Prashant Mavani, is an expert in current affairs analysis and holds a MSc in Management from University of Surrey (U.K.). Above all he is a passionate teacher.

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Pradip Singh Brijkishor Singh Kushwah

All GST issues to be resolved on November 10, says Modi

• Almost all the woes being faced by businesses and traders under the four-month-old Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime would likely be resolved by the GST Council at its November 10 meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

• India’s 100th rank in the World Bank’s latest ease of doing business report, he said, came without the GST being factored in. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag0t1UL_HIw

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nlMBX63000

• “If no State creates difficulties at the meeting of the GST Council on [November] 9 and 10 then I believe all necessary changes will be brought in to give new strength to India’s business community and the economy,” the Prime Minister said.

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U.S. discusses Maldives turmoil with India

• Amidst growing political turmoil in Male, a team of U.S. diplomats met senior External Affairs Ministry officials to discuss the events in the Maldives on Thursday.

• The team, led by the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Atul Keshap, shared their concerns about the political situation with Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and spoke about development cooperation in Sri Lanka, The Hindu has learnt.

• Among the concerns on the Maldives was the crackdown by the government on Opposition leaders, most of whom are in exile facing prison terms

• The American diplomats also said the action in Parliament in August, where the Army was called in to stop lawmakers from passing an impeachment motion against the Speaker of the Assembly, was “very discouraging”.

• The growth of Islamist radicalism was another area of concern discussed, given the fall of IS would send foreign fighters back to their countries of origin.

• Nearly 200 Maldivians are estimated to have travelled to Iraq and Syria, and the Maldives, with a population of just 4 lakhs, is believed to be among the countries worst affected by IS radicalisation. www.studyiq.com

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Key accused in Akshardham temple attack arrested

• More than 15 years after the attack on Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Saturday arrested key accused Ajmeri Abdul Rashid, who had allegedly hatched the conspiracy and fled to Riyadh after the attack.

• Rashid is one of the 28 absconding accused in the case and was arrested by the Crime Branch from the city airport as he was returning from Riyadh.

• Over 30 pilgrims were gunned down by two terrorists who were subsequently killed by the National Security Guard (NSG) commandos specially flown in from the national capital.

• The Supreme Court had slammed the Gujarat police for its shoddy investigation into the terror attack.

• Interestingly, Ajmeri’s arrest comes two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Akshardham temple’s silver jubilee celebrations on Wednesday in Gandhinagar.

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3 women die in pilgrims’ rush in Bihar

• Three elderly women died of suffocation on Saturday morning in a crowded alley near the Simariya Ghat where thousands of devotees had gathered for a holy dip in the Ganga on the occasion of Karthik Purnima, the police said.

• While the police initially said there was a stampede, Superintendent of Police Aditya Kumar later denied it, saying the women, all in their 80s, died of suffocation because of the heavy rush of pilgrims.

• Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed sorrow over the incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the deceased.

• Asked if he was ruling out a possibility of stampede, Mr. Singhal said, “We will reach a final conclusion only after the post-mortem reports arrive. If any negligence on part of the police is found, accountability will be fixed. The IG zone and the DIG range would also take stock of the situation.”

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Hotspots of rattan found in Western Ghats

• Scientists have discovered that non-protected areas near the Agastyamalai Biosphere Reserve, Silent Valley-Mukurthi National Parks and Coorg-Wayanadin the Western Ghats are hotspots of rattan or cane (light, flexible climbing palms) species.

• Urgent conservation attention in the face of threats including habitat loss and excessive harvesting would be critical here, warns a study published in Plant Diversity.

• 21 endemic rattan species across the Western Ghats.

• At 19, the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have the highest number of species.

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Jhiri festival kicks off in Jammu

• Thousands of devotees from different parts of the country thronged the shrines of legendary farmer saint Baba Jitto and his daughter Bua Kaury as the nine-day annual fair commenced on Saturday amid tight security arrangements.

• About one million devotees are expected to take part in the festival which is scheduled to end on November 12, officials said.

• The devotees thronging the temple at Jhiri, 15 km from here, to take part in the festival to remember the sacrifice of the legendary farmer saint and his daughter, who fought against exploitation centuries ago.

• The festival is based on a folklore of the Dogras.

• Followers from Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country, mostly Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, gather to pay tributes to ‘Baba Jit Mal’, popularly known as Baba Jitto, at his ‘samadhi’ every year.

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Answers

1)

2) Good terrorism and bad terrorism.

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Questions

1) Name the highest mountain peak of Western Ghat.

2) Name 3 bio-diversity hotspots around the world.

3) Name the interlocutor of Government of India for Naga Peace Talk.

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