Daily updates 6 August 2019

International

1. U.S. labels China a ‘currency manipulator’

i. The United States has officially labeled China a "currency manipulator". The US has accused China of using yuan to gain “unfair competitive advantage” in trade.
ii. The US took the action as Beijing has allowed its yuan to fall below the politically sensitive level of "seven" to the U.S. dollar for the first time in 11 years.

State News

2. AP Home Minister flags off riot control vehicle 'Vajra'

i. Arunachal Pradesh State Home Minister Bamang Felix flagged of 5 Anti-Riot police vehicle, also known as Vajra, from Police Headquarter in Itanagar.
ii. Vajra comes with special features for quick response, automatic multi-barrel launchers for tear gas, with a capacity of 12 persons and a battery backup for long hours stuck in the rioting crowd.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh: Pema Khandu.
• Governor Of Arunachal Pradesh: B. D. Mishra.

3. Aamir Khan launches Mission Shakti sports initiative in Maharashtra

i. Film actor Aamir Khan attended the launch function of Mission Shakti, an initiative by Maharashtra minister Sudhir Mungantiwar to train athletes from Chandrapur and Gadchiroli for international events like the Olympics.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• CM of Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis; Governor: CH Vidyasagar Rao.
• Capital of Maharashtra: Mumbai.

4. Rajasthan Assembly passes bills against honour killings and Mob Lynching

i. The Rajasthan Assembly passed Bills against mob lynching and honour killing, which make the cognisable, non–bailable and non-compoundable offences with life imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 5 lakh. The bill to curb honour killing also has a provision of the death penalty for the convict.
ii. Now Rajasthan has become the 2nd state after Manipur which passed a law to curb lynching cases.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• CM of Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot; Governor of Rajasthan: Kalyan Singh.
• Capital of Rajasthan: Jaipur.

5. Centre has approved the project to link Kosi & Mechi rivers

i. The Centre has approved a Kosi-Mechi river interlining project in Bihar. Estimated cost of the project is Rs 4,900 crore. 
ii. The project will provide irrigation for over 2.14 lakh hectares of command areas spread across the districts of Araria, Kishanganj, Purnia and Katihar in north Bihar. 
iii. This is India's 2nd major river linking project after Ken-Betwa of Madhya Pradesh.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Mains:

• Chief Minister of Bihar: Nitish Kumar; Governor: Phagu Chuhan.

Agreements

6. AustralianSuper, Ontario Teachers’ to invest $2 bn in NIIF

i. AustralianSuper and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan will invest $1 billion each in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) Master Fund. 
ii. The agreements include commitments of $250 million each in the Master Fund and co-investment rights of up to $750 million each in future opportunities alongside the Fund.
iii. National Investment and Infrastructure Fund is India’s first sovereign wealth fund that was set up by the Government of India in February 2015. It manages over $4 billion of capital commitments across three funds. 
iv. The Fund invests in equity capital in core infrastructure sectors in India with a focus on transportation, energy and urban infrastructure.
v. AustralianSuper is Australia’s largest superannuation fund and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is Canada’s largest single-profession pension plan. AustralianSuper and Ontario Teachers’ will also become shareholders in National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited.

Summit and Conferences

7. Udaipur to host India's Largest Education Brainstorm

i. The 3rd edition of India's largest education brainstorming event, the ScooNews Global Educators Fest (SGEF) will held in the city of lakes, Udaipur. 
ii. It will bring together over 500 educators to discuss the way towards establishing India as the next global education powerhouse.
iii. The theme for fest is Education for Sustainability: Moving on from Conformity to Creativity'.

8. 2nd All India Annual Conference of IIS Officers

i. The 2nd All India Annual Conference of Indian Information Service Officers was held in New Delhi. The Conference was organized with a view to attain greater integration of all Media Units under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in order to further amplify government communication. 
ii. A Performance Review of Media Units under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting was also conducted during the Conference.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Mains:

• Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Ministry: Prakash Javadekar.

Science and technology

9. Artificial Intelligence used to detect fast radio bursts

i. Scientists have developed an automated system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and capture fast radio bursts (FRBs) in real-time.
ii. FRBs are mysterious and powerful flashes of radio waves from space, thought to originate billions of light-years from the Earth.
iii. This research is done by Scientists of the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia.

10. NASA satellite uncovers 'first nearby super-Earth'

i. The Super-Earth planet named GJ 357 d  was discovered in early 2019 owing to NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a mission designed to comb the heavens for exoplanets.
ii. Scientists have characterised the first potentially habitable world outside our own solar system located about 31 light-years away.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Main 2019:

• Administrator of NASA: Jim Bridenstine; Headquarter of NASA: Washington DC, US.

Sports

11. Ravichandran Ashwin named "PCA Player of the Month"

i. Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been named as Professional Cricketers Association's Player of the month of July 2019.
ii.  He has been named for his consistent performances in the county championships as he hit 197 runs and picked up 23 wickets from just 3 matches for Nottinghamshire.

12. Dale Steyn retires from Test cricket

i. South African bowler Dale Steyn has announced his retirement from Test cricket. Dale Steyn has played 93 Tests for South Africa, finishing with 439 wickets, the most in the long format by a south african bowler.
ii. His strike-rate of 42.3 balls per wicket is the best of anyone with more than 200 Test wickets. Steyn will be available to play for South Africa in One-Day and T20 International series.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Mains:

• ICC Chairman: Shashank Manohar; Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
• The 13th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup will held in India from February 9 to March 26, 2023.

13. Vinesh wins gold in 53kg at Poland Open Wrestling Tournament

i. Vinesh Phogat won gold in women’s 53kg category at Poland Open wrestling tournament in Warsaw.
ii. Vinesh prevailed 3-2 over local wrestler Roksana in the final of the competition. This is her 3rd consecutive gold in women’s 53kg category after Grand Prix of Spain and Yasar Dogu International at Istanbul in Turkey.

Miscellaneous

14. Mohali gets first 3-D traffic signal

i. Mohali traffic police have launched 3-D Smart Traffic Signal devised by the students of a Chandigarh university.
ii. The wireless system, called 'Intelights', has been installed at the traffic crossing near the Airport Road, on a pilot project basis, and will regulate traffic signals with a smart bird's eye view wireless sensor system. 
iii. The new system will have sensors which would automatically switch on the green and red signals depending upon the number of vehicles coming from that particular side.

Daily updates 5 August 2019

National

1. Art - 370 and Art -35-A revoked from J&K by GOI
i. A series of historical decisions which includes the scrapping of Article 370 & Art-35-A and the introduction of "J&K Reorganisation Bill 2019" were taken today during the session of Rajya Sabha. 
ii. Article 370 was providing special autonomous status to the Indian state "Jammu & Kashmir" which will be no longer applicable from today.

2. Lalit Kala Akademi celebrates 65th Foundation Day
i. National Academy of Art, Lalit Kala Akademi, celebrated its 65th Foundation Day in New Delhi. 
ii. The event was inaugurated by Culture and Tourism Minister. The Minister also inaugurated art camp and artwork and painting exhibition and released a book - Mithila Ki Lok Chitrakala.
iii. Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art was established in New Delhi in 1954 by the government to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, in and outside the country.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Main 2019:

• Union Culture and Tourism Minister: Prahlad Singh Patel.

Banking

3. RBI imposes Rs 11 cr fine on 7 PSBs for violating norms
i. The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a collective penalty of Rs 11 crore on 7 public sector banks. The penalty has been imposed for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by RBI on 'Code of Conduct for Opening and Operating Current Accounts.
ii. The penalties on 7 banks are as follows:

• Allahabad Bank and Bank of Maharashtra have been imposed with a penalty of Rs 2 crore each.
• Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank and United Bank of India have been imposed with a penalty of Rs 1.5 crore each.
• Oriental Bank of Commerce has been imposed with a penalty of Rs 1 crore.

iii. RBI has also imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore on Corporation Bank for non-compliance of norms related to cyber security framework for banks, frauds classification and reporting.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Mains:

• Governor of RBI: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

Appointment

4. Noel Quinn becomes interim CEO of HSBC
i. HSBC has announced the departure of its Chief Executive Officer John Flint. Noel Quinn, the head of HSBC's Global Commercial Banking unit will replace John Flint as the interim CEO.

5. Debashis Chatterjee becomes MD and CEO of Mindtree
i. Indian IT company Mindtree Ltd has announced the appointment of Debashis Chatterjee as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. 
ii. Also, S.N. Subrahmanyan, the CEO of Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) has been appointed as non-executive vice chairman.

Summit & Conferences

6. EAM Jaishankar attends 10th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation in Bangkok
i. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended 10th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) in Thailand's Bangkok.
ii. In MGC the Ministers adopted the new MGC Plan of Action 2019-2022 that envisages project-based cooperation in the seven areas of MGC cooperation, namely tourism and culture, education, public health and traditional medicine, agriculture and allied sectors, transport and communication, MSMEs as well as three new areas of cooperation, i.e. water resources management, science and technology, skill development and capacity building.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• Capital of Thailand: Bangkok, Currency of Thailand: Baht.

7. HRD Minister inaugurates Technology Expo at IIT Delhi
i. Human Resources Development Minister inaugurating Technology Expo at IIT Delhi to showcase the latest innovation in the field of science and technology. 
ii. Over 80 latest innovations and 90 research posters by institutions from across the country are showcasing the prototypes developed by the investigators

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains 2019:

• Human Resources Development Minister: Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Defence

8. India test-fires Surface to Air-Missile from Chandipur
i. India successfully test-fired its all-weather tracked-chassis Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM) from a mobile launcher at launch complex III of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha.
ii. This Missile Jointly developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics Ltd, the QR-SAM weapon system is a quick reaction, network-centric missile system capable of search-on-the-move. QR-SAM system can also engage multiple targets within a range of around 25 to 30 km with 2 vehicle configuration for area air defence. It is a truck-mounted missile with a 360 degree rotatable, electro-mechanically operated, turret-based launch unit.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• Chairman of DRDO : G Satheesh Reddy, Established in : 1958.
• Headquarters of DRDO: New Delhi.

Obituaries

9. Veteran Gujarati journalist Kanti Bhatt passes away
i. Veteran Gujarati journalist, author and columnist Kanti Bhatt passed away. He also worked as writer and editor in various Gujarati publications like Chitralekha, Mumbai Samachar, Janshakti, Sandesh, Yuva Darshan, Jansatta, Vyapar and Abhiyan.

10. Cricket commentator Anant Setalvad, passes away
i. Cricket commentator Anant Setalvad, who used to draw pictures of the game's progress on airwaves with his fine command of the English language, from the mid 1960s through to the 1980s, passed away .
ii. Anant was the commentator for All India Radio (AIR) in Ranji Trophy and other BCCI tournaments and also for Test matches.

Sports

11. Lewis Hamilton wins Hungarian Grand Prix
i. Formula One Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton hunted down Max Verstappen to win the Hungarian Grand Prix for a record-extending seventh time and surge 62 points clear in the championship standings.

12. Satwiksairaj & Chirag 1st Indian doubles pair to win Super 500 title
i. India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty scripted a piece of history by breaching the ‘Chinese Wall’ of reigning World champions Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen, with a victory in the men’s doubles final of the Thailand Open badminton championship in Bangkok.
ii. This is the first-ever Indian men’s combination to win a BWF Super 500 title.

Miscellaneous

13. French inventor crosses English Channel on 'Flyboard'
i. French inventor Franky Zapata is 1st person in history to cross the English Channel on the jet-powered hoverboard. 
ii. Zapata completed the crossing in 22 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 110mph (177km/h) flying 15-20 metres (50-65ft) above the water. Zapata made the 35-kilometre (21.5 miles) crossing from the French seaside town of Sangatte to St. Margaret's Bay in Dover, England.

14.  ISRO sets up SSAM in Bengaluru
i. K Sivan, chairman, Isro, laid the foundation stone for Space Situational Awareness Control Centre at Peenya in Bengaluru.
ii. Isro has set up a directorate of space situational awareness and management aiming at protecting high valued space assets from space debris close approaches and collisions. The control centre would facilitate the intensified activities foreseen for SSAM, in view of increasing debris population and operational space assets. 
iii. The control centre would host a range of activities pertaining to the protection of Indian space assets from inactive satellites, pieces of orbiting objects, near-earth asteroids and adverse space weather conditions.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Headquarter of ISRO: Bengaluru; Established in: 15 Aug 1969.

Daily updates 3 August 2019

National

1. President Kovind inaugurates exhibitions on M. Gandhi and Khadi in Gambia

i. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated exhibitions on Mahatma Gandhi and Khadi at the "Ebunjan Theatre" in the Gambia to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main:

• President of Gambia: Adama Barrow; Capital: Banjul.

2. India to conduct 1st National Time Release Study for efficient trade flow

i. The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, as part of its strategic commitment to improving global trade, is conducting India’s first national Time Release Study (TRS). The exercise will be institutionalized on an annual basis.
ii. This initiative will help India maintain the upward trajectory on Ease of Doing Business, particularly on the Trading Across Borders indicator which measures the efficiency of the cross border trade ecosystem.
iii. The TRS is an internationally recognized tool advocated by the World Customs Organization to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of international trade flows.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• World Customs Organization Headquarter:  Brussels, Belgium.
• World Customs Organization Established: 26 January 1952.

State News

3. Maharashtra: 1st State to adopt Digital fingerprint and iris scanning system

i. Maharashtra became the first state to adopt a digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to aid police investigations.
ii. The Automated Multi-modal Biometric Identification System (AMBIS) adopted by the Maharashtra Police will soon be replicated across the country, with the state government working with the National Crime Records Bureau in New Delhi to create standards to be used by other state police forces.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• CM of Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis.
• Governor of Maharashtra: CH Vidyasagar Rao.
• Capital of Maharashtra: Mumbai.

4. Gujarat CM launches ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’

i. Gujarat Chief Minister has launched the ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’ from his home town Rajkot, Gujarat. The scheme for the welfare of the girl child.
ii. According to the scheme, the State Government will pay Rs. 4,000 to every girl child at the time of admission to Standard 4th, Rs. 6,000 at the time of taking admission to Standard IX, Rs. 1-lakh at the time of taking admission for higher education at the age of 18 and another Rs. 1-lakh at the time of marriage. It is a statewide cash incentive scheme for every girl child born in Gujarat.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Gujarat Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani; Governor of Gujarat: Acharya Dev

Banking

5. SBI, Shanghai becomes first Indian bank to link up with CNAPS

i. The State Bank of India's (SBI) Shanghai branch is now connected to China's National Advance Payment System (CNAPS).
ii. SBI is the only Indian bank to have obtained the license to do business in local currency and also inducted to the CNAPS by the People's Bank of China (PBOC). 
iii. SBI Shanghai can also offer the real-time transfer of local funds within China by routing them through the PBOC. 
iv. The CNAPS, launched in 2008 by People's Bank of China (PBOC) provides real-time settlement services for all payments.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Chairperson of SBI: Rajnish Kumar; Headquarter: Mumbai; Founded: 1 July 1955.

6. RBI allows Bank of China to offer regular banking services in India

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)  allowed "Bank of China" to offer regular banking services in the country. 
ii. Banks falling under this schedule have to adhere to the norms of the RBI. 'Bank of China Limited' has been included in the 2nd Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main:

• RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumba.
• Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

7. RBI fines PNB Rs 50 lakh

i. RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 50 lakh on Punjab National Bank (PNB) for the delay in reporting of fraud observed from the fraud monitoring report-1 submitted by Punjab National Bank on July 10, 2018, in the account of Kingfisher Airlines Limited.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of PNB: Sunil Mehta.

Appointment

8. Giriraj Prasad Gupta appointed as new CGA

i. Giriraj Prasad Gupta, Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) officer, took over as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA). Gupta has served in various positions in Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), ministry of rural development, and ministry of finance.
ii. Gupta also worked as the Director of National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM). Gupta succeeds Anthony Lianzuala as the new Controller General of Accounts (CGA) under the Finance Ministry.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Main 2019:

• Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs: Nirmala Sitharaman.

Awards

9. President Kovind honoured with the highest award of Republic of Guinea

i. President Ram Nath Kovind has been awarded the National Order of Merit by the President of Guinea for his exceptional contribution to the advancement of overall relations and development of mutual cooperation between India and Guinea and for promoting friendship and partnership between the people of both the countries.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• President of Guinea: Alpha Conde; Capital of Guinea: Conakry.
• Currency of Guinea: Guinean franc.

10. Indian-origin doctor wins Miss England 2019

i. Bhasha Mukherjee, a 23-year-old Indian origin doctor was crowned Miss England 2019. Bhasha holds two different medical degrees, has an IQ of 146 and is fluent in 5 different languages. As a winner of Miss England, she will be entered into the Miss World contest 2019.

Sports

11. Lionel Messi suspended from Argentina for 3 months

i. Soccer body CONMEBOL suspended Lionel Messi from international matches for three months because of accusations of corruption he made at the latest Copa America.
ii. The South American body also fined the superstar in USD 50,000 for his comments after Argentina’s 2-1 win against Chile in the third-place playoff of the tournament.

Miscellaneous

12. World Breastfeeding Week Has Observe

i. The Food and Nutrition Board, Ministry of Women and Child Development, is organizing several activities on the theme “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding” during the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) being observed from 1st to 7th August 2019.
ii. World Breastfeeding Week, which is being observed till 7th of the month, aims to create awareness among parents about breastfeeding, the importance of initiation, exclusive breastfeeding, and adequate and appropriate complementary feeding.