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• The United Nations General Assembly has designated the 31st of October as World Cities Day.
• Theme 2019- Changing the world: innovations and better life for future generations
• The Day is expected to greatly promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.

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• The Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh addressed the Council of Heads of Government of SCO at Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
• He represented as a Special Envoy of PM Modi at the conference. During the meet, it was decided that the next meeting of Council of Heads of Government in 2020 is to be conducted in India.

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• The Indian Women’s Hockey team secured their berth in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as the unit led by Rani Rampal defeated USA 6-5 on the aggregate scoreline at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
• This is the third time the women’s team have qualified for the Olympics. They qualified for the Olympics in 1980 and then again in 2016.
• With this win, India’s women’s team have qualified for successive editions of the Olympics for the first time.

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• All India Football Federation (AIFF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with German Football Association (DFB) in New Delhi pertaining to football education for coaches and referees, apart from national team exchanges and marketing initiatives.
• The signing of the agreement coincided with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to India for talks with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
• The MoU covers a wide range of areas pertaining to Indian football such as coach education (including grassroots), talent scouting and promotion, deployment of professional referees to India, exchange between national teams and visit of DFB all-star team (if feasible), joint marketing initiatives and sports administration via discussions on their competition management solutions. Football cooperation among states is also one of the agendas in respective Government's discussion.

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• Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom has been included in a 10-strong athlete ambassadors group to represent boxers in the build-up to next year's Tokyo Olympic Games by the IOC's Task Force for the sport.
• Mary Kom will represent the Asian bloc in the group, which also comprises two-time Olympic and world gold-medallist Vasyl Lamachenko and five-time world champion and 2016 Olympic gold-winner Julio Cesar La Cruz among others.
• The 36-year-old Indian recently surpassed herself as the most successful boxer in the history of the world championships when she claimed her eighth medal, a bronze, at the marquee event's latest edition in Russia.

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• The National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed every year on October 31, on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who is also known as the 'Iron Man of India'. The National Unity Day 2019 commemorates Patel’s 144th birth anniversary.
• PM Narendra Modi commemorated the National Unity Day by paying tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat.
• The Statue of Unity, which is the world’s tallest statue, depicts Vallabhbhai Patel, who was one of India’s most prominent leaders during its freedom movement.

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• Union Minister of Home Affairs Shri Amit Shah inaugurated the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Joint Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search & Rescue (SCOJtEx-2019) on 04th November, 2019 at Dr. Ambedkar International Center, New Delhi.
• On the initiative of Government of India, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) hosted “Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Joint Urban Earthquake Search & Rescue Exercise (SCOJtEx.)-2019” of all 08 SCO member countries, with the aim to rehearse the disaster response mechanism, share knowledge, experience, technology & also for mutual coordination, etc.  This exercise shall also provide an opportunity to enhance the coordination & co-operation involving multi-agency operations in an earthquake scenario.
• The participants of all 08 member countries namely China, India, Kazakhastan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan shall be participating in this exercise.

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• Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers approved the implementation of 480 million US dollars MCC grant that consists of grant funds for traffic management in Colombo, road construction Island wide, and land administration improvements covering the whole country.
• These compact programmes to be funded by this project have been developed by the Sri Lankan officials of the line ministries and departments based on the needs of the country.
• Sri Lanka is the 37th recipient of such grant funds from the people of the United States of America.
• Sri Lanka began negotiation with MCC in 2001 at the direction of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. MCC negotiations were led by the Ministry of Finance and the MCC compact developed and finalized by the Compact Development Team of the Prime Minister’s office.

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• The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman released a special commemorative coin on Paramahansa Yogananda to mark his 125th birth anniversary.
• Paramahansa Yogananda or Paramhansa Yogananda, born Mukunda Lal Ghosh, was an Indian monk, yogi and guru who introduced millions to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his organization Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) / Yogoda Satsanga Society (YSS) of India.

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• The Border Personnel Meeting was marked by unfurling of both the National Flags followed by a formal address by the delegation leaders and discussion on various issues to enhance the existing mutual trust and bonhomie between World's two largest armies. The mutual desire to enhance cooperation and cordial relations was evident from the conducive environment that prevailed during the proceedings.
• The BPM on 30th Oct every year is in vogue since the signing of Border Peace and Tranquility agreement between both the Nations on 07 Sep 1993.
• In the last 26 years, the BPM mechanism has evolved into a vital platform for resolving local issues and fostering mutual confidence amongst the Border Guarding Troops of both the countries.