Current Affairs - Oct 2019

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151 Current Affairs were found in Period - October 11 - 20, 2019 for Type - All

Appointments 1. Anoop Kumar Mendiratta has been appointed as the Law Secretary (Secretary, Legal Affairs) in Law Ministry. He has become has become first sitting judge to be appointed as Law Secretary. He is presently District and Sessions Judge, North-East District, Karkardooma Courts, Delhi. 2. European Council appointed Christine Lagarde (France) as president of European Central Bank (ECB), based in Frankfurt (Germany). She earlier served as Chairman of International Monetary fund (IMF). 3. Former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly has been chosen to be appointed as New President of Cricke administrator body BCCI. Jay Shah and Arun Singh Dhumal will be new Secretary and Treasurer respectively. 4. Govt. appointed Anup Kumar Singh as new Director-General of National Security Guard (NSG), also known as ‘black cats commando’ force. 1. NSG was raised in 1984 following Operation Blue Star, assassination of Indira Gandhi and Akshardham Temple attack. It counters terrorists and hijack-like incidents with a view to protect states against internal disturbances. 5. J.P.S. Chawla appointed as new Controller General of Accounts in Department of Expenditure (Ministry of Finance). 6. Kais Saied is elected as new President of Tunisia (North Africa). 7. Outgoing Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi recommended SC Judge SA Bobde as New Chief Justice of India (47th). 8. SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar has been appointed as chairman of banking industry Body Indian Banks Association for 2019-20. 9. Sajjan Jindal (CMD of JSW Steel) has been appointed as Vice-Chairman of World Steel Association (Worldsteel), for 1 year. Association also elected YU Yong as Chairman. 10. Sudhakar Shukla has been appointed as Whole Time Member of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). IBBI chairperson is M. S. Sahoo and it has 10 members. Top

Awards 1. 2019 Booker Prize has been awarded jointly to Margaret Atwood (Canada) for The Testaments and Bernardine Evaristo (UK) for Girl, Woman, Other. This was first time the prize was shared since 1992, despite a rule change banning joint winners. 1. Evaristo is first black woman to win this award since its creation in 1969. 2. Judging panel was chaired by Peter Florence, who declared the joint winners despite the ban on announcing joint winners. 3. Earlier, the prize was called Booker–McConnell Prize (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019). 4. British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie’s tragicomic ‘Quichotte’ was also among six finalist books, being 5th shortlisting of Salman Rushdie. In 1981, he had won the award for “Midnight’s Children”. 5. Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for best original novel in English language and published in UK. 2. 4 Indian sites chosen for UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, announced in Penang (Malaysia). 1. In this year’s awards, 16 projects from 5 countries – India, Bhutan, China, New Zealand and Australia have been recognized. 2. Indian sites with Awards - 1. Award of Distinction - Vikram Sarabhai Library, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. 2. Award of Merit - Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue (Mumbai) , Our Lady of Glory Church (Mumbai) 3. Honorable Mention - Flora Fountain (Mumbai). 3. Award of Excellence - Historic Tai Kwun – Centre for Heritage and Arts, Hong Kong. 3. Argentinian Footballer Leonel Messi won Golden Shoe for 2018-19 season, for being the top scorer in the European leagues with 36 goals. This is his 6 th Golden Shoe award. 4. Australian Female tennis player Ashleigh Barty has been awarded Australian sport’s highest individual honour, ‘The Don’, at annual Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Barty was the first Australian to win French Open in 46 years. 5. Environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt has been awarded Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for 2017 and 2018 for his services in promoting and preserving national integration in country. 1. It was on 31 October 1984, when former PM Indira Gandhi was killed. The award has been institited by Indian National Congress in her memory. 2. In 1964, Chandi Prasad Bhatt founded Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh (DGSS) in Gopeshwar (Uttarakhand). It later became a mother organisation to Chipko Movement. He has earlier been awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award (in 1982) for community leadership, followed by Padma Bhushan (2005) and has also been a recipient of Gandhi Peace Prize. 3. Award consists of a citation and Rs.10 lakh in cash. 6. Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra named orchestra of the year 2019 Gramophone Awards. The group is the first Asian orchestra to win the award. This category is the only one of classical music magazine’s awards open to public vote. This award is often likened to Oscars for classical music world. 7. Nobel Prizes 2019 - 1. 2019 Winners -

1. Trade Winners Description Physiology William G. Kaelin (US), Peter J. Ratcliffe or for discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability (UK), Gregg L. Semenza (US) Medicine James Peebles (Canada), Michel Mayor One half to James Peebles (Canada) for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology and other Physics (Switzerland) and Didier Queloz half jointly to Michel Mayor (Switzerland) and Didier Queloz (Switzerland) for discovery of an (Switzerland) exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star John B. Goodenough (Germany), M. Stanley Chemistry Whittingham (British American) and Akira for the development of lithium-ion batteries Yoshino (Japan)

for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular Abiy Ahmed Ali (Ethiopia Serving Peace for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Prime Minister) Eritrea

Abhijit Banerjee (Indian-American), Economic for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo are Esther Duflo (French-American), Michael Sciences Husband-wife Duo. Kremer (US)

2018 - Olga Tokarczuk (Poland) - for a narrative imagination that with 2018 - Olga Tokarczuk (Poland) encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life. Literature 2019 - Peter Handke (Austria) 2019 - Peter Handke (Austria) - for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience

2. Facts About Nobel prizes - 1. In 2018, it was for first time in 70 years of Nobel Prizes, that no Literature Prize was given. It was announced by Swedish Academy after a sexual assault scandal. It was postponed to 2019. 2. Background - 1. Will of Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel established five Nobel prizes in 1895 - Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine, first awarded in 1901. 2. In 1968, Sweden's central bank Sveriges Riksbank established the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, which, although not being a Nobel Prize, has become informally known as Nobel Prize in Economics. 3. Physiology or Medicine - 1. Granted by Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute awards. 2. 12 women have been awarded Medicine Prize so far. 3. Youngest - Canada's Frederick G. Banting (32 years age), awarded in 1923 for discovery of insulin. 4. Physics - 1. Granted by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 2. 3 women have been awarded Physics Prize so far. 3. Youngest - Australian-British physicist Lawrence Bragg (25 years age), awarded in 1915 together with his father. 4. India's C. V. Raman was awarded Physics Nobel in 1930, For his work on scattering of light and for discovery of effect named after him. 5. Chemistry - 1. Granted by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 2. 5 women have been awarded the Chemistry Prize so far. 3. 1 person, Frederick Sanger, has been awarded the Chemistry Prize twice, in 1958 and in 1980. 4. Youngest - France's Frédéric Joliot (35 years age), awarded in 1935. 6. Peace - 1. Granted by Norwegian Nobel Committee. 2. 17 women have been awarded Nobel Peace Prize so far. 3. Peace Prize Laureate Le Duc Tho (Vietnamese) declined his Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. He was awarded jointly with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, for negotiating Vietnam peace accord. 4. Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan is youngest to win Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, at the age of 17. 5. 2 Indian Person have been given Nobel Peaze Prize so far. Mother Teresa (1979), Kailash Satyarthi (2014). 7. Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences 1. Granted by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. 2. 2 woman has been awarded Prize in Economic Sciences so far, Elinor Ostrom in 2009 and Esther Duflo in 2019. 3. Youngest - Frances Esther Duflo (46 years age), awarded in 2019. 4. India's Amartya Sen was guven Economic studies Nobel in 1998. For his contributions to welfare economics. 8. Literature - 1. Granted by Swedish Academy. 2. 15 women have been awarded Literature Prize so far. 3. Youngest - UK's Rudyard Kipling (41 years age), known for Jungle Book. 4. Rabindranath Tagore, Only Indian to receive Nobel Literature Prize so far (in 1913). He is also first Indian Nobel Laureate. 9. Indian Nobel Laureates - 1. Rabindranath Tagore in 1913 (Literature) 2. C.V. Raman in 1930 (Physics) 3. Mother Teresa in 1979 (Peace) 4. Amartya Sen in 1998 (Economic Studies) 5. Kailash Satyarthi in 2014 (Peace) 10. Indian Origin Nobel Laureates - 1. Har Gobind Khorana (US) - In 1968 for Physiology / Medicine. 2. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (US) - In 1983 for Physics. 3. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (UK/US) - In 2009 for Chemistry. 4. Abhijit Banerjee (US) - In 2019 for Economics. 8. Noted director Priyadarshan has been conferred Madhya Pradesh government’s National Kishore Kumar Samman for 2018-19. Priyadarshan has made several noted Malayalam and Hindi films. National Kishore Kumar Award has been instituted in memory of eminent playback singer Kishore Kumar. It carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs.2 lakh. 9. Vice President Venkaiyah Naidu presented “Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award” to scholar, legal luminary and former Attorney General of India K Parasaran. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2003 and Padma Vibhushan in 2011. Top

Books 1. Book The Great Game in the Buddhist Himalayas: India and China’s Quest for Strategic Dominance, written by Phunchok Stobdan has been released. 2. Microsoft Founder Bill Gates’ new book titled “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need” will be released in June 2020. 3. New Book Titled The Daughter from a Wishing Tree, written by Sudha Murthy has been released. 4. New Book authored by Chess legend Viswanathan Anand titled Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion's Life, has ben released. 5. New book titled “India in a Warming World: Integrating Climate Change and Development” will release soon, featuring articles by climate experts including Sunita Narain, Anil Agarwal, Dr Friederike Otto & Shibani Ghosh, edited by Navroz K Dubash. 6. PM Narendra Modi unveiled book “Bridgital Nation”, written by N Chandrasekaran and Roopa Purushottam. Top

Committees 1. IRDAI constituted 9-member panel headed by TR Alamelu to look into regulations on Reinsurance, Foreign Reinsurance Branches and Lloyd’s India regulations. 2. Tamil Nadu government constituted two committees to deal over water disputes with Kerala relating to Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) and Pandiyar-Punnampuzha project. Tamil Nadu’s PWD secretary K. Manivasan would lead both committees. Top

Days 1. National Postal Week being celebrated in India Between October 9 - 15, 2019, to create awareness about the role and contributions of postal sector in social and economic development. 2. Oct 11 is observed as UN International Day of Girl Child, Being observed since 2012. 2019 Theme is GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable. 3. Oct 12 is observed as World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD). 2019 Theme is “Protect Birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution”. 1. It is being observed since 2006. Since 2018, WMBD is celebrated twice a year, on the Second Saturday in May and in October. In 2019, it is observed on May 11 and Oct 12. 2. Oct 12 is also observed as World Arthritis Day. 3. Also, On Oct 12, Google honored Bengali poetess and activist Kamini Roy with a Doodle. It is her 155th birth anniversary. Kamini Roy was the first woman who received a graduation degree in pre-independence India. 4. Oct 13 is observed as International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR), marked by UN in 1989. 2019 Theme is Reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services. 5. Oct 14 is observed as World Standards Day. 1. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) notified that it will rank all state capitals and 100 smart cities in Water Quality Rankings for quality tap water to prevent water borne diseases. The ranking will begin in the coming 3 months. 6. Oct 15 is Birth Anniversary of Former (11th) President of India A P J Abdul Kalam. He was a noted Aerospace Scientist, also known as Missile Man of India. He was also a recepient of Bharat Ratna Award, Highest honor in India. 1. In 2010, United Nations declared Shri Kalam's Birth Anniversary, 15 October as World Students' Day. 2. India built its first indigenous satellite launch vehicle SLV-3 under Dr. Kalam's direction. 3. Oct 15 is also observed as World Mathematics Day. 4. Oct 15 is observed as White Cane Safety Day in US, to celebrate achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired. 7. Oct 15 is observed as UN International Day of Rural Women, marked by UN in 2007. 2019 Theme is Rural Women and Girls Building Climate Resilience. 8. Oct 16 as observed as World Food Day, commemorating creation of UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945. 2019 Theme is Our Actions are our Future Healthy Diets for a Zero Hunger World. 1. On this occasion, Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan launched Food Safety Mitra Scheme, Eat Right Jacket and Eat Right Jhola. FSSAI, through Food Safety Mitra scheme plans to engage motivated individuals with the food safety ecosystem at ground level. Food Safety Mitra (FSM) scheme aims strengthening and scaling up ‘Eat Right India’ movement. 2. Oct 16 also marks as World Anesthesia Day, commemorating first successful demonstration of ether anesthesia on October 16, 1846. 9. Oct 17 is UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP). 2019 Theme is Acting together to Empower Children, their families and Communities to End Poverty. It is being observed since 1987. 1. Oct 17 is also observed as World trauma day. 10. Oct 20 is observed as World Statistics Day, being observed since 2010, declared by UN Statistical Commission. It is celebrated once in 5 years. 1. India celebrates Statistics Day on 29th June, on birthday of legendry statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. 2. 51 African countries that jointly celebrate African Statistics Day annually on 18 November. 3. Next World Statistics Day is to be celebrated on October 20, 2020. 1. Note that It is not being observed in 2019. It has just been noted down for the purpose of knowledge. 4. Oct 20 is also known as World Osteoporosis Day. Top

Defence 1. 10th Indian and Maldives Armies Joint Military Exercise called ‘Ekuverin’ held at Aundh Military Station in Pune, Maharashtra. Word ‘Ekuverin’ means ‘Friends’ in Dhivehi language. 2. 1st Edition of India - Bangladesh Bilateral Navy Exercise held in Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). Before the exercise, 2nd edition of Indian Navy (IN) and the Bangladesh Navy (BN) Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) was held in northern part of Bay of Bengal. 3. 2nd Annual Joint Military Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN-2019 between India and Japan began at counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, Vairengte (Mizoram). 4. 2nd edition of Defense of Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2019 (Danx-19), a large joint exercise was conducted by ANC (Andaman and Nicobar Command). 5. 2nd edition of Indian Navy(IN) Bangladesh Navy(BN) Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) held in Northern Bay of Bengal. 6. 4th edition of joint Indo-Kazakhstan military exercise KAZIND-2019 concluded at Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand). 7. DRDO signed 30 licensing agreement for Transfer of Technology with 16 Indian companies, to cater requirements of forces deployed in inhospitable terrain and hostile weather conditions. 8. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved admission of girl children in Sainik schools across country, from next academic session (2021-22). Pilot project was started by Ministry of Defence for admission of girl children in Sainik School Chhingchhip in Mizoram two years ago. 9. India and Japan Joint Air Force exercise called ‘Shinyuu Maitri’ began at Air Force Station, Arjan Singh in Panagarh town, West Bengal. 10. India will set up solar and wind projects on fallow lands along the international border with Pakistan. 1. India has target of 175 GW of clean energy by 2022. Current solar capacity is 82580 MW. 2. 30 km by 20 km wide parcel of land is identified along border in Kutch district of Gujarat to implement the project. Proposed energy power parks will generate 2,000 MW of energy each. 11. Indian Army has begun to digitize its official records under its new programme called “OASIS”-Officers Automated Structures Information System. When the officer retires, whole data will migrate from Oasis to Retired Officers Digital Records Archive (RODRA), which holds pension details of officers. 12. Indian army inducted US made precision-guided Excalibur artillery ammunition and indigenous Dhanush howitzer, To boost its firepower. Precision-guided Excalibur is capable of hitting targets within 50 kilometre, made by American company Raytheon. 13. Joint 2 week long India - US Army exercise Vajra Prahar 2019 began in Seattle (US). Top

Economy 1. Asian Development Bank signed $190 million loan with India to upgrade 754 kilometres of state highways and major district roads (MDRs) in 14 districts of Rajasthan. 2. Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance launched i-SERV, a first-of-its-kind video calling service within life insurance industry, to enhance customer experience. 3. Bank of Baroda subsidiary Baroda Asset Management India will merge its mutual fund business with BNP Paribas Asset Management India, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas Asset Management Asia (BNPP AM). The deal has no cash consideration. 4. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) launched a revamped programme to attract investments into India and strengthen Make in India through manufacture and other operations under bond scheme, of Customs Act, 1962. 1. The Section enables conduct of manufacture and other operations in a customs bonded warehouse. 2. The Scheme has been modernized with clear procedures, simplified compliance requirements ICT-based documentation and account keeping, by issue of Manufacture and Other Operations in Warehouse Regulations 2019. 3. CBIC collaborated with Invest India to launch a dedicated microsite for providing information and promoting the scheme and for facilitation of investors. It can be accessed at https://www.investindia.gov.in/bonded-manufacturing 5. Competition Commission of India approved Kora Master Fund LP investment of upto 10 per cent ($75 million) in Edelweiss Securities Ltd.Kora, a foreign portfolio investor, proposes to invest $75 million in Edelweiss Securities and Edelweiss Global Investment Advisory (EGIA) subsidiaries. 6. Credit Information Bureau of India Limited (CIBIL) launched a new feature called CIBIL Alert through which customers can get real-time notifications about key changes in their CIBIL Score and Report. 7. Credit Saison India, domestic subsidiary of Japanese financial Firm Credit Saison, received a licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI ) to set up a non-banking financial company(NBFC) in Bengaluru. 8. Govt. has set up a panel to suggest measures to augment GST revenue collection, which dropped to 19-month low in September to Rs 91,916 crores, reflecting the slowdown in the economy. 9. RBI imposed monetary penalty of Rs 12.88 lakh on Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) issuer Balancehero India Private Limited for non-compliance of regulatory guidelines. Toyota Financial Services India Limited (TFSIN) has also faced Rs 5 lakh penalty for non-compliance. 10. RBI introduced a new reporting system for all co-operative banks, called Central Information System for Banking Infrastructure (CISBI). Co-op Banks will submit their information related to their presence points in a single proforma online. 1. Bank Branch Statistics Division (BBSD) in Department of Statistics and Information Management (DSIM) of RBI will be nodal unit for CISBI. 2. CISBI has replaced existing system of email-based reporting at branches, which was inefficient. 3. It has been done after collapse of Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank, following uncovering of 4000 crores fraud. 11. RBI issued guidelines on 'on tap' authorisation of payment systems, including minimum net worth criteria, to encourage competition. 1. For entities desirous to provide platforms for Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU), Min Net worth is 100 crores. 2. In case of TReDS (Trade Receivables Discounting System), the minimum paid up equity capital should be Rs 25 crores. TReDS scheme is to facilitate financing of invoices and bills of MSMEs drawn on corporate buyers by way of discounting by financiers. 3. Minimum net worth for entities desirous of entering the WLA (White Label ATM) segement should be Rs 100 crore. White Label ATMs are set up by non-bank entities. 12. Reliance Industries (RIL) became first Indian company to hit market capitalisation of Rs 9 lakh crores. IT giant TCS is second with market-cap of Rs 7.66 lakh crores. It was earlier second company to reach Rs 8 lakh crore mark, after Reliance. 13. Telecom operator Bharti Airtel signed pact with AMPSolar Evolution to acquire 26 % stake in solar power firm, for Rs 8.4 crores. 14. To promote digital payments, government asked banks / payment system providers to not impose charges, or merchant discount rate (MDR), on customers and merchants on digital payments made to establishments with turnover in excess of Rs 50 crores. This will be applicable from November 2019. This was announced in budget 2019-20 by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Top

International 1. 2019 Global Hunger Index (GHI), jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, score calculated by International Food Policy Research Institute - 1. India ranks 102nd out of 117 qualifying countries, with a score of 30.3. India was ranked 103rd last year. Increase in prevalence of wasting (low weight for height) among children with score under 5 contributing the most of poor performance. India’s child wasting is extremely high at 20.8% 2. 17 countries, including Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Cuba and Kuwait, shared the top rank with GHI scores less than 5. 3. There are 4 countries in alarming hunger category - Chad, Madagascar, Yemen, and Zambia. Central African Republic is only nation in extremely alarming hunger category. 4. Neighbors - Nepal (73), Bangladesh (88), Pakistan (94), Sri Lanka (66), China (25). 2. According to Edelgive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2019, Top 3 Indian philanthropists - 1. Rank Name Firm Contribution 1 Shiv Nadar HCL Technologies Rs 826 crore 2 Azim Premji Wipro Rs 453 crore 3 Mukesh Ambani Reliance Industries Rs 402 crore 3. After Attending 2nd Informal India- China summit in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu (called Chennai Connect), Chinese President XI Jinping also visited Nepal. China-Nepal signed agreement for developing 70-km rail link to be constructed as a part of China’s Belt and Road initiative. The link will connect Kathmandu (Nepal capital) with Gyiron in Tibet. 4. Air India became first airline in the world to use a Taxibot on a A320 aircraft with passengers on board. Taxibot is a robot-used aircraft tractor for taxiing an aircraft from parking bay to runway and vice versa. 5. As per The CS Gender 3000 in 2019: The changing face of companies reort by Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI) - 1. India Ranks 23rd in terms of female representation on boards, increasing 4.3 % over past five years to 15.2% in 2019. This is significantly below global average of 20.6%. 2. Report analyzes gender mix of the executive teams of over 3,000 companies stretching across 56 countries. 3. With 15% of female CEOs, Singapore and Italy rank highest in terms of female CEO representation globally, followed by Thailand (9%) and Philippines (8%). 6. As per Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2019 by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) - 1. While applied tariffs in the Asia-Pacific region have halved over past two decades, number of non-tariff measures (NTMs) - policy regulations other than tariffs affecting international trade - has risen significantly. NTMs are now affecting around 58 percent of trade in Asia and Pacific. 7. As per Hurun Global Unicorn List 2019 - 1. With 21 unicorns (Billion Dollar Startups), India emerged as 3rd largest ecosystems for more successful start ups, behind China (206) and US (203). List has 494 unicorns globally. 2. Top Indian Startups - One97 Communications (USD 10 billion), Ola (USD 6 billion), Byjus (USD 6 billion), and OYO Rooms (USD 5 billion). 3. Beijing (China) is city with most unicorns (82), ahead of San Francisco (US) with 55. 8. Chile Govt. declared a state of emergency in Santiago (Capital of Chile), following severe violence. Protestors clashed with riot police in several parts of Santiago. 9. Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to keep Pakistan on its ‘Grey List’ till February 2020., to take extra strict measures to eliminate terror funding and money laundering. Pakistan was added to FATF's ‘grey list’ in June 2018. It was decided during FATF meeting on Money Laundering in Paris. Pakistan had earlier been included in the ‘grey list’ from 2012 to 2015. 10. Global Payments Firm PayPal partnered with Synchrony Financial to launch a credit card for users of its subsisdiary Venmo. Venmo users can transfer funds to others via mobile app, both sender and receiver living in U.S. 11. India became member of Group of 20 (G20) Global Smart Cities Alliance on Technology Governance which works towards advancing the responsible and ethical use of smart city technologies. 12. India handed over 2nd pair of Mi-24V helicopters to Afghanistan, boosting capability of the Afghan forces. These are replacement for 4 attack helicopters previously gifted by India to Afghanistan in 2015 and 2016. 13. India officially condemned Turkey’s unilateral military offensive in north-east Syria. 1. India called upon Turkey to exercise restraint and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. 2. 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, code-named by Turkey as Operation Peace Spring is an ongoing military operation conducted by Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and Turkish-allied opposition Syrian National Army (SNA) against areas under Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). 3. US withdrew its troops from northeast Syria, where US had been supporting its Kurdish allies. 14. India ranked 82nd among 128 countries surveyed by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), in World Giving Index - 1. USA stood at the top followed Myanmar, New Zealand and Australia. Others in top ten are Ireland, Canada, UK, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. 2. India is behind Nepal (53) and Pakistan (69). 3. At the bottom are Yemen, Greece and China. 15. International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook 2019 Report - 1. Global growth was 3.6 % in 2018 and is forecast at 3 % for 2019, lowest level since 2008–09. Global Growth is projected to pick up to 3.4 % in 2020. 2. India’s GDP growth will be 6.1% in 2019 and will go up to 7% in 2020. China will grow at 6.1 % in 2019 and 5.8 % in 2020. 3. Cash-Strapped Pakistan will lag at 3.3 % in 2019 and 2.4 % in 2020. 4. As per world Bank, India halved its poverty rate since the 1990s and achieved a seven plus growth rate over the last 15 years. India's rapidly growing economy needs investment in infrastructure, an estimated 8.8 percent of GDP or USD 343 billion a year until 2030. 16. Italy approved a new tax on digital companies, as part of its 2020 draft budget. The levy, due to be introduced from next year, will oblige Tech companies to pay 3% levy on internet transactions. It is expected to yield about 600 million euros ($662 million) a year. 17. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia allowed women to serve in armed forces, as a part of series of measures aimed towards women empowerment and increasing rights of women. 18. Mumbai is 12th richest city in the world with a total wealth of $960 billion, according to a report by New World Health. 1. Delhi is on 22nd position, Bangalore 26th and Hyderabad 28th. 2. New York City (NYC) topped the list with a total wealth of $3.0 trillion, with 65 billionaires and 3,80,000 millionaires. 3. Tokyo is 2nd with total wealth $2.5 trillion. 19. Sri Lanka has been removed from ‘Grey List’ of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) following the new measures taken by the country on financial security. ‘Grey List’ identified by FATF refers to a jurisdiction with strategic Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) deficiencies. It was announced during FATF plenary concluded in Paris, France. 1. During the same meet, FATF decided to keep Pakistan on its ‘Grey List’ till February 2020, to take extra strict measures to eliminate terror funding and money laundering. Pakistan was added to FATF's ‘grey list’ in June 2018. Pakistan had earlier been included in the ‘grey list’ from 2012 to 2015. 20. Switzerland Glaciers have lost 10 % of their volume in past 5 years, as per Cryospheric commission at Swiss Academy of Sciences. In last 12 months Switzerland has lost 2% of total glacier volume despite of increased snowing. 21. Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan, causing lage scale damages. It had winds upto 260 KMPH. “Hagibis” means “speed” in the Philippine language Tagalog. 22. UN General Assembly today elected 14 States to UN Human Rights Council, responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights. 1. Assembly elected Armenia, Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Libya, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Namibia, Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Sudan and Venezuela. All 14 members will serve three-year terms beginning January 2020. 2. UNHCR has total 47 Member Nations. 23. UN called its member states to pay their outstanding dues, amid facing severe financial crisis. 1. Out of 193 members, 129 had paid their regular budget. The regular budget for the UN for a year is 5.4 billion USD, apart from peace keeping budget of 6.3 billion USD. 2. India paid its regular contributions of 230 million USD in January 2019. 3. US funding covers 22% of UN regular budget, more than any other nation. US owes over 1 Billion USD to UN as of now. 24. United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced establishment of world's first graduate-level, research-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) university, named as Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) after Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. University campus will be in Masdar City. 25. United Kingdom will issue a commemorative coin to mark the 150th birth anniversary of M K Gandhi, announced at 21st Edition annual GG2 Leadership Awards ceremony 2019 in London. 26. United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) released The State of the World’s Children annual report - 1. A third of world’s children under five years of age, which is around 700 million, have nutrition problems. 50 million are affected by wasting. Wasting is chronic thinness of the body which is mainly due to poverty. 2. Japan has least Infant Mortality Rate. 27. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) become first UN organization to hold and make transactions in cryptocurrency. UNICEF established UNICEF Cryptocurrency Fund, making UNICEF able to receive, hold as well as disburse donations via cryptocurrencies. UNICEF will be funding open source technology that aims to benefit children and young people globally. 28. World Bank South Asia Economic Focus 2019 Report, titled Exports Wanted. 1. About India - 1. Projected GDP growth of India in FY 2019-20 is 6%. Report says growth rate of India will improve to 6.9% in 2021 and 7.2% in 2022. 2. Earlier, Indian GDP Growth Rate was 8.2 % in 2016-17, 7.2 % in 2017-18 and 6.8 % in 2018-19. 3. Current Account Deficit of India widened from 1.8% in last year to 2.1% this year 80% of the causes of economic slowdown. 4. In India, domestic demand has slipped, with private consumption growing 3.1 % in last quarter from 7.3 % a year ago, while manufacturing growth plummeted to below 1 % in second quarter of 2019 compared to over 10 % a year ago. 2. South Asia - 1. Report says that Bangladesh and Nepal are growing faster than India. However, it assured that India is still a fast- growing economy, despite being hit relatively harder by recent global economic slowdown. 2. South Asia remains fastest growing region in the world, despite estimation of growth in South Asia to fall to 5.9 % This year. Growth rate of South Asia was 7.7% in 2016-17, 7.2% in 2017-18 and 6.9% in 2018-19. 3. In Bangladesh, GDP growth is estimated at 8.1 % in 2019, up from 7.9 per cent in 2018. It is fastest in the region. Pakistan is to be slowes at 2.4 %. 29. World Trade Organization approved US' imposition of tariffs on 7.5 billion USD worth European exports. They were mainly on Airbus production sites like France, Germany, Spain and UK. 1. Problem dates back to 2004, when EU authorities said Boeing received 19 billion USD in unfair way from state and federal governments. The US also filed similar complaints over European subsidies to Airbus. 2. US also imposed sanctions on Turkey over its invasion into Northeast Syria, the areas that are held by Kurdish allies of the US. Top

Meetings 1. 11th Nuclear Energy Conclave held in New Delhi with Theme Economics of Nuclear Power- Innovation towards Safer & Cost Effective Technologies. 2. 2019 Annual Meetings of World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Held in Washington DC (US). 1. India was represented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. She also attended G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meet, BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meet in Washington D.C. 2. Global Finance Ministers agreed to double a key pool of money that IMF can use to aid distressed countries, doubling to 500 billion dollars a temporary fund provided by 40 of IMF's 189 members. 3. Also, Finance Ministers have again put off giving more votes to major emerging economies. IMF has been working to restructure its voting shares to give more weight to growing economies like China, India and Brazil. 3. 7th edition of C40 world mayors Summit 2019 held at Copenhagen (Denmark), with aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve climate resilience. 1. Kolkata received “6th C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards 2019 ” for city’s green mobility. It is among 7 winners announced by Bloomberg Philanthropies. 2. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal attended the event. 4. Bengaluru will host 5th edition of the World Coffee Conference (WCC), in September 2020. Earlier editions were held in the UK, Brazil, Guatemala and Ethiopia. 5. Chinese President Xi Jinping Visited India, for 2nd informal summit with India. The meet was held at ancient town of Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), called Chennai-Connect. 1. As the summit was informal, no MOUs were signed. Talks were about enhancing bilateral trade and relations. Kashmir issue was not discussed. 2. 1st Informal Summit was held in Wuhan (China) in April 2018. 3. PM Modi accepted Chinese President's Invitation to have 3rd Indo-China informal summit in China in 2020. 4. India announced significant relaxations in its e-visa policy or rules for Chinese nationals. Decision to offer multiple-entry 5- year visas is offered for a much longer duration than offered till now and meets a long-standing demand from China. 6. First India International Cooperatives Trade Fair (IICTF) held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, to promote exports of key agriculture commodities and products leading to enhanced rural and farm prosperity. As per Agriculture Export Policy (AEP) 2018, Cooperative sector has big role to play in doubling agriculture exports from present $30 billion to $60 billion by 2022. 1. National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) formulated Yuva Sahakar Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme 2019 was launched during the event, with outlay of 100 crores. 7. Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan attended G20 Okayama Health Ministers’ Meeting in Okayama City, Japan. 8. India Mobile Congress 2019, the largest mobile technology event in South Asia, organized in New Delhi. 9. India will host 91st Interpol General Assembly in 2022, announced during 88th Interpol General Assembly in Santiago (Chile). 10. Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (IC) Prahlad Singh Patel participated in BRICS Culture Ministers’ meeting held in Curitiba (Brazil). 11. RCEP ( Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) meeting Held in Bangkok, Thailand. Trade ministers of 16 nations met and discussed on economic affairs in region. However, due to India’s tough stand on market access, e – commerce and investment the grouping will meet once again. RCEP includes 10 members of ASEAN and 6 Asia Pacific countries - includes Australia, India, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. Top

National 1. 9.2-kilometer-long Chenani-Nashri tunnel will be renamed after Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. 1. Chenani-Nashri tunnel, inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in 2017 and is also known as Patnitop tunnel. It is the longest tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir and is located on National Highway (NH) 44. 2. Tunnel provides all- weather route to commuters travelling from Jammu and Udhampur to Ramban, Banihal and Srinagar. 3. Besides being India’s longest road tunnel, it is also India’s first tunnel with a fully integrated tunnel control system. 2. According to new draft rules from DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training), terms and perks of CICs (Chief Information Commissioner) and ICs (Information Commissioner) are to be fixed as that of Cabinet Secretary and Secretary to GoI level. 1. CIC and IC currently hold tenure of 5 years and their perks are similar to that of the Chief Election Commissioners as defined in Right to Information Act, 2005. 2. They are likely to be downgraded in the “Table of Precedence”. Their positions are to be several notches down the CAG and Chairman, UPSC. They are likely to be reached to position 23 as occupied by the Secretary to GoI. 3. Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy launched flagship ‘Rythu Bharosa’ scheme, which provides a cash incentive to farmers - 1. YSR Rythu Bharosa replaces previous TDP government’s ‘Annadata Sukhibhava’ scheme. Under Rythu Bharosa, land holder farmers owning up to five acres will be provided with an annual benefit of Rs 13500. 2. Landless cultivators or tenant farmers from SC, ST, BC and minority groups are also eligible for the incentive. It includes annual benefit of 6000 per family provided by Centre under PM KISAN Yojana. 3. YSRCP government earlier promised INR 50000 in 4 annual instalments of 12500 each, the amount was increased to Rs 13,500 to be paid for five years, bringing total to 67500. 4. Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched YSR Kanti Velugu Scheme 2019, on the occasion of World Sight Day on Oct 10, 2019. Under this, natives of Andhra can screen their eyes free of cost and spectacles will also be provided. It is a part of Fit India Movement. 5. As per India Innovation Index (III) 2019 released by NITI Aayog - 1. Karnataka is Most Innovative State among Major States. Others In Top 5 - Tamil Nadu (2), Maharashtra (3), Telangana (3) and Haryana (5) 2. Among 17 major states, Chattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand are at bottom of the index with Jharkhand finishing last. 3. Among North-Eastern & Hill States - Sikkim (1), Himachal Pradesh (2) and Uttarakhand (3). 4. Among Union Territories/ small States - Delhi (1), Chandigarh (2) and Goa (3). 5. Index is based on seven pillars which include 5 enablers and 2 performance indicators. 6. As per study by CARE Ratings, Uttar Pradesh topped among states in terms of overall expenditure incurred on capital outlay/asset creation (capex) during 2015-2019. 1. However, Telangana topped in terms of capital expenditure on Irrigation. It ranked seventh in overall capex expenditure. 2. Top 5 in Terms of overall capex - Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, Gujarat. 3. Top 10 States accounted for 73 % of the combined capex undertaken by all States. 7. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) released a census report of livestock population for 2019. data revealed that livestock population in India has grown by 4.6% from 512 million in 2012 to about 536 million in 2019. Population of cows increased 18% over previous census (conducted in 2014). 8. Facebook is undertaking an initiative to help tribal girls in India become village-level digital young leaders for their communities. Facebook announced 2nd phase of its ‘GOAL’ programme, which will mentor 5,000 young women in India’s tribal dominated districts. 1. Launched in March 2019, Going Online as Leaders (GOAL) connects underprivileged young women from tribal areas with senior expert mentors in the areas of business, fashion and arts to learn digital and life skills. 9. Forbes India Rich List 2019 - 1. Top 5 - 1. Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani held top spot for 12th consecutive year with net worth of $51.4 billion. 2. Gautam Adani - $15.7 billion. 3. Hinduja brothers - $15.6 billion. 4. Pallonji Mistry - $15 billion. 5. Uday Kotak - $14.8 billion 2. Wipro founder Azim Premji who gave to charity a substantial portion of his fortune in March 2019, saw his net worth plunge to $7.2 billion from $21 billion last year. He ranked at 17th, compared to 2nd last year. 10. General Conferences (Oct 11 - 20, 2019) - 1. 10th edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-National Cultural Festival organized by Ministry of Culture under ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ campaign in Madhya Pradesh. 2. 3rd India Energy Forum by CERAWeek held in New Delhi. During the event, Indian Railways announced to become a net- zero carbon emitter by 2030. 1. Railways also launched 10 ‘Sewa Service’ trains, in a bid to improve last-mile connectivity. 3. 1st India Sports Summit 2019 held in New Delhi, titled Fitness: $10 Billion Opportunity. Minister of State for Youth and Sports Kiren Rijiju announced that a ‘Fit India’ mission office would be set up, to promote aforementioned goals. 4. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal launched initiative called ‘Farishte Dilli Ke’, under which citizens who take accident victims to the hospital will be felicitated with INR 2000 and a certificate. 5. First National Hindi Science writers conference held at Dr. Shakuntala Mishra National rehabilitation university in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP). 6. Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey announced to set up 14 Authorized World Skills India Training Centres across 9 cities. Cities – Chandigarh, New Delhi, Chennai, Trivandrum, Indore, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Shillong. Centres will offer certification courses of 9 months to 36 months duration on graphic design technology, 3D digital game and print media technology. 7. Conference on One Nation One FASTag held in New Delhi. 8. 6th Replenishment Conference of Global Fund to fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (GFTAM) held in Lyon, France. 9. Odisha’s smart city Bhubaneswar got it 1st Robo Chef Restaurant, in Bubaneswar, claiming to be the first restaurant in Eastern India where two indigenously developed robots, ‘Champa’ and ‘Chameli’ are engaged. 10. National Health Authority and CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) organized Asia Health Conference 2019 in New Delhi. 11. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) developed two diagnostic kits under Make in India initiative. The kits are called Blue tongue sandwich ELISA (sELISA) and Japanese Encephalitis lgM ELISA. 12. Jaffna International Airport (JIA) in Sri Lanka received its inaugural flight from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Jaffna Airport was redeveloped at Rs 1,950 million (Sri Lankan rupee) of which India funded Rs 300 million (Sri Lankan rupee). 13. IIT Guwahati partnered with Japan’s Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT), to organize an international symposium on Advances in Sustainable Polymers (ASP-19). 14. Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched Van Dhan Internship Programme, organized by TRIFED (Tribal cooperative marketing Development Federation of India). It will train interns and interns will help tribal population in becoming self reliant and entrepreneurs. 15. Indian Army's Northern Command held Sangam Youth Festival at Bhadarwah (Jammu and Kashmir), in collaboration with Jammu University, to spread message of peace, prosperity, communal harmony and national integration. 16. 2nd edition of Indo-French Knowledge Summit held at University of Lyon in France. 17. Minister of state for Culture & Tourism (IC) Prahalad Singh inaugurated CCRT e-portal and YouTube Channel, during Digital Bharat – Digital Sanskriti program organised by Rashtriya Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (Ministry of Culture) at New Delhi. 18. HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurated 5 new Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), one National Navodaya Leadership Institute and laid foundation stone of 9 new JNVs in New Delhi. 19. 129th death anniversary of mystic bard Fakir Lalon Shah observed in Bangladesh. Lalon is believed to be born in 1774 though no written records exist. It is said that Lalon was born Hindu but he was raised by a Muslim family after he was abandoned by his own family when he got infected with small pox. A festival of Baul songs named Indo Bangla Baul Music Festival was also held alongside. 20. 24th Busan International Film Festival Held in Busan (South Korea). 11. Hardeep S Puri, Minister of State(I/c) for Housing & Urban Affairs launched mobile app mHariyali, aimed at encouraging Public engagement in planting trees and other such Green drives. App provides for automatic geo-tagging of plants. 12. Home Ministry proposed an amendment to convict makers and users of illegal arms. According to the amendment, the makers of “prohibited” arms and those carrying such arms will be prisoned for life. The bill will be introduced in winter session of parliament. 1. Arms Act 1959 act was legislated to consolidate and amend laws related to arms and ammunition. It replaced Arms Act 1878. 2. Arms Act 1878 stipulated that no Indian shall be allowed to bear arms prior to proper permit. No such rules were imposed to British living in India. Act was seen as a major humiliation for India. 13. IIT Madras signed a 5-year joint research agreement with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (EMRE), the research and engineering arm of ExxonMobil Corporation, for research in biofuels, data analytics, gas conversion and transport, and finding low-emission solutions. 14. Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Council got abolished, as per Section 57 of J&K Reorganisation Bill 2019. With this, J&K state has now been reduced to Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, w.e.f November 2019. 1. 36-member Legislative Council functioned as Upper House for 87-member J&K Legislative Assembly. 2. Tenure of current 22 Members of Legislative Council (MLCs) has come to an end. J&K Governor will be replaced by the Lieutenant-Governors (LGs) of 2 UTs. 15. Karnataka, Kerala and Gujarat topped in University-Industry Linkages (UILs) in a research report conducted by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI). Analysis was conducted on the basis of 10 parameters. 16. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai launched a Government Railway Police’s website “railways.delhipolice.gov.in” and mobile application “Sahyatri”. Sahyatri app will help railway passengers find out jurisdiction of a police station and details of GRP officials by geo-tagging with Google Maps. 17. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released a commemorative postal stamp of Hyderabad based National Institute of Nutrition, under “Corporate My Stamp” scheme of India Posts, launched in 2016. Under this, a corporate entity or an individual can get their photo printed inside postage stamp at a price of 12 lakh rupees. 18. Punjab got most of its over 2800 polluting brick kilns switched to a new technology, cutting emissions by over 70 %. In new kilns, bricks to be baked are arranged in a zigzag pattern, allowing hot air to cover a longer path, unlike in traditional kilns, where bricks are arranged in straight lines. 1. As air takes zigzag path, it improves heat transfer to the bricks, thus making the operation more efficient. 19. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced road starting from Kapurthala, connecting Gobindwal Sahib and terminating near Taran Tarana in Punjab as new National Highway, NH- 703AA and named it as ‘Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Marg’, after first Sikh guru. 20. Shirui Lily Festival 2019 held at Shirui Vangayan Ground of Ukhrul in Manipur. 21. Supreme Court’s 5 Judge Constitutional bench (led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi) reserved its judgement on the Ayodhya-Babri Masjid land dispute case after an interminable hearing that lasted for over 40 days. SC heard arguments of all the three litigants - Ram Lalla, Nirmohi Akhara and Sunni Waqf Board and Muslim parties. 1. This is second-longest hearing in the history of Supreme Court after the landmark Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala case in which hearings lasted for 68 days. 2. Ayodhya administrator had imposed Section 144 in Ayodhya district that will last till December 10. Section 144 prohibits any assembly of four or more persons. 3. CJI Ranjan Gogoi is set to retire on November 17, 2019. If the judgement on the case is not delivered before the CJI’s retirement, then the entire case would have to be heard afresh with a new judge replacing Justice Gogoi. 22. Uttar Pradesh government will organise India’s first performance of world-famous KHON Ramlila, a masked form of Ramlila art of Thailand in collaboration with Thai government. KHON Ramlila of Thailand is included in the list of UNESCO’s Intangible cultural heritage and it’s a form of masked dance depicting the scenes of Ramlila. 23. West Bengal government is setting up Kanyashree University in Nadia district and Kanyashree colleges across state, to empower girls. Kanyashree scheme was started by state government in 2013. 1. In 2017, Kanyashree scheme won first prize in UN award and the state government was awarded by UN for Public Service for its Kanyashree scheme. 2. So far the scheme has been allocated a budget of Rs 7,000 crore and has empowered over 60 lakh girl students. Top

Persons 1. Indian nun Mariam Thresia from Kerala and four other nuns were declared Saints by Pope Francis, at the Vatican City. Mariam Thresia founded Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family in Thrissur in May 1914. 2. Kiran Uniyal has created Individual Guinness World Records for “The most full contact knee strikes in three minutes (one leg) (female), 263 strikes” & “The most full contact knee strikes alternate legs in one minute(female),120 strikes”. She is wife of a serving Colonel of Indian Army. 3. Visits from India (Oct 11 - 20, 2019) - 1. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Visited Comoros (Indian Ocean) and Sierra Leone (West Africa). 1. Comoros - 1. 6 MOUs were signed, Including co-operation in Defence, Health and Medicine, Arts and Culture and MOU on e- VidyaBharti. 2. It also includes an agreement for Exemption for Visas for diplomatic passpost holders. 3. India also extended Line of Credit of over 60 million USD to Comoros. 41.6 million USD will be for 18 MW Power Plant in Moroni and another 20 million US Dollars for procurement of High-Speed Interceptor Boats. 4. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has been awarded Comoros' highest civilian honour 'The Order of the Green Crescent'. 2. Sierra Leone - 1. 6 MOUs were signed, for co-operation in cultural exchange programme and various fields. 2. India approved establishment of a Joint commission in Sierra Leone. 3. India extended a credit line of 30 million US Dollars for irrigation development in Sierra Leone. 2. Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan attended G20 Okayama Health Ministers’ Meeting in Okayama City, Japan. 4. Visits to India (Oct 11 - 20, 2019) - 1. The Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima Visited India. 1. India and Netherlands launched second phase of the Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse Plant (LOTUS-HR), in new Delhi. 2. 25th DST - CII India-Netherlands Technology Summit Held in New Delhi. Top

Science 1. For the first time, ISRO will test surface landing of Reusable Launch Vehicle Program launched in 2016. It aims to cut down the launch cost by reusing the spacecraft. RLV will function as a space shuttle that will carry a payload to space and glide back to the earth. Landing of the RLV is to be tested at Challakere in Chitradurga district in Karnataka. 2. Kerala Researchers discovered new species of eel-loach named ‘Pangio bhujia’ in Kozhikode district of state. It is unique species of miniature well-dwelling subterranean fish. It is the first species of eel-loach in the world that has been discovered to be living in subterranean environments. 3. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch performed first ever all women spacewalk when they ventured outside International Space Station (ISS). Christina Koch had already carried out four spacewalks but it was the first such mission for Jessica Meir, who became the 15th woman to walk in space. They spent seven hours outside ISS replacing a failed power control unit. 4. NASA launched Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) space weather satellite. Ionospheric is layer of the earth’s atmosphere that contains a high concentration of ions and free electrons and is able to reflect radio waves. It will study the dynamic zone in an atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above for 2 years. 5. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Observed 1st Confirmed Interstellar Comet comet 2I/Borisov. Hubble revealed a central concentration of dust around nucleus. Comet 2I/Borisov is 2nd interstellar object known to have passed through solar system. In 2017, the first identified interstellar visitor, an object officially named 'Oumuamua, swung within 24 million miles of Sun before racing out of solar system. 6. Reesearchers spotted fastest ant in world, the Saharan silver ant (Cataglyphis bombycina), which can cover 855 millimetres (33.66 inches) per second. It has stride rate of 47 per second, 10 times that os Usain Bolt. It can travel 108 times its body length per second. 7. Researchers from India and UK created a robot named Pepe which encourages children to wash their hands, presented at 28TH IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication held in New Delhi, on Global Handwashing Day 2019 (October 15). Top

Sports 1. 2019 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships (Ulan-Ude, Russia) - 1. 224 Competitors from 57 nations participated. 2. Medal Table - Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total

1 Russia 3 1 2 6

2 China 1 3 1 5

3 Turkey 1 2 0 3

4 United States 1 0 2 3

5 Chinese Taipei 1 0 1 2 3. India ranked 9th with 4 Medals (1 Silver and 3 Bronze). Indian Medalists - 1. Manju Rani (Silver) - Light flyweight 2. Mary Kom (Bronze) - Flyweight 3. Jamuna Boro (Bronze) - Bantamweight 4. Lovlina Borgohain (Bronze) - Welterweight 2. 2019 Shanghai Masters Men's Tennis Title - 1. Singles - Daniil Medvedev (Russia), Defeated Alexander Zverev (Germany) 2. Doubles - Croatia Mate Pavić / Brazil Bruno Soares 3. 49th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2019 held in Stuttgart (Germany), held annually in non-Olympic years. 1. 548 competitors from 92 nations participated in the event. Indian team consisted of 6 members, without winning a medal. 2. 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships (50th Edition) will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark. 3. Simone Biles (US) won record-extending 15th World Gymnastics Championship title, becoming event’s most decorated woman. 4. Medal Tally - Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total 1. 1 United States 5 2 1 8

2 Russia 3 3 3 9

3 Great Britain 2 1 1 4

4 Turkey 1 1 0 2

Belgium 1 0 0 1

5 Brazil 1 0 0 1

Philippines 1 0 0 1 4. As per Brand Finance Nation Brands 2019 annual report by Brand Finance - 1. India ranked 7th, up from from 9th rank in 2018, with 18.7% growth in brand value to $2562 bn. 2. Top 5 - 1. Rank Nation Brand value 1 USA $27,751 bn 2 China $19,486 bn 3 Germany $4,855 bn 4 Japan $4,533 bn 5 United Kingdom (UK) $3,851 bn 7 India $2,562 bn 5. Asian Junior Boxing Championships 2019 held in Fujairah (UAE) - 1. India won 21 Medals (6 Gold, 9 Silver and 6 Bronze). India won most number of medals but was second behind Uzbekistan in Tally, which had total 20 Medals and 8 Gold. 2. Indian Gold Medalists - Vishvanath Suresh, Bishwamitra Chongtham, Kalpana, Preeti Dahiya, Tashbir Kaur Sandhu, Alfiya Tarannum Pathan. 6. Bahrain International Series Badminton 2019 at Isa Town (Bahrain) - 1. Indian Player Priyanshu Rajawat won men’s singles title, beating Jason Anthony Ho-Shue from Canada. 2. Indian mixed double pair of Juhi Dewangan and Venkat Gaurav Prasad also finished at the top. 7. Dutch Open Badminton 2019 (Almere, The Netherlands) Winners - 1. Men's Singles - Lakshya Sen (India). He defeated Yusuke Onodera of Japan. It is his 1st BWF World Tour title. 2. Women's Singles - Wang Zhiyi (China) 3. Men's Doubles - Russia's Vladimir Ivanov AND Ivan Sozonov 4. Women's Doubles - Bulgaria's Gabriela Stoeva AND Stefani Stoeva 5. Mixed Doubles - The Netherlands' Robin Tabeling AND Selena Piek 8. Great Britain won Sultan of Johor Cup hockey tournament 2019 held at Johor Bahru in Malaysia, beating India. 9. India Women's Football team beat Bangladesh to win the SAFF U-15 Women’s Championship title, hosted in Thimpu (Bhutan). 10. International Cricket Council (ICC) changed rules of Super Over and ruled that Super over will be repeated till a winnr emerges. The controversial boundary count rule has been scrapped. In final match of the Cricket World Cup 2019, England was declared winner against New Zealand with a boundary count in super over. 11. Mercedes' Racer Valtteri Viktor Bottas (Finland) Won Japanese Grand Prix 2019 - 1. Formula 1 Season 2019 -

1. Round Grand Prix Winner date 1 Australian Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas (Finland) 17 March

2 Bahrain Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 31 March

3 Chinese Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 14 April

4 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas (Finland) 28 April

5 Spanish Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 12 May

6 Monaco Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 26 May

7 Canadian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 9 June

8 French Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 23 June

9 Austrian Grand Prix Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch) 30 June

10 British Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 14 July

11 German Grand Prix Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch) 28 July

12 Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 4 August

13 Belgian Grand Prix Charles Leclerc (Monaco) 1 September

14 Italian Grand Prix Charles Leclerc (Monaco) 8 September

15 Singapore Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel (Germany) 22 September

16 Russian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 29 September

17 Japanese Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas (Finland) 13 October

18 Mexican Grand Prix 27 October

19 United States Grand Prix 3 November

20 Brazilian Grand Prix 17 November

21 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 1 December 12. World Youth Chess Championship 2019 held in Mumbai. 1. India won 7 medals and stayed at top of tally. It Includes 1 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze medals. Russia ranked 2nd with 5 medals. 2. Indian Medalists -

Player Event Medal Praggnanandhaa R Open U18 Gold Agrawal Vantika Girls U18 Silver Srihari L R Open U14 Silver Deshmukh Divya Girls U14 Silver Ghosh Aronyak Open U16 Bronze Sreeshwan Maralakshikari Open U14 Bronze Ravi Rakshitta Girls U14 Bronze 13. Zimbabwe and Nepal are re-admitted as International Cricket Council members. Zimbabwe will now be able to take up their place in the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup in 2020. Zimbabwe Cricket was suspended in July 2019 and Nepal was banned in 2016 for “governmental interference”. Top

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