Introduction
The article Current Affairs One-Liners September 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 September.
Sep 2019
1. International News
- Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has warned that oil prices could rise to “unimaginably high numbers” if the world does not act to deter Iran.
- Yemeni rebels said they carried out a major assault on forces of a Saudi Arabian-led coalition near the two nations’ border, releasing footage they say shows hundreds of captured troops, including Saudi officers, and destroyed Saudi military vehicles.
- The Ukraine investigation produced what the Russian probe did not — formal House impeachment proceedings based on the President’s own words and actions.
- Former Army commander of Sri Lanka Mahesh Senanayake announced that he would contest the November 16 Presidential election, pledging legal reform and a “new political” culture for the country.
- Former Army commander of Sri Lanka Mahesh Senanayake announced that he would contest the November 16 Presidential election, pledging legal reform and a “new political” culture for the country.
- The 80-minute procession past Tiananmen Square on Tuesday is expected to showcase a set of missiles that have prompted the US in recent months/years to try and put more firepower in East Asia.
- Saudi Arabia has suffered far worse damage to its reputation in the recent past. It’s less than two decades since the kingdom almost became an international pariah after al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, a Saudi national, claimed the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
- Several hundred prisoners, convicted of offenses other than murder, rape, and corruption, will be released from jails across India on October 2 to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, officials said.
- Russia is gearing up to intensify legislative cooperation with India in the coming months. As part of this process, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is likely to visit Moscow in November, a source said.
- BJP ally Prem Singh Tamang was convicted for graft and faced a six-year ban on contesting. Following the ECI order, he will now be eligible to contest polls.
- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed that in view of incessant rain, which has claimed 93 lives since, no government official will be granted leave.
- Gandhi said the Yogi Adityanath government in UP is “nervous” and imposed Section 144 of the CrPC whenever they get to know about a protest against them.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Chennai to attend the 56th annual convocation of Indian Institute of Technology (lIT) Madras.
- JEE Main 2020 application process, for exam which will be held in January, will close today. The JEE Main 2020 application process will conclude at 11:50 pm today.
- The now-suspended managing director of the crisis-hit Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC), Joy Thomas, has reportedly admitted to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that the bank’s actual exposure to the bankrupt Housing Development and Infrastructure (HDIL) is over Rs 6,500 crore.
- Reserve Bank of India is expected to cut it further by up to 25 basis points in the upcoming October 4 review to complement the recent corporate tax cuts announced by the government to reverse the slowdown in growth.
- The Indian 4x400m mixed relay team finished seventh in the final race of the World Championships with a season best effort in Doha.
- The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has honored the Telugu litterateur Dr. K Siva Reddy with the 28th Saraswati Samman 2018 for the creation of his famous poetry collection ‘Pakkaki Ottigilite’ (Turning aside while lying down) in 2016
- Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria took charge as the 26th chief of the Indian Air Force.
- AJK Mass Communication Research Centre at the Jamia Millia Islamia (New Delhi ), Farhat Basir Khan’s new book “Game of Votes: Visual Media Politics and Elections in the Digital Era”
- Veteran actor Viju Khote, best known for his roles in films such as Sholay and Andaz Apna Apna, died in Mumbai on Monday morning, reported news agency PTI. Viju Khote was 77.
1. International News
- U.S. Secretary of State ordered to turn over documents related to the President’s alleged efforts to enlist the Ukraine government’s help in his campaign for reelection.
- The Trump administration is investigating the email records of dozens of current and former senior State Department officials who sent messages to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email, reviving a politically toxic matter that overshadowed the 2016 election.
- Ukraine must investigate the activities of U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son to establish whether his role in a Ukrainian gas company complied with the country’s laws, Mykola Azarov, Ukraine’s former prime minister, said in an interview.
- Austrians vote in a snap parliamentary election that conservative leader Sebastian Kurz looks set to win, but he will still need a coalition partner to secure a majority and it remains unclear whom he will pick.
- Tight security ensured Afghanistan’s presidential election was held in relative calm, though several small attacks, low turnout and complaints about the voting system heightened fears an unclear result could drive the country into further chaos.
- Uyinene Mrwetyana was brutally raped and killed in the coastal city of Cape Town, where she was attending university.
- The bus was carrying 69 people its maximum capacity when it crossed into oncoming traffic and hit the freight truck on an expressway in eastern Jiangsu province, the Yixing public security bureau said.
- Andrew Howard, a managing editor of The State Press student newspaper, reported that Kurt D. Volker stepped down from his role as the State Department’s special envoy for Ukraine.
- Congressional committees carrying out the impeachment inquiry have ordered Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to turn over Ukraine-related documents and will conduct interviews starting next week with five State Department officials.
- Labour passed a resolution on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir during its recent annual conference, which was rejected by India’s official spokesman in New Delhi on the ground that its position was “uninformed and unfounded”.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not mentioned Pakistan even once in his speech, the first time for an India leader’s speech at the UNGA in eight years.
- The police have recorded at least 15 late night protests and eight daytime incidents of stone-pelting in the past 24 hours in Srinagar, indicating a sudden worsening of the law and order in the wake of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s speech at the United Nations.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted by the sights, sounds, and dresses of a “Mini India” as part of a grand welcome ceremony organized by the State unit of the JP here.
- In a strong rebuttal to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), India said Mr. Khan had engaged in “hate speech”.
- Back from his trip from the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation through ‘Mann Ki Baat’, his monthly radio broadcast.
- The Indian delegation at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Uganda said the tradition of military rule is prevalent in Pakistan and the country has been under such rule for 33 years
- It was alleged that Waghmare and the Tumsar city BJP chief Anil Jivkate had used abusive language against the lady PSI, Rajni Tumsare.
- A soldier of the Indian Army was also killed in the first major gun battle since the Centre’s August 5 move to divest the state of its special status and bifurcate it into two Union territories.
- Jaipur Police had busted a fake call centre racket and arrested 25 people from two gangs involved in duping people in the US, China and other countries of crores of rupees.
- Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has illuminated five monuments in the city —Red Fort, Purana Qila, Humayun’s tomb, Safdurjung Tomb and the Qutub complex.
- Student entrepreneurs should be allowed to sit for the examination, even if their attendance is less than the minimum permissible percentage, with due permission from the institute,” as per the new innovation and startup policy released by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD).
- Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched a common admission portal for IITs and IISc for international applicants interested in pursuing postgraduate studies
- The Panjab University’s Urdu Department has objected to its proposed merger with those of various foreign tongues, asserting that Urdu is not a foreign language but an Indian one like Hindi and Punjabi.
- The prompt corrective action is aimed at improving the performance and will not impact the normal day-to-day operations, says RBI.
- Christian Coleman, US sprinter, stamped his mark on world sprinting on Saturday with a dominant performance to sweep to the global 100 metres title and suggest the heir to retired Jamaican icon Usain Bolt has arrived.
- India named an unchanged squad for the 4th and 5th women’s T20 Internationals against South Africa to be played in Surat respectively.
- Dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace as the Indian men’s hockey team defeated world number eight Spain 6-1 in their second match of Tour of Belgium in Antwerp.
- IIM Bangalore’s two-year MBA Programme retains its number 1 position in India in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Masters in Management (MiM) Rankings 2020 released (September 26).
- An IIT Kharagpur professor has been named for Ethics in AI Research Award, which is part of Facebook’s initiative, for his project dealing with bias in Indian media.
- The board of directors of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL) approved the appointment of Vaijinath M. Gavarshetty as the Chief Executive Officer and key managerial personnel of the company with effect from October 1, 2019.
- Mumbai based Indian author Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi (42) is coming back with a new book entitled “Loss” which is a record on death and grief, drawing on a stock of personal losses of his parents and a beloved pet (Bruschetta). The book has been published by HarperCollins India.
1. International News
- Voting is underway in Afghanistan’s presidential election, amid heavy security and threats from insurgents.
- Russia urged the United States not to publish Donald Trump’s conversations with Vladimir Putin after a growing scandal led the White House to release a transcript from a call with Ukraine’s leader.
- Democrats charged aggressively into an impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump, ordering Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to turn over Ukraine-related documents and scheduling testimony for witnesses to alleged abuse of power by the US leader.
- A federal judge in California blocked a bid by the Trump administration that would have allowed for undocumented migrant children to be detained indefinitely.
- U.S. special representative on Ukraine Kurt Volker resigned after Congress ordered him to answer questions in an impeachment investigation on President Donald Trump, a source said.
- Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan raised the Kashmir issue in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly, and demanded that India lift the “inhuman curfew” in Kashmir and release all “political prisoners”.
- The judge determined that Elon Musk’s tweets violated the law when he implied that workers who unionized would have to give up company-paid stock options, reports TechCrunch.
- Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, who had earlier seen off the prime minister, returned back to the airport as the jet came back.
- Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, Harris County Sheriff’s deputy, was shot while conducting a traffic stop, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
- Anti-Pakistan protests have been going in New York for a few days now, designed the coincide with the UNGA meetings.
- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker inked the accord to coordinate infrastructure, transport and digital projects.
- U.S. President Donald Trump and others who have mocked her, the 16-year-old activist said they likely feel their world view and interests are being threatened by climate activism.
- UN General Assembly about an hour after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who studiously avoided any mention of the Kashmir issue or Pakistan in his speech.
- The results for the four Assembly byelections, declared by the Election Commission, saw an upset win for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala’s Pala, while the BJP retained Badharghat in Tripura and Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh, but lost Dantewada to the Congress in Chhattisgarh.
- In a fortuitous acquisition of great historical value, the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) has obtained 30 reels of several hours of unedited footage detailing several key events from Mahatma Gandhi’s life and his death.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina reiterated their zero-tolerance approach to terrorism and violent extremism and agreed that a strong security partnership has built trust and mutual confidence between the neighbors.
- A Trinamool Congress party local leader was killed in Bengal’s South Dinajpur district on Friday night. Two BJP supporters have been arrested in connection with the murder.
- Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said state-owned companies have also been asked to set up a portal by October 15 where service providers, vendors, and contractors can track bills and payments so that liquidity crunch is mitigated.
- India has repeatedly expressed concerns about BRI, largely because of CPEC, which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and the uneven playing field created by China for President Xi Jinping’s flagship connectivity project.
- The RSS leader Krishna Gopal’s comments came a day after Khan quoted a statement made by a former home minister of India, blaming RSS for terrorism.
- Several Telugu NRIs, who invested money in the Rs 500 crore NRT Icon project, have expressed concern over its fate after the new government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy pushed the development of Amaravati to the back-burner.
- The constitution bench will be headed by Justice N V Ramana and comprise of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, B R Gavai and Surya Kant.
- BJP Rajya Sabha member Kirodi Lal Meena and MLA Narpat Singh Rajvi will have to vacate the bungalows, which have now been allotted to Congress MLAs.
- Joy Thomas, suspended MD of PMC bank, accused the RBI of not managing the situation in a better fashion after the bank’s officials visited it and asked it to order an inspection of the PMC’s books.
- Academically weak students in IITs will now get a choice to opt for a three-year B.Sc degree instead of B.Tech without dropping out of the prestigious institutions midway, according to HRD Ministry.
- IIT Council approved a fee hike for MTech courses to bring it to the level of BTech courses. The proposal has been made based on the recommendations of a three-member committee on reforms on MTech program in IITs.
- IITs as global education destinations, the IIT Council decided to exempt foreign students from taking the JEE mains exam, which is the screening exam for selection to IIT entrance exam known as JEE Advanced.
- The NIT had suspended classes last month and this had caused much inconvenience to the students. It became all the more difficult for these passing out of the institute as they feared to be at a disadvantage during the placement season.
- Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University (TNTEU) has declared Bachelor’s of Education (B.Ed) and B.Ed special exam results on its official website at tnteuresult.in.The TNTEU B.Ed special exam was conducted in the month of May, June 2019.
- Co-operative (PMC) Bank has an exposure of ₹2,500 crores to real estate developer HDIL, which had stopped servicing it for the past three years or so, the bank’s former MD & CEO Joy Thomas admitted.
- Shares of Lakshmi Vilas Bank tumbled 5 percent after an FIR was registered against directors of the company over allegations of various offenses including cheating.
- In a regulatory filing, Maruti Suzuki India said that along with the above reduction, it has also reduced the ex-showroom price of Baleno RS by Rs 1 lakh.
- Finance minister Nirmala Sithraman also said that ministries have been asked to provide detailed capital expenditure plans for the next four quarters as the government looks to boost growth with spending push.
- Rs 54000 crore will be credited into accounts of more than 6 crores EPFO subscribers. EPF withdrawal claims for 2018-19 will be settled at a higher rate of 8.65% rather than the earlier rate of 8.55%.
- World Championship silver medallist wrestler Deepak Punia has jumped to world number one position in 86kg but Bajrang Punia lost the top rank in the 65kg category in the latest rankings issued by the international federation (UWW).
- The army chief general BipinRawattook over as the new Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) by succeeding Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa who retires on September 30, 2019.
- Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin was not only elected president of Hyderabad Cricket Association but also led his team to a clean sweep in the elections held at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.
1. International News
- Saudi Arabia will open its doors to international tourists for the first time as part of a broader push to cut its economic dependence on oil.
- China’s growing military might have replaced North Korean belligerence as the main security threat to Japan, Tokyo’s annual defence review indicated on Thursday, despite signs that Pyongyang could have nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.
- Strongly condemning terrorism in all its forms, the BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa called for the need for early adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would take part in a climate action march led by Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg as the environment emerges as a key election issue.
- The whistleblower who said U.S. President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden is a CIA officer and at one point was assigned to work at the White House, two sources familiar with the probe into his complaint confirmed.
- Rallies are also expected to mark Global Anti-Totalitarianism Day, with solidarity events planned in cities across the world, including Paris, Berlin, Taipei, New York, Kiev, and London.
- “Believe me, many more people will see that selfie when I share it than will listen to this speech - I hope I took a good one,” El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said.
- The Defense Department said the deployment would involve one battery of the surface-to-air missiles, along with four Sentinel radars used for air and missile defense systems.
- India maintains that Kashmir is a bilateral issue with Pakistan and no third party has any role in it. Prime Minister Modi has also categorically rejected any scope for third party mediation between India and Pakistan on Kashmir.
- Motiwala, who was arrested in London on August 2018, is sought by US authorities to face charges of money-laundering USD 1.4 million worth of proceeds from narcotics smuggling.
- Donald Trump added to US sanctions on Iran, targeting Tehran’s ability to sell its oil by imposing penalties on six Chinese companies and their chief executives for continuing to transport Iranian crude.
- Calling on India to “rescind” its actions revoking Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Saudi Arabia joined Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Niger to issue a statement on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
- The Swedish defence major SAAB has pulled out of the contest to supply the Navy with six advanced conventional submarines under Project-75I.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest during their bilateral meeting in New York.
- The diplomatic face-off between India and Pakistan flared up at the meeting of the SAARC Council of Foreign Ministers, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
- An Indian Army Cheetah helicopter crashed in Bhutan, both pilots were killed in the crash, news agency ANI reported quoting sources.
- Mani C Kappen, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, who was backed by the LDF, defeated Tom Pulikkunel, a faction leader of the Kerala Congress (M) by 2,943 votes to win the by-election to Pala assembly seat in Kerala.
- Shashi Tharoor lost the chairman’s post during the post-election reshuffle of the panels and the Congress, which headed two Parliamentary standing committees in the last Lok Sabha, lost one despite scoring a higher tally in the 2019 national elections.
- More than 60 children died at BRD Medical college due to oxygen shortage and Dr. Kafeel Khan was accused of dereliction of duty. He spent nine months in jail for the same.
- Gandhi’s greetings came to light as part of a major initiative launched by the NLI, with support from the Leir Foundation, to review and describe millions of items in its archival collections, including personal papers, photographs and documents from many of the 20th century’s most prominent cultural figures.
- The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) said it has formed a committee to look into the examination process following protests from students who are demanding revaluation of their CA answer sheets.
- Teachers of Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country will be trained in oral health so that they can sensitize students about the significance of dental hygiene and healthy eating like avoiding sugar-rich food and beverage.
- GATE 2020 application date has been extended yet again. Earlier, IIT Delhi which is the convening authority for GATE exam this year had extended the last date to apply for GATE without late fee.
- It isn’t just the common man’s hard-earned money that is stuck in the troubled Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank; Reserve Bank of India employees haven’t been spared either.
- Largest private sector lender HDFC Bank has emerged as the most valued Indian brand at USD 22.70 billion.
- The first World Athletics Championships of the post-Usain Bolt era gets underway in Doha on September 27 with the sport desperately seeking a new superstar as it tackles a slew of ongoing doping controversies.
- The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) electoral officer, Susanta Ranjan Upadhaya, declared the names of the persons who were elected for the posts of office-bearers and members of the apex council uncontested.
- “BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands 2019 ranking” released by WPP and Kantar Millward Brown, HDFC Bank (Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited) was declared the country’s most valuable brand for the sixth consecutive year with the brand value of $ 22.70 billion (1.61 lakh crore rupees).
- A peon in a Bhopal school has been selected for the Chief Minister’s Excellence Award for teaching Sanskrit to students for the past 23 years and securing recording 100 per cent result in the subject.
- Rupa Gurunath, the new president of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, said the association will have ‘zero tolerance’ towards corruption and promised appropriate action against anyone found to be corrupt.
- Pranab Mukherjee , the Former president of India has released a book entitled ‘Reset: Regaining India’s Economic Legacy’ penned by BJP MP (Bharatiya janata party -member of parliament) Subramanian Swamy in New Delhi.
1. International News
- Members of US Congress have seen for the first time a whistleblower complaint against Donald Trump that has led to calls for his impeachment.
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from China, Australia, and Ukraine and discussed a variety of issues such as energy, technology and boosting bilateral ties.
- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hosted Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi for talks on Wednesday focused on attacks on the kingdom’s oil infrastructure, which Washington has blamed on Iran.
- President Donald Trump opened his must-see-TV meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday with a self-aware joke.
- Mr. Trump says he exerted “no pressure whatsoever” on Ukraine while denouncing what he called “the single greatest witch hunt in American history”.
- Israel’s president on September 25 tasked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with forming a new government after last week’s deadlocked elections, his office announced.
- Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, has not spoken publicly about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
- Nancy Pelosi’s impeachment inquiry stemmed from a whistleblower’s complaint of Donald Trump seeking help from the Ukraine president in digging up dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and diplomats from Israel and Saudi Arabia, which blames Tehran for an attack on its key oil sites, are expected to push their causes.
- The new law allows terminations for women who are up to 22 weeks pregnant. Beyond 22 weeks, two doctors need to approve abortion and they also need to seek advice from a hospital advisory committee.
- The Caribbean Community and Common Market grouping have 15 members-states and five associate members.
- Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said that secularism is not under threat in India and that it is promoted by the ethos of the society.
- India and Pakistan are at very serious odds over Kashmir right now, US President Donald Trump said, adding that he would do “whatever he can” to settle the issue between the two countries.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged global CEOs and top American executives to leverage the ”Startup India” innovation platforms to formulate solutions for the entire world on challenging issues like nutrition and waste management.
- Police said that the woman was traveling from a hospital to her residence in auto-rickshaw at around 9 pm. But the auto-rickshaw driver took her to a different place instead of where she was allegedly gang-raped.
- Narada scam: This is the first arrest after the 2016 Narada sting operation which purportedly showed about a dozen important leaders of ruling Trinamool Congress.
- Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had this week confirmed that Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed had reactivated the Balakot training camp that had been bombed by the Indian Air Force fighter jets just seven months earlier.
- As part of the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations, leaders from each state have been asked to carry out rallies at state headquarters. Celebrations have also been planned in places such as Champaran and Dandi.
- A day earlier, a video clip of a whale shark being held captive aboard a sailing vessel by fishermen had gone viral. It was reportedly caught near the Dhamra fishing jetty in the state’s Bhadrak district and is seen alive on the video.
- The situation at Piravom church came to a head-on when the Orthodox faction tried to take control and Jacobites refused to budge.
- The recent reductions in GST rate will cost the Goa government Rs 100 crores. Reduction in GST rates for restaurants connected with hotels will only add to the burden.
- The HRD Ministry directed the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) to expedite the recruitment process after the issue of faculty shortage was raised before it.
- Higher Education Commission of India or HECI will replace the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), and with that, two major higher education regulators will come under one umbrella, the other one being University Grants Commission (UGC).
- Candidates applying for the posts should not exceed the age limit of 30 years as on January 1, 2020. The first stage of computer- based examination will be held on November 26, 2019.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), over the last few years, have been introducing norms for urban cooperative banks with the hope of making them more professional and to help them expand their operations.
- Private sector lender, Axis Bank, said its qualified institutional placement was over-subscribed, with the aggregate final transaction size being Rs 12,500 crore.
- The latest International Cricket Council- Twenty twenty International(ICC-T20I) rankings were released. The ranking details are as follows.
- Defending champion Manipur won the 25th Senior Women’s National Football Championship held at CHF Ground in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh by defeating Railways.
- Qatar is preparing to welcome thousands of fans and competitors for the World Athletics Championships starting, an event seen as a staging post towards the 2022 football World Cup.
- IIFL (India Infoline Finance Limited) Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2019, Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) emerged as the richest person in India with a wealth of Rs 3.8 lakh crore for the eighth straight year.
- Indian track and field former athlete PT Usha was presented with Veteran Pin by the world athletics governing the body, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), in recognition of her contribution to the growth of sport.
- Mathematician and assistant professor of the University of Warwick, England, Adam Harper, from the United Kingdom(UK) won the SASTRA Ramanujan prize for 2019. He will be awarded a citation and an award of $10,000.
- Youth activist Payal Jangid, 17, from Rajasthan, won the Changemaker Award for her fight against child marriage and child labor in her village at the same ceremony where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented the Global Goalkeeper Award
- The Vogue Beauty Awards night was all about glitter, glamour and facilitating the best of the beauty industry.
- An Indian professional badminton player, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (PV Sindhu) has been named as the brand ambassador of Visa, Inc, an American multinational financial services corporation for two years.
- Noida-based fintech giant Paytm has promoted its Senior Vice President of Finance Vikas Garg as the startup’s Deputy Chief Financial Officer.
- The Aam Aadmi Party appointed senior leader Sanjay Singh as its in-charge for the forthcoming assembly elections in Delhi.
- Britain’s Sebastian Coe was re-elected as the chief of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) for a second term.
- Legal expert Sudhir Krishnaswamy took charge as the vice-chancellor of the National Law School of India University just two days after students at the prestigious institution had boycotted an exam pressing for his appointment.
- A new comic book series ‘Professor Ayushman’ conceived by the National Medicinal Plants Board(NMPB) was unveiled by the Ayush ministry in New Delhi.
- Boman Rashid Kohinoor, co-owner of Iranian-Parsi restaurant Britannia & Co in Mumbai, passed away at the city’s Parsee General Hospital aged 97.
1. International News
- US Democrats have opened a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump over allegations he sought help from a foreign power to damage a political rival.
- Italian authorities have closed roads and evacuated mountain huts after experts warned that part of a glacier on Mont Blanc could collapse.
- Japan launched an unmanned spacecraft towards the International Space Station, the operator said, after a fire early this month delayed the mission.
- Her imperious “How dare you?” to world leaders at the UN cemented Swedish teen Greta Thunberg’s role as her generation’s leading spokeswoman on climate change, the culmination of a year of dogged relentlessness, say those who know her.
- The United States led more than 30 countries in condemning what it called China’s “horrific campaign of repression” against Muslims in the western region of Xinjiang at an event on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly that was denounced by China.
- By 2050, many coastal megacities and small island nations will experience once-a-century weather catastrophes every year, even with an aggressive drawdown of greenhouse gas emissions, a major UN report said.
- Vox Media announced a merger agreement with New York Media, home of the prestigious "New York" magazine and a series of other titles.
- French President Emmanuel Macron said France "cannot host everyone", intensifying his tough rhetoric on immigration.
- China's top diplomat hit back at U.S. criticism of its trade and development model, saying Beijing had no intention to "play the Game of Thrones on the world stage" but warned Washington to respect its sovereignty, including in Hong Kong.
- Israel's election committee published final results from last week's election that gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud an additional seat, but which did not change the deadlock the country faces.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivered an unconventional speech at the UN General Assembly that referenced "terrifying limbless chickens" and "pink-eyed terminators" but only mentioned Brexit once.
- A futuristic new airport in Beijing, which is expected to become one of the busiest in the world, was opened by President Xi Jinping.
- US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani face their last chance for a historic meeting as European leaders raced to arrange talks aimed at defusing soaring tensions.
- Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said it was a lie that the Amazon was being devastated by fire and accused countries critical of him of having a "colonialist spirit."
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives and damage to property after an earthquake in Pakistan killed at least 19 and injured more than 300 people.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appreciated Indian government’s decision to ban the usage of single-use plastic in the country.
- Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that India had installed over 195 solar panels in the United Nations (UN) Headquarters as a mark of tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Fiji and St Vincent and Grenadines on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 50 kilowatt ”Gandhi Solar Park” at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York, on the second leg of his visit to the United States.
- The number of deaths in the devastating earthquake that rattled Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and several places in Pakistan rose to 34 today as authorities stepped up relief efforts.
- The government has instituted the highest civilian award for contribution to India's unity and integrity in the name of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
- The Intellectual Property Right (IPR) norm is outlined by the All India Council of Technical Education's it its new policy --National Innovation and Start-Up policy for Students and Faculty of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)--issued recently.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a USD 150 billion line of credit to the group of Pacific island nations for undertaking solar, renewable energy and climate-related projects based on their requirement.
- Chandrasekhar Sahu, Member of Parliament (MP) of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) from Berhampur, has landed in a controversy after a video, in which he was seen slapping a party worker, has gone viral on social media.
- Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia has underlined his status as an in-house critic by running down a survey by his own party's government in Madhya Pradesh to assess crop loss due to rain and flood in parts of the state.
- The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will conduct the Combined Geo-Scientist exam on January 19.
- Saudi Arabia has said it is enhancing cooperation with India to combat terrorism, including choking funds to terror networks and exchange of information and intelligence.
- Arvind Kejriwal took a swipe at Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari this morning, declaring the Bihar-born MP would be among the first to leave the city if NRC were to be carried out in the national capital
- Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University (TNTEU), an exclusive University for Teachers Education established by the Government of Tamil Nadu to promote excellence in Teacher Education, has released the B.Ed results, according to reports.
- Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has revised the existing eligibility requirement for Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication (PGJMC) course.
- India gets maximum foreign students from Nepal followed by Afghanistan while Karnataka is the favourite city for foreigners to pursue higher education in India, according to HRD Ministry data.
- Each year, millions of students worldwide enter the higher education system, taking their first step towards a successful career.
- The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) directions on the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank is not a one-off event, though customers are worried.
- Harmanpreet’s knock takes the hosts to 130; du Preez’s counterattack almost takes South Africa home.
- Kushagra Rawat was the star for India with two golds on the opening day of the Asian Age Group swimming championship at the Padukone-Dravid Center for Sports Excellence here.
- The news arrived via Twitter. Union minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar posted, “The legend Amitabh Bachchan who entertained and inspired for 2 generations has been selected unanimously for #DadaSahebPhalke (sic) Award.
- Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has been awarded the 2019 Right Livelihood Award, also known as Sweden’s ‘alternative Nobel Prize’.
- Hanks, a fifteen-time Globes nominee, will be seen next in Sony’s feel-good drama “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” and his heartwarming performance as Mister Rogers is already generating Oscar buzz.
- Indian companies were listed in the Forbes World’s best ‘regarded’ companies list 2019. The company which topped among other Indian firms is Infosys which ranked third in the overall list.
- Global Cloud Xchange said that Bill Barney has stepped down as CEO of Reliance Communications to focus full time at the helm of GCX during its corporate restructuring process.
- US-based shared workspaces startup WeWork’s Co-founder Adam Neumann is stepping down from the CEO role and will become a non-executive Chairman, a WeWork spokesperson confirmed to CNBC.
- The Managing Director (MD) of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co Ltd., Nilesh Shah has been appointed as Chairman of the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) at its board meeting held in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (GoI), Shri Godavarthi Venkata Srinivas, a 1993 batch IFS ( Indian Foreign Service) officer has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Guinea Bissau, with residence in Dakar.
- A new book named ‘Girl Power: Indian Women Who Broke The Rules‘ written by author Neha J Hiranandani was released.
- “India in the Persianate Age: 1000-1765” by United States(US) based professor and author, Richard M Eaton was released.
- Telugu comedian Venu Madhav passed away on Wednesday at 12.20 pm. He was 39. Telugu film PRO Vamsi Kakat took to Twitter to share news of Venu’s demise.
1. International News
- Iran has rejected a joint statement by the leaders of France, Germany, and the UK who blamed it for attacks earlier this month on Saudi oil installations.
- Hours before a planned meeting with President Donald Trump, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan blamed him for derailing a peace deal aimed at ending the longest-running war in U.S. history.
- Russia’s prime minister gave formal support to the Paris climate agreement, just hours ahead of a key summit trying to tackle ever-increasing gas emissions.
- Mexico is bracing for a “very powerful” impact from the collapse of British travel firm Thomas Cook, an official said, as several hundred tourists gathered at the Cancun airport looking for a way home.
- US President Donald Trump called for an end to religious persecution at a US event on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations that featured a woman whose Uighur father has been imprisoned in China.
- Saudi Arabia has restored more than 75% of crude output lost after attacks on its facilities and will return to full volumes by early next week, a source briefed on the latest developments told Reuters.
- Britain's Supreme Court ruled "unlawful" a decision by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to suspend parliament in the run-up to Brexit, saying it was "void and of no effect".
- Celebrity French chef Marc Veyrat said that he has sued the famed Michelin guide after inspectors stripped his restaurant of its coveted third star, claiming they had botched their evaluation, in particular over a cheese souffle.
- While smoke from forest fires in Indonesia often simply obscures visibility with a choking haze, parts of Sumatra island recently witnessed blood-red skies due to the interaction of sunlight on particles from smoke in the air.
- Britain has repatriated ten percent of nationals who were stranded abroad after the collapse of travel firm Thomas Cook, authorities said, as anger erupted over excessive management pay.
- Diplomats opened an emergency meeting of the UN agency that sets international postal rates, with the US threatening to quit the global body as early as next month.
- After global street protests demanding action on climate change, Greta Thunberg and 15 other young activists filed a complaint at the UN against five countries for not doing enough to ward off global warming.
- Hong Kong's embattled leader said more than 20,000 people have applied to take part in a dialogue session with her and "vent their anger" at the government after three months of huge pro-democracy protests.
- China's northern regions are facing a sustained period of pollution for at least the next two weeks, the environment ministry warned, with heavy smog threatening to overshadow the country's National Day celebrations in Beijing in October.
- A U.S.-Japan trade deal hit a last-minute snag as Japanese officials sought assurances that the Trump administration will not impose national security tariffs on Japanese-built cars and auto parts, people familiar with the talks said.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi held meetings with Namibia President Hage Geingob and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.
- The External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held 11 bilateral meetings with his foreign counterparts that included Iran, Bulgaria, Turkey, Netherlands, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, UAE, and others, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
- China aiding Pakistan at various global platforms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that terrorists should not be allowed to get funds and arms, while adding that politicization of mechanisms like UN listings and the Financial Action Task Force or FATF should be avoided for the objective to be realized.
- The Indian Railways has completed the construction of the giant four-lane cable-stayed railway overbridge at Burdwan Junction in West Bengal, which will be inaugurated by Union Minister Piyush Goyal on September 30.
- Intelligence inputs have warned of a possible terror attack during the festive season, official sources said.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) session here, including meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian President Giuseppe Conte and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad.
- Supreme Court expresses concern over the origin and spread of fake messages on social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook and gives the center three weeks to make recommendations that protect the nation and an individual's privacy
- The Uttar Pradesh cabinet decided to amend the law that exempted the state's chief minister and ministers from paying their own income tax, burdening the exchequer for the last 40 years.
- Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh stressed on the need to identify inter-district terror modules involved in carrying out atrocities on people and initiate strict action against them.
- Former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar claimed that the CBI was "hounding" him while seeking anticipatory bail before the Calcutta High Court in the multi-crore Saradha chit-fund case.
- Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan warned hoarders and black marketers against stocking onions to further escalate its prices as the vegetable supply remained limited due to recent floods in main-growing states like Maharasthra and Karnataka.
- The Centre is ready with a list of states and Union Territories for the first digital National Population Register (NPR) under census 2021 putting newly created Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir on top where the mammoth exercise would start on September 2020.
- Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he had not given any clean chit to ex-Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's family over their alleged involvement in the sacrilege case.
- Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has stepped into a mess with a tweet that was meant as a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rockstar outing at Houston for "Howdy, Modi!" He has been schooled by Twitter users for not one, but two mistakes in that post.
- An Uttar Pradesh court has rejected the bail application of BJP leader Chinmayanand, who was arrested in a sexual-assault case following rape allegations by a law student.
- CAT 2019 application process will end tomorrow. The last date to apply for CAT 2019 exam was September 18 but the last date was extended till September 25. Candidates will be allowed to complete the application process by 5:00 pm tomorrow.
- Osmania University or OU has released degree revaluation results for various exams held for various semesters in month of May.
- The Jammu and Kashmir administration has set up an internet facilitation centre at the Deputy Commissioners office here to aid students of Shopian and Pulwama following inconvenience caused due to internet and communication restrictions.
- The Officers’ unions of public sector banks have deferred the two-day all-India strike call for banks following an assurance from Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar to address their concerns related to the government’s bank merger announcement.
- After the Centre’s big bang stimulus in the form of a sharp cut in the corporate tax rate, all eyes are on the RBI’s future rate action.
- Private sector ICICI Bank has opened 320 bank branches this financial year and has crossed the milestone of 5,000 retail branches. In all, it plans to open 450 new branches this fiscal.
- Wales produced a tale of two halves as an electric start secured a deserved 43-14 bonus-point victory over Georgia in their Rugby World Cup Pool D clash, before they wilted in the energy-sapping humidity at the City of Toyota Stadium.
- The men may have moved on from the India blues into white flannels, but India’s women cricketers will commence their final phase of the World T20 preparation in a five-match T20I series against South Africa at the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium here.
- Lionel Messi has won the Best Men’s Player award at the FIFA Best awards in Milan. The Barcelona star saw off fellow nominees Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the prize, which many thoughts were going to go to Van Dijk after his Champions League victory with Liverpool.
- Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, congratulated Army officer Ponung Doming on becoming the first woman from the state to be made a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army.
- Bollywood’s famous playback singer Sonu Nigam (46) of Faridabad, Haryana was awarded the ‘Magnificent Performing Arts Award 2019‘ at the annual ’21st Century Icon Awards’ held in London, United Kingdom (UK).
- In a major jolt to the Congress in the northeast, where it once ruled in all the states, the Tripura state chief Pradyot Deb Barman resigned from all party posts over differences with the high command.
- “From Leeches to Slug Glue: 25 Explosive Ideas that Made (and Are Making) Modern Medicine” that traces the origins of experiments and discoveries in science and medicine evolution spanning over 2,500 years and several geographies is to be released on September 28, 2019.
- Former Indian test cricketer and opener MadhavApte passed away at the age of 86 in a hospital in Mumbai due to cardiac arrest.
1. International News
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resumed his re-election campaign with a promise to lower taxes, but once again had to apologize for a photo showing him in blackface makeup.
- Dozens of people dressed in black went on a “funeral march” up a steep Swiss mountainside to mark the disappearance of an Alpine glacier amid growing global alarm over climate change.
- On Sept. 28, 1918, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Philadelphia to watch a patriotic spectacle.
- Israel’s Arab-dominated Joint List party moved to back the center-left bloc of Benny Gantz, who is challenging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing alliance, to form a new government.
- Average global temperature between 2015-2019 is on track to be the hottest of any five-year period on record, a UN report by the world’s leading climate agencies said.
- Iran’s President called on Western powers to leave the security of the Persian Gulf to regional nations led by Tehran, criticizing a new U.S.-led coalition patrolling the region’s waterways as nationwide parades showcased the Islamic Republic’s military arsenal.
- Pro-democracy protesters clashed with riot police outside a mall, with some activists vandalizing a nearby subway station and defacing a Chinese flag, but plans to disrupt the airport did not materialize.
- There is still time for London and Brussels to make a Brexit deal, outgoing European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said in remarks published Sunday, as the clock runs down to an October 31 deadline.
- The global average temperature is set to rise to at least 1.2 to 1.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels over the next five years, a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) official said.
- Iran said that a British-flagged oil tanker is "free" to leave more than two months after it was seized in the Gulf.
- Ultra-nationalist leader Avigdor Lieberman, who has emerged as the "kingmaker" in the formation of the next Israeli government, has asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger Benny Gantz to "flip a coin" to decide who takes the first shot at premiership in a rotation arrangement.
- At least 35 civilians were killed and 13 people were injured during an attack conducted by the Afghan government forces in southern Helmand province, two provincial officials said.
- President Hassan Rouhani departed Tehran for New York to attend the UN General Assembly on a mission to win Iran support against "cruel" pressure from arch-foe the United States.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cautioned that there would be no Brexit breakthrough at talks with European leaders in New York as gaps remained but said significant progress had been made on striking a deal.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused Tehran of being behind attacks on Saudi oil installations, in remarks to reporters en route to New York where he is to meet with Iran's president.
- Japan's new environment minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, pledged to mobilize young people to push his coal-dependent country toward a low-carbon future by making the fight against climate change "sexy" and "fun."
- President Hassan Rouhani departed Tehran for New York to attend the UN General Assembly on a mission to win Iran support against "cruel" pressure from arch-foe the United States.
- The Congress is yet to officially come up with a campaign theme for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections but it will focus on mandi aur Talabani (showdown and shutdown) mode of the economy.
- Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with the 15-member Caribbean block in New York, the Vice-President of Suriname has voiced support for India’s actions in Kashmir.
- In a rare move reflective of India-US friendship, the Trump administration replaced the presidential seal with an “India-US Dosti flag” emblem from the presidential lectern.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to articulate his government’s ambitions on renewable energy and make a call for a coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure at UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ High-Level Climate Action Summit.
- Voting for the bypoll to the Maoist-affected Dantewada Assembly constituency began on Monday morning amid tight security.
- The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the pleas of the disqualified Karnataka MLAs whose resignations led to the fall of the Congress-JDS coalition and for which they were barred from elections till 2023
- A deep depression over the Arabian Sea has intensified into cyclonic storm "Hikaa" that will cause strong winds along the Gujarat coast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
- Hailing the impressive show of unity between India and the US at the mega "Howdy Modi!" event in Houston, Nikki Haley, former Indian-American US ambassador to the UN, said that the "great" partnership between the two countries has only strengthened.
- India's permanent representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin, who received Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the New York airport on Sunday (local time), said that the members of the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations have waited for long to greet the Prime Minister.
- Four new Supreme Court judges will take office today after they were administered their oaths of office by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, bringing the strength of the top court to 34 - its highest ever.
- Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan said global oil prices would ease if there is no further escalation of geopolitical tensions.
- Registration for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) will close tomorrow (September 24).
- After ‘certain adverse reports’ relating to the system of evaluation of answer books of CA exams started doing the rounds in social media, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India or ICAI,
- The National Fire Service College, Nagpur will conduct the 43rd All India Entrance Exam for Sub Officers Course.
- The Sikh community here in collaboration with the National University of Singapore launched an academic programme in Sikh studies to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of the faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev.
- Rajasthan State Open School (RSOS) has released the examination time table for Senior Secondary (class 12) and Secondary (class 10) board exam which will be held in November this year.
- The students eagerly thronged to the internet facilitation centre to fill their examination forms and entrance forms for exams like UGC-NET, GATE.
- Internshala has announced fully sponsored travel internships for college students. The travel internship is part of Internshala's 'Greatest Internships Ever' campaign.
- Private sector lender HDFC Bank said it plans to organise 1,000 Grameen Loan Melas over the next six months.
- State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to adopt repo rate as the external benchmark for all floating rate loans for MSME, housing and retail loans.
- The Centre is exploring the possibility of bringing certain financial service providers within the ambit of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
- Sebastian Vettel ended a 13-month win drought by leading a Ferrari one-two victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, while Lewis Hamilton finished fourth but stretched his championship lead to 65 points.
- An insipid batting display saw India sink to a resounding nine-wicket defeat in the third and final T20 international here.
- Team India opener Rohit Sharma has equalled former India captain MS Dhoni’s record for playing the most number of T20I matches for India.
- Shondol dance, which is known as the royal dance of Ladakh, has created history by entering into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest Ladakhi dance. Shondol is a famous dance, which artistes used to perform for the king of Ladakh.
- “Game of Thrones” ended its eight-season run with a big win at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, which were held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
- Ravish Kumar is the first recipient of Gauri Lankesh Award for Journalism, awarded by Gauri Lankesh Memorial Trust. Ravish Kumar was honored with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award
- The Reserve Bank of India has approved the re-appointment of Shyam Srinivasan as the Managing Director and CEO of Federal Bank for another year, giving him a full decade as the head of the private sector lender.
- Actor Govinda will be the brand ambassador of Madhya Pradesh and will help promote the state’s traditions and tourist places.
1. International News
- Hong Kong police fired tear gas to disperse pro-democracy protesters after pro-China groups pulled down some of the “Lennon Walls” of anti-government messages posted in the Chinese-ruled city in more than three months of unrest.
- The UN has welcomed a proposal from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels to end all attacks on Saudi Arabia as part of a peace initiative.
- Early on September 14, two critical Saudi Arabian oil installations near the Gulf coast came under attack.
- China and former Taiwan ally the Solomon Islands established diplomatic ties on Saturday in a sign of Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific.
- The United States imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran, some aimed at its central bank and sovereign wealth fund, following attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.
- Donald Trump’s political brand is as well known inside the United Nations as his businessman version is to the rest of New York: brash, unabashedly self-promoting, and all about claiming the win.
- PM Modi, who left for a week-long visit to the United States on Friday, will also address the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York
- The agreement was inked on the sidelines of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi with oil sector CEOs in Houston, his first engagement after arriving in the US.
- Members of the Dawoodi Bohra community felicitated PM Modi and recalled his visit to Indore last year to attend a programme of their community. They also highlighted his association with Dawoodi Bohra leader Syedna Sahib.
- The audit report also mentioned that besides Pakistan International Airlines operating 46 flights without passengers, around 36 Hajj flights also operated without any passengers.
- Assam state minister Atul Bora said that the pilot project is being introduced in Assam’s remote and interior areas, where services of veterinary doctors are not easily accessible.
- The reshuffle also included new collectors in Bharatpur, Kota, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Tonk, Karauli, Sikar and Dholpur.
- Home minister Amit Shah brought up the Article 370 issue while addressing a rally in Mumbai on Sunday by saying that three generations of Bharatiya Janata Party have given their lives for Kashmir.
- Caught in a swirl of controversy over his comments on “population control” Congress leader Jitin Prasada clarified that his prescription was not prompted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech and that it isn’t designed against any one community.
- Northern Army commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh has reached out to the locals in south Kashmir, considered to be the hotbed of terrorism, with a message that the army and the government are working towards restoring peace in the region.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi met CEOs from the energy sector on the first day of his week-long US visit here.
- Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav will now have to get his Mercedes SUV, allotted to him by the state government, replaced as the cost of repair is too high, officials said.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the US for his week-long tour, which will feature a grand event “Howdy, Modi” in Houston, Texas.
- Union home minister Amit Shah blamed former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the formation of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and said it was because of the "untimely ceasefire" declared in 1948.
- A police official said companies involved in the event Maxperienace, Mahindra, JK Tyres, MRF Tyres and the Federation of Motor Sports Club of India have also been named in the FIR.
- Home Minister Amit Shah played up the center's "historic" decision on Jammu and Kashmir at an election rally in Mumbai, declaring the BJP had fought for "one nation, one Prime Minister and one constitution".
- Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) had conducted a document verification round for the candidates who have cleared the RRB Paramedical recruitment exams. The DV was conducted from September 17 to 19.
- IIT-Gandhinagar has signed MoUs with four universities in the US state of New Jersey for academic and research collaboration.
- Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) raised Rs. 500 crore through issuance of Basel III compliant Tier II bonds.
- Promoter group companies of YES Bank along with co-founder Rana Kapoor, have sold a combined 2.75 per cent stake in the lender through the open market.
- India wrapped up the second T20I in Mohali with the minimum of fuss, producing an efficient batting and bowling performance.
- Not even Lionel Messi’s return was enough to prevent Barcelona from making its worst start in the Spanish league for 25 years.
- Gully Boy, starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, has been declared as India’s official entry for the 92nd Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.
- The union home ministry announced a new honour on the Padma awards pattern named the Sardar Patel National Unity Award to individuals and persons for promoting national unity and integrity.
- The Chairman of Karnataka Bank Ltd, P Jayarama Bhat, has been unanimously elected as the Chairman of the governing board of Southern India Banks’ Staff Training College (SIBSTC), Bengaluru.
- One of Jeremy Corbyn’s senior aides, who wrote Labour’s last manifesto, has announced his intention to resign.
- Former TDP MP from Andhra Pradesh Dr Naramalli Sivaprasad passed away in Chennai. The senior politician, aged 68, was undergoing treatment at the Apollo Hospital for a kidney ailment. He was hospitalized for a week in Chittoor but brought to Apollo in Chennai.
1. International News
- The US has announced plans to send forces to Saudi Arabia in the wake of attacks against the country’s oil infrastructure.
- Millions of people around the world held a global climate strike, inspired by activist Greta Thunberg.
- Tear gas has been fired to disperse demonstrators in Egypt, at some of the first protests since President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2014.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced Israeli media headlines suggesting power is slipping from his grasp after an election in which he trails his main rival with nearly all votes counted.
- Children across Asia and the Pacific kicked off what are set to be the largest global climate protests in history, demanding adults act now to stop environmental disaster.
- U.S. President Donald Trump has said he does not feel the need to strike a trade agreement with China before the next year’s presidential elections, emphasizing that he is looking for a complete and not a “partial deal” with Beijing.
- Expressing concern over China's growing military might, US President Donald Trump has said the Communist nation is a threat to the world and blamed his predecessors for not stopping it from stealing America's intellectual property to bolster its defence capabilities.
- A mysterious whistleblower, a telephone call between President Donald Trump and a foreign leader, and military aid to Ukraine.
- Rare small protests broke out in Cairo and other Egyptian cities calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi but police quickly dispersed them, AFP journalists reported.
- The attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities last weekend were a disaster for both Riyadh and Washington, with weapons allegedly made in Iran circumventing expensive U.S. missile defense systems.
- Joe Biden demanded Donald Trump release the transcript of a call in which the US president reportedly pressured his Ukrainian counterpart for political gain, an act the Democratic presidential hopeful denounced as "clear-cut corruption."
- Israel's Arab parties are set to be the largest non-ruling bloc in parliament - and could even lead the opposition - if a national unity government emerges from election.
- Jaipur-based South Western Command will discuss ways of incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) in mechanized forces at an internal seminar next week.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick off his visit to the United States with a major LNG investment deal which is expected to be announced right at the beginning of his visit.
- The government reduced the income tax rate for companies by almost 10 percentage points to 25.17 percent and offered a lower rate of 17.01 percent for new manufacturing firms to boost economic growth from a six-year low.
- Dates for the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana will be announced by the Election Commission at noon.
- The Lucknow to New Delhi ticket prices for IRCTC’s Tejas Express will be Rs. 1,125 for AC chair car and Rs. 2,310 for executive chair car, officials said.
- Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal attacked the government over its move to cut corporate tax, alleging that the rich will benefit while the poor left to fend for themselves.
- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested another accused in the 20-year-old Graham Staines murder case.
- The Haryana assembly election term ends on November 2. The state has 90 seats; of these 17 are reserved for Schedule Caste and none for Schedule Tribes.
- Assembly elections in Maharashtra, where the opposition Congress and the NCP has been weakened after key leaders defected to the BJP, will be held in a single phase on October 21, the Election Commission said.
- Pakistani troops violated ceasefire by targeting forward posts and villages along the Line of Control in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir, an Army spokesman said.
- Authorities served another demolition notice to the owner of the house in which former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu lives in Amravati.
- Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reiterated that the BJP and the Shiv Sena will contest next month's assembly election together.
- Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar has said that the country needs to focus on making its people healthier, especially at the grass-root level, and improve the export of goods and services.
- An exercise to filter out illegal immigrants similar to the one carried out in Assam is likely to be one of the major political issues in Haryana as parties step up their state election campaign in the northern state. At least 1.82 crore people will vote in Haryana on October 21; the results will be out three days later.
- West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar will visit Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das.
- The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all universities and colleges in the country to appoint and promote faculty members on the basis of its new list of approved journals, in which the higher education regulator has de-recognised names of all predatory papers.
- Controller of Examinations, Bankura University, has released the results for Undergraduate exams.
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad’s decision to release PhD admission notification without the provisions of reservation for the 2020 session has drawn ire from various corners.
- Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC) has invited online applications for the posts of assistant statistical officer and assistant research officers (statistics) in different departments of UP government.
- Staff Selection Commission (SSC) will release the official notification for stenographer group C, D recruitment 2019, September 20.
- The HRD Ministry has called a meeting of its Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) and discussions on giving shape to the new National Education Policy is on the agenda, sources said.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), unveiled a framework on harmonisation of Turn Around Time (TAT) for resolution of customer complaints related to failed transactions across all authorised payment systems and compensation for such transactions.
- Asserting that the Reserve Bank of India is more than autonomous, Governor Shaktikanta Das, said that though the central bank engages with the government in free and frank discussions, there is no interference from it when it comes to taking decisions.
- Dinesh Kumar Khara, Managing Director, State Bank of India, said that bank credit must grow 12 per cent on year-on-year basis till 2024 if India has to become a $5-trillion economy.
- Mortgage lender HDFC Ltd said it will raise up to Rs 3,000 crore by issuing bonds to augment its long-term resources.
- Rupinder Pal Singh made a long-delayed return to national duty after being named in the Indian hockey side for the upcoming Belgium tour.
- Dominic Thiem and Jack Sock won their singles matches as Team Europe and Team World shared the spoils in the day session on the first day of the Laver Cup here.
- Bharat bags an award at Dada Saheb Phalke Awards 2019. Superstar Mahesh Babu wins the best actor award for Bharat Ane Nenu. This is the first year of Dada Saheb Phalke Awards South.
- Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines, Shri Pralhad Joshi conferred The National Geoscience Awards for the year 2018 in New Delhi to 22 scientists for their outstanding contributions in geoscience fields, mining and allied areas in the country.
- Ajoy Kumar, who joined the AAP after quitting the post of Jharkhand Congress chief, was appointed as the party’s national spokesperson.
- India’s largest domestic airline, InterGlobe Aviation Limited operated IndiGo, said that the board of directors of the airline has approved the appointment of advocate Pallavi Shardul Shroff as an independent woman director in the company.
- The Board of Directors (BoD) of Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI Bank) approved the appointment of Samuel Joseph Jebaraj as Deputy Managing Director (DMD) for a period of 3 years with effect from succeeding KP Nair.
- Vice President of India Shri Venkaiah Naidu released the book in New Delhi named ‘Himalayan Odyssey’ written by Member of Parliament (MP) Veerendra Kumar.
- Book titled ‘Turbulence & Triumph: The Modi Years’ jointly authored by Rahul Agarwal and Bharathi S Pradhan is set to release in October 2019.
1. International News
- The US has expelled two Cuban diplomats to the UN in New York, accusing them of conducting “activities harmful to US national security”, a State Department spokeswoman said.
- From grasslands to seashores to forests and backyards, birds are disappearing at an alarming rate in the United States and Canada, with a 29% population drop since 1970 and a net loss of about 2.9 billion birds, scientists said.
- Israel’s weakened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw his offer of a coalition with his strongest political rival swiftly rebuffed after failing to secure a governing majority in a tight election.
- Sri Lanka’s leading presidential candidate, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, would “restore relations” with the country’s top lender China if he wins the November 16 vote, his adviser said.
- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would withdraw about $100 million earmarked for an energy infrastructure project in Afghanistan and withhold a further $60 million in planned assistance, blaming corruption and a lack of transparency in the country.
- After failing to secure a clear election victory twice in six months, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister now seems to be calculating that he can stay in power only by sharing it.
- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that America backs Saudi Arabia’s “right to defend itself” after a weekend attack targeted the heart of its oil industry, comments coming after he described the assault as an “act of war”.
- The clerics published the missive without the consent of the Church administration led by the influential Patriarch Kirill, a staunch ally of President Vladimir Putin.
- China praised the Pacific island of Kiribati for cutting ties with Taiwan, the second diplomatic defection from Taipei to Beijing in less than a week.
- Indonesia Earthquake: The quake rocked at 2.06 pm with an epicenter at 56 km of Tuban and with the depth at 656 km under the sea bed.
- Children in Australia and the Pacific Islands kicked off a millions-strong global climate strike heeding the rallying cry of teen activist Greta Thunberg and demanding adults take action to stave off environmental disaster.
- Global warming and pollution caused by humanity's carbon-heavy footprint are ravaging Earth's oceans and icy regions in ways that could unleash misery on a global scale, a landmark UN report to be unveiled next week will warn.
- Washington DC Shooting: One person was killed and five others wounded in a shooting on the streets of Washington, D.C., not far from the White House, police said.
- A Delhi court has closed cheating and criminal intimidation case against a former woman employee of the Supreme Court who had leveled allegations of sexual misconduct against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.
- Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case in the Supreme Court told a curious judge that he was seeing “some kind of aggression” in his tone.
- The study points out that India will miss its target for stunting levels of 25% by 9.6%; underweight target of 22.7% by 4.8%.
- India will soar high if Pakistan “stoops low” by raising the Kashmir issue at a high-level UN General Assembly session next week, India’s top envoy to the United Nations has asserted, warning that Islamabad may want to mainstream hate speech after normalizing terrorism in the past.
- The prospect for a more prosperous Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, following the abrogation of the Article 370 “cut the ground under the feet of Pakistan”,
- “Howdy Modi” is bringing together Indian-Americans and Hindu Americans from across the US, Democratic presidential aspirant and the first Hindu woman in the US Congress Tulsi Gabbard has said.
- Pakistani troops violated ceasefire night and resorted to firing and shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in two sectors of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, an Army official said.
- World Peace Day 2019: The United Nations is also organizing a Climate Action Summit on September 23 to bolster up this year's theme and take concrete climate action.
- Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today predicted a landslide victory for the NDA in the assembly polls due next year, and asserted that those trying to create a rift between his party Janata Dal-United or JD(U) and alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP will be in trouble.
- Home Minister Amit Shah had triggered a political row when he had said that only Hindi could unite the country.
- Madras University’s Institute of Distance Education, yesterday, released the result for several non-semester courses.
- The 4th batch of Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (PGDBA), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta.
- Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has announced a new Scheme in Public-Private Partnership basis, National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT), for using technology for better learning outcomes in higher education.
- World University Rankings, three IITs and Delhi University have made it to the top 200 in QS World Graduate Employability Rankings.
- IIT Madras recently concluded the first meeting of Space Technology Cells (STCs) established in premier research institutes in the country by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and the Department of Space, Government of India.
- Private sector lender, YES Bank, stressed that it is in sound financial health, after the announcement of stake sale in the lender by promoter group firm Morgan Credits Pvt Ltd a day before.
- Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das, said there is room for rate cut as the growth has slowed down.
- India’s Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) has been rated as the world’s best real-time payment service in an analysis of 54 countries that have similar facilities.
- Bajrang Punia lost his semifinal bout against home wrestler Daulet Niyazbekov under controversial circumstances after sealing his Tokyo Olympics quota along with Ravi Dahiya, who made his presence felt in a star-studded field at the World Wrestling Championships here.
- Mason Greenwood came to Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s rescue just as the Manchester United manager’s faith in his promoted young players was beginning to look misplaced.
- A British-Pakistani author has been stripped of a prestigious German literary award over her anti-Israel stance, a media report said here.
- A documentary film, “Moti Bagh” based on the life of a farmer Vidya dutt Sharma (82) , who belongs to a remote village in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand has been nominated for an Oscar 2020.
- The government appointed Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria as the new chief of Indian Air Force. RKS Bhadauria, who is currently vice chief of air staff, will take over the post of chief of Air staff after his predecessor BS Dhanoa retires on September 30.
- Supreme Court(SC) of India has appointed 4 new judges which now took the total strength of judges to 34.
- Tunisia’s former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali has died in exile aged 83, his family says.
1. International News
- Soft-spoken, bespectacled, and based 650km (400 miles) from Hong Kong, Alex Ko is far removed from the widespread protests sweeping the former British colony.
- Boris Johnson has two weeks to set out his Brexit plans to the EU, according to Finland’s prime minister.
- Israelis awoke with their two main parties feverishly jockeying for the support of the smaller factions they will need to form a governing coalition
- Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a fervent advocate of the multiculturalism integral to Canadian identity, apologized for wearing brownface makeup to a party at a school where he taught 18 years ago.
- Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who has inspired a global movement for climate change, delivered a strong message to U.S. lawmakers “Wake up.”
- Two Democratic U.S. senators urged Trump administration officials to halt talks with Saudi Arabia on building nuclear reactors after weekend attacks that halved the country’s oil output and increased instability in the Middle East.
- Sri Lanka will hold presidential elections on November 16, the Election Commission announced. Nominations would be called on October 7, according to the Election Secretariat.
- Britain's Supreme Court will hear a third and final day of legal arguments over whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted unlawfully when he suspended parliament in the run-up to Brexit.
- French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that a claim by Yemeni rebels that they carried out attacks on two Saudi oil facilities "lacks credibility".
- Australia introduced stricter new laws to limit agricultural run-off into the waters surrounding the Great Barrier Reef, in an attempt to save the reef and keep its prized world heritage status.
- Indonesia is sending back hundreds of containers of contaminated waste to the West after shipments supposedly containing plastic meant for recycling were found to hide hazardous substances, customs officials said.
- Thousands of schools were shuttered across Malaysia and Indonesia, affecting at least 1.7 million pupils, officials said, as toxic haze from rampant forest fires sent air quality plummeting.
- The US envoy who negotiated with the Taliban will testify behind closed doors to Congress, 12 days after President Donald Trump abruptly ended talks with the Afghan militants.
- A Japanese court acquitted three former officials from the firm that operated the Fukushima nuclear plant, in the only criminal trial to stem from the 2011 disaster.
- Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved last weekend's attack on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure, CBS News reported, citing an unnamed US official.
- Navy pilots encountering mysterious spherical objects that appeared, at first glance, to move through the air in ways that baffled experts.
- India is set to amend its ground handling regulations for foreign airlines to pacify the U.S., which is a retaliatory action recently barred Air India from performing ground operations on its own at American airports.
- A new office building for staff and all MPs linked to Parliament via an underground pathway or a new structure on top of the existing building are among the options the Centre.
- Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wore a G-suit this morning as he readied himself to fly in the homemade light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas in Bengaluru. He will be the first defence minister to fly in this aircraft.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump are scheduled to meet twice in less than a week this month, India’s Ambassador to the United States has confirmed.
- More than three years after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar rolled out an ambitious prohibition policy, its success remains a matter of debate.
- The United Nations indicated its acknowledgment of the Indian stance that Jammu and Kashmir is a bilateral issue and said dialogue between India and Pakistan is an “absolute essential element for the solution”.
- After Andhra Pradesh, the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan is also planning to grant 75 percent reservations for locals in private sector jobs.
- West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Birbhum coal block, Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta wrote a letter to the PM today
- Former union minister P Chidambaram told a Delhi Court today that he had neither a chair nor a pillow at the Tihar prison, where he has been jailed since September 5.
- Marking the completion of 30 months in office, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday released a booklet on the achievements of his government and asserted that the perception of the state has changed considerably during this period.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of his vision for Jammu and Kashmir - one that embraces Kashmir and recreates it as the "paradise" it once was.
- A suspected high-profile extortion racket that involved blackmailing politicians and government officials with videos has been busted by Madhya Pradesh police
- Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee flagged the issue of citizens' register during her meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah today.
- The Karnataka government would come out with a revised information technology policy, and constitute an Innovation Authority, and a vision group for startups, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said today.
- As many as 60 government school teachers have been suspended for allegedly using fake BEd degrees to get the jobs, an official of the Uttar Pradesh Education department said.
- Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya (RDVV), Jabalpur, has released the Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) part 1 exam 2019.
- Bihar Technical Services Commission (BTSC) will recruit more than 6,000 specialist medical officer and general medical officer.
- The Delhi government approved a proposal to pay the CBSE Examination Fee of Class X and XII students of the schools coming under its jurisdiction from the academic year 2019-20.
- Banks in India added fewer branches and consolidated their ATMs network in the last two years even as digital banking transactions gained traction.
- The board of Indian Bank has given its in-principle approval for its amalgamation with Allahabad Bank.
- The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) has made it clear that it has oversight powers on the auditors of nationalised banks (public sector banks) as well.
- A business-like chase scripted by Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan separated India and South Africa by seven wickets.
- From PSG coping without MSN, to holders Liverpool showing they are not unbeatable, here are five things we learned from the opening round of group-stage matches.
- Having endured a medal-less run in three World Championships before, Vinesh finally ended the drought by pinning Maria Prevolaraki to win by fall in the bronze-medal bout.
- Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal on Wednesday became only the 5th Indian boxer to clinch a AIBA World Championships medal.
- India captain Virat Kohli went past his deputy Rohit Sharma to become the all-time leading run-scorer in T20 international cricket as he led his team to a stunning 7-wicket win over South Africa in the 2nd T20I in Mohali.
- Super 30 founder and noted mathematician Anand Kumar has been felicitated in the US with a prestigious teaching award for his contributions towards imparting education to the country’s needy students.
- Meghalaya-based rights activist Agnes Kharshiing, who survived an assault by the coal mafia almost a year ago, received the 11th International Hrant Dink Award.
- The 20th edition of the IIFA Awards (International Indian Film Academy Awards) ended with a bang last night
- Best film - Raazi
- Best Director - Sriram Raghavan (AndhaDhun)
- Best Actress- Alia Bhatt (Raazi)
- Best Actor - Ranveer Singh (Padmaavat)
- Best Supporting Actress - Aditi Rao Hydari (Padmaavat)
- Best Supporting Actor - Vicky Kaushal for (Sanju)
- Best Debut Actor - Ishaan Khatter (Dhadak)
- Best Debut Actress - Sara Ali Khan (Kedarnath)
- Best Story - Sriram Raghavan, Pooja Ladha Surti, Arijit Biswas, Yogesh Chandekar and Hemanth Rao (AndhaDhun)
- Best Music Direction - Amaal Mallik, Guru Randhawa, Rochak Kohli, Saurabh-Vaibhav and Zack Knight (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety)
- Best Lyrics - Amitabh Bhattacharya (Dhadak)
- Best Playback Singer (Female) - Harshdeep Kaur and Vibha Saraf (Dilbaro from Raazi)
- Best Playback Singer (Male) - Arijit Singh for (Ae Watan from Raazi)
- Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema - Saroj Khan and Jagdeep
- President Trump named Robert C. O’Brien as his new national security adviser, picking a top hostage-affairs official for the high-profile White House role at a time when the U.S.
- The new head of India operations will establish both a management committee and an operating committee for the country, says Cognizant CEO.
- The human space mission of ISRO will get a boost with the DRDO joining hands to jointly develop systems that will aid and enhance flight capabilities.
1. International News
- New York became the second US state to ban flavored e-cigarettes, following several vaping-linked deaths that have raised fears about a product long promoted as less harmful than smoking.
- U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration could seal a deal on trade with China before the U.S. presidential election, or an agreement could be reached the day after U.S. voters go to the polls.
- The Taliban have told the BBC that their “doors are open” should US President Donald Trump want to resume peace talks in the future.
- Exit polls following Israel’s second general election in five months suggest the result is too close to call.
- The row over the legality of Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament will return to the Supreme Court later for a second day.
- China said the Kashmir issue may not be a “major topic” of discussion during the planned 2nd informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
- Alexis Wilson was working an afternoon shift at the local Pizza Inn in McAlester, Oklahoma, when she pulled a co-worker aside to boast about her new gun.
- UK Parliament committee issued a harsh rebuke of the UK government's "flawed" reaction to a visa row involving compulsory English tests that affected hundreds of overseas students, many of them Indian.
- Iran has sent the United States a diplomatic note denying any role in attacks on Saudi oil installations and warning it would respond to any action, state media said.
- Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the attack on the kingdom's oil infrastructure posed a "real test of the global will" to confront subversive acts that threaten international stability, state media reported.
- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Yemenis targeted Saudi oil installations as a "warning" about a possible wider war in response to the kingdom's US-backed intervention in their conflict-ravaged country.
- A Palestinian woman brandishing a knife at the Qalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and the northern West Bank was shot dead by Israeli security forces, police and medical sources said.
- The US government outlined more detail on its plans to beef up foreign investment oversight, including a proposal to permit the blocking of some foreign purchases of real estate within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of military bases.
- Mexican authorities said they had found 29 bodies, packed in more than a hundred plastic bags, dumped in a clandestine grave in the violent western state of Jalisco.
- The Indian Navy is set to induct second Scorpene submarine Khanderi on September 28 in Mumbai. The remaining submarines in the series are in advanced stages of manufacturing and trials.
- The Delhi Development Authority or DDA proposed an amendment in the Master Plan of Delhi 2021 under which bank lockers, if part of an existing bank, will be allowed in the basements of its premises.
- Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union minister Prakash Javadekar today addressed the media on decisions taken in the Cabinet meeting under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Air India has decided to serve special low-fat diet meals for its crew members. “Taking into consideration the health factor of the crew, an initiative has been taken by the Director (Operations) to revise the in-flight food menu for the crew members.
- A bipartisan group of 44 influential lawmakers has urged the Trump administration to reinstate India’s designation as a beneficiary developing nation under the key GSP trade program as part of a potential trade deal between the two countries.
- Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi termed the detention of National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah under the Public Safety Act (PSA) “blatant misuse of power” by the Centre.
- The External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said the government was confident of meeting Kartarpur corridor deadline and the work on the same is moving in the right direction.
- The Cabinet approved 78-day wages as productivity bonus to railway employees, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said.
- Shivpal Singh Yadav, president of the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL), has said that he is ready to seek re-election from his Jaswantnagar assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh if he is disqualified from the assembly.
- Within 11 months of the unveiling, the Statue of Unity is attracting tourist footfall which is almost on par with the 133-year-old Statue of Liberty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
- Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said Pakistan would not have come into existence if Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar had been the country's Prime Minister at the time, and demanded that he be awarded Bharat Ratna.
- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will stage protests across Madhya Pradesh against the Congress-led state government's "apathetic attitude" towards flood-affected people, a party leader said.
- A Dalit man was set on fire on September 15 in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district allegedly over his relationship with a woman from another caste.
- A day after a Dalit man was charred to death in a locked room in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district, the local police have claimed that the man had set himself ablaze to escape a mob gathered outside.
- JIPMER PG 2020 application process begins today in online mode. The exam will be held in December.
- The Uttar Pradesh government is mulling over the use of Artificial Intelligence bots (AI-bots) to upgrade secondary school examination system.
- IM Kozhikode, which is the organizing authority for CAT exam this year, has extended the last date to register for CAT 2019.
- Kalyani University in Nadia district to express solidarity with the teachers agitating there against the move to introduce bio-metric attendance system.
- The Delhi government is likely to provide coaching to IAS aspirants in Urdu, taking steps towards making the language a means to build a career, an official statement said.
- Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has released dummy admit cards for intermediate students who would sit for their board exams next year.
- Bank trade unions said the improved offer of a 12 per cent increase in the pay slip cost by bank managements is unacceptable to them. The earlier offer was at 10 per cent.
- India’s fragile financial system is swinging between despair and hope. Two separate incidents, both featuring YES Bank, recently underscored the drag of past underwriting follies as well as the lift from a digital reset.
- RBI discussion paper lists norms for these entitites if the central bank chooses to go for direct regulation
- Financially-stressed Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) has defaulted on principal and interest payments on NCDs aggregating to ₹104.54 crore.
- Karolina Pliskova won her career 15th WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) title by defeating Croatia’s Petra Martic at the 6th edition of the 2019 Zhengzhou Open at Zhongyuan
- Serbian professional tennis player, Novak Djokovic has started his 269th week at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings 2019 and surpassed Jimmy Connors (268 weeks) of United States (US) for 4th place in the all-time list of most weeks in top spot.
- Star Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal crashed out of the China Open Super 1000 tournament after suffering a first round defeat to Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the women’s singles on September 18.
- Bangladesh Prime Minister(PM) Sheik Hasina was awarded DrKalamSmriti International Excellence Award for the year 2019 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- Kirit Pradyot Deb Barman, the president of the Congress’s Tripura unit, has threatened to resign over his petition in the Supreme Court in which he has requested implementation of an Assam-like citizens’ list in the state.
- All-rounder Dinesh Mongia has announced retirement from all forms of cricket, 12 years after playing his last international match.
- The United States filed a lawsuit on September 17 against Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who in 2013 leaked secret documents about U.S. telephone and Internet surveillance, saying his new book violates non-disclosure agreements.
- U.S. journalist Cokie Roberts, regarded by National Public Radio as one of its “founding mothers” and a prominent political commentator on ABC News, died on Tuesday at 75 at her Washington home from complications of breast cancer, her family said.
1. International News
- The head of the Nato military alliance has said he is extremely concerned that tensions will escalate after an attack on Saudi oil facilities.
- Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters have sustained their momentum for more than three months, facing off against police through summer heat and clouds of tear gas.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson boasted ahead of Brexit talks that he was like the Incredible Hulk, who gets stronger when he gets angrier.
- Amid a flurry of Twitter posts, U.S. President Donald Trump turned to the weekend attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities and assured his audience the United States had become such a big producer it no longer needed oil from the Middle East.
- Apple embarks on an epic court battle with the EU, fighting the commission’s landmark order that the iPhone-maker reimburse Ireland 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in back taxes.
- Hong Kong singer and activist Denise Ho wants U.S. lawmakers and companies to criticize Beijing's actions in Hong Kong, to help change the Chinese Communist Party's behavior.
- It's springtime Down Under, and along with overexuberant local football fans, that means another annual menace on Australian streets: angry birds.
- Iran has charged three detained Australians with spying, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said, cited by Tasnim news agency.
- A blast killed 24 people and injured 31 others near an election rally held by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in central Parwan province, a health official said.
- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she plans to meet with US President Donald Trump in New York next week, in what would be the first formal bilateral discussions between the two leaders.
- Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled out negotiations with the US, as tensions mount between the arch-foes after Washington blamed Tehran for attacks on Saudi oil installations.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a battle for political survival in a closely fought election that could end his 10-year domination of national politics.
- The current record for climbing the world's 14 tallest peaks is almost eight years. Nepali climber, Nirmal Puja, who served in the British special forces, has a target of seven months.
- The announcement was made during the maiden visit of local and foreign journalists to the proposed Kartarpur corridor in Narowal, some 125 km from Lahore, amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan after New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
- The Express Tribune quoted unnamed officials saying Pakistan has made it clear that it would only engage with India through quiet or conventional diplomacy after New Delhi was persuaded to meet conditions like lifting curfew and other restrictions imposed in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
- Oil prices soared worldwide amid the damage in Saudi Arabia and fresh Middle East war concerns. But Trump put the brakes on any talk of quick military action — earlier he had said the U.S. was “locked and loaded” — and he said the oil impact would not be significant in the U.S., which is a net energy exporter.
- Negotiations have stalled since a February summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam collapsed over disagreements over sanctions relief in exchange for disarmament measures.
- A unmanned aerial vehicle which had lost its control from DRDO at Kudapura in Chitradurga district crashed in an areca nut farm in Jodichikkenahalli of Challekere taluk of Chitradurga district.
- President Donald Trump’s decision to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an Indian diaspora event next week in Houston, Texas, has raised hopes that trade differences between the two nations will be eased.
- For NGOs to receive foreign funds, all their employees and officials have to declare to the government that they were not prosecuted or convicted for religious conversions, according to new rules put out by the home ministry.
- As the 150th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, famously known as Mahatma Gandhi and the Father of the Nation, approaches, Hindustan Times retraces his steps on the historic Dandi March.
- Tejas is a four-and-half generation light combat aircraft developed by state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
- The incident occurred at a Gollarahatti, a village dominated by the backward Yadava community. The BJP’s Chitradurga lawmaker A Narayanaswamy was on a visit to the village to discuss drinking water problems.
- All six BSP MLAs in Rajasthan defected to the ruling Congress. The development came ahead of civic body polls and by-polls for two assembly seats.
- The Supreme Court had in 2012 canceled 122 spectrum and licenses granted to eight companies in February 2012, saying the whole process was “illegal”. Salve had appeared for some of the 11 telecom companies in the case.
- The execution of a man guilty of murdering two young siblings in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore in 2010, set for, has been stopped for now by the Supreme Court.
- After a special court refused to hear his plea, former Kolkata Police chief Rajeev Kumar moved Barasat District Sessions Court for an anticipatory bail in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam case.
- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has moved a Delhi court, seeking permission to interrogate alleged AgustaWestland middleman Christian Michel in Tihar Central Jail, where he is lodged.
- The Delhi High Court has transferred all cases pertaining to Aircel-Maxis scam, involving P Chidambaram and his son, from Special Judge OP Saini to Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar, who is trying INX-Media cases against the father-son duo.
- After the Allahabad High Court stayed the notification to include 17 Other Backward Castes in the SC list, BSP president Mayawati today said such government decisions are "guided by total selfish political motives" but affects the entire society.
- Toll in the tourist boat accident in river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh mounted to 19 as seven more bodies were retrieved.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government will not tolerate any breach of India's territory and is ready to deal with any such acts strongly.
- For the last two days, Indigo flights from Delhi to Istanbul have been taking off without the checked-in luggage of most of its passengers due to payload restrictions resulting from heavy headwinds, said sources.
- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad rejected the claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked for controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik to be extradited to India.
- Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has invited online applications for the post of assistant. There are over 8000 vacancies across India in various states and regions of the country.
- A massive fully-funded Ph.D. fellowship program at IITs for students from ASEAN countries was launched by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who hoped the platform will help in generating “new business ideas” and “exciting technological breakthroughs”.
- Odisha’s Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology (IGIT) has clinched the regional round of NTPC’s ‘Electron Quiz 2019’ held here, the state-run company said.
- JEE Advanced 2020 will be held on May 17, 2020. Taking the mantle from IIT Roorkee, IIT Delhi will be organizing the entrance exam next year. JEE Advanced exam is conducted for admission to 23 IITs.
- IGNOU has extended the admission dates for the July 2019 cycle. Except for BCA, MCA and MTTM (Master of Tourism & Travel Management), registration is open for all other courses till September 30.
- The Delhi High Court has allowed JNU to notify the poll result in accordance with the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations.
- The Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) alleged the classes of BA (Programme) students were canceled at all centers without the SOL administration informing students. However, an SOL official said the classes were not scheduled for this.
- An organization of primary teachers took out a rally here to press for a hike in the grade pay of headmasters and senior teachers of primary schools.
- Banks are set to miss out on as much as $280 billion in revenue from their payments operations by 2025, as new start-ups muscle in and more of the business of sending money to individuals and companies becomes instant and free, according to a new report.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has expanded the scope and coverage of Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) to include all categories of billers who raise recurring bills (except prepaid recharges) as eligible participants on voluntary basis.
- The S&P BSE Sensex index slumped as much as 704 points to 36,419.09 at the day's weakest level, and the broader NSE Nifty 50 benchmark dropped as much as 207 points to an intraday low of 10,796.50.
- Santosh Gangwar said more than six crore members of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will get interest at the rate of 8.65 per cent on their deposits for financial year 2018-19.
- Mr Das said the monetary policy committee would continue to focus on growth with inflation expected to stay within the medium term target.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the tax refund program for exporters from January 1 will cost the government Rs. 50,000 crore ($7 billion) in revenue annually.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government would also relax external commercial borrowing guidelines for projects in the country's affordable housing scheme.
- Jurgen Klopp has warned Liverpool that retaining the Champions League will be even harder than its incredible march to victory in Madrid last season.
- Indonesian golfer Rory Hie won Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship 2019 and was awarded a cash prize of $300,000 and a trophy.
- The International Cricket Council(ICC) Test Rankings for batsmen released, Indian cricket captain Virat Kolhi at second place with 903 points, which is 34 points behind first positioned Australian cricketer Steve Smith having 937 points.
- Afghanistan cricket team created a new record of most consecutive T20I (twenty twenty International) victories after their 12th successive win in T20I during 2019 Bangladesh Tri-Nation Series held at Dhaka, Bangladesh against Bangladesh.
- Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Chhaya Sharma who led the investigation of the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape was selected for the 2019 Asia Society Game Changers Award along with six others by Asia Society
- The Badhaai Ho actor won Best Actress award while her film The Last Color emerged victorious in Best Feature Film category.
- NASA’s efforts to engage a broader audience in exploration through the use of social media and online features was recognized with two Emmy Awards for interactive programming this weekend.
- The Indian Air Force appointed Wing Commander Anjali Singh as India’s first woman defence attaché at an Indian mission abroad.
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) said its president Takehiko Nakao has announced his resignation which will be effective from January 16 next year. He became the president of ADB on April 28, 2013.
1. International News
- Oil prices surged more than 10 percent after attacks on two Saudi Arabian plants that slashed output in the world’s top producer by half, with Donald Trump blaming Iran and raising the possibility of a military strike on the country.
- US President Donald Trump said that the United States was prepared to respond to the devastating attacks on two oil installations in Saudi Arabia that halved the state oil company’s production output, while Iran rejected US accusations that it was responsible.
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted that “huge” progress was being made in Brexit talks and declared Britain would break out of the European Union just like the comic-book hero Hulk.
- Pro-democracy protesters rallied outside Britain’s consulate in Hong Kong, demanding London do more to protect its former colonial subjects and ramp up pressure on Beijing over sliding freedoms.
- The Democrats’ 2020 polling leader is trying to capitalize on his strength among older black voters even as some African American and other nonwhite leaders, particularly younger ones, view him more skeptically.
- The selection process for the astronaut would start in 2020, Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said.
- Hours before the strike began, US President Donald Trump tweeted: “Here we go again with General Motors and the United Auto Workers. Get together and make a deal!”
- PM Modi said he was delighted that Donald Trump would join him at the community program in Houston, Texas on 22 September.
- PM Modi is scheduled to address upwards of 50,000 people at a sold-out event at Houston’s NRG Stadium on Sept. 22 that’s billed by organizers as the largest-ever turnout for a foreign elected leader on U.S. soil.
- Ending speculation around whether he will make a joint appearance with Prime Minister Modi, U.S. President Donald Trump’s participation in the September 22 ‘Howdy, Modi!’ diaspora event in Houston has been confirmed.
- BJP working president J. P. Nadda said that a delimitation exercise will be carried out and reservation for SCs and STs will be made before elections are held in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
- Bangladesh and India are currently enjoying “best ever” relations, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen said during an interaction with the media in Dhaka.
- Large areas in several districts of Rajasthan were flooded after water was released from dams, forcing evacuation of thousands of stranded people, including schoolchildren.
- Moscow is holding talks with New Delhi on starting the production of S-400 Air Defense Systems in India, CEO of Russia’s Rostec state corporation Sergey Chemezov said.
- “Sewa Saptah” the program spanning a week is being observed to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on September 17.
- AIMIN chief Asaduddin Owaisi who opposed the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir said the situation was not normal in the valley.
- Amit Shah, speaking at a Hindi Divas event, said that while “unity in diversity” is India’s defining trait, the nation needed one language that it could be identified by globally. He said was the one language that could “bind the nation”.
- Chief Justice Gogoi also responded to a complaint that people weren’t able to approach the high court, offered to ascertain the situation and if need be, even travel to the state.
- Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) clerk admit card 2019 has been released. Candidates who have applied for the clerk recruitment can download their admit card online at hssc.gov.in.
- The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi has urged the government to emulate Australia and extend income-contingent loans to students to cover tuition fees and seek repayment only after they have found a job.
- Government Vocational Higher Secondary School for Girls Nadakkavu, Kozhikode has secured second place in the Government Day Schools ranking list.
- A professor has successfully made a model to help visually impaired people gain more knowledge by translating the text of Hindi, English and Gujarati language to Braille language.
- State Bank of India will be seeking clarifications from the Reserve Bank whether it can offer long-term home loans with fixed rates in the beginning and convert the same into floating rates later, chairman Rajnish Kumar has said.
- Ashok Kumar Pradhan, Managing Director and CEO, United Bank of India, said that though the merger of the bank with Punjab National Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce is likely to come into force from April 1, 2020, the integration of HR and IT is expected to take more time.
- Spain beat Argentina 95-75 to win the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time since 2006, completing a stunning campaign for a squad considered by many to be among the outsiders when the 32-team tournament began.
- Ashes 2019: Ashes 2019 was quite good for Australia’s fast bowler Pat Cummins and he played a superb fast bowler for his team in this Test series.
- Mayank Vaid has become the first Indian to complete the Enduroman — a triathlon from England to France which is considered to be one of the toughest endurance competitions in the world.
- The World War II satire about a young boy in 1940s Germany who discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their house stars Scarlett Johansson and Roman Griffin Davis.
- Pankaj Advani, bagged a record 22nd world title by winning a fourth straight final in the 150-up format at the IBSF World Billiards Championship here.
- NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration is likely to release imagery of Vikram landing site when the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will fly over the region.
- Former Andhra Pradesh Assembly speaker and TDP leader Kodela Siva Prasada has committed suicide at his Hyderabad residence. Kodela and his family were accused of corruption and financial irregularities.
- Bollywood editor Sanjib Datta who worked on films like “Dor”, “Mardani”, “Iqbal”, “Ek Hasini Thi” passed away.
1. International News
- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed Iran for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. He dismissed a claim by Yemeni Houthi rebels that they had attacked the two facilities, run by state-owned company Aramco.
- Tunisia is set to hold its second free presidential poll since the 2011 uprising that toppled ex-president Ben Ali and sparked the Arab Spring.
- Eighty-two migrants have disembarked on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa after six days at sea.
- Russia’s world-first floating nuclear power station completed a 5,000-kilometre (3,100-mile) Arctic transfer to the country’s far east, the Rosatom nuclear agency said.
- A British-Australian woman detained in Iran has been identified as Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a Middle East politics specialist at Melbourne University.
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK would emulate Bruce Banner, the mild-mannered Marvel scientist who transforms into the Hulk when angry.
- In an interview with Al Jazeera, Imran has also acknowledged that Pakistan could lose in a conventional war with India, and in that case “there could be consequences”.
- About 50% of Saudi Arabia’s oil production, representing about 5.7 million barrels per day, has been halted for now due, SPA news agency said, citing the kingdom’s Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman
- David Cameron, 52, was Britain’s youngest prime minister in 200 years when he entered 10 Downing Street in 2010 at 43, but left behind a withering legacy in 2016 that promises to unsettle the country for years
- Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said the deal reached between two government-owned firms, Pars Oil and Gas Company and PetroPars, to develop the Balal field would be the first of many.
- New York — asking a judge to enforce subpoenas of companies, banks and advisers to Purdue and its owners, the Sackler family — said it has uncovered the previously unknown wire transfers among family members, entities they control and several financial institutions.
- Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju and Minister of State Jal Shakti Ministry Ratan Lal Kataria flagged off the ‘Great Ganga Run’ from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch the ruling BJP’s ”Jan Ashirwad Yatra” in Jharkhand, which will cover the Santhal Pargana region of the state, where the party will look to make inroads in the assembly elections scheduled later this year.
- Minutes after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a range of sops for the export and housing sectors, the Congress termed the measures as “cosmetic and piecemeal” and contended that the measures would fail to revive the economy.
- In the arduous journey ahead, we can prevail only by doing what is right by the conscience of the nation, says the Congress leader
- Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, while at a public function on Saturday, said that the “tremendous work” done by him cannot be matched by the elected governments that have served the former state in the past.
- Three months after the government’s jobs report said that India’s unemployment was at a four-decade high, Union Minister Santosh Gangwar insists that there is no job crisis.
- The report speaks about an unprecedented political “joint venture”, which involves the likely announcement of a US-India trade deal at the same time, or a little before, with Modi and Trump celebrating together on September 22 at the “community summit” of Indian Americans.
- West Bengal has 3,342-gram panchayats in 341 community development blocks and RSS presently has units in all blocks and in about half of the gram panchayats.
- The gun-battle took place in Narkasa forest area, located around 170 km from here, when commandos of C-60, a specialized anti-Maoist unit of Maharashtra police, were combing the area.
- Tensions between India and Pakistan which have been running high since a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber killed 40 CRPF troopers in February have risen further after New Delhi scrapped the special status for Jammu and Kashmir in August.
- Most people onboard the Royal Vashishta, the boat that capsized in Andhra Pradesh, were tourists traveling to Papikondalu, a famous tourist spot near Rajahmundry.
- Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti has extended the last date to register for the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test (JNVST) which is conducted for admission to class 6.
- Adityanath was speaking at the second edition of ‘Manthan’-- a leadership development programme conducted by senior faculty of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) here for the chief minister and his ministerial colleagues.
- This centre will provide support in terms of the latest defence manufacturing technologies, training and skill development of manpower required for industrial units in the corridor.
- According to the norms laid down by the Delhi government, 3% of the total number for seats available in entry-level classes —nursery, kindergarten and class 1—in private schools are reserved for disabled persons.
- In a major step to boost relations with ASEAN countries and increase people-to-people ties, the Government has decided to offer 1,000 PhD fellowships to ASEAN students at liTs in India.
- A national capital school has topped the ranking for government day schools in the country, while two others have made it to the first 10 in the rankings released by an education portal, a statement from the Delhi government said.
- State Bank of India opened a branch in Diskit village, Nubra Valley, Leh district. This is the Bank’s 14th branch in Ladakh.
- Infosys’ Arizona center has a special focus on autonomous technologies, Internet of Things, full-stack engineering, data science, cybersecurity. Infosys says it has surpassed its Spring 2017.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the lowering of interest rates will encourage more government servants to buy new houses as they were “a major contributor” to the overall demand.
- The announcement comes in the backdrop of India’s merchandise exports declining by 6.05 per cent to USD 26.13 billion in August compared to the year-ago month.
- Nirmala Sitharaman, addressing the third press conference to announce measures to boost economy, said inflation has been kept “very much” below 4 per cent.
- The Rugby World Cup starts next week in Japan. The international tournament, held every four years, had its first match in 1987.
- India’s home record in T20s against South Africa surely needs improvement. India lost both decisive matches in the lone three-match series in 2015. In fact, India did avenge the loss in South Africa in February last year.
- Asian Games gold medallist Saurabh Chaudhary bettered his own world record to win the men’s 10m air pistol event at the National Shooting trials (T7) here.
- India’s Sumit Nagal reached the final of the of the Banja Luka Challenger with a 7-6, 6-2 straight-set win over Slovakia’s Filip Horansky.
- Five Indian women police officers were honoured by the United Nations for their commendable services in UN mission in South Sudan.
1. International News
- David Cameron has accused the current prime minister, Boris Johnson, and Michael Gove of behaving “appallingly” during the EU referendum campaign.
- The scandal exposed the lengths to which parents will go to get their children into the “right” schools and reinforced suspicions that the college admissions process is slanted toward the rich.
- Television images showed medical workers tending to some patients sitting in wheelchairs with IV poles beside them in the street. Elderly and intensive care patients were among those rescued.
- Fires broke out at two facilities of Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil producer, after they were targeted by drones, local media reported, quoting a minister.
- Tokyo-New York flight diverted to Dulles Airport near Washington, where passengers were stuck on board for five hours because of refueling and crew members reaching the end of their shift.
- Ajit Singh of Leicestershire Police faces a misconduct inquiry and disciplinary action by the police force over his illegal searches, which included looking up information on English football star David Beckham and wife Victoria Beckham.
- Khan made the remarks while addressing a rally of several thousand people in PoK capital Muzaffarabad, which was organized as part of the Pakistan government’s protests every Friday against India’s August 5 decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
- Pakistan’s envoy to the UN Maleeha Lodhi raised the Kashmir issue during a General Assembly session on Report of the Security Council for 2018 and referred to India’s August 5 decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution which ended the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
- The fires began after the Aramco sites were “targeted by drones,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
- The war of words over who will be the Chief Ministerial candidate in the 2020 Bihar assembly elections has intensified among NDA and Mahagathbandhan with leaders of both blocks contradicting each other.
- Pakistan as the “hub of terrorism”, India has strongly hit back at the country saying that Islamabad misused the UN forum to spread “baseless and deceitful” narratives about it, after Pakistan’s envoy to the UN Maleeha Lodhi raised the Kashmir issue during a General Assembly session.
- The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved indigenous development of ammunition for the Army’s T-72 and T-90 tanks worth approximately ₹2,000 crores, which would enhance the enemy armor penetration capability.
- The Constitution Bench hearing the Ayodhya dispute appeals asked advocate Rajeev Dhavan to focus on the contention raised by the Hindu parties that even the Janam than (birthplace) is a juristic person.
- Switzerland extended its support to India to strengthen its fight against terrorism in all its manifestations as President Ram Nath Kovind held talks with his Swiss counterpart Ueli Maurer and conveyed to him that India has been a victim of state-sponsored terrorism for decades.
- The announcement of parliamentary standing panels came late with the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla reconstituting the much-anticipated department-related standing committees.
- Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is tentatively scheduled to address a news conference to outline fresh measures for growth, said a government official privy to the plans, requesting anonymity.
- The previous two supercomputers under the first phase of the mission had been installed in IIT (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi and IIT Kharagpur. These computers are of 833 teraflops and 1.6 petaflops respectively
- Large number of people, including many foreigners, arrive annually to watch the huge processions and performances at Ramnagar Ramlila.
- Individuals can now check the status of the applications by their families together on www.nrcassam.nic.in by keying in their application receipt number.
- Salman Soz, son of ex-union minister and former Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Saifuddin Soz, has been appointed as the vice-chairman of the All India Professional Congress (AIPC), replacing former Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora.
- Opposition parties in Karnataka hit out at the BJP government at the Centre, accusing it of ‘ignoring’ the demand of people of the state to write the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) exams in Kannada, and termed it as “injustice” to Kannadigas.
- The last date for submission of details about infrastructure of schools seeking to be made examination centres for the 2020 high school and intermediate examinations on UP Board website has been extended to September 20, 2019.
- Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) clerk admit card 2019 will be released today, on September 14, 2019. Candidates can download their admit card online at hssc.gov.in.
- Enrolment in BMC schools has gone down by over 50% in the last decade, revealed data shared by Praja Foundation. Only 30,075 students enrolled in Class 1 in 2017-18 as opposed to 63,392 students in the same class in 2008. Students in civic schools went down to 3.11 lakh in 2017-18 from 4.04 lakh in 2008.
- Canara Bank’s board of directors, gave the in-principle approval for amalgamation of the bank with Syndicate Bank.
- Reserve Bank of India panel has recommended suitable measures, including the setting up of a credit guarantee scheme jointly by the Centre and States, upping the target for banks to lend to small and marginal farmers (SMFs), and avoiding loan waivers.
- Punjab National Bank with Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India to create India’s second-largest Public Sector Bank (PSB) with a business of Rs 17.5 lakh crores.
- Some exporters were exporting goods out of India on payment of IGST, done almost entirely out of the Input Tax Credit availed on the basis of “ineligible/fake” supplies and claiming it as a refund on export.
- Jurgen Klopp’s side have seized the early initiative in the Premier League with four successive wins to open up a two-point lead over second placed Manchester City.
- Archer took his tally for the series to 22 wickets, becoming the first England bowler to take two six-wicket hauls in an Ashes series since Ian Botham in 1981.
- Disney CEO, has resigned from Apple’s board of directors. Apple made the announcement in an SEC filing, where it revealed that Iger stepped down on September 10th which happens to be the day the company shared launch details for Apple TV+, its upcoming video streaming service.
- Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella’s father and former IAS officer BN Yugandhar passed away hereafter brief illness. He was 80.
1. International News
- Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden and close rivals Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have feuded over healthcare at the party’s third debate.
- Huawei’s chief executive has proposed selling its current 5G know-how to a Western firm as a way to address security concerns voiced by the US and others about its business.
- Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Saudi Arabia later this month, his third trip to the country, a media report said.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson denied that he had lied to Queen Elizabeth II when requesting she suspend Parliament this month in the run-up to Brexit.
- The war of words between the Taliban and President Donald Trump escalated as the Afghan insurgents warned that the U.S. leader had failed to grasp “what type of nation he is dealing with”.
- Russian investigators raided dozens of regional offices of top protest leader Alexei Navalny as well as the homes of his supporters after mass Opposition rallies this summer.
- The alleged Christchurch gunman Brenton Tarrant legally obtained an arsenal of rifles before embarking on the worst mass shooting in New Zealand’s modern history.
- Under the proposed bill, if a new apartment remains unsold for 12 months after it’s completed, the developer will be subject to a vacancy tax unless the unit is rented out. The tax would be a flat rate of 200% of the unit’s estimated annual rental value.
- Five crew members, including the captain, were asleep on the vessel’s second deck and survived. The sixth, a 26-year-old deckhand named Allie Kurtz, was sleeping below and perished with the boat’s 33 passengers.
- The Pakistan Prime Minister further admitted that the terror groups, which were born on the Pakistani soil and funded by America to carry out ‘jihad’ in Afghanistan, have now turned against Pakistan.
- The approved measure laid down the rules of investigation granting lawyers for Democrats and Republicans to directly question witnesses after the lawmakers were done, and allow White House counsel to file written response in realtime, granting the president due process.
- A senior Indian diplomat met UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet in Geneva and conveyed India’s concerns on the threat posed by cross border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
- India is building supercomputers instead of procuring them from foreign countries, Department of Science and Technology Secretary Ashutosh Sharma said.
- Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) this year, Australia’s lead negotiator for the 16-nation free trade agreement (FTA) says all countries have “committed” to completing talks in time for the RCEP summit on November 1.
- The fare for the Mumbai- Ahmedabad bullet train would be around Rs 3,000, an official of the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) said.
- New look for Central Vista and building common Secretariat also on the cards, according to sources in Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.
- Addressing a gathering in Sangamner in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the problem was not in the EVMs but in the “khopdi” (head) of these parties.
- The lawyer for the CBI confirmed the verdict removing the reprieve from the arrest that Kumar was enjoying, but refused to comment on whether he would be arrested now. The shield from arrest was set to end on Friday.
- Chidambaram, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, was seeking regular bail in the INX Media case. The Congress leader has been in judicial custody since September 5. He was arrested by CBI on August 21 and spent 14 days in the agency’s custody.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on September 12 said that his government had pledged to fight against corruption and jail corrupts and some are already in
- A flagship scheme of the AAP government is aimed at combating pollution and was first implemented in 2015. The scheme entails cars with odd and even number plates to run on alternate days.
- IIT Madras, in its Diamond jubilee year in 2019, has launched the Official Historical Archive and a decade-wise exhibit highlighting the Institute’s history.
- Phillip Zimmerman, technical development services programme manager, and Roma Khanna, tournament director, FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup that will be held in India in 2020
- Calcutta University has released the Provisional Pre-Publication status of marks for BA/B.Sc. part II (Honours/ Major) Examination, 2019.
- The Army began recruitment drives for the first batch of women soldiers, who will be inducted in non-combat roles. Rallies were held in various cantonments including those in Lucknow and Shillong.
- The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) had declared the result of Constable (GD) in CAPFs, NIA, SSF and Rifleman (GD) in Assam Rifles Examination 2018
- Bank of Baroda (BoB) has put the erstwhile Dena Bank’s headquarters located in Mumbai’s prime business hub of Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) on sale via e-auction. It has set a reserve price of ₹530 crore for the sale.
- Banks will be able to lend more to customers for buying consumer products such as mobile phones, home appliances, two-wheelers, and three-wheelers, with the RBI cutting the risk weight for consumer credit, including personal loans.
- Australia fast bowler Megan Schutt scripted history be becoming the first woman to claim two hat-tricks in white ball cricket after she cleaned up the West Indies tail in the third ODI here.
- Wahab Riaz, the Pakistan pacer, has taken an indefinite break from red-ball cricket to focus on the limited-overs formats.
- P. Hari Krishna and Nihal Sarin completed 2-0 triumphs while Vidit Gujrathi and B. Adhiban posted 1.5-0.5 victories for a place in the second round of the World Cup chess championship here.
- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), today, conferred Teacher’s Award 2018 to 35 Teachers and Principals.
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has honored Indian Ambassador Navdeep Singh Suri with its highest civilian honor Order of Zayed II award.
- An avid hunter and ex-soldier who knows how to handle a weapon, Vic Bencomo has a new preoccupation: tightening gun regulation in the United States, where firearms take tens of thousands of lives a year.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed a veteran Indian Army official as the head of the world body’s observer mission in Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.
- China has successfully launched three satellites ( a resource satellite- ZY-1 02D and two small satellites).
- Scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) discovered 2 new species of ginger- Zingiber namely Zingiber perenense and Zingiber dimapurense from Nagaland.
- Climate change campaigner of the South Pacific, Tongan Prime Minister (PM), Akilisi Pohiva, aged 78, passed away at Auckland hospital, New Zealand after suffering complications from pneumonia and liver disease.
1. International News
- Riots on the streets, food price rises and reduced medical supplies are real risks of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, a government document has said.
- US President Donald Trump will delay a planned tariff hike on $250bn (£202.8bn) of Chinese goods as a “gesture of goodwill”.
- US President Donald Trump said that John Bolton dismissed a day earlier as a national security adviser, had been a “disaster” on North Korea policy, “out of line” on Venezuela, and did not get along with important administration officials.
- UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to annex a key part of the occupied West Bank would violate international law.
- Some 2,500 people are unaccounted for in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian, the archipelago’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off a challenging six-week re-election campaign and immediately faced new questions about a nagging ethics scandal that could cut support for his Liberal Party.
- According to a report published in The Lancet journal, India is ranked fourth in Global Malaria Cases in 2017. India has 4% of the cases worldwide behind the African countries Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.
- Thailand became the first Asian nation to unveil plain cigarette packaging to reduce the appeal of smoking and complied with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines.
- New York-based media watchdog “Committee to Protect Journalists” (CPJ) released “10 Most Censored Countries list” that have high press censorship.
- Commerce & Industry and Railways minister Shri Piyush Goyal attended the 7th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) meeting of the 10members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) countries and its 6 Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners in Bangkok, Thailand from September.
- According to Japanese law, foreign nationals married to Japanese in heterosexual marriages are granted long-term residence status upon arrival in Japan, but those in same-sex marriages are not.
- Islamabad has reportedly been discriminating against its religious minorities which is manifested in various forms of targeted violence, mass murders, extrajudicial killings, forced conversion to Islam, etc.,
- The LSE has separately embarked upon a new LSE-India program to advance its long-standing relationship with the country and provide new opportunities for Indian students and academics, aided by an LSE-India fund.
- The aircraft has been grounded since mid-March following two deadly crashes but could return to the air on a staggered schedule in different countries.
- Most people crossing the southern border are Central Americans fleeing violence and poverty. They are largely ineligible under the new rule.
- Trudeau requested the dissolution of parliament in a meeting with Governor General Julie Payette, Queen Elizabeth II’s representative in Canada, marking the formal start of campaigning.
- Two US lawmakers have expressed concerns over the situation in Kashmir and urged US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to convince India to immediately end the communication blockade and release those who have been detained.
- A standoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh that lasted all day has been resolved through delegation-level talks, Army sources said.
- Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced a series of schemes for voters, ranging from entrepreneurs to watchmen and sanitation workers, ahead of the state assembly elections.
- The Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO) handed over the second airborne warning plane, Netra, to the Indian Air Force.
- The Supreme Court has asked the Director-General of Competition Commission of India (CCI) to complete a probe into the allegations of ”predatory pricing” against Uber India Systems Pvt Ltd within six months.
- The Income Tax Department’s decision last month to increase the monetary limit for the cases below which it could not appeal the court’s decision has somewhat backfired — it is now detecting a lot of organized tax evasions, specifically designed to fall below that threshold.
- Economic ties between India and Poland will receive a boost with the beginning of direct flights from September 12.
- Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi launched National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Mathura Member of Parliament (MP) Hema Malini.
- The 22nd session of the United Nations (UN) Committee on Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was held at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
- The first meeting of the Apex Committee for DefExpo 2020 was held in New Delhi. It was chaired by the Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh and it was also attended by Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath.
- The Department of Promotion and Industry and Internal Trade(DPITT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry launched ‘Swachhta hi Sewa 2019′
- Madhya Pradesh (MP) govt. announced to launch online service for cow adoption and shed provisions under the MP govt’s initiative “Project Gaushala” at Gaushalas(cow shelters). In this project, a cow can be adopted for a minimum period of 15days.
- Recalling his promises made during Lok Sabha elections of providing “Kamdaar (workaholic) and “Damdaar” (strong) government, the Prime Minister said it all has been shown in only 100 days of the new government.
- Alipore court acquitted Lalu Alam since there was no evidence against him yet and there was no chance that witnesses would come forward now, said lawyers.
- PM Modi, inaugurating a slew of projects in Ranchi, said that Jharkhand is the launching pad of big schemes beneficial for the poor and the tribals.
- More than 8,000 personnel have been deployed to guard the immersion processions while 169 CCTV cameras and drones have also been installed to keep an eye on them, Pune Police Commissioner K Venkatesham earlier said.
- Congress’s Manmohan Singh said that the very first step before implementing the five reform measures is to accept that the country is facing an economic crisis
- Ford Motor Company has denied reports that it plans to sell its newest factory in India located in Gujarat's Sanand.
- The Wednesday’s session turned stormy as Leader of Opposition Dr. Mukul Sangma said the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government was not serious to start legal mining of coal as he alleged it wants “illegalities” to happen because it suits their intent.
- Direct admission to Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd) course for 2019-20 academic session will take place between September 12 and 16 as over 1 lakh seats
- NBA sides Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers will play two pre-season games on October 4 and 5 in front of students under the Reliance Foundation Jr NBA program.
- The theme of the conference is to gauge the overall development of students through quality education and the changing teaching patterns in education system.
- A total of 150 students, teachers and staff gathered at the professional development and continuing legal education hall at the premises of the law school in Vimannagar.
- 4457 candidates from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been called in multiple phases for testing at AMC Centre and College in Lucknow.
- Three counters have been set up at Tourist Reception Centre Srinagar to help aspirants register for the examination, Srinagar administration said in a tweet.
- IIT Ropar has made an attractive debut in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2020 released on September 11.
- Andhra Pradesh government will introduce English medium from Class 1 to Class 8 from the next academic year and the necessary training will be imparted to teachers.
- The University Grants Commission (UGC) will soon announce the first batch of mentor institutions under its ‘Paramarsh’ scheme, an official said.
- Bharatiya Janata Party and the ruling Congress regarding the change of syllabus, the state government announced the implementation of the NCERT syllabus in schools from the next session.
- Government Middle School, Udhampur is situated in one of the most remote regions, where a dire shortage of teaching staff has become a pressing issue. This school provides education from first standard to eighth standard.
- Shares of private sector lender YES Bank ended over 13 per cent higher on the BSE amidst talk of a stake-sale by Rana Kapoor and the bank infusing more capital.
- The Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI Bank) and Life Insurance Corporation of India Credit Cards Services (LIC CSL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of LIC, will launch a co-branded credit card.
- An internal group of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will frame a formal mechanism to assess the adequacy of its foreign exchange (forex) reserves.
- Sunil Mehta, MD & CEO, Punjab National Bank, said the merger is not only a legal merger but also a one in terms of technology, products and services, common services, etc.
- France caused the biggest shock of the basketball World Cup after beating defending champion United States 89-79 to reach the semifinals of the 32-nation tournament here.
- From wanting to quit tennis a decade ago to make a dream Grand Slam debut against Roger Federer at the US Open last month, Sumit Nagal calls himself a “survivor” and the Indian is hopeful his journey will become less arduous going forward.
- Pawan Munjal, the Chairman, Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Hero MotoCorp was selected to be inducted in the 2019 Asia Pacific Golf Hall of Fame for his support in sports in India as well as globally.
- The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) derecognised the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for violating the National Sports Development Code of India (NSDCI), 2011 in accordance with provisions under clause I (ix) and (x) of Annexure-III of NSDCI, 2011.
- The famous Srivilliputtur palkova, a sweet made from cow milk and sugar, is set to get the Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai.
- The occasion of concrete day celebrations, Construction company Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) was recognised with Indian Concrete Institute award 2019.
- TamilNadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan who was sworn in as the first woman governor of Telangana, became theyoungest state governor at the age of 58 among all the current governors.
- Andhra Pradesh governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan is the oldest at the age of 85 among the current governors.
- Mahabaleshwara MS, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Karnataka Bank, has been inducted to the managing committee of Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).
- Bollywood Actor Ranveer Singh is the new global brand ambassador of Audio equipment Maker JBL owned by Harman International Industries.
- Astronomers have for the first time discovered water in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting within the habitable zone of a distant star.
- Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa restored Air Force Station (AFS) Ambala-based 17th Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’ which will be committed to operate India-Pakistan frontier.
- South Korean tech giant Samsung, has unveiled two apps namely “Good Vibes” a communication tool for deaf and blind people and “Relumino” that helps the visually impaired people to see the images clearer.
- Switzerland born famous documentary Photographer Robert Frank passed away at the age of 94 in Nova Scotia, Canada.
1. International News
- US President Donald Trump has announced he fired his hard-line national security adviser, John Bolton, saying he disagreed “strongly” with him.
- Israeli aircraft struck in Gaza hours after rockets from the Palestinian enclave triggered sirens that forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu off the stage at an election rally in Israel.
- Malaysia prepared to seed clouds after air quality in parts of the country reached unhealthy levels due to smog from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia, an official said.
- Japan’s environment minister says contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant may have to be released into the ocean because storage space will run out in 2022.
- Authorities in London have planned to extend the work visas of foreign students studying in British universities by two years.
- Several hundred protesters held up the portraits during a protest in southwestern France at the end of August near Biarritz where Macron was hosting a G7 summit of world leaders.
- The announcement means that Indian and other international students who join a UK educational institution from the 2020-21 academic year and complete a degree course in any subject will be able to stay for two years and take up any job.
- The country’s vice president for women and family affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, asked the judiciary chief to look into the case in a letter, the state-run Iran newspaper reported.
- The range of policies outlined in the report stimulates both sustainable development and economic growth. Reducing inequities by 50% would produce financial benefits to countries ranging from 0.3% to 4.3% of gross domestic product (GDP).
- A crowd of victims’ relatives is expected at ground zero Wednesday, while President Donald Trump is scheduled to join an observance at the Pentagon. Vice President Mike Pence is to speak at the third attack site, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
- Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson said 42 deceased persons on the island of Abaco and eight on Grand Bahama had been recovered as of Sunday, in an article published in The Nassau Guardian.
- It is Iraq’s deadliest mass stampede in recent history during Ashura, whose commemorative marches were previously targeted by Sunni extremist groups.
- A temple custodian who was riding one of the animals was among those hurt, as well as 13 women who were scrambling to get out of the way of the marauding elephants at the Buddhist pageant on Saturday in Colombo.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu extended greetings to the nation on the occasion of Onam.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to receive the first of 36 Rafale fighter jets in Paris on October 8 the foundation day of the Indian Air Force, government sources said.
- The interest and rights of every Indian citizen shall be protected and those who have illegally entered the country shall be dealt as per law, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani said here.
- Article 370 was encouraging the inflow of Pakistani terrorism, says Shringla. Some sections of the American media, especially the liberal media, is focussed on a perspective on Kashmir that has being “pushed forward” by those who are “inimical” to India’s interest,
- India’s decision to shut down oil imports from Iran due to sanctions imposed by the United States is also hurting India-Iran bilateral trade and India’s future in Chabahar port, said Iranian Ambassador to India Ali Chegeni.
- The advisory added that non-locals should not be allowed to enter the state without valid documents issued by the district administration and any unusual influx of “outsiders” should be brought to the knowledge of government authorities.
- The NIDM under the Ministry of Home Affairs that did a similar report on 1999 super cyclone now plans to bring out a document on the areas that Odisha excelled at and also the aspects that the state needs to get better.
- A Hindu woman had married a Muslim man who admitted that he converted to Hinduism in order to be accepted by the woman’s family. The woman’s family has disputed the man’s conversion to Hinduism, calling it a sham.
- PK Mishra, who had been Additional Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister for the last five years, and PM Modi have known each other for nearly two decades.
- Smriti Irani will inspect the beautification work being done on the Sagra lake and will also hold a review meeting with the railway department on the progress of the Salon-Unchahar rail line.
- Nearly 33 million residents of Assam applied to have their names included on the register, which was intended to distinguish between who was a legitimate resident of the state of the Assam and who was an illegal migrant.
- The deceased, a native of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, was hired by the family of three, primarily to take care of their four-year-old child and had been living with the family in their flat for the past 25 days. No suicide note was found.
- Chidambaram is facing probe in cases registered by the CBI and the ED pertaining to alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance given to INX Media to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when he was the Union Finance Minister.
- Delhi will soon have its own education board that will not be a replacement for the CBSE but a next generation board to help students prepare for entrance examinations like JEE and NEET, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
- IIT Hyderabad researchers have developed a method by which the inner workings of Artificial Intelligence models can be understood in terms of causal attributes.
- Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has begun accepting examination forms for December 2019 Term End Examination (TEE).
- Staff Selection Commission (SSC) will declare the result of combined higher secondary level (CHSL) exam 2018 paper 1 today, on September 11.
- Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) has declared the result of Lab Assistant recruitment exam 2019 on its official website.
- The Centre’s holdings in public sector banks have seen a steep ₹1.6 lakh crore erosion in value over the past five years, even as it pumped in a massive ₹2.5 lakh crore of capital into these banks.
- Life insurance companies have approached the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) for permission to start selling indemnity-based health insurance products once again, although general insurance companies are not too happy with the proposal.
- A gritty India survived waves of attacks from Qatar to hold the reigning Asian champion to a goalless draw and steal an unexpected point from its away match of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers here.
- India may have justified its top ranking by returning from the West Indies with optimum points in its maiden assignment of the World Test Championship.
- Research in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences: Prof. Sibnath Deb (Department of Applied Psychology, Pondicherry University) Child protection research, especially, focus on child abuse and neglect, student’s mental health and on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome(AIDS).
- Research in Physical Sciences: Prof. Sanjay (School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi) Research in non-equilibrium statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics.
- Research in Biological Sciences: Prof. Asad Ullah Khan (Inter-disciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh) Identifying Antimicrobial resistance(AMR) of spread and control of AMR.
- Research in Biological Sciences: Dr. Partima (Special Centre for Nanoscience, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi) Research on nano biosensors and nano-bio interactions during early-stage cancer diagnosis by nanomaterials bases biosensing platform.
- Technology Development: Dr. Shaon Ray Chaudhuri (Department of Microbiology, Tripura University, Tripura) Development of microbial biofilm reactor for of dairy wastewater conversion into biofertilizer.
- The Mahapariksha contains 14 levels and is conducted twice in a year at Tenali(Andhra Pradesh) for the students studying ‘Shastras’ (ancient scriptures).
- The 76th Edition of the annual Venice International Film Festival Awards for 2019 was held at Venice Lido in Italy from August 28- September, 2019.
- Founder & Chairman of Chinese firm Alibaba Groups has stepped down from his post at his 55th birthday and will remain on board till 2020. Jack will be replaced by Chief Executive Officer(CEO) Daniel Zhang as its new chairman.
1. International News
- After MPs rejected Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s second bid to call an early election to solve the Brexit impasse, he is left in limbo heading towards a crucial EU summit next month, just days before Britain’s scheduled exit.
- US President Donald Trump nominated an Indian-American as a federal judge in Florida. Anuraag Singhal is among the 17 judiciary nomination sent by the White House to the Senate.
- Dorian may have blown out to sea, but the US weather service now finds itself buffeted by strong political winds, with senior government meteorologists in open rebellion against Donald Trump.
- North Korea fired projectiles toward the sea, South Korea’s military said, hours after Pyongyang said it is willing to hold working-level talks with the United States in late September.
- Britain’s parliament began a controversial five-week suspension during a ceremony marred by a protest in which opposition MPs held up signs reading “SILENCED” and shouted, “Shame on you!”.
- Co-living index for the year 2019 titled “Insights on Co-living – An Asia-Pacific Perspective” across the Asia-Pacific region was released by London based consultancy agency Knight Frank.
- The 42nd session of the council opened with a minute of silence for the victims of Hurricane Doriane in the Bahamas, where at least 44 have been killed and thousands of homes reduced to rubble.
- Combining climate science with heat physiology, the first-of-its-kind report on the global impact of climate change on cricket shows how batsmen and wicket-keepers are increasingly susceptible to poorer performances.
- China issued a statement that said New Delhi and Islamabad should avoid actions that “unilaterally change the status quo” of the region. The Indian government has said the changes are purely an internal matter.
- The announcement followed Trump’s dramatic cancelation of a secret plan to fly Taliban leaders in for direct talks at the Camp David presidential retreat over the weekend.
- At least a million Muslims, mostly from the Uyghur community, are interred in camps across the northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
- Russia is holding regional elections, including in Moscow, after the exclusion of many opposition candidates triggered big protests in the Russian capital over the past several weeks.
- China expressed anger after German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas met prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, saying that no foreign country had a right to interfere in China's internal affairs.
- The Taliban this morning vowed to continue fighting against US forces in Afghanistan after President Donald Trump said talks with insurgents were "dead", saying Washington would regret abandoning negotiations.
- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will likely pick a former Olympic speed skater to prepare for the 2020 Games and keep allies in key posts in a cabinet reshuffle as he readies a tax rise and aims to revise the pacifist constitution.
- Former Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde, known for his outrageous remarks, today accused the Karnataka bureaucrat who quit, flagging concerns on democracy, of "treason".
- Shehla Rashid was charged for sedition over her controversial tweets on Kashmir.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has raised by 10% the amount of degraded land India has agreed to rehabilitate by 2030.
- The Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Union Home Ministry has decided to reopen investigations in seven anti-Sikh riot cases of 1984 in which trial had been completed and cases closed as the accused were discharged.
- The Election Commission met representatives of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Trinamool Congress and Communist Party of India hearing their arguments on why their status as national parties should not be revoked.
- Eight Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, who were involved in threatening and intimidation of locals, were arrested in south Kashmir’s Sopore.
- Himachal Pradesh has witnessed five earthquakes in the Chamba district during the past 24 hours, Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) informed.
- Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will present the full-fledged Budget for the financial year 2019-20 in the Assembly.
- Prime Minister (PM) of India, Shri Narendra Modi visited Haryana. He participated in BJP’s Vijay Sankalp Rally which marked the culmination of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’.
- According to the Sample Registration Survey (SRS) for 2013-17 released by the Registrar General of India, the overall life expectancy at birth in India improved to 69 years from 68.7 years in 2012-16.
- The ministry of Aviation jointly with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) organized the first helicopter summit 2019 in Dehradun
- The Government of India (GoI) announced humanitarian assistance of $1 million as immediate disaster relief to help people in The Bahamas affected by hurricane (tropical cyclone) Dorian which has caused large scale destruction.
- During his address at the fourth conclave of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a BJP-led front of parties from the region, in Guwahati, Shah had indicated that the Centre plans to enact the bill.
- Tabrez Ansari was lynched to death on June 17 after being forced to chant Jai Sri Ram and Jai Hanuman for allegedly stealing a motorcycle in Dahtkidih village under Seraikela police station (PS) in Seraikela-Kharsawan district.
- The IIT-K administration has started investigating the matter following the complaint of the girl, that was forwarded by the embassy.
- The institute said it had a zero-tolerance policy against any “deviant behavior” and strict action would be initiated once the recommendations of the panel were submitted.
- CSIR UGC NET December 2019 registration process has begun. Candidates can register online at csirnet.nta.nic.in. Check eligibility criteria, age limit, important dates, fellowship and other details here.
- Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), has invited applications against 1,053 non-executive vacancies from engineers. The application process will begin on September 16 and the last date to apply is October 7.
- The Delhi government envisions the board to be the answer to the current situation where students prepare for board examinations with the help of schools but have to take the help of coaching centers to clear they are engineering and medical entrance exams, he said.
- IGNOU December 2019 Term End Exam: Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has released the December term end exam form for December 2019 on its official website.
- IMA MAT September 2019 Admit Card fro CBT: All India Management Association (AIMA) will release the admit card for management aptitude test (MAT) 2019 today on its official website at mat.aima.in
- NSUI, the student wing of the Congress, said its candidate was beaten with sticks by ABVP members while campaigning in the College of Vocational Studies (CVS) and had to be taken to RML hospital for treatment.
- The results were submitted to Kadam night in sealed envelopes, the election committee had said. However, the administration felt that the results had already been declared before the submission, sources said. They indicated that the varsity cannot make a decision about it since the matter is sub-judice.
- Yes Bank is close to securing a deal to sell a minority stake to a global technology company to help boost the private lender's capital, the bank's CEO said.
- Financial Markets To Remain Closed For Muharram. FIIs remained net sellers in the capital market, pulling out Rs. 188.08 crore, according to provisional exchange data.
- Investor Service said the RBI's mandate on aligning commercial bank floating loan rates to the external benchmark from next month is credit negative for Indian banks.
- Bank of India committee has recommended the setting up of an intermediary to specifically promote mortgage securitization, reducing the minimum holding period, and a separate investment limit of 5 percent in provident fund and insurance investment guidelines, among others.
- Union Bank of India said its board of directors has approved a merger of Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank with itself and given nod for a capital infusion of Rs 17,200 crore in the current financial year.
- Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) has cut its marginal cost of funds-based lending rates (MCLR) by up to 25 basis points across tenors. With this move, the overnight MCLR has come down to 7.90 percent from 8.15 percent now.
- Major US stock indices finished little changed ahead of key reports on consumer prices and retail sales for August later in the week.
- Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) set aside a penalty of Rs 3 lakh levied by markets regulator Sebi on Central Bank of India
- The strongest Indian presence, though without two-time champion Viswanathan Anand, promises some exciting times when the World Cup chess championship opens in Khanty Mansiysk.
- Croatia missed a chance to go three points clear at the top of Euro 2020 qualifying Group E after a stunning goal by halftime substitute Tamkin Khalilzade earned Azerbaijan a 1-1 home draw with the 2018 World Cup runners-up.
- US Open 2019, annual hard-court tennis competition, was held from August 26- September 8, 2019, at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, New York, United States (US) on 14 DecoTurf hard courts.
- Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc(Monaco) has won the 2019 Italian Grand Prix(formally known as Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d’Italia 2019) Formula 1(F1) race at Monza, Italy.
- Sri Lanka cricket captain Lasith Malinga became the first bowler to take 100 wickets in the T20I (twenty-twenty International) format during a 3rd T20I match against New Zealand at Pallekele, Sri Lanka after which he also became the first-ever bowler to take a double hat-trick.
- India Red defeated India green by an innings and 38 runs to win the 2019 Duleep trophy held at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Akshay Wakhare (India red) of Vidarbha, Maharashtra took a 5 wicket haul leading to the team’s victory while Abhimanyu Easwaran(India red) was awarded player of the match title.
- Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei created record in the 2019 Great North Run event held in the United Kingdom(UK) making the fastest half-marathon run ever by a woman by winning the event in 1hr 4min and 28 secs which is 23sec ahead of the 2017 world record set by Jocelyne Jepkosgei (Kenya).
- Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) defeated Punjab National Bank (PNB) by 3-1 and clinched the 93rd All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament title for the year 2019 held at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
- Odia poet Pradeep Dash was selected for the 40th edition of 2019 Sarala Puraskar award for his poetry work Charu Chibar O Charjya.
- American multinational technology company Microsoft has appointed Rajiv Kumar as the new Managing Director(MD) of Microsoft India Research & Development(R&D) Private Ltd (MIRPL).
- Mumbai stalwart Amol Muzumdar was appointed batting coach of the visiting South African team for the Test series against India beginning October 2.
- Senior journalist Dilip Satpathy, aged 56, from Cuttack, Odisha passed away. The bone marrow cancer had relapced him 3 years ago.
1. International News
- British Airways (BA) faced its first global strike by pilots on Monday and the possibility of almost all its flights being grounded for two days.
- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will attract trade, investment, and technology from China to Pakistan so as to help boost his country’s future development.
- The United States and Afghanistan’s Taliban both left the door open to fresh talks after President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a secret summit, but the insurgents threatened to inflict greater costs.
- Google is honoring German doctor Ruth Pfau on her birth anniversary with a Doodle, commemorating her dedication to eradicating leprosy in Pakistan. Dr. Ruth Pfau was born in 1929 in Germany’s Leipzig.
- Hong Kong police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the upmarket Causeway Bay shopping district after demonstrators had rallied at the U.S. Consulate calling for help in bringing democracy to the Chinese-ruled city.
- Russia is holding regional elections, including in Moscow, after the exclusion of many opposition candidates triggered big protests in the Russian capital over the past several weeks.
- Washington also said it would not relent in fighting the militants after Trump blamed the scuttling of the unprecedented meeting on a Taliban attack that killed a US soldier.
- Edi Rama tweeted Sunday that Macron expressed “his sincere apology for the scandalous gaffe of the French Football Federation with our National Flag anthem!”
- Deep differences separate Chinese and U.S. negotiators on everything from market access to industrial subsidies as the two sides prepare to meet next month in Washington.
- India had signed a USD 5.43-billion deal with Russia for the purchase of five S-400 systems during the 19th India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit in New Delhi on October 5 last year for long-term security needs.
- President Ram Nath Kovind on September 8 night left for a visit to Iceland, Switzerland, and Slovenia during which he will hold talks with the top leadership of those countries to strengthen bilateral ties.
- The Maharashtra Home Ministry has reportedly written to the Navi Mumbai planning authority asking for land on which to build a detention center for illegal immigrants.
- Cooking food using domestic gas may not be a big deal for many but for beneficiary number eight crore of the Ujjwala scheme from Maharashtra, Ayesha Shaikh, getting the new gas connection deserves a feast and what could be the better option than ”biryani”
- Madhya Pradesh Minister Sajjan Singh Verma praised the Narendra Modi government and conveyed best wishes to it on its completion of 100 days in office during its second stint.
- Wildlife activists pointed out that such acts by forest department employees also defeat the campaign of the department that the common people should not harass or irritate animals in the wild or in a zoo.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah underlined the Centre’s intention to deport all illegal immigrants from the entire country but did not announce a time frame for the exercise.
- Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari made the revelation while he was speaking to reporters about the big decisions of the Modi-led government in its first 100 days.
- Kalyan Singh signed the membership form to join the BJP at an event hours after ex-union minister Kalraj Mishra succeeded him as Rajasthan governor.
- The Supreme Court had said last week that CPI(M) leader Yousuf Tarigami should be shifted “at the earliest” to AIIMS for treatment after taking cognizance of a petition filed by CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury following his visit to Kashmir last month.
- Former state working president and minister Bhaskar Jadhav will be the latest to join the Sena. Jadhav declared that he will join the Sena on September 13.
- Almost a month after the Himachal Pradesh government cancelled the examination for the recruitment of constables in the state police following the arrest of people impersonating as candidates, over 38,000 took the reconducted test.
- The online registration for Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) MBA 2020 examination will start from tomorrow, September 9.
- The online registration for UGC NET 2019 examination will start from tomorrow, September 9. All the interested candidates can apply for UGC NET December 2019 exam from the official website, ntanet.nic.in.
- Gold loan lender Muthoot Finance, which is bearing the brunt of the strike by a section of workers in Kerala, has scotched rumours of closing down of its branches outside the State, saying that “such reports are purely untrue, baseless and with mala fide intention by some unethical players”.
- The amalgamation of 10 public sector banks into four has nearly ended the consolidation process and created almost the right number of banks to cater to the needs of the aspirational and new India, Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar said.
- Spain’s Nadal, 33, won 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 against the fifth seed in New York. Nadal, seeded second, was cruising at two sets and a break-up, only for Medvedev to force a decider.
- The founder and Chairman of Vedanta Resources Limited, Anil Agarwal (65) has been given the lifetime achievement award at the 19th Annual Asian Achievers Awards 2019 with the theme inclusivity at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, on Park Lane.
- The CEO of crisis-hit Japanese auto giant Nissan plans to resign, local media reported, days after admitting he received more pay than his entitlement.
- At a meeting of the Board of Directors (BoD) of Press Trust of India (PTI), India’s premier news agency, after the company’s 71st annual general meeting, Vijay Kumar Chopra & Vineet Jain were elected as Chairman and Vice Chairman of PTI respectively.
- Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao increased the size of his Cabinet, inducting six more ministers
- Tamil actor-director Rajashekar passed away earlier today. He was 62. Rajashekar was a resident of Valsaravakkam, Chennai.
1. International News
- How A Law Professor Outmaneuvered Italy’s Trump to Become PM Twice. He was one of 90 people on staff at the university law school, with a reputation as being mild-mannered and formal.
- US President Donald Trump said he had called off a secret summit with the Taliban and Afghanistan’s leader, abruptly slamming the door on a year of diplomacy to end America’s longest war.
- Russia and Ukraine swapped dozens of prisoners on Saturday in a carefully-negotiated rapprochement that brought Western praise and could thaw a freeze in relations since Moscow’s annexation of the Crimea region in 2014.
- Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan called for a withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in an orderly manner, as the US and Taliban move closer to a potential deal.
- The 777X was originally scheduled to take off on its first test flight this summer. That date has been postponed until early 2020 by Boeing, due to problems with its General Electric engine.
- The 15-day
drill was the biggest joint air force exercise involving the Chinese and fighter aircraft from a foreign country, the Chinese military said it was the most comprehensive in terms of the equipment used and involved the most “complete combat unit”.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that his government was working tirelessly to ensure no family remains without an LPG connection, adding the target to provide 8 crore such connections was achieved seven months before the target date.
- An eight-member expedition of the Indian Army Medical Corps (AMC) scaled eight of the world’s highest passes and rode over 1500 kilometers in Ladakh as a part of the AMC Motorcycle Expedition, the Indian Army said.
- A day-long bandh by the Valmiki community against the telecast of a controversial TV serial provoked incidents of violence in parts of Punjab on Saturday in which a man was shot at in Jalandhar.
- The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been extended for six months in Assam effective from August 28 after reviewing the law and order situation in the state, a government release said.
- Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories was one of the biggest achievements of the Narendra Modi 2.0 government, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said while presenting government’s 100-day report card.
- The FATF last year placed Pakistan on the grey list of countries whose domestic laws are considered weak to tackle the challenges of money laundering and terrorism financing.
- Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has invited online applications for the posts of junior enginer (Civil and electrical), internal auditor and electrician grade 2.
- Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL) has invited online applications for the recruitment on non-executive posts.
- Andhra Bank has announced the opening of Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2019-20 Series-IV notified by Government of India for public subscription.
- Bank of Baroda has sanctioned a loan of Rs 2,000 crore for the ambitious Bundelkahnd Expressway project, according to a release issued by the Uttar Pradesh government.
- Andreescu’s victory prevented Williams from claiming what would have been her record-tying 24th major singles championship.
- Rafael Nadal will play for his 19th Grand Slam title, one shy of Roger Federer’s all-time men’s record, after battling past Italy’s Matteo Berrettini on Friday and into his fifth US Open final.
- The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena was given an extension of another 3 years.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson received a fresh blow Saturday when senior minister Amber Rudd quit her work and pensions post in protest at his handling of the Brexit crisis.
- Former Tamil Nadu BJP Chief Tamilisai Soundararajan was sworn in as the Governor of Telangana on Sunday morning at the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad
- Ram Jethmalani, one of India’s finest lawyers and a former union minister, died this morning at his home in Delhi.
1. International News
- Former Starbucks Corp chief executive Howard Schultz has abandoned plans for an independent presidential run, saying he did not want to split the electorate and help re-elect U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020, according to a statement on his website.
- Presidents and ministers from seven Amazon countries met in Colombia to agree on measures to protect the world’s biggest rainforest, under threat from wildfires and rampant deforestation.
- A US ballistic missile submarine has tested four life-extended Trident II D5 missiles to validate their performance, the US Navy said in a statement.
- The US central bank is ready to step in to preserve the American economy’s expansion amid mounting risks, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said.
- Hong Kong police fired rubber bullets and tear gas on Friday to clear renewed protests outside a subway station on the densely populated Kowloon peninsula, the latest clashes in 14 weeks of sometimes violent anti-government unrest.
- Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, whose policies are blamed for a spike in fires, furiously accused the 41-year-old French leader of having a “colonialist mentality” by questioning his country’s sovereignty in the Amazon.
- Hurricane Dorian swept through the islands earlier this week, leveling some neighborhoods, swallowing others with storm surge, and causing what one official described as a “staggering” number of deaths.
- US District Judge Paul Engelmeyer in Manhattan sentenced the former maths teacher to 27 months in prison, well below the eight to 10 years called for by federal guidelines.
- Beijing administers Hong Kong as a special administrative region (SAR) under the “one country, two systems’’ principle, which gives local residents certain rights like the freedom to protest not enjoyed by Mainland residents.
- Cruise ship companies, including Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Norwegian Cruise Line Holding Ltd., and Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, have been involved in relief efforts in the Bahamas since the hurricane smashed into the islands, pulverizing entire neighborhoods and leaving at least 30 people dead.
- At 295 million euros ($326 million), the 414-foot vessel where Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen partied with U2 and Mick Jagger and sailed to destinations from Venice to Shanghai, is listed at brokerages Fraser and Burgess.
- The senior Congress lawyer has been part of Mr. Chidambaram’s legal defence team who has been arguing the INX-Media bribery case in the Supreme Court and the Special CBI court.
- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) called off its agreement with Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party for the upcoming Haryana Assembly election and decided to field candidates on all seats in the state.
- President Ram Nath Kovind will embark on a visit to Iceland, Switzerland and Slovenia from Monday during which he is expected to brief the top leadership in those countries on India’s “national concerns”, especially in view of terror incidents this year, including the Pulwama attack.
- Sasikanth Senthil said he could not sit in the bureaucracy and continue to watch people become hyper nationalists who could not encourage intellectual debate.
- India, Pakistan ties have been tense since New Delhi announced the scrapping of Article 370, granting special status, in Jammu and Kashmir and also divided the state into two union territories
- Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ensured that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray shared the Dias with PM Modi and Thackeray in his speech praised the Prime Minister announcing that the next state government would only be from the saffron alliance.
- Such is the animosity between the Orthodox and Jacobite factions that one faction doesn’t want the death of the other in its cemeteries.
- Ajit Doval was quoted by agencies to have said that the restrictions have been eased to a great extent as only 10 of the 199 police districts in Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh were under prohibitory orders, while land-line telephones have been restored 100 percent in all three areas.
- The new Act spearheaded by Nitin Gadkari has been passed but has invited sharp criticism for the amounts of the hefty fines, the Sena added that the central Surface Road Transport Ministry will have to “rethink” the steep fines.
- Former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy who visited Shivakumar’s mother’s house in Kodihalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru said there was o reason to arrest the Congress leader.
- Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has invited online applications for the posts of junior enginer (Civil and electrical), internal auditor and electrician grade 2. Last date to apply is October 1.
- Under the IoE tag, academic collaborations with foreign higher educational institutions (in top 500) would be exempt from government approval.
- Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC) has released the answer key and question paper for civil judge (JD) prelims examination 2019.
- Sun Pharmaceutical said in a statement to financial markets that the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has told it to review its financial statements for the last three years.
- Investors will also look to Fed Chairman Powell’s speech in Zurich for more clues on the policy outlook. Twenty five of the 31 Sensex constituents and 33 of the 50 Nifty companies rose.
- The Indian currency opened at 71.88 against the US dollar. The yield on the 10-year Indian government bond was at 6.604%.
- Next up for the Spaniard is a showdown with big-serving Russian Medvedev, who was a straight sets winner over Grigor Dimitrov earlier in the day
- Afghanistan test cricket captain Rashid Khan who led the match against Bangladesh at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong(Bangladesh) created record by becoming the youngest test cricket captain released by International Cricket Council(ICC) at the age of 20 years and 350 days.
- The World Wrestling Championships 2019 are scheduled to be held from September 14-22, 2019 at Barys Arena in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
- The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind has addressed the special function ‘Swachh Mahotsav 2019’, organized by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti held in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
- Minister of Woman and Child Affairs(WCD) Smt, SmritiZubinIrani awarded states and districts for sex ratio and awareness generation under the BetiBachaoBetiPadhao(BBBP) campaign.
- Vatican city(smallest country in the world) conferred 2006 Noble laureate of Bangladesh, Prof MuhammadYunus with 2019 ‘Lamp of Peace of Saint Francis ‘ award at the historical Papal Basilica of Assisi,Italy.
- An Event Horizon Telescope Team consisting of 347 scientists who produced the world’s first image of a black hole were felicitated with Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. It is known as the “Oscars of science”
- The Chief Justice of Madras High Court, Vijaya K Tahilramani seems to have expressed her intent to resign from her post, sources said.
- The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of the Government of India, appointed Dr. B. Bala Bhaskar as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Norway.
- A new book, “Phoolpur: Indian Flowers, Their Myths, Traditions and Usage” written by Jhelum Biswas Bose is set to be released on September 8, 2019. It is published by Penguin India. The book’s foreword is written by actor Lisa Ray.
- The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has released a coffee table book entitled ‘Glorious Diaspora- Pride of India’ on Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardees in New Delhi.
- Abdul Qadir was 63 years old and is survived by his wife, four sons and a daughter. Pakistan’s master leg-spinner Abdul Qadir died in Lahore on Friday after suffering from a massive cardiac arrest, his family confirmed.
1. International News
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson plowed on with a largely Brexit-themed address even though a police cadet behind him appeared to faint after waiting for him on her feet for over an hour.
- Iran said it had taken a step to further scale back its commitments to a 2015 nuclear deal, Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency reported.
- India and Indonesia “unequivocally” condemned terrorism and the “selective approaches” in dealing with the global menace as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi in Jakarta.
- North Korea wants the number of U.N. international staff in the country reduced by the end of the year over what it claims is the politicization of aid by parties hostile to its government, but the United Nations says the mission’s current “light footprint” is vital.
- Indian tech entrepreneurs who participated in a cross border collaboration meet, jointly organized by The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), the Embassy of India, Tokyo and the Japan VC Network
- While details of the deal have not been announced, it is widely expected the US will slash its troop presence in Afghanistan in return for various Taliban commitments.
- The calls by the stores -- which follows a similar move by Kroger, the country’s biggest supermarket chain -- come as the United States grapples with an epidemic of gun violence and frequent mass shootings.
- The Philippine officials said Jennifer Erin Talbot was able to pass through the airport immigration counter without declaring the baby boy but was intercepted at the boarding gate by airline personnel.
- At 11:00 am (1500 GMT), Dorian was packing maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (175 kilometers per hour), down from 115 mph (185 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
- India will be taking part with armies from Pakistan, China among others in the exercises being held by Russia set to be kicked off from September 9.
- “It’s time for India to eat right,” said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, kick-starting POSHAN Maah 2019 with a year-long social and mass media campaign on the Eat Right India movement.
- The annual Hindustan Times Mint Asia Leadership Summit, being held in Singapore on Friday, will witness top leaders of the world.
- A year ago, the Supreme Court handed victory to 34 people from across India who challenged Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a British-era law that criminalised consensual, adult, same-sex relationships and fostered a climate of fear and discrimination against the entire Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.
- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had recently conducted searches at about a dozen premises of Naresh Goyal and his associates in New Delhi and Mumbai.
- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on completion of government’s first hundred days in the office, has decided to flag the achievements of these 100 days in a manner that would not be seen as aggressive but as highlighting achievements of a confident government.
- Karti Chidambaram, who is facing proceedings in cases like Aircel-Maxis and money laundering matters, had deposited Rs 10 crore pursuant to the condition imposed by the apex court for traveling abroad.
- In June this year, Arvind Kejriwal had announced that his government was working on a proposal to offer free rides to women in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, cluster buses and the Delhi Metro.
- The twins Jaga-Kalia of Milipada village under Phiringia block in Kandhamal district were admitted in AIIMS, Delhi, on July 2017, where they were surgically separated by more than 20 doctors in two phases.
- Himachal Pradesh Revenue Department will soon fill up vacant posts of Patwaris. The revenue department has issued a notification to recruit as many as 1,195 patwaris in the state.
- Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) has declared the result of the recruirtment exam for principal recruitment exam on June 11 and the interview conducted on August 20, 21 and 23, 2019. NVS principal result can be checked online at the official website of NVS at navodaya.gov.in.
- This General Knowledge (GK) roundup will cover some of the major events happened in India and world last week.
- The Madhya Pradesh government is pushing to enhance English language skills of students in state-affiliated institutes and increase their employability.
- Banks, keen on branching out into insurance ventures by acquiring an insurer, may have to review their plans.
- Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd said that it is undergoing a forensic audit of its financial statements as ordered by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
- At home and in front of a boisterous crowd, India upped the ante and stayed in control for most of the first half.
- Mithali Raj will lead the India women’s team in the ODI series at home against South Africa, the BCCI announced. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead Indian T20 squad for the first three matches in the six-match series.
- Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Deputy Manish Sisodia on Thursday presented the State Teachers Awards to 87 teachers in various categories for their service and rigorous efforts to make qualitative changes in the education system in Delhi.
- Actor Boman Irani will be felicitated for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema at 17th Bollywood Festival in Oslo, Norway.
- Kaushalacharya Samadar 2019 was organized by the Skill India Mission, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on the occasion of Teachers Day in New Delhi
- After many months of bitterness, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Alka Lamba quit the party today with a tweet saying it was “time to say good bye”.
- Rapper Nicki Minaj took to Twitter to announce that she was retiring from the music business. “I’ve decided to retire & have my family. I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me,” she wrote.
- Former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has passed away at the age of 95 after battling ill health. Mugabe was ousted from power in a military coup in 2017, ending his 37-year reign.
1. International News
- Concerns over Hong Kong’s political and economic future are growing as pro-democracy protests drag on and turn increasingly violent, and China makes clear that forceful intervention is possible.
- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday it was unacceptable for nuclear-armed states to forbid Ankara from obtaining its own nuclear weapons, but did not say whether Turkey had plans to obtain them.
- Some of the crew of a Swedish-owned oil tanker held by Iran in the Gulf have been released, the Swedish foreign ministry said, weeks after it was taken amid heightened tensions in the region.
- The government has said a bill to stop a no-deal Brexit will complete its passage through the Lords.
- Rescuers have begun to reach areas of the northern Bahamas devastated by Hurricane Dorian, with aerial images showing a trail of destruction.
- The United States blacklisted an “oil for terror” network of firms, ships and individuals allegedly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for supplying Syria with oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars in breach of US sanctions.
- Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam told a news conference that her decision to formally withdraw the controversial bill allowing extraditions to China and other moves would only be the “first step to break the deadlock in society.
- The Adrian Darya 1 was held for six weeks by the British overseas territory of Gibraltar on suspicion that it was set to deliver oil from Iran to its main Arab ally Syria a violation of European Union sanctions on President Bashar al-Assad’s iron-fisted regime.
- The admission raises more questions about Saikawa’s ability to steer Japan’s No. 2 automaker through a financial crisis in the wake of the arrest last year of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn, as mounting costs and sluggish sales sap profit.
- “There remain legal impediments to formal international co-operation with Mainland and other parts of China,” the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international body that assesses money laundering standards, said in a report.
- Provisions of the new Motor Vehicles Act are yet to be implemented in Telangana as the state transport order has not released an order in this regard till date.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and the two leaders pledged to deepen the robust bilateral ties between the two nations in a number of areas, including in economic and defence sectors. The two leaders met in Russia.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi took up with his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamed the issue of extradition of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who is a fugitive in India and has taken shelter in Malaysia.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Russia will train the Indian astronauts for the country’s ambitious manned space mission the Gaganyaan.
- The Aircel Maxis case refers to an investment by Malaysia’s Maxis Communications in Indian Aircel Ltd which, the CBI says, was in violation of the then prevailing foreign investments laws.
- Excavators also demolished some of the commercial structures around the monastery even though Emar Mutt’s Das continued to remain inside.
- Suspected JMB militant Abdul Bari and Nijamuddin Khan are suspected to run recruitment and training of militants in North Dinajpur. STF says they were acting directly under the instructions of JMB’s top leadership.
- Anuradha Bhasin, Executive Editor of Kashmir Times, told a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that even after a month of the scrapping of Article 370, journalists were “not allowed to move freely in the state”.
- The pre-arrest bail comes as a huge reprieve for the former finance minister who has been in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation for 15 days in the INX Media case and could be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate next.
- Home Minister Amit Shah while addressing the public during the second leg of the ‘Mahajanadesh Yatra’, launched on August 1 by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, attacked NCP chief Sharad Pawar questioning his contribution in providing financial aid to farmers in Maharashtra
- The office of the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) of India has released an official notification regarding the recruitment of eligible candidates for the Group ‘C’ posts of Auditor/Accountant/Clerk against Sports Quota for the year 2019.
- Admit card for Chhattisgarh State Eligibility Test (SET) 2019 has been released by Chhattisgarh Professional Examination Board (CGPEB) on its official website at vyapam.cgstate.gov.in.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made it mandatory for banks to link loans to retail customers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to external interest rate benchmarks in a big push to make transmission of monetary policy more effective.
- Share market update: Bank shares slip; ICICI Bank down over 1%. The Nifty Bank index was trading 0.19 per cent down at 27,073.25
- Rafael Nadal kept pulling away in his U.S. Open quarterfinal, then getting reeled back in by Diego Schwartzman.
- Teachers must instil the value of hard work in their students as a child never forgets his/her teachers, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.
- According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India(GoI) Shri Jaideep Sarkar, a 1987 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer has been concurrently accredited as the next High Commissioner of India to the Kingdom of Lesotho, with residence in Pretoria. He succeeds Ms. Ruchi Ghanashyam.
- The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu will release 2nd editions of ‘Loktantra Ke Swar (Khand 2)’ and ‘The Republican Ethic (Volume 2)’ on September 6, 2019, at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi.
1. International News
- By day, the unforgiving sun glares off the road beside Ipah’s wooden home with blinding brightness as a passing motorbike stirs a swirl of dust.
- As Prime Minister, Theresa May was direct in her criticism of lawmakers in Britain’s parliament, whom she accused as recently as March of “infighting,” “political games and the arcane procedural rows.”
- AL-HOL, SYRIA: The woman told aid workers it was an accident. Her 14-year-old daughter had slipped and fallen, she said. There was nothing they could have done.
- The Austrian capital Vienna has retained its ranking as the world’s most liveable city, according to an annual report from the Economist.
- The US Defense Department said it was freeing up $3.6 billion in funds budgeted for other projects to build a wall on the Mexican border as ordered by President Donald Trump.
- The disfigured body of the young woman was found on Saturday, hidden under rubbish, branches and an old quilt.
- Mark Zuckerberg should face serious consequences for letting his social media platform misuse consumers personal data.
- The protests in the former British colony began in June over the bill, which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but have since evolved into a push for greater democracy.
- The Ex-Pakistani High Commissioner to India got severely trolled after he re-tweeted a picture of the adult movie star Johnny Sins, mistaking him to be a Kashmiri protester who lost his vision due to pellet injury.
- India’s Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty also said that there was a lot of interest from US companies to relocate from China to India and he hoped that Tamil Nadu is rolling out the red carpet for them.
- Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that “genuine Indians” left out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) should not worry while included “foreigners” should not rejoice as long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were around.
- India and Japan have decided to hold their first Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue (2+2) ahead of the Japan-India annual summit this year for “advancing cooperation towards peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region”.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his visit to Russia will give a fresh boost to relations between India and Russia.
- The governors of five US states – New Jersey, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, and Indiana – are scheduled to visit India over the next few months to enhance economic ties between the countries.
- The four Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLAs, whose disqualification was sought by senior party leader Abhay Singh Chautala under the anti-defection law, submitted their resignations to Haryana assembly Speaker Kanwal Pal here, officials said.
- PM Narendra Modi said India-Russia friendship has benefited the people of both the nations, President Putin agreed that India is one of the key partners of Russia.
- Nationwide, according to industry estimates, automakers, component manufacturers and dealers have laid off about 350,000 workers since the start of the year, in response to plunging car sales.
- This week, the Grand Tamasha podcast series continues its exploration of the events unfolding in Jammu and Kashmir by speaking with Salman Soz, who offers a very different perspective on the actions on the ground.
- The understanding of the proposed movement of pilgrims was reached at the third round of talks between senior officials for finalizing the modalities for operationalizing the Kartarpur Corridor.
- In a clarificatory conversation aimed at putting the facts straight about the abrogation of Article 370 that ended the hilly state’s political autonomy, the Indian Ambassador said that the move was aimed at re-organizing the state administratively.
- IIT Kharagpur has been selected for setting up a Sophisticated Analytical and Technical Help Institute (SATHI), a Department of Science and Technology initiative of the Centre, for which Rs. 125 crores has been earmarked over a period of three years.
- National Testing Agency (NTA), began receiving application for JEE Main exam online. Along with opening the application window, the agency also announced some vital changes in the exam pattern for the JEE Main exam.
- 16 Students from various Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country have been selected through an Online Space Quiz conducted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), to witness the landing of Chandrayaan 2 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 7.
- The CG Vyapam SET 2019 will be conducted on September 8, 2019. The exam will be conducted in two shifts for paper 1 and 2. Paper 1 will be conducted from 10 am to 11 am. Paper 2 will be conducted from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.
- The Educational Testing Services (ETS), known for conducting the global TOEFL and GRE tests, had in May announced certain changes to TOEFL to “bring the test in sync with changing demands of educational institutions”.
- The chief secretary and school education secretary, during a meeting with the Uttarakhand Bamboo and Fiber Development Board, decided that schools will be reconstructed using bamboo as it is a more disaster-resistant structure compared to concrete buildings and also a cost-effective alternative.
- Institute aims to establish similar cells across other IITs and NITs, which will help small and large industries of their respective region and boost Indian Manufacturing Sector
- ISRO conducted an online space quiz among the students of standard eight to ten throughout the country to select top 60 students to witness the live telecast of Chandrayan II moon landing. The contest was held from August 10 to August 25 this year.
- IIT Kharagpur has been selected for setting up a Sophisticated Analytical and Technical Help Institute (SATHI), a Department of Science and Technology initiative of the Centre, for which Rs 125 crore has been earmarked over a period of three years.
- Indian Bank will retain its USP and gather more strength and scale in the next 3-4 years, says CEO Padmaja Chunduru.
- Public sector banks (PSBs) can now create Chief General Manager (CGM) posts as per their business needs.
- The survey collects data from businesses in the second half of every month. The survey also pointed out that all the sectors it covered except real estate and business services showed sustained growth.
- Asian stocks eased in early deals on Wednesday after poor US economic data stoked fears of global recession. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was a shade lower after losing 0.85% the previous day.
- ICICI Bank(Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India), the leading private sector lender, has become the 1st bank in India to deploy industrial ‘robotic arms’ to count millions of notes in currency chests across the country.
- Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated that the central government will contribute $22 million to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFTAM) for the 6th replenishment cycle (2020-22), an 10% jump of the amount US$ 20 million contributed in the 5th cycle.
- Qatar unveiled the logo for the 2022 World Cup which will be hosted by the Gulf emirate, displaying it in public spaces in Doha and cities around the world.
- Indian Men’s Cricket team toured the West Indies and the United States (US) from August 3-September 3, 2019.
- 2019 International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle / Pistol event was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from August 26-September 3, 2019.
- In the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Rankings, Steve Smith of Australia piped Indian captain Virat Kohli and secured the top spot. He has a one-point (904 points) lead over Kohli (903 points).
- At the 73rd Glenmark National senior aquatics championships 2019, held at Prakash Taran Pushkar Bhavan, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Indian swimmer Rujuta became the fastest female swimmer of India winning the title in 50m freestyle whereas her husband Virdhawal Khade(2010 Asian bronze medallist) broke his own national record winning gold in the men’s 50m breaststroke event.
- Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj has announced her retirement from T20 (twenty-twenty) International in order to focus on the upcoming 2021, 50 over World Cup to be hosted by New Zealand.
- President Ramnath Kovind will be conferring the National Teachers’ Awards to the winners of 2018 at a function on September 5.
- Saudi Arabia removed Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih from his position as Chairman of Saudi Aramco, the second time his role has been scaled back in less than a week, as the government prepares to sell shares in the state-owned oil company.
- Former India spinner Sunil Joshi has been appointed as coach of the Uttar Pradesh Ranji team for a one-year term, the UPCA has announced.
- Shri Sanjiv Ranjan, who is the present Indian Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Ecuador, with residence in Bogota (high altitude capital of Columbia).
- A new book entitled “First They Erased Our Name: A Rohingya Speaks” penned by journalist Sophie Ansel (France) will be formally released by Penguin Random House (India) on September 9, 2019.
1. International News
- The United States would withdraw 5,400 troops from Afghanistan within 20 weeks as part of a deal “in principle” with Taliban militants, Washington’s top negotiator has said.
- Boris Johnson faces a showdown in Parliament later after No 10 officials warned he would call for a snap general election on 14 October if MPs succeed in seizing control of Commons business.
- Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro will miss a planned summit on the fires ravaging the Amazon rainforest to prepare for surgery, an aide has said.
- Argentina has imposed currency controls in an attempt to stabilise markets as the country faces a deepening financial crisis.
- Bangladesh ordered operators to shut down mobile phone services to almost one million Rohingya refugees living in camps in the country’s southeast, an official said.
- The Iranian tanker Adrian Darya 1 blacklisted by the United States has been off the coast of Lebanon and Syria for the past 24 hours, maritime monitors said.
- Two Indian Navy Warships- INS Sahyadri and Kiltan visited Laem Chabang, Bangkok, Thailand for a port call which is scheduled till September 3, 2019, as a part of the Navy’s Overseas Deployment to South East Asia and Western Pacific.
- The Mexico bus station shooting came after a violent weekend in which at least 15 people were murdered in various incidents in the state, according to media reports.
- In a hastily arranged statement outside his Downing Street office, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he did not want an election. But he signaled that an emergency poll could follow if he loses the fight with his opponents this week -- as he will never agree to their plan.
- Pakistan will never ever start a war with India, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday, amid tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors over Kashmir.
- The 14th United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) to combat desertification kicked off in New Delhi on Monday with India taking over the presidency of the COP for two years.
- The fire at a gas processing unit owned by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) at Uran in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday morning killed four people bringing back memories of the devastating fire in the. ONGC-run Mumbai High in 2005.
- Ninety-three percent of J&K and Ladakh regions without any prohibitory orders now as the situation showed a gradual improvement in the wake of the August 5 decisions, said the J&K government spokesman.
- P Chidambaram Plea’s INX Media Case Live Updates: Former Union Minister P Chidambaram, who was arrested by the CBI in INX Media Case, will be produced in Supreme Court today. The Congress leader’s CBI custody was extended till today.
- The SC had on August 22 ordered status quo for a week on the insolvency proceedings after Jaypee challenged National Company Law Appellate Tribunal’s order allowing the fresh bidding for Jaypee Infratech.
- Union health minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan is a strong advocate of fitness and cycled 2km from his home to work in the summer heat to take charge of the Union health and family welfare ministry at Nirman Bhawan on June 3
- The Rajasthan state government has launched a new health insurance scheme called Ayushman Bharat-Mahatma Gandhi Rajasthan Swasthya Bima Yojna (AB-MGRSBY)
- Vice President of India, Shri Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the longest electrified railway tunnel (6.7km) between Cherlopalli and Rapuru costing Rs 437 crores
- International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) Secretary-General, Mr. Jürgen Stock, called on Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, in New Delhi. He assured the best support of INTERPOL for the fight against terror.
- The Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting (I&B) and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar has unveiled the new logo and certificate design of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) at an event in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the state-of-the-art Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) Bhawan in Sector 13 of R K Puram in New Delhi in the presence of Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, Member of Parliament, New Delhi
- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) introduced a major change for students who would be taking their board examinations next year. The change announced back in January, pertains to mathematics.
- The B.Tech paper of JEE Main will have 75 questions this year. The question paper has been abridged by 15 questions and 60 marks this time. However the per question weightage remains the same.
- Punjab National Bank (PNB) said the board will consider capital infusion of up to ₹ 18,000 crores in its meeting later this week.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allayed fears of job losses following the proposed merger of public sector banks, saying not even one employee shall be removed following the amalgamation.
- ECL Finance Limited, a subsidiary of Edelweiss Financial Services Limited and Central Bank of India (CBI)have signed an agreement for Priority Sector Lending to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) customers.
- Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary staged a remarkable comeback to claim the mixed 10m air pistol gold, ending India’s campaign on a rousing note in the World Cup.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi should reconsider the award to be given to him by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), as it faces “severe allegations” and does business in the “guise of philanthropy”, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) economic wing Swadeshi Jagran Manch said.
- Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has denied ever offering to resign, after audio was leaked of her saying she would if she could.
- Ukrainian parliament of the 9th convocation appointed Oleksiy Honcharuk, a 35-year-old practicing lawyer, of the political party Servant of the People, as the 17th Prime Minister of Ukraine.
- Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane took over as the new Vice chief of Army staff (VCOAS) replacing Lieutenant General Devraj Anbu who was superannuated on August 31, 2019.
- Lt General Anil Chauhan took over as Eastern Army commander replacing ManojMukundNaravane who took over as vice chief of the army staff(VCOAS).
- Paytm Money has promoted Pravin Jadhav as its Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Prior to this, Jadhav was in the position of full-time director.
- Italian bodybuilder, powerlifter, actor and author, Franco Columbu (Nicknamed, “the Sardinian Strongman”) has died at the age of 78 in his native Sardinia, Italy.
1. International News
- The most powerful storm to hit the Caribbean islands of the Bahamas since records began has torn roofs from buildings and caused severe flooding.
- Conservative MPs have been warned not to rebel against the government over Brexit, as opposition MPs plan legislation to stop no deal.
- The joint drills have come under criticism for looping in Myanmar’s Navy despite Washington imposing sanctions on top army brass over the Rohingya crisis.
- Argentina imposed foreign-exchange controls on exporters as it closed out a week of financial uncertainty that saw a sharp drop in the peso.
- The shooting - the 38th mass killing by firearms in the US this year - occurred on Saturday in the West Texas cities of Midland and Odessa.
- Lawmakers opposed to the possibility of Britain leaving the European Union on Oct. 31 without an orderly transition arrangement are drawing up plans to try to legislate to force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to rule out a no-deal exit.
- The senator was addressing the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America, the largest organization representing Muslims of north America.
- The 15% taxes apply to about $112 billion of Chinese imports. All told, more than two-thirds of the consumer goods the United States imports from China now face higher taxes.
- According to Jones Day, while she was a prosecutor, Mathews uncovered a multi-million dollar fraud in stolen medical equipment and also won one of the highest restitution awards for the Social Security (general public pension) trust fund.
- World War Two veteran Ray Woolley, who turned 96 on Aug 28, plunged to a depth of 42.4 meters for 48 minutes, the event organizers said. He beat his previous record of 40.6 meters for 44 minutes.
- Brazil’s National Space Research Institute says fires have increased about 80% in Brazil this year when compared to the same period last year. A little over half those fires are in the Amazon.
- The Supreme Court agreed to hear on September 3 a contempt petition filed by senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan against a Chennai-based man for allegedly intimidating him for representing the Muslim side in the Ayodhya appeals.
- Acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand sculpture of Lord Ganesh with 1000 plastic bottles around it at Puri beach to give a message against single-use plastic to save the environment.
- Refusing to respond to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement attributing the economic slowdown to “man-made blunders”, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said the Centre was responding to issues raised by various sectors sectorally.
- Both BS Dhanoa and Abhinandan Varthaman, a Vir Chakra awardee, have played key roles in conflict situations. The Air Chief Marshal, who is also a MiG-21 pilot, destroyed Pakistan supply dumps along the Line of Control (LoC) during the 1999 Kargil war which helped turn the tide in India’s favor
- The man identified as Hariom, who is currently out on bail after he was arrested in Mohammad Ikhlaq’s murder case, was arrested near Samana Canal in Jascha.
- India’s GDP growth plummeted to 5% in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. This is the lowest in 25 quarters. This is only the second instance of the growth rate falling for five consecutive quarters since 1999.
- P Chidambaram INX Media Case Live Updates: P Chidambaram had told the Supreme Court that he was willing to stay put in the agency’s custody till.
- Kashmiri’s mainstream politicians and separatists are detained at the plush Centaur hotel overlooking the Dal Lake or in their houses since the state lost its special status and was divided into two on August 5.
- A four percentage point shortfall in this figure for the entire year, if it happens, will mean a big shortfall in tax collections. This also means that the government will find it very difficult to spend what it has committed in the budget.
- Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will close the registration process for National Defence Academy (NDA) and Naval Academy (NA) II, 2019 tomorrow.
- SBI Recruitment: Apply for bank medical officer posts and earn up to Rs 15 lakh per annum. There will be no written test. Selection process includes shortlisting and interview.
- India Post has extended the last date for submitting 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. Earlier the last date was September 4 which was extended till September 11.
- An offence has been registered by the Thane police in connection with the alleged leak of a question paper of Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) computer-based test (CBT) held recently, an official said.
- District Inspector of Schools (DIOS) would be responsible for carrying out verification of details about existing school infrastructure uploaded by principal of respective school on Board’s website and submission of the same latest by September 6.
- Federal Bank has said savings deposits with the lender that are less than ₹2 lakh balance will earn interest consistent with the repo rate (external benchmark rate) announced by the Reserve Bank of India at regular intervals.
- According to the report of Fitch Solutions Macro Research, India will overtake China as the largest importer of coking coal by 2025.
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(MeitY) has signed a statement of intent with multinational technology company, Google for rolling out ‘Build for Digital India’ programme, which will provide engineering students with a platform to develop market-ready, technology-based solutions that deals with key social challenges.
- The India Under-15 team has defeated Nepal with 7-0 score in the final of the SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) U-15 Championship 2019 held in Kalyani Stadium, West Bengal from August 21 – 31, 2019.
- The Indian Olympic Association(IOA), a body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the international athletic meets stated that the much-delayed 36th National Games will be held in Goa from October 20 – November 4, 2020.
- The Central Government has accepted the resignation of Anshula Kant, Managing Director (MD) of State Bank of India (SBI). This comes after her appointment as the MD and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of World Bank Group.
- Vivek Kumar (V.K) Johri, a 1984-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre took charge as the 25th Director General (DG) of the country’s primary border defence organization, BSF (Border Security Force).
- Kalraj Mishra has been transferred from Himachal Pradesh to Rajasthan, where he replaces Kalyan Singh as the new Governor.
- Bandaru Dattatreya replaces Mishra in Himachal Pradesh.
- Bhagat Singh Koshyari has been appointed the new Governor of Maharashtra shunting out Vidyasagar Rao.
- In Kerala, Arif Mohammed Khan replaces P Sathasivam as the new Governor.
- Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan has been made the new governor of Telangana replacing ESL Narasimhan.
1. International News
- The spokesman for the Baghlan province police chief, Jawed Basharat, says gunbattles continue on the outskirts of its capital, Puli Khumri.
- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is partially backtracking on a decree that banned most fires for land-clearing for 60 days, now saying the ban will only apply to the Amazon region.
- Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannon on Saturday as pro-democracy protesters threw petrol bombs in the latest in a series of clashes that have plunged the Chinese-ruled city into its worst political crisis in decades.
- The EU’s lead Brexit negotiator has rejected Boris Johnson’s demands for the Irish backstop to be scrapped.
- According to Jones Day, while she was a prosecutor, Mathews uncovered a multi-million dollar fraud in stolen medical equipment and also won one of the highest restitution awards for the Social Security (general public pension) trust fund.
- The first automatic exchange of financial account information (AEOI) under the provisions common reporting standard will start from September.
- Amazon Web Services has been having issues since 11:16 am ET, Downdetector said. Users are experiencing instances of unavailability in Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud and some connectivity issues at Amazon Relational Database Service and at Amazon WorkSpaces, according to the company’s status page.
- The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), labor wing of the RSS on Saturday criticized the bank merger plan announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman saying it was done without any study and it will only protect interests of corporate houses.
- State-run power distribution companies (discoms) owe Rs 9,954.3 crore to renewable energy producers, with the highest dues pending in southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, according to Central Electricity Authority of India (CEA) data until August 20.
- More than 19 lakh of the 3.29 crore applicants in Assam were left out of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) that was published to conclude a Supreme Court-monitored exercise that took five years and ₹1,220 crore.
- Mamata Banerjee said the government must ensure justice for genuine Indian citizens in Assam who were left out of the NRC final list.
- Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and former West Indian fast bowler Ian Bishop slammed ‘people’ questioning Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling action.
- Karnataka Milk Federation has for long been dominated by the Janata Parivar. In 35 years of its existence, the milk cooperative has had a Janata Parivar chairman for 19 years, including a term by former chief minister Siddaramaiah in 1984.
- Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India has the potential to grow at a much faster rate but all-round mismanagement by the Modi government has resulted in the economic slowdown.
- The hall ticket/admit cards for Grade IV Junior assistant or post code 20/18 has been released on the official website of Delhi subordinate service selection board (DSSSB).
- JEE entrance exam is conducted to determine the eligibility of candidates for admission in National Institutes for Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes for Technology (IITs) and other centrally-funded technical institutions.
- Patna’s Fatuha village, Bharti first stepped into JNU in 2016 for a Bachelors’ degree in German Studies from the School of Languages, Literature and Culture Studies. She is now pursuing her masters in the same.
- The initiative has got funding from the Ministry of Human Resources Development, as part of the National Digital Library of India (NDLI) project which is being spearheaded by the premier institute.
- Union Bank of India said it will reduce its marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) by up to 15 basis points across various tenors with effect from September 1, 2019.
- Prakash Javadekar, during an interaction between the film industry and members of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC),invited suggestions for the certification of online content.
- Asia’s third largest economy grew at a slower-than-expected 5.0% in the latest three-month period, compared with 5.8% in the previous quarter, government data showed.
- Express courier major Blue Dart has announced a near 10 percent increase in shipment charges from next year due to falling logistics cost following implementation of GST.
- Jasprit Bumrah (6/16), on Saturday, produced a lethal opening spell and rattled West Indies by picking up the first five wickets.
- The emotional clash was followed by tearful on-court interviews, Osaka asking Gauff to join her with the microphone as they met at the net.
- The Prime Minister (PM) of India, Shri Narendra Modi conferred Yoga awards for the year 2019 to the winners of PM’s Award for Outstanding Contribution for Promotion and Development of Yoga at New Delhi.
- Former Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar(PK) Sinha, a 1977 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh Cadre has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) after Nripendra Misra’s request to be relieved as Principal Secretary was accepted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan was appointed as the governor of Telangana while former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari among five other new appointees.
- Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed the biggest-ever computer chip using carbon nanotubes (CNT)- RV16XNano. This was published in the journal Nature.
- Final orbit lowering move today, lander to separate out. This will be the final orbit in which the orbiter module of the spacecraft will stay for a year and conduct experiments to study the lunar terrain, the thin atmosphere around the moon, lunar ionosphere, and minerals on the moon.
- Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar released a book titled ‘Jin Dhoondha Tin Paaiyan’ in Hindi at Chandigarh, written by senior IPS (Indian Police Service) officer O P Singh, an ADGP (Additional Director General of Police) rank officer in Haryana police
- A new book called “A Short History of Indian Railways”, written by veteran journalist and author Rajendra B Aklekar on the history of Indian Railways details the journey of the national transporter starting from the 1830s(almost 15 years before the official train run of 1853) to the new high-speed Train 18 and Prime Minister(PM)
- Veteran comedian and four-time Emmy winner Valerie Harper, aged 80, passed away in Los Angeles, United States. She was suffering from different health issues over the years.