Introduction
The article Current Affairs One-Liners August 2019 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 August.
Aug 2019
1. International News
- A ceasefire by Syrian government forces will come into force on Saturday morning in the rebel-held province of Idlib, Russia has announced.
- The US is due to impose fresh tariffs on a range of Chinese goods, in a sharp escalation of a bruising trade war.
- Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said that his country is successfully extinguishing the fires in the Amazon region that have generated international concern after discussing the situation with President Donald Trump at the White House.
- Hurricane Dorian powered toward Florida with increasing fury, becoming an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm but leaving forecasters uncertain whether it would make a direct hit on the state’s east coast or inflict a glancing blow.
- The US Federal Trade Commission agreed with the amount of the settlement against YouTube parent Google, which if approved by the Justice Department would be the largest settlement in a case involving children’s privacy, the New York Times reported.
- PM Boris Johnson gave UK finance minister Sajid Javid the finance portfolio when he came to office in July, and the apparent tensions between Downing Street and the Treasury come at a delicate time.
- Nuclear negotiations have been at a standstill since a February summit between US and North Korean leaders in Vietnam collapsed after the US side rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief.
- Awais Chaudhary was produced in a federal court and charged with attempting to provide material support to the IS and Magistrate Judge James Orenstein ordered him held without bail.
- The Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has made a slew of recommendations to fill four vacancies in the Supreme Court and for appointments of Chief Justices in eight High Courts across the country.
- Mr. Dhavan annexed a letter written by Professor N. Shanmugham making foreboding remarks and screenshots of WhatsApp messages sent by a Sanjay Kalal Bajrangi in his petition.
- The National Register of Citizens or NRC list in Assam was published at 10 am today. It intends to identify legal residents and weed out illegal immigrants from the state.
- India is willing to discuss outstanding issues with Pakistan bilaterally in an atmosphere free of terror and violence, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.
- The BJP’s divisional general secretary Mahesh Chand Sharma denied the charge and said he had been falsely implicated in the case due to a property dispute between his son and daughter-in-law.
- Pakistan has approached various world leaders to seek their interventions into the issue. However, Pakistan has been told to engage bilaterally with India to end tensions.
- In a series of Tweets, the senior leader of the ruling BJP also alleged that the legacy data were manipulated for including names of doubtful persons as alleged by many.
- The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) has declared the result of the officer scale 1 and office assistants (Multipurpose) examination. IBPS released the CRP RRB VII office assistant and officer scale 1 provisional allotment reserve list.
- Even as the Centre’s big bank mergers detracted the attention briefly from the much-awaited GDP growth numbers for the April-June quarter, the sharp slowdown drew the market’s attention back to the immediate issue at hand.
- Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India have been merged into Punjab National Bank; Allahabad Bank merged into Indian Bank, Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank, among other mergers.
- Defending champion Novak Djokovic silenced concerns about his left shoulder as the Serbian breezed past American Denis Kudla 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Friday to reach the last 16 at the U.S. Open.
- Captain Virat Kohli’s fighting 76 and opener Mayank Agarwal’s half century helped India reach 264 for 5 on Day 1 to take a slight edge over the West Indies in their World Test Championships second match here.
- At Delhi’s constitutional club,The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ flagship mission, the DeendayalAntyodayaYojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) bagged 2019 SKOCH Governance Gold Award
- The Appointment Committee of Cabinet(ACC) headed by the Prime Minister(PM), has given its approval to extension/reappointment of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) chairman Pramod Chandra Modyfor an additional period of 1 year.
- Former South American football chief Nicolas Leoz, aged 90, passed away in Asuncion, Paraguay after heart failure.
1. International News
- Colombia’s president has vowed to hunt down Farc rebel commanders who have called on followers to take up arms after three years of peace.
- US President Donald Trump has launched a new Pentagon command focused on warfare in space. It comes as US military chiefs see China and Russia making advancements in the military final frontier.
- A wooden statue of the US president has been built in his wife’s home country of Slovenia, dividing opinion there.
- President Donald Trump said that U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan will drop to 8,600 if a deal is reached with the Taliban and that a permanent presence will remain.
- U.S. President Donald Trump canceled a visit to Poland and Florida’s governor expanded a state of emergency to prepare for Hurricane Dorian, which is forecast to make landfall on the Atlantic coast Monday as a dangerous Category 4 storm.
- Madeleine Westerhout’s departure came after Trump learned that she had talked about his family and White House matters with reporters at an off-the-record session during the president’s recent working vacation in New York.
- EU foreign ministers expressed concern that a potentially damaging and very costly U.K. exit from the bloc without an agreement now appears more likely.
- The Supreme People’s Assembly, approved a series of constitutional changes making KIm Jong Un, the SAC chairman the “supreme leader of the Party, state, and armed forces of the DPRK in accordance with the unanimous will and desire of all the Korean people, both in name and reality”.
- Donald Trump is instead sending Vice President Mike Pence to observances Sunday marking the start of World War II and for meetings with Polish leaders expected to include new military and energy deals.
- The outbreak, which was officially declared in August of last year, is the second deadliest on record, behind the 2013-16 epidemic in West Africa that killed more than 11,300 people.
- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has approached the office of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for sanction to prosecute three Trinamool Congress MPs and one former parliamentarian in the Narada News sting operation case, said the agency.
- Companies operating news portals expressed disappointment with the government’s new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy capping the investment in digital media at 26% and asserted that the measure would impact both existing digital platforms as also affect new platforms that may be looking to expand.
- With 60,000 children going missing in India every year, social media has propelled child lifting fear.
- An NGO batting for the Assamese community on Thursday said the National Register of Citizens (NRC) 2019 should be accepted as the primary document for Indian citizens of Assam while an umbrella body of tribal organizations said the NRC would be redundant if a “single aborigine” is kept out of it.
- P Chidambaram INX Media Case: The order was passed by Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar before whom Chidambaram was produced on expiry of four-day custodial interrogation granted on August 26.
- The victim was called out from her house on August 24 by her boyfriend and taken to a nearby field, where he and his friends raped her. They also filmed the incident and threatened to release video if she didn’t stay quiet.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the sudden decision to scrap Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes in a televised address to the nation on 8 November 2016, leading to a severe shortage of cash in the economy.
- Central Selection Board of Constable (CSBC) Bihar has declared the results of forest guard recruitment exam 2019.
- The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) has witnessed a better gender balance in the current academic year with overall 1,619 female candidates gaining admission as against 1,349 in 2017-19.
- Nearly three years after demonetisation, currency in circulation continues to grow sharply. This is true for both banknotes as well as coins in circulation, although the number of ₹2,000 notes has reduced in the last year.
- Even as digital transactions rise, a survey on Retail Payment Habits of Individuals by the Reserve Bank of India found that cash continues to be the preferred mode, followed by debit card.
- All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was rested for the tour of the West Indies because of lower-back issues, has been picked for the three-match T20I series to be played against South Africa.
- Rishabh Pant will be desperate to pay back the faith reposed in him by the team management when India look to steamroll West Indies with another dominant show in the second World Test championship encounter starting.
- While Paralympian Deepa Malik was conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, sprinter Mohammed Anas, Kabaddi star Ajay Thakur and footballer Gurpreet Singh Sandhu among others received Arjuna Awards.
- A book on Barack Obama, former the United States (US) President, titled “Obama: The Call of History” has been written by Peter Baker, the Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times.
- Veteran Bengali actor Nimu Bhowmik, aged 84, passed away at his home in Kolkata due to cardiac arrest. He was born on November 14, 1935, in Dinajpur district of undivided Bengal.
1. International News
- The prime minister’s decision to suspend Parliament has prompted an angry backlash from MPs and opponents of a no-deal Brexit.
- Teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in New York after a 15-day, 3,000-mile (4,800km) voyage across the Atlantic.
- The leaders of Italy’s centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and populist Five Star Movement have agreed to form a coalition government.
- The Brazilian leader also escalated a deeply personal dispute with French President Emmanuel Macron, accusing him of portraying himself as “the one and only person” concerned about the environment.
- A bishop has been jointly ordained by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Pope for the first time following a provisional agreement between Beijing and the Vatican signed last September.
- The Pakistan military, which was engaged in three “outright seizures” of power from civilian-led governments, had colluded with the country’s judiciary to overthrow the Pakistan Muslim League government led by Sharif, the US report said.
- Johnson announced the usually shorter suspension of parliament would be extended until October 14 -- just two weeks before Britain is set to leave the EU -- enraging anti-Brexit MPs.
- In June 2019, the Pakistan government had announced that it intends to keep the deficit at 7.1 percent of GDP, whereas the target at the start of the year was 4.9 percent.
- The Cabinet approved setting up of 75 medical colleges in the next three years with the Centre spending ₹24,375 crore on them.
- The Chairman of the Press Council of India, Chandramauli Kumar Prasad, said on Wednesday that he did not support the communication blockade in Kashmir in the intervention petition of the Council in the Supreme Court.
- The Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi was told that the first Mughal Emperor, Babur, may not have built the ‘Babri Masjid’ structure in Ayodhya.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the “Fit India Movement”, a nation-wide campaign to encourage citizens to take up physical activity and sports in their daily lives.
- Mobile phone services were restored in five districts of Jammu after remaining suspended for 25 days since August 5 when the Centre announced its move to scrap the special status granted to the state under Article 370 and to divide Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. The mobile services, however, remain suspended in the Valley.
- Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammed Faisal said that both sides will hold a technical meeting at Zero Point on the border on Friday
- Mehta came right down to the point as soon as the bench of justices R Banumathi and AS Bopanna resumed the hearing on Chidambaram’s re-arrest bail request for the fourth straight day.
- An 11-judge bench of the high court, headed by Chief Justice AP Shahi, also suspended Justice Rakesh Kumar’s order on the case on Thursday, saying the single judge bench had no jurisdiction to pass such an order on a case that had been closed.
- As the national carrier aims to eliminate plastic usage as much as possible, Air India Express and Alliance Air would go plastic-free immediately, however, some of the flights of Air India will still continue to use the plastic products due to operational issues.
- According to NRC officials, the list would contain a status of those people whose names were missing from the complete NRC draft released on July 2018 and those whose names were in exclusion list released this June.
- Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has released the official notification for the recruitment of Junior Hindi Translator, Senior Hindi Translator and Hindi Pradhyapak Recruitment 2019 on its official website at ssc.nic.in
- Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) Odisha has announced Higher Secondary instant Examination results for Arts, science, commerce and vocational courses.
- Bank credit contracted by ₹48,792 crore in the financial year so far (up to August 16), even as deposits surged by ₹1,21,990 crore in the same period.
- Bhubaneswar, Odisha was named as the first venue for the upcoming Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) U-17 Women’s World Cup after getting provisional clearance. The U-17(under 17) World Cup will be held in India in 2020.
- Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli ranks 1st in the latest ICC (International Cricket Council) Test rankings released, with 910 points whereas Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah made his maiden entry into the top 10 rankings placed at 7th spot with 774 points.
- Indian multinational oil and gas company, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s (ONGC) Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Shashi Shanker was honored with the Distinguished Fellowship of the Institute of Directors (IOD) 2019.
- Uttar Pradesh of a team “Tech Witches” were awarded Bronze medal at the 2019 ‘Technovation challenge’, the world’s largest technology and entrepreneurship program for girls held in San Francisco, United States(US).
- Pramod Agrawal, a 1991 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) has been picked by the government head-hunter, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), as the new Chairman and Managing Director of Coal India Ltd.
- Parthasarathi Mukherjee, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) has put in his papers citing personal reasons.
- According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India(GoI), Shri Pavan Kapoor, the 1990 cadre Indian Foreign Service(IFS) officer has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the United Arab Emirates(UAE).
- Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Mukerian assembly seat in Punjab, Rajnish Kumar Babbi, aged 59, passed away after a prolonged illness at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.
1. International News
- Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been formally arrested on espionage charges in China after months of detention, Australia has confirmed.
- A Chechen exile shot dead in a Berlin park had fought against Russian troops and may have been assassinated by a Russian agent.
- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has ruled out accepting a G7 offer of aid to fight fires in the Amazon rainforest unless he gets an apology from his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.
- Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met a five-member delegation of British Parliamentarians and apprised them about the Kashmir issue.
- Pakistan had shut its airspace following the Balakot air strike in February and reopened it after nearly five months in mid-July.
- The Taliban that would see the Pentagon slash its troop presence in Afghanistan, 30-year-old Ahmad Massoud wants to galvanise anti-Taliban groups and stop the emboldened fighters from ushering in a new wave of hardline Islam.
- Brazil said it was ready to accept foreign aid to help fight fires in the Amazon but only if it could determine how it was spent.
- Archeologists have been digging since last year at the huge sacrificial site in Huanchaco, a beachside tourist town north of the capital Lima.
- Maleeha Lodhi’s meeting with the UNGA president on Monday came hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he will raise the Kashmir issue at every international forum, including at the UN General Assembly.
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said here that the changing world had thrown up new concepts and approaches and the Indo-Pacific was one of them.
- In a letter to all PCI members, PCI secretary Anupama Bhatnagar said Ms. Bhasin’s petition was expected to come up in the Supreme Court.
- Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said Ram Sethu was built by Indian engineers and Sanskrit was the oldest language in the world.
- PM Narendra Modi has been invited as the chief guest of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok by Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 5.
- Most of the pleas challenging the Centre’s decision revoking Article 370 while others are connected with the imposition of curfew and its consequences in the region.
- BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi had to retract their earlier statement on alleged violence in Jammu and Kashmir after much backlash from across the country.
- Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking on the foundation day of BPR&D, called for greater reliance on scientific methods of investigation.
- The case is linked to alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to the INX Media group for foreign investment to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when Chidambaram was the finance minister.
- Pandita speaks with Milan about a recent reporting trip he took to Kashmir in the aftermath of the government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution
- Sangam city headquartered Uttar Pradesh Examination Regulatory Authority declared the third semester results of Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd) course 2017.
- The Bimal Jalan Committee, on reviewing the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) extant economic capital framework, has recommended the alignment of the financial year of RBI (July to June) with the fiscal year of the Government (April to March) from the financial year 2020-21.
- DSG had raised its first venture capital fund of $24 million in 2012. Along with the third fund’s close, it has also marked the first close of its add-on fund at $35 million.
- The US yield curve inversion deepened on Tuesday to levels not seen since 2007. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman indicated that all options are open for the government.
- Serena Williams will resume her quest for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open on Wednesday while holder Novak Djokovic and five-times champion Roger Federer also seek passage to the third round.
- This comes after the resignation of auditors Deloitte and Chaturvedi & Shah this month, reportedly due to unsatisfactory responses from DHFL to their queries related to fund deployment.
- Goa born Kirti Chakra (peacetime gallantry award) awardee, Commander Noel Kelman, passed away at the age of 92 in Porvorim due to old age ailments.
1. International News
- The Fatah Coalition said it holds the United States fully responsible for the alleged Israeli aggression on the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
- The billionaire’s appeal comes as businesses in Asia’s financial hub increasingly find themselves in a tough spot in the conflict between protesters and Beijing.
- Robert Bowers is an accused of busting into a Pittsburgh synagogue last year with a semi-automatic rifle and shooting 11 people to death while shouting “all Jews must die”.
- Vice President Mike Pence at an annual fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan told conservatives that another four years for the Trump administration is a far better choice than anything the Democratic Party might offer from its nomination race.
- Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, while speaking in public for the first time since anti-government demonstrations escalated, said that she was confident the city’s government could handle the unrest by itself.
- Chinese Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been in Chinese custody since he arrived in southern China’s Guangzhou from New York on January 19th.
- “The step is to retreat from sanctions. You must retreat from all illegal, unjust and wrong sanctions against the nation of Iran,” Rouhani said in a speech aired live on state television.
- A brilliant engineer, Piech turned around VW after betting on a modular construction technique which allowed Audi, Skoda and VW brands to share up to 65% common parts, helping Volkswagen Group to attain greater economies of scale.
- US President Donald Trump says he is open to meeting Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani under the right circumstances.
- During Indonesia’s summer months, in villages like Klepu in East Java province, the only source of clean water is in a 10m (33ft) deep cave.
- A no-deal Brexit would leave the UK at the mercy of US President Donald Trump, Jeremy Corbyn has claimed.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hit back at critics following a series of recent airstrikes across the Middle East.
- A Dutch doctor has appeared in court after performing euthanasia on a patient suffering with severe dementia.
- An “underwater wing” of Pakistan- based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) is training people to carry out attacks but the Indian Navy is fully prepared to thwart any such attempt, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh said.
- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a 13-page affidavit in the Supreme Court saying the arrest and interrogation of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram is necessary to “unearth a larger and wider case of money laundering”.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the security situation in all the 10 Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected States.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh continued to have Z plus security, a day after The Hindu reported that the Special Protection Group (SPG) would be withdrawn from his security detail shortly.
- The Centre plans to intensify Aadhaar enrolments in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), particularly the Kashmir Valley where the penetration of the unique ID that is the key to government benefits is very low, so as to ensure that benefits of welfare schemes reach to all residents, three government officials said requesting anonymity.
- Four of the six Western Ghats states have agreed to declare only 31,387 sq km — about half of what K Kasturirangan Committee had recommended as — as ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) where mining, quarrying, and polluting industries will be banned.
- DMK chief MK Stalin’s participation in United Nations Human Rights Council session has been confirmed by the international watchdog. Stalin had raised the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils and their rights at the UNHRC in 2017
- The attachment has been done by the department’s Benami Prohibition Unit (BPU), Delhi. The attached property is a hotel in the premier business hub of Gurugram, I-T department said in a statement.
- In the INX media case, the Enforcement Directorate accuses P Chidambaram and his aides of creating “layers of money laundering web in a manner which is sufficient to make it difficult for law enforcement agencies to track the money trail of proceeds of crime.
- Rameshwar Oraon has served as the minister of state for tribal affairs in the first term of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
- Swaraj India was floated about three years ago by Yadav and other activists following their expulsion from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
- Delhi University students’ union (DUSU) Ankiv Baisoya’s fake degree controversy, the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has decided to be extra careful while selecting its candidates this year.
- Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has uploaded the marks obtained by candidates who had taken the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) tier 1 examination.
- The Delhi government directed schools in the national capital to discourage students from flying kites and sensitise them about the harm it causes to both birds and humans.
- The Rajasthan Subordinate and Ministerial Services Selection Board (RSMSSB) has issued the admit cards for Clerk Grade-II and Junior Assistant 2018 phase II examination.
- The RBI earning a robust net income and write back of excess provisions in the contingency fund have led to the massive pay out.
- Deutsche Bank AG’s only retail banking franchise outside Europe is getting more investment, amid sweeping cost cuts and restructuring taking place elsewhere at the German lender.
- The Reserve Bank of India, the International Monetary Fund, investment banks and ratings agencies have all recently cut their estimates of 2019 growth sharply.
- Maruti Suzuki is on track to meet the country’s new emission norms, said RC Bhargava, adding that the company will move towards manufacturing compressed natural gas (CNG) and hybrid cars.
- Tennis player Sumit Nagal, who became the youngest Indian in 25 years to qualify for the main draw of the US Open, showcased a spirited performance before he went down fighting against 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer
- Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s LIVE coverage of the first round match between Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Daniil Medvedev.
- PV Sindhu’s laughter filled the pause between sentences; she was ecstatic and making no effort to hide it.
- Shri Prabhakar Singh, Director General(DG), Central Public Works Department(CPWD) was chosen for the ‘Eminent Engineer Award’ for the Year 2019.
- Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa appointed three deputy chief ministers on Monday as he allocated portfolios to the new lawmakers in his cabinet.
- The first woman Director General of Police (DGP), Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, passed away following an illness in Mumbai.
1. International News
- A Hong Kong police officer fired a gunshot during protests, the first time a live round has been used since demonstrations broke out in June.
- Israel has struck Iranian military sites in Syria to prevent what it said was a pending drone strike by Iran.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a “good” meeting with his British counterpart Boris Johnson here on Sunday and they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas like trade, investment, defense, and education.
- Iran’s foreign minister flew into the French resort hosting a G7 summit on August 25, an unexpected twist to a meeting already troubled by differences between U.S. President Donald Trump and Western allies over a raft of issues, including Iran.
- The summit in Biarritz, a high-end surfers’ paradise in southwestern France, saw a dramatic shift of focus when Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif flew in to discuss the diplomatic deadlock on Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.
- The president said the U.S. would accept the Chinese invitation and return to the negotiations. Earlier, China’s top trade negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, had used an appearance in China to call for a de-escalation in tensions.
- Japan’s top government spokesman Suga declined to comment when asked whether there was still a chance the United States could impose additional tariffs on Japanese automobiles.
- OMG surveys Greenlandic glaciers in the winter, comparing it with the data they collect about the oceans in the summer over a five-year period, which Willis hopes will allow researchers to better predict sea-level rise.
- Trump came to the summit after one of the most consequential days of his presidency -- ordering a retaliatory boost to China tariffs, and seeming to demand, via tweet, that US companies stop doing business with Beijing.
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country and others will talk with Brazil about reforestation in the Amazon once fires there have been extinguished.
- The attack struck a position held by Brigade 45, a Hashed al-Shaabi unit based near Al-Qaim about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from Iraq’s western desertic border with neighboring Syria.
- The Shiite movement and Israel, which have fought several wars, have upped their belligerent rhetoric in recent months.
- President Jair Bolsonaro had authorized military operations in seven states to combat raging fires in the Amazon, responding to requests for assistance from their local governments, a spokeswoman for his office said.
- The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has constituted an Advisory Board for Banking Frauds (ABBF) headed by former Vigilance Commissioner T.M. Bhasin to examine bank fraud of over ₹50 crore and recommend action.
- The Supreme Court has slammed the Centre for harassing a 90-year-old freedom fighter by filing repeated appeals in higher courts, often at the last minute, to deny him a freedom fighter’s pension.
- PM Narendra Modi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are in Biarritz to attend the G-7 Summit. Modi arrived in Biarritz from Bahrain after concluding his three-nation tour to France, the UAE and Bahrain.
- Srinagar woke up to find its state flag missing from the top of the civil secretariat, the development comes 20 days after scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
- Amid chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’, the five, accused of sedition in the case, was accorded a hero’s welcome by their supporters outside the jail after they were released on bail on Saturday evening.
- The woman alleged that she had revealed her nephew’s advances to some women of Dengodih village but instead of helping her, a women panchayat was called on August 21, where she was beaten and her hair was chopped off.
- The Centre through a Presidential order on August 5 scrapped Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. It also divided the state into two Union Territories. The state has been under security lockdown since.
- The spot price of imported LNG into Japan, one of the world’s biggest importers of the super-cooled fuel, has more than halved in the last year.
- The Supreme Court has also ordered disbursal of Rs 7.16 crore to National Buildings Construction CorporationLimited (NBCC) for completion of stalled projects of the builder.
- National Testing Agency (NTA) has already released the schedule for JEE Main exam 2020 on its official website nta.ac.in.
- IBPS PO Recruitment 2019: If you have not yet applied for the huge vacancies for probationary officers under IBPS 2019 recruitment, you have just two days left to do so.
- In the letter, outgoing JNUSU president N Sai Balaji claimed the two students were also being forced by the administration to leave the university.
- SAIL Bokaro Recruitment: Admit card for skill test released for the recruitment of 275 operator cum technician trainee posts. Follow the steps mentioned here to download your call letter.
- MBBS AIIMS entrance 2019: Irmim Shamim is first Gujjar woman from Rajouri in J-K to clear exam. She had to walk a distance of 10 kilometres on foot every day to go to school as there was no good school near the village.
- It was a nerve-wracking week for investors of YES Bank. The stock has fallen by over 20 per cent, as irregularities and unauthorised transactions at CG Power and Industrial Solution, came to light.
- The state-run power company NTPC has introduced the work-from-home policy. In its initial phase, only 18 ‘Officer’ Grade employees, across 10 cities, have been ordered to work-from-home.
- The 30-share index, however, pared some gains as investors began booking profits at higher levels. The index was trading 245.71 points, or 0.67 per cent, up at 36,946.87 at 0930 hours.
- Choices pertaining to the payments space during 2018-19 portrays a different picture, with ATM transactions being the highest. Going forward, ATM transactions are expected to comprise 5% of total transactions between 2021-22 and 2024-25.
- P.V. Sindhu on winning World Badminton Championships gold. India’s golden girl of the moment P.V. Sindhu says she played the best and most consistent badminton in recent times in the World championships.
- India inflicted a humiliating 318-run defeat on the West Indies in the first Test as Jasprit Bumrah dismantled the hosts with a five-wicket haul after Ajinkya Rahane found his first century.
- The Indian junior (U-21) compound mixed team of Markoo Raginee and Sukhbeer Singh picked up the 1st gold for India by beating their Switzerland rivals Andrea Vallario and Janine Hunsperger with 152-147 scores at the World Archery Youth Championships 2019
- Assistant-Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Haryana, Manjit, won a gold medal in wrestling (86kg category) at the 2019 World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) held in Chengdu, China.
- Para World Badminton Manasi secures maiden gold, says being world champion 'feels great', Manasi Joshi clinched the gold in women’s singles SL3 final of the Para World Badminton Championship, defeating world No. 1 and compatriot Parul Parmar 21-12, 21-7 to pick her maiden title.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi late was conferred with “The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance” during his meeting with King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on various bilateral and regional issues.
- The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Departments of Atomic Energy and Space
- The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Jitendra Singh has presented 35 Smart Policing Awards, instituted by FICCI(Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) at Homeland Security 2019
- As per the recently released Forbes magazine’s world’s Highest-Paid actresses of 2019 list, Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson (United States) has topped for the 2nd consecutive year with the earning of $56 million. She got her earnings with the great success of her summer Marvel film Avengers: Endgame (April 2019).
- Meeta Narain of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was awarded the 2019 Pushkin Medal at an event organized at the Russian Center for Science and Culture.
- Algeria’s culture minister has resigned, after the deaths of five young music fans in a stampede at a packed concert by a popular rapper.
- Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India concurrently accredited Ms. Padmaja as the next High Commissioner of India to the Cook Islands, with residence in Suva.
- Word’s 11th richest person (As on June 2019) with a net worth of $42 billion (about £34billion), an American philanthropist & co-owner of Koch Industries, David Hamilton Koch, aged 79, passed away in Southampton, United States. He struggled with prostate cancer.
1. International News
- The US must lift restrictions on UK businesses if it wants a trade deal with the UK, Boris Johnson has said.
- South African authorities have seized a plane from Tanzania’s national carrier, the Tanzanian government said.
- Walking through Camp Marielle Vive outside Valinhos in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, produces a deep sense of déjà vu.
- In Sri Lanka’s political terrain, national security and the presidential race are the main talking points this season, both bringing a measure of anxiety for many.
- August 20 marked 400 years since the first slaves from Africa arrived on the shores of Virginia. This began centuries of exploitation, servitude and profound cruelty at the hands of European settlers.
- 4th United States-India Maritime Security Dialogue was held in California, U.S. The Indian delegation was led jointly by Shri Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and Shri V. Anandarajan
- Henley Passport Index for the year 2019 was released on August 21, 2019. The latest report ranks India at 86th position of 189 countries in 2019 with a mobility score of 58.
- Pakistan Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has decided to cancel his pre-scheduled trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent trip to the Gulf nation, a media report said.
- The Indian Air Force (IAF) is hoping that its fresh attempt to procure 114 fighter jets will be a speedier hunt than the process that led to the procurement of French Rafale which took more than 10 years.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the nation through his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on radio broadcast at 11 am today.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will head back to France to take part in the G-7 summit, which will be held from August 25 to 26 in Biarritz.
- According to the recently released report,” Composite Water Management Index 2019” (CWMI 2.0) for the year 2017-2018 by Government’s think tank NITI Aayog(National Institution for Transforming India)
- Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Shri PiyushGoyal addressed the International dialogue on South-South and Triangular Cooperation that was held in New Delhi.
- Shri Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change stated that in order to boost the investment in wind power projects, the Government has decided to relax the mandatory charging of lease rent of Rs 30000 per MW for wind power projects.
- The Union ministry of health and family welfare has notified new sets of specified pictorial health warnings for all tobacco product packs with effect from Sept 1, 2019,
- Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) has released the admit card for its junior engineer recruitment computer based test (CBT) 2nd stage that will be conducted on August 28, 2019.
- The Medical Council of India (MCI) issued a show-cause notice to the Vice Chancellor over the alleged incident. The Council had warned the institution of a Rs 1.5 crore penalty if it failed to respond within 24 hours.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the RuPay card here, making the UAE the first country in West Asia to initiate the Indian indigenous system of electronic payment.
- The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) suspended the accreditation of the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) of India for 6 months due to non-conformities with the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL), as identified during a WADA site visit in New Delhi.
- Ravindra Jadeja said that he was trying to deliver his best. Jadeja’s fighting 58-run knock helped India to post 297 batting first against West Indies.
- English-language monthly magazine ‘Euromoney’ has named DBS bank as the ‘World’s Best Bank’. DBS as of now is the only bank in the world to concurrently hold three global best bank awards.
- A new book recounting the story of how Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal (both-former founders of flipkart) built e-commerce giant Flipkart written by MihirDalal is launched.
1. International News
- Thousands of people held hands to form a human chain of peaceful protest against a suspended extradition bill.
- Six EU countries have agreed to take in 356 African migrants aboard the rescue ship Ocean Viking, which has not been allowed to dock in Italy or Malta.
- Russia has launched a pioneering floating nuclear power station, which will sail 5,000km (3,000 miles) from the Arctic port of Murmansk to Chukotka in the far east.
- With a stand boasting a helicopter simulator and ultra-fast games, the Bundeswehr, Germany’s army, has turned to the Gamescom fair in its bid to recruit computer-savvy potential soldiers.
- US president Donald Trump’s decision to hike tariffs on Chinese goods by additional five % has escalated the trade war between the two countries. India will be watching these developments very closely as the only other country, apart from China, to have hit back against Trump’s unilateral duty hikes.
- The Epoch Times pushed ads under names such as “Honest Paper” and “Pure American Journalism”, bypassing Facebook’s political advertising transparency rules.
- Toward the end of an event in Hanover, Biden evoked two of his political heroes, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Both were assassinated in 1968, Kennedy while running for president.
- The 9ft high, 800kg statue crafted by artist Ram V Sutar will be installed outside the Manchester Cathedral in the popular Medieval Quarter that houses some of the city’s oldest buildings, such as the Chetham’s Library.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the full spectrum of the “strong” India-UAE partnership with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
- Goregaon godown fire: No injuries were reported so far but three firemen were rushed to hospital after they complained of suffocation.
- Ahead of the visit by Opposition leaders including former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the Jammu and Kashmir administration asked them to call off the visit because they would be putting other people to inconvenience.
- The government may also consider telling large e-commerce companies such as Amazon India and Flipkart Ltd to stop using as much plastic as they do. It will also try to make more roads with plastic, government officials said.
- The Supreme Court on Friday asked Nirmohi Akhara whether it can have rights on the Ramjanmabhoomi at variance with or independent of the rights of Ayodhya’s infant deity.
- Thirteen of the 27 States and Union Territories have improved their water management practices from last year, an analysis by the NITI Aayog has revealed.
- Experts claim the initiatives should not be focused only on class 9-12 but a change in teaching learning-pedagogy is needed.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked fair market regulator the Competition Commission of India to guard Indian businesses and consumers against foreign companies, which have no presence in India, by taking suo motu action against them.
- It comprises of government officials, members of Indian Olympic Association (IOA), National Sports Federations (NSF), private bodies and fitness promoters.
- The National Award-winning actor has made it to the fourth position on the Forbes magazine’s World’s Highest-Paid Actors of 2019 list.
- Bhalla worked as the Union power secretary, before being appointed as an officer on special duty on July 24, 2019.
- Former opener Vikram Rathour will be replacing Bangar as India’s new batting coach. Arun and Sridhar were retained as bowling and fielding coaches respectively.
- BJP stalwart and former finance minister Arun Jaitley died on Saturday at AIIMS. He was 66. In a brief statement, the hospital said Jaitley died at 12.07 pm.
1. International News
- Russian medics who treated radiation victims after a military explosion in the Arctic had no protection and now fear they were irradiated themselves.
- A Zimbabwean comedian has been found after being abducted and beaten by masked gunmen in the capital Harare, her relatives and colleagues say.
- The President will likely want to hear from Prime Minister Modi on how he plans to reduce regional tensions, say U.S. officials.
- The move may further aggravate its ties with Japan, after the latter withdrew South Korea’s preferential trade status earlier last month.
- Nepal’s foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali announced for the SAARC(South Asian Association for Regional Corporation) foreign ministers informal meeting which is to be held in Nepal in September 2019.
- US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel Brownback said religious freedom is essential for achieving peace and stability within nations and among nations.
- In an earlier plenary meeting in June, FATF had warned Pakistan that it would be put in blacklist if the country that Pakistan had failed to meet targets for controlling terror financing.
- North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho called U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a “poisonous plant of American diplomacy” to protest Pompeo’s remarks in an interview in which he said that Washington will maintain crippling sanctions on North Korea unless it denuclearizes.
- Beijing has repeatedly said it will levy sanctions against U.S. companies linked to a planned $8 billion sale and demanded Washington cancel it immediately.
- The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has moved the Supreme Court against the Centre, saying triple talaq has been made a non-bailable offense by which Muslim men can be imprisoned for three years even as a desertion of a wife by a husband is not even considered an offense in India. At best, desertion is a ground for divorce.
- Nullification of Article 370 is an attempt to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir, which is the only Muslim majority state in India, according to CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
- Gopal Singh Visharad, one of the appellants in the Ayodhya case, said Hindus have an “unfettered” right to worship at a site believed for centuries to be the birthplace of Lord Ram.
- Providing relief to 6.3 lakh pensioners, retirement fund body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has approved a proposal to restore commutation of pension, or advance part-withdrawal, under the Employees’ Pension Scheme.
- Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) stated that FASTags will become mandatory for all vehicles from December 2019, during the launch of the new website that gives data about highways construction, land acquisition, FASTags, etc.
- RK Singh, the Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy (IC) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship has launched the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index 2019 (SARAL) at the Review Planning and Monitoring (RPM)
- A reduction in the e-visa(electronic visa) fee was proposed by the tourism ministry with the aim of attracting more foreign travelers to the country.
- Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched the National Mission to improve Learning Outcomes at the Elementary level National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA)
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Indian diaspora in Paris during his visit to France on Friday amidst chants of “Modi hai to Mumkin hai” at the UNESCO headquarters.
- Prime Minister Modi also held one-on-one talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at Chateau de Chantilly during which the two leaders reviewed the entire gamut of the dynamic and multi-faceted bilateral relationship.
- They said the searches are being carried out under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and are aimed at gathering additional evidence.
- The former finance minister, has, however, denied any wrongdoing in INX media case. The case relates to alleged irregularities in FIPB clearance given to the media group for foreign investment to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007, when Chidambaram was finance minister.
- Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Chidambaram before a two-judge bench of the top court, said the ED’s note had become the basis of the order by the high court.
- Ashok Jain, born in Punjab’s Moga district, is known as the “Eye Man” for giving donors’ eyes to medical institutions for transplant. But he is now fighting for his own life for the past six months, as he battles oesophageal cancer.
- The UGC NET December 2019 examination (Computer Based Test) will be held from December 2 to December 6 this year and its result will be declared on December 31, 2019.
- The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) will declare the results of Class 12 supplementary examinations, August 23.
- The country’s largest private sector lender HDFC Bank remains bullish on its cards business and said it has not witnessed a slowdown in consumption.
- ICICI Bank plans to grow its retail loan disbursement by 30 per cent in Karnataka during 2019-20, according to Anup Bagchi, Executive Director of the bank.
- A chunk of the bank’s Rs 29,000 crore stressed book, pertains to four or five accounts. Resolution on these, if delayed, can weigh on its already weak capital base.
- Ajinkya Rahane’s 18th half-century anchored India’s revival to 203 for six on the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
- Serena Williams will begin her quest for a seventh US Open title and record-tying 24th Grand Slam crown against long-time rival Maria Sharapova in the US Open women’s singles draw unveiled.
- The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), Government of India(GoI) has made Ajay Kumar ,a 1985 batch IAS (Indian Administrative Service)officer of Kerala cadre as the new Defence Secretary but without 2 years’ tenure.
- Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism has launched the book called‘the Diary of Manu Gandhi’(1943-44) at a function in the auditorium of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi.
1. International News
- Boris Johnson is to meet Emmanuel Macron later, hours after the French president seemed to downplay hopes of solving the Irish backstop problem.
- China has threatened to impose sanctions on US firms involved with the sale of F-16 fighter planes to Taiwan if Washington goes ahead with the deal.
- Migrant families who cross the southern border of the US illegally could be detained indefinitely under a new regulation announced by the Trump administration.
- Nepalese authorities have banned single-use plastics in the Everest region in a bid to cut down on waste left by climbers.
- U.S. President Donald Trump said Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats display “either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty,” sparking accusations that he is promoting and politicizing anti-Semitism.
- INPE, as the institute is known, recorded an 84% increase in fires in Brazil between 2018 and 2019, most in the Amazon rainforest.
- Official figures show nearly 73,000 forest fires were recorded in Brazil in the first eight months of the year the highest number for any year since 2013. Most were in the Amazon.
- The Maharashtra government is appealing against the Camden council’s decision through London-based solicitors. The appeal will come up for hearing by an independent planning inquiry on September 24.
- The rule is subject to clearance by a federal judge as it seeks to replace an existing rule that was born of a court agreement years ago, called the Flores settlement, which limited custody period to 20 days.
- Venezuela ranked second with 26,453 fires and Bolivia with 16,101 fires in Amazonian rainforests under their territory.
- “India is right there, they are not fighting it, we are fighting it,” Trump told reporters, answering a question about the US plans to keep its troops in Afghanistan or withdraw them as regards the ongoing peace talks. “Pakistan is right next door.
- This is not the first time a US drone has been shot down in Yemen. In June, the US military said that Houthi rebels had shot down a US government-operated drone with assistance from Iran.
- Simon Cheng, a Chinese national working at Britain’s Hong Kong consulate was detained in China’s border city of Shenzhen for violating the law. He was traveling from Hong Kong to Shenzhen for a business trip.
- Jewish groups in the United States were outraged by Trump’s comment, but the Israeli government, which has particularly close ties with the Trump administration, appeared to hold back.
- The elite “Mountain Eagle Commando (MEC)” counter-terror group took part in a drill with military personnel from Kyrgyzstan earlier this month, following which the first-ever report on it was published in one of China’s top state-run newspapers, Cankao Xiaoxi.
- The Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack and among the 160 people wounded at the wedding blast, many are in critical condition, some not well enough to undergo surgery.
- As Venezuela’s crisis deepens, women are bearing the brunt of the nation’s upheaval. Despite promises by the socialist government to provide every woman access to family planning, recent surveys and interviews with health professionals indicate access to contraceptives remains incomprehensive.
- The interactions will lay the groundwork for the visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to the U.S.
- Weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited Moscow and held talks with his counterpart Nikolai Patrushev, who is the secretary of the Russian National Security Council.
- The Prime Minister says engagements will strengthen India’s relations with time-tested friends and help explore new areas of cooperation.
- The CBI is expected to produce former finance and home minister P Chidambaram in a special CBI court.
- The Narendra Modi government has in principle decided to corporatize the 41 ordnance factories — the oldest government entities — to increase their efficiency, sharpen their competitive edge and expand their export potential.
- Ratul Puri, nephew of Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath, filed the plea before Special Judge Arvind Kumar, who has put up the matter for Friday.
- Chief minister Bhupesh Bhagel’s announcement last week to declare Lemru (in Korba district) as an elephant reserve has triggered protests with local tribals fearing displacement.
- Mandlik, who owns an 8-acre cotton farm in western India, pledged 70 grams of gold, almost all of his wife’s precious trinkets, in June in return for Rs 1,50,000.
- UIDAI said the Aadhaar Seva Kendras will have a token system where residents will have to first get a token for their Aadhaar related work and then move to a ‘verifier’ for document checking.
- The two day organized 9th session of India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee (JTC) was held on 19th – 20th August 2019 in New Delhi.
- The one-day National Conference of Tourism Ministers organized by the Union Ministry of Tourism was held in New Delhi.
- President of India, Shri Ram NathKovind planted Maulsari sapling in the Rashtrapati Bhavan Estate(New Delhi) and launched a plantation drive. It was done as part of the ‘Van Mahotsav’ celebrations.
- Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri stated that the central government is committed to achieving its target of providing ‘Housing for all’ under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in two years before the deadline by 2020.
- The World Economic Forum (WEF) in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will organize 2-day India Economic Summit 2019 scheduled to be held in New Delhi from October 3 – 4, 2019 with the aim of promoting strong collaboration between South Asia and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations ) nations.
- A High-Level Meeting (HLM) was held between India and Srilanka at the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) headquarters in New Delhi.
- The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the schedule of Examinations to be conducted by the agency during December 2019 to June 2020.
- The committee will use innovative methods to engross students in the subject and generate interest in mathematics among them.
- No student can enter university premises without an identity card from Thursday. Police have also been deployed on the main gates of the varsity to ensure discipline.
- The state-run Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Bhubaneswar has introduced four smart trades with Internet of Things (IoT) based curriculum, an official said.
- Tamil Nadu Teachers Eligibility Test (TNTET) Result 2019 Paper 2: Tamil Nadu Teachers Recruitment Board (TNTRB) has declared the Tamil Nadu Teacher Eligibility Test (TNTET) Paper II examination results on its official website.
- Bihar Police Recruitment 2019: BPSSChas issued a notification for recruitment of Sub Inspector, Sergeant, Assistant Superintendent Jail and Assistant Superintendent Jail in Home Department (Police) and Home Department (Jail).
- Rural NBFC (Non Banking Financial Company) Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd has signed a joint venture (JV) with Ideal Finance Ltd (IFL)
- There are about 14 million merchants using Paytm services and it plans to increase the base to 24 million by the end of this fiscal. Currently, Paytm sees 800-900 million transactions a month.
- While all six members of the monetary policy committee (MPC) were on the same page on cutting the policy repo rate to deal with economic slowdown, they differed on the quantum, with four recommending an aggressive 35 basis points (bps) cut and two pushing for a calibrated 25 bps cut.
- BookMyForex.com, a marketplace for foreign exchange and remittances, has partnered with YES Bank to launch a co-branded multi-currency forex travel card for Indian overseas travellers.
- Retirement fund manager EPFO approved appointment of UTI AMC and SBI Mutual Fund as its fund managers for three years, according to a source.
- Sebi relaxed the buyback norms for listed firms that own NBFCs and housing finance companies subsidiaries. In commodity markets, spot gold was steady at $1,502.53.
- A win in the opening Test will be the 27th for Kohli as skipper and will put him on even keel with his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
- Indian para-swimming team of 6 members comprising Para swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia from Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) has created history by becoming the 1st Asian swimmer team to cross the Catalina Channel (42 km )of US(United States) in just 11 hours 34 minutes.
- Russell Domingo was on Saturday appointed as the head coach of Bangladesh, replacing Steve Rhodes(English cricket coach and former cricketer) by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
- Anjum Moudgil became the first Indian shooter to secure am Olympic quota for India after she won a silver medal in Women’s 10m air rifle event at ISSF World Championships in South Korea.
- From the throngs of young fans who idolize her to the tennis experts desperately seeking the sport’s “next big thing”, there is no shortage of expectations on the shoulders of 15-year-old Cori “Coco” Gauff.
- Novak Djokovic was all set to cruise into the U.S. Open as the hot favorite but a semi-final defeat at the Cincinnati Masters last week has at least given hope to his challengers that the world number one is not invincible.
- Ankita Gulati, founder of Touch Vision which is an Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi(IIT-D) incubated startup, won the 2019 NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award.
- Ajay Kumar appointed as Secretary Defence; Subhash Chandra is Secretary, Defence Production and Brij Kumar Agarwal is Secretary, Lokpal.
- NASA has confirmed that it will send a spacecraft to Europa, one of the 79 known moons orbiting gas giant Jupiter.
1. International News
- Mike Pompeo said the US doesn’t want crude oil to go to Syria because it will be “off-loaded, sold, used by the Quds force, an organization that has killed countless Americans and people all across the world.”
- President Donald Trump said recently he received a three-page letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Kim wanted to meet again to restart the talks after the US-South Korean drills ended.
- The development came a day after Trump spoke separately to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan in his bid to ease fresh Indo-Pak tensions after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
- President Donald Trump told reporters he believes the Taliban insurgents are eager to stop fighting and that they could “very easily” prevent Afghanistan from being a breeding ground for terrorism. The U.S. will, nonetheless, keep a close eye on Taliban influence, he said, even as it thins its troop presence.
- During the previous Obama Administration, Russia was kicked out of the group which was originally G-8 countries comprising the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and Russia. European Union also attends its annual leadership summits.
- Brian Hook was responding to a reporter’s questions alleging that India is violating the US sanctions through the Chabahar port which it is building in Iran for the purpose of Afghanistan.
- The US president told reporters that buying Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but has extensive home rule, would be “a large real estate deal” that could ease a financial burden on Denmark, but Denmark’s prime minister did not want to talk about a possible US purchase of the island of Greenland.
- Chinese economy is suffering due to the trade war which puts the US in a good negotiating position Donald Trump said.
- Zakir Naik was first questioned on Friday following the contentious remarks made in his speech against Hindus where he questioned their loyalty to the country and took a jibe at the Chinese community as “old guests” in Malaysia.
- The Pentagon said the U.S. military has conducted a flight test of a type of missile banned for more than 30 years by a treaty that both the United States and Russia abandoned this month
- US President Donald Trump has canceled a state visit to Denmark after the nation’s prime minister said Greenland was not for sale to the US.
- Pakistan has said it will take the Kashmir dispute to the International Court of Justice. The move comes after India revoked the special autonomous status of the part of Kashmir that it administers.
- Boris Johnson is set to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin later, where he is expected to reiterate his call for the backstop plan to be scrapped.
- A Mexican judge has granted two people the right to recreational cocaine use, in the first ruling of its kind, the organization behind the cases said.
- A video of the incident that has gone viral shows the students of Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences in Saifai moving in a single file with backpacks and saluting their seniors as they pass by.
- Ahead of the 2003 assembly elections too, he was almost denied a ticket when Uma Bharti led the party campaign in the state to dislodge the 10-year-rule of Congress.
- Two violent incidents within four days involving rebel outfits, in which one person has been killed and another sustained injury, have rocked Dimapur.
- The incident took place when 30-year-old Simmi of Lucknow’s Amrai village had gone with her husband, Syed Rashid, to the Lucknow civil court for the hearing of her case of dowry harassment she had lodged earlier against her in-laws.
- The ruling AIADMK joined BJP for demanding ban on DMK, accusing its Dravidian rival of acting against the unity and integrity of the nation.
- MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar had at 12.30 pm announced a show of strength outside the ED office to protest the central agency’s summons to Thackeray.
- The ill-fated chopper was flying from Mori village to Moldi in Arakot valley at around 12 noon and was carrying three people.
- The encounter, which began, has ended with the killing of a militant and a special police officer (SPO) of Jammu and Kashmir Police, a police official said.
- CM Yogi Adityanath expands UP cabinet: Six cabinet ministers, six ministers of state with Independent charge and 11 ministers of state take over.
- The high court on July 24 directed Chidambaram and two bureaucrats to remain present in person or through their lawyers on October 15 to respond to the claims made by the company, formerly known as Financial Technologies Ltd.
- The NRC, first published in 1951 only for Assam, is being updated under the supervision of the Supreme Court (SC) with the intention of identifying Indians residing in Assam and weeding out illegal immigrants.
- Zakir Naik was first questioned following the contentious remarks made in his speech against Hindus where he questioned their loyalty to the country and took a jibe at the Chinese community as “old guests” in Malaysia.
- The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has declared the results of Combined Graduate Level Tier 1 (CGL Tier 1) 2018 examination August 20, 2019.
- Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French Embassy in India, New Delhi recently to establish the French Cultural and Language Centre at VIT Vellore campus.
- According to the schedule put forward by the university, candidates for DUSU posts can submit their nomination papers to the Chief Election Officer by September 4. Those contesting for central council can put forward their nominations to the concerned colleges and departments.
- Karnataka Private Post Graduate Colleges Association (KPPGCA) has declared the result of Karnataka Management Aptitude Test (KMAT) 2019 on its official website.
- Tamil Nadu Teachers Eligibility Test (TNTET) Paper 1 Results 2019 has been declared. Candidates can check the merit list on trb.tn.nic.in. TNTRB has also released final answer keys. Check here.
- Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has postponed the release of notification for recruitment of junior Hindi translator, Senior Hindi Translator and Hindi Pradhyapak Examination 2019. It will be released on August 27.
- Reserve Bank deputy governor MK Jain slammed banks for poor compliance with regulations, and pointed out that high value frauds and fines are a result of their lackadaisical attitude on this.
- The menu of options for eligible candidates eyeing the post of CEO at top-notch public sector banks just got bigger.
- According to a conservative scenario envisaged by NITI Aayog, India will need six such gigawatt-scale facilities (of 10GWh each) by 2025 and 12 by 2030.
- Deutsche Bank will tie-up with atleast five fintech companies for faster background checks and loan processing, said a senior official of the bank.
- The 10 synthetic gasifiers that make up the project are now finally commissioned. But the imported LNG they’re meant to displace has fallen from about $15 per million British thermal units in 2012 to less than $5.
- India’s H.S. Prannoy stunned London Olympics gold medallist and multiple-time world champion Lin Dan in a hard-fought match to enter the pre-quarterfinals of the World badminton championships here.
- The Indian team management will be fretting on possible team combinations for the first Test against the West Indies with a difficult choice between senior pros Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane if it opts for a fifth specialist bowler.
- The latest test batsmen rankings were released by the ICC (International Cricket Council). The list was topped by India’s Virat Kohli followed by Australia’s Steve Smith at the second spot overtaking New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
- Navneeth Murali, an Indian-American teenager from New Jersey, America, has won the 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee contest and earned grand cash prize of USD 3,000.
- India’s largest public broadcasting agency, Prasar Bharti’s Chairman A Suryapakash stated that the agency will introduce 2 awards namely ‘Neelum Sharma Tejaswini award’ & ‘Achyutananda Sahoo Award’ in memory of Doordarshan(DD) News (Former anchor), Neelum Sharma who passed away due to cancer on August 17, 2019.
- Mr Conte said Mr Salvini had been “irresponsible” in creating a new political crisis for Italy for “personal and party interests”.
- The Board of Vodafone India, has appointed Ravinder Takkar, who is currently Vodafone Group’s representative in India, as the new MD(Managing Director) and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) with immediate effect. Takkar replaces CEO Balesh Sharma, who has stepped down citing personal reasons.
- Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Babulal Gaur (89) passed away on Wednesday morning. He died at a private hospital here. He had been admitted for the past two weeks due to a respiratory problem.
1. International News
- US President Donald Trump had said in June that Britain’s public health service should be on the table in talks about a trade deal between the two countries after Brexit but later backtracked on his comments.
- Hundreds of thousands of protesters rallied peacefully in the Chinese-ruled city in torrential rain in the eleventh week of what have been often violent demonstrations.
- Bashir listened to the testimony without comment, sitting in a metal cage and wearing traditional white robes and a turban in his first appearance in a Khartoum courtroom.
- The number 23 jersey belonged to 18-year-old Obama while he was a senior at Punahou high school in Hawaii, where he lived at the time, according to Heritage Auctions.
- Major General Shavendra Silva, was elevated to the army’s second-highest position of chief of staff in January before his latest promotion by President Maithripala Sirisena to the commander of the Sri Lankan army.
- The India Day Parade is the signature celebration in Canada marking Independence and attracts nearly 50,000 visitors each year.
- Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan retained Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in the top military post in light of what Khan’s order referred to as “the regional security situation”.
- The Jalalabad bombs were planted near a market where hundreds of people had congregated after attending Independence Day events. Senior health official Fahim Bashari said at least 34 people were wounded.
- Protesters alleged that the planned airport would be an environmental disaster as it would destroy forests that are the habitat for wild animals in the area.
- One of the ministerial aspirants GH Thippa Reddy, a four-time BJP MLA from Chitradurga expressed his ‘surprise and pain’ at the list of ministers.
- The man approached a family court where he said that on the instructions of the ‘Tantrik’, his wife gave him four laddoos to eat in the morning and four in the evening. He was not given or allowed to eat anything else in between.
- Sakshi Misra, daughter of BJP MLA Rajesh Misra has posted a complaint on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ‘Jan Sunwai’ portal, alleging that some people were trying to malign the image of her father and her husband’s family by spreading false stories
- The list of ministers, approved by party president Amit Shah, took time reaching Bengaluru and caused some unnerving moments for MLAs, who found it hard to second guess the central leadership.
- The Bihar government has declared a three-day state mourning following the death of former CM Jagannath Mishra.
- Having started his career as a lecturer, he went to become a professor of economics, but his natural inclination was towards politics. In his heyday, he was regarded as the tallest leader in Bihar.
- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) may file a supplementary charge-sheet in connection with the alleged murder of the Unnao rape victim’s father in judicial custody last year.
- India remains politically committed to the completion of the Jaitapur nuclear power project, which is being built in partnership with France.
- Despite repeated assertions of its right to a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, India’s campaign for the expansion of the UNSC has slowed down, available official statements suggest.
- Staff Selection Commission (SSC) will release the official notification for the recruitment of junior Hindi translator, Senior Hindi Translator and Hindi Pradhyapak Examination 2019 today on its official website at ssc.nic.in
- NLC India ltd Recruitment 2019: Tomorrow is the last date to apply for 875 vacancies for the posts of stenographer, date entry operator, ITI trade specialists and assistant etc. Check full details here.
- IBPS (Probationary Officers) PO 2019 Recruitment: Apply online for 4336 vacancies before August 27. Check eligibility criteria, exam dates, steps to apply online and Other important information here.
- Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has released the admit card for combined higher secondary level examination’s skill test and document verification. Candidates who have cleared the written tests of SSC CHSL 2017 will have to appear for the skill test and document verification.
- Rourkela Steel Plant is hiring 361 paramedical staff and medical executive for Ispat General Hospital, Rorukela. There are 234 vacancies for nursing sister . Candidates can apply for the posts before August 20, 2019.
- The 30-share was trading 100.23 points or 0.27 per cent higher at 37,502.72 at 0930 hours; and the broader Nifty too rose 16.15 points or 0.15 per cent to 11,070.05 in morning trade.
- In December, RBI said that banks must set their interest rates for new loans against an external benchmark beginning April 1.
- State Bank of India (SBI) announced bouquet of special offerings in this festive season for retail banking customers.
- The move to link loans and deposits pricing to the repo rate comes even as the Reserve Bank has decided not to push banks for this, considering their poor finances.
- Striker Mandeep Singh struck a fine hat-trick to help the Indian men’s hockey team beat hosts Japan 6-3 and book a summit clash berth in the Olympic Test Event here.
- Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane got some much needed runs under his belt ahead of the first Test as the visitors reached 174 for five at lunch on the final day of the three-day warm-up game against West Indies-A.
- The biopic “100 years of Chrysostom” on emeritus Metropolitan of Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan, of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church located at Kerala, enters Guinness world book of records as longest documentary.
- A general accused of war crimes was appointed Sri Lanka army chief, as the US warned his selection undermined efforts to ensure accountability after a long-running conflict with Tamil separatists.
- Jagannath Mishra, former Bihar chief minister and JD(U) i.e.,Janata Dal (United) leader passed away after battling cancer on August 19,2019. He was undergoing treatment in New Delhi and breathed his last there.
1. International News
- Sri Lanka’s leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) or the People’s Liberation Front on Sunday said it would field party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake as presidential candidate, effectively offering a third option to Sri Lankan voters in the polls scheduled later this year.
- A group of 16 African countries has called on the US and EU to “immediately lift” economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
- The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi made a State Visit to Bhutan on August 17-18, 2019, at the invitation of Prime Minister of Bhutan Dr. Lotay Tshering.
- Shri Ram Nath Govind inaugurated the 15,000 square feet underground bunker museum at Raj Bhavan(Governor’s government house) in Mumbai.
- The National Green Tribunal(NGT) has formed a committee to look into the issues of illegal sand mining in the Yamuna river and sought a report within a month.
- As a boost to the chemical industry in the country, Gujarat is to get the country’s first Central Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology (CICET). The CICET would be built either at Vatva, Ahmedabad or Surat.
- In a bid to promote research in cutting edge areas of science, the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) plans to launch a new scheme called “Supra” (Scientific and Useful Profound Research Advancement) to fund scientists.
- Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) will activate the link to view exam city and date intimation letter for CBT 2nd stage for junior engineers (JE) recruitment.
- State Bank of India (SBI) will soon declare the results of main exam conducted for the recruitment of 2000 probationary officer (PO). The SBI PO main exam was conducted on July 20, 2019 across the country.
- Nationalised banks conducted brainstorming sessions separately at branch, zonal and regional levels to discuss on their targets and means to ensure inclusive development by advancing loans to priority and other sectors.
- State Bank Of India, Union Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Canara BankNSE -2.08 % and Punjab National BankNSE -1.17 % is having series of meeting on bottom-up consultative process from the branch level.
- General Manager of State Bank of IndiaNSE -1.39 %, Sudhir Kumar Sharma said that in the two day meeting local economy was discussed. “Ideas were discussed which can boost up local economy.”
- The 2019 World Youth chess championship is to be held in Mumbai from October 1-13, at the Renaissance Hotel in Powai, Mumbai under the aegis of All-India Chess Federation and organized by the All-Marathi chess Association.
- Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne born in South Africa became the first person to replace as a concussion substitute in Test cricket.
- In the 300m races held at the Athleticky Mitink Reiter Event 2019 in the Czech Republic, Indian sprinters Hima Das and Mohammad Anas won gold in the women’s and men’s category respectively.
- Former Chelsea, Arsenal, and England football player Ashley Cole aged 38, announced his retirement from football, ending his 20-year playing career.
- The Dronacharya award (lifetime category) conferred on Merzban Patel by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sport, took Vile Parle-based Bawa, as he is popularly called in hockey circles, by surprise.
- Argentina’s economy minister Nicolas Dujovne has resigned amid a financial crisis exacerbated by the president’s defeat in a primary poll.
- Indian largest digital wallet company, Paytm has promoted its CFO (chief financial officer) Madhu Deora as President of the company.
- Jagannath Mishra, former Bihar chief minister and JD(U) i.e., Janata Dal (United) leader passed away after battling cancer.
1. International News
- Boris Johnson will tell EU leaders there needs to be a new Brexit deal when he makes his first trip abroad as PM later this week.
- A waiter in Paris has been shot dead by a customer who was reportedly angry because his sandwich wasn’t prepared quickly enough.
- Police arrested 13 people as far-right groups rallying in the north-western US city of Portland, Oregon, skirmished with left-wing counter-protesters.
- The 28th session of BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China) Ministerial meeting 2019 on Climate Change was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil from 14 – 16 August 2019.
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always fashioned himself as an advocate of federalism – someone who believes in giving the country’s states more independence.
- Taxpayers should file their GST returns for 2017-18 by August 31 and failure to do so will attract very severe consequences, including hefty penalty, Chief Commissioner of Customs and CGST Visakhapatnam Zone, Naresh Penumaka, has said.
- Rice cultivation in Punjab, which thrived in the past due to the easy availability of water resources and free supply of electricity to farmers, is under considerable strain now.
- A 2 day International Conference titled “Journey of Teacher Education: Local to Global” was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Human Resource Development Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ in New Delhi.
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) constituted a committee to rationalise additional taxes that airlines have to pay while uplifting Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) at airports across India.
- Famous ‘Hazratganj Chauraha’ of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh has been renamed as ‘Atal Chowk’ in memory of former Prime Minister of India, Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the occasion of his first death anniversary,
- Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will conduct the examination of central armed police force (CAPF) ACs 2019
- Maharaja Surajmal Brij University (MSBU) has declared the results of BA, BSc first and second year exam. Candidates can check their results online at msbrijuniversity.ac.in.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asked banks to not count failed and non-cash withdrawal transactions in the quota for free Automated Teller Machines (ATM) swipes.
- The Indian women’s hockey team came back twice from a goal deficit to hold world number 2 side Australia 2-2 in a hard-fought round-robin league match of the Olympic Test Event here.
- New Zealand’s fast bowler Tim Southee now equaled former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s record tally of sixes in Test cricket, on the first day of the Test match between Srilanka and New-Zealand that was held at Galle, Srilanka.
- Wrestler Bajrang Punia and Para-athlete Deepa Malik have been nominated for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
1. International News
- Philip Manshaus, 21, is suspected of murdering his 17-year-old stepsister Johanne Zhangjia Ihle-Hansen, before entering the Al-Noor mosque in an affluent Oslo suburb and opening fire before he was overpowered by a 65-year-old man.
- A British judge has ordered the Nigerian government to pay $9bn in assets to a small private company.
- The US Justice Department claimed that it can seize Grace 1, and all of the oil on board, based on alleged violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, bank fraud, money laundering, and terrorism statutes.
- The US Justice Department has issued a warrant to seize a detained Iranian oil tanker, a day after a judge in Gibraltar ordered it to be released.
- One of the two law enforcement sources familiar with the Epstein case said there was no evidence or suggestion of foul play but cautioned the investigation was at an early stage.
- North Korea said leader Kim Jong-un supervised another test-firing of an unspecified new weapon that extended a streak of weapons demonstrations seen as an attempt to pressure Washington and Seoul over slow nuclear negotiations and their joint military exercises.
- The China-Pakistan axis failed at the UNSC closed-door meeting when a majority of the Council members refused to take up the Kashmir matter and rejected the Chinese position.
- Several major airports including those in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and the Washington, DC, area confirmed the outage, some of them reporting backups of passengers arriving from overseas.
- US President Donald Trump had made the Kashmir mediation offer during Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s White House visit in July.
- Mr. Trump, who is on a working vacation at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, received the briefing from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other advisers on the talks, which have been handled by Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad
- The future of India’s No First Use (NFU) policy on nuclear weapons depended on “circumstances,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said from the nuclear test site in Pokhran.
- Hundreds of protesters in Srinagar clashed with police on August 16, who responded with tear gas shells and pellet-firing shotguns, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
- NewSpace India Ltd, the new public sector space business company, launched a formal search for industry consortia which can regularly manufacture and deliver entire PSLV satellite launch vehicles for its parent, the Indian Space Research Organisation.
- The United Nations Security Council appreciated the measures New Delhi had taken to relax restrictions in the Kashmir Valley and did not pursue matters further, making a point that the steps had been in the right direction.
- A Mercedes, hit by the speeding Jaguar, was flung on to the Kolkata traffic post killing two bystanders and injuring another. All three Bangladeshi nationals had taken shelter under the post from the rain.
- The Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana has claimed in an editorial that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have already taken steps to bring in a uniform civil code.
- Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel earlier this month had disqualified Kapil Mishra under the anti-defection law after he campaigned for the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections in May.
- PM Narendra Modi Visit To Bhutan: India is providing Rs 5,000 crore for Bhutan’s 12th five-year plan that began in 2018, the same as the allocation for the previous plan.
- Syed Akbaruddin stepped away from the podium and walked up to a senior Pakistani journalist who asked, “When will you begin a dialogue with Pakistan?”
- Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) has released an important notice for the candidates whose application was rejected for the recruitment of Level -1 post under CEN 01/2019. Here’s how to raise complaints online.
- RRB JE CBT 2: Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) will activate the link to view exam city and date intimation letter for CBT 2nd stage for junior engineers (JE) recruitment.
- Calicut University has declared the revaluation result for undergraduate courses including BA, AFU, BSW, BVC, BTTM, BTFP (CUCBCSS) for 5th and 6th semester examination.
- Public sector banks (PSBs) could establish an independent entity on the lines of the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) to use technology for screening borrowers and monitoring them carefully, according to K Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) to the government.
- As the 32-year-old Argentine enters his post-prime phase, Valverde has to use him judiciously to maximise his impact.
- President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind approved 132 Awards to Armed Forces Personnel and members of Paramilitary Forces.
- Ravi Shastri will continue as the head coach of India cricket team for another two years as the Cricket Advisory Committee, headed by Kapil Dev picked the former India captain for the role after conducting interviews in Mumbai.
- Book titled ‘Kashmir’s untold story: Declassification’ by Bloomsbury publishers was announced on August 14th, 2019.
1. International News
- North Korea has rejected any further talks with South Korea, calling its decision “completely the fault of South Korea’s actions”.
- Israel is blocking two US Democratic lawmakers, who are prominent critics of the Israeli government, from visiting.
- One of the two law enforcement sources familiar with the Epstein case said there was no evidence or suggestion of foul play but cautioned the investigation was at an early stage.
- The capture of the tankers heightens tension just as European nations scramble to save a landmark nuclear deal with Iran.
- External Affairs Minister(EAM) of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited(3-day from August 11 to 13,2019)Beijing, China during which he had bilateral meetings with his counterpart Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi, Vice President Wang Qishan,
- Google employees have led a growing trend in which some tech-company employees have taken public stances against their employers’ policies.
- Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 could be revoked because entire society showed determination, and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and “willpower” for taking such a decision.
- Parties were set a deadline of August 14 to submit names for 24 Parliamentary Standing Committees.
- The cross-border firing started around 7 a.m. in Krishna Ghati sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district and continued till around 5.30 p.m.
- A special bench, comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer, will hear the petitions posing legal challenges to the Centre’s decision to scrap provisions of Article 370.
- The advertisement also has pictures of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, state BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and Uttar Pradesh assembly speaker Hriday Narain Dixit.
- Jammu and Kashmir government said restrictions on telecom lines in Srinagar would start getting restored from tonight.
- CBI sources said that Kumar has been asked to appear before the agency officials to ascertain his role in connection with the multi- crore Rose Valley scam.
- Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UPSSSC) has invited online applications for the post of Chief Engineer Minor Irrigation Department, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow.
- RRB CBT 2 syllabus: According to the information bulletin issued by RRB for CEN 03/ 2018 the second stage CBT will have 150 Objective type and multiple choice questions and candidates will be given 2 hours to answer them.
- Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) Chandigarh has released the list of candidates who have qualified for the junior engineer recruitment second stage computer based test (CBT). A total of 14965 candidates have qualified for the CBT 2.
- APEPDCL JLM Recruitment 2019: Tomorrow (August 17) is the last day to apply for Energy Assistants (Junior Linemen Grade-II) in Power Distribution Company Of Andhra Pradesh Limited (APEPDCL).
- The country’s Central Bank, Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has asked banks not to count failed transactions at ATMs due to technical reasons (hardware and software issues, non-availability of cash, and any other reason attributable to the bank), as part of “free ATM transactions” , which are permitted every month.
- Umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement, National Payments Corporation of India(NPCI) has stated that Aadhaar enabled Payment System (AePS) used by a total of 6.65 crore Indian citizens stood at 220.18 million with transaction value Rs 9,685.35 crore during July 2019
- Jyske Bank has launched the world’s first negative interest rate mortgage – handing out loans to homeowners where the charge is minus 0.5% a year. It has begun offering borrowers a 10-year deal at -0.5%.
- Five investors Societe Generale, Key Square Master Fund LP, BNP Paribas Arbitrage, HDFC Trustee Co Ltd and Key Square Master Fund II LP together accounted for 65.5 per cent of the total investment of ₹ 1,930 crore made in Yes Bank’s qualified institutional placement.
- Wrestler Deepak Punia won gold in 86-kg junior freestyle category by beating Alik Shebzukhov of Russia at the Junior World Championships 2019 at Tallinn, Estonia. With this, he became the first Indian in 18 years to win the title.
- India won the T20 Physical Disability (PD) World Cricket Series 2019 after defeating England by 36 runs in the final held at the New Road Stadium in Worcester, England.
- The Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) have been granted full membership in the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) on August 13, 2019.
- Wrestler Deepak Punia won gold in 86-kg junior freestyle category by beating Alik Shebzukhov of Russia at the Junior World Championships 2019 at Tallinn, Estonia.
- On August 15, 2019 chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) K.Sivan, under whose leadership the Chandrayaan- 2 mission (mission to moon) is launched, was conferred with Tamil Nadu Government’s Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam award.
- BAF TA LA ( British Academy of Film and Television Arts- Los Angeles branch) is to honour 53-year-old English actor Steve Coogan with the prestigious “2019 Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy”.
- The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed VG Somani as Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in Level 14 of the Pay Matrix as per the 7th Central Pay Commision (CPC), on deputation basis, for a period of 3 years. He is currently Joint Drugs Controller of India.
- Former India and Tamil Nadu opener V.B. Chandrasekhar passed away. He was 57. Police said the body of the former cricketer was recovered from his residence. They suspect it to be a case of suicide.
1. International News
- Days after former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa named his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa as opposition presidential candidate, the battle over candidacy within the United National Party (UNP) has intensified, with no indication of a decision yet.
- China said Hong Kong’s protest movement had reached “near terrorism” on Wednesday, after a night of ugly clashes at the city’s airport where demonstrators set upon and detained two men they suspected of being government sympathizers.
- The rebel alliance said they launched the attacks in self-defense because the Myanmar military didn’t stop offensive operations in areas where the minorities live.
- The Labour main opposition leader said once in power, he would seek to delay Britain’s October 31 exit date from the European Union and then call a general election.
- Russia’s Ministry of Health said 23 people had suffered injuries, but that nobody had been killed when the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 came down in a field southeast of Moscow after striking a flock of gulls, disrupting its engines.
- Former Chief Ministers and the local MPs are unlikely to attend the first-ever Independence Day celebrations in J& K after its special status was revoked on August 5, as the current dispensation has put in place stringent security measures for celebrations in all districts.
- The country is celebrating its 73rd Independence Day today. Prime Minister Modi will deliver his address to the nation from the Red Fort shortly.
- Concerned over reports of some schools enforcing caste-based wristbands on students, the Tamil Nadu Directorate of school education issued a directive prescribing the practice and requiring education authorities to monitor the same take punitive action for any violation.
- The RSS boss also pointed out that the special status to Jammu and Kashmir under the article of 370 of the constitution could be revoked because the entire society showed determination.
- The arrested crew members – the Master, Chief Officer and two Second Mates – were aboard the Panama-flagged supertanker that was detained off Europa Point in Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory on the Spanish coast, last month.
- An official in the revenue department said the government is making every effort to minimize troubles for both businessmen and citizens through digitization and faceless interactions.
- Calcutta University declared the results of Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) Part III (General ) examination, 2019. The results have been declared under the 1+1+1 system.
- Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has further extended the last date for submission of online and offline admission forms for all programmes for July 2019 session.
- IDBI Bank’s net loss widened to ₹3,801 crore in the first quarter ended June 30, 2019, against ₹2,410 crore in the year-ago period, as it continued to reel under the burden of heavy loan-loss provisions and grappled with asset-quality issues.
- 22 year old American Artistic gymnast Simone Arianne Biles became the first woman in the world to make a “triple-double” floor exercise landing which is a finale featuring two flips and three twists at the 2019 US(United States) Gymnastics Championships held at Kansas city, Missouri, US.
- Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation 2019 was conferred to 96 police personnel, including 15 Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers.
- Queen of Indian athletics, P T Usha (Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha) from Payyoli (Kerala) has appointed as one of the six members of the Asian Athletics Association’s (AAA) Athletes Commission, in recognition of her outstanding achievements at the continental stage.
- Vorian musician DJ Arafat (Real name: Ange Didier Huon), aged 33, passed away in a road crash at a hospital in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
1. International News
- Former Chancellor Philip Hammond has accused the PM of trying to wreck the chance of a new Brexit deal, by making demands the EU could never accept.
- The President is especially critical about the terms granted to China when it joined the organization, given US complaints about Chinese theft of American technology.
- Hong Kong’s airport resumed operations, rescheduling hundreds of flights that had been disrupted over the past two days as protesters clashed with riot police in a deepening crisis in the Chinese-controlled city.
- PM Imran Khan’s visit to mark Paksitan’s Independence Day comes more than a week after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move to strip Kashmir of its special status.
- China’s per capita disposable income in 1949 was nearly 49.7 yuan when the Communist Party of China (CPC) emerged victorious from the civil and formed new China.
- State media arms of the Chinese government slammed the incident of assault after one of the victims was identified as a reporter with the Global Times.
- Reports said a Spanish F-18 jet based in Lithuania had tried to approach Shoigu’s plane, prompting one of two Russian SU-27 fighter jets accompanying him to see it off.
- The earliest possible date for Assembly polls in the new Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is around March next year, officials in the Home Ministry indicated, as the Election Commission (EC) held its first meeting for the delimitation exercise, necessitated under the new Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act.
- Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi recommended a comprehensive legislation to make the Central Bureau of Investigation functional as an efficient and impartial investigative agency.
- As the Election Commission held internal discussions on the delimitation of constituencies ahead of elections to the new Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, former Chief Election Commissioner and ex-officio member of the Delimitation Commission N. Gopalaswami.
- The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has issued a notification for junior engineers (civil, mechanical, electrical and quantity surveying and contract) recruitment examination 2019. The SSC recruitment notification is now available on the official website of SSC.
- Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) is accepting online application for recruitment of 3206 posts of computer engineer, engineers, librarian and skill development and industrial training department.
- Aditya Birla Health Insurance (ABHI), a stand-alone health insurer, has entered into a bancassurance partnership with Axis Bank, the country’s third largest private sector bank.
- At the end of the four rounds, Aishwarya finished with 65 points, ahead of Portugal’s Rita Vieira (61 points), Sara Alvarez (56 pts), Rosa Romero (50 pts) and Margot Farre (13 pts).
- The President of Fiji Major.General(Retd) Jioji Konrote has appointed Justice Madan Lokur from India as the new Supreme Court (SC) judge of Fiji.
- Penguin Random House India has announced a book on the life of the actor, Sridevi titled “Sridevi: Girl Woman Superstar” on her 56th birth anniversary. The book is written by author-screenwriter Satyarth Nayak.
1. International News
- The blast killed five atomic scientists during test of a missile engine that used “isotope power sources” on an offshore platform in Arkhangelsk region, close to Arctic Circle, state nuclear monopoly Rosatom said over the weekend.
- Hong Kong’s airport, Asia’s busiest hub for international passenger traffic and a key transit point for European trips, resumed operations early Tuesday after most demonstrators left.
- Qureshi’s comment came a day after Russia becomes the first P-5 member to support India over the abrogation of Article 370. It said all action taken by India was under the constitutional framework.
- Hong Kong airport authority, within a short notice, suspended all remaining flights for the day after thousands of pro-democracy protesters entered the terminal’s arrival halls.
- Ambassador Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that America’s decades-old policy on Kashmir has been no mediation but to encourage India and Pakistan to resolve their differences bilaterally.
- U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration unveiled a new rule that could deny visas and permanent residency to hundreds of thousands of people for being too poor.
- Qureshi’s comment came a day after Russia becomes the first P-5 member to support India over the abrogation of Article 370. It said all action taken by India was under the constitutional framework.
- Their boats were believed to have capsized during the weekend and the bodies started washing ashore at different locations. Fourteen fishermen managed to swim through and reached different shores near Dwarka.
- Manmohan Singh, earlier a Rajya Sabha member from Assam, was accompanied by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, deputy CM Sachin Pilot and party’s other senior leaders in the state.
- The court said it was the responsibility of the administration in response to the Attorney General’s submission that normalcy may have returned to some district.
- Former chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling of the SDF, who is currently the leader of the opposition in Sikkim, did not join the BJP.
- Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts as CM visited Wayanad and Malappuram (in north Kerala), that have borne the brunt of monsoon rains, and assured people that his government will do everything to alleviate their sufferings.
- The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage), Bill, 2019, which criminalizes instant ‘triple talaq’ among Muslims and attracts a jail term of three years for the husband came into force on August 1.
- Attendance to the summit is free, but passes have to be obtained which is now open for public, said host Texas India Forum, Houston-based non-profit body, which expects around 50,000 people to attend prime minister’s address
- Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HHSC) has invited applications for recruitment of post graduate teacher (PGT). There are a total of 3864 vacancies.Online application process will begin from August 20 and will end on September 5, 2019.
- Calling the Central Board of Secondary Education’s move to increase examination fee for board examinations “anti-poor”, BSP chief Mayawati said the decision should be reversed immediately.
- IB security assistant Tier 1 result 2019: The the Intelligence Bureau (IB) security assistant (Executive) tier 1 exam result is expected to be declared soon.
- Chamoli District Magistrate Swati S Bhadoriya has declared holiday in all government and private schools and Anganwadi in the district for tomorrow, in view of India Meteorological Department’s forecast of rainfall in the region.
- TNPSC Recruitment 2019: Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission is hiring assistant tourist officers, grade 3. The online application process is already going on and the last date to apply is August 20, 2019.
- A fanfare announcement in the July budget has been followed by the removal of the official driving the sale. India’s first venture into the overseas bond market would shift part of its 7-trillion-rupee ($100 billion) borrowing abroad, and enable it to tap a wider pool of funds.
- In the 42nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Reliance Industries Ltd(RIL), its Chairman &MD(managing director) Mukesh Ambani stated that Saudi Arabia’s most profitable oil company Saudi Aramco will buy 20 % stake of RIL’s oil and chemicals business for about $15 billion (approximately Rs 1.06 lakh crore), which will be one of the biggest FDI(foreign direct investment) deal in the country.
- Alibaba and Tencent’s businesses are largely domestic, having little to do with the US or trade. Tencent is back on track after a horrendous 2018, with revenue growth projected to rebound to 27% in the June quarter thanks to hits like Peacekeeper Elite and durable titles like Honour of Kings.
- Indian junior shuttlers won 6 medals- 3 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze at the Bulgarian Junior International Championships 2019 held at Sports Hall “Vasil Levski”, Pazardzhik, Bulgaria from August 8-11, 2019.
- The Women’s Cricket team of Thailand rewrote a world record by winning 17th successive T20 international match and surpassed the record held by Australian Women (16 victories).
- 2019 Rogers Cup/ Canadian Open presented by National Bank of Canada was held from August 5-11, 2019. The Men’s tournament was held at IGA Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and Women’s tournament was held at Aviva Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- The Hyderabad Open (Badminton) 2019, officially known as IDBI Federal Life Insurance Hyderabad Open 2019, was held at G.M.C. Balayogi SATS Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad, India from August 6 -11, 2019.
- On August 11, 2019, Chennai Lions has captured the title for the 1st time by defeating defending champions Dabang Delhi with (8–1) scores in the final of the 3rd edition of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) 2019 played at Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi.
- Ahead of the Independence day celebrations(15 August,2019), thousands of people including those belonging to 35 social organizations across the state, and students from various schools unfurled a 15-km long national flag by forming a human chain from Amapara Chowk to Pt Ravishankar Shukla University in Raipur ,Chhattisgarh.
- Shah Rukh Khan (53), an Indian actor, film producer, and commonly known as “Badshah of Bollywood” has been conferred with an honorary degree, Doctor of Letters by the La Trobe University of Melbourne, Australia
- Former director of the National Institute of Immunology (NII), Delhi, MsChandrimaShaha is all set to become the first woman president of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) from January 1, 2020.
- The book ‘Listening, Learning and Leading’ marking Shri Venkaiah Naidu’s two years of service as vice president was launched by Union Home minister Amit Shah at Kalaivanar Arangam, Chennai during the function organized by Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
1. International News
- Military garrison maintained by People’s Liberation Army in Hong Kong released a video showing an anti-riot drill in which soldiers with assault rifles, armored personnel carriers, and water cannons disperse protesters.
- All flights in and out of Hong Kong were canceled after thousands of pro-democracy protesters flooded the city’s airport to denounce police violence.
- During his three-day visit, Jaishankar will hold talks with the Chinese leadership on a host of issues including finalization of arrangements for President Xi’s visit to India later this year for the second informal summit with Prime Minister Modi.
- Epstein’s abrupt death cuts short a criminal prosecution that could have pulled back the curtain on the inner workings of a high-flying financier with connections to celebrities and presidents, though prosecutors have vowed to continue investigating.
- Following six days of street clashes, random attacks, and armed barricades, they were joined by French and US soldiers and victory was confirmed.
- Lt. Szocki of the Erie Police Department said the victims died in a fire in Erie reported. The Erie County coroner’s office said the ages of the victims and other details weren’t immediately available.
- Jeffery Epstein was found dead early in his jail cell in Manhattan, New York. Attorney General William Barr called it “an apparent suicide” in a statement and it “raises serious questions that must be answered.
- Eight Labour MPs with origins in Pakistan wrote to Johnson, asking him to put principle before the UK’s trade relationship with India and speak up for the Kashmiri people. Johnson has often talked up trade ties with India after Brexit.
- Lakshyaraj Singh of the erstwhile Mewar royal family today said they were descendants of Lord Ram’s son, Luv, who had established Luvkote (Lahore) in the ancient times.
- Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) had on Saturday also telephonically informed the DTC about the suspension of the service from Monday.
- All 29 crew members jumped into the sea when the fire broke out, 28 members have been rescued by the Indian Coast Guard while the search is on for one missing crew member.
- Traditionally, on the occasion of Eid, Pakistani Rangers offer sweets to the BSF, a gesture that was reciprocated by the Indian side.
- Despite considerable scaling up of ART across the world on HIV, there were 1.7 million people newly infected with HIV in 2018. There are 2.14 million people living with HIV in India, with new infections rising in Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Uttarakhand, and declining in Nagaland, Manipur, Delhi and Chhattisgarh.
- The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019, criminalized the extra-judicial practice of talaq-e-bidder and Muslim men divorcing their wives under the practice either in person or through e-mail, SMS or social media could be jailed for three years.
- The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is likely to declare the results of Chartered Accountants (CA) foundation exam and final examination (old and new course) at around 6pm on Wednesday, August 14, 2019.
- Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has released the admit card for Technical and Non-Technical Trade and Technician Apprentice exam 2019.
- Dewan Housing Finance (DHFL) has sought an immediate funding of Rs 15,000-crore from banks for on-lending to retail customers as well as to project developers.
- Performance indicators will assess how govt lenders can match private sector peers
- India continued their dominant run in the ongoing tour of West Indies by taking an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the 3-match ODI series.
- “The appointment of Anurag is in compliance with the Reserve Bank of India circular,” it said in a statement.
- Renowned freedom fighter Dayanidhi Nayak, aged 95, passed away after undergoing treatment at a private hospital for old age-related ailments at Panimora village, Bargarh, Odisha.
1. International News
- According to a Korean news channel, Kim Jong received a report about a new weapon system following which he gave an instruction to test it immediately and looked around the new weapon at the launching site.
- Trump had announced that he would impose a 10 percent tariff on the remaining USD 300 billion worth of untaxed imports from China, which came after trade talks between the two sides were held in Shanghai.
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host a discussion in Downing Street on Monday to discuss improving the criminal justice system, with police chiefs, judges and prison bosses.
- Since the accession in 2015 of his father, King Salman, Prince Mohammed bin Salman has spearheaded the most radical liberalization the nation has seen under a plan called “Vision 2030” to diversify the economy, slash unemployment and reduce the reliance on oil.
- Donald Trump retweeted a post that referenced a claim by Epstein accuser Virginia Guiffre that Clinton visited the private island owned by his one-time donor.
- This action was officially taken during a function that was attended by Canada’s minister of national defence Harjit Sajjan, minister of public services and procurement and accessibility Carla Qualtrough, local MPs among others.
- US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un, have met three times since last summer to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
- Veteran Congress leader and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, whose tenure as a Rajya Sabha member ended in June, is likely to return to the Upper House of Parliament from Rajasthan. Dr. Singh, who earlier represented Assam in Rajya Sabha, will file his nomination papers here on August 13.
- J&K Reorganisation Bill, 2019 was the most challenging day of the recently concluded first session of the 17th Lok Sabha,” Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla told The Hindu on the sidelines of his press conference about the various initiatives that he proposes to bring in.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the removal of special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution will lead to the end of terrorism and progress of the region.
- New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) is planning a legal challenge against the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for stopping its co-founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy from flying abroad, an executive at the news broadcaster said.
- Speaking to reporters at the end of the BJP’s membership drive in Odisha, Shivraj Chouhan said it was surprising that the Congress Working Committee still wanted Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to lead the party.
- Haryana Staff Selection Commission has notified 755 vacancies for various posts. The posts include Assistant Manager, Assistant Accountant, Assistant Programmer, Tubewell Operator, Legal Assistant, Senior Account Clerk, Assistant Draughtsman, Pipe Fitter and other posts.
- Allahabad High Court has notified for 61 posts of higher judicial service part 3. The application process for the recruitment has been started from today, August 11, 2019. Candidates can apply for the above posts before August 25, 2019.
- Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) has released the admit card for its first-tier exams on its official website dssb.delhi.gov.in. Here’s how to download.
- Indian Railway Recruitment Board has come up with some more vacancies, this time, for the sports champions. Western railways and southeastern railways have invited the sports champions to apply for 42 posts (21 each). The application process will commence from August 14 and will conclude on September 13.
- Public sector Indian Bank signed a corporate agency agreement with Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company for distribution of its insurance products to bank customers.
- After surging 285 points in opening trade, the 30-share index was trading 238.59 points or 0.64 per cent higher at 37,565.95 at 0945 hours.
- The Indian Sports Secretary, Radheshyam Jhulaniya stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) has agreed to come under the jurisdiction of the anti-doping watchdog, National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) after years of resisting the move.
- To mark the 77th anniversary of Quit India movement, Uttar Pradesh(UP) chief minister(CM) Yogi Adityanath has launched the a mega greenery plantation drive called “Vriksharopan Mahakumbh”,which now sets a world record by planting over 22 crore saplings in a day.
- Sonia Gandhi was named interim Congress president on Saturday, returning to the helm after almost 20 months.
- Takis(Panayiotis Vassilakis,) a Greek artist known for his kinetic sculptures, known for artworks that made use of technology, motion and light and were displayed in art galleries and museums around the world has passed away in athens, Greece at the age of 93.
1. International News
- The optics of the picture of Donald Trump giving a thumbs-up as his wife, Melania, cradles a baby orphaned in the El Paso, Texas mass shooting struck many on social media as demonstrating a lack of empathy or respect for the gravity of the occasion by the president.
- The service, which originally is operated from Ambedkar Stadium terminal near Delhi Gate, was earlier suspended after the 2001 Parliament attack. It was restarted in July 2003.
- Prior to carrying out the attack, Crusius published a white supremacist manifesto online which expressed fears of a “Hispanic invasion” of Texas.
- The Trump administration believes that giving access to the state-controlled Huawei on 5G would risk America’s national security.
- Its fifth round of weapons launches in less three weeks was likely another protest at the slow pace of nuclear negotiations with the United States and continuance of U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises the North says are aimed at a northward invasion.
- China urged caution even as Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi took a morning flight on Friday to Beijing to discuss the developments in Kashmir.
- The plans were criticized by several scientists, who believe they could in no way compensate for the damage that would ensue from Johnson’s intention to leave the European Union on October 31 without an agreement.
- Russian authorities had previously said that two people had been killed in the incident and that a nearby city had reported a rise in radiation levels when the rocket engine blew up at a testing site in the Archangelsk region.
- The National Conference has moved the Supreme Court against Centre’s decision to nullify Article 370 that gave Jammu and Kashmir special status.
- Five panels formed by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) are expected to give their suggestions to the party’s top decision-making body to decide on a new chief.
- According to latest data released by NITI Aayog, 37.60% children in Chhattisgarh below five years of age suffer from malnutrition while 41.50% women in the state suffer from anemia, said chief minister Bhupesh Baghel.
- Moscow expects that India and Pakistan will not allow aggravation of the situation in the region due to the change by Delhi in the status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
- Arun Jaitley was responding to the treatment and his condition was stable, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said after visiting the former minister at the hospital.
- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rains in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Kerala over the next two days.
- Irked by the submission, the bench directed the state and environment departments to extend all help to CBI to ensure that the search operations are launched at the earliest.
- Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) Housing Finance Limited (HFL) has invited online applications for the recruitment for the post of assistant, associate and assistant manager. There are a total of 300 vacancies.
- EPFO SSA Admit Card 2019: Employee’s Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has released the admit card for its preliminary exam for the recruitment of Social Security Assistant (SSA) on its official website epfindia.gov.in. Candidates can download their e- call letter for EPFO SSA recruitment exam online.
- Indian Coast Guard has released the notification 01/2020 and invited applications from Indian male candidates for recruitment to the post of Yantrik. Check eligibility, important dates, pay scale here.
- West Bengal Police Recruitment Board (WBPRB) has invited applications for the recruitment of sub- inspectors (armed branch). There are a total of 668 vacancies including 494 for unarmed branch and 174 for armed branch.
- After surging 285 points in opening trade, the 30-share index was trading 238.59 points or 0.64 per cent higher at 37,565.95 at 0945 hours.
- Uber missed revenue expectations and posted a $5.24 billion net loss, its biggest ever. The stock is down 11% from its May initial public offering price.
- The Reserve Bank of India will cut interest rates again at its October meeting, making it the fifth in a row, according to economists in a Reuters poll, who said the central bank's decision to ease by 35 basis points on Wednesday was right.
- Public sector banks such as Syndicate Bank, Allahabad Bank, and Andhra Bank, on Friday, announced a cut of up to 25 basis points in their marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) across all tenors, on the back of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cutting its policy repo rate by 35 basis points.
- The World Archery (WA) has suspended the Archery Association of India (AAI) due to the internal factionalism (dispute and disagreements within the body).
- The annual National Film Awards 2019 were announced by by jury heads Rahul Rawail, AS Kanal and Utpal Bhorpujari. It was the 66th Edition.
1. International News
- The US policy has been that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and it is up to the two countries to decide on the pace and scope of the talks on the issue.
- The UNSC President’s refusal to comment on the letter follows the recent meeting of Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement on the country’s Parliament that his government will take the matter to the world body.
- The reference to the Shimla Agreement in this context is rare and significant, according to people familiar with these discussions, as it provides the framework for resolving the dispute bilaterally, which is a rebuff in a way to Pakistan’s attempts to seek UN intervention.
- The push to use more of the world’s land to produce crops and lumber is contributing to climate change by eliminating natural wetlands and reducing forests that capture greenhouse gases.
- Bahrain said the July 31 meeting was to discuss the “current regional situation” and blasted “the repeated attacks and unacceptable practices of Iran and the terrorist groups linked to it”.
- Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy’s League party, has called for a snap election, saying differences with coalition partners cannot be mended.
- Chinese authorities have declared a red alert as a powerful typhoon head towards the eastern coast. Typhoon Lekima is currently battering Taiwan with winds of more than 190km/h (120mph) and is due to make landfall in China’s Zhejiang province
- U.S. immigration authorities arrested nearly 700 people at seven agricultural processing plants across the state in what federal officials said could be the largest worksite enforcement operation in a single state.
- A Sukhoi-30 (Su-30MKI) fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Tezpur on August 8. Both pilots have ejected safely.
- Despite shelling from across the border, they say they will not leave Having been in the line of fire over the years, villagers along the International Border (IB) between India and Pakistan in Jammu’s R.S. Pora said on Thursday that they finally had something to look forward to.
- Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan government’s efforts to internationalize the revoking of Articles 370 and 35-A by India were dampened yet again with the Taliban advocating restraint to both India and Pakistan and completely rejecting any linkage between Afghanistan and Kashmir.
- Pakistan’s railway's minister Sheikh Rasheed told reporters that Thar Express train the weekly service running between the towns of Khokrapar in Pakistan and Monabao in India.
- Early this week, the Centre revoked special status to Jammu and Kashmir accorded under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
- Indian Navy has asked the government to immediately fit fishing boats under 20-meters of height with the “Friend or Foe” tracking system that will allow quick and convenient identification of boats
- The promotional video, tweeted by the BJP, shows Modi, 68, driving into the Jim Corbett National Park in northern India guided by Man vs Wild host Bear Grylls
- The Kashmir valley has been under lockdown since midnight, a day before the government moved to divide the state into two Union Territories and also scrapped Articles that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
- Azam Khan was then pursuing Master of Laws and was also the secretary of the Aligarh Muslim University Student Union at the time when the action was taken against him.
- The Uttar Pradesh government has issued a directive for setting up of two residential schools for children belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the state’s Sonbhadra district.
- ESIC UDC and Steno Phase 1 Result: The Employees State Insurance Corporation(ESIC) has declared the result of preliminary exam for the Post of UDC and Steno.
- Micosoft locked Kanishka and Aman Kumar for annual salary package of Rs 43.30 lakh each, setting a record of sorts in offering highest salary package till date in NIT- Jamshedpur, officials said.
- Rajasthan BSTC Counselling Result 2019 declared: Rajasthan BSTC first round Counselling Result 2019 was declared, August 9. After a number of delays, the result has finally been declared on bstc2019.org.
- A total of 7,180 students did not take admission in the third round of the First Year Junior College (FYJC) admissions through the online centralised admission process (CAP).
- The Reserve Bank of India will cut interest rates again at its October meeting, making it the fifth in a row, according to economists in a Reuters poll, who said the central bank’s decision to ease by 35 basis points was right.
- Dewan Housing Finance (DHFL) has said that it may fail to meet its payment obligations in the near future, amid ongoing discussions with lenders regarding its resolution plan.
- The center recently removed special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and has carved out two Union Territories (UTs).
- RBI lowered its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year and said inflation would not breach its medium-term target of 4 % in near-term.
- In the Budget last month, Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to hike taxes on those earning more than Rs. 2 crore annually, a step that rattled many FPIs.
- Boxers MC Mary Kom, a six-time world champion, and Lovlina Borgohain, World and Asian bronze-medallist, are selected for the upcoming Women’s World Boxing Championships 2019 which are scheduled to be held from October 3- 13, 2019 in Russia.
- Former President Pranab Mukherjee, Assamese singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika and social activist Nanaji Deshmukh will be awarded the country’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, by President Ram Nath Kovind.
- The book titled ‘Oru Manidhan Oru Iyakkam Kalaignar Mu. Karunanidhi’ in Tamil language which depicts the life and work of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Dravidian Progressive Conference) (DMK) leader Late M Karunanidhi.
1. International News
- Security forces in the central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan have stormed the home of former President Almazbek Atambayev in an attempt to detain him.
- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blamed U.S. sanctions as he ordered his government’s representatives not to travel to Barbados for scheduled talks with the political opposition.
- U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has announced to remove travel restrictions placed on Pakistani diplomats based in America over a year ago, a media report said.
- The UN and its leadership is in contact with India and Pakistan at “various levels”, with Secretary General Antonio Guterres reiterating his appeal to all parties involved to exercise maximum restraint amidst tensions over Kashmir, the UN chief’s spokesperson has said.
- Maryam Nawaz was arrested from Lahore, spokesperson for Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N) party said
- The report said climate change already has worsened land degradation, caused deserts to grow, permafrost to thaw and made forests more vulnerable to drought, fire, pests and disease, Climate change has also added to other forces that have reduced the number of species on Earth.
- Ever since Boris Johnson came into office, his government has been shifting cash around, reassigning civil servants and launching one of the biggest peacetime public information campaigns.
- Officials in the Home Ministry fished out original copies of the “Instrument of the Accession” signed with 562 princely states during the time of Independence to make a legal basis for the amendment to Article 370 taking away the special status of Jammu & Kashmir.
- Radhanagari and Koyna dams in western Maharashtra has led to floods in Sangli and Kolhapur with at least 139 villages marooned over the last 48 hours, a district administration official said.
- The Supreme Court refused to accord an urgent hearing to a plea challenging the Presidential Order on Article 370 which revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
- Rajnath Singh reiterated former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remark to state that no country can change its neighboring nation.
- The late-night violations followed Islamabad’s decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with New Delhi in protest of abrogation of Article 370 that provided Jammu and Kashmir special status
- IPCC’s Climate Change and Land report’s summary for policymakers released in Geneva on Thursday revealed that since the pre-industrial period, the land surface air temperature has risen nearly twice as much as the global average temperature.
- SAIL said in a statement that Anil Kumar Chaudhary’s car was intentionally hit by another vehicle as soon as he crossed Hauz Khas.
- The Railway Recruitment Board is expected to soon declare the results of first stage computer based test (CBT) of Junior engineer (JE) recruitment exam (CEN 03/2018).
- Rajasthan Pre DElEd (formerly known as BSTC) Counselling Results 2019 will be declared on Thursday, August 8, 2019.
- The Odisha Board of Secondary Education (BSE) has declared the class 10 or High School Certificate supplementary examination results.
- The hand-held device, with bio-compatible sensor, can also diagnose time-critical illnesses such as meningitis, Parameswar K Iyer, one of the lead researchers, said.
- Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) has released the admit card for Haryana Civil Service and Other Allied Service Main Exam 2019 on its official website at hpsc.gov.in.HPSC will conduct the exam from August 16 onwards.
- Rajasthan Pre DElEd (formerly known as BSTC) Counselling Results 2019 will be declared on Thursday, August 8, 2019. The BSTC Rajasthan first round counselling results will be announced late in the evening today.
- The move is expected to benefit the small kirana stores which have become well-versed with the digital payment system and have been receiving money directly into their bank accounts.
- Former President Pranab Mukherjee will be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, The 83-year-old, who served as India’s President from 2012-2017, has a political career spanning about five decades.
- Puerto Rico’s Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez has been sworn in as the US territory’s new governor, hours after her predecessor was forced to stand down by the Supreme Court.
1. International News
- The cull has been so extensive that one senior industry source told Reuters that initial estimates suggest that automakers, parts manufacturers and dealers have laid off about 350,000 workers since April.
- North Korea has taken escalating steps in recent weeks to show its frustration with the U.S.’s refusal to meet its demands in nuclear talks.
- The US has banned Huawei, the world leader in telecom equipment and the number two smartphone producer, over concerns of security, and Washington has been putting pressure on other countries to restrict the operations of the Chinese telecom firm.
- A demonstration was held outside the Indian high commission organized by groups including the South Asia Solidarity Group to protest against the moves initiated by home minister Amit Shah. Other UK-based groups hailed or criticized the changes.
- Trump administrator’s move to brand China a ‘currency manipulator’ comes in the backdrop of trade wars between the two countries. The two sides have recently moved closer to restarting stalled negotiations
- Britain’s Rolls Royce said it was prepared to cope with the fallout from a disorderly Brexit after the aero-engine maker spent around 100 million pounds to increase inventory among other preparations, its chief executive said.
- President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping sanctions on the Venezuelan government, freezing its assets in the US and barring transactions with it.
- The moves come after Dolphin Drilling, the Norwegian parent of Harland and Wolff which filed for bankruptcy in June, failed to find a buyer for the giant of Northern Ireland’s industrial past.
- The formation of the Union Territory of Ladakh under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019, is an internal affair of India, and India expects other countries to avoid commenting on its internal developments, an official of the Ministry of External Affairs said.
- The Centre’s decisions setting new terms of engagement with Jammu and Kashmir — by reorganizing it as Union Territories, ending its special status under Article 370 and 35 (A) and extending to it all the provisions of the Constitution.
- Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha questioned the Centre’s right to alter the status quo in Jammu and Kashmir without consulting stakeholders.
- Parliament has revoked Article 370, ending the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and passed a bill bifurcating it into two Union territories — J&K and Ladakh, a move piloted by Union home minister Amit Shah.
- On 19 occasions, the House sat beyond the scheduled hours to legislate during this session. And, there was a loss of just nine hours and 12 minutes to disruption - one of the lowest in many years.
- The nun said she has issued four show-cause notices and that she replied to all and appeared before the superior general in person. She added she will remain a nun till her last.
- Union Public Service Commission will release its notification and begin its application process for National Defence Academy (NDA) and Naval Academy (NA) II, 2019 today, on August 7, 2019. The last date to apply is September 3, 2019.
- The Student Academic Management System (SAMS) has published the SAMS Odisha Degree Merit list 2019 for +3 Admissions on its official website. The merit list 2019, released, is for second selection.
- SBI’s one-year marginal cost of fund-based lending rate, or the MCLR, will come down to 8.25% per annum from 8.40% earlier with effect from Aug. 10, SBI said in a statement.
- Currently, the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) operated by the RBI as a retail payment system is available for customers from 8 am to 7 pm on all working days with the exception of second and fourth Saturdays of a month.
- Further, market is jittery tracking weakness in other Asian equities amid escalation in trade tensions between the US and China and unabated foreign fund outflow, experts said.
- Among things that will shape the decision of the monetary policy committee (MPC), the rate setting body, will be the economic slowdown, low inflation and geopolitical tensions.
- India’s biggest lenders and automakers have all sounded warning bells over the slower growth in demand and consumption.
- India vs West Indies 3rd T20I at Providence Stadium, Guyana Highlights: Rishabh Pant remained unbeaten on 65 while Virat Kohli hit a fifty as the two batsmen effectively helped India complete a successful 147-run chase.
- Naaz Joshi, transsexual woman from India won the beauty pageant title of Miss World Diversity 2019 held in Port Louis, Mauritius.
- The Indian state-owned electric utilities company, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. has appointed Kandikuppa Sreekant as its chairman and managing director(MD) till December 31, 2023, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
- Swaraj died late on Tuesday and doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi said she suffered a cardiac attack. She was 67.
1. International News
- British Airways said that an “incident” on flight BA422 which departed London’s Heathrow at 3.10 p.m. and landed in Valencia.
- U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement that Washington will engage with the International Monetary Fund to eliminate unfair competition from Beijing.
- The moves come after Dolphin Drilling, the Norwegian parent of Harland and Wolff which filed for bankruptcy in June, failed to find a buyer for the giant of Northern Ireland’s industrial past.
- The murder has horrified Russia’s LGBT community, even though there seems to be no firm evidence linking Pila directly to Grigoryeva’s fatal stabbing.
- The move comes as part of a previously announced 10b5-1 trading plan. Bezos had previously said he plans to sell stock worth about $1 billion each year to fund his rocket company, Blue Origin.
- Rio’s state secretary of prison administration released photos showing da Silva in a silicon girl’s mask and long dark-haired wig, wearing tight jeans and a pink shirt with a cartoon image of donuts.
- US state department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement, “We are closely following the events in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. We take note of India’s announcement revising the constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir and India’s plan to split the state into two union territories.”
- Hong Kong buckled under the strike urged by protesters who wanted to emphasize they still had broad public support. In a rare public appearance since the crisis began, chief executive Carrie Lam warned protesters she would not cave to their demands.
- France has long been proud of its culture and language, and has constantly sought to defend it against the encroachment of the English language and the habits of the United States, France’s culture minister has urged people to cut down on their increasing use of English.
- The EU has said there is no basis for any further Brexit talks while the UK continues to insist on making changes to Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement.
- U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a freeze on all Venezuelan government assets in the United States on August 5, sharply escalating a diplomatic and sanctions drive aimed at removing socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.
- The mayor of Hiroshima urged Japan to sign a landmark UN treaty banning nuclear weapons as the city, on August 6, marked 74 years since being targeted in the world’s first atomic attack.
- The Texas border city jolted by a weekend massacre at a Walmart absorbed still more grief on August 5 as the death toll climbed to 22 and fear lingered in El Paso, where the shooting rampage claimed more lives than the number of murders here just two years ago.
- District collector Vijay Amrita Kulange got out of his official vehicle in Bharasa village of Khallikote block, rolled up his trousers and waded into the muddy field as they were busy transplanting paddy saplings.
- The Speaker of the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament, Asad Qaiser, adjourned the session for 20 minutes after the opposition objected to the resolution, saying it did not mention Article 370 of India’s Constitution that accorded special status to the state.
- Congress leaders came out in support of scrapping Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, a stand contrary to the party line.
- The two officials handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi were clued into many of the secret discussions that had preceded the decision to end the special status for Jammu and Kashmir.
- A meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the party’s highest decision-making body, has been called to firm up its stand on the abrogation of Article 370.
- While passengers at the airport and Delhi Metro stations were being frisked multiple times, police’s anti-sabotage teams and dog squads were scanning crowded places for any possible threats, officials said.
- The Lok Sabha is debating the resolution and the bill a day after the Rajya Sabha passed both on the day they were introduced by the Home Minister.
- Even though Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has directed the officials concerned to ensure the security of Kashmiri residents in the state, students are still worried as all means of communication has been snapped in the Valley.
- The Supreme Court on August 2 had ordered a hearing on a day-to-day basis after an attempt for an out-of-court settlement on the issue failed.
- A Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi will commence hearing on Ayodhya appeals from August 6 on a day-to-day basis.
- Home Minister had been determined to change the status quo in the State, but U.S. President’s statement added a certain urgency to the matter.
- After a high voltage campaign between the traditional rivals, ruling AIADMK and the principal opposition DMK, as well as the Tamil nationalist party, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), Vellore Lok Sabha constituency recorded 62.94% polling.
- A day after the Union Government scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and moved a bill to bifurcate the state into two union territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh- home minister Amit Shah will move the resolution in Lok Sabha.
- Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Researchers have developed a low-cost, hand-held device to detect bacteria.
- NSD, one of the most sought-after theatre schools in India, awarded 237 diplomas after completion of a 3-year course between 2010 and 2019.
- National Investigation Agency, New Delhi has invited applications for the recruitment of inspector and sub- inspector. If you are interested in working with NIA, apply soon before August 18, 2019.
- Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) has released the final answer key of its engineering services exam 2019. Candidates can download the answer key from its official website mpsc.gov.in.
- The Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) has declared the result of +2 supplementary exam results on the official website orissaresult.nic.in.
- In a bid to punish a nine-year-old for complaining against his teacher, a school in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district has certified the child “characterless” in his Transfer Certificate.
- The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has issued instructions to all the government schools, up to Class 8, to include the produce from the kitchen gardens in the midday meal.
- India Post has invited online application for the recruitment of 10,066 vacancies of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) in the post circles of Bihar, Assam, Punjab, Gujarat, Kerala and Karnataka.
- Kota University has declared the BA first year results 2019 on its official website at uok.ac.in. Currently the website is not working but candidates will be able to check their results soon.
- Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) has declared the results of Class 10th supplementary exam that was conducted in the month of July.
- Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) has declared the results of Class 12th supplementary exam that was conducted in the month of July.
- Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) has released the date sheet for its combined state upper subordinate services main exam 2018. Check full date sheet here.
- Hans Raj College is offering B Com (Hons) at a cut-off of 97.25 per cent, while the course is available at a cut-off of 97.50 per cent in Hindu College and 95.25 per cent in Gargi College.
- University of Hyderabad (UoH) released an order which prohibiting all protests and agitations in the varsity campus.
- The LU Associated College Teachers Association (LUACTA) had opposed the earlier order. Thereafter, the institution had revisited its decision and modified it.
- Online application process has been started for Andhra Pradesh State Eligibility Test (APSET) 2019, from August 5, 2019. The last date to apply is September 11, 2019. Here’s the direct link to apply online
- The department had kept China on a “monitoring list” of countries subject to close scrutiny due to their currency practices,formally named China a currency manipulator.
- Twenty-one members of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index lost $1 billion or more as investors reacted to stepped-up tensions between the U.S. and China.
- As per the latest report “Top 100 Retailers in Asia 2019” by market research firm, Euromonitor International, Walmart Inc which acquired Flipkart in 2018($16 Bn deal) has topped the rankings in India for 2018 with Gross Merchandise Volume(GMV) of $14. 49 Bn. Amazon(US)
- In the previous session on Monday, both benchmark indices saw an intense volatility throughout the session due to multiple headwinds like escalation in US-China trade war, weak corporate earnings, rupee downfall and political tensions in Jammu and Kashmir.
- Indian Bank posted a 74.55 per cent jump in its net profits for the April-June quarter. According to a top official, it recorded a net profit of Rs 365.37 crore.
- England, set a daunting 398 for victory, lost four wickets for 12 runs either side of lunch on the last day as they collapsed to 97-7.
- The Toyota Thailand Open (Badminton) 2019 was held at Indoor Stadium Huamark in Bangkok, Thailand from July 30 to August 4, 2019.
- Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton overtook red bull’s Max Verstappen in the final moments of the Formula 1 Hungarian grand prix to win the title. He outpaced max verstappen to the second spot.
- 24 year old Vinesh Phogat won her 3rd consecutive gold in women’s 53kg category in the Poland Open Wrestling Tournament in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. She defeated wrestler Roksana of Poland by 3-2.
- An American actor, producer, and a professional wrestler, Dwayne Johnson(47), popularly known by his ring name “The Rock” has officially announced his retirement from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
- Cricketing board for Kiwi players announced that Jersey no. 11 of New Zealand all-rounderDaniel Vettori has been retired.
- India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been rewarded for his brief but excellent stint in County Championship after being chosen as the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Player of the month for July.
- An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of 1986 batch, Guruprasad Mohapatra, assumed charge as the secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
- Veteran Gujarati journalist, author and columnist Kanti Bhatt, aged 88, passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra after a long illness.
1. International News
- Allen is more than 600 miles (965 kilometers) from where Saturday’s rampage occurred. The FBI says the suspect didn’t have any contacts in El Paso.
- Khan’s remarks came against the backdrop of tensions along the Line of Control (LoC), with Indian officials accusing Pakistani troops of involvement in a string of attacks aimed at aiding the cross-border infiltration of terrorists.
- Republicans’ ties to the gun lobby, specifically the NRA, have foiled every effort to legislate even the smallest of changes.
- Dayton mayor Nan Whaley told a press conference that the unnamed gunman was wearing body armor and used an “AK-like gun assault rifle” with “high capacity magazines” when he opened fire in the popular bar and nightlife district called Oregon.
- The vessel was intercepted near Iran’s Farsi Island in the Gulf, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said. The elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has a navy base on Farsi island which is located north of the Strait of Hormuz.
- If the post, titled “The inconvenient truth”, is verified to have been written by the alleged shooter Patrick Crusius the shooting will be investigated as a hate crime.
- During the 2016 referendum, Boris Johnson’s pro-Brexit campaign emblazoned a slogan on the side of its battle bus that pledged extra cash for the NHS if the country voted to leave the EU.
- Union Territories are asked to keep security forces on “maximum alert” following decisions related to Jammu and Kashmir, also told the state governments that “special care” should be taken of Jammu and Kashmir residents and students residing in their state.
- Meeting a long-held promise of the BJP, Union Home Minister Amit Shah moved a resolution in the Rajya Sabha that Article 370, which allowed Jammu and Kashmir to have its own Constitution, will no longer be applicable.
- Amid the ongoing ruckus in the Rajya Sabha, chairman Venkaiah Naidu called for the Marshalls to escort the two MPs out of the House.
- Union home minister Amit Shah moved the resolution in Parliament to revoke Article 370 and bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two centrally-administered union territories, a proposal protested by opposition parties.
- Prakash Javadekar said he expects 102 cities to deliver on the target of reducing particulate matter (PM) emissions by 20 to 30% without any legally binding clauses.
- The National Conference leader, who recently met the PM to discuss the issue added that the move was unilateral, illegal and unconstitutional and will be challenged by the National Conference.
- Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) has invited applications for the recruitment of Assistant Agriculture Officer (AAO) Posts. In an official notification issued by UKSSSC, it has been notified that 280 vacancies are on offer.
- Biomedical Engineering (BM) in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is introduced from the year 2020. This is expected to unify undergraduate syllabus of Biomedical Engineering among several universities, and to help to stimulate the growth of BME research and product development in India.
- Bombay High Court has invited application for the recruitment of clerk and peon in Nagpur. There are a total of 204 vacancies including 128 posts for clerk 76 posts of peon. The application process commenced on August 3 and will end on August 17.
- One of the most important exams of UPSC, the civil services prelims exam will be held on May 31, 2019, for which the notification will be released on February 12 and the last date to apply is March 3, 2019. See full calendar here.
- Chhattishgarh Professional Examination Board (CGPEB) also known as Vyapam has released the admit card for Lok Shikshan Sanchanalaya Recruitment examination for Assistant Teacher for Arts and Science group and English medium teacher.
- Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has declared the result of Indian Engineering Services main exam on its official website upsc.gov.in. Here’s a list of candidates who are qualified for the interview/ personality test.
- In the Sensex pack, Yes Bank, Tata Motors, Vedanta, SBI, Tata Steel, Power Grid, ICICI Bank, ONGC, Reliance and Maruti, were among the major losers, falling up to 8.49 per cent.
- Ten out of these – Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, Hindustan Unilever, Infosys, Maruti Suzuki, Reliance Industries, TCS, Tata Motors, Vedanta and Yes Bank reported a decline in revenue growth.
- The government moved a bill proposing bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories Jammu and Kashmir division and Ladakh.
- >Krunal Pandya’s all-round exploits and Rohit Sharma’s characteristically sublime half-century powered India to a series-clinching 22-run win over West Indies in the rain-affected second T20 International here on.
- Former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev was conferred with Bharat Gaurav Award 2019 on the 99th foundation day of East Bengal Club, the Kolkata soccer giants, at the award ceremony held at Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata, West Bengal.
- John Flint’s tenure running HSBC Holdings Plc has come to an abrupt end, with the bank announcing early on Monday in Asia that the chief executive officer was stepping down.
- D.A. Pennebaker, the Oscar-winning documentary maker of America, passed away at Long Island, New York, the US due to natural causes.
1. International News
- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) formed its government in Islamabad. Opposition parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had alleged that the 2018 general elections had been rigged in favour of Imran Khan’s PTI. But nothing stopped Mr. Khan becoming the Prime Minister.
- China is bracing for a long trade war with the U.S. which could last at least 15 years, in tune with Beijing’s push to emerge as the world’s leading economy by 2035.
- Twenty people have been killed and 26 injured in a mass shooting in the Texas city of El Paso. Governor Greg Abbott described it as “one of the most deadly days in the history of Texas”
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled 1.8 billion pounds ($2.2 billion) in additional funding for the National Health Service, delivering on a pledge made during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign.
- In the 15th India-US Defence Policy Group meeting, 2019 on defence issues held in Washington, United States, officials of both countries agreed to follow a policy environment conducive to cooperation between the Defence industry and start-ups in both countries.
- Responding to comments by business leaders of an economic slowdown, outgoing Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Centre can “only destroy” what had been built over decades.
- The CBI is carrying out searches at multiple locations in connection with the Unnao rape victim’s accident case, officials said.
- The Indian Army had asked the Pakistan Army to take back the bodies of their Border Action Team (BAT) squad lying in Indian territory, Army sources said.
- Parliament passed Code on Wages Bill, 2019 which replaces the 4 laws- the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.
- Parliament passed the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which amends the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008.
- Amid strong protests by the medical fraternity, the Rajya Sabha passed the controversial National Medical Commission (NMC) bill 2019 which is proposed to bring one of the biggest reforms in medical education.
- Parliament passed the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2019 which repeals 58 obsolete and irrelevant laws.
- Lok Sabha passed the Jallianwala Bagh national memorial bill introduced by minister of culture, Prahlad Patel, by a voice vote.
- India’s first large scale trial for Two new TB vaccines, was launched by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
- The infrastructure project status worth $10billion was granted to Maharashtra by India, to establish the world’s first ultra-fast Hyperloop project.
- In order to tackle air pollution, the Indian Army has launched an environmental friendly initiative with deploying a batch of 10 electric cars (E-cars) in New Delhi to be used of its Army personnel.
- A research has found that a majority of the Indus Valley inscriptions were written logographically i.e by using word signs and not by using phonograms i.e speech sounds units.
- Gujarat Chief Minister(CM) Vijay Rupani has launched a flagship financial assistance scheme called ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’ in Rajkot, Gujarat for the welfare of girl child in the state.
- Corporation Bank registered a net profit of ₹103.27 crore in the first quarter of 2019-20 as against a profit of ₹84.96 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, recording a growth of 21.55 per cent.
- Penalty of Rs.1.5 crore was fined on Bank of India over “non-compliance with RBI’s (Reserve Bank of India) direction on frauds” in Rotomac group companies.
- India’s largest lender, State Bank of India’s(SBI) Shanghai branch has become the first Indian Bank to be connected to China’s National Advance Payment System (CNAPS).
- The National Housing Bank (NHB) infused an additional Rs 10,000 crore in Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) for Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) as additional liquidity for individual housing loans for affordable housing.
- Director General Ms. Surina Rajan announced that a Testing centre for Pashmina, a famous wool variety in the Jammu and Kashmir region, will be set up by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in partnership with the lab of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Jammu and Kashmir.
- Playing their first match after 2019 World Cup, India defeated West Indies by four wickets in the first T20I of the three-match series on Saturda.
- M S Velpari replaces Sunil Kumar as the director (operations) at the Bengaluru based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
- Siddhartha Mohanty(Odisha) has assumed charge as MD(Managing Director) & CEO(Chief Executive Officer) of LIC Housing Finance (Life Insurance Corporation HFL) one of the largest housing finance companies in India. He replaces Shri Vinay Shah.
- Situ Mallick, aged 16, passed away in a road accident near Jarimula under Rajnagar area of Kendrapara district, Odisha.
1. International News
- Sudan has been in a state of political turmoil since the army ousted veteran leader Omar al-Bashir in April, with dozens of demonstrators killed during street protests.
- As a result of their ongoing trade war, China is no longer the top trading partner of the United States and has been replaced by America’s neighbours Mexico and Canada, according to a media report.
- Sources in the Bureau of Immigration said tugboat Virgo 9 will be handing over Mr. Adeeb at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) to Maldivian authorities.
- US officials said they are no longer hamstrung and could now develop weapons systems previously banned under the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty with Russia, a Cold War-era agreement that both sides repeatedly accused the other of violating.
- To mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev , the Sikhism founder, a Nagar Kirtan , a Sikh religious procession was taken out for 1st time after Independence from Nankana Sahib district(birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev) of Pakistan’s Punjab province to Attari village in Amritsar,Punjab Indian side through the Attari-Wagah land route .
- LS passes change removing Congress president as permanent member of Trust managing monument.
- J&K parties warned the Centre against any dilution in the constitutional status of J&K, and sought the government’s clarification on the current “hysteria” in Parliament.
- The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019 that empowers the Union Home Ministry to designate individuals as terrorists was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Friday with Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supporting the legislation.
- The decision not to enumerate OBCs flies in the face of expectations that Census 2021 will collect data on people who fall under the category to assess the effectiveness of affirmative action programmes and welfare schemes they have been entitled to for years.
- SBI reporting a profit in the latest June quarter against a substantial loss last year, along with a marginal dip in bad loans and lower provisioning, may enthuse investors.
- India’s central banking institution, RBI(Reserve Bank of India) has allowed Bank of China (BoC) to provide regular bank services in India. BoC will be included in the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
- India’s central bank, RBI’s (Reserve Bank of India) Money Museum, which was opened on March 11, 2019, aims at improving people’s knowledge of the banking system with the help of interactive displays at Council House Street in Central Kolkata, West Bengal has been drawing a lot of attention for its special initiative.
- According to the CRISIL (formerly Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited), a global analytical company providing ratings, research and policy advisory services report titled “CRISIL’s India Outlook 2019: Uphill trek”, India’s GDP (gross domestic product) growth expected to grow by 6.9% in 2019 (FY-Fiscal Year 2020).
- Blink and you miss it. In the past few weeks, the cutting-edge of Formula One technology, coupled with old-fashioned muscle and hand-eye co-ordination, has witnessed record-breaking pit stops.
- A 23-year-old Indian-origin doctor has been crowned Miss England after fending off competition from dozens of other models, the media reported.
- Atish Dabholkar, a theoretical physicist from India, has been appointed as the new director of Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy.
- Karpuri Devi, the famous Shilpi of Madhubani Paintings died. Karpuri Devi has been running ill for some time and she was undergoing treatment in a private hospital.
1. International News
- The Liberal Democrats have won the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, leaving new PM Boris Johnson with a Commons working majority of just one.
- The US is set to formally withdraw from a nuclear treaty with Russia, raising fears of a new arms race.
- US President Donald Trump said he plans to impose a 10 per cent tariff on $300 billion of Chinese imports from September 1 and could raise tariffs further if China’s President Xi Jinping fails to move more quickly to strike a trade deal.
- Several small explosions were heard in Bangkok in at least three locations and police said that two street cleaners had been hurt by what appeared to be a homemade bomb.
- Background: The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is based on the recommendations of the Group of Transport Ministers (GoM) headed by Shri.
- The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) Amendment Bill, 2019, which enables the government to designate individuals as terrorists, was tabled in the Rajya Sabha.
- The Lok Sabha unanimously passed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which seeks death penalty for aggravated sexual assault on children.
- The Rajya Sabha cleared the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill with a crucial amendment brought in by the government to increase representation of States in the new body, as demanded by the Opposition.
- Summer vacations have been been preponed at educational institutions and they will be closed for 10 days starting.
- The Parliament passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) (Amendment) Bill, 2019. It provides a 330-day timeline for insolvency resolution process and specifies minimum payouts to operational creditors in any resolution plan.
- The Union Minister for Human Resource Development (MHRD) Mr Ramesh pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, inaugurated the Indian Airforce Facilitation-cum-Publicity Pavilion in National Bal Bhawan, New Delhi to motivate students to join Indian Air Force.
- A two-year UK-India joint initiative, the “Innovation for Clean Air” (IfCA) was launched by the British Deputy High Commissioner DominicMcAllister in Bengaluru to test interventions related to equality and supportIndia’s transition to EV (electric vehicles) integration.
- According to the Water Stress Index 2019, formulated by London-based risk analytics firm Verisk Maplecroft, India is the 46th highest risk country in the world.
- Amendments will help IBC to be vibrant and more effective, says Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
- Bank of India (BoI), said the Reserve Bank of India has asked it to pay a penalty of ₹1.5 crore on account of ‘non-compliance with RBI’s direction on frauds’ in Rotomac Group companies.
- India’s central banking institution, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has opened a new route to allow domestic banks directly sell their non-performing assets (NPA) in manufacturing and infrastructure sectors to investors abroad as part of the one-time settlement (OTS)
- The postal department has decided to convert the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) into a small finance bank (SFB) with the aim to provide micro-credit at the doorsteps to individuals and SME’s (Small and medium-sized enterprises).
- Steve Smith marked his first Test since completing a 12-month ban for his role in a ball-tampering scandal with a superb century to rescue Australia on the opening day of the Ashes series.
- Manav Thakkar proved a game-changer before Sutirtha Mukherjee took U Mumba past RP-SG Mavericks, Kolkata to a 9-6 triumph.
- Ravish Kumar has been named for the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for “harnessing journalism to give voice to the voiceless” and his “unfaltering commitment to a professional, ethical journalism of the highest standards”.
- Raamdeo Agrawal, the Co-Founder of Motilal Oswal Financial Services (MOFSL), has been appointed as the non-executive Chairman of the firm.
- RN Ravi (A 1976-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Kerala cadre,), a former Intelligence Bureau(IB) officer was sworn in as the 20th governor of Nagaland.
- Ravi Capoor (an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of 1986 batch) took charge as secretary in the Ministry of Textiles in New Delhi. He succeeds Raghvendra Singh.
- Guruprasad Mohapatra (an IAS Officer of 1986 batch) assumed charge of the office of Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in New Delhi. He replaces Ramesh Abhishek.
- The US senate has confirmed President Trump’s nominee Kelly Knight Craft as the next ambassador to the United Nations.
1. International News
- Britain, Germany and France have asked the United Nations Security Council to meet behind closed doors on August 1 on North Korea’s latest missile launches, diplomats said.
- Under the sanctions, all property and interests in property of Zarif that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked.
- Former Vice-President Joe Biden has come under attack from other Democratic 2020 candidates in a televised debate.
- The United States had repeatedly pressed visiting Prime Minister Imran Khan and his delegation, which included the powerful army chief and the ISI boss,
- In the QS Best Student Cities Ranking 2019 compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a global education consultancy, London, the capital of United Kingdom (UK), was named as the world’s best city for students for the second consecutive year.
- A Delhi court extended till August 9 the interim protection from arrest to former Union Minister P. Chidambaram and his son Karti in Aircel-Maxis cases filed by the CBI and the ED.
- Three-judge Bench, however, refrains from staying the 103rd Constitutional Amendment of 2019 providing 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the “economically backward” in the unreserved category.
- The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which seeks to amends the Companies Act, 2013 has been passed by the Parliament with the approval of Rajya Sabha. The bill was already passed by the Lok Sabha.
- Parliament passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019. It was passed with 99 votes in favor and 84 opposed against it.
- Union Culture & Tourism Minister Prahalad Singh Patel ordered the setting up a panel to review the list of 17 Iconic Tourist Sites. The Union Government has plans to develop the Iconic Tourist Sites.
- Government has sanctioned Rs.52.39 crores for the project development of Vaishali, Arrah, Masad, Patna, Rajgir, Pawapuri, Champapuri in Bihar under the Tirthankar Circuit theme of Swadesh Darshan Scheme in the year 2016-17.
- Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) in New Delhi.
- In order to improve the availability of funds for traders and to reduce compliance burden, the “National Traders Welfare Board” is to be set up by the commerce and industry ministry as told by the Prime Minister while addressing the traders during his election campaign in April 2019.
- As a beneficial way to raise cheaper Offshore funds by the Corporates and the Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed the norms of funds raised through External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) for the second time this year.
- Indian public limited housing finance company PNB(Punjab National Bank) Housing Finance Ltd has raised $100 million (around Rs 690 crore) from International Finance Corporation (IFC, member of the World Bank Group) for the purpose of lending to buyers in housing projects.
- Annual Report 2018-19 of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) which is under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow increased during the last 6 years from $36.05 billion in 2013-14 to $64.37 billion in 2018-19
- Union Bank of India has reduced Marginal Cost of Funds-based Lending rate (MCLR) up to 20 basis points across various tenors, with effect.
- 29-year-old Dalilah Muhammad set World Record in the women’s 400m hurdles at 2019 USA Track & Field (USATF) Outdoor Championships after 16 years, set by Russia’s Yuliya Pechonkina in 2003.
- All-rounder Ellyse Perry of Australia became the first cricketer of either gender to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in the T20 format.
- The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) led by Kapil Dev, former Indian cricket team captain, will select the next coach for men’s cricket team of India.
- ICC’s (International Cricket Council) general manager of cricket Geoff Allardice stated that Anil Kumble(Former Indian cricketer)-led ICC Cricket Committee will discuss the issues concerning 2019 World Cup final
- Bollywood’s Advocate Dinesh Tiwari was conferred with ‘The Society Global Indian Icon Award 2019′, for his excellence in the field of law at an event hosted in London by the Society Magazine.
- Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Tarun Chaudhri created history by becoming the first pilot to perform a wingsuit skydive jump.
- According to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet(ACC), Government of India, Rajiv Kumar (a 1984 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre) has appointed as the new Finance Secretary.
- The Director-General (DG) of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) S.S Deswal was given the additional charge to act as the Director-General of the counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG).
- Ambassador of India to the Republic of Argentina Shri Dinesh Bhatia has been concurrently accredited as the next ambassador of India to the Republic of Paraguay.
- The Congress has appointed former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki as the party’s state President and MLA Lombo Tayeng as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Arunachal Pradesh Assembly.