Introduction
The article CA September 2018 One Liners includes One Liners with an explanation, analysis and issues of current events, including political or industrial controversy or public policy issues in the month of September.
Sep 2018
1. Important Days :
- On 30th September 2018, International Translation Day was celebrated throughout the world. United Nations General Assembly, declared September 30 as International Translation Day.
- Ministry of AYUSH has set up an AYUSH Information Cell at the Indian Embassy in Romania to present authentic information about AYUSH system of medicine and to promote Ayurveda practice in Romania.
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has secured number one position among Indian universities in the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings for 2019 released on 26th September 2018.
- On September 28, 2018, a declaration of intent for the co-operation in capacity building in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is signed in between India andUzbekistan
- On September 30, 2018, PM Modi reached Anand and development projects worth over Rs. 1100 crore were inaugurated. PM Modi visited Anjar, Kutch and development projects worth.
- Economic Affairs Secretary SC Garg announced a reduction in gross borrowing estimate for the current fiscal by 70,000 crore rupees.
- Seven-member group of ministers with Bihar Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar as convener was formed by the Goods and Services Tax Council to review on ‘Modalities for Revenue Mobilisation in case of Natural Calamities and Disasters’.
- According to data provided by the Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry, over 15 per cent of the 54.95 lakh houses sanctioned in last three years under the Center's flagship Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).
- The Goa government inked a pact with Portugal in the field of water supply, waste water management and sanitation for a period of 2 years.
- RBI withdrew permission of Bandhan Bank to open new branches. It also put a freeze on the remuneration of the MD & CEO, CS Ghosh.
- According to data of the Reserve Bank of India, India’s external debt for the quarter ended June 2018 declined on a year-on-year basis by 2.8 per cent to $514.4 billion.
- The Reserve Bank of India fined Karur Vysya Bank a total of Rs. 5 crore for non-compliance of its directives. “Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms. The boards of state-run Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Vijaya Bank gave their assent for their amalgamation with Dena Bank to form the second-largest entity in the PSU banking space.
- BSE, PTC India Ltd and ICICI Bank have come together to form India’s third Electricity Exchange. India has two operating power Exchanges Power Exchange of India (PXIL) and India Energy Exchange (IEX).
- The World Bank (WB) Asian Development Bank (ADB) team jointly conducted Rapid Damage Assessment and Need Analysis (RDNA).
- Neymar is a striker of the Paris Sain-Germain team. Brazil’s head football coach Tite has removed the captaincy rotation policy of the team to give Neymar the permanent captain position.
- Boxing legend Tyson has signed on with Kumite 1 League and is set to fly down to India for the first time for the league’s launch, which will be held at the NSCI Dome in Worli, Mumbai.
- Jayant Mammen Mathew was elected president of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) for 2018-19. Jayant Mammen Mathew is the Executive Editor of Malayala Manorama.
- Indian Ports Association (IPA) has appointed M/s Tech Mahindra as the Managed Service Provider for 5 major ports: Mumbai Port Trust, Kolkata Port Trust, Chennai Port Trust, Deendayal Port Trust and Paradip Port Trust.
- Afghanistan Ambassador to India Shaida Abdali resigned from his position. Shaida Abdali submitted his resignation to Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani during his one-day visit to Delhi.
- Fossil of earliest known animal Dickinsonia discovered Scientists have discovered an ancient fossil of Dickinsonia, the earliest animal on geological record.
- The Urdu version of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s book ‘Exam Warriors’ was released in New Delhi. The book was released by Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar along with other union ministers.
- Renowned harmonium player Pandit Tulsidas Borkar died following a chest infection in Mumbai. Pandit Tulsidas Borkar was 84 years old. He was born in Goa.
1. Important Days :
- On 29th September 2018, World Heart Day was observed all over the world. The Day was created by the World Heart Federation. It is observed on 29 September every year.
- On September 28, 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) today released SAFER, a new initiative to support governments in taking practical steps to accelerate progress on health, beat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
- India and United Nations sign a Five-Year Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) for the period of 2018 to 2022.
- The rail link of approximately 650 km, connecting the Afghan cities of Mazaar-e-Sharif and Herat will be installed in Afghanistan.
- On September 29, 2018, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Conference on Academic Leadership on Education for Resurgence in Vigyan Bhawan with the participation of Directors of 350 universities.
- On September 29, 2018, the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention in New Delhi.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs announced that, the Centre has increased its contribution in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) from 75 % to 90 % with effect from April 1, 2018.
- Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Sh. Ravi Shankar Prasad and the Minister for Development of Information Technologies and Communications, Uzbekistan Mr Shuhrat Sadikov signed 2 MOUs in ICT Sector.
- India and Japan sign Loan Agreement for Construction of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project (I) and Kolkata East West Metro Project (III) with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in New Delhi.
- NITI Aayog on behalf of government of India signed the ‘Government of India-United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) for 2018-2022’.
- NITI Aayog partnered with Oracle, Apollo Hospitals and Strides Pharma Sciences to pilot a real drug supply chain, through Blockchain decentralised ledger and Internet of Things (IoT) Software.
- India’s first corn festival began in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh. This festival is a one-of-its-kind international event. Madhya Pradesh is one of the largest corn producing states in India.
- The International Monetary Fund staff and Argentina authorities have reached an agreement on a 36-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) totaling to US$57.1 billion through 2021 approved on June 20, 2018.
- National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) Karnataka Regional Office has invited wholesalers and online marketing vendors to its Grameena Habba in Bengaluru from September 28- Oct 7, 2018.
- Minister of Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal has launched the first of its kind “Rail Heritage Digitization Project” of Indian Railways in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture.
- India won the Asia Cup for a record-extending 7th time, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. India defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets in the final and won the Asia Cup 2018 title.
- Vikram Misri was appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the People’s Republic of China. Vikram Misri is an Indian Foreign Service Officer (lFS) of the 1989 batch.
- The Publisher of The Hindu Group of Newspapers,N.Ravi had appointed as the chairman of Press Trust of India and simultaneously the Chief Editor of Punjab Kesari Group of Newspapers Vijay Kumar Chopra had been appointed as the Vice Chairman of Press Trust of India.
- Former Gujarat Minister Manoharsinh Jadeja passed away in Rajkot, Gujarat. He was 83 years old. He was popularly known as ‘Dada’.
1. Important Days :
- World Rabies Day was observed all over the world. Every year on 28 September which marks the death anniversary of Louis Pasteur, the French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first vaccine for rabies.
- On 28th September 2018, International Day for Universal Access to Information was observed all over the world.
- High-Level Meeting On Tuberculosis At 73rd Session Of UNGA Held In New York. It aims to accelerate efforts in ending TB and reach all affected people with prevention and care.
- Argentina has received the biggest loan package ever from the International Monetary Fund. The biggest loan package ever from the global body aimed at boosting the country’s struggling economy.
- President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to to set up a committee to run the Medical Council of India, MCI. This would be continued till Parliament passes legislation to replace the body with a new commission.
- PM Modi inaugurated an Army exhibition named ‘Parakram Parv’ in Jodhpur , He also attended the Combined Commanders’ Conference along with the Defense Minister.
- Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched Centre of Excellence for Data Analytics (CEDA) in New Delhi.
- Minister of State for Communications (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Railways, Shri Manoj Sinha inaugurated the one-day seminar on “FDI in Telecom Sector: The Way Ahead” at New Delhi.
- Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs approved the construction of 6,26,488 more affordable houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).
- The Commerce Ministry Friday said it has constituted a High Level Advisory Group (HLAG) to look into the challenges of global trade.
- The announcement of merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, Fitch Ratings ranked BOB’s viability ration to ‘rating watch negative’.
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $150 million loan to establish the first multi-skills park in Madhya Pradesh to boost employment in the state.
- ICICI Bank ties-up with MakeMyTrip to launch a range of co-branded credit cards. This includes 2 types of credit card – MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Platinum Credit Card and MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card.
- Asian Yoga Sports Championship organised by Asian Yoga Federation will begin in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on September 28 2018.
- Badminton player and Olympian PV Sindhu is the only sportsperson featuring in the Forbes India’s maiden ‘tycoons of tomorrow’ list of 22 young achievers in the fields of business, acting and sports.
- India will host the Deaf ICC T20 World Cup in November, 2018. The tournament will be hosted by the Deaf Cricket Society (DCS), the apex governing body.
- National Tourism Awards 2016-17: Ahmedabad and Mandu best heritage city, Qutub Minar best monument for differently-abled.
- Actor-director Pankaj Kapur will presented the ‘Icons of Indian Cinema’ Award at the closing ceremony of the 9th edition of Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai on 30th September 2018.
- The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
- The government appointed Rajni Kant Mishra as the Director-General of Border Security Force (BSF). Rajni Kant Mishra replaces K.K. Sharma. K.K. Sharma is superannuating on 30th September 2018.
- The world’s first ever human case of the rat version of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) has been found in a 56-year-old Hong Kong man.
- Renowned Marathi writer, novelist and translator Kavita Mahajan, died following pneumonia in Pune, Maharashtra. She was born in Nanded, Maharashtra. Some of her popular novels are Brr, Bhinna, etc.
1. Important Days:
- On 27th September 2018, World Maritime Day was celebrated throughout the world. The Day is observed on the last week of September. Its date varies year to year.
- India will send its first consignment of common grade rice to China on Friday, the government said, following intense lobbying by New Delhi after relations thawed between the two countries.
- According to a study named Economic Freedom in the World by Center for Civil Society (CCS) along with Canada’s Fraser Institute, India stands at 96th rank out of 162 countries in Economic Freedom.
- Vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated three days long Smart City Expo India-2018 in Jaipur. At present 433 smart city projects worth Rs 7,958 crore have been completed in the country.
- Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a national literary and intellectual conference “Lok Manthan 2018” at Khel Gaon in Ranchi.
- India and United States have formed an alliance to jointly fight tuberculosis. An alliance comprising leading experts in public and private sectors called ‘USAID-India End TB Alliance’ was formed in New York.
- Moroccan defence minister Mr Abdeltif Loudyi on his two day first official visit to India, met Indian Defence minister Smt Nirmala Sitaraman in New Delhi.
- Defence Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman and Minsiter of Defence Affairs, Sultanate of Oman, Sayyid Badr Saud Harib Al Busaidi agreed to improve cooperation in maritime security and defence industry engagement.
- Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh launched online software for Agmark certification process.
- Reserve Bank of India enhanced the “Facility to Avail Liquidity for Liquidity Coverage Ratio (FALLCR)” from the existing 11 per cent to 13 per cent of their deposits.
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved financing of up to $500 million for a multitranche financing facility (MFF) infrastructure project in at least 10 cities of Tamil Nadu.
- Indian Navy signed a contract with M/s Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Vishakhapatnam, for construction of 2 Diving Support Vessels (DSV) to expand Indian Navy’s submarine support operations.
- The government increased customs duty on import of 19 on certain ‘non-essential’ items. This increase in import duty is aimed at bridging current account deficit (CAD) in order to save Indian rupee from the incessant fall.
- International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that, Madrid would host the first two new-format Davis Cup finals in 2019 and 2020.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with 5 other individuals and organisations are recipients of UN’s highest environmental honour: Champions of the Earth Award.
- The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on its foundation day released the list of awardees for Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2018.
- French President Emmanuel Macron have been jointly awarded with the UN's highest environmental honour for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of cooperation on environmental action.
- Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), the first fully solar-powered airport in the world, has won the UN environment award for Entrepreneurial Vision.
- National Tourism Awards 2016-17 Comprehensive development of tourism 1) Andhra Pradesh 2) Kerala 3) Rajasthan & Goa
- Union Minister for Tribal Affairs launched “Punch Tantra Diwali collection” and announced World Boxing Champion Mary Kom as Brand Ambassador of “Tribes India” in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
- The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully test fired the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) Astra from a Su-30 aircraft over the Bay of Bengal near Chandipur in Odisha.
1. Important Days :
- On 26th September 2018, World Contraception Day was observed throughout the world. The World Contraception Day is observed every year on September 26. This day was launched in 2007.
- On 26th September 2018, International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons was observed throughout the world.
- Famous ‘Indra Jatra’ festival celebrations began in Kathmandu, Nepal On September 25, 2018, the famous Indra Jatra festival commenced in Kathmandu, Nepal.
- The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved increasing of Government ownership in Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN).
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the MoU between National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, and Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation (MEDRF).
- On September 26, 2018, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the total assistance of Rs 5,538 crore to support the sugar sector.
- On September 26, 2018, Finance Ministry launched mobile application “ Jan Dhan Darshak”. It will act as a locator app guiding common people to find financial service touch point at a given location in the country.
- On September 25, 2018, the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley launched a web portal for a transformative initiative in MSME credit space.
- On September 25, 2018, the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley launched the Financial Inclusion Index in New Delhi.
- According to the Asia Development Bank’s (ADB) annual economic publication, the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2018, India’s economy is in an upward trajectory.
- The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved procurement of 1,000 engines for fitment in T-72 tanks of the Army.
- Indian women defeated Sri Lankan women by 51 runs in the fifth and final T20 International and won the series 4-0 at Katunayake, Sri Lanka.
- President Ram Nath Kovind conferred Tenzing Norgay National Adventure awards 2017 to at an event in Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.
- Badminton player and Olympian PV Sindhu is the only sportsperson to feature in the Forbes India’s first ‘tycoons of tomorrow’ list of 22 young achievers in the fields of business, acting and sports.
- Air Marshal Anil Khosla has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force. The Eastern Air Force Commander. He will take charge as Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force on 30th September 2018
- Google has appointed Keith Enright as its chief privacy officer. As Chief Privacy Officer, Keith Enright will be in charge of developing Google’s strategy on privacy issues.
- Facebook appointed former Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan as Vice-President and Managing Director of its India operations. He will join Facebook India in early 2019. He will also be responsible for driving Facebook’s continued investment in India.
- Instagram’s co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger resigned as chief executive officer and chief technical officer respectively of Instagram owned by Facebook Inc.
- ZSL’s (Zoological Society of London) Institute of Zoology conferred the title of ‘world’s largest bird’ to Vorombe titan.
- The country successfully tested the world's first self-driving tram with LIDAR technology, camera sensors and many radar Germany
1. Important Days :
- On September 25, 2018, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared 2019-2028 as the “Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace” at the UN headquarters in New York.
- India 4th in Asia and the only SAARC country to have a quit-line number for Tobacco On September 25, 2018, India became the only SAARC country to have a quit-line number on tobacco products.
- The Lancet On September 25, 2018, according to a study by Seattle-based Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation published in The Lancet, India ranks 158th in the world for its investments in education and healthcare.
- In Nepal, the famous Indra Jatra festival is being celebrated in Kathmandu with gaiety and religious fervor. The eight day long annual festival is observed to worship Indra, the lord of rain and good harvest.
- A statue of Nelson Mandela has been unveiled at the United Nations to honour the late South African leader’s birth.
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the Interfaith Alliance Forum in the nation's capital, Abu Dhabi, on November 19th and 20th, under the auspices of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE. UAE and International Cooperation has signed a cooperation agreement with Red Cross to support the humanitarian response plan in Yemen, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on his visit to Andhra Pradesh inaugurated an Indian Culinary Institute, built by the Ministry of Tourism near Renigunta airport.
- Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Environment, Forest and Climate change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated air pollution control device WAYU (Wind Augmentation PurifYing Unit) in New Delhi.
- The District Development Commissioner of Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, inaugurated the Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign across Jammu district.
- The Assam government will provide electricity connection to all households by December 31st this year under SOUVAGYA scheme.
- The Railway Protection Force (RPF) is organising several passenger awareness programmes on safety on trains and on railway premises on the 34th raising day of RPF.
- A Report of World Bank named ‘A Glass Half Full: The Promise of Regional Trade in South Asia’, India’s trade in goods with South Asia could be at $62 billion and that with Pakistan could be at $37 billion without trade barriers.
- India’s fourth largest private sector bank announced its partnership with RupeeBoss.com, an online financial services company.
- ICICI Prudential Life inked pact with Saraswat Bank to offer insurance products.This includes 280 branches of Saraswat Bank in Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
- According to PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President D K Aggarwal, India is expected to have USD 100 billion FDI inflow per annum by 2022.
- India have swept the team Table Tennis titles in the girls and cadet boys category at the 2018 Serbia Junior and Cadet Open in Belgrade.
- 13th International Silesian Women’s Boxing Championships From 9th to 15th September 2018, was held in Gliwice, Poland.
- On 24th September 2018, the Best FIFA Football Awards 2018 ceremony, was held in London, England.
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| The Best FIFA Men’s Player | Luka Modrić (Croatia) |
| The Best FIFA Women’s Player | Marta (Brazil) |
| The Best FIFA Men’s Coach | Didier Deschamps (France) |
| The Best FIFA Women’s Coach | Reynald Pedros (France) |
| The Best FIFA Goalkeeper | Thibaut Courtois (Belgium) |
| FIFA Puskás Award | Mohamed Salah (Egypt) |
| FIFA Fair Play Award | Lennart Thy (Germany) |
| FIFA Fan Award | Peru fans |
| FIFA FIFPro World11 2018 | David De Gea, Dani Alves, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Eden Hazard, N’Golo Kante, Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi |
Static Gk:
7. Science and Technology:
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
- Headquarters Zürich, Switzerland.
- Japan became the world’s first country to land 2 robotic rovers in asteroid Ryugu. It is also the first man made robot to have landed in an asteroid.
- On September 25, 2018, commentator Jasdev Singh passed away at the age of 87. He was primarily a cricket commentator and had started his career in All India Radio in 1955.
1. International News:
- Nepal has announced that there are an estimated 235 wild tigers in Nepal currently. It has almost doubled from 121 tigers in 2009.
- The Annual World Airport Traffic Report 2018’ by Airport Council International (ACI), Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is the 16th busiest in the world.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Sikkim and was received by Governor Ganga Prasad, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling. He inaugurated Sikkim’s first airport and nation’s 100th operational airport: Pakyong Airport in Sikkim.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled out the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana-Ayushman Bharat in Ranchi, Jharkhand, covering 57 lakh families in the state.
- President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the centenary celebrations of the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha in New Delhi.
- Home Minister Rajnath Singh has chaired a meeting of the central Zonal Council in Lucknow. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath was vice chairman of the council and the host.
- Two-day National Orientation workshop on National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) inaugurated by Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, MoSPA.
- The “Ease of Living Index” rankings were launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) at the National Dissemination Workshop on Ease of Living Index, 2018 in New Delhi.
- Reserve Bank shortlisted five IT firms for implementation of a centralised information and management system (CIMS) for data collection.
- On September 24, 2018, according to a new report by TransUnion Cibil, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka make up for nearly 40 per cent of all retail loans in the country.
- On 24th September 2018, France Football magazine announced that, a women’s Ballon d’Or will be awarded for the first time in 2018.
- Junior World Wrestling Championship held in Trnava, Slovakia From 17 to 23 September 2018, Junior World Wrestling Championship was held in Trnava, Slovakia.
- From 18th to 23rd September 2018, China Open 2018 officially named Victor China Open 2018 was held in Changzhou, Jiangsu, China.
- On 21-23 September 2018, the 5th Track Asia Cup (cycling) 2018 was held at the Indira Gandhi Velodrome in New Delhi.
- On September 24, 2018, US scientists from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio, for the first time have used stem cells to grow human oesophagus known as the food pipe in the laboratory.
- A two-layer Ballistic Missile Defense system, Prithvi Defense Vehicle was successfully test fired from Abdul Kalam Island of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off the coast of Odisha.
- On 24th September 2018, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was elected the new President of Maldives. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will be 6th President of Maldives. He replaces Abdulla Yameen.
- On September 20, 2018, B. S. Mubarak was appointed as next Ambassador of India to Republic of Guatemala.
- Former Union Minister and Congress leader Shantaram Potdukhe passed away following a short term illness, in Maharashtra.
1. Important Day:
- 23rd September 2018, the first International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) was observed throughout the world.
- The Inaugural General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) will take place on October 2 at Greater Noida, Delhi-NCR
- Theme of 'International Peace Day 2018' - The Right to Peace - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70
- It is a UN observance day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace within and among all nations and peoples in respect of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the states of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. He inaugurated and revived the Talcher Fertilizer Plant located at Talcher, Angul district in Odisha. It will start production in 36 months.
- The Battle of Haifa was commemorated in Israel, Delhi and Jaipur. Centenary celebrations were observed to commemorate 100 years of liberation of Haifa in Israel by the Indian troops in 1918.
- New scheme of Government of India providing health assurance worth Rs. 5 lakh each, every year Prime Minister Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).
- Tamil Nadu government has announced a novel scheme for the protection of the exotic plant named Neela kurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus).
- The New Development Bank (NDB) of the BRICS announced a $525-million loan to Madhya Pradesh for infrastructure projects.
- Corporation bank inked a pact on information utility (IU) agreement with National e-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL).
- Yes Bank paid Rs 38 crore in fines to the GST department for alleged violations in domestic remittances.
- AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships will be hosted by India from 13-25 November 2018 in New Delhi.
- Blind chess player Vaishali Narendra Salavkar will become the first Indian female to be part of the International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) team at the world chess Olympiad that will be held in Batumi, Georgia, from September 23, 2018.
- Belgium has joined France in number one position on the FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) rankings released on 20th September 2018.
- Indian actress Jaya Prada has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of Nepal tourism for a term of 4 years.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed Anil Kumar Chaudhary as the new chairman of the Steel Authority of India till his superannuation in December, 2020.
- National compound archery coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja resigned as the national coach following the denial of Dronacharya award.
- On 23rd September 2018, filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi passed after she had suffered from chronic kidney disease and liver failure, in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
1. Important Day :
- World Rose Day or Cancer Free Day – September 22 Rose Day is observed on all over the world every year who are battling cancer.
- Assam government has decided to observe September 22 as “Rhino Day”. During the 10th meeting of the State Board for Wildlife Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal expressed the idea to make people aware about the importance of Rhinos.
- The 3rd edition of ‘MahaBiz 2018’ International Business Conference will be held in Dubai on 12th and 13th October 2018.
- India and Nepal have agreed to explore the possibility of using high-resolution satellite images in boundary survey work.
- Hong Kong on Saturday opened a new high-speed rail link to inland China that will vastly decrease travel times but also raises concerns about Beijing's creeping influence over the semi-autonomous Chinese region.
- Jharkhand government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Insurance Company Ltd to provide medical facilities to the people of the state under the Centre’s flagship health scheme”Ayushman Bharat Yojana”.
- Arunachal Pradesh becomes the first State in North East India to introduce Smart e-Public Distribution System (e-PDS), a solution developed by the Madras Security Printers, a company specializing in system integration and solutions for e-governance projects.
- Meghalaya cabinet approved the final draft of the state Education Policy, 2018,after 46 years of statehood,that aims to address issues related to the education sector.
- President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the centenary celebrations of the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha in New Delhi.
- The Maharashtra government will tap into the start-up ecosystem by launching a yatra to search for future entrepreneurs and unicorns in rural areas.
- In Himachal Pradesh, two day Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Indian Region-IV, Conference and Workshop is being Organised in Shimla.
- Midsized private sector lender Yes Bank has paid Rs 38 crore in fines to the GST department for alleged violations in domestic remittances.
- The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has raised the minimum insurance cover for owner-driver to Rs 15 lakh.
- From Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for a premium of Rs 750 per annum for motorised two-wheelers and private cars/commercial vehicles under capital sum insured (CSI).
- India won silver medal in the Asian Team Snooker Championship in Doha.
- Pankaj Advani lost to Babar Masih 2-110(81) Malkeet Singh defeated Muhammad Asif 81(52)-47 Doubles: Pakistan beat India 70-72
- Pankaj Advani beat Muhammad Asif 107(68)-5 Malkeet Singh lost to Babar Masih 18-98
- The Women’s Boxing World Championships, to be hosted by India after more than a decade, will be held from November 15-24, 2018, in New Delhi. The teams will have to be in the national capital by November 13, with the competition starting two days later.
- India won 3 Gold, 3Silver and a Bronze on the opening day of the 5th Track Asia Cup Cycling in New Delhi. Mayuri Lute won the country’s first Gold in the Women’s Junior 500 metres race.
- Film Federation of India (FFI) announced that, Assamese movie “Village Rockstars” has been selected to represent India in the Best Foreign Language category at the 91st Academy Awards 2019.
- Bollywood Actress Anushka Sharma Wins Smita Patil Memorial Award. The 34th Priyadarshni Academy Anniversary Global Awards.
- IL&FS Financial Services Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ramesh Bawa resigned from his position.
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is setting up a third launch pad at Sriharikota,Andhra Pradesh to undertake the Gaganyaan manned space flight programme.
1. Important Day :
- International Day of Peace is observed every year on 21 September
- 21st September 2018, World Alzheimer’s Day was observed all over the world.
- Chabahar Port, a port that is strategic for all three nations-India, Iran and Afghanistan, will be made operational by 2018 end in this nation Iran
- The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has lifted the suspension of Russia's anti-doping agency (RUSADA), despite opposition from dozens of athletes and the anti-doping establishment.
- The US and UAE's ground forces will begin a joint military exercise in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, as part of efforts to consolidate their bilateral relations and exchange training and military expertise.
- India has contributed a whopping $1 million for the installation of solar panels on the roof of the imposing UN building at the world body’s headquarters.
- GCC is a political and economic alliance of six middle eastern countries. It includes Saudi Arabia , UAE , Kuwait , Oman , Bahrain and Qatar.
- The 3rd edition of acclaimed International Business Conference ‘MahaBiz 2018’ will be held in Dubai on 12th and 13th October 2018. MahaBiz is considered a bridge for business opportunities between Maharashtra state and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC).
- The portal will receive complaints from citizens on objectionable online content related to child pornography, child sexual abuse material, sexually explicit material such as rape and gang rape.
- India’s leading stock exchanges Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India have received approval from capital market regulator SEBI to launch commodity derivatives segment.
- The cyclonic storm “DAYE” over south Odisha and its neighbourhood has moved west-northwestwards.It is expected to move west-northwestwards and weaken further into a low pressure in next 24 hours.
- The Gujarat government has doubled the monetary assistance to farmers under the State-Run Farmers Accident Insurance Scheme.
- Tamil Nadu government has announced a novel scheme for the protection of the exotic Neela kurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus) plants that flower only once in 12 years.
- The Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) has set up a flightless bird research Center in Wayanad.
- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be undertaking a survey from September 25 to October 9 to identify new leprosy patients as part of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP).
- The framework sets the strategic focus for the World Bank’s engagement with India for the period FY18-22. It supports the transition to a high-middle income economy.
- The World Bank Board has endorsed an ambitious five-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for India, which aligns with New Delhi’s objectives of high, sustainable and inclusive growth.
- The framework sets the strategic focus for the World Bank’s engagement with India for the period FY18-22. It supports the transition to a high-middle income economy.
- The first Indian Pistol shooter who won gold in the World Cup got Arjuna Award in the field of sports Rahi Jeevan Sarnobat.
- Sajan Bhanwal became the first Indian to win back-to-back medals at the Junior World Wrestling Championship after he secured a silver in the 77kg Greco Roman category in Trnava, Slovakia.
- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested the indigenously developed surface-to-surface tactical missile ‘Prahar’, from Launch Complex-III, ITR, Balasore, (20 September).
- The Board of Directors of Vodafone Idea Limited, India’s largest telecom operator approved merger of the Vodafone Idea Limited with the Aditya Birla Telecom Limited (ABTL), the parent company of Idea Cellular.
- The Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has Inaugurated ISRO’s first Space Technology Incubation Centre at the National Institute of Technology Agartala via remote from Bengaluru.
- Zoological Society of London honour: Biospeleologist Shabuddin Shaik A faculty member of the Acharya Nagarjuna University, Dr. Shaik has several firsts to his credit.
- Former minister in the Narendra Modi government, Kalraj Mishra, on Wednesday replaced former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri as the chairman of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense.
- The Appointments Committee of Cabinet on Thursday approved the appointment of A. Gitesh Sarma as Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
- Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang died due to a serious illness, in Hanoi, Vietnam. Tran Dai Quang was 61 years old. He became the President of Vietnam in April 2016.
- Former Air Marshal Randhir Singh died following a short term illness in Chandigarh. He was 97 years old. He was a highly decorated Indian Air Force veteran.
1. International News:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country's President, Rechp Tayyap Erdouan, have agreed to create demilitarized (army removal) zone in Syria's Idlib province Turkey
- The country US government has said that only 30,000 refugees will be allowed to enter the country in 2019, whereas in the year 2018, the number is 45,000
- President Donald Trump will impose 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, and those duties will rise to 25 percent at the end of the year.
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, the Korea Tourism Organization and the Seoul Tourism Organization.
- The BRICS environment ministers have formed a forum to focus on key strategic global issues such as the global economy, trade, peace and security and reform of multilateral institutions. 4th BRICS Communications Ministers Meeting held in Durban, South Africa
- President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent for the cleared ordinance. The new law incorporates safeguards, including a provision for bail to an accused before the start of the trial. Instant triple talaq remains a non-bailable offence and should approach a magistrate for bail even before trial.
- The minister also release a booklet on ‘Montreal Protocol – India’s Success Story’. ‘Keep Cool and Carry on’ : The Montreal Protocol is the theme of 24th World Ozone Day celebrations.
- Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani was recently in India for visit. During a day-long visit, he reviewed and positively assessed the progress of the multi-faceted bilateral strategic partnership.
- India and Morocco signed the revised Air Services Agreement between the two countries enabling greater connectivity through a modernized agreement.
- Odisha CM launches star-rating system for industries to reduce air pollution. This is the first program in India to use continuous monitored emissions data obtained in real time from major industrial plants.
- India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and Bajaj Allianz announced a five-year partnership to sell life insurance products on a revenue share basis. Under the partnership, IPPB will facilitate customers to pay for Bajaj Allianz life insurance products through their accounts.
- This partnership will leverage IPPB’s last mile reach for building awareness about life insurance. Both the companies came together, to formally sign the Corporate Agency Agreement.
- The government has raised interest rates on Small Savings Schemes (SSS), including National Savings Certificate (NSC) and Public Provident Fund (PPF) by up to 0.4% for the October-December quarter, in line with rising deposit rates in the banks.
- After winning two consecutive medals in the 2018 junior world wrestling championship in Taranawa city of Slovakia, he is the first Indian - Sajan Bhanwal.
- Lewis Hamilton Won Singapore Grand Prix 2018. Lewis Hamilton was followed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the second spot.
- National Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four year.
- Director Vasan Bala’s action thriller ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’ (The Man Who Feels No Pain) has won the top award ie., Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award at the 43rd Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
- Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb inaugurated ISRO’s first Space Technology Incubation Centre(STIC) at the National Institute of Technology Agartala via remote from Bengaluru.
- Vodafone Idea Board approved Merger With Aditya Birla Telecom. The merger was approved under the relevant provisions of the Companies Act, 2013. The merger is subjected to the approval of the National Company Law Tribuna
- Airports Authority of India (AAI) said that Chennai Airport will be soon getting facial recognition technology under the ‘DigiYatra’ scheme which will soon be implemented by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. This technology will capture the image of a passenger and scan the tickets.
- The government of India cleared the appointment of Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors (CEOs and MDs) at 10 Public Sector Banks (PSBs).
- Here is the list of people appointed as MD and CEO at various PSBs:
- Renowned scientist Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas has been appointed the secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy and chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. Mr Vyas, who is at present Director of Bhabha AtomicResearch Centre (BARC), has been appointed in place of Shekhar Basu.
| Bank Name | Person Name |
|---|---|
| Indian Bank | Padmaja Chundru |
| Syndicate Bank | Mrutyunjay Mahapatra |
| Central Bank of India | Pallav Mohapatra |
| Andhra Bank | Packirisamy |
| Dena Bank | Karnam Sekar |
| Allahabad Bank | SS Mallikarajuna Rao |
| Bank of Maharashtra | AS Rajeev |
| UCO Bank | Atul Kumar Goel |
| Punjab & Sind Bank | S Harisankar |
| United Bank of India | Ashok Kumar Pradhan |
- India and Niger signed an MoU for the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi International Convention Centre (MGICC) in Niamey, Niger with the Indian government's grant assistance.
- The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has approved a new scheme- Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojna for Insured Persons covered under the Employees’ State Insurance Act.
1. International News :
- Germany has rolled out the world’s first hydrogen-powered train, signalling the start of a push to challenge the might of polluting diesel trains with costlier but more eco-friendly technology.
- Bangladesh's Cabinet has approved a draft agreement with India to enable New Delhi to use the Chittagong and Mongla ports for the movement of goods to and from northeast India.
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in signed an agreement on the denuclearize. Kim told in a statement that the regime is willing to demolish the country’s largest nuclear facility in Yongbyon if the US takes corresponding measures.
- Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) confirmed that Hangzhou in China will host the fourth edition of the Asian Para Games in 2022. Hangzhou will now be represented at the Closing Ceremony of this year’s Asian Para Games.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly launched the construction of India-Bangladesh Friendship Product Pipeline Project through video conferencing. The project will go a long way in strengthening the Indo-Bangla ties.
- Approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for equity investment of Rs.1033.54 crore of the total project cost for setting up a Coal Gasification based fertilizer project in Talcher Fertilizer Ltd. (TFL) by Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited (RCF).
- Budni New Line (205.5 Km) with Electrification. Total estimated cost of this project is Rs. 3261.82 crore.
- Approved the Revised Cost Estimate of Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) at the revised cost of Rs 3466 crore with the financial assistance of the World Bank to improve safety and operational performance of 198 Dams.
- The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance making triple talaq a punishable offence. The Supreme Court had in a verdict in August last year declared it illegal and unconstitutional.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly launched the construction of India-Bangladesh Friendship Product Pipeline Project through video conferencing. The project will go a long way in strengthening the Indo-Bangla ties.
- The Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba launched an online ‘e-Sahaj’ portal for grant of Security Clearance. The portal will facilitate an applicant to submit application online and also to view the status of his application from time to time.
- The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the Foundation Stone for several important development projects, at a public gathering in Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
- Markets regulator SEBI approved a slew of proposals, including a revised framework for the settlement of cases and new KYC norms for foreign portfolio investors.
- The government has incorporated provision of penalties for States and Insurance Companies for the delay in settlement of insurance claims under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
- The Board of Directors of Vodafone Idea Limited, India's largest telecom operator, approved the merger of the Vodafone Idea Limited with the Aditya Birla Telecom Limited (ABTL)
Static GK:
4. Sports
- SEBI - Securities and Exchange Board of India.
- SEBI Chairman - Ajay Tyagi, Headquarters in Mumbai.
- The Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) confirmed that Hangzhou in China will host the fourth edition of Asian Para Games in 2022.
- Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished in the 3rd place. With this victory, Lewis Hamilton has increased his chances of winning this year’s Formula One World Championship.
- Chairman and MD, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., Dr Raghupati Singhania has been conferred with 'Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle', the highest honour accorded to non-nationals by the Government of Mexico.
- Melba Pria, Ambassador of Mexico to India presented the award to Dr Singhania on behalf of the President of Mexico on the eve of 128th National Day of Mexico.
- Tajinder Mukherjee has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director of National Insurance Company Limited (NICL). Prior to joining NIC, she was posted as General Manager and Chief Underwriting Officer of New India Assurance.
- Actors Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma have been signed on to promote and endorse the Skill India Mission, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Static GK:
7. Obituaries:
- Dharmendra Pradhan is the present Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
- NICL Headquarters in Kolkata, West Bengal.
- India’s first woman IAS officer after Independence, Anna Rajam Malhotra, who served in the Madras State under then Chief Minister C. Rajagopalachari and at the Central government, died in Mumbai.
1. International News
- 16 September is designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
- The Union Minister HRD has inaugurated a network of more than 3,400 Test Practice Centres (TPCs) spread across the 622 Districts in the country.
- Union Home Minister will inaugurate pilot project of smart fencing along the Indo-Pak International Border in Jammu.
- The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai has become the first campus in India to have a gender-neutral hostel.
- Mountaineers Satyarup Siddhanta and Mousumi Khatua created history by climbing Asia’s highest volcanic peak Mount Damavand in Iran.
- The Uttar Pradesh Police is set to launch a first of its kind ‘dial-FIR scheme’ in the country where a common man can register regular crimes without going to a police station.
- An indigenously developed Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) was successfully flight tested for the second time from Ahmednagar test range.
- PayU India has received Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) approval to operate its own non-banking financial company (NBFC).
- Salesforce.com Inc. founder Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne agreed to acquire Time magazine from Meredith Corp. for $190 million in cash.
- Infosys has acquired Finnish company Fluido, a top consulting partner of Salesforce, for 65 million euros (about Rs 545 crore).
- Indian Oil Corporation defeated Indian Railways by 4-0 in the final to win the 92nd All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup tournament.
- Boxers Simranjit Kaur (64kg), Monika (48kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (81kg) won gold medals at the Ahmet Comert Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Kenya’s Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge pulverised the marathon world record with a blistering run on Sunday, slicing a staggering 78 seconds off the previous best to land the one major running crown that had eluded him.
- Peter Farrelly’s dramatic comedy buddy movie ‘Green Book’, won the Toronto International Film Festival audience prize.
- State-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) bagged the "Rajbhasha Kirti" award for outstanding performance in implementing the Official Language Policy during 2017-18.
- Kerala Tourism got the first gold for its 'Yalla Kerala' travel advertisement print media campaign in the Gulf countries and second for an innovative poster for Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
- Moutaz Mousa Abdallah has become Sudan’s new Prime Minister.
- State Bank of India announced that Prashant Kumar has taken charge as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Bank.
- The Delhi government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government signed a memorandum of understanding.
- Federal Bank, which is in the process of formation of a wholly owned subsidiary company, has executed MOU with Infopark Kakkanad for leasing space in their campus.
- The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has approved Rs 65,634.93 crore loan so far to 93 prioritised irrigation projects under the government's flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)
- The second edition of Nepal-China joint military exercise with a special focus on combating terror would begin from Monday in China's southwestern Sichuan province
- India and United States joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 commenced at Chaubattia, Uttarakhand
- Veteran Malayalam actor Captain Raju passed away in Kochi today morning, film industry sources said. He was 68.
- Former Union petroleum minister Satya Prakash Malaviya died at a private hospital in Delhi early Sunday. He was 84.
1. International News:
- Millions of people have been displaced in the civil war and one-third of the country remains out of government hands. But the Syrian regime is holding local elections across the country to show strength and normalcy.
- London mayor Sadiq Khan has called for another referendum Britain's European Union membership, saying the prime minister's handling of Brexit negotiations.
- North Korea fired five short-range projectiles into the sea off its east coast on Monday, South Korea’s military said, amid heightened tension over the isolated country’s nuclear and rocket programmes.
- Jammu-Kashmir panchayat polls to be held in 9 phases from November 17 In spite of unrest in the political paradigm of the Valley, the Panchayat polls are set to take place from November 17 to December 11 in nine phases in the state
- For incorporating green concepts and environment-friendly features in Chennai Central Station, Southern Railway was awarded with Green Building Certification by Indian Green Building Council.
- Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar on Saturday announced the implementation of a scheme to screen 77,000 newborn babies in Vellore district in the State under the public-private partnership mode along with Neuberg Ehrlich Laboratories.
- Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurated 17 electricity sub-stations built at a cost of ₹495.87 crore through videoconferencing Chennai, Tiruvallur, Sivaganga, Thanjavur, and Madurai.
- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the government is "confident and will strictly maintain" the fiscal deficit target at 3.3% of GDP.
- Maldives have always been a commendable team in the SAFF Cup and after falling victim to India in the last few tournaments, they will be looking to exact revenge on a relatively young Indian team this time out.
- MC Mary Kom lived up to her favourites tag to clinch gold in the 13th International Silesian Women's Boxing Championships in Gliwice, Poland. Manisha (54kg), the other India boxer, lost in her final bout to settle for a silver.
- Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal displayed a heroic effort as he came out to bat two hours after being told by the doctors that he has suffered a fractured left wrist
- GM Abhimanyu Puranik defeated Armenia’s Aram Hakobyam to claim the silver behind top-seeded Iranian Parham Maghsoodloo in the 11-round World junior chess.
- Leaders from Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a peace agreement during a summit in Saudi Arabia, yet another sign of warming ties between two nations that have faced decades of war and unease.
- South Korean President Moon Jae-in travels to Pyongyang this. week for his third summit with Kim Jong Un, looking to break the deadlock in nuclear talks between North Korea and the and the United States.
- The liberal politician, who reversed nearly a decade of conservative hard-line policy toward North Korea after his election last year, is preparing for a third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amid growing public skepticism about his approach.
- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) C42 from Sriharikota
- NASA launched its Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2, known as ICESat-2, which will use an extremely precise laser to collect measurement data to track the Earth's shrinking polar ice from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The laser, known as ATLAS
1. International News:
- The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Democracy is annually held on September 15 to raise public awareness about democracy.
- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched and tested a new umbrella-like heat shield.
- Researchers have claimed to have discovered the world's oldest site for alcohol production and the residue of 13,000-year-old beer in a cave in Haifa, Israel.
- Super Typhoon Mangkhut, the world's strongest storm this year, hit the northern coast of the Philippines.
- The tourism ministry would organize the 2nd edition of ‘Paryatan Parv’ from September 16 to September 27, 2018.
- Hyderabad’s first-ever exclusive pet park will soon be filled with joyous bow-wows much to the delight of pet owners. The park for canines, touted as the first such in the country, may be inaugurated in a week’s time.
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu flagged off the 'Swachh Dhara' programme here on Friday, with an aim to provide clean drinking water across the state.
- Ministry of Power launched an ambitious program to encourage the deployment of Energy Efficient chiller systems in the country.
- India has climbed up one spot to rank 130 out of 189 countries in the latest Human Development Index (HDI) released by the United Nations.
- India rank 3rd globally in terms of a number of family-owned companies according to ‘Credit Suisse Family 1000 in 2018’ report.
- The government will take steps to attract more Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI) into the corporate debt market.
- Inflation based on wholesale prices eased to a four-month low of 4.53% in August on softening food prices, especially vegetables. Inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
- The government has announced an array of steps to check the rising Current Account Deficit (CAD), and the fall in rupee.
- The 2018 edition of the Asia Cup will have a Super Over to decide tied matches, for the first time ever in the history of the tournament.
- Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Kolkata among 6 AAI-run airports to bag international awards Six aerodromes of the Airports Authority of India have bagged seven international awards.
- Labour and Employment ministry will give away Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar (VRP) and National Safety Awards (NSA) for the performance year 2016.
- Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani today presented ‘Shilp Guru’ and National Award to Master craft persons at a function held at Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh.
- Hyderabad International Airport (Rajiv Gandhi International Airport) was awarded Airports Council International Airport Service Quality World no.1 air airport award in the 5-15 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category.
- Infosys plans to acquire Fluido, a company with a presence in the Nordic region. While India’s second largest software exporter did not disclose the size of the deal, it said that Fluido’s consulting capability as a Salesforce advisor is something that the company gains.
- American technology firm IBM has teamed up with IIT Bombay to 'accelerate' AI research in India through its AI Horizons Network.
- Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Vijaya‘, the second in the series of 98 m offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), was commissioned in Chennai.
- India’s first underwater robotic drone developed at Maker Village here, which can send real-time video of ships and other underwater structures to help with their repair and maintenance, was launched.
1. International News
- The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu embarked today on a three-nation visit to Serbia, Malta and Romania on a weeklong trip from September 14 -21.
- The US is planning to help Mexico by paying transportation fares to deport illegal migrants back to their home countries under a new program.
- US President Donald Trump's administration has said that it is reviewing India's development of the Chabahar port in Iran after imposing several sanctions on the country.
- Billionaire Elon Musk-led aerospace startup SpaceX has signed the world's first private passenger to fly around the Moon.
- North and South Korea opened a joint liaison office in the Northern city of Kaesong on Friday as they knit closer ties ahead of President Moon Jae-in's visit to Pyongyang next week.
- Union minister K J Alphons, the Minister of State for Tourism, inaugurated the country's first tribal circuit project connecting 13 tourism sites in Chhattisgarh.
- In a major shot in the arm for paramilitary and police forces, scientists at a central research institute claim to have developed India’s first indigenous medical kit.
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved continuation of capacity development Scheme for peri.
- Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has launched Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) Scheme with an outlay of Rs. 10 881 crore.
- Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched the country's first "National Scholarship Portal Mobile App" (NSP Mobile App) in New Delhi.
- Airtel is aggressively ramping up its network to serve the booming demand for high-speed data and voice services.
- According to the data released by Central Statistics Office (CSO), Index of Industrial production (IIP) grew at 6.6% in July.
- Bangalore-based Goddard Technical Solutions Pvt. Ltd, which operates online lending platform Avail Finance, has raised $17.2 million (Rs 111 crore) in a fresh round of funding led by venture capital firm Matrix Partners, the startup said in a statement.
- The Central Statistics Office (CSO) presented India’s Wholesale Price Index (WPI) Inflation for the month of August 2018.
- Man Kaur, a 102-year-old Chandigarh-based athlete, won the 200m race in the 100-104 age group category at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Spain.
- Opener Paramsingh’s 81 helped Chennai Public School (Thirumazhisai) beat Velammal Vidyashram (Ayanambakkam) by two wickets in the final and emerge champion of the Father Mathews under-17 city schools tournament.
- E. Akash’s hat-trick set up a four-wicket win for Chettinad Hari Shree Vidyalayam against Chennai CA in the final of the Independence Day under-12 tournament.
- V. Ajai Kumar’s 78 and B. Aravind’s 63 helped HDFC prevail over Asiatic Cricket Transformers in the final of the SMCA Champions Trophy.
- G. Mohan picked up four for 28 as Cunnan CA beat Dolphin CA by three wickets in the final of the Puratham Premier League T20 tournament.
- Jeevanandham did the star turn when it mattered most as favourite Income Tax (Chennai) edged out a fighting Vijaya Bank (Bengaluru) 82-78 in the final.
- Mr. Teja Gollapudi’s Southern Legacy (Suraj Narredu up) won the Nawab Khaja Moinuddin Khan Memorial Plate, the main event of the races held here on Friday (Sept. 14). Laxman Singh trains the winner
- Union Ministry of Water Resources has instituted national water awards with objective to encourage all stakeholders to manage their water resources.
- Goldman Sachs Group Inc on Thursday announced its biggest management shakeup since naming David Solomon as Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein's successor earlier in the year.
- Jaipur-based poet and writer Sawai Singh Shekhawat will be honoured with Meera Puruskar by Rajasthan Sahitya Academy for his contribution to Hindi literature.
- The Union Cabinet of India has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the collaborative research of distributed ledger technology (DLT).
- The Union cabinet Wednesday approved a memorandum of understanding between India and South Africa on cooperation for exploration and uses of the outer space for peaceful purposes, an official statement said.
- Mjunction services ltd., an equal joint venture between SAIL and Tata Steel, has tied up with Sporty Solutionz, a sports company, to provide e-auction and e-sales programmes for the global sports business.
- Cisco, a U.S.-based firm, has signed two agreements with the NITI Aayog and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to speed up its Country Digital Acceleration programme in India.
- The 23rd India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) was held on 14th September 2018 in Moscow, Russia.
- The Global Climate Action Summit 2018 was held at San Francisco, California, United States. Over 4000 businesses, cities, states and civil society delegates attended the summit.
- Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, will participate in the G-20, Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting, being held in Mar del Plata in Argentina.
- Veteran film writer Brij Katyal, who penned the story of Shashi Kapoor-Nanda hit, Jab Jab Phool Khile, passed away Thursday afternoon at a hospice in suburban Bandra.
1. International News:
- Earliest known drawing found on rock in South African cave Researchers believe the pattern on the fragment of rock is 73,000 years old, but are perplexed as to what it might represent.
- Ride-hailing startup Uber has changed its logo for the fourth time since it was launched eight years ago. The old square-in-a-circle logo from 2016 has been replaced by the word 'Uber' on its app icon as well as the website.
- PM Modi announces the launch Of ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Movement’ to mark the commencement of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary on October 2.
- When complete, this will make Indian Railways one of the largest electrified railway networks in the world after China, which has 87,000 km electrified and the only large railway with 100 per cent electrification.
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved a new Umbrella Scheme “Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan’ (PM-AASHA).
- Tamil Nadu has issued an order banning the manufacture, sale and possession of e-cigarettes with immediate effect.
- It will be India's first, a force multiplier and cruise the country into a global elite club. Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) is gearing up to undertake sea trials of India's first missile tracking ship by the first week of October.
- India’s first 205T Electric Drive Rear Dump Truck (Model BH205-E), designed and developed by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) was flagged off recent.
- Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved proposal for introduction of bill in the Parliament for amendment of National Institute.
- The Supreme Court on Wednesday appointed state-run NBCC to develop stalled projects of the Amrapali Group, and directed the Debt Recovery Tribunal to sell the unencumbered commercial properties of the real estate firm.
- According to data released by Central Statistics Office (CSO), factory output measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production grew at 6.6% in July 2018.
- Bangladesh is a least developed country and has zero tariff for four years. Also, putting up a new factory is economical due to availability of manpower with low labour cost.
- Schwing Stetter has opted to establish its second plant at the Sipcot Industrial Area in Cheyyar, Tiruvannamalai District of Tamil Nadu.
- Dawid Godziek of Poland landed the world's first quadruple tail whip trick on a mountain bike at an event in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.
- Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Wednesday held presentations and discussions with the state governments of Assam, Jharkhand and Maharashtra to explore the possibilities of holding the Khelo India Youth Games in January, 2019, in their respective State capitals.
- Prevalent Force, who is in fine nick may score an encore in the Maharaja’s Cup (1,600m), the chief event of the races to be held Chennai.
- Twins Vijayveer Sidhu and Udhayveer Sidhu led with 291 out of 300 at the end of the precision stage in the junior men’s sports pistol in the 52nd World Shooting Championship.
- Ministry of Steel today gave away Secondary Steel sector awards, for the first time, to 26 mini steel companies in recognition of their contribution to the national economy.
- Veteran BJP leader L K Advani has been renominated as the chairman of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. The Committee examines complaints relating to unethical conduct by members of Parliament.
- Justice Ranjan Gogoi on was Thursday appointed the next Chief Justice of India as President Ram Nath Kovind approved the recommendation sent by incumbent CJI Dipak Misra.
- Three-time Olympic champion Kimberly Rhode of the USA was elected as the Chairman of Athletes Committee of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) at its Executive Committee meeting.
- Padma Bhushan awardee and noted agricultural economist Vijay Shankar Vyas passed away on Wednesday here after a brief illness, a family member said.
- Unlimit, end-to-end IoT service provider in India announced its partnership with state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to offer comprehensive Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.
- Union Cabinet has approved MOU signed between Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) and member banks under BRICS interbank cooperation mechanism on.
1. International News:
- Russia has launched its biggest military exercise since the Cold War, involving about 300,000 service personnel, in eastern Siberia.
- Chinese Consul-General in Kolkata, Ma Zhanwu on September 12, 2018 announced that China is looking forward to plan bullet trains from Kolkata to Kunming City of China.
- China is no longer the world’s second largest stock market as it lost its place to Japan. This could be called a direct effect of the US-China Trade War inflicted by Donald Trump on China.
- Google partnered with US-based startup Aclima to integrate its mobile sensing platform into Google's fleet of Street View vehicles.
- The Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) led a75-member Indian delegation for the ongoing 87th Izmir International Trade Show in Turkey.
- Anshdeep Singh Bhatia has become the first Sikh to have been inducted into US President Donald Trump's security detail.
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the set of approvals to the new procurement policy for crops.
- THE BHABHA Atomic Research Centre has recommissioned an upgraded version of ‘Apsara’, the country’s oldest research reactor that was decommissioned almost a decade ago.
- Bihar and Nepal are now connected by bus. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar flagged off the first bus service between Bihar and Nepal.
- The Home Ministry is planning to relax the minimum height requirement for people from the Nepalese community residing in India to join the paramilitary forces.
- The SpiceJet services include flights from Varanasi to Kolkata and Bengaluru, Kanpur to Mumbai and Bengaluru, and Gorakhpur to Bengaluru.
- Apple unveiled the iPhone XR smartphone with a 6.1-inch display in white, black, blue, coral, yellow and red colors at a starting price of $749.
- India's exports grew 19.21% to $27.84 billion in August due to a healthy performance by sectors such as petroleum, narrowing trade deficit to $17.4 billion.
- Bengaluru-based holiday planning startup TripFactory is in talks to raise at least $100 million in Series B funding round, the startup's Co-founder Vinay Gupta has said.
- Knowledge-sharing platform Vokal has reportedly raised $1.5 million more from Kalaari Capital as part of its Series A funding.
- State-owned Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is planning to set up a 40,000-crore petrochemicals plant at Rasayani in Raigad District of Maharashtra to manufacture polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene.
- Former Indian hockey team captain Sardar Singh announced his retirement from international hockey after having represented India in over 350 international matches.
- James Anderson matched the record of the most successful Test fast bowler of all time at the Oval on Monday after England’s master of swing tied Australian Glenn McGrath’s tally of 563 wickets in the fifth and final Test against India.
- Anthony Amalraj of PSPB and Sutirtha Mukherjee of Haryana emerged champions in the men’s and women’s singles respectively in the 11Sports National-ranking (South Zone) table tennis tournament at the DRMC Indoor Stadium here.
- The winner is owned by M/s. Rajan Aggarwal, Gautam Aggarwal, Gautam Sengupta & Mrs. Smitha Gautam, trained by Samar Singh.
- CBSE Chennai region presents the trophy to the u-19 champion St. Joseph’s Residential School, Sriperumpudur, in the CBSE Cluster VI football tournament in Chennai.
- The US National Cancer Institute has given the Outstanding Investigator Award to Indian-origin Professor Arul Chinnaiyan and $6.5 million in funding over seven years, to identify cancer biomarkers.
- HDFC Standard Life Insurance has elevated its Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer, Vibha Padalkar, to the post of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for a period of three years, effective Wednesday.
- NITI Aayog, Intel, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) announced on 7th September that they are collaborating to set up a Model International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI)
- Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) have signed agreement for implementation of e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati (e-VBAB) Network Project in Africa.
- Tata Power has signed an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Afghanistan Government-owned power distribution company Da Afghanistan Bresha Sherkat for distribution, transmission and generation of power in Afghanistan.
- The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG), Government of India in association with Government of Madhya Pradesh is organizing a Regional Conference on Good Governance with Focus on Aspirational Districts, in Bhopal beginning tomorrow.
- As part of the ongoing Indo-US defence cooperation, a joint military training Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 is scheduled to be conducted in the foothills of Himalayas at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand from 16 September to 29 September 2018.
- Padma Bhushan awardee and economist VS Vyas passed away in Jaipur. He was previously a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council and worked with former prime ministers including Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.
1. International News:
- The President Vidya Devi Bhandari administered oath of office and secrecy to Justice Mishra in Kathmandu this evening. Earlier in the day, Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC).
- Seven countries, including Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Turkey, are at risk of exchange rate crises as investors re-assess their risks following the contagion in Argentina and Turkey, a new index by Nomura says.
- Tinder's solution for this is Top Picks, a more limited set of potential matches it. Tinder parent company Match Group reported that Tinder added 299,000 ... “Data suggests users in test markets have loved the feature.
- China has ordered the suspension of carpool services offered by ride-hailing firms after two Didi Chuxing passengers were murdered earlier this year.
- The international criminal court (ICC) will continue to investigate war crimes “undeterred” by the Trump administration’s threat of sanctions against its judges, the Hague-based organisation has declared.
- West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has announced that ₹28 crore will be given to Durga Puja organisers as a "gift" aimed at "community development".
- The CBI judge hearing the Babri Masjid demolition case, filed a plea in the Supreme Court, saying his promotion has got stuck because of the case. He said the Allahabad High Court had appointed him a District and Sessions judge.
- The CBI judge hearing the Babri Masjid demolition case, filed a plea in the Supreme Court, saying his promotion has got stuck because of the case. He said the Allahabad High Court had appointed him a District and Sessions judge.
- The CBI judge hearing the Babri Masjid demolition case has filed a plea in the Supreme Court that his promotion has been stalled after the apex court order that he not be transferred till the trail was over, said media reports on Tuesday.
- Food ordering startup FreshMenu suffered a security breach in 2016 that exposed personal data of over one lakh users including their names and phone numbers
- In a move aimed at creating a payments acceptance network for unorganized retail including small merchants and kirana stores where consumers can make payments.
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had, in May 2015, advised all public-sector and select private and foreign banks to appoint Internal Ombudsman (IO) as an independent authority to review complaints that were partially or wholly rejected by the respective banks.
- Yes Bank has raised $400 million through syndicated loan facility, borrowed out of its IFSC Banking Unit (IBU) in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT).
- Investors' wealth, measured in terms of all BSE-listed companies' market value, fell by ₹4.15 trillion in two days as Indian equity benchmark Sensex fell nearly 1,000 points.
- US-based energy startup AutoGrid, which also has an office in Bengaluru, has raised $32 million in a Series D round of funding.
- The 2018 Asian Games Champion, India’s Chaudhary Saurabh, triumphed at the 52nd ISSF World Championship in Changwon, Korea, as he won today’s 10m Air Pistol Men junior event with an outstanding score of 245.5 points, setting a new junior world record.
- Indian pacer Jhulan Goswami became the first bowler in women's cricket to pick 300 international wickets after reaching the landmark figure in India's nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka.
- India suffered a 118-run defeat against England in the fifth Test at The Oval on Tuesday, losing the five-match series 1-4. This is the first time since their 0-4 defeat against Australia.
- An international children rights charity based in Switzerland has been awarded the 2018 Balzan Prize for humanitarian achievement.
- The Haryana government on September 10 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) India and Afghanistan Monday agreed to enhance cooperation under the New Development Partnership as part of which New Delhi had announced taking up 116 "high impact community developmental projects" in the war-torn country.
- Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) signed an Agreement for the implementation of e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati (e-VBAB) Network Project.
- Days after pulling out of the Bimstec joint military exercise in India at the last minute, the Nepal Army on Monday began its second wargame with the Chinese military at Chengdu.
- Regional Conference on Good Governance with Focus on Aspirational Districts was held in Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh. It was organized by Department.
- Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the first regional workshop on RERA (Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act) in Pune.
- The UN Security Council (UNSC) on Monday held its first-ever meeting on corruption and its linkages to global conflicts.
- BIMSTEC Military Exercise (MILEX-18), the first edition of Military Field Training Exercise for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) nations, started at Aundh in Pune.
- India, Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant 2018 commenced at Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area in Ulaanbaatar(capital of Mongolia).
- As part of the ongoing Indo-US defence cooperation, a joint military training exercise “Yudh Abhyas 2018”
- Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s wife Kulsoom Nawaz passed away Tuesday in London, Pakistan media reported.
1. International News:
- India has protested over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of China's Belt and Road Initiative as it traversed through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
- Germany on Monday said that it is discussing possible plans to join the US-led military coalition in Syria. Germany had discussed with the US and European.
- The Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan shared on Monday the statistics of 90% of state-owned land in KP, Punjab & federal areas & the rest houses and official residences built on that land.
- Nepal has refused to participate in inaugural joint military exercise of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation(BIMSTEC) countries scheduled to be held in Pune, Maharashtra.
- The United States has decided to close the Palestinian mission in Washington in the latest move against them by President Donald Trump.
- Sweden is Headed for a period of uncertainty after legislative elections saw the far-right make gains, raising three question.
- The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana or Ayushman Bharat scheme will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay.
- The Peoples Democratic Party, another regional party of Jammu & Kashmir, announced on Monday it will boycott the municipal and panchayat elections to be held later this month, days after the National Conference announced its decision to stay away from the polls.
- The Supreme Court will next week hear a plea by the family of the Alwar lynching victim to transfer the trial outside of Rajasthan.
- The mid-August floods devastated not just homes and crops but also hundreds of small-scale industrial units across districts.
- The mid-August floods devastated not just homes and crops but also hundreds of small-scale industrial units across districts.
- The Delhi government on Monday launched its ambitious project to deliver public services at the doorstep of residents.
- The first ever mid-air refueling of the indigenous developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas was successfully carried out Monday, placing India in an elite group of countries.
- To strengthen the food safety surveillance system, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has envisaged audits of food business operators by third-party private auditing agencies recognized by the regulator.
- The Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with the previous sanction of the Centre has notified the amendments to the Reserve Bank of India.
- The stock markets started the week on a weak note, with the Sensex plunging 467 points to close at 37,922 amid renewed concerns on the US-China trade war.
- SpiceJet would operate the cargo services under the brand name SpiceXpress and has laid down a detailed plan covering both domestic and international routes.
- Mamaearth, a mom and baby care brand, said it has raised $4 million in a Series A round funding led by Stellaris Ventures and Fireside Ventures.
- The rupee breached 72.5 a dollar on Monday and touched all-time low of 72.67 intraday as the current account deficit widened to five- year high in the first quarter of the current financial year, to $15.8 billion or 2.4%, of the GDP.
- India is set gain the top slot in farmed shrimp production, overtaking China in 2019-20, said Ravi Kumar Yellanki, president, Society of Aquaculture Professionals.
- Debt mutual funds (MFs) witnessed an outflow of over ₹6,800 crore by investors in August as yields hardened due to concerns on weakness in the rupee and rising oil prices.
- The first player to score a double century in ODI's was Belinda Clark, in a women's world cup game in 1997 against Denmark. Two double centuries have been scored in World Cup matches, namely Chris Gayle of West Indies and Martin Guptill of New Zealand.
- Deepak Jagbir Hooda (5 for 56) and Saurabh Kumar (5 for 51) needed just 10.5 overs on the fourth day to bundle out India Red for 172 in the second innings.
- India international Gurjant Singh scored a brilliant hat-trick, including a last-minute goal against Indian Railways in a 4-3 win for ONGC, while Indian Army XI beat Central Secretariat 3-2 on Day five of the Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament.
- Rahil Shah bowled with precision after N. Jagadeseen forced the pace on a rather slowish track as Vijay outplayed MCC by 125 runs to retain the VAP Trophy one-day competition at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
- Indian national football team took on France at the Lynn Road Stadium in Ilford, London in the first round of the Olympic football competition.
- India and France have signed an implementation agreement on “MOBILISE YOUR CITY” (MYC) here last evening in the presence of Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Shri Hardeep Singh Puri and Shri Alexander Ziegler, Ambassador of France in India.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, and Chief Ministers of West Bengal and Tripura today jointly inaugurated three projects in Bangladesh via video conferencing.
- Afghanistan-India- stressed the need to continue working together towards a stable, peaceful and prosperous region that is free from terrorism and extremism over the Chabahar port project.
- Indian Army officials said the exercise is focused on boosting inter-operability among the forces and exchanging best practices to contain terror related activities.
1. International News:
- North Korea staged a military parade on Sunday focused on conventional arms, peace and economic development, to mark the 70th anniversary of the country’s founding.
- Pakistan: Arif Alvi sworn in as new president With his close ally Arif Alvi as President, Prime Minister Imran Khan can smoothly implement his agenda, according to observers.
- Russia has conducted large-scale military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea near Syria amid recent tensions with the US over the Syrian province of Idlib.
- In an indication of warming of ties, former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will visit New Delhi this week and hold important discussions.
- Snow leopard was spotted at height of about 4,000 metres in Lippa-Asra wildlife sanctuary in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.
- The Tamil Nadu cabinet on Sunday urged the Union government to confer 'Bharat Ratna', India's highest civilian honour, on late former state chief minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader Jayalalithaa
- The banking industry is passing through difficult times amid the spurt in non-performing assets (NPA). It has been more than three years since T.N. Manoharan took over as Non-Executive Chairman of Canara Bank.
- The acquisition of Flipkart by Walmart may negatively impact the net income of the latter this fiscal and also the next, said Walmart in its recent regulatory filing.
- Elgi Equipments will commission a production facility for motors, probably in the first quarter of next financial year.
- Reliance Retail has purchased 16.31% stake in ready-made garment wholesaler and retailer Genesis Colors Ltd. (GCL) for Rs. 34.80 crore, Reliance Industries said.
- Alibaba said on Monday that CEO Daniel Zhang will take over as chairman of the board in a year, succeeding current executive chairman Jack Ma. Ma will remain in his role as executive chairman.
- Triple jumper Arpinder Singh on Sunday created history by becoming the first Indian to win a medal in the IAAF Continental Cup as he clinched a bronze.
- Novak Djokovic Wins the U.S. Open for His 14th Grand Slam TitleNovak Djokovic Wins the U.S. Open for His 14th Grand Slam Title.
- Raghul Rangasamy emerged champion of the MRF Formula 1600 category on the final day of the fifth round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship (INRC).
- Deepit Rajesh and Prapti Sen clinched the honours in the junior boys’ and girls’ singles of the 11Sports National-ranking table tennis tournament.
- Arpinder Singh created history by becoming the first Indian to win a medal at the IAAF Continental Cup. His best jump of 16.59m fetched a bronze.
- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is set to receive the inaugural Meryl Streep Award for Excellence at the first Women in Film and Television (WIFT) India Awards
- Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has confirmed that Indian Athlete Hima Das will be named as the first sports ambassador of the state.
- Union Minister for HRD ShriPrakashJavadekar Inaugurates 4th World Summit on Accreditation (WOSA-2018) at New Delhi today.
- The Rafale jet deal has been caught in a political firestorm, the Indian Air Force is quietly readying infrastructure for the new fleet and training its fighter pilots to fly the aircraft.
- Actor Kovai Senthil passed way after a brief hospitalisation at a private hospital at Vadavalli here on Sunday.
1. International News:
- The Presidents of Turkey, Iran and Russia on Friday failed to agree on a ceasefire that would forestall a Syrian government offensive in rebel-held Idlib province which the UN fears could cause a humanitarian catastrophe involving tens of thousands of civilians.
- Pakistan Premier Imran Khan’s government backed down on Friday over its controversial decision to appoint a member of a persecuted religious minority as an economic adviser, underscoring the pressure it faces from hardline Islamists.
- China is participating for the first time in Australia’s largest maritime exercise as more than 3,000 personnel from 27 countries engage in joint training off the strategic northern port of Darwin.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first health centre under Ayushman Bharat Scheme here today.
- Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has announced that a new centre for research would be set up in the name of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran at the University of Madras.
- A mobile app called ALERT VoICE (Volunteer In Case of Emergency) was launched by Apollo Hospitals Chairman Dr. Prathap C. Reddy at the second edition of ‘ALERT Being’ awards 2018, hosted in Chennai by ALERT, a voluntary non-profit organisation.
- The Public Works Department (PWD) on Friday completed the construction of a groyne across the breached portion of a damaged regulator on the Coleroon at the Upper Anicut (Mukkombu).
- The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena will actively participate in the Bharat Bandh called by Congress-led Opposition on September 10 to protest against the hike in fuel prices.
- The Finance Ministry has shortlisted about a dozen companies, including Coal India, NTPC, Nalco and NMDC, for a possible buyback of shares in the ongoing financial year.
- The RBI on Friday tweaked norms for exchange of mutilated notes following the introduction of ₹2,000, ₹200 and other lower denomination currencies.
- Companies are raising global money, setting up headquarters and holding companies, resolving disputes and using Singapore as an outpost to manage global operations.
- The Department of Posts is working to set up an insurance company after launching of a payments bank and the parcel directorate, Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said.
- Ankur Mittal claimed the men’s double trap gold medal in the ISSF World Championship for his career’s biggest triumph.
- Tears and an accusation of sexism overshadowed a remarkable victory by Naomi Osaka, a rising star who became the first tennis player born in Japan to win a Grand Slam championship.
- The Indian juniors continued to hold attention as Hriday Hazarika crowned himself as the World junior champion in air rifle, while Elavenil Valarivan missed the junior women’s gold by 0.7 points in the 52nd World Shooting Championship in Changwon, Korea, on Friday.
- Noted Odia poet Satrughna Pandav will be honoured with the prestigious ‘Sarala Puraskar’ for his poetry collection ‘Misra Dhrupad’.
- Tamil film Manusangada bagged the best film award of the Puducherry Government at the five-day Indian Panorama Film Festival.
- Union Minister for HRD ShriPrakashJavadekar Inaugurates 4th World Summit on Accreditation (WOSA-2018) at New Delhi today.
1. International News:
- The Presidents of Turkey, Iran, and Russia failed to agree on a ceasefire that would forestall a Syrian government offensive in rebel-held Idlib province which the UN fears could cause a humanitarian catastrophe involving tens of thousands of civilians.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with top Afghan leaders during an unannounced visit to Kabul on Friday, adding his weight to a flurry of diplomatic efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.
- Protesters stormed the Iranian consulate in Iraq’s southern city of Basra on Friday, turning their wrath on Iraq’s powerful neighbour after five days of deadly demonstrations in which government buildings have been ransacked and torched.
- India on Friday said Iran has stuck to the agreed time frame in its plans to hand over the operational responsibility of a part of the Chabahar port to an Indian entity in October.
- Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has announced that a new centre for research would be set up in the name of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran at the University of Madras.
- The Commission of Inquiry probing the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is planning to submit its report before October 24.
- The memorandum presented by the State government to the 15th Finance Commission on Thursday reads like a chargesheet against the Union government with respect to the devolution of funds.
- A mobile app called ALERT VoICE (Volunteer In Case of Emergency) was launched by Apollo Hospitals Chairman Dr. Prathap C. Reddy at the second edition of ‘ALERT Being’ awards 2018, hosted in Chennai by ALERT, a voluntary non-profit organisation.
- The Public Works Department (PWD) on Friday completed the construction of a groyne across the breached portion of a damaged regulator on the Coleroon at the Upper Anicut (Mukkombu), bringing under control the unchecked flow of water into the river.
- The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Friday ruled as eligible the second bid of Russian VTB Bank-promoted consortium NuMetal for debt-ridden Essar Steel.
- Mutual funds’ (MFs)asset base touched a record ₹25 lakh crore in August-end, a surge of 8.41% over the previous month, on the back of robust inflow in liquid funds and strong participation from retail investors.
- Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) said it will raise the marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) by 0.05% across all tenors, except overnight tenor, with effect from September 10.
- The Assam government on Friday accorded Hima Das, India’s newest sprint star, a red carpet welcome on her arrival at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport in Guwahati.
- The Indian juniors continued to hold attention as Hriday Hazarika crowned himself as the World junior champion in air rifle, while Elavenil Valarivan missed the junior women’s gold by 0.7 point in the 52nd World Shooting Championship in Changwon, Korea.
- Tamil film Manusangada bagged the best film award of the Puducherry Government at the five-day Indian Panorama Film Festival which got under way.
1. International News:
- Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu Friday announced that Pakistan was set to allow pilgrims from the Indian side to Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara across the border a “visa-less entry” even as his government remained silent on his claim.
- Alibaba's charismatic co-founder and chairman Jack Ma plans to retire from the Chinese e-commerce giant on Monday to devote his time to philanthropy focused on education, he told the New York Times in an interview.
- In a major breakthrough, Nepal, and China have finalized the text of the much-awaited protocol of Nepal-China Transit and Transportation Agreement that will allow Nepal to use Chinese ports for third-country trade.
- With an aim of eliminating human entry into septic tanks and drains for cleaning, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched a 'technology challenge' seeking suitable solutions from individuals and NGOs.
- Three-day World Hindu Congress is being held in Chicago on the occasion of 125th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's Historic Speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893.
- President Ram Nath Kovind has invited the Czech companies to take advantage of the opening of defense manufacturing sector in India and set-up joint ventures to produce for the domestic market.
- The suspense surrounding Aero India show finally ended after the central government announced that Bengaluru will host the five-day show that will be held in 2019.
- Axis Bank on Saturday said Amitabh Chaudhry has been appointed as its managing director & CEO from January 1, 2019, for a period of three years.
- The RBI on Friday tweaked norms for the exchange of mutilated notes following the introduction of ₹2,000, ₹200 and other lower denomination currencies.
- India’s current account deficit (CAD) widened to a four-quarter-high at 2.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) in April-June period on the back of rising crude oil prices, from 1.9% of GDP in the January-March quarter of 2017-18, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India.
- The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) is working on the guidelines for ‘Sandbox’ method which will allow insurers to test products in a particular geography or among a set of few policyholders before they are available in the market.
- The Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) will deliver its second submarine, Khanderi, to the Navy by the end of this year, senior MDL officials said on Thursday.
- India's Hriday Hazarika won gold in men's 10m air rifle at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championships on Friday. Hazarika, the only Indian.
- UEFA Champions League, individual awards for the 2017/18 season were also announced. The most prestigious of the eight awards went to Luka Modrić as the UEFA Men's Player of the Year.
- Noted Odia poet Satrughna Pandav will be honoured with the prestigious 'Sarala Puraskar' for his poetry collection 'Misra Dhrupad'.
- Ankur Mittal claimed the men's double trap gold medal in the ISSF World Championship for his career's biggest triumph, as the Indian shooting team continued its dominance in the premier tournament here Saturday.
- State Bank of India on Friday said the Government has appointed Anshula Kant as Managing Director of the Bank.
- The government has appointed a panel under former Reserve Bank of India governor Bimal Jalan to select the next chief economic adviser in the finance ministry.
- The three-day World Hindu Congress has begun in Chicago, the USA. Over 2000 delegates from across the globe are participating in this mega event. The theme of World Hindu Congress is 'think collectively, achieve valiantly'.
- The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 6th International Geriatric Orthopaedic Society of India Conference on the theme “Increased Longevity with Reduced Fragility and Enhanced Mobility”.
- The next edition of Aero India will be held in Bengaluru from February 20 to 24, 2019, Defence Ministry announced on Saturday ending confusion over change of date and venue.
1. International News:
- India and the United States are in a deadlock over contentious trade issues after the Donald Trump administration sought a formal commitment of additional purchases of $10 billion annually for the next three years, as part of a trade agreement under negotiation.
- The Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out a petition seeking a ban on the Malayalam novel Meesha (Moustache), written by S. Hareesh, as it was perceived to be ‘derogatory’ to temple-going Hindu women.
- School students now have a handbook on experiential learning. The book, launched to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi to be celebrated on October 2,
- The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) has provided a graphic description to the Madras High Court as to how the ecologically pristine and biologically rich Palani hills, housing the hill station Kodaikanal.
- The railways have decided to shelve replacement of the Scherzer’s span on the Pamban rail bridge — connecting Rameswaram island with the mainland — and instead, build a new bridge parallel to the existing one.
- The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to provide a copy of the full report of Assam NRC Co-ordinator Prateek Hajela to the Centre on what excluded citizens could offer as proof of ancestry.
- Six days after embarking on the Kailash Mansarovar yatra, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday tweeted an update.
- Sharma, a recipient of several awards including the Sahitya Akademi Award, died due to age-related ailments, the sources said.
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will soon review its circular issued in April that barred Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), among others, from managing funds they invest in India.
- The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) deferred the hearing on the Tata-Mistry case to October 31 after Harish Salve, counsel for Tata Sons, sought time to reply to the petition filed by ousted Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry.
- As part of a global recall by its parent firm, Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Wednesday announced the recall of Prius hybrid vehicles in India to inspect faulty engine wire harness that could cause a fire.
- Automobile industry leaders on Wednesday called for a ‘clear and stable policy framework’ for the industry.
- India’s merger and acquisitions deal volume rose 19% to 273 deals year-on-year in the second quarter of 2018, while the disclosed value increased 6.8 times to $34.8 billion from $5.1 billion during the same period of the previous year, according to EY, an advisory services firm.
- The government decided to make the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) an open-ended scheme and added more incentives to encourage people to open bank accounts.
- P. Ravichandran became the first visually challenged teacher in the School Education Department to win the Best Teacher award.
- Flying Show (Darshan up), won the H.H. Sri Chamaraja Wadiyar Memorial Trophy, the feature event of the races.
- WHO position in South-East Asia Region with Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh unanimously re-elected as Regional Director for another five-year term beginning February 2019.
- A military-information sharing pact, which will give India access to the US technology to keep an eye on China and the neighbourhood, was signed at the 2+2 bilateral summit.
- BSNL hits a double whammy as it brings in decorated boxer Mary Kom as its brand ambassador for two years and also signed a MoU with the Indian Army for providing them with telecom services for the next three years, all across India.
- The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has successfully carried out mid-air refuelling for the first time with an IL-78 tanker.
- Noted Gujarati author, journalist and poet Bhagwati Kumar Sharma passed away in Surat this morning. He was 84. Born in 1934 in Surat, Shri Bhagwati Kumar Sharma had received Sahitya Academy award for his Gujarati novel Ashuryalok.
1. International News:
- Arif Alvi, a close ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan and one of the founding members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was elected as President of Pakistan on Tuesday, as the cricketer-turned-politician consolidated his grip on power.
- Amid growing concerns about rising debt distress in Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced a financial package of USD 60 billion aid, comprising investment and loans to the continent.
- In a major boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative, American security and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin announced that the wings of its F-16 fighter jets will be produced in India.
- National Nutrition Month is being celebrated across the country to mark the fight against malnutrition.
- In a bid to boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship 'Digital India' campaign, Rajasthan government will soon distribute mobile phones to women under the Bhamashah Yojana
- A Conference on “E-Mobility in Indian Railways” organized by Ministry of Railways through Institution of Railways Electrical Engineers (IREE) in association with NITI Aayog
- The MSME Ministry has approved a proposal by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to increase the wages of artisans by over 36 per cent, from Rs 5.50 per hank previously to Rs 7.50 per hank.
- A person need not be a resident of a constituency to contest elections from there, the Delhi High Court said Tuesday.
- National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has sanctioned an amount of Rs 335 crore under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to West Bengal.
- HDFC ERGO, India's third-largest non-life insurance provider in the private sector, today announced the launch of 'E@Secure', a Cyber Insurance Policy for individuals.
- The S&P BSE Private Banks Index is drawn from the constituents of the S&P BSE Finance Index. New Delhi, Sep 4 (PTI) Asia Index Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between S&P Dow Jones Indices and BSE Ltd, Tuesday announced the launch of an index designed to measure the performance of private banks.
- With poll season round the corner, Google, which controls the lion’s share of the digital advertising market, will soon be helping the Election Commission (EC) keep tabs on online political advertising.
- America’s online shopping giant Amazon, which has a sizeable presence in India, on Tuesday became the second US company to hit $ 1 trillion in stock market value.
- Former India pacer R P Singh on Tuesday announced his retirement from the game. The 32-year-old Singh, a left arm speedster, took to Twitter to announce his decision
- India's plans of bagging the all important quota places for Tokyo Olympics were on target with Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela winning the first two quotas for the country in the 10m air rifle event.
- One hour after the series was won, 20 minutes after the Indians had left, Alastair Cook stood outside the dressing room door with a beer and a smile.
- The Centre has selected three government schools of Haryana for the ‘Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar’ for the academic year 2017-18.
- Divyansh Singh Panwar and Shreya Agarwal bagged the bronze medal in the 10m Air Rifle Junior Mixed Team event to take India’s medal tally in the 52nd ISSF Shooting World Championship in Changwon, Korea, to nine.
- Air Marshal Arvindra Singh Butola, who has been previously honored with Vayu Sena Medal and Vishist Seva, Medal took over as the Commandant of Air Force Academy.
- Justice Arup Kumar Goswami was on Tuesday appointed as the acting chief justice of the Gauhati High Court.
- India and Cyprus have signed two MoUs in the field of sharing of financial intelligence and environment. The MoUs were signed between the two countries after delegation-level talks in Nicosia today.
- The International Aviation Summit began in New Delhi, India on September 4, 2018. The seminar has been jointly organised by the Airports Authority of India
- The International Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2018 is being held in Kathmandu, Nepal. Vice President of Nepal Nanda Bahadur Pun inaugurated the summit on Monday.
- Ukraine conducts joint military exercises 'Rapid Trident' with the US & NATO nations: Details, Aim, Purpose, Highlights.
- Indo-Kazakhstan Joint Army Exercise 'KAZIND' will be conducted between the Indian and Kazakhstan Army from 10 to 23 Sep 2018 in Otar region, Kazakhstan.
- Bangladesh Naval Ship Somudra Joy arrived here Tuesday on a four-day visit to the Eastern Naval Command (ENC).
1. International News:
- India and Russia are in the process of concluding a logistics agreement, with both sides targeting to conclude consultations before the annual summit in October between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Pakistan’s new foreign minister said he will “have exchanges” with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over Washington’s cancellation of a $300 million disbursement for the Pakistani military when he visits Islamabad
- Ukraine on Monday launched joint military exercises with the U.S. and a string of other NATO countries as tensions with Russia remain high over the Kremlin-backed insurgency in the country’s east.
- Texting under the table should be a thing of the past after French children returned to class on Monday following a nationwide ban on mobile phones in schools.
- The United Arab Emirates has selected its first two astronauts to go on a mission to the International Space Station, ’s ruler.
- The State Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has permitted the India Power Corporation (Tuticorin) Private Limited (IPCTPL), a Kolkata-based company.
- The Madras High Court overturned an order passed by a single judge on April 28, permitting protests on the Marina.
- The Chennai Corporation will privatize conservancy operations in all the eight zones in the added areas of the city.
- The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has claimed that through frequent driver/conductor training programmes, it has brought down the number of accidents this financial year compared to the previous three years.
- Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) Ltd. on Monday unveiled Marazzo, a passenger vehicle, at an ex-showroom price of ₹9.99 lakh.
- The Reserve Bank of India has tightened the banking ombudsman scheme with the objective to strengthen the grievance redressal mechanism for customers.
- Paytm Money Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of One97 Communications Limited, introduced a dedicated app on Google’s Android platform and Apple’s mobile operating system iOS with the aim of doubling the mutual fund investor base in India to 50 million in the next-next five years.
- Manipal Group, which runs a chain of multi-specialty hospitals, is buying a strategic stake in Cigna TTK Health Insurance Company from the TTK Group for an undisclosed sum.
- Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored twice each as La Liga champion turned on the style to hammer Huesca 8-2 on Sunday while Real Betis ended a 12-year wait for a home victory over local rival Sevilla by winning the local derby 1-0.
- Anjum Moudgil bagged the Olympic quota place in women’s air rifle, with a silver medal in the 52nd World shooting championship here on Monday.
- M. Hassan Pasha scored a brace as Central Excise swamped Tamil Nadu Police 5-0 in the CHA senior division hockey league at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Monday. Excise led 2-0 at half-time.
- The Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy Chettiar of Chettinad Charitable Trust has invited applications for the Dr. Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar Award for Tamil scholars and Kumara Rajah M.A.M. Muthiah Chettiar Award for orphanages.
- The executive committee of Asia Pacific Gastroesophageal Cancer Congress has unanimously elected S.M. Chandramohan, founder and president of ESO India, as the president of the eighth APGCC.
1. International News:
- International tourism arrivals hit a record high in 2017, India leads growth in South Asia: UN report.
- President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday embarked on a three-nation tour to Europe, spanning over eight days.
- India and Singapore Saturday launched the next round of review for their existing free trade agreement with a view to further boost bilateral trade and investments between the countries, the commerce ministry said.
- India along with 23 other nations will participate in a major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock drill today and tomorrow which will involve evacuation of thousands of people from coastal areas in over half a dozen coastal states.
- Indians may soon have a single smart card to meet all transportation needs. Government's policy think tank, Niti Aayog.
- Union textiles minister Smriti Irani on Saturday inaugurated a 'digital village' in Amethi, the parliamentary constituency of Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
- Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Sunday flagged off Delhi Movelo Cyclothon in the national capital.
- The Health Ministry is planning to bring in a new set of regulations for online sale of medicines, under which e-pharmacies will need to be registered with a central authority and would not be allowed to sell narcotics, tranquilizers and psychotropic drugs.
- The Indian Meteorological Department will set up three Doppler radars, a number of snow gazers and automatic weather stations in Himachal Pradesh for better weather, avalanche and landslide forecast.
- Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday inaugurated hi-tech cruise 'Alaknanda' taking the inaugural ride on the banks of river Ganga in Varanasi.
- Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation and IT based services and solutions today announced its partnership with FutureSkills, an initiative by NASSCOM, powered by Edcast, a leading Silicon Valley organization for personalized learning.
- India plans to construct 100 airports at an estimated cost of USD 60 billion (about Rs 4.2 lakh crore) in the next 10 to 15 years.
- Bank customers may be hit as ATM operators have demanded higher "interchange rates" for ATM transactions to enable them to comply with recent stringent Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines.
- Banks will soon start the process to set up the proposed asset management company (AMC) for resolution of loans above Rs 500 crore.
- Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the world’s second largest sovereign wealth fund, has hired private equity veteran Kabir Mathur to head operations in India.
- Teenage swimming sensation Rikako Ikee said she would celebrate with barbecued beef and sushi as she was named the best athlete at the Asian Games.
- Anjum Moudgil wins silver medal, Apurvi Chandela finishes fourth to secure Olympic quotas at ISSF World Championships.
- India's aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Saturday appointed R Madhavan as its Chairman and Managing Director for five years.
- India and Nepal have signed a MoU on Preliminary Engineering-cum-Traffic Survey on Broad Gauge Rail Line between Raxaul and Kathmandu.
- Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) KK Sharma is representing the Indian side while Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Major General Md Shafeenul Islam is leading Bangladesh in the six days talks.
- The US-India Business Council (USIBC), a top American business advocacy group, to showcase the positive impact of the US-India relationship and focus on future opportunities for companies in the two nations.
1. International News:
- ISLAMABAD: Justice Tahira Safdar was sworn in as the first woman chief justice in Pakistan's Balochistan High Court on Saturday.
- In a blow to US-Pakistan relations, the US has said it had made a final decision to cancel $300 million in aid to Pakistan over Islamabad’s perceived failure to take decisive action against terrorists and militants.
- US President Trump on Saturday threatened to exclude Canada from a new Nafta agreement after negotiations to rewrite the pact ended without an agreement the night before.
- A “cis man-free” festival has been held in Sweden, in response to a string of alleged sexual assaults at the country’s biggest music festival.
- Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on Tuesday sent a letter to the Central government recommending Justice Ranjan Gogoi as his successor. Justice Gogoi will be sworn in as the next Chief Justice of India.
- Mentioning father’s name may not be compulsory in future for obtaining Permanent Account Number (PAN), a key identification number needed for filing taxes and certain financial transactions if the applicant’s mother is a single parent.
- Independence Day, 19-day-old Karishma has made history. Her mother, Mausami is the first beneficiary under the Narendra Modi government's flagship healthcare programme, Ayushman Bharat Yojna.
- Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday announced cash prize of Rs one crore each for the four players from the state in Indian Women Hockey team which bagged a silver medal in Asian Games 2018 in Indonesia.
- Income-Tax Department for allegedly giving misleading facts and for a delay in filing a petition, the Supreme Court has expressed shock and imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh.
- Monthly transactions through the unified payments interface (UPI) crossed the 300 million mark for the first time in August, according to data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
- Indian software services exporter Wipro Ltd won its biggest-ever contract worth more than $1.5 billion with U.S.-based Alight Solutions LLC for digital service.
- The country’s gems and jewelry exports contracted by around 5 percent to $10.64 billion in April-July this fiscal, on account of demand slowdown in major developed markets.
- Mauritius remained the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India in 2017-18 followed by Singapore, whereas total FDI stood at $37.36 billion in the financial year, a marginal rise over the $36.31 billion recorded in the previous fiscal, according to RBI data.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), which is aimed at strengthening financial inclusion by taking banking services to the unbanked rural areas across the country.
- India finished their Asian Games 2018 campaign with 69 medals including 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze at the mega event in Jakarta.
- Japanese swimmer Ikee Rikako has been named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the recently-concluded 18th edition of the Asian Games.
- A 95-year-old British veteran of World War Two broke his own record on Saturday as the world’s oldest scuba diver after taking the plunge to explore a shipwreck off Cyprus.
1. International News:
- The 115th meeting of the India-Pakistan Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) was held in Lahore, Pakistan from August 29-30, 2018.
- India has invited Pakistan to visit sites of the Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnal hydro-electric projects on the Chenab.
- Australia’s former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull on Friday resigned from parliament, a source familiar with the matter said, stripping the government of its one-seat parliamentary majority.
- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will send a special envoy to Pyongyang next Wednesday to discuss plans to hold a summit with the North’s Kim Jong-un and nuclear disarmament.
- In its ‘Consultation Paper on Family Law Reforms' released Friday, the Law Commission has taken a stand in favor of "equality ‘within communities' between men and women" (personal law reform), "rather than ‘equality between' communities" (UCC).
- The Telecom Commission said a National Trust Centre would be created for certifying devices and applications for machine-to-machine communication, a new-age technology that is at the heart of concepts like smart homes.
- The Finance Ministry has exuded confidence that the economy could exceed estimated 7.5 per cent growth in the current fiscal.
- Home, auto and other loans are set to become costlier, with the country’s largest lender, State Bank of India.
- Department of Posts that will take banking to the doorstep of every citizen through an unmatched network of post offices and almost 3 lakh postmen and ‘Grameen Dak Sewaks’.
- The Indian economy grew 8.2% — the highest in two years — in the April-June quarter, driven by robust growth in the manufacturing, construction and farm sectors.
- State-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) has declined a government call for a dividend for the last financial year, saying it did not have “any cash and bank balance” and that its debt-to-income ratio was much higher than agreed with some lenders, according to an internal document reviewed by.
- Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov's videos very closely, soaking in plenty of lessons. And when Amit Panghal met the Uzbek in the 49kg boxing.
- Asian Games 2018: India win a cerebral gold as Pranab Bardhan-Shibnath Dey Sarkar beat China in men’s pairs.
- India ended their Asian Games 2018 campaign with the highest medal tally at the tournament ever, with a total of 69 medals which includes 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze medals.
- Two Indians - one a psychiatrist who works for the mentally-ill street persons and another whose initiative to harness science and culture creatively for economic progress improved the lives of Ladakhi youth - on Friday received this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award.
- The Hindi translation of poet Vairamuthu’s novel Kallikaattu Idhigaasam has won the Best Book of the Year award from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
- Binoy Kumar Assumes Charge of Secretary in Steel Ministry. Binoy Kumar, IAS (TG:83) has taken over as Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Government of India.
- The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has appointed former Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Tarun Agrawal as head of an independent committee constituted by the green panel to look into Vedanta’s plea challenging the Tamil Nadu government’s order on the closure of the Sterlite Copper plant.
- Vedanta Resources Plc. (Vedanta) has appointed Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan as the CEO with effect from August 31, 2018. He has joined the company’s board of directors.
- In what can be seen as a major boost to regional connectivity, India and Nepal on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
- The fourth International Ayurveda Congress (IAvC) aimed at promotion and propagation of Ayurveda will be inaugurated by Minister of state for AYUSH Shripad Naik in the Netherlands tomorrow.
- Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu attended the 6th East Asia Summit- Economic Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM) and 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) in Singapore today. Singapore is currently holding the Chair of ASEAN.
- The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh chaired first review meeting of the Department of Official Language of MHA here today to discuss the functioning and issues related to the implementation of Hindi language in official work.
- Influential Jain Muni Tarun Sagar passed away on Saturday. He was 51. He breathed his last at 3 AM at Radhapuri Jain Temple in Krishna Nagar.