30th October, 2026

1. MYAS, MoE & UNESCO Sign MoU to Promote Clean Sport Values in Classrooms
2. CAIT and NASSCOM Sign MoU to Train Traders in AI, Cybersecurity and Digital Marketing
3. Air India and SBI Card Partner to Develop Co-Branded Credit Card for Maharaja Club Members
4. LA28 Unveils “Stars Align” as Official Slogan for 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games
5. World Stroke Day 2026 – October 29
6. Maharashtra Approves Kolamarka Conservation Reserve and Expanded Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary as Wildlife Sanctuaries
7. WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin 2026: Greenhouse Gas Levels Hit Record Highs in 2025
8. Who Is Uma Kashvi? 15-Year-Old Becomes Youngest Player Signed in WPL History
9. Kathmandu to Host First-Ever Film Festival from Tomorrow
10. US and Japan Agree to Jointly Produce Advanced Air-to-Air Missiles in Japan
11. PM Modi to Launch Various Projects Worth over Rs 14,000 Crore in Gujarat; to Also Release 24th Instalment of PM-KISAN Scheme
12. All India Institute of Ayurveda Celebrates 6th Foundation Day of Incubation Centre AIIA-iCAINE
13. AIIA Launches National AI Challenge for Ayurveda on Foundation Day
14. Environment Ministry Holds National Workshop on Coastal Resilience for Viksit Bharat 2047
15. India Post, UTI Mutual Fund Sign MoU to Expand Investor Outreach
16. INS Trishul Concludes Port Call at Civitavecchia, Italy
17. Tripura Ranks 5th Among India’s Tea-Producing States
18. Sanjay Seth to Inaugurate VISV-2026 in New Delhi Tomorrow
19. FATF Meeting in Paris
20. Turag River in News
21. Patrick Stewart Dies at 86: The Legacy of Star Trek’s Captain Picard and X-Men’s Professor X
22. Sunil Bharti Mittal Receives France’s Legion of Honour for Strengthening Bilateral Ties
23. FICCI Names Sanmar Group Chairman Vijay Sankar President-Elect for 2026–27
24. Who Is Anil Menon? NASA Astronaut Completes Fourth Spacewalk, Ranks Behind Sunita Williams

National News

AIIA-iCAINE Celebrated Sixth Foundation Day

• What: The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi, celebrated the sixth Foundation Day of its incubation centre AIIA-iCAINE, India’s first public-sector Ayurveda business incubator.
• Tell me more:
  • AIIA-iCAINE Full Form: All India Institute of Ayurveda – Incubation Centre for Ayurveda Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • AIIA-iCAINE Establishment: 29 October 2021, under Ministry of Ayush
  • AyushTech Innovate: National Open Ayurveda AI Challenge launched:
    • Organised by: Techfest, IIT Bombay, with the Ministry of Ayush and AIIA
    • Based on: AyurParam, IIT Bombay’s open-source Ayurveda Large Language Model
    • Purpose: to develop safe and practical AI solutions for Ayurveda
  • MoUs signed by AIIA-iCAINE:

• Other Launches: the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Facility for Ayurveda and the book “Ayupreneur: A Beginner’s Glossary”.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • AIIA Director: Prof. Vd. P. K. Prajapati
  • AIIA-iCAINE CEO: Sujith Eranezhath

DRDO’s VISV-2026 Held in New Delhi

• What: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), with the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), organised VISV (विश्व)-2026 (Vision, Innovation, Synergy, Values) at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.
• Tell me more:
  • Theme: ‘Showcasing Defence Capabilities, Strengthening Global Partnerships’

State News

Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife Approved Two Sanctuaries

• What: At its 26th meeting, the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife approved declaring the Kolamarka Conservation Reserve in Gadchiroli district and the newly expanded Tansa area as wildlife sanctuaries.
• Tell me more:
  • Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
  • New wildlife sanctuaries:
    • Kolamarka (Gadchiroli district): known for its population of wild buffaloes.
    • Tansa: the newly expanded area next to the existing Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Critical wildlife habitats: Parts of Koka Wildlife Sanctuary and Jayakwadi Bird Wildlife Sanctuary will be declared critical wildlife habitats.
  • 14 new conservation reserves approved:

• Maharashtra has six tiger reserves.

PM Modi Released 24th PM-KISAN Instalment in Gujarat

• What: PM Narendra Modi released the 24th instalment of PM-KISAN, worth ₹19,000 crore, and launched development projects worth over ₹14,000 crore in Banaskantha, Gujarat.
• Tell me more:
  • Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre, Banaskantha: It will use advanced reproductive technologies to speed up cattle breed improvement by 10 to 20 times.
  • Bharat Parv 2026: He inaugurated Bharat Parv 2026 at Ekta Nagar (Kevadia) and launched projects worth over ₹400 crore.
  • Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (31 October): It marked the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and the PM paid floral tributes at the Statue of Unity.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Gujarat Chief Minister: Bhupendra Patel

Tripura’s First Tea Auction Centre Opened in Agartala

• Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha inaugurated the state’s first tea auction centre, the Agartala Tea Auction Centre, at Gorkhabasti in Agartala. The new centre will hold e-auctions within the state.

International News

First FATF Plenary under UK Presidency in Paris

• What: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) held its first Plenary under the UK Presidency of Giles Thomson in Paris, with delegates from its Global Network of more than 200 jurisdictions and observer organisations.
• Tell me more:
  • First-time participants: Barbados, Namibia and Thailand, under the FATF-Style Regional Body (FSRB) Guest Initiative.
  • India’s stand: India pressed the FATF to review Pakistan’s failure to act against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, a UN-designated global terrorist.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Plenary is the decision-making body of the FATF that meets three times a year (usually in February, June, and October).
  • FATF blacklist: North Korea, Iran and Myanmar

First Kathmandu Film Festival in Nepal

• What: Kathmandu, a UNESCO Creative City of Film, is hosting its first Kathmandu Film Festival, organised by Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
• Tell me more:
  • Indian participation: Actress Shabana Azmi is a key guest, and India’s film Bayaan (drama film written and directed by Bikas Ranjan Mishra) will be screened.

US and Japan to Jointly Produce AMRAAM Missiles

• What: The US and Japan agreed to jointly produce advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs), used in F-35 fighter jets, at a facility in Japan under ‘Operation Supercharge’.
• Tell me more:
  • Announced on the sidelines of the ASEAN defence chiefs’ summit in Cebu, Philippines.
  • Keen Sword: a large-scale US–Japan joint military exercise focused on the southwestern islands near Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture.

Turag River in Bangladesh

• The Turag River is an upper tributary of the Buriganga River in Bangladesh and ends in Dhaka, where it joins the Buriganga.

Indian-origin Astronaut Anil Menon Completed Fourth Spacewalk

• What: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, of Indian origin, carried out his fourth spacewalk with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, marking the 100th US spacewalk at the International Space Station (ISS).
• Tell me more:
  • Most spacewalks by Indian-origin astronauts: Sunita Williams (9), followed by Anil Menon (4)

Banking and Economy

Air India Partnered with SBI Card for Co-brand Credit Card

• What: Air India and SBI Card partnered to develop a co-brand credit card on the Visa network to give travel and lifestyle benefits to members of Air India’s Maharaja Club loyalty programme.
• Tell me more:
  • SBI Card MD & CEO: Salila Pande
  • Maharaja Club: Maharaja Club: It is Air India’s loyalty programme, in which members earn and redeem Maharaja reward points on flights.

Reports and Indices

WMO Released Greenhouse Gas Bulletin 2026

• What: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. It shows that carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) in the atmosphere reached record highs in 2025.
• Tell me more:
  • About the report: It is WMO’s flagship annual report, first published in 2004. It gives scientific data on greenhouse gas levels to negotiators at the UN climate conference.
  • Record levels in 2025 (compared with pre-industrial levels in 1750):

Defence News

INS Trishul Concluded Port Call at Civitavecchia, Italy

• What: INS Trishul concluded its port call at Civitavecchia, Italy, as part of its operational deployment in the Mediterranean Sea.
• Tell me more:
  • Ambassador of India to Italy: Vani Rao

Awards

France Conferred Legion of Honour on Sunil Bharti Mittal

• What: France conferred its highest civilian honour, the Legion of Honour (rank of Chevalier, or Knight), on Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, for strengthening India–France economic ties.
• Tell me more:
  • Conferred by: French Ambassador to India Thierry Mathou, at the Residence of France
  • Mittal is also vice-chairman of Eutelsat, the French satellite operator.
  • India–France Status: Special Global Strategic Partnership
    • A Global Strategic Partnership is a diplomatic designation that marks a bilateral relationship as the highest tier of cooperation, spanning defence, economic, technological and diplomatic areas.

Important Days

World Stroke Day 2026 – October 29

• Theme: “Every M1nute Counts”

Sports

Los Angeles 2028 Olympics Unveiled Slogan ‘Stars Align’

• What: The LA28 Organising Committee unveiled “Stars Align” as the official slogan of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Tell me more:
  • LA28 Chairman: Casey Wasserman
  • LA28 Records:
    • Los Angeles will host the Olympics for the third time (after 1932 and 1984), becoming the third city after London and Paris to do so.
    • First Paralympics: LA will host the Paralympic Games for the first time.
    • Largest Games ever: a record 353 medal events.
    • Olympic debut: flag football sport
    • Torch relay: the first to visit all 50 US states, starting from Atlanta.
  • Olympic motto: “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”
  • Paralympic motto: “Change Starts with Sport”. The Paralympic Games began in 1960.
• Knowledge Nuggets:

Uma Kashvi Became Youngest Player Picked in WPL Auction

• What: Karnataka all-rounder Uma Kashvi became the youngest player ever picked in a Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction. Delhi Capitals bought her for ₹10 lakh.
• Tell me more:
  • WPL: It is India’s women’s T20 cricket league, launched in 2023 and run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the lines of the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL), which the BCCI launched in 2008. WPL has five teams (franchises).

Memorandum of Understanding

Sports and Education Ministries Signed MoU with UNESCO

• What: The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Education signed an MoU with UNESCO at the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) India’s Clean Sport Conclave in Delhi to promote clean sport values in classrooms across India through the toolkit.
• Tell me more:
  • The toolkit teaches respect, integrity and fairness through video modules in 13 Indian languages, and supports the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 aim of joining sports and education.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • NADA India Director General: Anant Kumar
  • National Anti-Doping Act, 2026: The government is planning to make doping-related activities a crime.
  • Doping test facilities: National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, and the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad.

Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Signed MoU with NASSCOM

• What: CAIT and NASSCOM signed an MoU in Delhi to jointly launch a nationwide campaign on artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and cybersecurity awareness for traders and MSMEs.
• Tell me more:
  • Campaign: ‘Tech Connect for Traders & MSMEs: Accelerating Digital Transformation’.

India Post Extended MoU with UTI Mutual Fund

• What: India Post and Unit Trust of India (UTI) Mutual Fund signed an MoU in Mumbai to extend their partnership under the Pan-India KYC Verification Project.
• Tell me more:
  • Under the project, India Post will use its postal network to carry out Know Your Customer (KYC) verification at investors’ doorsteps, including in remote and underserved areas for UTI MF.
  • UTI Asset Management Company (AMC) MD & CEO: Vetri Subramaniam

Appointments

Vijay Sankar Named FICCI President-Elect for 2026-27

• What: Vijay Sankar, Chairman of the Chennai-based Sanmar Group, was named President-Elect of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for 2026-27.
• Tell me more:
  • He is also Chairman of Chemplast Sanmar Limited and serves as an independent director on the boards of TVS Motor Company Ltd and Larsen & Toubro Ltd.

Miscellaneous

Actor Patrick Stewart Passed Away

• British actor Patrick Stewart, known for playing Captain Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men, died aged 86.

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