International Affairs
Today is Halloween.
The
word Halloween came from 'Hallowed evening, and is the day before All Hallows
Day - also known as All Saints' Day.
Today (31st October) is World Savings Day.
This
day was established on October 31, 1924, during the 1st International Savings
Bank Congress (World Society of Savings Banks) in Milano, Italy.
Today (31st October) is World Cities Day.
Aim of this day : To promote international community’s
interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in
meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and
contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.
Theme of the year :
“Inclusive Cities, Shared Development“.
In
a first, US President Barack Obama celebrated
Diwali by lighting a diya in the
Oval Office of the White House.
Iceland
has
been named the best country for
adventure tourism according to a new research compiled by global trade
network Adventure Travel Trade Association.
Top 5 Countries in the List :
·
Iceland
·
Germany
·
New
Zealand
·
Norway
·
Switzerland
The 'Dynamic Tower',
an 80-storey rotating tower proposed to be built in Dubai by 2020.
When
constructed, it will be the world's
first skyscraper consisting of separate rotating floors attached to a
central column.
The
tower aims to be 420-metre-high and consist of luxury apartments, as per the
proposition in 2008 by architect David Fisher.
National Affairs
Rashtriya
Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day)
is being observed today to mark the 141st birth anniversary of Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off 'Run for Unity'
at Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi to mark Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's
141st birth anniversary today.
The
Delhi High Court, which was
established on this day (31st October) in the year 1966, turned 50 years old
today.
Punjab
government
will observe November 1 as 'No Tobacco Day' in an effort to
discourage tobacco use in the state.
Note :
The sale of loose cigarettes, tobacco and e-cigarettes are banned in Punjab.
Recent Committees in News
The Union Government has reconstituted the Inter State Council (ISC) and the Standing Committee of the ISC under
Clause 2 of the Inter State Council order, 1990.
Note :
The Inter-State Council is a constitutional body to facilitate coordination
between states and the centre.
Head of the Council :
Narendra Modi (Prime Minister)
Members:
Chief
Ministers of all states and Union Territories (having legislative
Assembly),
Six
Union Ministers
·
Rajnath Singh (Home Minister),
·
Arun Jaitley (Finance Minister),
·
Manohar Parrikar (Defence Minister),
·
Sushma Swaraj (External Affairs Minister),
·
M Venkiah Naidu (Minister for Information and Broadcasting)
·
Nitin Gadkari (Road Transport Highways and Shipping
Minister)
Business & Economy
Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana have
jointly topped the ‘Ease of Doing
Business Reforms Ranking 2015-16’, conducted by the Department of
Industrial Policy and Promotion and the World Bank.
They
were followed by Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
The
rankings were based on a 340-point business reform action plan and their
implementation by the States.
Science & Technology
India
will
start getting electricity generated from offshore wind energy plants installed
in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat in next five years, an energy expert has said.
A
100-megawatt offshore pilot project will likely to be installed in Gujarat in
about three years, and other prospects of generating electricity from solar and
tidal wave energies are being explored, he added.
The first meeting of National
Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) was held in New Delhi to discuss ways for
developing roadmap for implementation of WTOs trade facilitation
agreement.
Headed by :
P K Sinha (Cabinet Secretary)
Awards & Honors
Katherine Espin of Ecuador has won the Miss Earth 2016 title.
Official
Final Results :
·
Miss Earth
2016 – Katherine Espín (Ecuador)
·
Miss Earth
- Air 2016 – Michelle Gomez (Colombia)
·
Miss Earth
- Water 2016 – Stephanie de Zorzi (Venezuela)
·
Miss Earth
- Fire 2016 - Bruna Zanardo (Brazil)
MOUs
The European Union
(EU) and Canada have
signed Comprehensive Economic and Trade
Agreement (CETA), a landmark trade deal.
The
deal was signed by Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau and top European Union officials in Brussels,
Belgium.
Now
all 28 European Union states are required to endorse it.
Deaths
The first chief architect of Chandigarh, MN Sharma (93), died today.
Note :
MN Sharma worked with the legendary architect Le Corbusier, after he joined his
team of architects in 1951.
Sports
British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton won the Mexican
Grand Prix.
Indian tennis player Sania
Mirza will end the season as the world's
top doubles player for the second straight year after securing the 2016
WTA Year-End World No. 1 doubles ranking.
Mirza,
who won eight titles with three different partners in 2016, has held the WTA
doubles world number one ranking for 81 consecutive weeks so far.
Basketball player, Palpreet
Singh Brar, became the second
Indian to be drafted into NBA's Development League after being picked up
by the Long Island Nets today.
Note :
Earlier in 2015, India's Satnam Singh had
become the first Indian basketball player to be drafted in the NBA.
WTA Finals debutante Slovakia's
Dominika Cibulkova defeated current world number one, Germany's
Angelique Kerber 6-3, 7-6, to win her maiden year-end WTA Finals title in Singapore today.
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