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National .12.2018 World's highest battlefield.2018 Siachen now opened for tourists  The GOI announced that the world's highest battlefield Siachen has been open to tourists.  The entire stretch from.11.2018 Siachen base camp to Kumar Post has been thrown open for tourism.  The move will give a boost to tourism in and allow people to appreciate the tough work done by Army jawans and engineers in extreme weather and inhospitable terrains.  The at the height of around 20,000 ft in the range is known as the highest militarized zone in the world where the soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds.  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also inaugurated 'Col ChewangRinchenSetu', a strategically important bridge, over river in Ladakh region.The 430-meter-long bridge has been built by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and connects and Daulat Beg Oldie in Eastern Ladakh. Union Culture Minister launched E-Portal, YouTube Channel of CCRT  Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel launched the E-Portal of Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, CCRT ‘Digital Bharat Digital Sanskriti' and CCRT YouTube Channel in New Delhi.  This will enable the dissemination of cultural education through digital interactive medium into the classrooms all over the country.  CCRT should provide a platform for specifically dropout children so that they can join the mainstream and pursue their dreams. Two-day long manoeuvres by Sudarshan Chakra Vahini of began at Jaisalmer  Two-day long manoeuvres by Sudarshan Chakra Vahini of Indian Army started at Jaisalmer field firing range in Rajasthan.  In this war exercise, the army is going to exhibit its strength regarding Agni Missile and artillery.  Artillery, Arms and mechanized forces, Army air defence and helicopters of army aviation are participating in this exercise to test mutual coordination. Defence exports increased by seven times in two years, reach 2 billion  India's defence exports have grown seven times in the last two years, reaching a value of two billion dollars.  The country is working out modalities to become a hub in top-class defence production with efforts being made to increase defence exports to five billion dollars in the near future.  440 companies in the private sector have taken up defence production in the last five years. No Government jobs for people with more than two kids after January 2021: Assam Cabinet  The Assam Cabinet has decided that no government jobs will be given to persons having more than two children with effect from January 1, 2021 as per the small family norm.  The decision comes two years after the State Assembly in September 2017 passed the ‘Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam’ to encourage small families. CPCB developed mobile app (E-Inspection App) to inspect industries for pollution  Central Pollution Control Board has developed a mobile application that will enable it to inspect industries through live streaming videos and ultimately keep tab on polluting industries.  An E-Inspection App has been developed by the IT Division, CPCB to provide a facility for remote inspection of industries through live streaming of videos and images. Uttar Pradesh most unsafe for women: NCRB 2017 data  Uttar Pradesh has been ranked as the most unsafe for women according to the NCRB 2017 report, followed by Maharashtra & West Bengal. The data comes after a 2-year delay.  Among UTs Delhi recorded the most murder cases followed by Chandigarh & Puducherry. CII adopted 100 villages in Punjab & Haryana to curb stubble burning pollution  CII has adopted over 100 villages & 100,000 acres of farm area in Punjab & Haryana to enable zero crop residue burning. Air quality monitors have been installed to monitor village level air pollution data & to measure the impact of reduced stubble burning. Uttar Pradesh CM to launch integrated emergency number 112

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 The Yogi Adityanath.12.2018 government in Uttar Pradesh is a to launch a new integrated emergency number 112 for police,.2018 medical & fire emergencies & also to launch the women helpline 1090. INTERNATIONAL Sri Lanka removed from FATF’s.11.2018 Grey List  Sri Lanka has been removed from the “Grey List” of FATF. FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing & other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.  Sri Lanka was first included in the blacklist in 2011.By 2012, Sri Lanka was listed in the list as a dangerous country with no commitment to the financial security plan. President of India Attended 4th ASEAN-India Business Summit Ram NathKovind addressed the 4th ASEAN-India Business Summit & India-Philippines Business Conclave in Manila, Philippines. Both countries share mutual complementarities which can be utilised to deepen trade & investment. ASEAN-India trade target is US$ 200 billion by 2022. Qantas completed world's first 20-hour flight  Qantas has completed the 1st non-stop commercial flight from New York to Sydney. It had a 16,200 km flying distance. Airline used this test trip to assess the effects of ultra-long-haul flights. Qantas wants to begin its commercial flying by 2022.  It is the 3rd oldest airline in the world after KLM & Avianca. World’s oldest known natural pearl discovered on Abu Dhabi Island  The oldest known natural pearl in the world has been discovered by Abu Dhabi archaeologists working at a Neolithic site on Marawah Island.  Dubbed the ‘Abu Dhabi Pearl’, it was found in layers that have been radiocarbon during the Neolithic period. India contributed 7% to global wealth rise: Global Wealth Report  As per the 10th edition of the Global Wealth Report published by Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI), the global wealth has risen by $9 trillion to $360 trillion in 2019.  India has made a contribution of $625 billion (nearly 7% of total) to the global wealth.  The US at $4 trillion (45% of total) and at $1.9 trillion (21% of total) are the top two contributors to global wealth rise. 18th NAM Summit to be held at Baku, Azerbaijan  The 18th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) member-states will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan.  The Non-Aligned Summit is held every three years and currently, the chairmanship of the Summit has been given to the Republic of Azerbaijan from 2019-2022.  The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 developing world states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. Interpol to hold the general assembly in India in 2022  India will host the 91st Interpol General Assembly in 2022 after a proposal received the overwhelming support of member countries at this year's congregation at Santiago in Chile.  The 91st Interpol General Assembly in India in the year 2022 will be held as part of celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence.  The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) had hosted the General assembly, where representatives of all member countries converge, in India in 1997.  Based in Lyon, France, Interpol is an international police cooperation organization with 194 member states and 100 years of experience of international cooperation in policing. ECONOMY Government launched BHIM 2.0  In a major thrust for the digital and cashless payments ecosystem in India, the Central government launched the BHIM 2.0 Universal Payments Interface (UPI).

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 It is developed by .12.2018 the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016, the BHIM 2.0 comes loaded with.2018 a host of functionalities, including support for additional languages, and also enhanced transaction limits.  The new version of.11.2018 BHIM supports three additional languages - Konkani, Bhojpuri and Haryanvi - over and above the existing 13.  The new developments in the application also include options of investing and applying in Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), gifting of money, linking multiple bank accounts etc. Bloomberg named 20 Countries that Will Dominate Global Growth in 2024; India on Second, China top  Bloomberg, based on the data of the International Monetary Fund has named 20 Countries that Will Dominate Global Growth in 2024. China is on top with 28.3% while India is on second with 15.5% share in global growth.  United States is on third with 9.2% share in global growth. The data are based on Purchasing Power Parity.  The share of the remaining 17 countries in the growth is 21.5%. Some are: Indonesia, Russia, Brazil, Germany, Turkey, Japan and Egypt. Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Launches Video Calling Facility i-SERV  Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has launched a first-of-its-kind video calling service known as i- SERV to enhance the customer experience and provide swift resolutions to their queries.  The tablet-enabled service has been designed to provide both voice and video facility, offering wide range of services and covers almost all the transactions. Govt rolled out 6th tranche of Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2019-20; Rs 3835/gram  The has opened for subscription the 6th tranche of Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2019-20 from October 21 – October 25, 2019.  Here are some major points: Issue price: Rs 3,835.Issue Price for applying online: Rs 3,785 (discount of Rs 50), Interest Rate: 4%. Centre relaxed gift policy for employees, hikes monetary limits  The Central government has increased the monetary limits for accepting gifts by all its employees.  All officials under Groups ‘A’ and ‘B’ categories shall not accept any gift without the sanction of the government if the value exceeds Rs 5,000. Earlier this limit was Rs 1,500.  Group ‘C’ employees will be able to accept gifts up to Rs 2,000 instead of Rs 500 without taking government approval.  The government has also removed the limit of Rs 1,000 for government employees to receive and retain gifts from foreign dignitaries. IMF Members agreed to double pool of money to aid distressed countries  IMF agreed to double a key pool of money that it can use to aid distressed countries.  IMF's governing body did agree to a plan to shore up the crisis lender's resources, doubling to $ 500 billion a temporary fund provided by 40 of the fund's 189 members. PayPal & Synchrony launched co-branded Venmo credit card  PayPal & Synchrony signed a pact to launch co-branded Venmo credit card.  The card program will combine Venmo’s expertise in mobile design & user experience with Synchrony’s industry-leading technology, program management capabilities & data analytics. PERSON IN NEWS Renowned painter Kalidas Karmakar died  Internationally acclaimed Bangladesh painter Kalidas Karmakar passed away at the age of 73.  Anup Kumar Singh appointed as Director-General of NSG  Senior IPS officer of cadre Anup Kumar Singh has been appointed as Director-General of the National Security Guard.  The appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

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Justin Trudeau Won Second.12.2018 Term as Prime Minister of Canada  Justin Trudeau has.2018 won the second term as the Prime Minister of Canada after his Liberal Party won 157 seats of the total 338 seats. Indonesia’s President Joko.11.2018 Widodo Sworn in for Second & Final Term  Indonesian President Joko Widodo was sworn in for a second and final five-year term as president.  The 58-year-old, popularly known as Jokowi, took oath along with the 76-year-old vice president Maruf Amin. Rajasthan Royals appointed Andrew McDonald as new head coach  Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals have appointed Australian coach and cricketer Andrew Barry McDonald as new head coach for a tenure of three years. Sudhaker Shukla appointed as whole-time member of IBBI  The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Sudhaker Shukla as a Whole-Time Member (WTM) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).  With this appointment, the Governing Board of IBBI is complete, which can have a total strength of 10.The Governing Board Members of IBBI consists of a Chairman, 3 WTM, four ex officio members and two part-time members. SPORTS AND GAME Kuhoo Garg-Dhruv Rawat won Egypt International mixed doubles title  Kuhoo Garg & Dhruv Rawat won Egypt International mixed doubles title 2019 in Cairo.  They defeated Utkarsh Arora and Karishma Wadkar in an all-Indian final. Indian Hockey Team Lose to Great Britain in Sultan of Johor Cup 2019  The Indian junior hockey men’s team lost to Great Britain, 1-2, in the finals of Sultan of Johor Cup held at Taman Daya Hockey Stadium at Johor Bahru in Malaysia.  Sultan of Johor Cup is an international men’s under–21 field hockey tournament. The 2019 Sultan of Johor Cup was the ninth edition of the tournament. won Pro League title 2019  Bengal Warriors has won the title 2019 by defeating Dabang Delhi 39-34.  The finals was held in EKA Arena by TransStadia in , Gujarat. AWARDS AND HONOURS M Venkaiah Naidu presents Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award to K Parasaran  Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu presented Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award to legal luminary and former Attorney General K. Parasaran. Ghaziabad’s Loni town emerges as country’s most polluted Ghaziabad’s Loni emerged as the most polluted city in the country as per Central Pollution Control Board’s AQI figures. IMPORTANT DAY AND DATE 20 October: World Osteoporosis Day  The Global WOD Campaign theme is “THAT’S OSTEOPOROSIS”. 20 October: World Statistics Day  2019 Theme: Better Data, Better Lives, India celebrates its statistics day on 29 June, the birthday of the legendary statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. 21 October: National Police Day,On this day in 1959, 10 police personnel were killed in a Chinese attack and the commemoration day is observed to mark the incident. ONELINER  Prime Minister Shri NarendraModi unveiled the book “Bridgital Nation” and presented its first copy to Shri Ratan Tata in New Delhi.  The book titled “Srimad Bhagavad Gita Mein Bhudhiyog” by Late Govind Narayan Singh was released by Dr. Govind Narayan Singh Trust at the Constitution Club of Delhi.  The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a cinema advertisement campaign titled ‘Feed Our Future’.

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