5 THINGS FIRST Results of J&K municipal elections to be declared today; India play Pakistan in Asian (Hockey) Champions Trophy; BJP central election committee meets to discuss assembly elections; Rahul Gandhi to address two public meetings in Telangana; Afghanistan goes to polls 1. The train that became a Ravana this Dusshera What: At least 58 people were killed Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of a Ravana effigy were run over by a train near Amritsar. About 300 people were at the spot watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the tracks. How: As the effigy was lit and the fireworks went off, a section of the crowd started retreating towards the tracks where a large number of people were already standing to watch the event. However, two trains arrived from the opposite direction at the same time giving little opportunity to people to escape. Unsafe tracks: 49,790 Indians lost their lives between 2015 and 2017 on railway tracks after being hit by trains, according to data presented in Parliament this July. The rulebook: Unauthorised trespassing on railway premises, including the track, is a punishable offence under Section 147 of the Railways Act, 1989. During 2017, a total of 1,73,112 people were prosecuted for trespassing. Train of accidents: This is the third major train-related accident this year after the derailment of New Farakka Express early this month (7 persons died and 9 were seriously injured) and the death of 13 school children on April 26 after a train rammed into their school van at an unmanned railway crossing in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district. Railways had claimed the September (2017) to August (2018) period to be its safest in five years with 40 deaths and 75 accidents. The figures for the same period for 2016-17 were 80 accidents and 249 fatalities. More on the accident here 2. Sabarimala row moves beyond the temple The row: Two days after the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala opened its doors for the first time for females of all age groups, as per a Supreme Court verdict, no woman of menstrual age has yet been able to visit the shrine because of continuous protests. Back to court? The temple body that manages the Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala, meanwhile, reached out to protesters. Its president said, "We are ready for any type of compromise to sort this issue ... if the board agrees to file a review petition at the Supreme Court, will the protesters end the present protest?" Over to politics: The agitation helped politics by forcing political parties to take sides and polarising voters. A review petition, if it is filed, will also help politicians stretch the issue till the time it is in courts. The temple that opened on Wednesday will close on October 22 but expect the politics to continue till it's time to vote. It's going beyond Kerala: The Centre has asked not just Kerala but also Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to tighten security in view of the protests by Ayyappa devotees, Hindu outfits and some caste-based outfits in which the participation has ranged from 50-3000. It's moved to houses: Unidentified miscreants vandalised the house of woman activist Rehana Fatima who had unsuccessfully attempted to enter Sabarimala Temple. Fatima had gone up to the Lord Ayyappa shrine, along with a journalist, under police protection. Both retreated midwayafter the temple head priest threatened to shut down the temple if they attempted to force their way in. 3. Why is it always onion that's on fire? Tearful Diwali: Wholesale rates of onion have gone up by Rs 7-10 per kg in the last 10 days. Retail prices are likely to go up to Rs 40-45 a kg by Diwali, according to reports. Traders claim that the kharif crop is likely to be lower due to drought-like conditions in Maharashtra and with wholesale markets remaining closed during Diwali, prices are likely to go up from the current retail price of Rs 15-20 a kg throughout the country. Problem with onions: Almost all of India consumes onion (908 of every 1,000 Indians, says government data) but it's grown across India - 55% of it is grown in just three states (Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh). Prices go up and down based on the supply from the three crop seasons in which onion is grown (April-Aug, Oct-Dec and Jan-Mar). Problem with the market: A big reason for the sharp increase in onion prices is also the way onion is sold. Half of India's daily onion arrivals pass through ten big markets, six of which are in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Plus, a small number of traders and exporters are very influential. This concentration makes it easier to manipulate prices. The high shelf life of onions compared to other vegetables also makes it easier to hoard. Read the full story here 4. India's friends vote in world's deadliest election today Friends: Afghanistan votes in parliamentary elections (which is more than three years late and only the third since the fall of the Taliban in 2001) amid ongoing fighting in as many as 20 out of the country's 34 provinces. The vote comes amid a particularly vicious campaign by the Taliban and the Islamic State group. Polls: There are 2,565 candidates vying for 249 seats in the lower house of parliament, including 417 women candidates. Voters will be able to cast ballots at more than 19,000 polling stations of which 11,667 are reserved for men and 7,429 for women, while 46 will serve Afghan nomads (the Kochis) and 22 for minority Sikhs and Hindus. Final results are due by 20 December. Contestants: A few parties have emerged in opposition to the current national unity government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, but none can be considered major players as most candidates in the vote are running as independents. Voters: Around 8.8 million people have registered to vote. Though there hasn't been a census for more than 30 years, Afghanistan's population is estimated to be more than 30 million. Of the registered voters, 64 percent are Muslim men and 34 percent are Muslim women; the remaining 2 percent are Kochis, Sikhs and Hindus. Violence: There have been deadly attacks against candidates and campaign rallies, both by the Taliban and Islamic State militants. Since the 20-day campaign period began, at least two candidates and over 34 civilians have been killed in such attacks, including suicide bombings, motorcycle bombs and drive-by shootings. In the run-up to campaigning, five candidates were killed and two were abducted, their fates unknown. The Taliban have warned candidates and Afghan security forces that they would be targeted. Why risk contesting? There are lucrative incentives for taking the risk to contest. An MP receives a monthly salary package of at least 200,000 afghanis (more than $2,600), including an allowance for bodyguards and other expenses — a fortune in a country where more than half the population lives in poverty. Immunity from prosecution also keeps them out of jail if MPs fall foul of the law and there are plenty of opportunities to exploit their powerful positions in business deals. Read the full story here NEWS IN CLUES 5. Who played a triple role in the 1983 movie 'Mahaan'? Clue 1: In his entire career, he has played double roles in 14 films. Clue 2: His trophy cabinet includes 4 National Awards and 15 Filmfares. Clue 3: He ranks third among the most followed Indians on Twitter. Scroll below for answer 6. A jinx Centre's law officers just can't break A resignation: First additional solicitor general Maninder Singh has resigned within hours of the NDA government (on October 10) appointing second additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta as solicitor general, the post which remained vacant for nearly a year. Singh's disposition while arguing for the Centre before a constitution bench of the SC in the turf war with Kejriwal-led AAP government over administration of Delhi had won him appreciation from SC Judges. The jinx: Office of law officers under the NDA-II government appear jinxed as there have been as many as six resignations in four and half years. The first to go was attorney general Mukul Rohatgi in June 2017. Soon after the Centre appointed KK Venugopal as AG and granted extension to Ranjit Kumar as solicitor general for two more years, Kumar resigned in October last year. In the first three years of NDA-II rule, two other additional solicitors general — Neeraj Kishan Kaul and P S Patwalia — had also resigned citing personal reasons. NDA-I vs NDA-II: Compared to the 'jinxed' tenure of law officers in NDA-II, the NDA-I led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee had a robust team of law officers led by attorney general Soli Sorabjee and Harish Salve as SG. The only resignation in that five year tenure was that of Salve, who was succeeded to the post by Kirit Raval. Full story here 7. A cruise that may change India's ports forever First cruise: The Mumbai Port Trust will throw open its newly refurbished domestic cruise terminal and flag off India's first luxury (Mumbai-Goa) cruise ship 'Angriya'. This is part of the government's plans to push cruise tourism as a big revenue earner for India. Three cities along the coasts are currently working on developing berthing facilities for cruise liners - Mumbai, Chennai and Kochi. That's because the basic infrastructure in these centres is already in place. Indians on cruise: Out of over 2.6 crore Indians who travelled abroad in 2017, less than 1.5 lakh went on a cruise. However, the trend is catching on and that number is likely to go up to 2 lakh this year. Globally, about 2.7 crore tourists are expected to set sail this year (14 lakh more than last year) but not many would be landing on India's shores. India got 1.4 lakh cruise passengers in 2017 compared to over 43 lakh in Japan. The opportunity: India got just 128 port calls by cruise liners in 2017 compared to almost 2,400 at Japanese ports, over 1,100 at Chinese ports and 187 at ports in Indonesia, a country much smaller than India. While India has a huge coastline of over 7,500 km and a network of ports and tourist destinations along the coast, it suffers from a lack of facilities. However, that may soon change with cruise tourism on Indian government's radar for some time now. The potential growth, with the right infrastructure in place, could be as high as 50% a year, say experts. With about 60 cruise liners around the world and over 90 ships on order, cruise passenger numbers are projected to reach 40 million by 2025. Airports brought the world to India — about time the sea ports did the same. 8. The end of the marathon Wimbledon match The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has announcedthat Wimbledon matches—men, women, mixed doubles and juniors—going into a final set will now be decided by tie-breaks when the score reaches 12-12. The new rule will apply to all matches at next year's tournament. The decision was taken after USA's John Isner lost to South African Kevin Anderson 26-24 in the final set of the 2018 Wimbledon men's singles semi-finals. The knock-on effect meant the second men's singles semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal had to be completed the following day, causing a two-hour delay to the women's singles final. FYI: Isner was also involved in the longest match in Wimbledon history when he beat France's Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the deciding set in 2010 after over 11 hours on court over three days. (pic above) After seeking feedback of both players and officials, analysing two decades of match data and considering other factors, including scheduling complexities and spectator experience, Wimbledon now becomes the second grand slam to introduce final-set tie-breaks, with singles matches at the US Open decided by a tie-break at 6-6. YOU SHARE YOUR B'DAY WITH... Source: ESPNCricinfo.com 9. Did Nikki Haley just launch her presidential campaign? Laughter challenge: She came, she laughed, she made others laugh and she most likely, conquered — Nikki Haley's speech at the annual white tie event, the Al Smith Dinner in New York, had its funny moments, like when she poked fun at the President, Donald Trump ("Actually, when the President found out that I was Indian-American, he asked if I was from the same tribe as Elizabeth Warren."); herself ("A couple of weeks ago I had this great breakfast with Cardinal Dolan, and I asked him if there was anything I could do to really boost attendance. ... He said, 'Why don't you resign as UN ambassador?"); and at the opposition, the Democrats ("The President got really mad about Woodward's book, really mad. The book compared him to a fifth grader. A lot of Democrats seized on that, until they realised, they got beat by a fifth grader."). Bridging the divide: Haley, the daughter of Indian Sikh immigrants, wasn't averse to call out the current vitiated political atmosphere in the US, especially against immigrants — "People always wonder if I felt different or isolated as an Indian-American growing up in rural South Carolina. Actually, there was a benefit. It totally prepared me for being a Republican in New York." Reaching out: The former, two time governor of South Carolina and the outgoing US ambassador to the UN, also reached out to political rivals during her dinner speech, in an indirect indictment of Trump's labelling of Democrats as evil, trying to bridge the chasm between the administration and the opposition that has come in recent years due to the President's public statements — "Our opponents are not evil, they're just our opponents. We're blessed with a political system that allows us to resolve our differences peacefully. In the end, we must recognise that we're all Americans and we're stronger and healthier when we are united." Fun fact: Haley, who has till now denied that she’s considering a presidential run in 2020, incidentally shares her birthday with the date on which a US President is inaugurated, viz., January 20. 10. A 50 year old record that won't break for 52 years Lightning man: This week, 50 years ago, at an altitude of 2,250 metres above sea level, in Mexico City, Bob Beamon climbed 6 feet in the air on his way to breaking the long jump record in the 1968 Olympics, setting his feet in the sand pit at the 8.90 metre mark — a games record that has not even come close to being broken till now, and will continue unbroken till at least the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, making it 52 years since Beamon set the record and earned himself the soubriquet, the man who saw lightning. Record of records: Beamon's mark wasn't just an Olympic record but also a World Record, which has been broken only once, in 1991 by Mike Powell, at the Tokyo World Championships — moreover, Beamon also broke the existing record by the biggest ever margin, of 55 centimetres, or almost two feet. For the record, the gold medallist in the long jump event at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Jeff Henderson, jumped 8.38 metres, or 52 cm less than Beamon. A new lexicon: The magnitude of Beamon's accomplishment led to the coinage of a new term — Beamonesque — to describe spectacular achievements in sports, which is only fitting, considering that the optical measuring device was calibrated to measure distances upto 8.60 metres, forcing the Olympic officials to measure the distance manually. PLUS What if moon light could replace all street lights? What: China is planning to launch its own 'artificial moon' by 2020 to replace street lamps and lower electricity costs in urban areas. Chengdu, a city in southwestern Sichuan province, is developing 'illumination satellites' which will shine in tandem with the real moon, but are eight times brighter, according to China Daily. When: The first man-made moon will launch from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan, with three more to follow in 2022 if the first test goes well. How: By reflecting light from the sun, the satellites could replace street lamps in urban areas, saving an estimated 1.2 billion yuan ($170 million) a year in electricity costs for Chengdu, if the man-made moons illuminate an area of 50 square kilometres. China is not the first country to try beaming sunlight back to Earth. In the 1990s, Russian scientists reportedly used giant mirrors to reflect light from space in an experimental project called Znamya or Banner. Read the full story here 3 CURATED WEEKEND READS 1. The lost art of concentration We check our phones every 12 minutes, often just after waking up, which is harmful to long-term mental health, necessitating the need to hit the pause button. 2. The soldier-scientist who unlocked the secrets of the Sahara The amazing tale of Ralph Bagnold, a soldier, scientist, and scourge of the Axis Powers. 3. What is offensive? Quarrels over honour in duelling cultures can enlighten us today and demonstrate why some insults are intolerable. Follow news that matters to you in real-time. Join 3 crore news enthusiasts. GET APP Answer To NEWS IN CLUES Amitabh Bachchan. The Bollywood superstar, who trails PM Narendra Modi and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan in the number of Twitter followers, announced that he will be paying off loans of over 850 farmers from Uttar Pradesh, amounting to over Rs 5.5 crore. The 76-year-old actor said he previously helped over 350 farmers from Maharashtra by clearing their loans.