Daily Current Affairs : 24th October 2013

1. Today is the United Nations' Day. The day is celebrated to commemorate the launch of UN Charter in 1945. The theme of this year is partnerships for global progress. The UN is known for its important role in combating poverty and vaccinating about 58 per cent of the world's children.

2. World Polio Day is being observed today. The day is observed to raise public awareness of the ravages of polio and garner support for eradication efforts. Global eradication programmes, since 1988, have significantly reduced the worldwide occurrence of polio by 99%. Polio is a disease which had plagued many nation.

3. A Bihar woman health official is set to share stage with Malala Yousufzai. Martha Dodray, in her mid-40s, is an auxiliary nursing midwife posted at Kusheshwarsthan primary health centre in the state's Darbhanga district. She was selected by the United Nations Foundation (UNF) for her extraordinary work to eradicate polio.

4. The Reserve Bank of India has constituted a GIRO Advisory Group (GAG) to implement a national Indian Bill Payment System so that households will be able to use bank accounts to pay school fees, utilities, medical bills and make remittances electronically.

5. The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) and YES Bank on Wednesday entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore avenues for mutually beneficial knowledge sharing in food processing and agricultural sectors. According to the MoU, Austrade and YES Bank have agreed to jointly organise workshops across India to create awareness about Australian capabilities in the food and agri-business sectors.

6. A CBI court here yesterday sentenced former Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Bank M Gopalakrishnan and four others to one year imprisonment for defrauding various branches of the bank to the tune of about Rs 6.5 crore.

7. Internet giant Google has emerged as the world’s best multinational company to work for, followed by software developer SAS Institute and network storage provider NetApp in the second and third place, respectively.

8. Manna Dey, the legendary singer died on 23 October 2013 in Bangalore hospital. He was 94 years old. He was treated for respiratory illness died of cardiac arrest. He is survived by his daughters Shuroma and Sumita. He was born in the year 1919. His original name was Prabodh Chandra Dey but he was nicknamed Manna. 

9. Delhi Electoral Office launched a theme campaign- Dil Mein Hai Dilli Vote Karenge for the upcoming Delhi Assembly Elections with a view to motivate people to exercise their franchise. Launching the theme at a function in the national capital, Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi, Vijay Deo said, the objective behind it to ensure maximum turnout during election.

10. Actor Ranbir Kapoor named as the brand ambassador for Philips, the country's leading lighting company.

11. The Supreme Court on Thursday awarded Rs 5.96 crore as compensation to be paid by Kolkata-based AMRI Hospital and three doctors to a US-based Indian-origin doctor for medical negligence which led to the death of his wife in 1998.

12. Market regulator Sebi has disqualified Cals Refineries from issuing equity shares and any other security for a further eight years, as the company was found guilty in a case involving irregularities in issuance of Global Depository Receipts (GDRs).

13. The US comedian Carol Burnett was on 20 October 2013 honoured with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Three artists- Dame Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett and Tina Fey performed specifically in the honour of Carol Burnett at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. she also acted on Broadway and appeared on The Garry Moore Show. The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is the foremost award for humour in America. It was first awarded in the year 1988 by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 

14. India's retiring batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been named in the Wisden all-time World Test XI. Tendulkar was named at number four spot in the team announced to mark 150 years of the Cricketers' Almanac in London. The team captained by legendary Australian batsman Don Bradman has four Englishmen, three West Indians, two Australians, one Indian and a Pakistani.

15. The Sports Ministry and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) have launched 'India Sports 2014' at the 5th Global Sports Summit to promote sports among youth in the country. The event will be an umbrella programme, focusing on all aspects of sports and will bring the entire sports fraternity on one platform.

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