Daily updates 1 November 2019

National

1.Disabled People over 80 can vote through Postal Ballot

• The people over 80 years of age and Persons with Disability can now cast their votes through postal ballot.
• However, such voters will have both the choices available either voting through postal ballot by following due procedure or going to the polling station on polling day for voting.
• On the recommendations of the Election Commission, the Ministry of Law and Justice has amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, allowing senior citizens and person with disabilities in the absentee voter list.
• The person will make an application in a new Form 12 D, which will reach the Returning Officer within 5 days following the date of notification of election.
• After the receipt of such application, the elector will be issued a postal ballot paper, which will be deposited in the specified centre after the recording of the vote.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Minister of Law and Justice: Ravi Shankar Prasad.

State News

2. Kerala Governor inaugurates Ayurveda summit

• Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan inaugurated the 3rd edition of Global Ayurveda Summit 2019.
• As many as 400 industry leaders and delegates from SAARC, GCC and African countries have gathered in Kochi for the Global Ayurveda Summit 2019.
• The two-day summit organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will deliberate on the theme “Mainstreaming Ayurveda through Startups, Innovation and Branding”.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Kerala CM: Pinarayi Vijayan; Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan.

International

3. Russia's Nuclear Submarine test fires Ballistic Missile from White Sea

• Russia’s Knyaz Vladimir submarine of Borei-class vessel, test-fired its most advanced nuclear-powered missile named, Bulavaintercontinental ballistic missile which precisely hit the target range of 1000 km away in the Russian region of Kamchatka.
• The launch was conducted in the white sea of the northwest coast of Russia with a dummy payload.
• The Knyaz Vladimir submarine is the first upgraded model to be produced in the Borei class of Russian nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.
• The test-fire was conducted amid arms control tensions between Moscow and the West following the demise of a landmark Cold War-era nuclear pact.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• President of Russia: Vladimir Putin; Prime Minister(PM) of Russia: Dmitry Medvedev.
• Capital of Russia: Moscow; Currency of Russia: Russian ruble.

Appointments

4. Sanjeev Nandan Sahai appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Power

• Sanjeev Nandan Sahai assumed charge as Secretary, Ministry of Power. Prior to this, he was serving as the Special Secretary in the Ministry of Power.
• He is a UT cadre IAS officer of 1986 batch. He has also served as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power from May 2018 to July 2019. He will replace Subhash Chandra Garg.

Awards

5. Nawazuddin Siddiqui wins Golden Dragon Award at 2019 CIFF

• Indian actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been awarded the prestigious Golden Dragon Award for his works in Hindi cinema at the Cardiff International Film Festival (CIFF ) 2019 held in Wales, United Kingdom.
• Veteran Hollywood star-actress Dame Judith Olivia Dench was also honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at the ceremony.

Summit and Conferences

6. 35th ASEAN Summit begins in Bangkok

• The 35th ASEAN Summit began in Bangkok, Thailand from October 31 to 4 November.
• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a group of ten member countries that encourages political, economic and social co-operation in the region.
• The theme of the summit for this year is "Advancing Partnership for Sustainability".
• Apart from leaders of 10 ASEAN countries head of Eight dialogue partner countries including India, USA, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand are also participating in the summit.
• East Asia Summit (EAS) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Summit ( RCEP) will be also held on the sidelines of 35th ASEAN Summit.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• 10 ASEAN member countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Laos.

Sports

7. India drops to 106th in FIFA Men's rankings

• The Indian football team dropped two places to 106th position in the latest FIFA rankings.
• The downward slid came following the Blue Tigers’ 1-1 draw against lower-ranked Bangladesh in the FIFA World Cup qualifier earlier this month.
• Bangladesh, however, benefitted from the draw, jumping three rungs to 184th spot.
• Belgium has managed to hold on to the top spot, followed by France and Brazil.
• England is placed fourth ahead of Uruguay, Portugal, Croatia, Spain, Argentina and Colombia.

8. India to play first day-night Test with Bangladesh at Eden Gardens

• The Indian cricket team will play its first-ever Day-Night Test match against Bangladesh.
• The Test is scheduled to be held at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata from November 22-26 and will be the second game of a two-match series.
• The match will start at 2 pm (IST) and will comprise a Tea and Dinner break. SG pink balls will be used for the 1st time in Test cricket.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• BCCI President: Sourav Ganguly; Headquarters: Mumbai.

9. Mary Kom named in IOC's 2020 Olympics athlete ambassadors group

• The 6-time world champion Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom has been inducted into the 10-member sports ambassador group by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Boxing workforce to represent boxers ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
• Mary Kom will represent the Asian bloc in the group, which also comprises the likes of Ukrainian legend Vasyl Lamachenko (Europe), a two-time Olympic and world gold-medallist who now plies his trade in the professional circuit, and five-time world champion and 2016 Olympic gold-winner Julio Cesar La Cruz (Americas) among others.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Headquarters of IOC: Lausanne, Switzerland; President: Thomas Bach.
• Formation: 23 June 1894.

Obituaries

10. Veteran CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta passes away

• Former Parliamentarian and veteran CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta passed away.
• He was elected General Secretary of All India Trade Union Congress - AITUC, in 2001.
• He was a member of Rajya Sabha and also elected in Lok Sabha from Midnapore district of West Bengal.
• He was also former Deputy General Secretary of CPI and well-known trade unionist.

11. Veteran Telugu Actress Geetanjali passes away

• Popular Telugu actress Geetanjali, who is remembered for her role as Goddess Sita in Sitarama Kalyanam, passed away.
• The actress starred in about 500 films and some of her other memorable films include Doctor Chakravarti, Letha Manasulu and Sambarala Rambabu.

Miscellaneous

12. World’s first blockchain-based carbon trading exchange in Singapore

• Singapore-based AirCarbon Pte launched the worlds’ first blockchain-based carbon trading exchange.
• This will allow airlines and other corporate buyers to buy as well sell tokens backed by carbon offset credits approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
• The company is applying to the Monetary Authority of Singapore for a recognized market operator license and targets for the exchange to be fully operational in 2020.

13. India to adopt Brazil model of human milk bank

• India has taken inspiration from Brazil's success in the field of human milk bank decided to adopt a similar model in creating a wide network of human milk banks.
• The Centre has set a target of ensuring at least 70 per cent infants to have access to breast milk by the year 2025.
• Target will subsequently be increased to 100 per cent.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare: Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

14. Air India paints 'Ek Onkar’ symbol on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft's

• National Carrier Air India has painted 'Ek Onkar’ symbol on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft's tail to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
• The aircraft will fly on October 31 from Amritsar to London. The international flight will facilitate Sikh pilgrims visiting Punjab on the occasion of the Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

Daily updates 31 October 2019

National

1.India now has 28 states and 9 UTs

• According to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the appointed day for the two Union Territories J&K and Ladakh was October 31.
• This is for the first time that a state is converted into two Union Territories. The total number of states in the country will now be 28 while the total Union Territories will go up to nine.

For Complete list of 28 states and 9 Union Territories of India Click here

State News

2. TN becomes first State to enact law on contract farming

• President of India Ram Nath Kovind has approved the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming and Services (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2019.
• Now Tamil Nadu has become the first state in the country to enact a law on contract farming.
• The aims of this Act is to set a policy framework and institutional mechanism on agricultural produce and livestock contract farming.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu: Edappadi K. Palaniswami; Governor: Banwarilal Purohit.
• Capital of Tamil Nadu: Chennai.

International

3. Sheikh Sultan inaugurates Sharjah International Book Fair 2019

• The 38th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) 2019 was inaugurated by Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, UAE.
• Nearly 1800 exhibitors from 77 countries are participating in the Fair.
• The fair will showcase 987 activities presenting scientific, knowledge and literary themes.
• The Republic of Mexico has been declared as the Guest of Honour at the 38th edition of SIBF.
• The theme of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) 2019 is 'Open Books Open Minds', to promote books and reading across age groups and communities.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Capital of the UAE: Abu Dhabi; Currency of the UAE: Dirham.

4. Saad Hariri resigns as Prime Minister of Lebanon

• Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri has resigned from the portfolio amid anti-government protests.
• He resigned bowing to one of the central demands of anti-government demonstrators shortly after baton-wielding Hezbollah supporters rampaged through the main protest camp in Beirut.
• The protests has paralyzed the country for nearly two weeks. Lebanon is facing a deep-running fiscal crisis as it staggers under one of the highest debt ratios in the world $86 billion, or more than 150% of the country’s gross domestic product.

Appointments

5. Rafael Grossi elected as the new IAEA head

• Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina has been elected as the new Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
• He succeeds Yukiya Amano of Japan, who passed away in July. He will be the 6th head of IAEA since it was founded more than six decades ago in 1957.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Headquarters IAEA: Vienna, Austria; Membership: 171 Member States.

6. Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar appointed as Deputy NSA

• Former Mumbai Police Commissioner and Maharashtra DGP Datta Padsalgikar have been appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA).
• The 1982-batch IPS officer had earlier served in the Intelligence Bureau (IB).
• He had also served as DCP (Detection) in crime branch, and in EOW (Economic Offences Wing). He retired as the Director-General of Police (DGP) in 2018.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Present National Security Advisor (NSA): Ajit Doval.

Sports

7. Shiva Thapa, Pooja Rani clinch gold in Olympic Test event for Boxing

• Indian boxer Shiva Thapa and Pooja Rani clinched gold medals in Olympic Test Event for Boxing in Tokyo, Japan.
• While Ashish settled for a silver, ending India's brilliant campaign at the Olympic Test Event.
• Four-time Asian medallist Thapa outpunched Kazakhstan's national champion and Asian bronze-winner Sanatali Toltayev 5-0 to claim the top honours in the 63-kilogram category.
• Former Asian Games bronze-medallist Pooja Rani edged past Australia's Caitlin Parker in 75-kilogram category to ensure that the Indian women's contingent also had gold in its kitty.
• In 69 kilogram category, Ashish, however, lost to Japan's Sewon Okazawa to sign off with a silver medal.

Defence

8. Indo-French joint exercise 'Shakti-2019'

• The bilateral 'Exercise SHAKTI' between the armies of India and France will be conducted from 31st October to 13th November 2019 at Foreign Training Node in Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan.
• The joint exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in semi-desert terrain.
• The exercise aims at enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the two armies.
• While a contingent of the Sikh Regiment of Sapta Shakti Command will represent Indian Army in this exercise, the French Army delegation will be represented by troops of 21st Marine Infantry Regiment of 6th Armoured Brigade.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Chief of the Army Staff: General Bipin Rawat.

Obituaries

9. First female UN refugee chief Sadako Ogata passes away

• First female UN refugee chief Sadako Ogata passed away. She served as the Chief of the UN refugees from 1991-2000.
• She had also served as the head of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from 2003- 2012 and also as the chairman of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from 1978-1979.

10. Former Karnataka Lokayukta N. Venkatachala passes away

• N. Venkatachala, former judge of the Supreme Court and former Lokayukta of Karnataka passed away.
• Venkatachala was known for bringing to light the existence of Karnataka’s autonomous anti-corruption wing as the Lokayukta by conducting raids on public servants and disclosing their names and particulars of seized assets.
• He also functioned as the head of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, during 1990. He was Lokayukta from July 3, 2001, to July 2, 2006.

11. Actor and comedian John Witherspoon passes away

• Actor and comedian John Witherspoon passed away recently. He was best known best known for the hit Friday franchise and The Wayan Brothers.
• He made his feature debut in the film The Jazz Singer (1980) and entered showbiz through stand-up comedy and started acting in the late 1970s with guest-starring TV roles.

Important Days

12. India celebrates "National Unity Day" on 31st October

• India is celebrating the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel as National Unity Day.
• The birth anniversary of Sardar Patel i.e. 31st October is observed as the National Unity Day every year.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Sardar Patel at the 'Statue of Unity' in Kevadiya, Gujarat and also witnessed the 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Parade' by personnel of Gujarat Police and central armed forces.
• Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel is also known as the Iron Man of India. At the time of independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played an instrumental role in India’s struggle for independence, and later during the integration of the country by convincing several princely states to align with the Indian Union.

13. World Cities Day: 31 October

• The United Nations General Assembly has designated the 31st October as World Cities Day.
• The Day is expected to greatly promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.
• This year, the United Nations has selected the theme “Changing the world: innovations and better life for future generations” to discuss how urbanization can be used to achieve sustainable development.

Miscellaneous

14. IIIT Hyderabad create first ever Indian Brain Atlas

• Researchers from the Indian Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT-H), Telangana have created the first-ever ‘Indian brain atlas’(IBA).
• The Indian brain atlas was constructed in collaboration with the Department of Imaging Sciences and Interventional Radiology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• The study has revealed that the Indian brain, on an average, is smaller in height, width and volume when compared to Western and other Eastern populations.
• This will help in early diagnosis of Alzheimer's and other brain-related ailments.

15. Pak releases coin to commemorate 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak

• The government of Pakistan released a new coin to commemorate the 550th anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.
• The coin worth Pakistan Rupees 50 will be available at the Kartarpur Sahib along with a postal stamp worth Pakistan Rupees 8 to the travelling pilgrims.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Prime Minister of Pakistan: Imran Khan; President: Arif Alvi.
• Currency: Pakistani rupee; Capital: Islamabad.

Daily updates 30 October 2019

National

1. ‘Aarambh’, common foundation course for IAS probationers held in Statue of Unity

• The Centre’s first-ever common foundation course "Aarambh" (Beginning) for 2019 batch probationer civil servants has begun at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat.
• There are around 500 newly recruited bureaucrats are undergoing six-day training. The theme this year is ‘How to achieve the goal of making India a 5 trillion dollar economy’. 

State News

2. Odisha govt inks LoU for 'drink from tap mission' with UNICEF

• Odisha has inked a Letter of Understanding (LoU) on "drink from tap mission" with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
• The main objective of the mission is to provide piped quality drinking water supply to each household on a 24-hour basis. UNICEF will provide technical cooperation to the government of Odisha.
• The community-based water management system will be adopted at ward-level and in the first phase 1.20 lakh people will be the beneficiaries.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Headquarter of UNICEF: New York, USA; Founded: 11th Dec 1946.

3. CM Patnaik launches 'Odisha Mo Parivar' programme

• Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik launched “Odisha Mo Parivar” (Odisha, My Family) programme.
• It is a social service initiative aimed at encouraging environment protection, blood donation and the welfare of Odias in distress.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Governor of Odisha: Ganeshi Lal; Capital: Bhubaneswar.

Awards News

4. President confers first National CSR Awards

• President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the first National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards to the companies for their outstanding contribution in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
• The first National CSR Awards ceremony in New Delhi. The CSR provisions under the Companies Act, 2013 came into force from April 1, 2014.

Banking News

5. RBI Fined Rs 35 lakh penalty on Tamilnad Mercantile Bank

• The Reserve Bank has imposed a penalty of Rs 35 lakh on Tamilnad Mercantile Bank for violating norms on fraud classification and notification.
• It stated that the bank has been penalized for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by RBI on fraud classification and reporting by commercial banks and select FIs directions 2016.

Important Takeaways for IBPS PO/Clerk Mains 2019:

i. Tamilnad Mercantile Bank based in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.
ii. RBI is India's central bank, which controls the issuance and supply of the Indian rupee.

Appointments

6. Birender Singh Yadav to be next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Iraq

• Birender Singh Yadav has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Iraq.
• The 1997 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Birender Singh replaced Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit as the ambassador.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• President of Iraq: Barham Salih; Prime minister: Adil Abdul-Mahdi.
• Capital of Iraq: Baghdad; Currency: Iraqi dinar.

7. Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde Appointed as 47th Chief Justice of India

• Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde was appointed as the 47th Chief Justice of India. Justice Bobde will take oath as the CJI on November 18th, a day after incumbent Ranjan Gogoi demits office. He will have a tenure of 17 months and would demit office on 23rd April 2021.
• A judge since 2000, Justice Bobde joined the Bombay High Court as an additional judge. He was appointed as the chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on October 2012. In April 2013, he was elevated to the Supreme Court.

Important Takeaways for RBI Grade-B and LIC Assistant 2019:

• Ranjan Gogoi is the 46th and current Chief Justice of India.
• The Supreme Court of India came into existence on 26th January 1950 and is located in New Delhi.
• KK Venugopal is present Attorney General of India.

8. G C Murmu and R K Mathur appointed as new Lt Governors of J&K and Ladakh respectively

• The Union Government has appointed former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers Girish Chandra Murmu and Radha Krishna Mathur as the first Lieutenant (Lt) Governors of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh respectively.
• These newly appointed governors succeed Satya Pal Malik. These Union Territories will come into existence on October 31, 2019.
• Satya Pal Malik has been transferred and appointed as Governor of Goa, succeeding Mridula Sinha. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kerala state president P S Sreedharan Pillai was appointed as the 15th governor of Mizoram succeeding Jagdish Mukhi.

New Governors

S. No.	State/UT	Governor	Predecessor
1.	J&K	Girish Chandra Murmu	Satya Pal Malik
2.	Ladakh	Radha Krishna Mathur	Satya Pal Malik
3.	Mizoram	P S Sreedharan Pillai	Jagdish Mukhi
4.	Goa	Satya Pal Malik	Mridula Sinha

Summits And Conferences

9. 9th edition of Bangladesh-India Friendship Dialogue

• The 9th edition of Bangladesh-India Friendship Dialogue will be held at Cox Bazar in Bangladesh from November 1, 2019.
• The dialogue aims to draw from learning and experiences in these sectors between India and Bangladesh.
• The two-day dialogue will cover a wide range of issues like trade and investment, connectivity, technology, energy, regional security, extremism, and sustainable development among others.
• The event will be organized jointly by the India Foundation and Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Bangladesh Capital: Dhaka; Currency: Taka; PM: Sheikh Hasina.

Ranks And Reports

10. HBR's list of 10 best performing CEOs has 3 Indian-origin CEOs

• The Best-Performing CEOs in the World, 2019' list compiled by the Harvard Business Review (HBR) features 100 CEOs. The list has been topped by American technology company NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang. Among the top 10 chief executives on the list, 3 spots have been occupied by the Indian-origin CEOs.
• Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen was ranked 6th, followed by MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga was ranked 7th and Microsoft chief Satya Nadella on the 9th spot. The list also features India-born CEO of DBS Bank Piyush Gupta on the 89th spot. Apple CEO Tim Cook was ranked 62nd in the list. The 2019 list has 4 female CEOs in the top 50 of the rankings.
• The HBR took into account three metrics for each CEO's tenure: the total shareholder return (including dividends reinvested) adjusted by country and by industry and change in market capitalisation (adjusted for dividends, share issues, and share repurchases), measured in inflation-adjusted USD.

Sports

11. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty bags silver medal at French Open

• Indian men's doubles pair Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy has won the silver medal in the men's doubles event at French Open.
• The Indian pair lost the summit clash to the Indonesian pair of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo by 18-21, 16-21.

12. ICC bans Bangladeshi cricketer Shakib Al Hasan for 2 years

• The International Cricket Council has banned Bangladesh Test and T20 Captain Shakib Al Hasan for 2 years from all forms of cricket. The Bangladeshi cricketer has been banned for not reporting to the ICC that he was approached by the bookies.
• The cricketer was approached by the bookies during the 2018 home tri-series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. One year of the punishment has been suspended after he accepted three charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

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

13. Lewis Hamilton wins Mexico Grand Prix 2019

• Mercedes’ driver and 5-time world champion Lewis Hamilton clinched his 10th win of the season for Mercedes at the Mexican Grand Prix 2019.
• Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, a German racing driver, and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, a Finnish racing driver, finished second and third respectively.

14. Tiger Woods clinched historic 82nd title with Zozo Championship 2019

• The Zozo Championship 2019 tournament title was clinched by America’s Tiger Woods, aged 43, which was his 82nd PGA Tour crown.
• He sealed a historic three-stroke win to draw level with Sam Snead (America) for the most victories on Tour.
• The Zozo Championship 2019, a professional golf tournament, was held at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, Chiba, Japan. It was the first event sanctioned tournament by the PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) Tour in Japan, in a deal that will last until at least 2025.  The prize money of the tournament was US$9.75 million.

Obituaries

15. Padma Shri awardee & India’s oldest Yoga teacher Nanammal passes away

• Padma Shri awardee & India’s oldest Yoga teacher Nanammal passed away at 99. She had bagged 150 awards, 6 national-level gold medals and Yoga Ratna award of the Government of Karnataka in 2014.
• She was also conferred the Padma Shri in January 2019 for her efforts to make people lead a healthy life.

Miscellaneous

16. Facebook launches healthcare tool for check-up reminders

• Facebook has unveiled a ‘Preventive Health’ tool that connects people to health resources and sends check-up reminders. Facebook has launched the tool in the United States.
• The tool is designed to help users of the social networking giant to find affordable places to receive care, set reminders to schedule tests and mark when tests are completed. The recommendations to the users will be provided on the basis on their age and sex.
• The resources available in the tool are provided by the American Cancer Society, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Facebook Headquarters: California, US; CEO: Mark Zuckerberg.

17. Nirmal Purja climbs world's 14 highest peaks in record-breaking 189 days

• The mountaineer from Nepal, Nirmal Purja, created a new speed record by climbing the world’s 14 highest peaks over 8,000 metres (26,250 feet) in just 189 days.
• The 14th peak which he climbed was Shishapangma, located at Nyalam County, China. The other 13 peaks are Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Kanchenjunga, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, K2, Broad Peak, Cho Oyu and Manaslu.

18. Finance Minister releases Commemorative Coin on Paramahansa Yogananda

• The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has released a special commemorative coin on Paramahansa Yogananda. The coin has been released to mark Paramahansa Yogananda's 125th birth anniversary.
• Paramahansa Yogananda is known as the Father of Yoga in the West. He was the founder of two organisations: Yogoda Satsanga Society of India and Self-Realisation Fellowship, belongs to the line of gurus whose message is universal transcending nations and religions.