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CURRENT AFFAIRS OCT 2017

01 Oct 2017

World Vegetarian Day

It is a day celebration establishes by the North American

Vegetarian society in 1977 and endorsed by the International

Vegetarian Union in 1978, To promote the joy, compassion

and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism.

International Day of Older persons

The year 2015 Observes the celebration of the 25th anniversary of

Internation Day of Older persons (IDOP).

o Theme 2017 : "Stepping into the Future : Tapping the

Talents, Contributions and Participating of Older persons

in Society."

National Voluntary Blood Donation Day.

The objective of this day is to share the need and importance of the

blood in the life of an individual

o This day was first observed in the year 1975 by the Indian

society of blood transfusion and immunohaematology.

o To celebrate and promote women entrepreneurs and farmers

in the organic sector from across Indian.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is hosting 3rd

annual Women of India Organic Festival from 1st Oct 2017 - 15th

Oct 2017, in New Delhi. The Union Minister of Women and Child

Development, Smt.Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, inaugurated the festival

Meena Samy

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கல்வி அமுது http://kalviamuthu.blogspot.com

Meena Samy

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Meena Samy

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Meena Samy

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o Theme : "Good for women; Good for India; Good for

you". To reduce road accidents”.

The Andra pradesh state government today introduced a "No Helmet,

No petrol" rule for two wheelers riders.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had inaugurates the Pratham-

Shyok bridge in Leh, connecting the region to Karakoram in north

eastern Ladakh.

o Sitharaman, who is on a two day visit toJammu and Kashmir,

called the construction of roads and brodges at such high

altitudes a "miracle". The bridge will enhance travel of locals

and the Army in the region. she added. Meeran Chandha

Borwankar retired as Director General, Bureau of Police

Research and

Development today.

o She oversaw the executions of both 26/11

accused Ajmal Kasab and 1993 Mumbai blasts

convict Yakub Memon.

The SBI has slashed base rate on home loan by 0.05%Bank of Baroda,

Andra Bank and Oriental Bank of commerce (OBC) have also reduced tha

base rate on home loans by 0.35%, 0.15% and 0.05% respctively.

o New base rates after reduction:

SBI - 8.95%

BoB - 9.15%

Andra Bank - 9.55%

OBC - 9.45%

The All India Radio has announced plans to expand its global

operations and launch new services in Japan, Germany, Canada,

Maldives among other countries. These services are aimed at



supplementing goverment's diplomatic efforts and outreach

programmes to the Indian diaspora.

India's largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel is going to launch a 4G

enabled smartphone in the firts week of Oct, with its price set at

around Rs.2,000/-

The new smart phone by Airtel will have a 4 inch screen, 1GB RAM,

VoLTE calling Android 7.0 Operating system.

The US federal Reserve fined banking giant HSBC $175 million

(Rs.1.142 crore) for unsafe and unsound practices" in its foreign

exchange trading business.

o HSBC had failed to monitor chat rooms where traders swapped

information about investments positions.

US based researchers have developed a computer security system

using heart's dimensions as the identifier, which they describe a safer,

more effective atlernative to passwords and other biometrics.

o The system needs about 8 sec to scan a heart the first time, and

thereafter it can continuously recognize the heart.

BJP's national spokesperson Sambit Patra was today appointed as a

Non - Official Director on the board of Oil and Natural Gas

corporation Ltd (ONGC), a public sector undertaking.

World number 133 Ukrainian tennis player Kateryna Bondarenko

today become the First mother to win a WTA singles title since

former player Kim Clijsters won the 2011 Australian Open.

Bondarenko, who had become a mother in 2012, defeated Hungary's

Timea Babos in the final of the Tashken Open.

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Meena Samy

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2nd Oct 2017

Internation Day of Non-Violence ,

The birthday of Mahatma Gandhi

o In January 2004m Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi had taken

a proposal for an International Day of Non-Violence

o On 15th June 2007, The UN General Assembly voted to

establish 2nd Oct as the International Day of Non-Violence.

1st Monday of Oct : World Habitat Day

The purpose of World Habitat Day is to reflect on the state of our

towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter

o It is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power

and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns.

o Theme 2017 : "Housing policies ; Affordable Homes"

World Architecture Day

This is a day to show appreciation for works architects do and to

celebrate some of the great global architectural works.

o "Climate change Action !"

Austria's ban on Islamic face veils in public pleaces came into effect

from today. Claiming that the ban is "religiously neutral", Austrian

authorities said that the move is aimed at encouraging people to

assimilate into the country's culture.

The National pays homage to the Father of the Nation Mahatma

Gandhi on his 147th Birth anniversary today.

The Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and

water resources, River development & Ganga rejuvenation, Nitin

Gadkari today launched NHAI's countrywide free eye chech-up

campaign and sitribution of spectables for truck drivers,cleaners and

helpers.



NHAI - National highways authority of India

Mumbai's Gamdevi Police Station which was built in 1917, is

celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

American Scientists Jeffrey C Hall, Michael Roshbash and Michael W

Young have been awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or

Medicine for Discoveries of molecular mechanism controlling

circadian rhythms.

o The circadian rhythm or body's inner clock helps regulate sleep

patterns, feeding behaviour, harmone release and blood

pressure.

o The 3 scientists will share the $1.1 million prize money.

The SBI waived off account closing charges for all savings bank

customers under the condition that their account has existed for over a

year.

o Earlier, the bank was deducting Rs.500/- along with applicable

GST as account closing charges on all accounts except for those

closed duting the 14-day free look period

India received first ever shipment of US crude oil of 16 million

barrels, purchased by state-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)at paradip

port in Odisa.

o It was imported on board of MT New Prosperity, a very large

crude carrier (VLCC) that had left US Gulf Coast on August 19,

2017 and arrived at paradip port.

Iran has banned the export of fuel to Iraq's Kurdistan as a retaliatory

measure against the religion's independence referendum.

The UAE began collecting new "Sin taxes" on tobacco poducts,

energy drinks, and soft drinks.

o Tobacco and energy drink will be taxed at 100% while a 50% tax

will be livied on soft drinks.



o Sin Tax : a tax on items such as alcohol or tobacco.

Russia and china were among 9 nations suspened from

weightlifting competitions for upto 12 months after the IOnternational

weightlifting federation retested samples from beijing 2008 and

London 2012 Olympics.

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3rd Oct 2017

President Ramnath Kovindh today embarked on a 4 day visit to

Djibouti and Ethiopia. During his visit to the two African nations, the

President is expected to sign agreements on institutuinalised of foreign

office consultation and greater economic co operation with Ethiopia.

o This is the first visit abroad since taking office

o The visit will be the first by an Indian President to Ethiopia after

then President VV Giri's trip in 1972.

A 6 Foot tall statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled in Wales to

mark his 148th birth anniversary.

o The (56.5 Lakh ) Statue which is made of Indian bronze, depicts

Gandhi holding a stick in one hand the "bhagavath Gita" in the

other.

o The 300 kg statue was unveiled by Indian High Commissioner to

the UK, YK Sinha.

About Wales :

o Capital : Cardiff

o Official Languages : Welsh, English

o Currency : Pound Sterling

o monarch (Queen) : Elizabeth II

o First Minister (leader) : Carwyn Jones AM

Aiming at combatting unrealistic images, the France has introduced a

new law mandating all photoshoped commercial photos to carry a

warning that they have been altered.

Meena Samy

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The British city of Oxford has revoked the Freedom of Oxford honour

awarded to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi over her response to

the Rohingya crisis.

The council which granted the honour to Suu Kyi in 1997 for her

"Struggle for democracy" said it was "no longer appropriate" for her

to hold it.

The Global Wildlife Programme (GWP) conferrence was recently held

in New Delhi It was jointly hosted by Ministry of Environment,

Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), World Bank and United

Nations Development Programme.

o Theme of GWP conferrence 2017 : "peoples' participation in

wildlife conservation."

Housing 12.77 lakhs of the total 33.69 lakh people authorised to carry

weapons all over India (as of December 31, 2016) Uttar Pradesh tops

the list of states with active gun license.

o Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab stood at 2nd and 3rd positions

with 3.69 lakhs and 3.59 lakh active licenses.

The Karnataka government today launched the Rs.302 crore Mathru

Poorna Scheme

o Aim : To provide free mid-day meals to pregnant and lactating

women in urral areas.

The Union Government had launched SECURE Himalaya, a siz- year

project to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant

biodiversity, land and forest resources in high Himalayan ecosystem

spread over four states viz. Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir,

Uttarkhand and Sikkim.



To chalk out future road map for wildlife conservation, the Union

Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC)

has unveiled the 3rd National Wildlife Action Plan for 2017 - 2031

o Note : It is Third action plan after first released in 1983 to 2001

and second term 2002 2016, that had protected area-centric

approach to wilflife conservation.

President Ramnath Kovidh had appointed 5 member committee to

examine sub- categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

o The committee had been established under Article 340 of

Constitution under which Mandal commission had recommended

27% reservation for socially and educationally backward

classes.

The committee will examine extent of inequitable distribution of

benefits of reservation among castes included in broad category of

OBCs,especially with reference to OBCs included in the Central list.

o Head of the Committee : G.Rohini (retd. Chief Justice of

Delhi High Court).

US Musicia Tom Petty (66) passed away petty was known as the lead

singer of Tom petty and the Heartbreakers, and his hits included

American Girl, Breakdown. Free Fallin', Learning to Fly and Refugee.

The RBI is going to start printing redesigned Rs.100/- currency notes

around April next year.

The existing Rs.100/- notes will be withdrawn gradually and will

remain valid even after the new ones come into circulation.

American scientists RainerWeiss, Barry C barish and Kip S Thorne

from the LIGO / VIRGO collaboration, which first detected the

gravitational waves have been awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in



Physics. Predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, the ripples in space -

time created by colliding black holes were first detected in 2015

The Meenakshi Temple in TN's Madurai has been named the cleanest

iconic place in India under Swachhata Hi Seva programme.

Brenda Hale had been sworn in as the first demale president of the

Uk's Supreme court

Hale who had earlier served as Supreme Court's first female Justice in

2009, was also the first women appointed to be a Law Lord in 2004.

Brigadier (Retd) B.D.Mishra was today sworn in as Governor of

Arunachal Pradesh bu Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Ajith Singh

at the Raj Bhavan.

He took over from Nagaland Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna

Acharya,who was holding additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh

after V.Shanmuganathan, who was then holding additional charge of

the state,resigned on January 26 following charges inappropriate

behaviour against him.

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4th Oct 2017

Today is World Animal Day

This is an international day of action for animals rights and welfare

celebrated annually on 4th Oct, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the

patron saint of animals.

The Lower House of French parliament today passed a new anti-terror

law that allows police to conduct house raids searched without a

warrant. It also allows police to place restrictions on gatherings and

close place of worship, among other measures.



India is among 13 nations which voted against a UN Human Rights

Counsil resolution to denounce death penalty for consensual same- sex

relations.

President Ramnath Kovind today reached African country Djibouti on

his maiden foreign trip as India's first citizen. Kovind is on a four day

visit to Djibouti and another African nation Ethiopia.

A new law targetting hate speech on social media platforms had come

into effect on Germany.

o This new lay require social media platforms to remote hate

speech and offensive content within 24 hours, or within seven

days if the content is difficult to evaluate

o Those falling to comply could face fines of up to Rs.385 crore.

Japan has given initial approval to restart two reactors at Kashiwazaki

- Kariwa, the world's biggest nuclear power plant, which was shut

down post the 2011 magnitude-9 earthquake,

o The reactors would be operated by Tokyo Electric Power

Company (TEPCO), which also operates tsunami-hit and now-

defunct Fukushima plant.

The Union ministry of water resource has approved project to set up

Turtle sanctuary in Allahabad along with River Biodiversity Park at

Sangam in Allahabad, Uttarpradesh under Namami Ganga

Programme.

o The purpose of the Turtle sanctuary is to protect the rich aquatic

biodiversity of River Ganga from escalating anthropogenic

pressures.

2017 Nobel prize in Chemisry had been awarded to the Three scientist

o Jacques Dubochet, Joachin Frank, and Richard Henderson for

developing cryo-electron microscopy.



o The technique makes it possible to see biomolecules in 3D after

rapidly freezing them around -150' C, preserving their natural

shape,

o It has helped scientists view biomolecule structures like that of

Zika virus.

The government today names Rajnish Kumar as the new chairman of

SBI for the period of 3 years.

o He is going to replace Arundathi Bhattacharya, whose term

comes to an end on Oct 6

The WHO today appointed Indian doctor Soumya Swaminatham as its

Deputy Director General, the second - highest position at the UN's

health agency.

Satya Pal Malik was today sworn in as 35th Governor of Bihar. He

was administered the West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi

who was holding additional charge of Bihar after the elevation of

Ram Nath Kovind as President.

Former President of Traq and its first non Arab head of the state, Jalal

Talabani (83), has passed away.

The former Chief Executive Officer of Intel, Paul Otellini (66) passed

away.

In it's 4th bi-monthly policy review, the RBI had kept the Repo rate

unchanged at 6%

o The status quo comes after retail inflation hit a 5-month high of

3.36% in August

o Note : In the last review policy in AUgust.

RBI reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6%



SBI revises its one year retail fixed deposits rates up to Rs.1 Crore to

6.50%, down by 25 basis points(bps)

o Senior citizens will now get an interest rate of 7%, down from

7.25 %

From Oct 1, SBI also reduced its base rate to 8.95% p.a. (from 9%)

while its MCLR or Marginal cost based lending rate continued to be

at 8% on one-year tenure loans.

Bangladesh today signed a $4.5 billion third line of credit agreement

with India for its infrastructure and social sector development.

o The deal would help in funding 17 major projects in Bangladesh

that include electricity, railroads, roads, shipping and ports.

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Oct 5 2017

Today World Teachers' day

UNESCO proclaimed 5 Oct to be World teachers' day in the year

1994, celebrating the great step made for teachers on 5 Oct

1966, when a special intergivermental conference convened by

UNESCO in paris adopted the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation

concerning the Status of Teachers, in co operation with the ILO.

o Theme 2017 : "teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers"

o Note : National Teachers Day in India is observed on 5th

September.

Russia has started delieving six second hand MiG - 29 fighter jets

worth over Rs.4,500/- crore to Serbia for free.

o Serbia will also receive 30 battle tanks and 30 armoured vehicles

from Russia at no cost. During the President Ram Nath Kovind's

1st visit, India and the republic of Djibouti have signes an

agreement to establish regular Foreign Office-level bilateral

consultations between both countries.

Meena Samy

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The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding

(Mou) signed between Ministry of Railways, and Federal Department

of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications of Swiss

Confederation on Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector.

Valmiki Jeyanthi is being observed today. birth anniversary of the 1st

poet of Sanskrit literature Maharishi valmiki

o President of India Ramnath Kovind and Prime Minister

Narendra Modi have greeted the nation on the occasion.

The Union cabinet today gave its approval to rename Gujarat's Kandla

Port as Deendayal Port after BJP ideologue Pandit Deenadayal

Upadhyaya.

o Note : Ports in India are generally named after the city/town in

which they are located , however, in special cases, the

government has renamed ports after great leaders in the past

after due consideration.

The Union Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Other Union

Ministries and State Governments has launched nationwide "Paryatan

Parv" to showcase cultural diversity of country and reinforce the

principle of "Tourism for All".

o It was inaugurated at at Humayun's Tomb and will be held across

the country from the 5th to 25th Oct 2017

o Objective of Paryatan Parv : To draw focus on the beneits of

Tourism.

The Nationa Highways Authority of India NHAI) today launched a

Mobile application which will allow commuters to rate the highways

in the country and trach the status of its 3,000 on going projects.

o The app, which is currently used by NHAI functionaries, will be

available to the general public within two months, NHAI

Chairman Deppak Kumar said.



The Government has constituted a high-level committee for proper

management of water resources in North Eastern Region (NER).

o The committee is tasked to facilitate optimizing benefits of

appropriate water management in form of agriculture, bio-

diversity conservation, hydro-electric power, reduced flood

damage erosion, inland water transport, forestry, fishery and eco-

tourism.

o Head of this committee : Rajiv Kumar( Vice chairman of NITI

Aayog).

2047 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to Japan-born

English author Kazuo Ishiquro

o The 62 years old ahs written eight books, and scripts for film and

TV, with most associated themes being memory, time, and self

delusion.

Primie Minister Narendra Modi is the 3rd most followed world leader

on Twitter with over 34 million followers, according to the latest

report by Twiplomacy.

o US President Donald Trump topped the list followed by Pope

Francis.

The RBI today announced that interoperability amongst KYC

compliant Prepaid Instruments (PPIs) will be implemented within six

month. The revised norms in this regard will be issued by the bank on

Oct 11

o With this, users will be able to transfer funds between mobile

wallet of one company or a bank to another as per requirements.

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped Forbes

India Rich List for the 10th consecutive year which a wealth of $38

billion.



o Wipro Chairman Azim Premji is second on the list with a wealth

of $19 billion, half of Ambani's.

The Mongolian Parliament today confirmed Ukhnaa Khurelsukh as the

country's new PM.

The newly appointed Meghalaya Governor, Ganga Prasad, today

sworn in as the 17th Governor of the state at a function at the Raj

Bhavan in Shillong.

Pooja Kadian has became the first ever Indian sportsperson to win a

Goldmedal at Wushu World Championship.

Racer Mahaveer Raghunathan beat 19 Europeans racers to become the

first Indian to clinch the Boss GP Championship (Formula Class).

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6th Oct 2017

World Smile Day

The idea of world smile day was coined and initiated by Harvey Ball,

a commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts.

o Harvey is the creator of Smile Face in 1963

A US House of Representative' panel has approved a legislation to

provide $10 billion (Rs.65,000 Crore) for the construction of

President Donald Trump's wall along the US Mexico Border.

First Edition of AEAN India Music Festival started today at Purana

Qila, New Delhi.

o The 3 day festival is being organised by External Affairs

Ministry in collaboration with Culture Ministry to celebrate the

25th year anniversary of ASEAN Dialogue relations

o Aim : To boost culturalinfluences amonth the peoples of the

ASEAN member states and India.



At the invitation of the PMModi, the President of the European

Council, Mr.Donald Franciszek Tusk and the President of the

European Commission, Mr.Jean-Claude are on a "working" visit to

New Delhi from 5-7 Oct 2017 to hold the 14th India - EU summit

today.

o They are accompained by a high level delegation including EU's

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and

Vice - President of the European Commission, Mrs.Federica

Mogherini.

o The 13th summit was held on Brussels in March 30 last year

President Ramnath Kovind and his Ethiopian counterpart Malatu

Teshome today signes two agreements at Addis Ababa in

Ethiopia,They are

o Trade agreement and Agreement in field of Information,

Communication and Media

Government had signed a Finance Contract with European Investment

Bank (EIB), for lending of 300 million for Bangalore Metro Rail

Project Phase II Line R6

o The Phase II of metro project is jointly financed by EIB and

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

The Odisha government has decided to exempt fees for differently

ables students in government and government aided institutions to

encourage them for higher education.

The Delhi government has directed all schools in the national capital

to ban the "entry or stay" of outsiders on their campuses to ensure the

safety of students.

Indian Air Force's first three women fighter pilots are set to be

commissioned by the end of this year, Indian Air Forces chief BS

Dhanoa announced today

Meena Samy

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o The second batch three more women pilots are now being

trained, he added. Fight Cadets Bhawana Kanth, Avani

Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh will fly fighter jets like the

Sukhoi and Tejas.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons (ICAN) has

been awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its "work to draw

attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of

nuclear weapons".

Bengaluru journalist Gauri Lankesh who has murdered recently, has

become the first Indian hournalist to win annual Anna Politkovshaya

Award.

o Lankesh shared the award given in the memory of a slain

Russian journalist and political activist with 31 year old

pakistani peace activist Gulalai Ismail.

Indian women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj is writing her

autobiography, which will release in 2018.

o Raj become the all time highest run scorer in women;s ODIs in

July this year, was named in BBC's 100 most influential women

list in september.

The government has amde Aadhaar mandatory for all post office

deposits , PPF, the National Savings Certificates scheme, and Kisan

Vikas Patra deposits.

o Existing depositors have been given time till Dec 31 to provide

the 12 digit unique identification number.

o Further the depositor should summit proof of application of

enrolment for aadhaar where the number has not been assigned.

The World Bank had supported GST implementation in India claiming

that it will have " a hugely positive impact" on the country's economy



Banwarilal Purohit was sworn in as 25th Governor of TamilNadu

o He took charge from C Vidhyasagar Rao, Governor of

Maharastra who was hold additional charge after tenure of

K.Rosaiah had ended on 31 August 2016.

The FIFA U-17 Wolrd Cup has kicked off today.

o Note : This is the first ever FIFA tournament to be hosted in

India.

o The tournament is in its 17th edition, with defending champions

Nigeria not playing since they were unable to qualify.

India has finished second in the recently- concluded 20th asia Masters

Athletics Championships.

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7th Oct 2017

World Day for Decent Work

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the World Day for Decent

work.

o Theme of WDDW 2017: "End Corporate Greed: The World

needs a Pay Rise"

The 1st Meeting of India-Australia Joint Steering Committee (JSC)

was held in New Delhi.

o This meeting is a follow-up to the Memoranda

of Understanding on Cooperation in Combating International

Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime exchanged

between the two sides during the visit of Australian Prime

Minister Mr.Malcolm turnbull o New Delhi in Pril this year and

his talks with the PM Modi.

Addressing the Un General Assembly meeting India today sought zero

tolerance against criminal acts committed by personal serving on Un

missions globally



o It asserted that such crimes are demaging the image and

creditability of the World body

India also asked UN to provide data on cases of misconduct where Un

refused to waive the immunity of their personnel.

Indian Air force will celebrate its 85th anniversary with a large parade

and air display at the Hindon air base near Delhi tomorrow.

PMModi has announced the setting up of India's first marine police

training institute at Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district

o Modi will inaugurate development projects worth Rs.5,925 cr

during his two day visit to poll bound Gujarat

o He will lay the foundation stone for a greenfield airport located

near Rajkot and inaugurate a fully automatic milk processing

and packaging plant in Surrendranagar

o He will also lay the foundation stone for widening ofAhmedabad

Rajkot section of NH-47 to six lanes.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the national

food regulator , has asked all the states and Union Terriories to

appoint trained "food safety supervisors"for all food business with 25

or more people handling food.

o These supervisors would be responsible for ensuring that food

quality is maintained however legally the owners would be

responsible for lapses.

In wake of regular ceasefire violations by Pakistan, The Union Home

ministry has formed Study Group to examine various problems faced

by people residing near International Border (IB) and Line of control

(LOC) in J&K

o Head of this Study Group : Rina Mitra (Special Secretary in

Home Ministry)



Flimmaker Kundan Shah (69), who directed films like "Jaane Bhi Do

Yaaro" and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa" passed away

o Shah won the National award in 1984 for Best Film of a Director

for "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro"

o His last film as a director was the 2015 movie "P Se PMTak".

The government has reduced GST rates on 27 products and services

and introduced a 0.1% GST rate for merchant exporters, offering

relief from the full applicable GST rates on their procurements.

o GST on product like dried mangs, khakhra, plain chapatis is

reduced to 5% to 12% and services like zari work are down from

12% to 5%

o Tax rate on man made yarn has been reduced to 12% from the

currents 18%

o tax rate on unbranded namkeen, unbranded ayurvedic medicine,

e-waste and sliced dried mango had been reduced to 5%

The Finance Ministry has announced the PAN and Aadhaar details

will not be mandatory for jewellery purchases above Rs.50,000/-

o Any enitity dealing with gems and jewellery and with a annual

turnover of Rs.2 crore or more shall not be covered under the

prevention of money laundering act

The SBI first women Chairman Arundati Bhattacharya retired today,

over 40 years after joining the country's largest lender as a

probotionary officer.

The US State Dept. has approved a sale of the THAAD missile

defence system worth over Rs.98,000 cr ($15 billion) to Saudi Arabia.

o The deals includes 44 THAAD launchers and 360 missiles along

with fire control stations and radars.

o The UA had earlier set up the THAAD in South Korea, sparking

protests from North Korea and China.



The Center is planning to bring down the number of public sector

banks from 21 to 10- 15 in the country by merging some of the banks.

o The government revealed it would take care of bad loan

problems before merging the banks

o It also asserted a weak bank wont be merged with a string one

"as it could pull the latter down".

The Andra Pradesh government has entered into MoU with

Mastercard to pave way for digital financial transaction in a secure

environment.

o The Mou will help Andra pradesh government in adopting and

hastening innovations such as digital payments and launch

inclusion programmes.

Golriz Ghahraman is going to become first immigrant MP of New

Zealand. She's daughter of Iranian Political asylum seeker.

The FFA U-17 Wolrd Cup, which is the first ever FIFA tournament to

be hosted in India, had kicked off

India , who are participating in their first ever FIFA tournament,

started their campaign against USA in Delhi.

The tournament is in its 17th edition, with defending champions

Nigeria not playing since they were unable to qualify.

Sania Mirza & her partner Peng Shuai enter semi-finals of China Open

Championships, in Beijing.

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Oct 8th 2017

Indian Air force celebrates its 85th Anniversary day.

The force was formed on 8th Oct 1932 with a strength of six RAF-

trained officers and 19 air soldiers.



Air Force :

o Motto : Touch the sky with clory

o HQ : New Delhi

o Chielf Air Marshal : Birender Singh Dhanoa

o Vice Chielf : Shirish Baban Deo

o Indian airforce is the World's 4th Largest

Airforce

Indian air force involved in World War 2,

Sino- India War, Operation Vijay, Kargil War, Indo-Pakistani war

1965, Indo-Pakistani war 1947, Congo Crisis, Operation Poomalai,

Operation Pawan.

The UP government has aluched a mass marriage scheme titled

"Mukhyamantri Samoohik Yojana"

o Under this scheme , state social welfare dept will conduct the

mass marriages and state government will spend Rs.35,000/- on

each couple, besides gifting them mobile phones and house hold

items.

President Ramnath Kovidh today launched spritual leader Mata

Amirtanandamayi Math's Rs.100 Cr clean water initiative for rural

India in Kerala's Kollam.

o He inaugurated "jivamritan" filtration system which will provide

drinking water to 10 million Rahul Gandhi to take over as the

party president.

With an Objective to conserve and improve the environment , the

Chhattisgarh Government has banned use of Chlorinated Plastic and

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) with immediate effect



A committee appointed by the Center has submitted a draft Haj policy

to Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Naqvi, proposing the

abolishment of Haj subsidy.

o The Policy was reportedly in light of a Supreme Court order

directing government to abolish the subsidy by 2022. Another

recommendation in the policy allows women aged above 45

years to travel without a male relative

o Head of this committee: Afzal Amanullah.

The CRPF has sent 21,000 rounds of newly - developed and "less

lethal" Plastic Bullets to the Kashmir Valley to tackle street protests

and reduced the use of pellet guns.

o The bullets,developed by the Defence Research and

Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by the

Ordanance factiry, can be fitted in the AK series of assault firles.

During his two-day visit to Gujarat, PMModi today laid the foundation

stone for a Greenfield International Airport, which is expected to cost

Rs.2,500/- cr at Rajkot.

Admiral D K Joshi sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and

Nicobar Islans today.

Private lender Axis bank today announced that it has completed the

acquisition of mobile wallet firm Free Charge and appointed Sangram

Singh as its CEO

o The bank has completed the acquisition of FreeCharge for a cash

consideration of Rs.373.27 Cr, on a cash free,debt free basis.

The Supreme court of India has appointed senior advocate and former

additional solicitor general Amrender Sharan as Amicus Curiae on a

petition seeking reprobe into assassination of Mahatma Gandhi



Electronic commerce and cloud computing company Amazon is

planning to start selling medicines online.

The Tamilnadu government today issued orders to hike theater ticket

prices by 25% with the maximum ticket price being Rs.160/- and the

minimum price being Rs.50/-

o This comes after Tamil film producers council and exhibitors

decided to not release movies from Oct 6 to protest the

implementation of 10% local body tax in addition to the existing

GST

The GST council has raised the threshold limit for composition

scheme to Rs. 1 Cr from the current Rs.75 Lak to ease tax filling for

small traders

o The scheme allows small business, including eateries, to pay 1-

5% without going through tedious formalities.

Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has featured in this year's list

of six possible winners for the Nobel Prize in Economics

o Rajan is presently working as a professor at the University of

Chicago

Mercedes; British formula One driver Lewis Hamilton won the

Japanese Grand Prix 2017.

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta signed the club's first lifetime

contract today, in a deal that will keep him at the Catalam club for the

rest of his career.

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9th Oct 2017

World Post day

The day is celebrated every year on 9th Oct to highlight the

importance of the postal services and to commemorate the

establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss

capital, Berne

o Theme of World Post day 2017 : Innovation, Integration and

Inclusion

Indian Foreign Service Day (IFS)

o IFS was formed on this day in the year 1946

o HQ : South Block, New Delhi

o Controlling Authority : Ministry of External Affairs

o Foreign Secretary : Subramaniyam Jaishankar

The Supreme Court today upheld its ban on sale of fircrackers in

Delhi- National Capital region till November 1

o The Central Pollution Control Board also supported the plea

seeking restoration of the previous-year ban as the region

witnessed a huge rise in air pollution after Diwali last year.

The University Grants Commission's panel has suggested the

government to remove word "Muslim" from Aligarh Muslim

University and Hindu from Banarasa Hindu University to reflect their

secular character

o The panel suggested that AMU should either be called "Aligarh

University" or be named after its founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan

and gave a similar recommendation for BHU as well.

The Gujarat High Court commuted the death sentence of 11 convicts

in the 2002 Godhra train burning case to life imprisonment.



A Special Investigation team (SIT) court had in 2011 sentenced the 11

to death, and awarded life imprisonment to 20 others in the case.

o A Sabarmati Express train coach was set fire in 2002, killing 59.

American economist Richard H Thaler has been awarded the 2017

Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences

o He was honored with this award "for his contributions to

behavioural economics".

The GST council had constitued a Group of Ministers (GoM) to make

the composition scheme more attractive and revist the goods and

service tax rates on restaurants

o The GOM will examine steps to make it more attractive as only

15.50 Lakh business out of total 98 Lak have registeres under

GST regime opting for composition Scheme

o Head of the GoM : Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam Finance

Minister).

RBI Governor Urjit Patel has announced that India's economic growth

will pick up in the third and fourth quarters to above 7%

o He said inflation target should be achieved without losing sight

of supporting economic growth.

The Union Government in consultation with Reserve Bank of India

(RBI) has launched Sovereign Gold Bonds 2017-18 - Series III

o The application for bond will be accepted from Oct 09, 2017 to

December 27,2017

o The bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding

Corporation of India Ltd., designated post offices and recognised

stock exchanges namely the NSE and BSE.



President RamNath Kovind has appointed Justice Humchasakatte

Gopalaiah Ramesh as the new Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka

High Court

o He will assume charge from Oct 10 after the current Chief

Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee retires on Oct 9.

Indian Shuttler Samiya Imad Farooqui clinched the Gold medal at the

Under-15 women's singles competition after defeating Indonesia's

Widjaja Stephani at the Asian Junior Championship at Yangon

(Myanmar) today.

World No 1 Spanish tennis player Rafeal Nadal had defeated

Australia's Nick Kyrgios to clinch the China Open, his career's 75th

title and sixth of the year.

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10th Oct 2017

World Mental Health Day

The aim of this day is to raise awarness about mental health issues,

o Theme for 2017 : Mental health in the workplace

Germany is going to limit the intake of refugees to 2 lakh annually, as

part of a deal between German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party and

its coalition ally that has long demanded a cap on the intake.

Four Dutch political parties today agreed to form a coalition

government after 208 days of negotiatins, the longest time taken in the

country's history to form a government.

President Ramnath Kovind has inaugurated the 5th edition of India

Water Week (IWW)

o Theme of 5th India Water Week : Water and energy for

Inclusive Growth



The 1st BIMSTEC Disaster Management Excercise 2017 (CMex-

2017) kicked off in New Delhi today

o This excercise will be held during 10th - 13th Oct 2017

o About 135 delegates from all BIMSTEC member states are

participating in the excercise

o The main focus of BIMSTEC DMEx-2017 is to create synergy

and synchronize efforts to institutionalize regional cooperation

and inter-governmental coordination efforts on diaster response

among Member States.

Karnataka government is going to launch "Anila Bhagya" scheme in

Dec, to provide free LPG connections to families living below

poverty line

o Aim : To provide clean cooking fuel to reduce health hazards

caused by the use of conventional fossil fuel.

Madhya Pradesh going ot provide financial assistance of Rs.2 Lak to

widows who want to remarry.

o To accelerate full immunization coverage to more than 90% by

Dec 2018.

o The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched

Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI)through this programme,

Government aims to reach each and every child under 2 years of

age and all those pregnant women who have been left uncovered

under the routine immunisation programme.

Jio Payments Bank will begin it's operation in Dec

o It is a joint venture between Mukesh Ambani - led Reliance

Industries and the SBI (70:30).

The RBI mandated e-commerce firms to settle seller payments within

2 days from the date of intimation of compeltion of transaction

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The Gujarat government today cut the Value Added Tax (VAT) on

fuel by 4% becoming the first state to do so

o After the reduction in VAT, petrol will get cheaper by Rs.2.93 /

litre and diesel by Rs.2.27/ liter in the state

Private lender Kotak Mahindra Bank today crossed Rs.2 trillion

market capitalisation for the first time , after its stock surged to an all-

time high

o This makes it the fourth listed bank and 21st company to achieve

this mark in India

o HDFC Bank is the mst value added bank in India with a market

capitalisation of Rs.4.55 trillion

To educate people on e-transactions, formal borrowings and insurance

purchases, the RBI is going to launch financial literacy drive in 80

blocks in 9 states on pilot basis

o It will be commissioned Maharastra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar,

Odisha, Karnataka, Telangana, Andra Pradesh, Haryana, and

Uttar Pradesh by 6 NGOs in collaboration with sponcer banks

Professor Jagdish Mukhi today took oath as the new Governor of

Assam.

Elon Musk-led space explotion startup SpaceX has successfully

launched its 14th Falcon 9 rocket in 2017 from California

o The rocket which carried 10 satellites to orbit for American

communications company Iridium, has also returned to its

floating drone ship in the Pacific Ocean

o The launch marked SPaceX's third mission for Iridium.

Iceland has become the smallest country ever to qualify for the final

stage of the FIFA world cup, after topping its qualifying group



The Indian women's cricket team will begin their ICC Women's

Championship campaign against South Africa in Febraury 2018

o the ICC Women's Championship will see participation from

eight national teams taking on each other in series of three ODIs

on a home or away basis

o This is the second edition of the championship,set to cuminate in

2020.

16 year old Jeakson Thounaojan became the first player in history to

score for India in FIFA World Cup.

India's Anupama Ramachandran won World Open under 16 Snooker

Championship title in girls category held at St.Petersburg in Russia.

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Oct 11 2017

World Obesity Day

This day is observed globally with the view of promoting practical the

view of promoting practical solutions to end the global obesity crisis.

o Note : Child and teenage obesity levels have risen ten-fold in the

last four decades, meaning 124 million boys and girls around the

golbe are too fat.

International Day of the Girl Child

On Dec 2011 the UN General assembly adopted Resolution to declare

11th Oct as the International Day of the Girl Child to recognize girls'

rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

o Theme of International Day of the Girls Child 2017 : The

Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030 "

The Supreme Court today rules that having sexual intercourse with

wife who is below 18 years of age will be considered as rape.



The Delhi government will start giving a reward of Rs.2,000/- to

people taking accident victims to hospitals from Oct end

o The peoples will be rewarded under the Good Samaritan Policy

that was approved earlier this year to encourage people to help

road accident victims in emergency situations

China based 500 meter Aperture Spherical telescope (FAST) has

announced the discovery of multiple pulsars, marking the first

confirmed finds from the world's largest radio telescope

Pulsars,remnants of stars,are dubbed "lighthouses" of the universe due

to their regular rotational periods and focused radiation

o The $180 million facility is looking for signs of extraterrestrial

life.

President of India Ram Nath Kovindh today presented the Lal Bahadur

Shastri National award for excellence in Public Administration,

Academics and Management for the year 2017 to Dr.Bindeshwar

Pathak at Rashtrapathi Bhavan

Mr.Pathak is the founder of Sulabh International and has developed

and implemented, on a pan India Scale, a low cost and appropriate

toilet technology popularly known as the Sulabh Shauchalaya System.

US Bank Wells fargo has upgraded over 5,000 ATMs that allow

customers to withdraw cash with a smartphone instead of debit or

credit cards

o The ATMs have near-field communications (NFC) module that

allows customers to tap a phone configured with mobile systems

like Apple Pay and Android Pay

o However,customers still need to enter their PIN into the machine



As per the recommendations of the Seventh Pay commission, the

government has approved a pay hike for 7.5 Lak teachers across

government universities and colleges

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered India's growth

projection to 6.7% in 2017 0.5 % in points less than its previous two

forecasts in April and July

o The cut has been attributed to demonetisation and GST rollout.

Maharastra became the secondstate after Gujarat to cut Value Added

Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel bringing them down by Rs2/- and

Rs.1/- per liter

State-run reinsurer General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re)

launched its Initial Public Offering (IPO) today, selling shares at

Rs.855 - 912 to raise Rs.11,370 cr in the three day offer

o The IPO would be India's third largest ever, after Coal India's

Rs.15,200 Cr and Reliance Power's Rs.11,700 Cr issues

Indian Banks' bad loans increased by 4.5% in six months to hit a

record 9.5 trillion ($145.56 billion) at the end of June.

o In the previous 6 months, they had risen 5.8%, Further, stresses

loans, as a percentage of total loans, reached 12.6%at end of

June, the highest level in at least 15 years, according to the RBI

data.

The government has cleared the appoinment of Leslie Thng as the

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines joint

venture airline Vistara Thng replaces Phee teik Yeoh, who is returning

to Singapore this month to take up a senior position with Singapore

Airlines.



Anupam Kher has been appointed the new chairman of the Film and

Television Institute of India (FTII)

o He is going to replace television actor Gajendra Chauhan.

The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has

suspended Pakistan football federation with immediate effect,

following which the national and club teams will not be allowed to

take part in international competitions till the suspension is lifted.

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12th Oct 2017

2nd Thursday Oct - World Sight Day (WSD)

This is an annual day of awarness to focus global attention on

blindness and vision impairment

o Theme of World Sight Day 2017 : Make Vision Count

The UK city of Oxford has announced plans to create the world's first

zero emissions zone by banning all petrol and diesel card from its

centre to curb pollution.

India ranked 100th Position among 119 countries on Global Hunger

Index (GHI) 2017 report released by Washington-based International

Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

o India Stood at 97th position in last year's rankings.

The International conferrence on "Dailogue of Civilizations - IV" was

inaugurated by Minister of State (Independent Charge),

Ministry of Culture Dr.Mahesh Sharma in New Delhi.

o This conference has been organised by Archaeological Survey of

India (ASI), under Union Ministry of Culture in collaboration

with National Geographic Society (NGS)

o It will be held from Oct 8-15, 2017 at Delhi, Gandhinagar and

Dholavira.



According to Brand Finance's recently released Nationa Brands 2017

report, India was ranked 8th out of 100 countries on a list most

valuable national brands

o Top 10 in the list :

US, China ,Germany, Japan, UK, France, Canada, India,

Italy, South Korea

The 3rd International Conferrence on Yoga was recently heald in New

delhi.

o Theme of this conferee : "Yoga for Wellness".

The Union Cabinet has approved signing of Memorandum of

Cooperation (MoC) between India and Japan on the Technical Intern

Training Program (TITP).

The Cabinet also apporved signing of MoC between India and Japan

on establishing a liquid, flexible and global Liquefied natural Gas

(LNG) Market.

Maharashtra has used Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail Machines for

the first time in during municiple elections in Nanded,

o The machines, which are connected to EVms, leave paper trails

of votes cast allowing voters to verify if their votes have gone to

intended candidates.

The Andra Pradesh cabinet has approved a new scheme providing

financial aid of Rs.30,000/- for newly married couples belonging to

backward classes

To boost skill India mission, the cabinet committee on Economic

Affairs (CCEA) approved two World Bank supported schemes. They

are

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o SANKALP : Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awarness for

Livelihood Promotion

o STRIVE : Skill Strengthen for Industrial Value Enhancement

Rajasthan became first state in the country to incorporate skill

development programme in higher education

o In this regard Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)

in collaboration with states's Department of College Education

has prepared 16 courses for entrepreneurship and skill

development for colleges in the state.

Sweden - based researches have developed a storage method in which

a heart-lung machine supplies a donor heart with vital substances

in a oxygenated solution, extending its preservation time from 4 hours

to 12 hours before transplantation

o The method increases opportunities for heart transplants between

countries far away, and makes it possible to use donors, said

researches

the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully

launched Michibiki - 4 satellite (QZSS - 4) onboard of H - IIA rocket

from Tanegashima Space centre

The Gujarat Co operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF),

which markets Amul brand of milk and milk products was recognised

as India's best Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company in

food sector by International Advertising Association (IAA).

o for this recognition, Amul was presented 5th IAA Leadership

Award

o The Prestigious award instituted by IAA's India Chapter

recognise excellence towards contribution in marketing,

advertising and media sectors as well as celebrate outstanding

achievements of individuals and teams.



India's largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel has agreed to a merger

with Tata group's consumer mobile business

o Bharti Airtel will absorb Tata Group's operations across 19

circles under Tata Teleservices and Tata services (Maharastra).

o The merger will include the transfer of over 40 million

customers and Airtel will assume a small portion of the unpaid

spectrum liability of Tata.

Italian luxury fashion brand Gucci's CEO Marco Bizzarri has

announced it will go furfree starting from its Spring / Summer 2018

collection

o Earlier , brands like Stella McCartner, Giorgio, Armani and hugo

Boss banned the use of fur.

To look into key issues related to oil and gas sector, the union

government will soon set up a high-powered think tank under

Ministry of Petroleum.

The authorised biography of Bollywood Actress hema Malini titled

"Beyond The Dream Girl" is going to be released on her birthday

(16/10/2017)

o The book was written by eminent journalist Ram Kamal

Mukherjee.

Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh was announced as the first Indian

ambassador of the Laureus Sports foundation

As s part of the Laureus Sport for Good initiative, Yuvraj will help the

foundation support disadvantage childres through sport

Nisha Biswal, who had served as Assistant State Secretary for South

and Central Asia under ex-US president Barack Obama's government,

has been appointed as the Presdient of US-India Business Council's

(USIBC)

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Oct 13 2017

International Day for Diaster reduction

This day celebrates the way that people and communities around the

world reduce their exposure to disasters and raise awarness about the

risks that they face

o Theme of International Day for Disaster Reduction 2017 :

"Sendai Seven"

o Sendai Seven : campaign was started in 2016

o It centres on the seven targets of the Sendai Framework, an

advocacy initiative to encourage the implementation of key

frameworks and systems with the goal of saving lives, reducing

disaster losses and improving management of disaster risk.

Japanese capital city Tokyo has topped The Economist Intelligence

Unit's Safe cities Index 2017, which ranked 60 cities on parameters

personal and health security

o Singapore and Japanese city Osaka have ranked second third

o Indian cities Delhi and Mumbai have ranked 43rd and 45th

respectively.

o Pakisthani city Karachi has been ranked the least safe city in the

list

o The world's 10 safest cities :

Tokya, Singapore, Osaka, Toronto,

Melbourne,Amsterdam,Sydney,Stockholm,Hongo Kong.

o The world's 10 least safe Cities

Karachi, Yangon. Dhaka, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh city,

Manila, Caracas, Quito, tehran. Cairo

The US today announced its withdrawl from the UN Educational,

scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), for the second time

in 33 years



o The US state Department cited the UNESCO's "anti-Israel bias"

and a need for its "fundamental reform" as reasons for the

withdrawl.

o However, the US will maintain its status as a non-member

observe state at UNESCO.

NASA is offering people to send in their names abroad the InSight

Mars Lander, due to be launched in May 2018

Indian Naval Ships Satpura and Kadmatt participated in Passage

Exercise (PASSEX) with Japanese Marine Self Defence Force

(JMSDF) held at Sasebo, Japan

o These ships are participating in the exercise in pursuance of

India's Act East Policy and demonstration of India's commitment

to peace and stability in Indo-Pacific region

The world's first negative Emissions plant that turns carbon di oxide

into carbonate rocks has begun operations in Iceland

The engineering experiment by Swiss firm Climeworks aims to

capture 50 tonnes of atmospheric CO2 over every year, equalling a US

household's greenhouse emission

The International Cricket Counsil (ICC) has approved the trial of four

day test matches which will run through untill the 2019 cricket World

Cup

o This comes after South Africa had sought permission to host

Zimbabwe in a four day Test later this year.

Saudi Arabia's Sports Authority has officially banned Nightwear at

sports venues across the country.



India crushed out of the U-17 FIFA world Cup after losing their last

Group A match against two-time U-17 Champions Ghana in Delhi

today

o Note : It was the first ever FIFA tournament that India

participated in.

Indian duo Deborah Herold andAleena Reji have qualified for the UCI

Track Cucling World Cup to beh eld in Machester, England from 10 -

12 November

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14 Oct 2017

World Standards Day/ International Standards Day

This day honors the efforts of the thousand of experts who develop

voluntary standards within standards development organizatios such

as the International Electotechnical Commission (IEC), Internationl

Organization for Standardization (ISO), International

telecommunication Union (ITU), Institute of Electrical and Electronics

Engineers (IEEE) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

o This day was initially launched in 1970, and is now recognizes

and celebrated by nations around the globe

o The aim of Wolrd Standards Day is to raise awarness among

regulators, industry and consumers as to the importance of

standardization to the global economy

o World Standards Dar 2017 theme : " Standards make cities

smarter"

o Important Heads : IEC president : Dr.Junji Nomura

o ITU Secretary General : Houlin Zhao

o ISO President : Zhang Xiaogang

Following US withdrawl from UNESCO citing "anti-Israel bias"

Israeli PMBenjamin Netanyahu today announced that his country

would also quit the Un heritage organisation



o Note : Both the US and Israel have opposed Palestine's inclusion

in UNESCO

Uttar Pradesh Mughalsarai railway station has been renamed as deen

Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) railway station in a bid to revive the legacy

of Pandit Upadhyay, who was found dead near the station in 1968.

PMModi today announced that the government has decided to allot

Rs.10,000/- Cr and autonomy to 10 public and 1- private universities

ovet the next 5 years, to make then world-class

o The universities will not be selected on recommendations, but on

the basis of a third party appraisal on laid down parameters, PM

Modi added.

The Centre is proposing to levy Water Conservation Fee on private

townships, apartments, industries, recreational clubs among others

based on the amount of groundwater extracted by them

o The Proposal also makes it mandatory for industrial mining, and

infrastructures projects to obtain a no-objection certificate for

withdrawing groundwater

o However,farmers are exempted from obtaining the NOC.

China's national Space Administration has notified the UN that its 8.5

tonne space station, Tiangong - 1, will crash to the Earth between Oct

2017 and April 2018

o Tiangong - 1 was launched in 2011 and had hosted several

unmanned and manned missions

The National Centre for Combustion Research and Development

(NCCRD) worlds largest combustion research centre which will

impart a major boost to the Indian Scientific Community was

inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras today

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o The NCCRD was inaugurated by VK Saraswat (NITI Aayog

member).

Vanuatu, a South Pacific archipelago, has become the first nation to

accept Bitcoins as payment for its investment citizenship program,

o A family of up to four can receive Vanuatu passports by paying

the Bitcoin equivalent of $280,000 (Rs.1.8 Cr).

HSBC Holdings has appointed head of retail banking and wealth

management , John Flint as the new CEO

o He will replace the current CEO Stuart Gulliver from 21st Feb

2017.

The UNESCO executive board today chose farmer French Culture

Minister Audrey Azoulay to be the UN cultural agency's next leader.

o Azoulay replaces the outgoing Director- General India Bokova of

Bulgaria, whose 8 year term was marred by financial woes and

critism over Palestin's inclusion as a member.

Ashwini Ponnappa & Satwiksairaj Rankireddy reach semifinals in

mixed doubles of Yonex Dutch Open.

India's ODI squad for the 3 match series against New Zealand

announced

o Virat (Captain), Rohit Sharma (Vice Captain)

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15 Oct 2017

International Day of Rural Women

This day is observed to recognize women's often forgotten

contributions to society and the economy

Theme 2017 : Challenges and oppurtunities in climate

resilient agriculture for gender quality and the empowerment of



rural women

and girls

Global Hand washing day

Theme : Our hands our future

5th India-Srilanka joint training excercise "Mitra Shakti 2017" was

held Aundh Military Station in Pune, Maharastra two week long

excercise (Oct 13 - Oct 25) is based on counter terrorist operations

(CTO) and infantry company from both countries are participating in

it.

It an effort to end a decade-long rift, the Palestinian political parties

hamas and Fatah have signed reconciliation deal

o According to this deal, legislative, presidential and national

elections should be conducted within one year of its signing

PM Modi will inaugurate India's first All India Institute of Ayurveda

(AIIA) in New Delhi on 17th Oct 2017 (Ayurvedha Day).

The Union Govt has launched sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana

and expanded coverage of Postal life insurance (PLI) in a bid to

provide affordable life insurance services to people particularly those

living in rural areas.

For the first time , Indian city Kolkatta is going to host "PUN (Puppets

Unite Neighbours) International Puppet Festival from 26 - 31st Oct

2017.

o The puppet festival is aimed regenrating the emotions attached to

puppetry

India's High commissioner to Pakistan, Gautam H.Bambawale was

today appointed as next Ambassador to China

o He will replace Vijay Gokhale



The RBI has directed banks and non bank entities to make their digital

wallets/prepaid payment instruments (PPIs), interoperable through the

unified payments interface (UPI) within 6 months

IndusInd bank today announced merger with microfinance lender

Bharat Financial Inclusion (BFIL)

o The deal is subject to approvals from the RBI, market regulator

securities and exchange board of india and Corporation

Commission of India among others

A new Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) Act 2016 which was notified

on 22nd march 2016, has been brought into force with effecr from

12th Oct , 2017

o This act replaced Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986

o This act establishes the bureau of indian standards (BIS) as the

National Standards Body of India

o It aims to help in ease of doing business in country enhance

"Make in India" campaign and ensure availability of quality

products and services to the consumers

Hindusthan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) a public sector oil

company became first Indian oil company to trade lubricants in

Myanmar.

o HPCL started operations in Myanmar's commericial hubs of

Yangon and Mandalay

The Odisha government Directorate of Treasuries and Inspection and

the SBI have signed an MOU integration of SBI e-pay with cyber

treasury

o The MoU is a landmark initiative by the state government to

facilitate revenue collection from citizens through digital

banking platform



An indegenously - built anti submarine warfare stealth corvette INS

Kiltan will be commissioned into the Indian Navy by Defency

Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Naval Dockyard, Vishakapatinam

on Oct 16

Renowned writer M K Sanu was chosen for Mathrubhumi Literacy

award for the year 2016 to honour his contribution to the Malayalam

literature

Switzerland's Roger Federer defeated world number one Rafael Nadal

for the fourth time in as many matches this year to claim his sixth title

of 2017 and 94th overall at Shanghai Masters today.

Former world number 1 tennis player Maria Sharapova worn her first

title since returning from a 15 month doping ban, clinching the

Tianjin Open today

Indian cricket player Ashish Nehra (33) announced his retirement

from all forms of cricket

o He will play his game against New Zealand on November 1

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16 Oct 2017

World Food day

This day is celebrated every year around the world on 16th Oct in

honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agricuture

Organization of the Un in 1945

o World food day 2017 theme : Change the future of

migration, Invest n food security and rural development

World Spine Day

This day is observed to raise awarness about spinal health and spine

disorders to individuals communities, professionals and all

stakeholders associated with spine care.

o Theme 2017 : Your Back in Action



The first ever Tri services joint exercise between Indian and Russian

Armed Forces (INDRA - 2017 is going to be held in the eastern

Military District Russia from 19th - 29th Oct 2017.

The Uk and Germany today agreed that they will remain committed to

the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran after US president Donald trump

announced that he would not certify Iran's compliance with the pact

o However the countries also agreed that the international

community needs to continue to explore ways of addressing

concerns about Iran's Ballistic missile programme.

Shillong (Meghalaya) will host its second Cherry Blossom Festival

between November 8 and 11.

According to the Indian Meteorological Dept, Bengaluru in the current

year (2017) witnessed the highest rainfall in the recorded history of

115 year.

The TN government will soon set up coaching academies for civil

services aspirants in all its 32 districts, state education minister KA

Sengottaiyan announced today

o The academies would benefit poor middle class youths in their

big to clear the Indian Administrative Services and Indian Police

Service examinations and get good ranks, he added.

Defence Minister Nirmala sitaraman today commissioned the third

indigenously built Anti- Submarine Warfare corvette INS Kiltan into

the Indian NAvy at Visagapattinam with a displacement of 3,500

tonnes, it spans 109 mt in length and 14 mt at the beam

o The Ship has become part of the Eastern fleet and would enhance

the Navy's reach in the Indian Ocean.



Carnatic Vocalist TM Krishna has won 30th Indira Gandhi award for

National integration for 2015- 16 for his service in promoting and

preserving national integration in the country.

Bollywood actor Varum Dhawan will get a wax statue at Madame

Tussauds Hong Kong with this, the 30 year old actorwill become the

youngest Indian actor to have his statue at the museum.

US technology company IBM has launches blockchain network for

cross-border payments that enables transfer of money in near real-

times

The banking network included 12 currency corridors’ that encompass

Australia and new Zealand as well as smaller countries like Fiji and

Tonga

The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India has

signed an investment agreement worth $1 billion with Abu Dhabi

Investment Authority (ADIA) with agreement marks the culmination

of an extensive process of collaboration with ADIA to develop an

investment structure that is attractive to international investors while

remaining closely aligned with the NIIF's objectives.

Film-maker Lekh Tandon (88) who gave Shah Rukh Khan his first

break with TV serial "Dil Dariya", passed away Tandon is known for

directing " Amarapali", which was India's entry to Oscars 1967, and

for acting in films like "Swades","Paheli",and "chennai Express".

Young Indian Paddler Selena Selvakumar wins triple gold medal at

Egypt Junior and Cadel Open Table Tennis Championship.

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Kavita Devi , a former weightlifter and South Asian Games gold

medalist, has become the first-ever Indan woman to sign with WWE.

o WWE also signed Shadia Bseiso, its first female performer from

an Arab nation.

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17 Oct 2017

Internationa Day of Eradication of Poverty

This day has been observed every year since 1993, when the UN

General Assembly, by resolution designated this day to promote

awarness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all

countries

o Fighting povery remains at the core of the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) and the development of the post -

2015 development agenda

o Theme 2017 : "Answering the Call of Oct 17 to end poverty :

A path toward peaceful and inclusive societies".

Pakistan today won a seat on the UN HR Council (UNKRC) by more

than two- third vote as the general Assembly elected 15 countires to

serve on the 47 member body

o Pakistan said its membership to this council demonsrates a

strong vote of confidence of the intrenational community in its

contributions to the global human rights agenda

The European Union today imposed new sanctions against North

Korea in response to its nuclear programme

o The sanctions include a ban on EU investment in North Korea

and a ban on the sale of refines petroleum products and crude

oil. Lats month, the UN put a cap on North Korean imports of

crude oil and banned its textile imports

2nd Ayurvedha Day is being observed today

This day is observed on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanthi



o Theme 2017 : "Run for Ayurvedha"

o On the occasion of the 2nd Ayurvedha day, PM Modi

inaugurated the first ever All India Institute of Ayurvedha (AIIA)

in Delhi today.

o It is the first institute under Ministry of AYUSH with a National

Accrediation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers

(NABH) accrediations.

o The insitite will have separate Yoga, Panchakarma, and Kriya

Kalpa units, among others.

The national capital Delhi was ranked 4th on the list of the world's

worst megacities after Cairo, Karachi and Kinshasa for sexual

violence against women, a survey by the Thomson Reuters Foundation

has revealed.

o Note : Tokyo was named the safest city for women.

Run for Unity will be organised across the country to obeserve birth

anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel on 31st Oct 2017.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked to consider setting

up an independent fiscal council

o Vitor Gaspar, Director of IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department, has

said there is "Tentaive evidence" that independent fiscal

institutions contributed to better outcomes in countries where

they have been established

o He also said that GST is "growth- friendly" in medium to long

term.

The Polish Finance Ministry has announced that it will withdraw the

country from the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) precautionary

Flexible Credit Line worth $9.2 billion

o Poland posted a record surplus of $1.36 billion for the period

from January to August this year



Akshay Ruparelia, a 19 - year old Indian - origin youth, has become

one of UK's youngest millionaries after his online estate agency

business was valued at 12 million in just over a year.

Actress Deepika Padukone launches Hema Malini's biography hema

Malini : Beyond the Dream Girl" on the occasion of Hema's 69th

birthday

The biography has been authored by journalist turned writer Ram

Kamal Mukherjee and also contains a short foreword written by PM

Modi

Social media giant FB is testing a Resume feature that lets users list

their contact details along with professional experience and education

on their FB accounts. The feature, which allows users to add their

image and other qualifications, combines the information under a

single tab. The feature is reportedly an expansion of FB Work and

Education section

50 Indian Peacekeeper stationed in SOuth Sudan have been awarded

the UN Medal for their professionalism and service in protecting

civilians and building durable peace in the conflict - ridden country

o The Indian peacekeepers are part of the UN Mission in South

Sudan (UNMISS)

o They are deployed with the Indian Battalion Stationed at Bor in

the Honglei region of South Sudan, They were presented with

the award recently by UNMISS Force commander General

Frank Mushyo Kamanzi.

India's first Olympic swimmer Shamsher Khan (92) passed away

o Khan had represented India in the 1956 Summer Olympics in

Australia and served in the Army for more than two decades

before retiring as a subedar



18 Oct 2017

The US launched its first air strike against ISIS in Yemen

o The Strike targeted two camps in the Yakla and al-Abl in

southern al-Bayda province that were used to train militants to

conduct terror attacks using machine guns and grenade

launchers

o This strike was carried out in co operation with the Yemeni

government.

India and Japan signed MoU on Technical Intern Training Programme

(TITP), aimed towards expanding bilateral co operation between both

countries in the field of skill development

o Under the provisions of MoC, India technical interns will be sent

to Japan for on-the-job training for a perios of three to five years,

who can then return to India as assets for the Skill India intiative.

In an attempt to end Gender bias in women against women, the

Minstry of Women and Child Development is undertaking an online

campaign #IamThatWoman.

o This campaign was launched by WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi

o Through the campaign, the Ministry seeks to highlight the

various aspects of women standing "by" and " for" women

o Twitter and Facebook users have been encouraged to tag and

share stories of women helping women with a photograph and

post online with the hashtag #IamThatWoman.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has begun her two-day visit to

India's only Tri-service theater command in Andaman Nicobar Islands,

wherein She'll celebrate Diwali with troops and interact with their

families

o Sitaraman will also review the command's operational

preparedness and related issues and reportedly visit its

operational area as well as Car Nicobar Air force Station



According to a UN Fund for Population Activities; report around 27%

children in India are married before the age of 18 years as compared

to the global average of 28%

o The report also states India's maternal mortality rate (MMR), that

is mothers dying per 1,00,000 live birth, is 174 against the

world's average of 216.

The Kerala government's Public Relations Department has banned use

of the words "Dalit" and "harijan" in givernment publications, official

communications of the government, and publicity mateirals,

recommending the use of the words Sc and ST instead

o The move, recommended by the State SC/ST commission, was

aimed at ending social discrimincation at various levels in

society

American author George Saunders has won the 50,000 frank Man

Booker Prize for his novel "Lincoln in the Bardo"

o The book is based on a real event in 1862 wherein then President

Abraham Lincoln visited a cemnetry where his son was buried.

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has been ranked India's best

university for engineering and technology in the 2018 Times Higher

Education World University Rankings

o While IISc has been ranked 89 globally, IIT Bombay falls in the

126-150 category followed by IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT

karaghpur in the 201 - 250 category

o The list has been topped by Stanford University

India today imposed an anti-dumping duty on the import of some flat

steel products from China and the EU to crab the influx of cheaper

imports and help local producers

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o The duty will be valid of 5 years, India had earlier imposed an

additional 18.95% import tax on certain stainless steel products

from China

JK Rowling (author of Harry Potter series), has been named Europe's

highest paid celebrity of 2017 by Forbes.

o Almost half of Rowling's $95 million earnings during a 12

month period came from her co- writing "Harry Potter and the

Cursed Child"

o The second position on the list was taken by footballers Cristiano

Ronaldo, who earned $ 93 million.

The Multi commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) today launched

India's first commodity options in Gold, giving stakeholders a new set

of financial instruments to hedge their price risks

o The Launched by : Unon Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The life ban imposed on Indian fast bowler Sreesanth by the BCCI

will continue. the Kerala high court has rules today

o This comes after the BCCI appealed against the AUgust verdict

of the same court, which had ordered lifting the ban on the 34

year old.

o Sreesanth was banned for his alleged involvement in the IPL

spot fixing scam in 2013.

The Upper house of the French Parliament today adopted a New Anti-

Terror law that allows police to search homes without warrants,

restrict movement and close places of worship

o This law will replace the state of emergency imposed if France

after the 2015 Paris terror attacks.

As many as 29 nuclear reactors in France are vulnerable to natural

disasters, the country's nuclear safety watchdog has warned today



while 20 nuclear reactors are at risk of " total loss of the heat sink", 9

are at risk of "partial loss". Earlier, the company operating the

country's nuclear reactors said 20 reactors might not be able to

withstand earthquakes

The supreme court had made it mandatory for the Indian Railways to

keey Oxygen Cylinders in all trains to help passengers suffering

respiratory problems.

o The railway officials have also been directed to take assistance

of AIIMS doctors, in order to learn hw to provide medical

treatment to the passengers if they fall in on a moving train.

Jacinda Ardern has been named the next PMof New Zealand, two and

half month after becoming the leader of the Labour Party.

o She will be New Zealand's 3rd women PM, after Jenny Shipley

and Helen Clark.

The Income Tax Dept. has launched an "Online Chat" service for

taxpayers seeking answers to basic queries and doubts relating to

direct tax issues.

o The Chat window has been hosted on

www.incometaxindia.gov.in', the main page of the department's

website.

South Africa overtook India to reclaim the No.1 spot in the ODI

rankings after defeating Bangladesh by 104 runs in the second ODI

today

o According to a recently released survey by ESPN magazine,

India coach Ravi Shastri is the World's Highest Paid Cricket

Coach

o Shastri's salary is around $1.17 million (Rs.7.61 Cr) per year,

which is only less than what a top player from Australia,



England and India earns. Australia's Darren Lehmann stood at

the Second position in the list.

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20 Oct 2017

Today is World Statistics Day

Theme 2017 : Better Data, Better Lives

India and Russia today began their first ten-day, tri-service military

exercise, Indra

o This exercise will see participation from all three services 0 the

Army, Air Force, and Navy

o Over 400 Indian personnal are taking part in the exercise being

organised in Russia.

o Note : It is overall 10th edition of INDRA exercise and India's

first bilateral military exercise with any country involving all

three services.

The China - India war began on this day (20th Oct ) in the year 1962,

when the People's Liberation Army of China invaded Ladakh and

Arunachal Pradesh (then known as the North East Frontier Agency)

o In the war that lasted till November 21, around 3,250 Indian

soldiers were killed.

o India also lost about 43,000 kilometers of land captured by

China n Aksai Chin.

India, Brazil South Africa (IBSA) have signed the IBSA Trust Fund

Agreement.

o This agreement seeks to fight poverty in developing countries

o It was signed at the 8th IBSA Trilateral Ministerial Commission

Meeting in Durban, South Africa.

According to Central Pollution control Board data, after the Supreme

Court banned the sale of firecrackers in Delhi and NCR till Nov 1, the

city witnessed its cleanest Diwali in 3 years



The Bangaluru Metro which was launched as south India's first Metro

services, has completed six years of operation today

o The Metro, Which is India's second largest operational network,

runs 50 trains.

Norwegian Defence Minister Ine Eriksen was today appointed as the

Minister of Foreign affairs

o This makes her the first woman to hold the post in the Nordic

country

o Eriksen replaces Borge Brende, who was appointed President of

the World Economic Forum last month.

The Union ministry of electronics and information technology has set

up an internal committee to advise the government on a policy on

artificial interlligence (AI)

o The expert committee will advise the IT ministry on the most apt

technologies for India.

Australia's near 100 year automotive industry ended after Holden, a

unit of US carmaker General Motors, closed its plant to move

manufacturing to cheaper locations

o Note : The first Australian- designed mass production car was

manufactured by Holden in 1948.

The Jaipur and Srinagar Airports were ranked first and second

respectively in ACI (Airports Council International) - ASQ (Airport

Service Quality) survey in the category of 2- 5 million passengers.

Indian team enter finals of World Archery Championships on Mexico

today



Indian woman cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy has become only the 3rd

player from India to sign up for Women's Big Bash League after

Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana

o The 25 year old who represented India in the 2017 World Cup

has signed a one - year deal with Hobart Gurricanes and will be

available for 10 matches of the torunament, starting Dec 9

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21 Oct 2017

India has not invited Pakistan and North Korea to attend the 1st Global

Conference on Consumer Protection which is going to be inaugurated

by PM Modi in New Delhi next week.

o The two day Regional Conference on Consumer Protection will

be held on Oct 26 -27 and will see the participation of 23

countries, besides India, which is organising the event at the

request of UN conference or Trade and Development

(UNCTAD).

India had topped the List of countries with pollution - related deaths in

2015, with 2.51 million peoples dying prematurely in the country that

year due to diseases linked to air waste and other forms of pollution,

according to a new study published in the reputed medical journal, the

Lancet

o India accounted for about 28% of an estimated 9 million

pollution - linked deaths worldwide in 2015, the study found

o It also topped the list of deaths linked to polluted air (1.81

million) and water (0.64 million)

Police Commemoration Day is being observed across the country today

Home Minister Rajnath SIngh lays wreath and paid police martyrs at

Police memorial Ground in New Delhi

Since independence 34,418 police personnel have lost their lives while

protecting the country



What is Police Commemoration Day ?

Police commemoration Day is observed on Oct 21 every year to

remember the sacrifices of ten policement who died in Chinese Firing

in 1959

The RBI today clarifies that the linkage of Aadhar number to one's

bank account is mandatory in applicable cases

This comes a day after several reports claimed that Aadhaar number

linkage with bank accounts is not mandatory, quoting an RTI

application

Note : The bank had already warned customers that their accounts will

be suspended if they arent linked to aadhaar

The Vice- Presdient of UAE Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al

Maktourn today announced the appointment of Omar Sultan Al-Olama

as the country's first-ever Artificial Intelligence Minister

India beats Pakistan to enter final of 10th men's Asia Cup hockey

tournament on Saturday

Wolrd number eight Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth defeated world

number one Denmark's Viktor Axelsen to advance to the semi - finals

of the Denmark Open today.

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22 Oct 2017

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will leave for Dhaka today

on a two-day visit to Bangladesh

o She will be visiting Dhaka at the invitation of her bangladesh

counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and is expected to meet

the leadership there as also interact with the respresentatives of

leading Bangladeshi think tanks, chambers of commerce and

industry and cultural organisations

o During which she will co-chair the Indo- Bangla joint consulative

commission meeting to review the bilateral relations and discuss

ways to further strengthen the ties



US President Donald Trump has announced that he will allow the

release of classifieds documents relating to the assassination of former

President John F Kennedy, who was shot dead while visiting Dallas,

Texas, in the year 1963.

Minister of State for External Affairs m J Akbar today met Egyptian

President Abdel Fattah el- Sisi and discussed ways to further

strengthen the bilateral relationship

o The meeting, during which a range of regional and international

issues were discussed, took place at Alamein as Egypt observed

the 75th anniversary of the historic battle of El- Alamein.

Peru has become the latest country to legalise marijuana for medicinal

use .

o The majority of Peru's congress approved the legalisation

supported by President Pedro Pablo Kuczunski by 68 votes to

five

o With this Peru became 6th country in Latin America to legalise

cannabis.

Uruguay was first in 2013 allowing sales of cannabis any purpose

followed by Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile

o Cannabis is normally prescribed for conditions like muscle

spasms, chronic pain, PTSD, epilepsy and cancer.

PMModi inaugurates India's first roll on - roll off or "Ro-Ro" ferry

service between Ghogha and Dahej

o The 31 Km service, which costs Rs.615 Cr, will reduce the eight

hour - distance between Ghogha and Dahej to one hour..

Rajasthan Govt has introduced the Code of Criminal Procedure

(Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2017 in the state assembly to protect

both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in



state from being investigates for on-duty action without its prior

sanction.

o This bill prevents courts from taking up private complaints

against both serving and former judges, magistrates and public

servants in state for on-duty action without its prior sanction.

o It also bars media from reporting on such matters involving

accusations against public servants until sanction to proceed with

probe is obtained.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has constituted 5 member

Serach cum Selection Committee to select candidate for post of editor

- in - chief of Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV)

o Head : A Surya Prakash (Prasar Bharati Chairman)

The government has made it mandatory for banks and financial

institutions to compare the photocopy of officially valid identification

documents with the originals, for the client's dealing in cash above the

prescribed limit.

o The new rule is aimed at countering the use of forged or fake

copies during transactions, in order to combat money laundering

and generation of black money.

The GST Network has launched excel - based offline facility to allow

taxpayers to finalise their GSTR-3B forms on their own computers

before uploading it onti the portal in order to minimise chances of

errors before uploading on portal

o Taxpayers have to fill the summary GSTR - 3 B forms each

month till January.

The Agricultural and Processed food Products Export Development

Authority (APEDIA) has taken up a programme for promotion of

north eastern products in Bangladesh and Myanmar



o In this regard, it has proposed to organise promotional

programmes in Bangladesh and Myanmar in association with the

High Commission of India in Dhaka and its Embassy in

Yangon.

The Union Finance Ministry has allowed banks, including top three

private sector lenders to accept deposits under various small savings

schemes in order to encourage savings

o Untill now, most of the small savings schemes were sold through

post office

o This decision will allow increase outlets for selling small savings

scheme that will result in higher mobilisation under scheme.

India's first ever mission to Moon "Chandrayaan -1" was successfully

launched on this day (22 Oct) in the year 2008

o The 1,380 kg spacecraft helped NASA scientist detect water on

the Moon while making the first quantitaive map of water and

minerals on the lunar surface

o The Rs.386 Cr mission was concluded when ISRO lost

communication with the space craft on AUG 29, 2009.

The Indian compound archery team of trisha Deb, Lily Chanu Paonam

and Jyothi Surekha Vennam won India a Silver medal at the World

Archery Championsip in Mexico city

o This silver is the fifth for India at the world event and the first

for the country in the compound team archery section at the

World Championships.

Indian Skipper Virat Kohli has become the top -run scorer at the 200

ODI mark, after taking the field against New Zealand in the first ODI

at Mumbai today.

o with this, he became only the second batsman in cricket player to

hit a ton in his 20th ODI



South Africa's Ab de Villiers is the only other playerto hit a ton in his

200th ODI.

Indian boxers win eight medals, including 4 gold at Youth

International Championships Balkan Open 2017 at Sofia, Bulgari.

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23 Oct 2017

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman left Philippines today to attend

Southeast Asian Defence Ministers' meeting

o This meeting is likely to review the regional security architecture

including China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea

o Note : This is her first forign visit as defence minister.

The WHO today cancelled Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's

appoinment as the body's goodwill ambassador to hel tackle non

communicable diseases such as heart attacks and asthma across Africa

o This comes after WHO member states and activists criticised the

appoinment saying that Zimbabwe's health care system collapsed

under Mugabe's regime.

India will celebrate Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on 31st of this month, the

birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel preserve and strengthen

unity, integrity and security.

The Rajsthan Assembly today tabled a bill that seeks to shield serving

and former public servants from being investigated without prior

approval from the government

o The bill also bars the media from reporting on accusations

against public servants till the sanction to proceed with the probe

is obtained.

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To prevent wastage of funds, the Uttar Pradesh government is

planning to form a Up Muslim Waqf Board by merging the separate

Shia and Sunni Waqf boards.

The government is considering imposing a Cyber Security Cess on

each online payment

o This cess, like the Swachh Bharat Cess, could be used to create

better infrastructure to secure digital transactions.

Electric carmaker tesla has signed a deal with the Shanghai

government to set up its own manufacturing facility in the duty’s free

trade zone in China.

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has appointed Suresh Sethi, ex -MD

of Vodaphone's payment bank M-Pesa, as its MD and CEO.

o Sethi will replace AP Singh who had been the interim MD and

CEO since Jan 2017.

Nithin Seth, former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of homegrown e-

commerce startup Flipkart has joined US-based technology services

firm Incedo.

Banking giant HSBC has appointed an Indian CEO after 8 years for its

India operations by naming Jayant Rikhye for the role.

o He will replace Stuart Milne.

The Indian Government has decided to hold dialogue on Kashmir

issue.

o In this regard, the government has appointed former Intelligence

Bureau (IB) Director Dineshwar Sharma to bethe centre's

"special representative" in Jammu and Kashmir.



Gujarat - cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana was today appointed the

special director of the CBI

o Asthana, a 1984 Batch IPS officer, had been serving in the CBI

as additional director.

India defeated Malaysia 2-1 in final of the Hockey Asia Cup in Dhaka,

to win the tournament for the 3rd time.

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton won the US Grand prix

Indian Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth defeated South Korea's Lee Kyun to

win the Denmark Open, his third Superseries title this year.

Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar won his 8th Asian Tour title at the

Macao Open today.

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24 Oct 2017

The Indo Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) is celebrating its 56th

raising day today

The force was raised on 24 Oct 1962

Today is World Polio Day

This day observes the importance of ending polio.

Today is UN Day

It was formed on 24th Oct 1945

Oct 24 has been celebrated as UN Day since 1948

The Organisation Turns 72 today

Note : Un Day is part of UN Week, which runs from 20 - 26 Oct

o H.Q : New York

o Formed on : 24th Oct 1945

o Total members states : 193 (2 observers)

o Secreatry General : Antonio Guterres



o Deputy Secretary General : Amina J.Mohammed

o General Assembly President : Miroslav Lajcak

o Economic and Social Council President : Oh Joon

o Security Council President : Francois Delattre

World Development Information Day is being observed today

the purpose behind celebrating this day is to grawing the attention of

world public opinion towards the development problems and for

strengthen international co operation to solve them.

Today is Independence Day of Zambia

China's Communist Party today added President Xi-Jinping's name

and his political ideology to the party's constitution , making him the

country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, the founder of

modern China.

The Punjab government today issues a notice saying that people have

to pay tax to keep and raise domestic animals.

o People who have dogs, cats. pigs, sheep, and deep need to pay

Rs.250/- year

o Those who have buffalos, bulls, camels, horses, cows, and

elephants at their homes will have to pay Rs.500/- annually

Maharashtra government today issues a resolution allowing the city

police to set up a Mumbai Police Foundation

o The foundation would allow Mumbai Police to accept donations

from private firms under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud has observed that a

person doesn't need to stand up during the National Anthem in

theatres to prove his/her patriotism. The court also asked the central

government to consider amending the National Flag Code to regulate

playing of the national nathem in movie theatres.



Electric carmaker Tesla has reached an agreement with China, instead

of India, to set up its first electric car factiry outside the US

o This deal will allow Tesla to avoid 25% duty China imposes on

imported cars and have a larger customer base than India.

The world's first floating wind farm has started operating in Sotland,

delievering electricity to the northern part of the country.

The RBI has announced a 10 member task force to review and

determine the scope of a Public Credit Registry (PCR)

o Head : YM Deosthalee (Ex - CMD of L&T Finance Holdings)

Bollywood Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui's biography titled "An

Ordinary Life : A memoir " is set to be releases this month

o This book was co - authired by journalist Rituparna Chatterjee

The Kea, the only alpine parrot in the world, has been crowned the

New Zealand bird of the year in the 13th annual competition

Indian Shooters Heena Sindhu and Jitu Rai won India its first Gold

medal of the ISSF Shooting World Cup in the 10m air pistol team

event today.

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo was named the Best FIFA

Men's Player of the year for the second consecutive time, finishing

ahead a Barcelona's Lionel Messi and PSG's Neymar Jr.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has won the Best FIFA Men's

Coach Award.

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25 Oct 2017

Nicaragua today signed the Parris climate agreement, leaving the US

and Syria as the only two countries out of the global pact.

o Note : The deal was agreed upon by 195 countries in 2015 and is

dedicated at lowering emissions ans strengthen countries

abilities to deal with the effects of climate change.

Chile has been named the Best Country to visit next year by Lonely

Planet in its Best in Travel 2018 List."

o Top 5 in the List :

Chile, South Korea, Portugal, Djibouti, New Zealand.

US president Donald Trump today signeda n executive order ending

his temporary ban which suspended the processing of all refugees to

the US for a period of 120 days,

Indonesian laymakers today approved a presidential decree banning

civil organisations deemed to go against the country's secular state

ideology.

o Note : Hizb - ut - Tahrir, which seeks to establish ana Islamic

Caliphate, was the first organisation to be disbanded under the

policy

US Secretary of State Rextillerson arrived in Delhi today on his

maiden official visit to India.

o During his three-day visit, he will call on PM Modi and meet

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

o Note : Tillerson is on a five - nation visit from 20th to 27th Oct

2017 including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan and Switzerland.

The Election Commission today announced that the Assembly

elections in Gujarat will be held in two pahses on Dec 9 and 14



Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba gave approval to deployment

of 'mission - ready' warships and aircraft in the Indian Ocean region

(IOR) along the critical 'choke points'

o The step is being taken in response to growing sightings of

China's naval units in the IOR.

Madras High court today banned the use of pictures of living persons

on "Banners, signboards, flex boards across Tamilnadu."

o The Prohibition will also apply to individuals sponsoring the

banners and flex boards.

Singapore's passport has become the Most Powerful in the World with

a Visa-Free Score of 159, according to the Passport Index developed

by advisory firm Arton Capital.

o Note : This is the first time an Asian country has topped the

rankings for the most powerful passport

o India secured the 75th rank in the index with a Visa - Free Score

of 51

Thumri singer and Padma Vibhushan awardee Girija Devi (88) passes

away today.

o A singer of the "Benaras Gharana", Girija Devi has been a

recipient of Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan as well.

The RBI imposed a penalty of Rs.6 cr on Yes Bank and Rs. 2 Cr on

IDFC Bank for violating regulations issued by RBI.

India will become the world's third fastest growing aviation market by

2036 after witnessing a growth from 141 million passengers in 2016

to 478 million passengers, the International Air Transport Association

announced today.



o India will be ranked behind China, which is expected to add 921

million passengers, and the US, which is expected to add 401

million passengers.

17 yr old paddler Manav Thakkar has become the first Indian to

occupy the top spot on the International table Tennis Federation

(ITTF) World Junior Circuit standings.

The missile can deliver about a dozen40- megaton nuclear warheads

which will be 2,000 times more powerful than the atom bombs

dropped on Hirosimha and Nagasaki in 1945.

New Zealand today swore in Jacinda Ardern (37) as the country's 3rd

Woman and the youngest PM in 150 years.

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27 Oct 2017

Saudi Arabia has become the world's first country to grant citizenship

to a Robot. The country today offered citizenship to a humanoid

named Sophia.

Today is World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

This commemorative day was chosen by UNESCO in the year 2005 to

raise of awarness of the significance of and preservation risks

recorded sound and audiovisual documents (films, sound and video

recordings, radio and television programmes)

Theme 2017 : Discover, remember and Share

Today is 25th Independence Day of Turkmenistan

It became independent upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union in

1991

o Capital : Ashgabat

o President : Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow

o Currency : Turkmen new manat



Indian Army's 70th Infantry Day is being observed today to

commemorative supreme sacrifices made by Indian Army's infantry

against Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir in 1947

o It was first infantry action by Indian Army after independence.

o Observance of the day also commemorates infantry's exceptional

courage and dedicated service to nation.

The Rajsthan Assembly today passed a bill increasing Other Backward

Classes (OBCs) reservation in the state from 21% to 26%

o It now grants 5% reservation to the five MBC incluing the Gujjar

community

o This brings the reservation in Rajasthan to 54% , crossing the

50% ceiling set by the Supreme court

The Environment Ministry has passed orders cancelling the

recognition of all circuses in India that make wild animals perform

tricks.

The Karnataka Cabinet cleared the state policy to safeguard

transgenders' rights

o The Policy aims o provide transgenders a secure life by creating

awarness about their community through anganwadi workers

who would sensitive people about trans - children and their

rights

o These workers will also address issues pertaining to

discrimination, sexual abuse and violence against transgenders.

70 new Indian words, including Vada, Juggad, Gulab Jamun, Bachcha,

Bapu. and Dadagiri were added to the Ocford English Dictionary in its

September update.

Meena Samy

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Meena Samy

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The 1st ever meeting of BIMSTEC Task Force on Traditional

Medicine (BITFM) was held at Parvasi Bharatiya Kendra in New

Delhi

o This meeting was organized by union Ministry of Ayush

Sri Lanka and India today signed 2 agreements for construction of

1,200 houses through 50 model villages in the island national, using

Indian grant assistance of 600 million rupees.

The Union Ministry of Tourism gave letters of Intent (LoI) to 7

shortlisted companied for adopting 14 monuments under Adopt a

heritage Scheme at the closing ceremony of "Paryatan Parv" held in

New Delhi.

o The shortlisted companies will be future "Monument Mitras"

who could associate pride with there corporate Social

Responsibilities (CSR) activities

o The 14 Monuments are :

Jantar Mantar, Purana Quila, Safdarjung Tomb, Agrasen Ki

Baoli, Qutub Minar (Delhi), Hampi (Karnataka), Ajanta

Caves( Maharastra), Sun Temple, Raja Rani Temple and

Ratnagiri Monuments (Odisha), Leh Palace, Mt. Stok

Kangri (J&K), Mattancherry Palace Museum (Kerala),

Gangotri Temple Area, Trail (Uttarkhand).

The International Conference of heads of Metrology Institutes held in

Sevres, France had decided that the measure of kilogram will no

longer be pegged to cylinder'.

From 2019 onwards , it will be set by value of Planck constant in

combination with definitional of meter and second.



Abdul Karim Telgi (56), who was convicted in the Rs.20,000 Cr fake

stamp paper scam died today

o He was arrested in 2001 and was serving a 30 year prison term in

the Parappana Agrahara jail.

Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hirosimha, will

jointly accept the 2017 Nobel Peace prize with this year's laureate, the

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

o Thurlow has campaigned for seven decades against nuclear

weapons.

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28 Oct 2017

India is going to host the 13th session of UN global wildlife summit

on migratory species (CMS COp13) in 2020

o CMC COp : Meeting of the Conference Of the Parties to the

convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, held once

in three years, is the only international treaty devoted

exclusively to migratory wilflife species.

o This summit aims to conserve terrestrial, marine, and avian

migratory species on a global level.

Burundi today became the first country to withdraw from the

International Criminal Court (ICC).

French defency Minister Florence parly today arrived in India for a

two day visit and was accorded with the Guard of Honour.

o Parly held wide - ranging talks with her Indian counterpart

Nirmala Sitharaman to boost defence and security ties between

the two countries.

o Both the leaders discussed the regional security situation and

ways to ramp up overall strategic ties



The Catalan Parliament today voted 70-10 in favour of a resolution ot

declare independence from Spain

The centre will be introducing mark sheets for gram panchayats to

asses their performance, in an attempt to alleviate poverty in rural

areas

o According to this, the panchayats which score low marks will be

receiving more resources. covering 21 developments parameters,

tha mark sheet will include 30 marks for infrastructure. 40 for

economic activities and 360 for human resources

Mobile Aadhaar (m - aadhaar) can now be used as an identity proof to

enter airports, a circular by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security of

India has stated. The circular lists ten identity proofs, including

passport, driving licence or a nationalised bank passbook, which can

be produced to gain entry.

The Supreme Court has ruled that "no express or implied consent to

the husband is required for getting a pregnancy terminated".

o An adult woman has an "unimpeachable right" to give birth or

terminate the pregnancy, the court added.

Soviet submarine officer Vasili Arkhipov who averted the outbreak of

a nuclear conflict during the Cold war will be awarded a $50,000

prize by a US based organisation whose advisory board included

Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk.

o During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, Arkhipov refused to

launch a nuclear to torpedo in retalisation to a non-lethal US

attack on a USSR submarine.

Andra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu has received the Golden

peacock Award under the Global Leadership in Public Service and

economic Transformation category at a convention in London.



India has become the 2nd largest smartphone market in the world after

overtaking the US

o India now stands behind China on the list.

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos has overtaken Bill gates to become the

World's Richest Person with a net worth of $91.6 billion.

The world's first hybrid electric tram powered by hydrogen fuel cells

has started running in China.

o The tram, which has three carriages with 66 seats, can run for 40

kms at a maximum speed of 70 kms/hr after being refilled with

12 kg of hydrogen.

Indian shooter Sangram Dahiya won a Silver medal in the final round

of the men's double trap at the ISSF Shooting World Cup Final today.

India's Amanpreet Singh also won a bronze medal in 50m pistol

category to push India's medal tally to three in the tournament.

The 32 countries competing at the 2018 World Cup will share $400

million (Rs.2,600 Cr) in prize money, FIFA announced today.

o The winners of the tournament will pocket $38 million, $3

million more than what 2014 World Cup winner Germany

received.

o Note : The tournament will be played across 11 cities in Russia

from June 14 - July 15

World No. 4 India shuttler Kidambi Srikanth beat defending champion

Shri Yuqi of China to reach the French Open semis today.

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29 Oct 2017

The Foreign Minister of Tunisia Khemaies Jhinaoui is on a 4 day visit

to India.



o During this visit, he will be co chairing the 12th India - Tunisia

Joint Commission Meeting along with Smt.Sushma Swaraj,

External Affairs Minister of India.

The 14th SAARC in Law (SAARCLAW) conference was recently

held at Colombo, Sri Lanka along with 11th SAARC Chief Justices

Conference.

o The three-day conference was inaugurated by Sri Lankan

PMRanil Wickremesinghe and saw participation from South

Asia's top judges, legal practitioners and academics.

The 1st Guwahati International Film Festival has begun today.

o CM of Assam Sarbanand Sonowal formally inaugurated the six

day festival today's evening.

o 75 movies from 35 countries will be screened in this festival

o Iranian movie The Salesman is the inaugural movie.

o The festival is being organized by Jyoti Chitraban society,

Assam government and Dr bhupen Hazarika Regional

Government Film and TV Institute.

The 1st International Consumer Protection Conference on empowering

consumers in new markets for South, South East and East Asian

Countries was recently held in New Delhi from 26 - 27 Oct 2017

o This conference was inaugurated by PMModi.

o Theme : "Empowering Consumers in New Markets".

The Union Government has made use of Public Finance Management

System (PFMS) mandatory for all central schemes to ensure that

benefits of government schemes reach the last mile.

o It will help monitor the flow of funds to beneficiaries of different

government welfare schemes.



o Note : So far total of 613 Central Sector Schemes are covered

under PFMS having 34.19 Cr beneficiaries with help of 21.72

Lakh programme registered implementing agencies.

Aiming at reducing the carbon footprint , the Railway Piyush Goyal

today launched the Railway's first set of solar plants with a total

capacity of 5 megawatt peak in Delhi.

o The plants on the rooftops of Hazrat Nizamuddin, new Delhi,

Anand Vihar and Delhi railway stations shall meet about 330%

of the energy requirement of these stations.

Larsen and Tourbo (L & T) handed over offshore patrol vessel (OPV)

named "Vikram" to the Indian Coast Guard.

o Note : It is India's first - ever over offshore patrol essel to be

built in a private shipyard.

The Union Government has linked $65.5million loan agreement with

Asian Development Bank (ADB) to continue interventions to check

coastal erosion on the Western Coast in Karnataka.

o The loan is second transfer of $250 million financing facility

under Sustainable Coastal Protection and Management

Investment Program for 20 year term.

Sri Lanka has signed MoU with India to build 1,200 houses in

strategically located southern port city of Hanbantota.

o Of the 1,200 houses to be built, 600 will be constructed in

Southern Province, while remaining will be built across Sri

Lanka, through once model village in each of country's 25

districts.

Veteran Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar was honoured with the

Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award 2017



Patna Pirates today defeated Gujarat Fortunegiants to win the 5th

edition of Pro Kabaddi

o This is Patna Pirates 3rd Title in a row.

o Patna Pirates Pardeep Narwal top - scored in the final with 19

points, he has also won the Most Valuable Player and Best raider

awards in the 12 - team tournament.

Virat Kohli became the fastest cricketer to complete 9,000 ODI runs,

achieving the feat in his 194th innings against New Zealand today.

o He overtook South Africa's Ab de Villiers who had reached

9,000 run mark in his 205th innings.

o Kohli also surpassed ex- Australian captain Ricky Ponting's

1,424 runs to slam most ODI runs by a captain in a calendar

year.

British Boxer Anthony Joshua defended his WBA and IBF world

heavyweights titles after defeating France's Carlos Takam in 10 rounds

by a technical knockout today.

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30 Oct 2017

Italian PM Paolo Gentiloni is on visit to India

o With this, he is become the first politician at the post to visit the

Asian country in a decade.

o His visit aimed at strengthening the bilateral political and

economic relations between the two countries.

o Note : Gentiloni and Narendra Modi released commemorative

stamp to mark 70 Years of Diplomatic relationship between

India & Italy.

In a first in India, the Andra Pradesh government is going to make

Digital Prescriptions mandatory for the sale of medicine.



o It has developed a system wherein pharmacies can only sell

medicines on prescriptions with digital signatures of registered

doctors.

o Further, the patients have to use a OTP on their mobiles, or

Aadhaar , for identity verifications.

India is going to observe Rashtriya Ekta Diwas tomorrow on birth

anniversary of Sardar Ballabhai Patel.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is set to move a proposal

before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for taking over the

Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), currently under the

Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).

BCAS, currently under the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA)

is responsible for laying down standards, policies and measures with

regard to security of all commercial flights.

State owned Saudi Arabian Airlines started flying regularly to Iraq on

Monday after a 27 year break. There have been no flights between

two Arab nationals since former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein

invaded neighbouring Kuwait in 1990. "The resumption of flights is

in line with growing ties between the two brotherly countries, " the

official Saudi Press Agency has said.

Seniour IPS officer YV Modi, who was part of a Supreme Court-

appointed team that probed the 2002 Gujarat riots cases, today took

over as NIA chief.

o He has replaced Sharad Kumar, a 1979 batch IPS officer of

Haryana Cadre, who completed his tenure.



Roger Federer defeated Huan Martin del Potrol to win record eighth

title in his hometown Basel, which is his seventh title of 2017 and

95th of his career.

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton won his fourth formula One

championship at Mexico Grand Prix 2017.

The Indian junior men's hockey team won Bronze at the 7th Sultan of

Johor Cup by defeating hosts Malaysia 4-0 in the third- fourth place

classification match today.

Saudi Arabia will allow women to enter sports stadiums starting 2018,

authorities have announced today.

o Women have long been barred from stadiums due to rules on

gender segregation in public.

India's Kidambi Srikanth clinched his record second consecutive

Superseries title of the year at the French Open, becoming the first

ever Indian Shuttler to win four Superseries in a year.

o Note : He had earlier won Indonesia Open, Australian Open and

Denmark Open this year.

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31 Oct 2017

World Savings Day

This day was establishes on Oct 31, 1924 during the 1st International

Savings Bank Congress (World Society of Savings Banks) in Milano,

Italy

o Theme 2017 : "Our future starts with savings

World Cities Day

Aim : To promote international community's interest in global

urbanization, push forward co operation among countries in meeting



opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and

contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.

o Theme 2017 : "Innovative Governance, Open cities"

Halloween

The word Halloween came from "hallowed evening", and is the day

before All Hallows Day - also known as All Saints' Day.

China's top leadership is considering digging a 1,000 km long tunnel,

which if completed would be the world's largest by a huge margin, to

divert the waters of the Brahmaputra from Tibet, before it enters

Arunachal Pradsh.

o Note : The Brahmaputra, called Yarlung Tsanhpo in China,

originates in Tibet and flows downstream into India's northeast

and sustains millions of people in its basin flowing into

Bangladesh before meeting the Bay of Bengal.

India and Italy have signs 6 agreements to boost co operation in the

fields of railways safety, energy and promoting mutual investments,

among others

o The signed agreements are :

o Executive Protocol on Cultural Co operation

o Joint Declaration of Intent of Co operation for Safety in Railway

sector.

o MoU between Training Unit of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and

International Cooperation, Government of Italy and Foreign

Service Institute of the Ministry of External Affairs. India.

o MoU for promoting mutual investments between Italian Trade

Agency and Invest India.

o MoU for promoting mutual investments between Italian Trade

Agency and Invest India.



o MoU on 70 years of diplomatic relations between Indian Council

of Cultural Relations and Ministry of Foreign Affairs &

International Cooperation of Italy

o MoU on cooperation in field of Energy.

The Union Government and World Bank have signed $200 million

Loan Agreement for Assan Agribusiness and Rural Transformation

Project

o The $200 million loan from World Bank's International Bank for

Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a 7 year grace

period, and a maturity of 16.5 years.

National is observing Rashtriya Ekta Diwal (National Unity Day) to

mark the 142nd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel.

Transgenders will now have the option of identifying themselves as the

third gender with the Railway Board modifying reservation forms to

provide the option T, besides M (Male), and F (Female).

Veteran Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore was honoured with

Lifetime Achievement Award 2017 by PHD Chamber of Commerce

and Industry (PHDCCI) for her contribution in the field of cinema.

India today sent its first-ever consignment of wheat to Afganistan by

sea through Itan's Chabahar Port, marking the inauguration of the Trase

route by passing Pakistan.

o The route will open up new opportunities for trade and transit

from and to Afganistan, and enhance trade and commerce among

India, Afganistan , and Iran.

Late singer Michael Jackson has been named the highest earning dead

celebrity for the 5th consecutive year by Forbes



In a first-of-its kind initiative, Maharastra government has tied up with

online retail portal Amazon to sell forest produce developed by Forest

Development Corporation of Maharastra.

o This initiative will help achieve the state's target of planting 50

crore trees by 2019.

Government constituted a Ministerial panel headed by Finane Minister

Arun Jaitley to oversee merger proposals of state - owned banks.

o Member of this panel :

Piyush Goyal (Railway and Coal Minister)

Nirmala Sitharaman (Defence Minister)

BCCI's former head of the Cricket Operations MV Sridhar (51) passed

away of a heart attack.

Sridhar, who had represented Hyderabad in domestic cricket for over a

decade has resigned ad BCCI's Cricket Operations' head last month

over allegations of conflict of interest.

o Sridhar was also the ICC World T20 2016 Tournament director.

Vikram Singh, a 1997 batch officer of the Indian Railway Traffic

Service, was today appointed Private secretary to President Ramnath

Kovindh.

England won 17th edition of FIFA U-17 World Cup by defeating

Spain..

Indian shooter Heena Sidhu clinched a Gold medal in the women's

10m air pistol event at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in

Brisbane today.

Hong Kong is set to become the first Asian city host the Gay Games,

after it won the right to host the Games in 2022, beating the likes of

Mexico's Guadalaraja and Washington DC.

Meena Samy

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