Daily Current Affairs, 24th October 2018

1) United Nations Day: 24 October

•The United Nations Day is celebrated on 24th of October every year. The Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being.

•24 October has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948. In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly recommended that the day is observed by Member States as a public holiday. 

2) World Development Information Day: 24 October

•The General Assembly in 1972 established World Development Information Day to draw the attention of the world to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them. 

•The Assembly decided that the date for the Day should coincide with United Nations Day, 24 October, which was also the date of the adoption, in 1970, of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade. 

3) 2018 UN Day Concert Held In New York

•The 2018 United Nations Day Concert was held in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Soulful music from the strings of the sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan reverberated in the iconic Assembly hall. 

•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”. 

4) PM Modi Launches 'Main Nahi Hum' Portal In New Delhi

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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 joined the event through video-conference. 

•The Prime Minister 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. 

5) Narendra Modi Conferred With Seoul Peace Prize

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 for his contribution to international cooperation and fostering global economic growth. The Seoul Peace Prize was established in 1990 to commemorate the success of the 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul.

•The award committee recognized his contribution to the growth of Indian and global economies, crediting ‘Modinomics’ for reducing the social and economic disparity between the rich and the poor. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that  Mr. Modi expressed his gratitude for the prestigious honor and in the light of India’ deepening partnership with the Republic of Korea, he has accepted the award.

6) 1st Trilateral Meeting Among India, Afghanistan And Iran Held In Tehran

•The first trilateral meeting among India, Afghanistan and Iran of the Coordination Council of the Chabahar Agreement took place in Tehran, Iran. The Indian delegation was led by Secretary (Economic Relations) TS Tirumurti. Detailed discussions were held between the three sides on full operationalisation of the trilateral Agreement for international transit and transport through Chabahar Port.

•During the meeting, it was decided to constitute a Follow-up committee that will hold its first meeting within two months in Chabahar Port, Iran. The next meeting of the Coordination Council will be held in India in the first half of next year. 

7) Centre Sends CBI Director Alok Verma On Leave, Appoints M Nageshwar Rao As Interim Director

•The Union Government has sent CBI Director Alok Verma on leave. Verma was appointed as CBI Director in 2016 for two years and his tenure ends in December 2018. The decision was taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). 

•The committee also issued an order appointing M Nageshwar Rao as Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Rao is presently working as Joint Director at the CBI. Rao will take over the duties and functions of CBI Director with immediate effect. 

8) RBI Lifts The Ban On Fino Payments Bank To Open New Accounts

•Fino Payments Bank, one of India's first payments banks, has been allowed to open new accounts by RBI after it submitted a compliance report. It had been barred by the central bank from adding new customers since the end of May. 

•An RBI audit revealed that some Fino accounts had deposits in excess of the stipulated amount of INR 1 lakh. Airtel Payments Bank were also barred from onboarding new customers earlier.  In July, the RBI had lifted the ban on Airtel Payments Bank.

9) Sachin Tendulkar Gave Away Prizes To The Winners Of South Asia Regional WASH Innovation

•India's legend cricketer and UNICEF Ambassador for South Asia, Sachin Tendulkar gave away prizes to the winners of South Asia Regional WASH innovation in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. 

•The event was organised by UNICEF in association with BRAC, a Bangladesh based international organisation. The basic aim of the challenge was to identify innovative solutions to promote the practice of hand washing with soap. 

10) India Signs $777 Million Deal For Israeli Missile Defence Systems

•State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has won an additional $777 million contract to supply LRSAM air and missile defence systems to seven ships in the Indian navy. The contract is with the Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), which is the main contractor in the project. 

•The LRSAM, part of the Barak 8 family, is an air and missile defence system used by Israel’s navy as well as India’s navy, air and land forces. With this deal, sales of the Barak 8 over the past few years total over $6 billion.