• National

PM Narendra Modi awarded Seoul Peace Prize 2018

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been awarded prestigious Seoul Peace Prize 2018 for contribution to high economic growth in India.
• According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Mr. Modi’s contribution to world peace and improving the human development of the people of India were the reasons for him getting the award.
• The award will be presented by the Seoul Peace Prize Foundation at a mutually convenient time.

• National

Railways’ scheme for buying unreserved tickets online to go nationwide from 1st November

• From 1st November 2018, Indian railways’ UTS mobile app for buying unreserved tickets online will be available nationwide.
• The scheme is also open for those who want to buy tickets for traveling long distance.
• Earlier, the scheme was started four years ago in Mumbai.
• As of now, the railway has already implemented the scheme in 15 of its zones with the Northeast Frontier Railway and West Central Railway.

• National

PM Modi interacts with IT and electronic manufacturing professionals in New Delhi

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has interacted with IT and electronic manufacturing professionals and key industry leaders from across the country in New Delhi.
• Professionals from about 100 locations across India have joined the event through video-conference.
• Prime Minister Modi also launched the “Main Nahin Hum” Portal and App on the occasion.
• The portal which works on the theme “Self for Society” will enable IT professionals and organizations to bring together their efforts towards social causes, and service to society on one platform.

• National

Centre to tighten visa norms to bar child sex offenders

• Central government is planning to make it mandatory for foreigners planning to visit India to declare past criminal records including child abuse cases.Many a times offenders wanted in their homeland fleeing to India and exploiting children here.
• There have been several instances in the past where foreign nationals wanted in their home country for child sexual offences had fled to India.
• These include Belgian national Jozef Achtergael, British citizens Raymond Varley and Paul Meekin, Frenchman Eric Martin, American psychiatrist Alan Horowitz and Canadian national Ernest Macintosh.

• International

3rd Decadal International year of Reefs-2018

• The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated the International Conference on Status and Protection of Coral Reefs (STAPCOR – 2018) at Bangaram coral Island of Union Territory of Lakshadweep (22-24 Oct 2018).
• The theme of the conference is “Reef for Life”.
• About 150 delegates both International and National, are participating in this mega event.

• Economy and Business

RBI lifts a ban on Fino Payments Bank to open new accounts

• RBI has lifted the prohibition on Fino Payments Bank to open new accounts after it submitted a compliance report.
• Earlier, Fino Payment Bank had been unable to enrol new customers (since the end of May) after RBI found the bank to be non-compliant with its operational guidelines.
• According to RBI’s operating guidelines for payments banks (India Post Payments Bank Ltd, Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank, Airtel Payments Bank and Jio Payments Bank), a customer can make deposits of up to Rs. 1 lakh per account in a year.

• Awards

International honour for scientist

• Agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan will receive the first ‘World Agriculture Prize’ on 26 October 2018.
• The award has been instituted by the Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) with an aim to recognise individuals who have served humanity through agriculture.
• Swaminathan has been hailed by the United Nations Environment Programme as ‘The Father of Economic Ecology’.

• Appointments

M Nageshwar Rao appointed as CBI director

• M Nageshwar Rao was appointed as the interim director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 24 October 2018.
• M Nageshwar Rao, a 1986 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Odisha cadre, was working as the Joint Director in the investigating agency.
• The decision came after the CBI Director, Alok Verma and Special Director, Rakesh Asthana went on leave.

• Important Days

24 October: United Nations Day

• The United Nations Day is being observed globally on 24th October to make people aware of the aims and achievements of the United Nations Organization.
• The 2018 UN Day Concert will be held today in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
• The theme of this year’s concert, which is sponsored by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, is “Traditions of Peace and Non-violence”.

• Important Days

24 October: World Development Information Day

• World Development Information Day is being observed every year on 24th October to inform and motivate young people.
• In 1973, The United Nations General Assembly decided to institute a World Development Information Day coinciding with United Nations Day on 24th October.

• Important Days

Valmiki Jayanti being observed today

• Valmiki Jayanti (Pragat Diwas) is being observed today and people pay their respects towards the first poet of Sanskrit literature Maharishi Valmiki.
• He authored the epic Ramayana.
• The processions called Shobha Yatra is also taken out to mark the occasion.

• States

Govind Mathur to be acting CJ of Allahabad HC

• Justice Govind Mathur has been appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court following retirement of Chief Justice D B Bhosale.
• Justice Mathur initially practised in the Rajasthan High Court and later appointed as a judge of Rajasthan High Court.
• He was transferred to the Allahabad High Court in November, 2017.

• Miscellaneous

World’s oldest known shipwreck has been found

• An ancient Greek trading ship dating back more than 2,400 years has been found virtually intact at the bottom of the Black Sea.
• The vessel is one of more than 60 shipwrecks identified by the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project.
• Researchers used specialist remote deep-water camera systems to map the sea floor.