India opens Siachen area from Base to Kumar post for tourists

NATIONAL NEWS

India opens Siachen area from Base to Kumar post for tourists

• Siachen glacier, known for its arduous climate and difficult terrain, is now open for tourism. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced that the Siachen area is now open for tourists and tourism.
• From Siachen Base Camp to Kumar Post, the entire area has been opened for tourism purposes.

Vice President’s visit to Azerbaijan to participate in the 18th NAM Summit

• Hon’ble Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu will lead the Indian delegation at the 18th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan on 25-26 October, 2019.
• The theme for the Summit is "Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of contemporary world”.
• Hon’ble Vice President will deliver India’s National Statement during the plenary meeting of the NAM Summit.
• He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other NAM member countries on the sidelines of the Summit.
• India is a founding member of NAM, which is one of the largest gatherings of world leaders.

DEFENCE

DAC clears indigenous projects worth ₹3,300 crore

• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, which approved three projects worth ₹3,300 crore of “indigenously designed and developed equipment.”
• These include third generation Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) and Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) for the T-72 and T-90 Tanks to be executed by the Indian industry.
• The third indigenous project pertains to discrete electronic warfare systems for the mountain and high-altitude terrain, which would be designed and developed by the DRDO and manufactured by design cum production partner from the Indian industry.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

World's oldest pearl discovered near Abu Dhabi

• The world's oldest natural pearl has been discovered on an island off Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
• The 8,000-year-old pearl was found during excavations at Marawah Island which also revealed the earliest architecture in the UAE.
• Authorities said the discovery proved that pearls had been traded in the region since Neolithic times.

OBITUARY

Dhyanchand award recipient wrestler Dadu Chougule passes away

• Dadu Chougule, wrestler and recipient of Major Dhyanchand award, passed away.
• In 1973, Chougule had won the titles ‘Rustum-e-Hind’ and ‘Mahan Bharat Kesari’ in national-level tournaments.
• In the 1974 Commonwealth Games, he won the silver medal.
• He won the ‘Maharashtra Kesari’ title twice in 1970 and 1971 and was awarded by the state government with ‘Shivchattrapati Puraskar’.

SPORTS

Rohit Sharma creates new Test record, surpasses Australia’s Don Bradman

• Rohit Sharma has created a new record in test cricket.
• Sharma broke Australian cricketer Don Bradman's record of highest average in Test cricket on home soil during the Day 2 of India’s third test against South Africa at JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi on October 20, 2019.
• Rohit Sharma scored 212 runs during India’s first innings in the third test. This is his first double hundred in Test cricket.
• With the score, Sharma recorded an average of 99.84 on home soil, which is higher than Don Bradman’s average of 98.22 on home soil in test cricket.

India's Riya Bhatia wins ITF title in Nigeria

• Riya Bhatia beat Nastja Kolar of Slovenia 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in the final of the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Lagos, Nigeria.
• Except for losing her way in the second set, it was a dominant performance by the 22-year-old Riya, ranked 516, against the Slovenian, who had reached a career-best rank of 178 in singles and 140 in doubles.

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov wins first career ATP title at Stockholm Open

• Canadian Denis Shapovalov has his first ATP Tour title.
• The fourth-seeded Shapovalov, of Richmond Hill, Ont., captured the Stockholm Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Serbian Filip Krajinovic.
• Not only was it Shapovalov’s first ATP title but he becomes the first Canadian Tour winner since Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., in Brisbane in January 2016.
• It marked the first time Shapovalov had ever faced the No. 60-ranked Krajinovic.

Raunak Sadhwani becomes India's 65th Grandmaster

• Raunak Sadhwani has becomes India's 65th Grandmaster. He defeated Russian GM Alexander Motylev to become the Grandmaster at the age of 13 years, 9 months and 28 days.
• Sadhwani's first GM norm came in the 2019 Aeroflot Open and the 2nd in the 2019 Porticcio Open and the final norm at FIDE-Chess Grand Swiss.
• With the victory, Sadhwani has joined the growing list of country's teenaged GMs that includes enormously-talented Nihal Sarin, R. Praggnanandhaa and D. Gukesh, among others.