1) United Nations Day: 24th October
•United Nations Day is observed globally on 24 October. UND 2017 marks the 72nd anniversary of the UN Charter’s entry into force and celebrates everything that the UN represents and has achieved since its establishment in 1945.
•All the member states of the United Nations contribute finances to its operation to help further its goals.
2) State of World Population 2017 Report Launched
•The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem has launched the 2017 State of World Population report in London, UK. The new UNFPA report has been entitled as “Worlds Apart: Reproductive Health and Rights in an Age of Inequality.”
•As per the report, economic inequality goes hand in hand with inequality in reproductive health. As of 2017, half of 1.6 billion women of reproductive age living in developing regions want to avoid a pregnancy.
3) 2nd World Congress on Marxism to be Held in Beijing
•The 2nd World Congress on Marxism is scheduled to be held at Peking University in Beijing, China in May 2018.
•The theme of this conference is "Marxism and the Current World and China". The congress coincides with the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx's birth and 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.
4) Government Appoints ex-IB Chief Dineshwar Sharma as Interlocutor
•Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced that former Director IB Dineshwar Sharma was handpicked by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to hold a dialogue with stakeholders of Jammu and Kashmir.
•A sustained dialogue will be initiated with all shades of opinion in Kashmir Valley.
5) 11-Year-Old Gitanjali Rao Named America’s Top Young Scientist
•Gitanjali Rao, an 11-year-old Indian-American schoolgirl, was named as “America’s top young scientist” for inventing a cost-effective, quick lead-contamination detector in water.
•The seventh-grade student was inspired by the large-scale lead contamination in water in Flint, Michigan, that came to light recently. Rao won $25,000 for taking the top position at the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.
6) SBI Launched ‘2nd SBI Digital Hackathon’
•The State Bank of India has launched the second edition of its Hackathon named 'Digitize For Bank.' This hackathon will be held from 1st to12th November 2017.
•It is presented by SBI Collaborative Innovation Centre (CIC). This edition focuses on four ‘Cognitive’ themes namely Facial Recognition, Signature Recognition, Voice based Authentication and Cheque Truncation Value Enhancers.
7) SBI Signs MoU with Escorts for Tractor Financing
•State Bank of India (SBI) has signed an agreement with Escorts Ltd. to finance farmers for purchase of Escorts tractors.
•The tie-up with Escorts is to promote, market and make accessible, organized finance facility, with superior features, at competitive interest rates to farmers across the country.
8) Cristiano Ronaldo Named Best FIFA Men's Player
•Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten Lionel Messi and Neymar to win the Best FIFA Men's Player awardfor the second year running. Ronaldo was presented the award at The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in London, UK.
•The award, which covers the period of November 2016 to July 2017, is voted by national team coaches, captains, selected media and fans.
