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Saffron marigold is the colour of sacrifice

• The ubiquitous marigold will be the symbol of India’s sacrifices when the world marks the centenary of the end of the First World War on November 11.
• “It was felt that there was a strong need for India to have a uniquely Indian symbol that could allow citizens in India, as well as the international diaspora, to acknowledge the valour and sacrifice of the Indian armed forces in the service of the nation, including those who fell in the two world wars,” said Sqn. Ldr. Rana T.S. Chhina (retired), Secretary, Centre For Armed Forces Historical Research at the United Service Institution of India (USI).
• In line with this, the ‘India Remembers’ project, initiated by the USI, proposed that the marigold flower join the poppy as a uniquely Indian symbol of remembrance.

Sabarimala tension mounts, 4 more women denied entry

·       Sabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage centre located at the Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala.

·       The Sabarimala shrine is an ancient Hindu temple of Lord Ayyappa.

·       Protesters prevented as many as four women in the age group of 10-50 from entering the temple on Sunday in violation of the Supreme Court order.

·       It is the second largest seasonal pilgrimage after the Islamic holy site of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

U.P. sets up panel to modernise police force

• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced constitution of a three-member commission to recommend steps for strengthening and modernising the State police force. He said the State government was taking necessary initiatives for the family of policemen who laid down their lives while performing their duties.

Shimla may be renamed Shyamala

• In the long list of renamed Indian cities, Shimla could be the latest entrant as the ruling BJP government is considering a proposal to change its name to Shyamala.
• A campaign has been launched by some right-wing Hindu groups demanding that the capital of Himachal Pradesh be renamed.
• The popular holiday retreat was originally called Shyamala but as the Britishers found it tough to pronounce, they renamed it Simla which later became Shimla. Also known as the queen of hills, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India in 1864.
• It remained that way till India got independence in 1947.

Similipal park reopens in November

• The Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj district will be reopened from November 1 after remaining closed for over three months due to the monsoon.
• Tourists will be allowed to enter the park from Pithabata and Kalipani check gates, Field Director of Similipal Tiger Project Sashi Paul said on Saturday.
• A maximum of 35 four-wheelers and 25 four-wheelers will be allowed to enter the park every day through the gates.

Youth Olympics medal lists feted

• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on Sunday felicitated the 29 medal lists of the 2018 Youth Olympics at a glittering function here.
• This was India’s best performance in the Games as it finished with a tally of 13 medals — 3 gold, 9 silver and 1 bronze.
• Praising the athletes, Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said, “These young athletes, who are just 15-16 years old, are winning medals for the country.
• The medal lists were awarded Rs25 lakh,  Rs16.7 lakh and Rs10 lakh for gold, silver and bronze.
• Kiren Rijuju, Minister of State for Home Affairs, was also present at the function and congratulated the medal lists for bringing glory to the country.

U.S. to pull out of Russia missile pact U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that the U.S. would pull out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF)

Treaty with Russia, a crucial Cold War-era treaty banning the development, testing and possession of short and medium range ground-launched nuclear missiles with a range of 500-5,000 km.

·       The treaty, signed in 1987, was central to ending the arms race between the two superpowers, and protected America’s NATO allies in Europe from Soviet missile attacks.

• John Bolton, Mr Trump’s National Security Advisor, is in Moscow on a visit and is expected to convey the decision to the Russians.
• At issue is Russia’s alleged development and deployment of the Novator 9M729 missile, also known as the SSC-8, that could strike Europe at short notice, an allegation that Russia has repeatedly denied.

PM inaugurates revamped National Police Memorial

·      Prime Minister Narendra Modi said  that the previous government was not serious about building a memorial for policemen killed in line of duty, and he was “chosen by God to do the good work”.

• PM opened a revamped National Police Memorial and a museum at Chankayapuri .
• Conceptualised in 1984, the earlier memorial, a 150-foot structure of steel, was brought down on the order of the Delhi High Court in 2008 because it violated environmental norms.
• The National Police Commemoration Day is observed on October 21 every year to pay homage to the 10 men of the Central Reserve Police Force killed in an ambush by Chinese troops in 1959 in Ladakh’s Hot Spring area.

Govt. extends GSTR-3B return filing deadline to October 25

• The government on Sunday extended the deadline for the filing of GST form 3B returns for September from October 20 to October 25.
• “It has been brought to notice that there have been apprehensions by trade and industry relating to the last date for availment of ITC [input tax credit] for the period July 2017 to March 2018,” the government said in a statement. “In order to remove doubts, it was clarified that as per the law, the last date for availing ITC in relation to the period from July 2017 to March 2018 is the last date for the filing of return in the form GSTR-3B for the month of September 2018.”

Saina falls at the final hurdle

• Saina Nehwal gave it her all before losing steam as the ace Indian shuttler yet again succumbed to nemesis and World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying and ended runner-up at the Denmark Open here on Sunday.
• In an exciting but energy-sapping 52-minute final, the superior Chinese Taipei rival trumped Saina 21-13, 13-21, 21-6.
• Tai Tzu claimed the Denmark Open title after a gap of two years. She had last won the tournament in 2016.
•  In fact, this was Saina’s fifth straight defeat against Tai Tzu this year.

India’s first railway station inside tunnel in Himachal Pradesh

• The Keylong station in Himachal Pradesh will be the first on the railway network to be inside a tunnel.
• Keylong is the administrative centre of Lahaul and Spiti district, 26 km north of Manali and 120 km from the Indo-Tibetan border.
• The station will be at a height of around 3,000 metres and will be inside a 27-km-long tunnel.
• Piyush Goyal to receive US university award for rural electrification effort
• Union Minister for Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs Piyush Goyal receive the prestigious Carnot prize for his contribution towards sustainable energy solutions.
• The award in the energy sector is named after French physicist Nicolas Sadi Carnot who recognised that the power of the steam engine would “produce a great revolution” in human development.

Facebook hires UK former deputy PM Nick Clegg

·       Facebook has hired former UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to head its global policy and communications teams, enlisting a veteran of European Union politics to help it with increased regulatory scrutiny in the region and snowballing challenges to its reputation.

About Facebook

HQ – California, U.S.

CEO – Mark Zuckerberg

Recently, Adam Mosseri appointed as a new CEO of Instagram.

World’s Longest Sea Bridge between China and Hong Kong to open on Oct. 24

• The world’s longest sea bridge Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will open on Oct. 24.
• The 55-kilometre-long bridge, situated in the Lingdingyang waters of the Pearl River Estuary, will be the world’s longest sea bridge.
• The construction of this bridge started in December 2009.
• It will reduce the travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai from three hours to 30minutes.

NASSCOM inks MoU to expand Indian SMEs in MENA region

• IT industry body NASSCOM has signed an MoU with a leading technology community here to help small and medium-sized Indian enterprises expand their operations in the Middle East and North Africa region.
•  The MoU between the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and the Dubai Internet City (DIC) is first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

NASSCOM HQ- Noida  Chairperson – Rishad Premji

Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime Achievement Award for Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt

• Grammy-winning Hindustani classical music instrumentalist Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt will be honoured with the annual Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime Achievement Award, Sursagar Society of Dilli Gharana has announced.

• The award will be given at the two-day Indian classical music festival which is organized by Sursagar Society of Dilli Gharana.

• He is best known for his Grammy award winning album “A Meeting by the River” with Ry Cooder.

The two-day 12^th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM):

On October 18-19, 2018, the 2-day long 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit was held in Brussels, Belgium.

Indian delegation was led by Vice President of India, Shri Venkaiah Naidu

 The theme of this years’ ASEM Summit is “Global Partners for Global Challenges”.

It was hosted by the European Union was chaired by the President of the European Council Donald TUSK.As many as 51 Heads of States/ Heads of Government participated in the event.

The 12^th ASEM Agenda for 2018 prioritized issues like: Connectivity, trade and investment, sustainable development, climate change terrorism, migration, maritime security and cyberspace.

Speaking at the 1st Plenary Session of the Summit, he highlighted the following:

• Calling on to the International Community for actions against terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, that threatens peace and stability, Stressed on an early adoption of the United Nations Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
• Urged the ASEM partners to work together for denying shelter and for expeditious and timely exchange of financial information
• Highlighted the role of International Solar Alliance as an example of Asia-Europe cooperation,Outlined Government of India’s measure for more inclusive development, including focus on women empowerment.

Overview Of Vice President’s 5-Day Visit To Belgium To Attend 12th ASEM Summit

·       The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu commenced his visit to Belgium to attend the two-day 12^th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Brussels, Belgium.

The Vice President returned to India on October 21, 2018.

·       This will be the first multi-lateral summit the Vice President will be attending after taking office in August 2017.

• The Vice President also participated in the Plenary Session and will called on His Majesty, the King of the Belgians for bilateral meetings.
• On the sidelines of the meeting, VP Naidu held bilateral meetings with the Heads of State / Government from other countries.
• He addressed the Indian Diaspora at the Jain Culture Centre in Wilrijk, Antwerp.
• He exchanged views on further enhancing India-Belgium trade and investment ties with select group of prominent CEOs.
• He paid respects and offered floral tribute at a sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi located in the Governorate at Antwerp.

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