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.

• This summer’s agitation was sparked by grievances over Ms. Banerjee’s initial statement about Bengali being made a compulsory language of study in the State, the stir revived the demand for statehood.

• Breakthrough ending the 104-day-long blockade in the Darjeeling hills

• The Union and West Bengal governments must move forthwith to consolidate the ‘truce’ and address the setback to livelihoods and the local economy suffered over this period.

• The announcement on ending the bandh came from Bimal Gurung of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

• Three Players: West Bengal Government, Central Govt. and

Gurkha representatives.

• Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, which had been set up in 2012 as a semi-autonomous body with substantive powers.

• A section of the GJM, led by Binay Tamang, had shown an inclination to negotiate with the State government.

• The maximalist position of the agitators, the discomfort within the BJP government at the Centre on officially responding to such aspirations, and Ms. Banerjee’s ploy of using the issue to sharpen a Bengali chauvinistappeal in the rest of the State to gain more support for her TrinamoolCongress, all contributed to the stalemate.

• Shinzo Abe has gambled his career by calling snap elections to the LowerHouse of the Japanese Diet in late-October.

• The term of the House would have ordinarily lasted another year.

• Mr Abe clearly senses a turn in the popular breeze in his favour.

• Result also depends on the grit and tenacity of his challenger, Tokyo’s first

woman Governor, Yuriko Koike.• The former television anchor achieved an unprecedented feat last year by

taking the city’s top job, trouncing the official nominee of Mr. Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party in a triangular race.

• Served briefly as defence minister during Mr. Abe’s first term in 2006-07.

• In a repeat of her growing penchant to take on a male-dominated establishment, Ms. Koike floated a local party earlier this year, which spectacularly captured the Tokyo city assembly in July.

• Now, following the surprise announcement of polls to the Lower House of the Diet, she has launched the Party of Hope, drawing a number of parliamentarians from across the spectrum, including the ruling camp.

• But the Tokyo Governor, in turn, would also be mindful of criticism that she is abandoning her current responsibilities with the plunge into national politics.

• This is especially so given the coming Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020, and any impression that she is abdicating the preparatory work could be damaging.

• Meanwhile, the divided and demoralised opposition Democratic Party, in the midst of a leadership crisis, could work to project Mr. Abe as a symbol of relative stability especially at a time when the North Korean crisis shows no sign of abating.

• In substantial terms, though, voters may have little to choose between the conservative nationalist stances advocated by Mr. Abe and Ms. Koike.

• This visit of U.S. Secretary of Defence James Mattis came weeks after the Trump administration unveiled its South Asia strategy.

• Which in many ways marks a radical departure from the past by putting

Pakistan on notice and bringing India to the centre stage of Washington’s Afghanistan policy.

Wider role in Kabul

1) India has decided to take up 116 “high-impact community developmental projects” in 31 provinces of Afghanistan.

2) India and Afghanistan have also agreed to “strengthen security cooperation”, with New Delhi agreeing “to extend further assistance for the Afghan national defence and security forces in fighting the scourge of terrorism, organised crime, trafficking of narcotics and money laundering”.

3) India will be training Afghan police officers along with Afghan soldiers.

4) Handed four attack helicopters to Kabul as part of its assistance package.

• The U.S. is sending about 3,000 more troops to Afghanistan, most of which are preparing to arrive in the coming weeks.

• The convergence between India and the U.S. on Pakistan has evolved at an extraordinary pace.• New Delhi has led an active global campaign to marginalise Islamabad and bring its role as a state

sponsor of terror to the forefront of the global community.

• The Xiamen BRICS declaration earlier this month also listed Pakistan-based terror organisations for the first time.• It is not surprising, therefore, that Pakistan’s Foreign Minister has had to admit that terrorist Hafiz

Saeed and terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are a “liability” for his country and for the South Asian region.

Stronger ties with U.S.• The visit of Gen. Mattis also underscored the growing salience of defence ties in shaping

the trajectory of Indo-U.S. relations.• The sale of 22 Sea Guardian Unmanned Aerial Systems

• China’s growing assertiveness• In the past, India had been reluctant to play an active role in East and Southeast Asia.

• ‘Act East’ policy

Change No Change

• We have to understand one thing: this entire campaign is to make India clean.• But the people who actually make the country swachh(clean), and have kept itswachhso far,

have been left behind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to achieve this goal without their participation.

• To clean the country, you have to address the problems of those who have spent a lifetime cleaning the country.

• In India, there is an inexorable link between occupation and caste; the occupation of manual scavenging is linked with caste.

• Constitution declaring the abolition of untouchability in Article 17, it is still practised by perpetuating occupations such as scavenging.

• Instead of modernising the sewer lines and septic tanks and investing money and energy on smart techniques of sanitation, you are adding more problems to the existing problem.

• Physical outcome and mind set change.

• Coverage of toilet: from 39% now it is 69%.• 248000 villages, 203 districts, 1200 cities are Open Defecation Free

• A boon for women.

Jaitley calls Sinha a ‘job applicant at 80’• Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today hit out at senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha,

• Addressing a book release function in New Delhi, Mr. Jaitley said India has continued to be the fastest growing economy in the last three years.

• He said, the direct tax figures are 15.7 percent over and above last year's figure.• Even the Direct tax figures as of today are 15.7% over & above last year. So the so called slow down,

which some visualize has an impacted that.

• Mr Jaitley said the government is making incremental changes and has tackled policy paralysis.

• On criticism of demonetisation, he said the Prime Minister has a very strong agenda on creating a new normal as far as India's shadow economy is concerned.

• He said, the Centre gave opportunity to people to come clean about their accounts held abroad.

• Mr. Jaitley said, ensuring benefits percolate to the poor has been basic tenor of the NDA government.• The space of bringing a blend between a fast moving economy and economy which grows and

making sure that the benefits percolate even to the poor and therefore getting all cross-section on your side and arousing a new confidence in them has been the basic tenor of this government in the past three and half year.

Search for a highly potent anti-snake venom• The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT) is researching the venom of

snakes from different Indian regions in order to create a highly potent anti-snake venom (ASV).

• A highly potent ASV is crucial for two reasons. First, it will offer better relief for snakebite victims. Second, it will reduce the quantity of ASV required for treatment — ASVs, produced after an intensive and long process, are currently not highly effective.

• There is only one venom extraction centre in the country, which functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Tamil Nadu. Venom supplied to about half a dozen ASV-producing companies comes from this region.• The tedious process of producing ASV involves injecting venom from four different

species of snakes into horses. A few weeks later, blood from the injected horses is collected and plasma separated from it. While the remaining blood components are routed back to the horse, the purified form of the plasma is the ASV.

VVPAT to be used in Gujarat polls• The Election Commission of India will use Voter Verifiable

Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) gadgets with Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) in all 50,128 voting booths in Gujarat, which goes to the Assembly polls at the end of this year.

• “This is the first time an entire assembly poll will be conducted using EVMs equipped with VVPAT,” Chief Electoral Officer B.B. Swain told mediapersons in Gandhinagar on Thursday.

• VVPAT machines, which will be attached to the EVMs, will allow voters to verify if their vote has gone to the intended candidate.

• This would ensure transparency in the voting process, the Chief Electoral Officer said.

• The machine is being put to use in Gujarat following a petition filed by Reshma Patel, one of the conveners of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti.

India signs MoU to train Afghan police• India and Afghanistan exchanged a memorandum of understanding on

Thursday, which will see Afghan police forces trained in India for the first time.

• The agreement followed a meeting between Afghanistan Chief Executive Dr.Abdullah Abdullah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

• Dr. Abdullah, who is in India on a “working-visit”, also met with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and President Ram Nath Kovind, and discussed deals under the Strategic Partnership Council this month, which included an Indian commitment to 116 “New Development Projects” as well as enhanced security cooperation.

• President Ram Nath Kovind has said, India deeply respects the supreme sacrifice made by the Afghan National Defence and Security forces to fight the forces of terror. He said, India stands with the government and people of Afghanistan in their quest for peace, stability and prosperity.

Centre pegs second-half borrowing at Rs. 2.08 lakh cr.• The Government plans to borrow 2.08 lakh crore

rupees from the market in the second half of 2017-18 reiterating its commitment to meet the fiscal deficit target of 3.2 per cent of GDP.

• To finance the fiscal deficit for the current financial year, the Budget has pegged gross borrowing at 5.8 lakh crore rupees.

• Talking to reporters in New Delhi today after a meeting to decide the borrowing calendar, Economic Affairs Secretary S C Garg said the government has already borrowed 3.72 lakh crore rupees in the first half and pegged gross borrowings at 2.08 lakh crore rupees in the remaining six months of the current fiscal.

• Amid talks of stimulus package to boost sagging economic growth, Mr. Garg said the Finance Ministry will stick to the deficit targets set in the Budget.

Low-cost test to pinpoint Zika virus• A new test that resembles a pregnancy indicator strip can help detect Zika

and dengue viruses in blood, according to a study which used serum samples from several countries including India.

• “In the light of the problems with the Zika virus causing microcephaly and other defects in babies born to infected mothers, it is important that a pregnant woman know if her fever is caused by Zika virus or dengue virus,” said Lee Gehrke, a professor at MIT.

• Zika and dengue both belong to the same viral family, which are called flaviviruses. They are two closely related viruses spread by the same mosquito.

Fourth gravitational wave is detected• A fourth gravitational wave has been detected — this

time with help from Italy-based equipment — after two black holes collided, sending ripples through the fabric of space and time, researchers said.

• Gravitational waves were predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago as part of his theory of general relativity, but the first hard evidence of their existence came only in 2015, when two U.S. detectors found the first such signal.

• Previously, gravitational waves have been found using two U.S.-based detectors, known as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington.

• The Virgo detector — an underground L-shaped instrument that tracks gravitational waves using the physics of laser light and space — recently underwent an upgrade, and while still less sensitive than its U.S. counterparts, it was able to confirm the same signal.

Questions

1. What are the 4 structural pillars/institutes of European Union?

2. Kishanganga and Ratle are two hydro power projects being constructed by India on which two rivers?

3. Kurumba, Irula, and Muduka tribes were in news because of they are vulnerable to sickle cell anemia. Which part of India do we find these tribes?

a. Southern India

b. North-East India

c. Border towns of Gujarat and Maharashtra

d. Border towns between Gujarat and Rajasthan

The End

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