Daily updates 7 September 2019

National News

1. ISRO loses contact with Moon lander "Vikram"
i. Indian Space Research Organisation has announced that it lost contact with the Moon lander "Vikram" which was scheduled to land on the moon between 1.30 a.m. and 2.30 a.m. (IST). 
ii. Further the roll out of the rover "Pragyan" was scheduled between 5.30 a.m and 6.30 a.m. Lander "Vikram" started its descent at about 1.38 a.m. from an altitude of 30 km at a velocity of 1,680 metres per second, but lost its communication with the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter when it was at an altitude of 2.1 Km from Moon's surface.
iii. According to ISRO, the performance of the lander was as per the plan till it was 2.1 km from the moon surface. Although, the 2,379 kg Chandrayaan-2 orbiter continues to fly around the moon. Its mission life is of one year.
iv. ISRO launched the Chandrayaan-2 (on July 22, 2019) into the space from India's heavy lift rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV Mk III). The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft comprised three segments: the Orbiter, lander 'Vikram' and rover 'Pragyan'.

State News

2. UNESCO ties up with Rajasthan to promote state's intangible cultural heritage
i. UNESCO and Rajasthan government joined hands to promote music, art and craft forms, and other intangible cultural heritage of the state to spur socio-economic growth of several artist communities.
ii. It is a partnership agreement to promote community-based responsible tourism based on the rich intangible cultural heritage of Rajasthan. The project will be implemented in Jodhpur, Barmer, Jaisalmer and Bikaner districts.

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

• Chief Minister of Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot; Governor of Rajasthan: Kalraj Mishra.
• Capital of Rajasthan: Jaipur.

Agreement

3. Gujarat Govt, Delaware State of America sign MoU for sister-state
i. Gujarat Government and the Delaware State of America signed Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) for sister state. This is the first sister-state MoU signed by Gujarat with any state of America.
ii. The cooperation in the field of services and investment opportunities in GIFT-IFSC (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City - International Financial Services Centre) discussed during the meeting. The sectors like Biotechnology University, biosciences, financial services, animal husbandry and dairy, port services are the fields related to which the cooperation.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• CM of Gujarat: Vijay Rupani, Governor: Acharya Dev Vrat.
• Capital of Gujarat: Gandhinagar.

4.  India to host 6th India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue
i. The 6th India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) begins in New Delhi. India will host the dialogue that will focus on collaboration between two countries on areas of infrastructure, energy, high-tech, resource conservation, pharmaceuticals policy coordination.
ii. From the Indian side, it will be chaired by NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar and the Chinese side will be led by the chairman of the National Development and Reforms Commission (NDRC).

Appointments

5. B Bala Bhaskar appointed as next Indian Ambassador to Norway
i. Senior diplomat B Bala Bhaskar was appointed as the next Indian Ambassador to Norway. He will replace Krishan Kumar, who has been heading the Indian mission in Norway since July 2018. Formerly he served as a Joint Secretary of the WANA division of the MEA that deals with all the matters relating to India's trade with WANA region comprising 19 countries.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Prime Minister of Norway: Erna Solberg; Norway Capital: Oslo.
• Currency: Norwegian krone.

Awards

6. “Oscars of science” awarded to Event Horizon Telescope Team
i. The 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. 
ii. The prize is known as the “Oscars of science”, with prize money $3 million. The team had published the image of black hole circled by a flame-orange halo of white-hot plasma on the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy on April 10, 2019.

Summit and Conference

7. 4th Indian Ocean Conference 2019 held in Male
i. 4th Indian Ocean Conference 2019 was recently held in Male, Maldives. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was one of the speakers at the Indian Ocean Conference 2019 event.
ii. The theme for 4th Indian Ocean Conference 2019 was: ‘Securing the Indian Ocean Region: Traditional and Non-Traditional Challenges’. This edition of the conference will provide yet another opportunity for stakeholders of the Indian Ocean Region to deliberate on building an institutional framework for managing the threats to regional peace and human security.

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

• Capital of Maldives: Males; Currency of the Maldives: Maldivian Rufiyaa.

Books and Authors

8. Vice president releases a book titled ‘Glorious Diaspora - Pride of India'
i. A Coffee Table Book titled ‘Glorious Diaspora- Pride of India’ on Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardees was released by Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi.
ii. The book contains the brief profiles of recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards (PBSA) from 2003 to 2019. It has been brought out by Indian Diaspora Club.
iii. It includes an inspiring profile of Distinguished Overseas Indians who have made their indelible mark in various fields.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Managing Director of Indian Diaspora Club: Rajat Kapoor.
• NRI Day (Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas): 9 January.

Obituaries

9. Pakistan’s master leg-spinner Abdul Qadir passes away
i. Pakistan’s master leg-spinner Abdul Qadir passed Away. Qadir, who played in 67 Tests and 104 ODIs had a total 368 wickets in his international career. He was worked as chief selector in 2009 and it was the squad that was selected by him that went on to win the ICC World T20 in England.

10. Veteran Congress leader Sukhdev Singh Libra passes away
i. Veteran Congress leader and former MP Sukhdev Singh Libra passed away. He was the member of the 14th and 15th Lok Sabhas. 
ii. In 1985, he became MLA(Member of the Legislative Assembly) from Khanna in Ludhiana. He was a member of Rajya Sabha from 1998-2004. He contested from Fatehgarh Sahib and Ropar parliamentary constituencies.

Miscellaneous

11. India Pavilion inaugurated at 44th TIFF 2019
i. High Commissioner of India to Canada Vikas Swarup inaugurated the India Pavilion at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2019.
ii. The Inauguration of India Pavilion at TIFF 2019 will provide a platform to showcase Indian Cinema in the overseas market and facilitate new business opportunities. 
iii. TIFF also provides the ideal platform for the global outreach of the 50th International Film Festival of India 2019.

Daily updates 8 and 9 September 2019

National News

1. GoI to spend 3.5 lakh crore rupees on Jal Jeevan Mission
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the central government will spend 3.5 lakh crore rupees in the next five years on 'Jal Jeevan Mission' to deliver potable water at every household across the country. 
ii. Jal Jeevan Mission involves saving water and delivering water at one's doorstep.

Appointment

2. Vijay Kumar Chopra, Vineet Jain elected PTI chairman & vice-chairman
i. Vijay Kumar Chopra, who is the Chief Editor of the Punjab Kesari Group of newspapers and Vineet Jain, Managing Director (MD) of Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited (BCCL), the publisher of Times of India, is unanimously elected as Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Press Trust of India(PTI) the country's premier news agency.
ii. Vijay Kumar Chopra was succeeding N Ravi, publisher and former Editor-in-Chief of the Hindu and Vineet Jain earlier served as the chairman of PTI in 2010.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Headquarters of PTI: New Delhi; Established: 27 August 1947.

Defence

3. SLINEX 2019: Indo-Lanka maritime fleet exercise
i. ‘SLINEX 2019’, the bilateral maritime exercise between India and Sri Lanka commenced on 7 September 2019 at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). Sri Lankan Navy has sent two offshore patrol vessels SLNS Sindurala and SLNS Suranimala to India to participate in seventh annual Joint Indo-Lanka Maritime Fleet Exercise- SLINEX 2019.
ii. The exercise signifies the desire of both countries to enhance co-operation and to further strengthen mutual trust and interoperability between the two navies.

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

• Navy, Day in India is celebrated on 4th December.
• Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy: Admiral Karambir Singh.

Banking and Economy

4. Code of Conduct introduced for non-official directors at PSBs
i. The Finance Ministry has introduced a Code of Conduct for non-official directors of public sector banks. Under the new rules, the PSBs board will also have to send an annual performance report that rates a director based on professional and ethical conduct, and contribution to the board.
ii. The performance evaluation by peers will measure the director on various parameters including avoidance of direct or indirect conflict of interest, acting according to rules in the best interest of the bank, avoiding any gain to self or associates and maintaining confidentiality.
iii. The above measures taken by the department of financial services at the finance ministry aims to improve corporate governance in banks.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Union Finance Minister: Nirmala Sitharaman.

5. Government to recapitalise Public Sector Insurance companies
i. The Department of Financial Services has approved the Rs 12,000 crore capital infusion plan in the 3 state-run general insurance companies. The decision has been taken to boost their capital base and meet regulatory norms. 
ii. The 3 state-run general insurance companies list includes National Insurance, Oriental Insurance and United India Insurance.
iii. The recapitalisation will also improve their solvency ratio and prepare the 3 companies for the merger which will make the entity the largest insurance company in the country.

Summit and Conference

6. 68th Plenary session of NEC begins in Guwahati
i. The 68th Plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) begins in Guwahati, Assam. Union Home Minister Amit Shah Chaired the 2-day event. 
ii. Governors and Chief Ministers of North Eastern states will attend the event. During the two-day session, there will be presentations from various ministries and state governments on various developmental issues which are critical to the North East.

7. 1st conference on military medicine for SCO to be held in Delhi
i. The 1st conference on military medicine for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states will be held in Delhi. The conference will be the first military co-operation event hosted by India, under the SCO Defence Co-operation Plan 2019-2020, after it became an SCO member-state in 2017.
ii. The conference will be conducted by the Indian Armed Forces under the aegis of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS), with the aim to share best practices in the field of military medicine, build capacities and overcome a common challenge. During the conference, the Indian Armed Forces will also demonstrate the Rapid Action Medical Team and organise a visit for the delegates to the Army Research and Referral Hospital.

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

• SCO Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Headquarters: Beijing, China.
• SCO Established: 26 April 1996.

Sports

8. World's highest marathon "Ladakh Marathon" held in Leh
i. The 8th edition of Ladakh Marathon was held in Leh. It is the highest marathon in the world as it is held at over 11,000 feet above the mean sea level. 
ii. The Marathon was held in the categories of 42 Km Full Marathon, 21 Km half marathon and 7 km long Run for Fun. Over 6000 runners from 25 countries participated in the four categories of Ladakh Marathon.
iii. The 9th Edition to be held in 2020 will be a qualifying race for the Abbot World Marathon Majors.

9. India Red beat India Green to clinch Duleep Trophy title
i. India Red beat India Green by an innings and 38 runs to clinch the Duleep Trophy title on the fourth day at Bengaluru. India Red had scored 388 in their first innings. 
ii. On the other hand, India Green compiled 231 runs in their first innings and 119 in their second innings. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who made a brilliant 153 for India Red, was named player of the match.

10. Charles Leclerc wins the Italian Grand Prix
i. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc has won the Italian Grand Prix. The event was held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza track, Italy. Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes finished the race at 2nd and 3rd position respectively.

11. US Open 2019 Concludes: Complete List of Winners
i. The 2019 US Open was the 139th edition of tennis' US Open. Since 1987, the US Open has been chronologically the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year. 
ii. This year US Open was held on outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. The tournament was an event run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and was part of the 2019 ATP Tour and the 2019 WTA Tour calendars under the Grand Slam category. 
iii. The tournament consisted of both men's and women's singles and doubles draw as well as a mixed doubles event.
iv. The United States Open Tennis Championships is a hard court tennis tournament. The tournament is the modern version of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, for which men's singles and men's doubles were first played in 1881. 

Here is the Complete List of Winners in Different Category (with their Respective Countries):

S. No.	Category	Winner	Runner Up
1.	Men's Singles	Rafael Nadal (Spain)	Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
2.	Women's Singles	Bianca Andreescu (Canada)	Serena Williams (USA)
3.	Men’s Doubles	J.S. Cabal (Colombia) and R. Farah (Colombia)	M. Granollers (Spain) and H. Zeballos (Argentina)
4.	Women's Doubles	E. Mertens(Belgium) and A. Sabalenka(Belarus)	V. Azarenka (Belarus) and A. Barty(Australia)
5.	Mixed Doubles	B. Mattek-Sands (USA) and J. Murray (U.K)	H. Chan(Taipei) and M. Venus (New Zealand)

12. Brigid Kosgei runs fastest-ever women's half-marathon
i. Kenya's Brigid Kosgei completed the fastest half-marathon ever ran by a woman. She won the Great North Run in a time of 1 hour, 04 minutes and 28 seconds. She took 23 seconds less than the world record set in 2017 by fellow Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei.

13. Rafael Nadal beats Daniil Medvedev to win US Open men's final
i. Rafael Nadal captured his 19th career Grand Slam title by winning the US Open final, outlasting Russia's Daniil Medvedev to seize his fourth crown in New York. 
ii. The 33-year-old Spanish left-hander moved one shy of Roger Federer's all-time men's record 20 Grand Slam triumphs.
iii. Nadal, who was in his fifth US Open championship match and 27th Grand Slam final, is the first man to claim five major titles after turning 30.

14. Bianca Andreescu Clinch US Open Women's Singles Title
i. Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu stunned Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 to grab the US Open 2019 women's singles title. 
ii. The 19-year-old Andreescu becomes the first Canadian singles player to win a Grand Slam event. iii. With the victory, Andreescu also jumps into the top 10 in the WTA rankings. The 19-year-old teen is also the first woman to win the trophy at Flushing Meadows in her tournament debut in the Open era.
iv. Meanwhile, Serena Williams has lost each of her last four Grand Slam finals, all with a chance to tie Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.

15. Lasith Malinga becomes first T20I bowler to claim 100 wickets
i. Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga has become the first T20I bowler to take 100 wickets during the 3rd T20I against New Zealand at Pallekele. He also took a hat-trick, dismissing 4 batsmen in 4 consecutive deliveries and became the first-ever bowler to pick up 2 hat-tricks in T20I cricket.
ii. Lasith Malinga also surpassed Wasim Akram and set a record for the most number of hat-tricks in international cricket. Till now he has claimed 5 hat-tricks in his international career.

Books and Authors

16. A book titled ‘Fortune Turners: The Quartet That Spun India To Glory’ launched
i. ‘Fortune Turners: The Quartet That Spun India To Glory’, book on India's spin quartet has been launched. The book on India's 4 spin legends: Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrashekhar and S. Venkataraghavan has been written by Aditya Bhushan and Sachin Bajaj.

Obituaries

17. Ram Jethmalani Passes Away at 95
i. Ram Jethmalani, one of India's finest lawyers and a former union minister has passed away. He was 95.
ii. He was a six-time Rajya Sabha member, served as a Union Minister in the United Front and NDA governments. 
iii. He joined the BJP-led NDA ministry in 1998 and then again in October 1999.
iv. Mr. Jethmalani had also served as the chairman of the Bar Council of India.

18. Actor, Kathak Dancer Veeru Krishnan Passes Away
i. Actor and Kathak dancer Veeru Krishnan passed away. He was best known for his work in films like Raja Hindustani, Dulhe Raja, Akele Hum Akele Tum among others. He was trained several actresses in dance over the years.

Important Days

19. International Literacy Day: 08th September
i. International Literacy Day celebrated annually on 8 September. It is an opportunity for Governments, civil society and stakeholders to highlight improvements in world literacy rates, and reflect on the world's remaining literacy challenges. The issue of literacy is a key component of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
ii. The Theme of International Literacy Day 2019 is Literacy and Multilingualism.

Miscellaneous

20. Visakhapatnam railway station sets up ‘fun zone’
i. A fun zone, the first of its kind in India, has been set up by the Railways at the Visakhapatnam Railway Station, Andhra Pradesh.
ii. The Gaming zone was inaugurated at platform number 1. The children can enjoy games during their waiting period for trains. The gaming zone has different interesting games for children & adults. iii. The fun zone will have all the high-tech gaming activities at par with game parlours.

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

• Union Minister of Railways: Piyush Goyal.
• John Mathai was the first Railways Minister of Independent India.

Daily updates 10 September 2019

National News

1. 1st Helicopter summit 2019 held in Dehradun
i. The Ministry of Civil Aviation organised India's first-ever helicopter summit in Dehradun. The Indian Air Force was invited at the summit to talk on the "role of IAF helicopters in MEDEVAC (Medical evacuation) at the national level. The conclave was attended by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Aviation Secretary, and the Chief Secretary of Uttrakhand.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation: Hardeep Singh Puri.

Banking

2. RBI to launch a mobile app for visually impaired
i. Reserve Bank Of India (RBI) is to implement the idea to develop a mobile application with an aim to help the visually impaired people to identify currency notes. For this, RBI has selected Daffodil Software Pvt Ltd.
ii. The application should be able to identify the denomination of legal tender banknotes of Mahatma Gandhi Series and Mahatma Gandhi (New) series by capturing the image of the notes that are placed in front of the mobile camera or scrolled across it. The mobile application should be searchable via voice option in all app stores.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

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

3. IPPB rolls out Aadhaar-enabled payment services
i. India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) rollout of Aadhaar Enabled Payment System Services (AePS). With AePS services, any person with a bank account linked to Aadhaar can perform basic banking services such as cash withdrawals and balance enquiry irrespective of the bank they hold their account with.
ii. IPPB has become the single largest platform in the country for providing interoperable banking services to customers of any bank by leveraging the last mile unprecedented reach of the Postal network.

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

• Managing Director & CEO of IPPB: Suresh Sethi; Established: 1 September 2018.

Appointment

4. Rajiv Kumar appointed as the new MD of Microsoft India (R&D)
i. Microsoft has appointed Rajiv Kumar as the new managing director of Microsoft India Research and Development Pvt Ltd (MIRPL). He is currently served as a Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft's Experiences and Devices (E+D) Group. He will replace Anil Bhansali, who held this role for six years.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• CEO of Microsoft: Satya Nadella.

5. Justice Vikram Nath appointed as Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court
i. Justice Vikram Nath has been appointed as the chief justice of the Gujarat High Court. The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the name of Justice Nath for the top post in the Gujarat High Court. He is at present posted as a judge in the Allahabad High Court.

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

• Chief Justice of India: Ranjan Gogoi; Supreme Court established: 28 January 1950.

Agreements

6. H-Energy & KSPL partners for regasification project
i. Hiranandani Group energy arm H-Energy has signed a port service agreement with Kakinada Seaports Limited. As per the agreement, they will develop a liquified natural gas (LNG) regasification and reloading terminal at Kakinada port. 
ii. The project will cater to the needs of domestic customers in the state of Andhra Pradesh. KSPL has the concession for Kakinada Deep Water Port from the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• CEO of H-Energy: Darshan Hiranandani.

Awards

7. Odia Writer Pradeep Dash to receive 40th Sarala Puraskar
i. Noted Odia writer Pradeep Dash will be conferred with the 40th edition of prestigious Sarala Puraskar for his poetry work Charu Chibar O Charjya. The annual award, comprising a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.
ii. The annual Sarala Puraskar instituted by eminent Odia industrialist Late Bansidhar Panda and Late Ila Panda in 1979, has been continuously awarded by Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT). 
iii. Sarala Puraskar is recognised as the foremost literary award of Odisha. This award is one of the finest contributions of  Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT) to glorify Odia literature.

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

• Utkal Divas or Odisha Day falls every year on 01st April.
• Chief Minister of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik; Governor: Ganeshi Lal.

Summit and Conference

8.  6th India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue held in New Delhi
i. The 6th India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue was held in New Delhi. The Dialogue comprised of round table meetings of Joint Working Groups on infrastructure, energy, high-tech, resource conservation and policy coordination followed by technical site visits and closed-door G2G meetings.
ii. The Indian side was led by Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog and the Chinese side by Mr. He Lifeng, Chairman, National Development and Reforms Commission. The dialogue is held annually alternately at the capital cities of the two countries.
iii. The 2 sides arrived at following mutual agreements:

• They exchanged views on regulatory procedures of ease of doing business, development of artificial intelligence, high-tech manufacturing, and next-generation mobile communications of both countries.
• They also pressed upon the need for promoting cooperation in emergent areas like Waste to Power, co-processing of Septage with Sewage Sludge, stormwater management etc.
• They agreed on cooperation in R&D for developing new technology for manufacturing solar cell from alternate material and improvement of efficiency of solar cells.

9. 22nd Session of UN Committee on CRPD at Geneva
i. The 22nd Session of UN Committee on Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities was held at Geneva. The UN Committee on CRPD took up India’s First Country Report for consideration during the session. India ratified this Convention on 01-10-2007 in pursuance of Article 35 of the Convention.
ii. Shakuntala D. Gamlin, Secretary, DEPwD headed the Indian delegation at the session. She highlighted various initiatives taken by the Government in the recent past for inclusion and empowerment of PwDs in line with the obligations under UNCRPD.

Obituaries

10. Freedom fighter Heeralal Sharma passes away
i. Rajasthan born freedom fighter of India Heeralal Sharma has passed away at the age of 95. He took an active participated in the freedom struggle and was jailed for two years.

Important Days

11. World Suicide Prevention Day: 10 September
i. The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) observes World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) on 10 September every year. WHO has been co-sponsor of the day. 
ii. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness around the globe that suicide can be prevented. The number of countries with national suicide prevention strategies has increased in the five years since the publication of WHO’s first global report on suicide.

Miscellaneous

12. Royal Society honour for Dr Yusuf Hamied
i. Dr Yusuf Hamied, chairman of Cipla, a pharmaceutical company has been inducted as an honorary fellow of the Royal Society. He was elected as an honorary fellow of the Royal Society for his service to the cause of science.
ii. A total of 51 new Fellows and 10 foreign members were elected to the Royal Society in 2019. Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK and the Commonwealth which is dedicated to promoting excellence in science.

13. Hurricane Dorian: India announces USD 1 million disaster relief aid for Bahamas
i. India announced humanitarian assistance of USD 1 million to help people in the Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian. According to reports, the death toll from the calamity has risen to over 40 and is likely to increase even more, even as search and rescue teams are still trying to reach out to Bahamian communities isolated by floodwaters and debris in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

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

• Capital of Bahamas: Nassau; Currency of Bahamas: Bahamian dollar.

14. PM Modi and Nepalese PM to inaugurate Motihari-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal's Prime Minister K.P.Sharma Oli will jointly inaugurate Motihari-Amlekhgunj cross border petroleum products pipeline. 
ii. The 69 km long pipeline from Motihari in Bihar to Amlekhgunj in Nepal has been constructed by India. This is the first transnational petroleum pipeline form India and first South Asian oil pipeline corridor.
iii. The pipeline will ensure smooth, cost-effective and environment-friendly supply of petroleum products to Nepal. The pipeline will save billions of rupees every year on transportation, leakage and expected to make a significant contribution to the prosperity of Nepal and its people.

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

• Capital of Nepal: Kathmandu; President of Nepal: Bidhya Devi Bhandari; Currency of Nepal: Nepalese rupee.