| |
Read More
- A 93-year-old great-grandmother was crowned “Miss Holocaust Survivor” on 14 Oct. in an annual Israeli beauty pageant designed to put a smile on women who endured the horrors of the Nazi genocide.
- A dozen contestants cautiously trod the catwalk - at times assisted - in the city of Haifa, with hair coiffed, make-up applied and sashes adorning their dresses.
- Several generations of relatives, along with well-wishers, cheered and snapped pictures
- underscoring the organisers’ message that the contest bestows glamour and honour on the dwindling number of those whose youth was stolen in wartime Europe but who went on build new lives for themselves in Israel.
- Some commentators and survivors worry that the event cheapens the memory of the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis.But one German spectator deemed it “a wonderful celebration”.
|
Read More
- The government's sovereign gold bond scheme for 2018-19 opens from 15Oct. for subscription.
- The government has fixed the rate at Rs 3,146 for a gram of gold.
- The sovereign gold bonds for this series will be launched in five tranches each month from October to February 2019.
- The first tranche will remain open till October 19, while the bonds will be issued on October 23.
- The bonds would be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited, designated post offices, and stock exchanges National Stock Exchange and BSE.
- The scheme offers benefits similar to the earlier tranche of 2.5% interest and exemption on capital gains tax on redemption.
- Under the scheme, the bonds are denominated in units of one gram of gold and multiples thereof.
- Minimum investment in the bonds is one gram with a maximum limit of subscription of 500 grams per person per fiscal year
|
Read More
- National awardee, music director Mohammed Zahur Khayyam Hashmi, famous as 'Khayyam' has been named for this year's Hridaynath Award for Lifetime Achievement.
- Instituted by the Hridayesh Arts, the award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a memento and shawl be conferred by Chief Ministe Devendra Fadnavis at a function here on Friday (October 26).
- Avinash Prabhavalkar, official of Hridayesh Arts said that "the award ceremony coincides with the 81st birthday of Hridaynath Mangeshkar".
- The veteran composer, lyricist and writer, Padma Bhushan Khayyam (91), started his music career in Ludhiana in 1943 at the age of 17 and later teamed up as Sharma of the music-director duo'Sharmaji-Varmaji' to compose music for films like 'Heer Ranjha' (released 1948).
- In 1981, he composed music for the sensitive blockbuster film 'Umrao Jaan'. He bagged the National Award, and also a Filmfare Award.
|
Read More
- Trade ministers of 16-member RCEP bloc, including India and China, have urged all participating countries to continue to exert all efforts for early conclusion of the negotiations, the commerce ministry said on 14 Oct.
- The progress of the talks for the mega trade deal RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) was discussed during the two day meet of ministers in Singapore, concluded 13 Oct.
- Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary attended the 6th RCEP Inter-sessional Ministerial Meeting (IMM) in Singapore on 12-13 October.
- Chaudhary also held bilateral meeting with Trade Minister of Singapore. The island nation sought India's help in early conclusion of RCEP negotiations, it said.
- Next round of meeting at chief negotiators level is scheduled to be held in Auckland later this month.
- Earlier a joint statement issued after the meeting of trade ministers in August has stated that the countries adopted a package of year-end deliverables developed by the trade negotiating committee.
- The ministers had expressed hope that completion of the package would signify the substantial conclusion of the RCEP negotiations this year
|
Read More
- Foreign tourists can now visit Andaman and Nicobar Islands without any restrictions as the Home Ministry has modified its earlier order which made it mandatory for them to register with the Foreigners Registration Officer within 24 hours of their arrival, a source in the ministry said.
- The step was taken on the suggestion made by the Tourism Ministry to boost the foreign tourist arrivals in the Union Territory through an order dated September 17.
- This order follows an earlier directive which allowed foreigners to visit 29 inhabited and 11 uninhabited islands in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were prohibited for visitors under the Foreigners (Restricted Area) Order, 1963, without any restrictions.
- The Ministry of Tourism has been pushing to relax rules in the restricted areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim and other areas to give a boost to tourism.
- It has also proposed that travel restrictions be removed from border areas in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
|
Read More
- The Nilgiri Plain Ace, a butterfly species, was rediscovered after 130 years, during the Larsen memorial butterfly survey, conducted by the Wynter-Blyth Association (WBA) and the Forest Department. The survey concluded on October 14.
- Kalesh Sadasivan from the Travancore Natural History Society told The Hindu that this was the first time the butterfly was photographed in the district, though it had been recorded previously in 1888.
- “This was the first time a butterfly survey was being conducted in the Nilgiris,” he said.
- The survey was conducted across a large geographical landscape with a definitive time-frame.
- 198 species found-Apart from the rediscovery of the Nilgiri Plain Ace, 198 different species were recorded during the survey, including the largest butterfly in India the Southern Birdwing
|