- 11-Year-Old Gitanjali Rao Named America’s Top Young Scientist
Gitanjali Rao, an 11-year-old from Lone Tree, Colorado, is the winner of this year’s Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for her sensor that can detect lead levels in water better than traditional methods.
Rao, whose victory was announced on 17 October, will take home US$25,000 for the idea, which she said she developed approximately five months ago in response to learning about the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
- Rakesh Asthana Appointed CBI Special Director
In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the government has promoted senior IPS officers Rakesh Asthana and Gurbachan Singh as Special Directors of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) respectively.
Deepak Kumar Mishra and Sudeep Lakhtakia have been promoted as Special DG in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Rajesh Ranjan and AP Maheshwari have been promoted to the ranks of Special DG in the Border Security Force (BSF).
- India Post Payments Bank names ex-Vodafone executive as CEO
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) appointed Suresh Sethi as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
Sethi had been selected by the Banks Board Bureau from top contenders for the post, including public and private sector banking and fintech professionals.
- AMFI Appoints NS Venkatesh as New CEO
Association of Mutual Funds in India or AMFI has appointed NS Venkatesh as chief executive officer with effect from October 23, stated a release from AMFI.
Prior to joining AMFI, Venkatesh was the Executive Director at Lakshmi Vilas Bank. He has also served in Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) for over 19 years, where he held several senior positions, including that of the Chief Financial Officer and the Executive Director.
- HSBC appoints Jayant Rikhye as CEO India
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) has appointed Jayant Rikhye as the Chief Executive Officer for India operations. He will take charge on December 1 and will be succeeding Stuart Milne, who has held the position for five years.
Rikhye joined the bank in 1989 and is currently the head of international markets, Asia Pacific.
- InMobi names Flipkart’s Ravi Krishnaswamy as its new CTO
The mobile advertising platform InMobi has named Ravi Krishnaswamy as its new Chief Technology Officer.
Krishnaswamy will lead the company’s technology and innovation strategy while supporting the organisation’s tech vision in big data and Artificial Intelligence.
- Govt plans to triple foreign tourist inflow by 2022
The Union tourism ministry has announced key initiatives to boost annual foreign tourist traffic to the country from the present 14.4 million to 40 million in next five years.
These included plans for setting up of a national tourism board, facilitation centres at the key airports for foreign tourists, make the world heritage monuments more attractive places, ease visa norms and invite private sector to adopt monuments to increase facilities.
- India’s First Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra Launched
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan has inaugurated India’s first Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) for Skilling in Smart Cities, in collaboration with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
The ministers also laid the foundation for a Skill Development Centre at Moti Bagh and a Centre of Excellence at Dharam Marg, New Delhi.
- IIT Kanpur to host cultural festival Antaragni from Oct 26-29
IIT Kanpur will be hosting its annual cultural festival, Antaragni from 26th-29th October. Antaragni in its 52nd edition will be a host to a variety of competitions ranging from music, dance and drama to debates, slam poetry and fashion shows.
The headline events at the fest include performances by artists like KSHMR, Skyharbor, Euphoria, Vishal & Shekhar.
- Cisco buys US software company BroadSoft for $1.9 billion
Cisco Systems Inc will buy software company Broad Soft Inc for $1.71 billion, it said in a deal that boosts Cisco’s collaboration tools and helps the company diversify its offerings away from switching and routing.
Shares in BroadSoft, which specializes in software used by major cable and telecommunications networks, rose 1.35 percent after Cisco offered $55 per share for the company, giving shareholders a premium of 2 percent to last Friday’s closing share price.
- RBI forms 10-member task force on Public Credit Registry
The Reserve Bank of India announced a 10-member high level task force to review and determine the scope of a Public Credit Registry.
The move is aimed among other things at increasing efficiency of the credit market and reduce defaults. The task force will be chaired by YM Deosthalee, ex-CMD, L&T Finance Holdings Limited.
- IndusInd Bank Launches m-wallet with MobiKwik
IndusInd Bank, in association with MobiKwik has announced the launch of a co-branded wallet ‘IndusInd Mobikwik’ that allows its customers to pay at the MobiKwik merchant network using their accounts, with a ‘Direct Debit Feature’.
The direct debit feature will allow IndusInd Bank account holders to link their accounts just once and pay using the co-branded app as and when required, thereby eliminating the need to load the MobiKwik prepaid wallet separately.
- Cabinet approves Rs 2.11 lakh-cr public sector banks’ capitalisation plan
The Indian government has approved a state bank recapitalisation plan of Rs 2.11 lakh crore over the next two years, in a bid to clean banks’ books and revive investment in a slowing economy.
Of the planned sum, recapitalisation bonds will account for Rs 1.35 lakh crore, while Rs 76,000 crore will come from budgetary support and equity issuance, said Rajiv Kumar, India’s financial services secretary.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the recapitalisation of state banks would be followed by a series of reforms. He did not give details.
- World’s 1st floating wind farm starts producing electricity
The world’s first floating wind farm has started generating electricity in waters off the coast of Scotland today.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon officially open the Hywind project about 15 miles (25km) off the shore of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, which could provide power for 20,000 homes.
The project has been developed by Norwegian state energy company Statoil – although Ms Sturgeon stressed Scottish firms had been involved in the work.
- 2nd World Congress on Marxism to be Held in Beijing
The 2nd World Congress on Marxism is scheduled to be held in Peking University in Beijing next May.
The congress, to be held from May 5 to May 6, is expected to attract more than 300 Marxism researchers to discuss Marxism in the 21st century and its developments in China, Xinhua reported.
The congress coincides with the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx’s birth and 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up, said Gu Hailiang, head of the academic board of the organising committee.
- Myanmar to launch own satellite system in 2019
Myanmar has planned to launch its own satellite system MyanmarSat-2 in June in 2019, official Global New Light of Myanmar.
To establish state-owned satellite system, the three ways — Condosat which is to lease the use of satellite transponder of another country, joint ownership system and total ownership system — are needed to be done, Vice President U Myint Swe told a coordination meeting of the steering committee in Nay Pyi Taw.
- Nicaragua Signs Paris Climate Agreement
Nicaragua signed the Paris climate agreement, leaving the United States and Syria as the only two holdouts on the global climate pact.
The government of President Daniel Ortega said the global 2015 pact represented “the only international instrument that offers the conditions to face global warming and its effects,” according to a statement read out by vice president Rosario Murillo.
Capital: Managua Currency: Nicaraguan córdoba
- October 24, 2017: United Nations day
The October 24 of every year is celebrated across the world as United Nation Day. United Nation Day, above and beyond, is celebrated to remember the organisation of the United Nations and its agenda of promoting human rights, diversity and progress across the world.
- October 24: World Development Information Day
The October 24 is celebrated as World Development Information Day. Forty-five years ago, the United Nations declared World Development Information Day to draw attention to development problems and the need for international cooperation to solve them.
While problems and impediments to development remain, decentralized international cooperation and exchange have been eradicating poverty at unprecedented levels.
- Cristiano Ronaldo Tops the Forbes Rich List of Sport Stars
Cristiano Ronaldo is the richest sports personality in the world, according to the latest Forbes’ Rich List.
The Real Madrid striker has earned an incredible £70 million in the last year, along with picking up another Champions League medal and becoming the inaugural winner of The Best FIFA Men’s Player award.
- Cristiano Ronaldo wins ‘The Best FIFA Men’s Player’ award
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo won ‘The Best FIFA Men’s Player’ award, while Lieke Martens was named best female player and Oliver Giroud won best goal.
Notably, Ronaldo has beaten Lionel Messi and Neymar to win the trophy, for the second year running, according to ESPN. The Portugal captain won the inaugural prize last year.
- Real Madrid’s Zidane named Best FIFA Men’s Coach of the year
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has been named the Men’s Coach of the Year at The Best FIFA Football Awards.
Zidane beat out Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and Juventus’ Massimiliano Allegri to claim the prize for the first time having been the runner-up to Claudio Ranieri in 2016.
- PSG’s 18-yr-old Kylian Mbappe named 2017’s Golden Boy
Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe was named Golden Boy 2017 ahead of FC Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele and Marcus Rashford of Manchester United.
The France international came to prominence with AS Monaco’s swashbuckling Ligue 1 title-winning side last season, scoring 15 league goals and also helping them to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
24. India’s Sidhu, Rai win mixed team gold at Shooting WC Final
Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu combined to give India their first gold medal of the ISSF World Cup Final here, clinching the top honours in the 10m air pistol mixed team event on the opening day of competitions.
Rai, a Commonwealth and Asian Games gold-medallist, and Sidhu, also a former Commonwealth Games gold-winner, picked up their third gold together in the mixed team event, being held officially for the first time at an ISSF World Cup.
- George Young, songwriter-producer for AC/DC, dies at 70
Songwriter and AC/DC producer George Young has died at the age of 70. He was the brother of the members of the Australian hard rock band members, Malcolm and Angus Young.
Young was best known for his behind-the-scenes contribution in helping create a music group that would go on to become one of the biggest rock acts globally.
26. Legendary Filmmaker I V Sasi Passes Away
Veteran Malayalam director I V Sasi, best known for his films “Avalude Ravukal” and “Devasuram” died. He was 69.
The filmmaker won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration in the year 1982 for his movie “Aaroodam”.
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