Current Affairs : October 31

1. Recommending sweeping reforms in the functioning of the bureaucracy in the country, a bench led by Justice K S Radhakrishnan said that the Parliament must enact a law to regulate postings, transfers and disciplinary action against bureaucrats.

2. United Nations Chemical weapons watchdog, the Organization for prevention of Chemical weapons (OPCW) has said that Syria's declared equipments for producing, mixing and filling chemical weapons has been entirely destroyed.

3. Four Public Sector Enterprises including Bharat Coking Coal Limited were awarded the Turnaround Awards for 2013. The other Public Sector Enterprises, which bagged the award are National Film Development Corporation Limited, National Projects Construction Corporation Limited and SAIL Refractory Unit.

4. Global emissions of carbon dioxide may be showing the first signs of a "permanent slowdown" in the rate of increase. According to a new report, emissions in 2012 increased at less than half the average over the past decade.

5. Nuclear scientists are being urged by the former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix to develop thorium as a new fuel.

6. Saudi Arabia stunned the United Nations and even some of its own diplomatson Friday by rejecting a highly coveted seat on the Security Council, a decision that underscored the depth of Saudi anger over what the monarchy sees as weak and conciliatory Western stances toward Syria and Iran, Saudi Arabia’s regional rival.

7. S. Masood Ahmed, chief scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), here has won the K.K. Menon Award for 2013.

8. The Union Cabinet of India on 30 October 2013 gave its approval for declaring the Bhubaneswar and Imphal airports as international airports to fulfill the long pending demand of people as well as the State Governments of Odisha and Manipur.

9. India has slipped by five places to 106th spot, way below neighbouring Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and China in the World Prosperity Index, largely due to poor ''safety and security'' environment.

10. Business magazine Forbes has announced German chancellor Angela Merkel as the most powerful woman in the world for the third successive year. Dilma Rousseff, the Brazilian president, is just behind Merkel in second place with Melinda Gates, co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation in third.