded, government officials said.

The fire destroyed three of the train’s carriages near the town of Rahim Yar Khan in the south of Punjab province. It was on its way from the southern city of Karachi to Rawalpindi, near the capital, with many people going to a religious conference.

SPORTS AFFAIRS

From Warne scandal to Shakib ban: The curious case of Indian bookies in international cricket

•           ICC revealed Shakib Al Hasan exchanged WhatsApp messages with an Inidan bookie

•           ICC ACU chief Alex Marshall had said Indian bookies operate across the globe

•           The likes of Mohammad Ashraful and Hanse Cronje landed in trouble after contact with Indian bookies. Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and PSA said they aimed to reach a binding deal to create a $50 billion company domiciled in the Netherlands, with listings in Paris, Milan and New York and with PSA's Carlos Tavares as CEO and FCA's John Elkann as chairman.

-Glenn Maxwell announces break from cricket in the middle of Sri Lanka series

In a surprising move Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell decided to go on an indefinite from cricket in the middle of the T20I series against Sri Lanka. Maxwell is believed to have taken the decision to deal with his mental health issues.

Oman, Scotland grab last two places at T20 World Cup

Oman and Scotland join Namibia, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea and Ireland, who had already booked their places in the 2020 showpiece but are still competing for the winner’s trophy in UAE.

IMPORTANT DAYS

-Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day is observed on 31 October every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel. He had played an important role in unifying the country.

IMPORTANT DATES

31 Oct, 1984 - India Gandhi

1984 : Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was gunned down outside of her home by Sikh extremists.  

31 Oct, 1921 - U.S.A. Forests

1921 : Latest figures released by the federal government show that forests in the United States cover 463 million acres. Current Forestry is 745 million acres.

31 Oct, 1931 - U.S.A. Gold Standard

1931 : Following the announcement that Great Britain had decided to abandon the Gold Standard in mid-September a mini panic occurred when people were worried their money was not safe in local banks, the panic caused people to draw savings from the banks which in turn placed more pressure on the banks than the 1929 stock market crash had already, because of this by 31st October 827 banks were forced to close.

31 Oct, 1941 - U.S.A. Mount Rushmore

1941 : The Mt. Rushmore sculpture is completed after Gutzon Borglum and 400 stone masons sculpt the colossal 60-foot carvings of U.S. presidents, The project had started on October 4th, 1927 to represent the first 150 years of American history.

George Washington 1732–1799

Thomas Jefferson 1743–1826

Abraham Lincoln 1809–1865

Theodore Roosevelt 1858–1919

31 Oct, 1956 - Egypt Suez Canal Crisis

1956 : Following Egypt's decision to nationalize the Suez Canal Britain and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.

31 Oct, 1964 - Germany Berlin Wall

1964 : The Berlin wall was opened up for the second time yesterday for West Germans to visit relatives in East Germany and by nightfall 20,000 had passed through the communist controls. The visits are only allowed one way from west to east due to concerns of the East German Government that it's subjects would not return.

31 Oct, 2008 - China Melamine In Food

2008 : State Media in China has reported the toxic chemical melamine is probably being routinely added to Chinese animal feed, melamine has now been found in contaminated milk and eggs. Melamine is used to reduce production costs while maintaining the protein count for quality inspections.

NATIONAL  AFFAIRS

-PM Narendra Modi leaves for home after concluding visit to Saudi Arabia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, during which he held extensive talks with the top Saudi leadership and addressed a key financial forum here.

Prime Minister Modi ,held wide-ranging talks with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during which a Strategic Partnership Council was established to coordinate on important issues.

A memorandum of under standing was also signed to roll out RuPay card in the Kingdom - making Saudi Arabia the third country in the Persian Gulf after the UAE and Bahrain to introduce India’s digital payment system.

-Considering proposal to drop everything about Tipu Sultan from textbooks: BS Yediyurappa

Earlier, on October 28 State Education Minister Suresh Kumar wrote to the Managing Director of Karnataka Textbook Society, directing him to submit a report in three days on BJP MLA Appachu Ranjan’s proposal to strike off references to Tipu Sultan from history textbooks.

-Congress announces nationwide protests from November 5 to 15 against Centre’s policies

Congress general secretary organisation K C Venugopal said in a statement that the protests against the BJP Government’s “misrule” would be carried out at all state capitals and district headquarters.

The protests will culminate in a “massive programme” in the national capital in the last week of November, he said, adding that at the state level, the PCC presidents, CLP leaders and senior AICC functionaries will provide the leadership, while central leaders will participate in the protest in Delhi.

He said the Congress will highlight the issues of the “adverse impact of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), current economic crisis, mounting unemployment, spiralling price rise, collapse of banking system, heavy loss of jobs in public and private sectors and the omnipresent farm distress”

-Orange alert in 4 districts in Kerala

The Orange alert, indicating heavy to very rainfall of between 6 CM to 20 CM, was for Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts for October 31, while the other 10 districts were issued a yellow alert for tomorrow.

-India considers adding more levies on refined palm oil imports

-Govt is discussing a proposal to impose a new levy in addition to the existing import duty and raise the goods and services tax on the processed tropical oil.

-India, the world’s biggest buyer of palm oil, is considering a proposal to further increase import taxes on the refined variety to boost local processing and cut dependence on overseas purchases.

INTERNATIONAL  AFFAIRS

J&J's own expert, working for FDA, found asbestos in Baby Powder  

Ever since Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) disclosed this month that a government test had turned up asbestos in its Baby Powder, the company has attacked the validity of the result. J&J announced that other labs it hired ultimately found no asbestos in samples from the bottle tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or from the same production lot.In challenging the FDA’s finding, however, the healthcare giant is casting doubt on one of its own experts.

Facebook agrees to pay UK fine over Cambridge Analytica scandal

Facebook (FB.O) has agreed to pay a 500,000 pound fine for breaches of data protection law related to the harvesting of data by consultancy Cambridge Analytica, Britain's information rights regulator said on Wednesday.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has faced questioning by U.S. and EU lawmakers over how the political consultancy obtained the personal data of 87 million Facebook users from a researcher.

The Information Commissioner's Office issued the small but symbolic fine last year after it said data from at least 1 million British users had been among the information harvested by Cambridge Analytica and used for political purposes.

On Wednesday the ICO said that in dropping its appeal and agreeing to pay the fine, Facebook had not made an admission of liability.

Pakistan issues coin to commemorate 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak

The government of Pakistan on Tuesday issued coins to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, marking the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor for the Sikh pilgrims from India.

The opening of the Kartarpur Corridor has become a major initiative as it comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, following the Centre's decision to revoke Article 370, that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The coin, worth Pakistan rupee 50, will be available at the Kartarpur Sahib along with a postal stamp worth PKR 8 to the travelling pilgrims, as reported by news agency ANI.

Lebanon PM Saad Hariri resigns amid nationwide anti-government protests

Lebanon Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday announced resignation from the post amid a wave of protests against his government in nearly two weeks.

"I can't hide this from you. I have reached a dead-end. To all my political peers, our responsibility today is how to protect Lebanon and to uplift the economy. Today, there is a serious opportunity and we should not waste it," Harir.

As Hariri announced his resignation, scores of demonstrators in Beirut celebrated with joy and waved the Lebanese flag.

SPORTS AFFAIRS

Former captain Hamilton Masakadza appointed Zimbabwe's new Director of Cricket

Hamilton Masakadza, who recently retired from cricket after an 18-year international career, will take charge as Zimbabwe's new Director of Cricket on November 1.

•           Hamilton Masakadza recently bid adieu to international cricket after playing 313 matches for Zimbabwe

•           Masakadza will now begin a new innings as Zimbabwe's Director of Cricket from November

•           Masakadza's appointment is being claimed as a move to strengthen cricket across all levels in the country

BCCI orders 6 dozen pink balls for day-night Test at Eden

•           BCCI orders 6 dozen pink balls from SG for day-night Test

•           SG plans to deliver pink balls by the middle of next week

•           We have been working on the ball since the 2016-17 season: SG marketing director

The BCCI has asked manufacturer SG to deliver 72 pink balls by next week for India's first-ever day night Test, to be held at the Eden Gardens from November 22.

The BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has already confirmed that SG pink balls will be used for the landmark game, leaving the manufacturer with very little room for error.

2020 T20 World Cup Qualifiers: Scotland clinch Australia berth after beating UAE by 90 runs

Scotland are now the 5th team to qualify for the World Cup from the ongoing T20 WC Qualifiers being held in UAE after The Netherlands, Namibia, PNG and Ireland.

•           Scotland beat UAE by 90 runs on Wednesday to qualify for the 2020 T20 World Cup

•           The Netherlands, Namibia, PNG and Ireland had already qualified for the World Cup

•           Wednesday's victory was Scotland's 2nd-highest in history

IMPORTANT DATES

•           1340 Battle of Rio Salado Battle (or Tarifa): King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile defeat Sultan Abu al-Hasan 'Ali of Morocco and Yusuf I of Granada, last Marīnids invasion of Iberian Peninsula

•           1899 Battle of Ladysmith, Natal: Boers defeat the British, leading to the Siege of Ladysmith

•           1905 "October Manifesto" Russian Tsar Nicholas II grants civil liberties and accepts the first Duma (Parliament)

•           1917 British government gives final approval to Balfour Declaration

•           1973 The Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosporus for the first time.

AWARDS AND EVENTS

-Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has become the world’s sixth-largest energy entity

On 30 October 2019 Current Affairs: Mukesh Ambani led-Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has become the world’s sixth-largest energy entity with high market capitalization. RIL overtook British oil major BP Plc in terms of market capitalization to become the world’s sixth-largest energy entity.

RIL hit a market cap (m-cap) of $130.76 billion on 30 October compared with BP Plc’s $128 billion. The shares of RIL traded at Rs.1,466 on the BSE. It has gained over 31% so far in 2019.

Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest energy entity, that pumps about 10% of the world's crude. It has emerged as the most profitable company in 2018.

-5th International Conference on ROADTECH 

On 30 October 2019 Current Affairs: The 5th International Conference on ROADTECH (Sustainable Roads and Highways-Smart Use of Available Resources for Green and Sustainable Roads) was held in New Delhi on 30 October. Union Minister of State for Road Transport V.K. Singh addressed the meeting.

Highlights:

♦ Discussion included the growth of the economy by propelling the infrastructure. To achieve this growth India needs sustainable and environment-friendly roads and highways.

♦ The centre has planned to improve the field of infrastructure in the future than the work done in the last five years

♦ To find the unique way to monetize the road projects in an environment-friendly manner was also discussed

♦ The meeting culminated by deciding to focus on the infrastructure sector to fight the economic slowdown.

IMPORTANT DAYS

-International Internet Day is celebrated worldwide, every year on 29th of October.

Since the year 2005 the International Internet Day has been famously celebrated to commemorate a momentous day in the history of telecommunications and technology.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Manohar Lal Khattar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Haryana

Manohar Lal Khattar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Haryana for a second term on 27 October. He will lead the BJP-JJP (Jannayak Janata Party) coalition government in the state. Also, JJP leader Dushyant Chautala took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana. The oath office was administered by Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya at the Raj Bhawan.

-Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will represent India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of state meeting, which is to be held in Uzbekistan on 2 November. Mr. Singh is to embark on a three-day visit to Uzbekistan from 1-3 November.

He will also hold a meeting with Uzbekistan's defence minister. Both Ministers will discuss military cooperation. It is expected that they will conclude discussions on two pacts on military education and cooperation and military.

- Ladakh Literature Festival began on 29 October in Leh for the first time ever. The three-day fest will conclude on 31 October 2019. It will culminate on the day when Ladakh would formally become a Union Territory (UT) on 31 October. The festival will mark the official separation of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Organized by: Ladakh Literature Festival is organized by the Divisional Administration in association with the J&K Tourism Department, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development.

Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM (C)) secured the 17th rank globally in the Financial Times Masters in Management Rankings 2019.

-Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM (C)) secured the 17th rank globally in the Financial Times Masters in Management Rankings 2019. The institute secured the ranking for its 2-Year Masters in Business Administration. IIM Calcutta topped among the 5 Indian B-Schools.

-Delhi to announce free ride for senior citizens and all students

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the free-ride scheme for women on Delhi public buses might be extended to senior citizens and all students.

Free-ride scheme.

-Nirmala Sitharaman released a special coin on Paramahansa Yoganandas 125th birth anniversary

29 October 2019 Current Affairs: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released a special commemorative coin on Paramahansa Yogananda to mark his 125th Birth Anniversary on 29th October. He was recognized globally by the message of his that brought harmony.

Paramahansa Yogananda:

Paramahansa Yogananda was born in 1893. He is considered one of the preeminent spiritual figures of modern times. He died in 1952.

Paramahansa has profoundly impacted the lives of millions with his comprehensive teachings on:

♦ the science of Kriya Yoga meditation

♦ the underlying unity of all true religions

♦ the art of balanced health and well-being in body, mind, and soul.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

-World Bank, the multi-lateral funding agency, has announced that it is to continue providing a $6 billion annual lending target for India to support infrastructure development and alleviate poverty. The announcement was made by President of World Bank David Malpass during his visit in the backdrop of the recently released World Bank report on Ease of Doing Business 2020.

- The 29th BASIC Ministers' Meeting on Climate Change was held in Beijing

 29 October 2019 Current Affairs: The 29th BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China) Ministers' Meeting on Climate Change was held in Beijing, China, on 25th-26th October 2019. The meeting was chaired by H.E. Mr. LI Ganjie, Minister of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and I&B Mr. Prakash Javadekar represented India in the Ministers' meeting.

Highlights:

♦ The BASIC countries called for comprehensive implementation of the Paris climate deal

♦ The ministers of the meeting called on the developed nations to deliver on their commitment to provide $100 billion climate

♦ The ministers decided to foster climate resilience and promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, low-carbon, and sustainable development

♦ The ministers agreed to collectively work towards the preparedness of the international community for the wellbeing of all

♦ The meeting highlighted that developing countries, including BASIC countries, are notwithstanding various challenges including food security, poverty eradication, and insufficient and uneven progress of domestic development

♦ Substantial gaps in mitigation, adaptation, and support provided by developed countries to developing countries in the pre-2020 period were highlighted in the meeting. The Ministers urged the developed countries to take immediate measures to close the gaps by revisiting the targets set for the countries on mitigation under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol and fulfilling their commitments of providing support to developing countries.

-Exercise Shakti-2019

Exercise Shakti-2019, a bilateral exercise between the Indian Army and French Army, is to be held at the Foreign Training Node at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan from 31 October to 13 November.

-Baghdadi died whimpering, crying like a coward: US President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump announced the success of the raid, saying that ISIS chief Baghdadi, who is said to be 48 years old, died "whimpering and crying and screaming", and "like a dog and a coward", adding that the ISIS leader and "the losers" under his command "were very frightened puppies".

SPORTS AFFAIRS

-Tiger Woods has equaled the world record for most career titles on PGA Tour. He set this feat by winning the Zozo Championship in Japan as his 82nd US PGA Tour victory. The previous world record for most career titles on PGA Tour was set by Sam Snead. Slammin’ Sam Snead set the record in 1965.

IMPORTANT DATES

29 Oct, 1964 - Middle East Israel Invades Egypt

1964 : The Star of India (563.35 carat (112.67 g) star sapphire) and the Eagle Diamond (16.25 carat discovered in Eagle, Wisconsin) are stolen from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Star of India is later recovered but the Eagle Diamond is never found.

29 Oct, 1998 - South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission

October 29th, 1998 : The Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was to "was to uncover the truth about past abuse, using amnesty as a means of allowing perpetrators of crimes relating to human rights violations, to apologize rather than to be punished past crimes". The commission presented its report on this day in history which condemned both sides for committing atrocities.

29 Oct, 2004 - Italy European Constitution

2004 : The European Constitution is established when 25 European heads of state sign the Treaty in Rome. The treaty required each member state to ratify before becoming law but French and Dutch voters rejected the treaty in referendums and the treaty is not implemented.

29 Oct, 2013 - Tunnel Links Europe and Asia

2013 : The Marmaray sub-sea tunnel was officially opened in Turkey. The tunnel was built to link Europe and Asia through the Bosphorus Strait. It is the first tunnel to connect two continents together and it was built with the intention to withstand damage from earthquakes.

29 Oct, 1948 - U.S.A. Deadly Smog

1948 : A poison cloud of deadly smog settles on Donora Pennsylvania causing the deaths of 19 and hospitalization of 50, the poison in the cloud was caused by a local company which was smelting Zinc causing it to combine with the smog.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

-UP CM Yogi Adityanath launches new emergency helpline number 112

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday launched an all-encompassing emergency helpline number '112'. He also launched a senior citizen safety initiative 'Savera'.

-Marigold flowers worth Rs 2 crore to be sold on Diwali

-Marigold flowers worth Rs 2 crore are estimated to be sold in Uttar Pradesh's   Meerut on Diwali

-Even though the harvest of the flower has been good this year, retailers are selling them at high prices to earn profits.

Migrating eagle's foreign trip makes Russian scientists bankrupt as bird flew to Iran

After some migrating eagles flew from Russia to Iran, scientists ran out of money for tracking the birds. They had to start crowdfunding to pay off the debts drawn by the SMS messages.

-India, China coordinate patrolling of disputed area 

Fish Tail-I and II are in the easternmost corner of Arunachal Pradesh. Fish Tail -I is largely glaciated terrain, and patrols from either side are few and far between.

India and China are for the first time patrolling Fish-Tail II, one of the 13 disputed areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in south-east Arunachal Pradesh, in coordination with each other in an attempt to build mutual confidence and maintain peace along the border, a senior official in the security establishment said on condition of anonymity.

Fish Tail-I and II are in the easternmost corner of Arunachal Pradesh. Fish Tail -I is largely glaciated terrain, and patrols from either side are few and far between.

-Centre appoints 29 joint secretaries in major reshuffle

Of these, 13 are from the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) and the rest from the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Indian Forest Service (IFoS), Indian Information Service (IIS) and the Central Secretariat Service (CSS), among others.

Alaknanda Dayal, Punjab-cadre IAS officer, was appointed a joint secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, an order issued by the personnel ministry said.

Ashutosh Jindal, joint secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has been transferred to the Cabinet Secretariat at the same post.

IAS officer Puneet Aggarwal will be joint secretary in the Department of Defence.

-5.4 lakh earthen lamps light up in Ayodhya for Deepotsav

More than 500,000 diyas or earthen lamps were lit on Saturday at Ram Ki Paidi on the banks of the Saryu River in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya as part of the BJP government’s Deepotsav celebrations this year.

Fiji’s minister Veena Bhatnagar, the chief guest at this year Deepotsav, lit the first earthen lamp as chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel and several ministers of the state government were present.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

-Washington banning US flights to all Cuban cities but Havana

Two people briefed on the matter say the Trump administration is banning U.S. flights to all Cuban cities but Havana in the latest move to roll back Obama-era easing of relations.

The people say the Transportation Department will announce that JetBlue and American Airlines flights to Santa Clara in central Cuba and Holguin and Camaguey in the island’s east will be banned starting in December. Flights to Havana account for the great majority of U.S. flights to Cuba and will remain legal.

Renewed anti-government protests in Iraq leave 42 dead

Renewed anti-government protests across Iraq left more than 40 people dead on Friday through tear gas, live rounds and fires, a watchdog and security sources told AFP.

The protests represent a second phase of a week-long movement in early October that ended with more than 150 people dead.

Rallies had been set to resume on Friday, with a range of actors from Iraq’s highest Shiite authority to the United Nations urging restraint.They began early and calm on Thursday evening, with protesters exchanging flowers with security forces and the interior minister insisting police would “protect” protesters.

But by Friday evening, demonstrations across the country had descended into violence that left 42 protesters dead -- at least half of them as they attacked the headquarters of armed factions or government bodies.Twelve died in the southern city of Diwaniyah alone, while setting fire to the headquarters of the powerful Badr organisation, part of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force.

SPORTS AFFAIRS

Tamim Iqbal pulls out of India tour, Imrul Kayes named replacement for T20s

Tamim Iqbal has pulled out of Bangladesh's upcoming tour of India as his wife is expecting their second child later this month, and the national selectors have called up Imrul Kayes as his replacement for the three T20Is.

IMPORTANT DATES

-26 Oct, 1959 - Space Moon Photos

1959 : The first photographs are seen on earth of the far side of the moon when the Lunik III, a Soviet satellite which are sent back to earth via radio signals.

-26 Oct, 1956 - Hungary October Revolution

1956 : The Hungarian October Revolution is now in it's third day with demonstrators fighting in the streets of Budapest with Soviet Troops. Estimates range from 3,000 to 5,000 dead and many lying in the streets where they have fallen. They are protesting for economic reforms and the withdrawal of Soviet troops and tanks. The new Prime Minister is appealing for calm.

-October 26th, 1965 : The Beatles were made members of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

-26 Oct, 1994 - Israel Jordan Peace TreatyIsrael and Jordan signed a peace treaty to end 46 years of war. The treaty was signed by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel and Prime Minister Abdel Salam Majali of Jordan and the ceremony was attended by President Clinton.

-26 Oct, 1998 - Honduras Hurricane....Hurricane Mitch the most deadly storm in modern times hits a number of Central American countries including Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua leaving a trail of destruction and death in the area caused from a combination of very heavy winds and rain causing flooding and huge landslides. The death toll at the end of the storm was over 3,000 with tens of thousands left homeless.

AWARDS

World largest School

Lucknow-based City Montessori School (CMS) has won the Guinness World Record for becoming the ‘world’s largest school’ in terms of strength of students.City Montessori School (CMS) has won the global award for having largest number of students in 2019-20. At present, the CMS has 18 branches and approximately 56,000 students all over the city.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

-Satya Pal Malik transferred to Goa, Girish Chandra Murmu made Governor of Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has been transferred to Goa while former IAS officers Girish Chandra Murmu and Radha Krishna Mathur have been appointed Lieutenant Governors of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh respectively.

-Radha Krishna Mathur to be LG of Ladakh: All you need to know about him

Radha Krishna Mathur is a retired 1977 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Tripura cadre. Radha Krishna Muthur retired as the Chief Information Commissioner of India (CIC) in November 2018.

-IAS officer Radha Krishna Mathur has been appointed the Lieutenant Governor of the union territory of Ladakh, the reorganisation of which will take effect from October 31, 2019.

-PoK is terrorist controlled part of Kashmir, says Army chief Bipin Rawat

 The territory which has been illegally occupied by Pakistan is not controlled by the Pakistani establishment, it is controlled by terrorists.

-Karnataka: Fishing to commode, citizens protest in creative ways over state of roads

The state of roads in Karnataka has been playing a pivotal role in bringing out the lost creativity amongst the people of the state.Talking about the roads in Bengaluru, apart from traffic, the potholes and craters are the next major issue for the citizens.Fed up with the continuous apathy from the state authorities to deal with the problem, the people have resorted to unique ways of protesting and showing their discontentment.

-SFIO starts probe in deals between Videocon and Deepak Kochhar

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has initiated a probe in the deals between Deepak Kochchar's NuPower Renewables and Videocon Group in connection with the ICICI Bank Videocon loan default case.

-Earlier, Ministry of Corporate Affairs had asked the SFIO to initiate investigations in dealings between Nupower Renewables -- a company owned by Deepak Kochhar.

-Terrorists in Kashmir trying to radicalise children using schools of banned Jamaat-e-Islami, say intel reports

Jamaat-e-Islami has been trying to establish a parallel schooling system at a local level in Kashmir to start an anti-government narrative among children.Recently terrorists had tried to burn down a school building in Chawalgam while more terror outfits are planning to target government schools.

-IMD issues cyclone alert for Goa, south Konkan and Karnataka

IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the east-central Arabian Sea along and off Maharashtra - Goa - Karnataka coasts during the next 48 hours.

-Gujarat firms gets 229.7 crore contract to redevelop Parliment Building

The contract for redevelopment of Parliment building, Rajpath and Central Vista in Delhi was Awarded to Ahemdabad- based HCP Design, Plannin and Management on Friday.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

-UK Kashmir body to launch digital campaign in London

If turned down by the court to protest outside the Indian High Commission in London, the protestors will use a bus to launch their digital campaign. Metropolitan Police under Section 12 Public Order Act 1986 imposed restrictions on the protest "in order to prevent serious disruption to the community".

-South Korea to give up developing country status in WTO talks

South Korea will no longer seek special treatment reserved for developing countries by the World Trade Organization in future negotiations given its enhanced global economic status, its finance minister said.

-Storm-hit areas in Japan brace for heavy rains, 60,000 advised to evacuate

A wide swath of eastern Japan hit by flooding and landslides from Typhoon Hagibis two weeks ago braced for more heavy rains on Friday.

-Wind-whipped fires rage across California as lights go dark

In Northern California wine country, authorities ordered 2,000 people to evacuate as a wildfire exploded to more than 15 square miles (39 square kilometers), whipped up by the strong winds that prompted utilities statewide to impose blackouts to prevent such fires from igniting.

-Hundreds visit to Australia’s Uluru for last ever climb atop the sacred monolith

A permanent ban on scaling Uluru -- also known as Ayers Rock -- comes into place Saturday in line with the long-held wishes of the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land, the Anangu.

-Indians will no longer require visas to visit Brazil

Bolsonaro, a far-right politician, came to power at the beginning of the year and has made it a policy to reduce visa requirements from a number of developed countries. But the announcement, made during an official visit to China, is the first he has made expanding that policy to the developing world.

Saudi Arabia names new foreign minister, hinting towards generational shift

Prince Faisal bin Farhan -- a one-time adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and currently ambassador to Germany -- will replace Ibrahim al-Assaf who was in the role for less than a year.

SPORTS AFFAIRS

-Vijay Hazare Trophy final: Abhimanyu Mithun first to pick hat-trick in summit clash

The right-arm pacer Abhimanyu Mithun on Friday also became the first Karnataka bowler to take a hat-trick in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

-R Praggnanandhaa became the world’s best Under-18 chess player

He started by observing his sister’s game. Today, 14-year-old R Praggnanandhaa from Chennai has emerged as the world’s best chess player in the Under-18 category

IMPORTANT DATES

•           2017 Chinese Premier Xi Jinping unveils his new ruling council in the Great Hall of the People, none of the five are young enough to succeed him

•           1875 The first performance of the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is given in Boston, Massachusetts with Hans von Bülow as soloist

•           1964 Dutchman Anton Geesink is 1st non-Japanese Olympic judo gold medal winner•           18

54 The infamous "Charge of the Light Brigade" during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War results in over 100 killed

Awards and Honour

-Rajbhasha Awards were presented by Prasar Bharati

Prasar Bharati's CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati presented the Rajbhasha Awards to the winners of the Hindi Pakhwada competition.

 ♦ The theme of the competition was Plastic Free India and Cleanliness drive. 

♦ The competition was conducted in 10 categories, including essay writing, poster making, story writing, and others. 

♦ Prasar Bharati announced that from next year onwards, social media and technology would possibly be brought in to make Hindi competition more innovative

-Anup Singh was awarded the Udyog Rattan Award

Shri. Thakur Anup Singh, Marg ERP Ltd's Chairman, and Managing Director, was awarded the Udyog Rattan Award-2019 by the Institute of Economic Studies. The award recognized his exceptional work in transforming the Indian industry landscape how MSMEs can accelerate their business using technology.  Udyog Rattan Award-2019: The Udyog Rattan Award is presented every year to Indian citizens for their outstanding contributions to the economic development of the country. The award is presented by the Institute of Economic Studies, India (IES), an affiliate of the Government of India.

National Affairs

-Kartarpur Corridor agreement signed, pilgrims can carry Rs 11000 and a 7kg bag

Kartarpur Corridor will go operational on November 8 as scheduled as India and Pakistan today signed an agreement to this effect. Those who wish to visit the holy shrine need to register with the home ministry.

-Humbled to have got people’s support yet again in Maharashtra: PM Modi

After over 9 hours of heated poll battle that we witnessed today on vote counting day for the Maharashtra assembly elections 2019, the results are now looking clear. With Aaditya Thackeray emerging as the winner from Worli, his electoral debut constituency, and the party winning 33 seats and leading in 24 constituencies, Shiv Sena looks to draw a hard bargain with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

-SC allows Centre’s plea to recover adjusted gross revenue of Rs 92k crore from telecom companies

-In an affidavit filed in the top court, DoT said that as per calculations, Airtel owes Rs 21,682.13 crore as licence fee to the government.

-Dues from Vodafone totalled Rs 19,823.71 crore while Reliance Communications owed a total of Rs 16,456.47 crore, DoT said.

-The BSNL owed Rs 2,098.72 crore while MTNL owed Rs 2,537.48 crore, it said.

-The total amount, which has to be recovered from all the telecom firms, accrues to Rs 92,641.61 crore as on date.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

-Iran executes children in violation of human rights law

The UN special investigator on human rights in Iran, expressed deep concern at the overall use of the death penalty in the Islamic Republic, saying its execution rate ‘remains one of the highest in the world’ even after a drop from 507 in 2017 to 253 in 2018.

-Journalists urge action against Google over EU copyright dispute

Hundreds of journalists called Wednesday for European officials to take action against Google over its refusal to pay media companies for displaying their content in defiance of a strict new EU copyright law. But Google said last month that articles, pictures and videos would be shown in search results only if media firms consent to let the tech giant use it for free.

-Sikh leader Jagmeet Singh emerges as pillar of new Canadian govt

Indian-origin Canadian Jagmeet Singh-led New Democratic Party (NDP), which won 24 seats in the general election, is likely to emerge as the "kingmaker" where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party held onto power in a nail-biting poll, albeit as a weakened minority government.

SPORTS AFFAIRS

Virat Kohli rested, no MS Dhoni for T20I series vs Bangladesh

•           Virat Kohli has been rested for the T20I series vs Bangladesh

•           Sanju Samson has returned to the India squad after more than 4 years

•           Shahbaz Nadeem who took 4 wickets in his debut Test doesn't find a place in the Test squad

-MS Dhoni endorses our view of backing younsters: MSK Prasad on Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson's selection

•           Selectors picked Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson as the two wicketkeepers for the T20s vs Bangladesh

•           It is yet not clear whether MS Dhoni made himself available for selection or not

•           Dhoni has not played any form of cricket since India's exit from the semi-finals of 2019 World Cup.

-FIFA unanimously appoints China as host of new Club World Cup 2021

•           FIFA announced it would revamp the tournament to feature 24 teams from 2021

•           FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the competition would take place in June-July of 2021

•           Infantino did not give an exact breakdown of slots but said there would be eight teams from Europe

-It's going to be thrilling: Yuvraj Singh on joining Maratha Arabians in Abu Dhabi T10 league

•           Yuvraj Singh is the latest signing by Maratha Arabians

•           Former England head coach Andy Flower is the new Maratha Arabians head coach

•           Former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo will continue to lead the franchise like in the previous edition

TECH AFFAIRS

-Airtel goes for high data benefits: Popular plan of Rs 558 is for power users

•           Airtel last month also launched Rs 599 premium plan that comes with data and calling benefits.

•           Airtel's Rs 558 plan also competes with Jio's Rs 509 plan.

•           Airtel takes a lead here as it offers data benefit for a longer validity than Jio.

IMPORTANT DATES

-2008 "Bloody Friday" saw many of the world's stock exchanges experienced the worst declines in their history, with drops of around 10% in most indices.

-1929 "Black Thursday", start of stock market crash, Dow Jones down 12.8%

-1593 Alleged teleportation of Spanish soldier Gil Perez from the Philippines to Mexico

-1596 -26] Battle at Kerestes: Ottoman beat Austria-Hungary & Germany.

Awards

-National Panchayat Award 2019

Union Minister of Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar conferred the National Panchayat Awards 2019 at a function in New Delhi. The Minister also launched a Spatial Planning Application called ‘Gram Manchitra’ which is a Geo Spatial based decision support system for panchayats.

-Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award 2019

-The Vice President Shri Venkaiyah Naidu presented the “Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award” to scholar, legal luminary and former Attorney General of India Shri K Parasaran. He was honored with the award on the occasion of Elder’s Day celebration organized by Age Care India.

National Affairs

Zakir Musa’s successor among 3 militants killed in Kashmir encounter

Three militants of Ansar ul Gazwat ul Hind, a terror outfit linked to al Qaeda, were killed in an encounter in Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

18 terrorists killed, JeM launch pads destroyed in PoK strikes by Indian army

Officials in Indian security agencies that have assessed the impact of the Indian Army’s artillery assault on terror launch pads in Neelum Valley and three other places in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), said on condition of anonymity that at least 18 terrorists were killed along with 16 Pak Army personnel on October 19 and 20. The army hasn’t confirmed the number of dead.

Satya Pal Malik may be Lt Guv of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh Union territories

 The union government is looking for candidates to take over as lieutenant governors (L-Gs) of the Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh, carved out following J&K’s reorganisation that will come into effect on October 31, according to people aware of the developments.

There has been speculation that J&K governor Satya Pal Malik, 73, could preside over both UTs--J&K and Ladakh--even as the J&K Reorganisation Act provides for separate L-Gs for both UTs.

Delhi HC dismisses plea against odd-even scheme

-The Delhi High Court Wednesday dismissed a PIL challenging the AAP government's proposed odd-even road rationing scheme which is expected to be in force from November 4-15.

-A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar declined to entertain the plea as the petitioner had not made any representation to the government before approaching the court.

-The court also said that the petition was filed without the details of the scheme which is yet to be notified by the Delhi government.

Happy Fridge to ensure that no one goes hungry on Diwali

-In a bid to fight against hunger and poverty, Feeding India NGO has kickstarted an initiative and has come up with the idea of installing community refrigerators.

-In these community refrigerators, people can store surplus food or can donate food to the needy.

Govt hikes wheat MSP by Rs 85/qtl; pulses up to Rs 325/qtl

The government on Wednesday increased the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat by Rs 85 to Rs 1,925 a quintal and for pulses by up to Rs 325 per quintal.A decision in this regard was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kerala cabinet reduces fine for certain offences under new Motor Vehicle Act

-The Kerala cabinet has decided to reduce fines for certain offences under the new Motor Vehicle Act

-The fine for speeding for light Motor Vehicle was between Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. The revised fine has been fixed by the state government to be Rs 1,500. The fine for the heavy vehicle was between Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000. It has been fixed to be Rs 3,000 by the state government.

-The cabinet has decided to fine violators Rs 2,000 if caught using mobile phones while driving. Earlier, the fine for this offence used to be between Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000.

-For auto racing, the fine earlier was Rs 10,000 which has been reduced to Rs 5,000.

-The fine for driving without a permit was between Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000. It has now been fixed at Rs 3,000.

-The fine for not wearing a seat belt or riding without a helmet has been reduced to Rs 500 from Rs 1,000.

-The fine, however, for not giving side to an ambulance and fire service has been reduced to Rs 5,000 from Rs 10,000.

-For a repeated offence of driving without insurance, the fine has been reduced from Rs 4,000 to Rs 2,000.

-Parliament in July had passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which seeks to tighten road traffic regulations such as the issuance of driving licence and imposed stricter penalties for traffic-related violations.

BEST launches bus services without conductors in Mumbai

The Mumbai civic body's transport arm BEST has for the first time started conductor-less bus services on two routes here from Wednesday, a senior official said.

Passengers will have to buy tickets at the originating stops while boarding these non-stop buses.

HIGHLIGHTS

•           Assam has rolled out its two-child policy passed by assembly in 2017

•           Assam policy disqualifies people with more than two kids for government jobs

•           India was among the first countries to launch a family planning programme in 1951

Four opposition MLAs join BJP in Jharkhand

Sukhdeo Bhagat and Manoj Yadav of the Congress, Kunal Sarangi of the JMM and Independent MLA Bhanu Pratap Sahi joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Raghubar Das at the party office here.

11-Terrorists hurl petrol bomb at security forces in Srinagar

-Targeting the forces in Srinagar, terrorists hurled petrol bomb at them and fled the spot.

-The incident happened at Srinagar's Batmaloo.

-Hameed Lelhari was named its new commander by Al-Qaeda affiliated Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH) after Zakir Musa's death in May, 2019.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Hong Kong extradition bill withdrawn, but protests unlikely to end

The rallying cry of the protesters, who have trashed public buildings in the Chinese-ruled city, set street fires and thrown petrol bombs at police, has been “five demands, not one less”, meaning the withdrawal of the bill make no difference.

-Will continue to pressurise Pakistan to act against Lashkar, Jaish and Hizbul, says US

The US has once again reiterated that it will continue to pressurise Pakistan to act against terrorism breeding on its ground.

•           US has said it will continue to put pressure on Pakistan to act against terror outfits

•           US has said it will pressurise Pakistan to against Lashkar, Jaish and Hizbul

•           US also supported Imran Khan's remark that terrorists are enemies of Pakistan too

-White House denounces ‘smear campaign’ against Donald Trump

The White House rejected damning testimony Tuesday from a US diplomat in Donald Trump’s impeachment probe as part of a “smear campaign” from the far left of the Democratic Party.

Stunning congressional testimony by Bill Taylor appeared to confirm allegations that Trump abused his office by conditioning foreign aid to Ukraine on its leader interfering on Trump’s behalf in the 2020 election.

Important Day

23 October - Mole Day

Mole Day is observed on 23 October every year. This day commemorates the Avogadro's Number which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry. This day was created to generate interest in chemistry.

23 Oct, 2002 - Hungary Protests Against Soviet Rule

2002 : Fifty Chechen rebels storm a Moscow Theater taking 7,000 hostages. The rebels had explosives strapped to their bodies and were demanding the withdrawal of Soviet Forces from Chechnya. Three days later after the death of two of the hostages Russian Special Forces stormed the building and during the raid most of the terrorists and 120 hostages were killed during the raid.

23 Oct, 1915 - U.S.A. Suffrage Movement

1915 : As part of the women's suffrage movement 25,000 women march up Fifth Avenue in New York City demanding the right to vote.

23 Oct, 2007 - U.S.A. Space Shuttle Discovery

October 23rd, 2007 : Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-120) begins a 14-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) to deliver the Harmony module and reconfigured part of the station in preparation for future assembly missions. The crew commanded by American Pam Melroy, included Mission Specialist Paolo A. Nespoli from Italy where Harmony was built.

23 Oct, 2001 - U.S.A. iPod

October 23rd, 2001 : Apple releases the first iPod capable of storing 1,000 songs. The iPod came with a 5 GB hard drive and was fully Mac compatible. Sales worldwide of the iPod now exceed 150 million and Apple iTunes has now sold over 5 billion songs worldwide.

SPORTS

-Abhishek Nayar retires from all forms of cricket

Veteran Mumbai all-rounder Abhishek Nayar has retired from all forms of cricket.

“I’m absolutely satisfied... there are so many cricketers out there who would want to be in the position I am today. I can only be grateful and thankful to have had the opportunity to play for this long... absolutely no regrets...I’m a happy man,” Nayar said .