 "FirstUp: Apec summit in South Korea and other headlines of the day")
It is set to be a busy Friday with several events lined up for the day.
Firstly, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ meeting will be held today in Gyeongju, South Korea today. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day celebrations.
China is set to launch Shenzhou-21 manned space mission launch today. Meanwhile, Halloween will be celebrated across the world today.
Here is all that is set to take place across today.
Apec summit to take place in South Korea
The 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ Meeting is scheduled to take place from October 31 to November 1 in Gyeongju, South Korea. This marks the 21 Apec member economies’ annual meeting.
The event will take place at the Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center (Hico). The summit is set to be attended by the heads of state from Apec member economies including Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto among others.
The Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting is part of a larger series of events called Apec Economic Leaders’ Week (AELW), which runs from October 27 to November 1.
PM Modi to lead National Unity Day celebration
October 31 is observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day in India to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the National Unity Day celebrations in Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar.
This year coincides with the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. Several special events have been planned at the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar in Gujarat. This year’s celebrations will feature a grand parade and cultural programme highlighting the strength, discipline, and courage of India’s security forces.
The parade will showcase contingents from all the major central forces: the BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB. Adding to this strong display are state police units from ten regions: Assam, Tripura, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.
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More ShortsShenzhou-21 manned space mission launch
China is set to launch the Shenzhou-21 crewed mission today, carrying three astronauts. The spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
The crew, consisting of taikonauts or Chinese astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, will undertake China’s first scientific experiments involving rodent mammals in space. These in-orbit studies on mice are designed to observe the behavioural impacts of space conditions, particularly microgravity and confinement, on living organisms.
World to celebrate Halloween
People around the globe are preparing to celebrate Halloween today, marking a night steeped in history, superstition, and fun. What began as the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain — a time when people believed the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead blurred — has evolved into a global cultural phenomenon.
While the celebration has religious roots in the Western Christian observance of All Hallows’ Eve, today’s festivities are largely secular and focused on costumes, candy, and spooky thrills.
North America remains the epicentre of the modern Halloween experience. Millions of children participate in the traditional ritual of “Trick-or-Treating,” going door-to-door in costumes to collect candy. Adults often attend elaborate costume parties and visit haunted attractions. In the birthplace of Samhain i.e. Ireland and Scotland, people still celebrate with bonfires, games, and traditional foods like barmbrack.
With inputs from agencies
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