ODISHA
- Bhubaneswar Smart City acts on air pollution
- Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited, the special purpose vehicle executing the smart city projects in the city, has started implementing the air action plan to curb air pollution in the city.
- The plan was drafted in consultation with experts and environmentalists.
- The smart city officials have started installing the display boards at various locations of the city, which would provide real-time data on the air quality index to the citizens.
- According to the plan to curb air pollution, the officials will implement other measures mainly promotion of non-motorised transport since the experts raised concern over increasing vehicular population in the city in recent years.
INTERNATIONAL
• Armies of India and Japan to hold first ever joint exercise from November 1
Armies of India and Japan will hold their first ever joint exercise from November 1 at a jungle warfare school in Mizoram’s Vairengte with a focus on strengthening counter-terror cooperation.
The focus of the two-week-long exercise ‘Dharma Guardian” will be to increase interoperability between the two forces and enhance coordination in dealing with various security challenges.
The Indian contingent will be represented by 6/1 Gorkha Rifles while the Japanese contingent will be represented by 32 Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force.
• Study says climate change threatens World Heritage sites
A study published in the journal Nature presented a risk index that ranks the sites according to the threat they face from today until the end of the century. It stated that the UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Mediterranean such as Venice, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Medieval City of Rhodes are under severe threat of coastal erosion and flooding due to rising sea levels within the next 100 years. It also included Venice and its Lagoon, Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia.
Heritage sites face many challenges to adapt to the effects of sea-level rise as it changes the value and spirit of place for each site.
• Stephen Hawking’s last Book : Brief Answers to the Big Questions
In “Brief Answers To The Big Questions”, the last book published in renowned physicist Stephen Hawkings name, he has reached the conclusion that there is no God.
It has been completed by Hawking’s family after his death, and features answers to several pertinent questions that were put to the physicist during his illustrious life.
Among the popular books Stephen Hawking published are “A Brief History of Time”, “Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays”, “The Universe in a Nutshell”, “The Grand Design” and “My Brief History”.
NATIONAL
• Bihar’s Shahi litchi gets GI tag
After Katrani rice, Jardalu mango and Magahi paan, Bihars Shahi litchi has got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag and has become an exclusive brand in the national and international market.
The famous Shahi litchi, which is famous for its sweet, juicy, unique flavour and aroma, is mostly grown in Muzaffarpur and neighbouring districts including East Champaran, Vaishali, Samastipur and Begusarai.
• India finishes with 16th in Youth Olympic Games
India’s campaign at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires ended with 13 medals (three gold medals, nine silvers and one bronze).
This is India’s best medal haul at the Summer Youth Olympic Games. India had won 8 medals in 2010 and 2 in 2014.
Overall, India finishes the campaign on 16th spot. Russia and china grabbed the top two spots respectively.
• Commemoration of ’75th Year of Establishment of Azad Hind Government’
The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, would be hoisting the National flag and unveiling the plaque to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the formation of Azad Hind Government on 21st October, 2018, at the Red Fort, Delhi.
The Azad Hind Government, founded on 21st October, 1943 was inspired by Neta ji Subhash Chandra Bose who was the leader of Azad Hind Government and also the Head of State of this Provisional Indian Government-in-exile.
It was a part of the freedom movement, originating in 1940s outside India with a purpose of allying with Axis powers to free India from British rule.
• Assam celebrates Kati Bihu festival
Assam’s Bihu festival, known as Kati Bihu or Kongali Bihu, is being celebrated across the state.
On the occasion of Kati Bihu, women, both in urban and rural areas, try to ward off evil and pray for a rich harvest by lighting earthen lamps.
The festival derives its name from the Assamese month of Kati.
• India’s Highest Tricolour Unfurled At Haj House In Mumbai
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi unfurled India’s highest tricolor on the terrace of the majestic Haj House in Mumbai.
The national flag measured 20×30 feet and stood 350 feet above the ground level.
The flag atop a 20-meter high mast on top of the iconic building is near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai.
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