CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• Global Handwashing Day 2022 is observed on the 15th of October & the theme is, “Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene.”
• International Day of Rural Women 2022 is observed on the 15th of October 2022.
• White Cane Safety Day 2022 is observed on the 15th of October 2022.
• Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day 2022 is observed on the 15th of October 2022.
• World Students Day 2022 is observed on the 15th of October 2022, to honor the birthday of our former president, the late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
• World Food Day 2022 is observed annually on the 16th of October 2022 & the theme is, "Leave No One Behind"
• World Anaesthesia Day 2022 is observed on the 16th of October 2022 & the theme is, "Anaesthesia and children: Caring for your kids"
• International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2022 is observed on the 17th of October 2022 with the theme of "Dignity for All in Practice"
• World osteoporosis day 2022 is observed on the 20th of October 2022 & the theme set up by the International Osteoporosis Foundation is “Step Up For Bone Health”
• On 20th October, National Solidarity Day 2022 is observed.
• Police Commemoration Day 2022 is observed on the 21st of October 2022.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• Shri Anurag Thakur, the union minister of Youth Affairs and Sports launched the World Anti-dopping Agency (WADA) Athlete Biological Passport Symposium 2022.
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas to give a one-time grant amounting to Rs 22,000 crore to three Public Sector Undertaking Oil Marketing Companies (PSU OMCs).
• The Union Cabinet approved a ₹6600 crore scheme for developing India’s northeastern states.
• The Union Cabinet approved a project to develop a container terminal at Tuna-Tekra, Deendayal Port in Gujarat under the public-private partnership mode.
• The Central government scrapped the privatization of the Steel Authority of India's (SAIL) Bhadravathi steel plant.
• PM Shri Narendra Modi flagged off the country's fourth Vande Bharat express train.
• The government is mulling electricity transmission for renewable energy capacity of about 233 GW, the latest by 2030, across the country.
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated Phase 1 of Modi Shaikshanik Sankul, an educational complex for needy students in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• Union Minister for Education and Skill Development, Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated IInvenTiv, the first-ever all-IIT R&D showcase at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
• According to the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution and Textiles, the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan has the potential to save over Rs. 10 Lakh Crore annually by improving logistics efficiency.
• Data centers with over 5 megawatts (MW) capacity of IT load has been given infrastructure status by the government.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched several digital initiatives of the Defence Accounts Department (DAD) during its 275th Annual Day celebrations in New Delhi
• Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal launched a Solar-Electric Hybrid High-Speed Ferry and inaugurated a Floating Jetty project at Panaji.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a new scheme - Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana - One Nation One Fertiliser.
• Walmart-owned Flipkart has launched a metaverse-based shopping platform, Dubbed Flipverse, the platform will allow users to discover and shop products interactively.
• India is well on its way to achieving the aim of 65% of power generation from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 and will achieve more than that, Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy RK Singh.
• India’s 1st cable-cum-suspension bridge across the Krishna River was approved by the Centre & the bridge will connect Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and pass through the Nallamala forest range.
• India’s first sports helmet testing center will be established in Meerut in the next four months and will cost around Rs 3 crore.
• Fiji will host the prestigious World Hindi Conference for the first time in 2023 to make the country a new launching pad to popularise Hindi as a global language.
• For the marketing season 2023-24, the Union Cabinet approved an increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all Rabi Crops.
• India Gate, KRBL's main brand, has been named the world's No. 1 Basmati Rice Brand in a market survey done by a renowned global research firm.
• The first SemiconIndia FutureDesign roadshow in Gujarat was officially launched by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union state minister for electronics and information technology.
• Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated Asia's largest Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant in Lehragaga, in Punjab's Sangrur
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate ‘Indian Urban Housing Conclave-2022’, IUHC2022, a three-day event being organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at Rajkot, Gujarat.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• The Textiles Committee (TC) of the Government of India (GoI) has entered into a Cooperation Agreement with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on “Mainstreaming Sustainability & Circularity in the Textiles Sector” to promote Sustainability and Circularity in Textile Value Chain in
• According to the 2020 report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and non-profit Pure Earth had found India is home to a major chunk of the 800 million children poisoned by lead globally.
• PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the professional services firm has partnered with Coursera, an online learning platform to handle India’s present and future talent hole within the taxation house.
• The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has partnered with the integrated grain commerce platform Arya. ag and Friends of Women's World Banking India (FWWB India) for agri-value chain intervention, enterprise promotion, and skilling in the agriculture sector.
• Israel and Lebanon reached a historic agreement to resolve a long-running maritime border dispute following months of negotiations mediated by the United States.
• India participated in the 6th East Asia Summit Education Minister’s Meeting held in Hanoi, Vietnam.
• External Affairs Minister Shri S Jaishankar will discuss with the Union Minister for Education, Skill, and Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan on collaborating with Egypt on premier higher educational institutes, like the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) began its long-planned annual nuclear exercises in northwestern Europe as tensions simmer over military action in Ukraine.
• The One Health Joint Plan of Action (OH JPA) was launched by the Quadripartite comprising the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE).
• The Embassy of Japan, New Delhi, has filed an application seeking a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for nihonshu/Japanese sake, an alcoholic beverage.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• The Tamil Nadu government has notified the Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary, the first Indian sanctuary for the endangered Slender Loris in Karur and Dindigul districts.
• The Department of Pharmaceuticals has conveyed ‘in-principle’ approval to the proposals of the three States Viz, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh under the Scheme for “Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks”, a key initiative to support Bulk Drugs manufacturing in India.
• Ladakh Police in collaboration with the Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh, and the Cycling Association of India organized the first-ever Mountain Bicycle (MTB) World Cup – the ‘UCI MTB Eliminator World Cup in Leh, Ladak, India.
• Odisha Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik launched a web portal ‘Single Window Application Atrocity Compensation Assistance and Relief’ (SAACAR ) for end-to-end processing of atrocity cases registered in various police stations.
• Andhra Pradesh (AP), with ₹2,03,638.5 crore combined gross value output (GVO) in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors, has registered more than 90% growth in 9 years to 2019-20, the highest among all the states, while Kerala is the only state to have recorded negative growth of over 10%.
• The Indian Business Museum, housed inside the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK) campus and the only one of its kind, will soon offer visitors a slice of history digitally.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation for 8 projects worth Rs 3,800 crore at Goldfinch city and approved the New Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for
• The Nagaland Chief Minister (CM) Shri Neiphiu Rio launched the ‘Chief Minister’s Universal Health Insurance Scheme (CMHIS)’ at Kohima, Nagaland.
• According to official data, Tamil Nadu (TN) has emerged as the only State which has achieved the target for 2022 Q1 and Q2 for Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), with 57 lakh households provided with tap connections to date.
• The government of Himachal Pradesh has launched a new scheme named HIMCAD to provide irrigation facilities to farmers of Himachal Pradesh (HP).
• The Coal India Limited (CIL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RVUNL) for setting up an 1190 MW solar power plant in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan.
• An Ethiopian delegation led by the Agricultural Minister Dr. Meles Mekonen Yimer is in Andhra Pradesh (AP) to study the first-of-its-kind Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), which have been set up by the Chief Minister Shri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
• The third World Kuchipudi Natyotsavam would be organized for three days in Vijayawada & it is being organized in commemoration of the 93 rd birth anniversary of world-renowned Kuchipudi dance artiste Vempati China Satyam.
• Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) Shri MK Stalin launched the "Kutti Kavalar" scheme for school students to make them more responsible when it comes to road safety.
• The auspicious festival of harvest Kati Bihu or Kongali Bihu is being celebrated across Assam on October 18, 2022.
• The Madhya Pradesh (MP) Wildlife Board approved a new reserve for tigers of Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR), called Durgavati Tiger Reserve, one-fourth of which will get submerged due to the linking of the Ken-Betwa rivers.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

• One97 Communications Limited (OCL), which owns the brand Paytm, has partnered with Jana Small Finance Bank to deploy card machines to further drive digitization among merchants across India.
• India's largest home loan provider, the State Bank of India (SBI) continues to lead the Home Loan segment and has surpassed ₹6 trillion in Assets Under Management (AUM). 
• The World Bank (WB) has extended an unconditional loan of $250 million to Support Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT) project in appreciation of the path-breaking reforms implemented by the Andhra Pradesh (AP) government.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued modified and consolidated guidelines to the banks on Unhedged Foreign Currency Exposure (UFCE) Directions in 2022.
• Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Ltd adopts Tung village, in the Maval sub-district of Maharashtra.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) canceled the certificates of registration of eight non-banking finance companies (NBFC) in
• The Indian Army has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with 11 banks for providing banking facilities to Agniveers on enrolment. 
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been selling dollars in the non-deliverable forward (NDF) market via local banks based in India's GIFT City International Financial Services Center, as it seeks to support the sliding rupee.
• The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) introduced Dhan Varsha, a non-linked, non-participating, individual, savings, single premium life insurance plan offering a combination of protection and savings.
• SBI General Insurance has partnered with Gupshup, a leader in conversational engagement to offer a new insurance policy, renew an existing one, intimate claims, and more, through WhatsApp.
• To mark the glorious journey towards the Centenary year (2023-24) Karnataka Bank Limited (KBL) has launched a unique term deposit scheme ‘KBL Centenary Deposit Scheme’ with a higher rate of interest.
• Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited, (MMFSL), part of the Mahindra Group & one of India’s leading Non-Banking Finance Companies, announced a strategic partnership with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to further enhance credit access to a larger customer base.
• Fintech firm Cygnet Infotech Private Limited has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a non-banking financial company (NBFC) account aggregator.
• India’s leading payments and Application Programming Interface (API) banking solutions company, Cashfree Payments India Private Limited, has launched a card issuance stack with its new solution ‘Issuance’ to enable businesses such as fintech and platforms to launch prepaid cards and wallets for their customers, employees, and partners.
• India’s AI-driven financial wellness platform CASHe has partnered with Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to provide a Travel Now Pay Later (TNPL) payment option on its travel app IRCTC Rail Connect. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• IMF has lowered its forecast of growth for India to 6.8% and highlighted the threat of inflation, the retail inflation rose to a 5-month high of 7.41 percent in September from 7 percent in August, data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• Hero MotoCorp, India's largest two-wheeler maker, launched its first electric scooter worldwide, as it looks to catch up with newer firms who have taken the lead in the country's clean mobility push.
• India's annual wholesale price-based inflation (WPI) eased in September to 10.70% as against 12.41% recorded in August 2022 and 11.8% in September last year
• India achieved a monthly value of merchandise export in September 2022 amounting to USD 32.62 billion.
• Homegrown digital gold platform SafeGold launched a new leasing offering called ‘Gains’ which will allow consumers to lease individually owned gold.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• Aimed at gainfully utilizing the country’s vast reserves of coal & lignite, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has entered into strategic MoUs with Coal India Limited (CIL) and NLC India Limited (NLCIL) for setting up Coal Gasification based plants.
• To strengthen the industrial and interdisciplinary research in cost-effective exploration activities, IIT Kharagpur has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with an institute of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.
• Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFCL) to strengthen cooperation in financing railway infrastructure projects.
• Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DAY-National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) to enable financial access for the growth of 10 lakh women entrepreneurs over 3 years.
• National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), a CPSE under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, has signed a memorandum of understanding with CSIR-CRRI, IIT Roorkee, IIT Kanpur, and NSDC to help introduce innovative technologies and find a pragmatic solution to the highways construction issues in challenging hilly and border areas.
• UNDP has partnered with the integrated grain commerce platform ag and Friends of Women's World Banking India (FWWB India) for agri-value chain intervention, enterprise promotion, and skilling in the agriculture sector.
• The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), the apex institute of Ayurveda in India under the Ministry of AYUSH, and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan have signed an MoU for academic establishment.
• As part of its diversification program for clean coal energy, Coal India Limited (CIL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL), for developing a solar power project of 1190 MW in Jaipur in presence of Shri Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister for Coal, Mines & Parliamentary Affairs and Shri Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister, Rajasthan
• Indian Navy and IIM Nagpur signed an MoU to explore Opportunities to train, up-skill, and re-skill Armed Forces Personnel, Indian Navy personnel in particular, in emerging areas of Business Management, Financial Management, Block Chain, Project Management, Strategic Management, Digital Marketing, Supply chain, Logistic management, and research.
• State-run power company SJVN signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) at Guwahati for developing 1000 MW floating solar power projects in Assam by incorporating a joint venture company.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) has re-appointed Mr. KG Mohan as its non-executive independent director for the 2nd term of three years on its board.
• IT services major Infosys has announced that its president Mr. Ravi Kumar S has resigned from his post.
• The Iraqi parliament elected Kurdish former minister Mr. Abdul Latif Rashid as the new president of Iraq.
• Bandhan Bank has appointed former Indian Cricketer Sourav Ganguly as its brand ambassador. 
• Boult Audio Private Limited, a company that imports and sells Chinese-made electronics products like earphones and smartwatches has roped in actor Saif Ali Khan and cricketer Suryakumar Yadav as its new brand ambassadors.
• Partha Satpathy has been appointed as India’s next ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL) has appointed Deependra Singh Rathore as the interim chief executive officer (CEO), in addition to his role as chief product & technology officer (CPTO).
• Yubi (formerly CredAvenue) has appointed Atanu Chakraborty as the Independent Chairman of the Yubi board.  
• A diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service, Ms. Apoorva Srivastava has been appointed to serve as India’s Ambassador to the Slovak Republic. 
• Former cricketer Mr. Roger Binny has been elected as the 36th President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the 91st BCCI Annual General Meeting of India’s top cricket body in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The President of India Droupadi Murmu has appointed Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud as the 50th Chief Justice of India (CJI) with effect from November 9, 2022.
• The Swedish parliament elected Mr. Ulf Kristersson, the conservative Moderate Party leader, as the new Prime Minister (PM) of Sweden.
• The Adani Group has appointed Arun Bansal as chief executive officer (CEO) of Adani Airport Holdings Ltd, an arm of Adani Enterprises Ltd.
• JPMorgan Chase & Co named Navin Wadhwani, a former Reliance Industries executive, as the head of its Indian investment banking division, as part of a spate of management changes for the Asia-Pacific region.
• Former Infosys President Mr. Ravi Kumar S, who resigned from Infosys will join Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation as President of Cognizant Americas.
• Drug firm GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited has appointed Bhushan Akshikar as Managing Director for its India business for four years effective December 1, 2022.
• Civil Accounts Service officer Ms. Bharati Das has been appointed as the 27th Controller General of Accounts (CGA) under the Department of Expenditure
• Shri Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge, a staunch Gandhi family loyalist from Karnataka, has become the Congress' first non-Gandhi president in 24 years.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR

• The American National History Museum announced the winners of their prestigious annual Wildlife Photographer Awards in an awards ceremony in London & Karine is just the fifth woman in the competition’s 58-year history

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

• INS Tarkash reached Port Gqeberha (also known as Port Elizabeth), South Africa to participate in the 7th edition of IBSAMAR, a joint multinational maritime exercise among Indian, Brazilian, and South African Navies.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi commissioned India's first indigenous aircraft carrier Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi, Kerala.
• An offshore security exercise, ‘Prasthan’ was conducted in the Krishna Godavari Basin (KGB) Offshore Development Area (ODA) under the aegis of Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command.
• India's first ballistic missile nuclear submarine Submersible Ship Ballistic Missile Nuclear (SSMN), Indian Naval Ship (INS) Arihant successfully launched a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) validating India’s second strike nuclear capability.
• Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launched the ‘Maa Bharati Ke Sapoot’ (MBKS) website (www.maabharatikesapoot.mod.gov.in) for contribution to the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund (AFBCWF) at a function organized at the National War Memorial Complex in New Delhi.
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Naval Striking and Support Forces announced the launch of the Neptune Strike (NEST 22-2), a multi-domain exercise in the Mediterranean Sea and are expected to be completed by October 28, 2022.
• On the 103rd birth anniversary of late Lt Gen PS Bhagat, ex-Colonel Commandant of the Bombay Sappers and SIKH LI Regiment, the Indian Army has dedicated a Chair of Excellence in his memory at the United Service Institution of India (USI), New Delhi, Delhi.
• Gujarat may get the first private aircraft manufacturing facility to realize ₹22,000 crores worth of deal the defense ministry had signed with European multinational aerospace corporation Airbus 2021 for the acquisition of 56 C-295 fixed wings

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• National Securities Depository (NSDL) has acquired a 5.6% stake in the digital commerce platform Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
• Insurance sector regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has granted final approval to HDFC Life Insurance Company Ltd (HDFC Life) to merge Exide Life into the company.
• Invesco and OFI Global China along with other entities sold a 5.51% stake in Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) for $169.5 million or up to Rs 1,396 crore in a block trade.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

• Mercer and the CFA Institute released its 14th annual Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index (MCGPI) which comprises a list of 44 countries with the best and worst pension systems in the world & India ranked 41st and has the forth-lowest retirement income system in the world, according to the report.
• FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking, which will be used to determine the seedings for the Draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 & India dropped three spots to 61st position & USA (1st, -) remain out front, Sweden (2nd, plus 1) has jumped into second place at the expense of Germany (3rd, minus 1).
• Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, and Textiles recently launched Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) 2022 survey report.
• India has moved up six places to rank 123 out of 161 countries for reducing inequality but continues to be among the lowest performers in health spending, according to the latest Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index (CRII).
• In August, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio overtook the country's largest landline service provider for the first time.
• According to the US government-funded NGO Freedom House, India's internet freedom score climbed by two points to 51 in the overall ranking as a result of attempts to bridge the country's digital gap & India ranked 49th in terms of internet freedom in 2021.
• India has dropped in the global rankings for mobile and fixed broadband speeds: Ookla report

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is developing a rocket named Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) to replace the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has proposed dedicated satellites for supporting the country’s agriculture sector.
• The Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) heaviest rocket LVM3 will launch British start-up OneWeb’s 36 broadband satellites from the country's only spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on October 23, 2022.
• The Union government is pushing tech giants to make smartphones compatible with its home-grown navigation system Navic within months.
• According to a new analysis of radar imagery from the Cassini spacecraft, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Dragonfly mission to Saturn's largest moon will touch down on a terrain of dunes and shattered icy bedrock.
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) researchers have developed a new touchscreen display technology 'iTad,' (interactive Touch Active Display) through which a user can feel the textures from images as the finger moves across the touch surface.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• India finished fifth with one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at ISSF World Championship Shotgun.
• Jyothi Yarraji, an Indian sprinter, made history by becoming the first Indian woman to run a sub-13s time to win the gold medal at the Nation Games 2022.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

• A new book titled "The Philosophy of Modern Song," written by Nobel winner Bob Dylan and published by Simon & Schuster will be released in November 2022.
• Sahil Seth, an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Joint Commissioner GST, Customs, and Narcotics and a young influencer, has released his book titled 'A Confused Mind Story.'

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

• Scottish actor and comedian Robbie Coltrane, best known for playing the lovable half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, has Passed away at the age of 72.
• Renowned physician, Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis, who is also known as the father of oral rehydration therapy (ORT), passed away at 87 in Kolkata.