A mass of mostly young people among tens of thousands who gathered to celebrate Halloween in Seoul became trapped and crushed as the crowd surged into a narrow alley, killing at least 151 people and injuring 82 others in South Korea’s worst disaster in years.

Emergency workers and pedestrians desperately performed CPR on people lying in the streets after the crush in the capital’s nightlife district of Itaewon on  Oct 29 night.

Those killed or hurt were mostly teens and people in their 20s.

Somalia’s president says at least 100 people were killed in  two car bombings at a busy junction in the capital and the toll could rise in the country's deadliest attack since a truck bombing at the same spot five years ago killed more than 500.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, at the site of the explosions in Mogadishu, told journalists that nearly 300 other people were wounded. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group, which often targets the capital and controls large parts of the country, claimed responsibility, saying it targeted the education ministry.

The group usually doesn’t make claims of responsibility when large numbers of civilians are killed, as in the 2017 blast, but it has been angered by a high-profile new offensive by the government that also aims to shut down its financial network.

Somalia’s president, elected this year, said the country remained at war with al-Shabab “and we are winning.”

The Tea Board of India on  Oct 30 said the total tea production in the country is estimated to be 190 million kilogram (mkg) during Sep, as against 163 mkg in the corresponding period last year, which is a surge of 16.5 per cent.

The production of tea leaves by the largest producer among states, Assam, is estimated at 109 mkg in the reviewed month as against 92 mkg in the corresponding the previous year whereas West Bengal's production is pegged at 52.94 mkg in September, against 46.32 mkg in the year-ago period.

North India's production of tea is estimated at 166.75 mkg, against 142.56 in September the previous year. The production of tea leaves in the South is estimated to be 23.28 mkg, against 20.61 mkg in September last year.

The Reserve Bank needs to keep digital payments outside the purview of withdrawal restrictions on zero-balance basic savings bank deposit (BSBD) accounts and let the government allow a uniform fee of 0.3 per cent, in lieu of the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR), on e-commerce transactions, as per a report.

The IIT Bombay report further said as much as Rs 5,000 crore can be raised per annum through a 0.3 per cent fee on payments through all electronic modes at e-commerce platforms, which could be used to maintain and strengthen the UPI infrastructure.

Such a fee imposed on e-commerce merchants and institutions who cannot transact in currency notes would be more in line with the 'digital payment facilitation fee'.

India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries are expected to start negotiations for a free trade agreement next month with an aim to boost economic ties between the two regions.

GCC is a union of six countries in the Gulf region -- Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.

India has already implemented a free trade pact with the UAE in May this year.

According to experts, the GCC region holds huge trade potential and a trade agreement would help in further boosting India's exports to that market.

India imports predominately crude oil and natural gas from the Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and exports pearls, precious and semi-precious stones; metals; imitation jewellery; electrical machinery; iron and steel; and chemicals to these countries.

India's exports to the GCC increased by 58.26 per cent to about USD 44 billion in 2021-22 against USD 27.8 billion in 2020-21, according to data of the commerce ministry.

The share of these six countries in India's total exports has risen to 10.4 per cent in 2021-22 from 9.51 per cent in 2020-21.

Similarly, imports rose by 85.8 per cent to USD 110.73 billion compared to USD 59.6 billion in 2020-21, the data showed.

The share of GCC members in India's total imports rose to 18 per cent in 2021-22 from 15.5 per cent in 2020-21.

Bilateral trade has increased to USD 154.73 billion in 2021-22 from USD 87.4 billion in 2020-21.

Besides trade, Gulf nations are host to a sizeable Indian population. Out of about 32 million non-resident Indians (NRIs), nearly half are estimated to be working in Gulf countries.

David Miller and Aiden Markram smashed fifties to lead South Africa to top of Group 2 points table in Super 12s with a five-wicket victory over India in a thrilling win at the Men's T20 World Cup at Perth Stadium on Oct 30.

Brief Scores: India 133/9 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 68; Lungi Ngidi 4/29, Wayne Parnell 3/15) lose to South Africa 137/5 in 19.4 overs (David Miller 59 not out, Aiden Markram 52; Arshdeep Singh 2/25, Mohammed Shami 1/13) by five wickets

Q1. Name the e-commerce platform  which  has been launched by the Insurance Regulatory Authority of India (IRDAI) and which  will house all the companies that sell life and non-life insurance products on a single platform?

1. 'Bima Sugam'
2. 'Bima Suwidha'
3. 'Bima Kunj '
4. 'Bima Sarowar'
5. None of These

Q2. Name the High Commissioner of Guyana to India who  has been recalled by the Guyana President, Irfaan Ali over a video from last year that has gone viral ?

1. Amir Chand
2. Mukesh Kaushik
3. Dr. K. J. Srinivasa
4. Charandass Persaud
5. None of These

Q3. Which among the following is an extremist organization associated with Al –Qaeda ?

1. Al- Karim
2. Al- Falah
3. Al-Shabab
4. Al- Jehad
5. None of These

Q4. Name the place in Gujarat  situated on the river Machchhu river at which  at least 141 people were declared dead after a century-old cable bridge collapsed on Oct 30 ?

1. Baroda
2. Morbi
3. Ahmedabad
4. Kevadia
5. None of These

Q5.  In India 19th November is celebrated as the

1. National Integration Day
2. National Youth  Day
3. National Earth  Day
4. National Water  Day
5. None of These

Answers

1--------------------------1 'Bima Sugam'

2----------------------------4   Charandass Persaud

3---------------------------3    Al-Shabab

4-----------------------------2   Morbi

5-----------------------------1  National Integration Day 

Setting the cat among the pigeons, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Oct 29 urged states to consider what he called the ‘One Nation, One Police Uniform’ policy, a potentially controversial move that is not likely to go down well with non-BJP state governments.

Addressing the Ministry of Home Affairs-led Chintan Shivir on internal security in Faridabad, Modi said, “Take your time. Take five, 50 or even 100 years, but do give this proposal a thought. This would give a single identity to the police.” Under the Constitution, police in general and law and order in particular are state subjects.