Current affairs 23 Oct 2026

Friday

Tamil Test

Three Indian Sites Added to UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

On 20 October 2026, three Indian sites were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List: Baratang's Karst-Mud-Volcano Complex, the Andaman Subduction Volcanoes and the Sirpur Cultural and Archaeological Landscape. The Baratang Complex in the…

Vummidi Ethiraj, Craftsman Behind the Historic Sengol, Passes Away at 99

Vummidi Ethiraj, one of the principal craftsmen who made the historic Sengol, died in Chennai aged 99. In 1947 he took part in crafting the gold-plated silver Sengol, which stood for the transfer of power…

MeitY Launches World Bank's World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence

Under the IndiaAI Mission, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the World Bank Group's World Development Report (WDR) 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence. The report notes that ChatGPT drew half…

ZSI Chennai Researchers Discover Two New Marine Fish Species: A Sandperch and an Electric Ray

Scientists at the Marine Biology Regional Centre of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Chennai, have identified two marine fish species new to science, a sandperch and an electric ray. The sandperch lives on the…

7th CICA Summit Held in Baku; India Calls for Unity Against Terrorism

The 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) took place in Baku, Azerbaijan. India restated its commitment to cooperation in Asia that is inclusive and based on consensus…

India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Comes into Force on 20 October 2026

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand took effect on 20 October 2026, becoming India's 17th operational FTA. New Zealand has scrapped tariffs on all Indian goods, while India has started offering…

International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Observed on 17 October

The International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is marked every year on 17 October. It celebrates the variety of living heritage found around the world and seeks to build awareness on why such heritage…

Dr. Reddy's Gets DCGI Approval for Zytorvi (Toripalimab) to Treat Advanced Esophageal Cancer

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories has been granted approval by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for Zytorvi (toripalimab) in India. The drug is meant for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). ESCC is…

Indian Army Conducts Exercise Akhand Prahar-II in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

The Indian Army has carried out Exercise Akhand Prahar-II at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. The exercise was held to evaluate how prepared the forces are for combat and to put technology-enabled military operations to the test…

Maersk Plans Its First Drydocking in India at L&T's Kattupalli Shipyard Near Chennai

A.P. Moller–Maersk has planned to carry out its first drydocking in India at Larsen & Toubro's (L&T) Kattupalli Shipyard, located near Chennai in Tamil Nadu. The ship chosen for the work is Maersk Chattogram, a…