International

Putin proposes Moscow, Washington extend their New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty

Russian President Vladimir Putin had proposed that Moscow and Washington extend their New

Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) that expires in February. He proposed to extend the accord

for at least a year without imposing any conditions. The New START was signed in 2010. It limits the

numbers of strategic nuclear warheads, missiles and bombers that Russia and the United States can

deploy. A failure to extend the pact would remove all constraints on US and Russian deployments of

strategic nuclear weapons and their delivery systems, fueling a post-Cold War arms race and tensions

between Moscow and Washington.

Kyrgyzstan’s PM takes over as acting President

Kyrgyzstan’s Prime Minister Sadyr Zhaparov became the acting head of state in the wake of the

President’s resignation amid turmoil sparked by a disputed parliamentary election. Supporters of

newly appointed Prime Minister Sadyr Zhaparov rallied in the capital, Bishkek, and threatened to

storm government buildings, forcing President Sooronbai Jeenbekov to step down Thursday. Under

the constitution, the speaker of parliament would be next in line, but he refused to serve as caretaker

leader under protesters’ pressure, allowing Zhaparov to claim the top office.

India hosts virtual Summit of Ministers of Justice of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

India has hosted the virtual Summit of Ministers of Justice of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, SCO.

Addressing the Ministers of Justice from SCO Member States, Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar

Prasad highlighted the initiatives taken by the Indian Government for providing affordable and easy

access to justice for all. As part of activities of Justice Ministers’ Forum, the Minister urged SCO

Member States to promote exchange of ideas, best practices and experiences in identified areas

through the platform.

Thai pro-democracy protesters chant anti-establishment slogans in Bangkok

Thousands of Thai pro-democracy protesters chanted anti-establishment slogans in Bangkok, defying

a government ban on demonstrations for a second day. A ban on gatherings of more than five people

was imposed after nearly three months of protests that have called for a reduction in the powers of

King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s monarchy as well as the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.

Greece, Cyprus push for tougher EU response to Turkey’s natural gas exploration

Greece and Cyprus pushed for a tougher European Union response to Turkey’s natural gas exploration

in the contested Mediterranean waters at an EU summit. This came after Ankara restarted operations

of a survey ship it withdrew last month.

Global Hunger Index 2020: India ranks 94 out of 107 countries

The Global Hunger Index 2020 report released has ranked India at 94 among 107 countries. India was

ranked 102 out of 117 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2019 that was published jointly by Concern

Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe. With a score of 27.2 out of 50, the 2020 Global Hunger Index report

terms the level of hunger in India as "serious". While a score of less than 9.9 signifies "low" hunger,

that of 10-19.9 represents "moderate" levels of hunger, 20-34.9 points to "serious" hunger, 35-39.9

signifies "alarming" and over 50 "extremely alarming" levels of hunger. At present, India lags behind

Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia among others on the Global Hunger Index. Only 13 out of

107 countries, including Rwanda, Afghanistan, Liberia, and Chad among others have fared worse than

India. Three countries – Chad, Timor-Leste and Madagascar – have come under the “alarming”

category.

India designated Vice-Chair of OECD Working Group on GLP

India has been designated the ‘Vice-Chair’ of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) Working Group of the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), recognising the contribution of

the Indian GLP programme. The OECD has acknowledged the contribution of the Indian GLP program

and designated Dr. Ekta Kapoor, Scientist E, NGCMA, DST, as the Vice-Chair of the OECD Working

Group on GLP for 2021 and 2022.

Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) is a quality system, which has been evolved by Organisation for

Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to ensure that safety data generated

on various chemicals like industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals (Human and Veterinary),

agrochemicals, cosmetic products, food/ feed additives, and medical devices, etc., can be relied upon

by regulatory authorities.

Vishal V Sharma appointed India's next permanent representative to UNESCO

Vishal V Sharma has been appointed as the next permanent representative of India to the United

Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Sharma has succeeded Jawed

Ashraf. Sharma is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

National

Govt extends concessional rate on cargo movement between India, Chabahar Port in Iran

The Union Government has extended the current concessional rate of 40 per cent discount on cargo

movement between India and Chabahar Port in Iran for a period of one year. Shipping Ministry said,

the discount will apply for the coastal movement of cargo and vessel related charges, being handled

at Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Deendayal Port to Shahid Beheshti Port, Chabahar.

The Ministry said, the aim of the extension of discount period is to promote the trade through Shahid

Beheshti Port. It will also give a boost to coastal movement of cargo.

Union Education Minister virtually launches ‘KAPILA’ Kalam Program for IP Literacy and Awareness

Education campaign

Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ virtually launched the ‘KAPILA’ Kalam

Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness campaign on the 89th birth anniversary of

former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Under the ‘KAPILA’ Kalam Program, students pursuing

education in higher educational institutions will get information about the correct system of the

application process for patenting their invention and they will be aware of their rights.

It has also been decided to celebrate the week of October 15th to 23rd as 'Intellectual Property

Literacy Week'.

NS Tomar virtually inaugurates the India - International Food & Agri Week

Food Processing Industries Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had virtually inaugurated the India -

International Food and Agri Week being organised from 16th to 22nd October 2020 . Addressing the

inaugural session, Mr Tomar said Indian food processing sector is 32 per cent of India’s food market.

He said the focus of the agro and food tech is on the use of technology in the field of food and

agriculture sector to increase the income of farmers and is in line with the goal set by the Prime

Minister to double the income of farmers by 2022.

Shashi Tharoor announces new book,The Battle of Belonging

Author and politician Shashi Tharoor is back with, what he refers to as, his magnum opus: The Battle

of Belonging. The premise can be related in the subtitle which reads: On Nationalism, Patriotism And

What It Means To Be Indian. He stated that his new book is the most solidly researched & passionately

argued works.

Business and Economy

Union Bank of India MD & CEO Rajkiran Rai is new chairman of IBA

Indian Banks' Association (IBA) said Union Bank of India's MD and CEO Rajkiran Rai G has been elected

as the association's chairman for the term 2020-21. State Bank of India's chairman Dinesh Kumar

Khara has been elected as the deputy chairman of the association.

IBA is an association of banks, financial institutions and others that deals with resolving generic and

industry level issues of its members.

First State loans OMO on Oct. 22: RBI

The Reserve Bank of India said it will conduct the first-ever purchase auction of State Development

Loans (SDLs) under Open Market Operations (OMOs) for an aggregate amount of Rs 10,000 crore on

October 22. The central bank will purchase two SDLs each of 15 states and Union Territories through

a multi-security auction using multiple price method. There is no security-wise noted amount. The

SDLs will mature in 2029, 2030 and 2031.

At present, SDLs are eligible collateral for Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) along with T-bills, dated

government securities and oil bonds.

Commercial vehicle sales fall 20% in July-September: SIAM

Commercial vehicle sales, which are usually seen as an indicator of economic activity, fell 20.13% to

about 1.33 lakh units in the July-September 2020 quarter as compared with about 1.67 lakh units in

same period last year. Meanwhile, passenger vehicle (PV) dispatches to sellers recorded a robust

double-digit progress of 26.45% in September.

HCL Q2 net profit rises 18.5% on digitisation push

HCL Technologies said its net profit for the second quarter ended September 2020 grew 18.5% to Rs.

3,124 crore driven by a push for digitisation. The company said it planned to implement salary

increments in addition to a “significant number of hirings” during the current year.

Micromax eyes comeback, to invest Rs. 500 cr.

Homegrown consumer electronics brand Micromax is planning a comeback in the smartphone

segment with a Rs. 500 crore investment. As a first step towards re-entry into the segment where it

made waves before Chinese phones took over, Micromax Informatics unveiled a sub brand ‘in’, under

which it will roll out a range of smartphones.

Sports

Kidambi Srikanth crashes out of Denmark Open 2020 Badminton tournament

Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth crashed out of the Denmark Open 2020 badminton tournament after

a 22-20 13-21 16-21 defeat to Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the men's singles quarterfinals in

Odense, Denmark.

With it, the challenge of the Indians in the Denmark Open came to an end. Compatriots Lakshya Sen

bowed out in the second round while Ajay Jayaram and Subhankar Dey exited early in the first round.

IPL Cricket: Mumbai Indians thrash kolkata Knight Riders by 8 wickets in Abu Dhabi

Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 8 wickets at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu

Dhabi. Quinton de Kock's undefeated knock of 74 runs off 44 balls helped MI to have a successful

chase against KKR. KKR gave a low target of 149 runs for the MI to chase after a slow start.

With this win against KKR, MI Indians are now back to the top points table of the 13th edition of IPL

after dethroning Delhi Capitals (DC).

Wimbledon set to return in 2021

Wimbledon is set to go ahead next year even if the Grand Slam tournament has to be staged behind

closed doors, organisers announced. The grass court championships were cancelled this year for the

first time since World War II because of the coronavirus pandemic.