1) India-Bangladesh Inaugurated Train Service between Kolkata and Khulna
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the long-awaited direct train-service between Kolkata and Khulna through video-conferencing. The new train service is called Bandhan Express. It is the second cross-border train between the two neighboring countries.
•The train will run in either direction twice a week and cover the 177 km distance between Kolkata and Khulna within 4 1/2 hours.
2) In a First, Kerala Launched ‘She Pad’ Scheme for School Girls
•Kerala government launched “She Pad,’’ a scheme to distribute free sanitary napkins to girl students from classes VI to XII in government and aided private schools affiliated to the state school board.
•This is the first time that a state government is distributing sanitary napkins to school students. In this academic year, the scheme will be implemented in 300 schools in 114 panchayats by the Kerala Women Development Corporation with the support of local self-governing bodies.
3) Hong Kong, World's Top City for International Visits
•Hong Kong remains the world's most visited city by international travelers in spite of strained relations with neighboring China.
•In a report on the top 100 city destinations that highlights the growth in Asian tourism, market research firm Euromonitor International said 25.7 million arrivals are expected in Hong Kong in 2017. The figure is down 3.2 percent compared with 2016.
4) Odd-Even Scheme to be Reintroduced in Delhi from November 13-17
•The Delhi government announced that the odd-even scheme will be reintroduced in the national capital from November 13 to November 17.
•This comes after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) declared a state of public health emergency in Delhi. The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority had declared that the pollution has reached 'Severe Plus' level or emergency condition.
5) Govt Notifies Tax Avoidance Protocol Between India and New Zealand
•The government has notified the third protocol between India and New Zealand for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
•The protocol updates the existing framework of exchange of tax-related information to latest international standard which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between the two countries and will also enable mutual assistance in collection of taxes.
Brief History-
•The protocol entered into force in India on September 7, 2017, and has been notified in the official gazette on November 2, 2017. The convention between the two countries came into force in December 1986 and was amended through a first protocol in 1997 and a second protocol in 2000.
6) Bank of China Begins Operations in Pakistan
•Bank of China has formally launched its operations in Pakistan, with its first branch inaugurated in Karachi. The bank would strengthen the "brotherly relations" between the two countries in the financial sector.
•As per the officials, the increased diversity of foreign banks would increase the country’s economic resilience.
7) EU Launches Election Observation Mission for Nepal Polls
•The European Union Election Observation Mission was officially launched to monitor the general and provincial polls in Nepal which are scheduled for November 26 and December 7.
•Around 100 election observers from member countries of the European Union (EU) have been deployed to oversee the polls in the Himalayan nation. The EU has allocated 3.5 million euro for the entire election observation process.
8) HDFC Bank Launched SmartUp Zone in Kochi
•HDFC Bank has announced the launch of its SmartUp Zone in Kochi, an exclusive area inside the branch dedicated for start-ups.
•SmartUp Zones will be launched in over 65 branches in 30 cities across India, including tier 2 and 3 cities that are emerging as start-up hubs. The objective is to harness the potential of the startup and fintech eco-system using a multi-pronged approach.
