Daily updates 23 August 2019

National News

1. New set of health warnings on "Tobacco packs"
i. The Health Ministry has notified the new warnings on "Tobacco packs". It has been done by making an amendment in the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labeling) Rules, 2008.
ii. The text messages that will be printed on the packs are "tobacco causes painful death". A quitline number "1800-11-2356" will also be printed on the packs.
iii. The new sets of health warnings, including enlarged pictorial images and text messages, covering 85% of the packet area will assist the users to quit. This will help in creating awareness among tobacco users and gives them access to counselling services to effect behaviour change.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• Union Minister of Ministry of Family & Health Welfare: Harsh Vardhan.

2. India to launch e-commerce portal "Bharatcraft" for MSME's
i. Union Government is planning to launch an e-commerce portal named "Bharatcraft" for MSME's. The portal is based on other e-commerce portals like 'Alibaba' and 'Amazon'. The portal will provide a platform for MSMEs to market and sell their products and in turn boost the sector. 
ii. As per the MSME Union Minister, the Bharatcraft portal has a huge potential to generate revenue worth ₹10 lakh crore in the next 2-3 years.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises: Nitin Gadkari.

International News

3. FATF Asia-Pacific Group blacklists Pakistan
i. Pakistan has been placed on the blacklist of the Financial Action Task Force’s Asia Pacific Group. Pakistan has been blacklisted for non-compliance and non-enforcement of safeguards against terror financing and money laundering.
ii. Pakistan has failed in 32 of 40 ‘compliance’ parameters for its legal and financial systems. Pakistan has also failed in 10 of 11 ‘effectiveness’ parameters for enforcing safeguards against terror-financing and money-laundering by UN-sanctioned entities and other non-government outfits.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Pakistan Capital: Islamabad, PM: Imran Khan, President: Arif Alvi.

4. Iran unveils new missile defence system "Bavar-373"
i. Iran has unveiled new missile defence system "Bavar-373". This is also Iran's first domestically produced long-range missile defence system which has been inducted into the country's missile defence network. The system was unveiled at an occasion of Iran's National Defense Industry Day.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Iran Capital: Tehran; Currency: Rial; President of Iran: Hassan Rouhani.

5. Discovery, WWF tie up to preserve Sundarbans
i. Discovery India and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) India have partnered with the Forest Directorate, the government of West Bengal and local communities to preserve Sundarbans. This move is to protect the Sundarbans, the mangrove forest, the habitat of Bengal tigers, to reduce the tiger-human conflict. The move is also a part of a global movement “Project CAT -Conserving Acres for Tigers” which aimed at building healthy habitats for Tigers.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Chief Minister of West Bengal: Mamta Banerjee.
• Governor of West Bengal: Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Banking

6. Acko partners with ZestMoney to offer credit insurance
i. Acko General Insurance, an insurtech company, has partnered with ZestMoney, a consumer lending fintech, to offer credit insurance. This insurance will help ZestMoney customers cover their monthly EMI payments during times of crisis.
ii. Acko will offer credit insurance to these consumers and cover them during eventualities like hospitalization or critical illness when they’re unable to pay their instalments. ZestMoney offers instant financing to consumers across 1000+ online portals and provides them with the option of paying through EMIs even if the consumers don’t own a credit card.

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

• CEO of Acko General Insurance: Varun Dua.
• CEO of ZestMoney: Lizzie Chapman.

7. SEBI announces Rs 1 crore reward for insider trading informants
i. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has announced a new mechanism to reward insider trading informants to uncover insider trading cases. The reward would be 10 per cent of the money collected, subject to a maximum amount of Rs 1 crore. 
ii. These benefits would only be available to individuals and corporates. This is not applicable for professionals like auditors who are duty-bound to report any wrongdoing.
iii. The above announcement is a part of the detailed set of rules for the new 'Informant Mechanism' under Prohibition of Insider Trading Regulations that has been approved by the SEBI board.
iv. SEBI will also establish an Office of Informant Protection, which will be responsible for the receipt, registration and processing of the disclosure form and also for ascertaining its authenticity.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• SEBI Headquarter: Mumbai; Chairman: Ajay Tyagi.

Appointments

8. Ajay Kumar Bhalla appointed as Home Secretary
i. Ajay Kumar Bhalla was appointed as the new Union Home Secretary. He is currently serving as an officer on special duty in the home ministry. He replaces Rajiv Gauba, who was appointed as the new cabinet secretary.
ii. The Appointments Committee of the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved Bhalla's appointment as the new home secretary.

Agreement

9. AWHO and Tata Realty sign MoU for quality housing
i. Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO) and Tata Realty & Housing have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). This MoU enables the personnel of Indian Army to immediately take over dwelling units in 13 ‘Ready to Move in’ projects of Tata Realty spread over 10 cities at a discount ranging from 11% to 27%.
ii. Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO), which has always endeavoured to provide quality housing for Army personnel who are deployed in remote locations across the country. AWHO will now facilitate the acquisition of homes from reputed private builders at discounted rather than building them for the soldiers.

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

• Chief of the Army Staff: General Bipin Rawat.

Awards

10. WCD Minister Smriti Irani distributed the Poshan Abhiyaan Awards for 2018-19
i. Women and Child Development Minister distributed the Poshan Abhiyaan Awards for 2018-19 in different categories in New Delhi.
ii. The awards were given to the States, Districts, Blocks and Anganwadi Workers for their contributions in scaling up the Abhiyaan and ensuring that it reaches every household in the country. iii. The awards are aimed at motivating the primary stakeholders and encourage large scale citizen participation in creating awareness to combat malnutrition.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Union Women and Child Development Minister: Smriti Irani.

Ranks and Report

11. Akshay Kumar takes 4th spot in Forbes highest-paid actors list 2019
i. Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar has made it to the 4th position on the Forbes magazine’s Worlds Highest-Paid Actors Of 2019 list. Akshay has raked in $65 million. Hollywood star Dwayne ‘Rock’ Johnson tops the Forbes list of the 10 highest-paid actors.

Here’s the list of the World’s Highest-Paid Actors Of 2019 listed by Forbes:
1. Dwayne Johnson ($89.4 million)
2. Chris Hemsworth ($76.4 million)
3. Robert Downey Jr. ($66 million)
4. Akshay Kumar ($65 million)

Science & Technology

12. Russia sends its first humanoid robot Fedor into space
i. Russia launched an unmanned rocket carrying a life-size humanoid robot named Fedor, (Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research). It is a silvery anthropomorphic robot stands 1.80 metres (5 foot 11 inches) tall and weighs 160 kilogrammes (353 pounds).
ii. Fedor will spend 10 days learning to assist astronauts on the International Space Station. It blasted off in a Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

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

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

Sports

13. Vikram Rathour appointed as Team India's batting coach
i. Former Indian opener Vikram Rathour appointed as team India's new batting coach. He will replace Sanjay Bangar. While Bharath Arun and R. Sridhar were retained as bowling and fielding coaches.
ii. The 50-year-old Rathour has played 6 Tests and 7 ODIs in 1996. He was a senior national selector under Sandeep Patil's chairmanship.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Senior National Cricket selection committee head: MSK Prasad.

Important Days

14. International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition: 23 August
i. United Nations observes 23 August every year as “International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition”. 
ii. The Day is observed to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples. The day was designated by UNESCO to memorialize the transatlantic slave trade.

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

• Headquarters of United Nations: New York, USA; Founded: 24 October 1945.
• Secretary-General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres.

Miscellaneous

15. NDTV's interim CEO Suparna Singh steps down
i. Suparna Singh, interim CEO of NDTV has resigned with immediate effect. She becomes interim CEO of NDTV in 2017 with approval from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Daily updates 24 August 2019

National News

1. Former finance minister Arun Jaitley passes away
i. Former Union finance minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley passed away. He was a lawyer by profession. He held the portfolios of Finance Ministry, Corporate Affairs Ministry, Defence Ministry, and Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

2. President Kovind inaugurates the First World Youth Conference
i. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the first-ever World Youth Conference. Which was organised by the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) at Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi.
ii. The theme of the conference was ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Gandhi for the Contemporary World: Celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. 
iii. The conference was in commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi and aimed at providing youth with creative, effective methods of engaging and realising the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

3. Minority Affairs Ministry Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to inaugurate “Hunar Haat”
i. Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot will inaugurate this “Hunar Haat” at Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur.
ii. “Hunar Haat” has proved to be an effective programme to provide employment and employment opportunities to master artisans. More than 2 lakh 40 thousand master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts have been provided employment and employment opportunities.

International News

4. Russia launches floating nuclear reactor in Arctic
i. Russia launched the world's first floating nuclear reactor. The vessel weighs 21,000 tons and has two reactors with a capacity of 35 megawatts each. This reactor loaded with nuclear fuel, the Akademik Lomonosov left the Arctic port of Murmansk to begin its 5,000 kilometres (3,000-mile) voyage to Pevek in northeastern Siberia.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

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

State news

5. 24th Meeting of Western Zonal Council held in Panaji
i. The 24th Meeting of Western Zonal Council was held in Panaji, Goa. It was chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Goa being host state. Western Zonal Council is a forum for the Centre and the states to cooperate and exchange ideas and experiences on issues related to health, security and social welfare.

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

• Chief Minister of Goa: Pramod Sawant; Governor of Goa: Mridula Sinha.

Agreement

6. BookMyForex, YES Bank tie up for foreign exchange travel card
i. BookMyForex.com, a marketplace for foreign exchange and remittances, has partnered with YES Bank to launch a co-branded multi-currency forex travel card for Indian overseas travellers.
ii. In this Partnership, customers will now be able to buy forex travel cards at the click of a button on the BookMyForex platform and get free doorstep delivery across major cities in India. BookMyForex will offer zero margin or exact inter-bank rates 24x7 on forex card sales.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• CEO of YES Bank: Ravneet Gill; Headquarter of YES Bank: Mumbai.

Ranks and Report

7. 'Statue of Unity', Mumbai's Soho House among Time's 100 greatest places in the world
i. The 597-ft tall 'Statue of Unity' in Gujarat and Mumbai's Soho House have been featured by the Time magazine in its second annual list of the 2019 World's greatest places, in a compilation of 100 new and newly "noteworthy destinations.
ii. The 'Statue of Unity', the world's tallest statue, is a tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India's first home minister as well as deputy prime minister. Soho House Mumbai is Asia's first Soho House that puts a local spin on the "formula that has allowed Nick Jones' members-­only clubs to blossom across the US and Europe".

Science & Technology

8. NASA honours Rolling Stones by naming rock on Mars
i. NASA announced that it has named rock on Mars in honour of the iconic English band, The Rolling Stones. The space agency revealing that the "Rolling Stones Rock" was a stone that was sent rolling after NASA's InSight lander touched down on the Mars' surface.

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

• NASA Administrator: Jim Bridenstine.
• NASA established: 29 July 1958.

Sports

9. India won Bronze in World Archery Youth Championships
i. The Indian team of Sukhbeer Singh, Sangampreet Singh Bisla and Tushar Phadtare clinched a bronze medal in the junior compound men's team event in the World Archery Youth Championships in Madrid, Spain. They defeat Colombia's Jagdeep Teji Singh Mejia, Gomez Zuluaga Felipe and Toro Vasquez Manuel 234-231.

Miscellaneous

10. Ocean energy gets renewable energy status
i. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has declared Ocean Energy as renewable energy status. It has clarified to all stakeholders that energy produced using various forms of ocean energy such as tidal, wave and ocean thermal energy conversion and shall be eligible for meeting the non-solar Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO).

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy: Raj Kumar Singh.

Daily updates 25 26 August 2019

National News

1. PV Sindhu becomes first Indian to win World Championships gold
i. Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu has won the World Championships title defeating Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the final at Basel, Switzerland. Sindhu defeated her Japanese opponent Nozomi Okuhara to 21-7, 21-7.
ii. This was Sindhu's third straight World Championships final. With this victory, the 24-year-old shuttler has become the first Indian to book a gold medal at the World Championships.

2. Narendra Modi launches RuPay card in UAE
i. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has launched the RuPay card, making the UAE the first country in the Middle East to initiate the Indian indigenous system of electronic payment. RuPay card scheme was launched in 2012 to fulfil the Reserve Bank of India's vision to have a domestic, open and multilateral system of payments.
ii. RuPay facilitates electronic payment at all Indian banks and financial institutions. India has already launched the RuPay card in Singapore and Bhutan.

Static/Current Takeaways for IBPS RRB PO/Clerk Mains:

• Currency of UAE: Dirham, Capital: Abu Dhabi
• RuPay card scheme was conceived and launched by NPCI

3. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurates National Centre for Avian Ecotoxicology
i. Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar has inaugurated the National Centre for Avian Ecotoxicology at Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural Sciences (SACON) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
ii. The centre would study the movement of environmental contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls and drugs through the food chain, and their harmful effects on birds.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

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

4. Harsh Vardhan inaugurates FSSAI's National Food Laboratory
i. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurated FSSAI's National Food Laboratory (NFL) in Ghaziabad on the occasion of 13th anniversary of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. This national lab is a result of a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), the first-of-its-kind in the food laboratory sector.
ii. The lab is equipped with the latest technologies and facilities to conduct analysis as per global accreditation standards for testing and calibration. NFL is one of the two premier referral laboratories under the direct administrative control of the apex food regulator named- Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI).

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

• Chairperson of FSSAI: Rita Teaotia.
• Chief Executive Officer of FSSAI: Pawan Kumar Agarwal.

State news

5. SRK launches heritage postal stamp of Bandra station
i. Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan launched heritage postal stamp of Bandra station in Mumbai, Maharashtra on the completion of 150 years of the railway station. He urged the people present at the launching event to use the postal stamps instead of online texting.

Banking

6. Bandhan Bank launches a co-branded credit card with Standard Chartered
i. Bandhan Bank launched a co-branded credit card in association with Standard Chartered bank. This credit card would be offered to 40 lakh savings bank account holders across the 1,000 branches of Bandhan Bank.
ii. As part of the tie-up, while Standard Chartered bank will take the credit risk, Bandhan Bank will be responsible for identifying and issuing cards to its customers.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• MD & CEO of Bandhan Bank: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh.
• CEO of Standard Chartered Bank: Zarin Daruwala.

Agreement

7. IIT-Delhi establishes DESMI Centre of Excellence
i. Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi has partnered with Denmark-based firm to start DESMI Centre of Excellence on Waste-to-Wealth at IIT-Delhi. The centre will provide support for implementing the framework of pilot projects, which address waste collection and management with possible energy generation.

Ranks and Report

8. Scarlett Johansson tops Forbes highest-paid actresses list
i. For the second consecutive year, Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has topped the Forbes’ list of highest-paid female actors in the world. Spurred by the success of her summer Marvel film Avengers: Endgame, the 34-year-old actor’s earning reached USD 56 million.

Here’s the list of the World’s Highest-Paid Actresses Of 2019 listed by Forbes:

1. Scarlett Johansson - $56 million
2. Sofia Vergara - $44.1 million
3. Reese Witherspoon - $35 million

Schemes and Committee

9. CVC sets up 4-member Advisory Board for Banking Frauds
i. The Central Vigilance Commission has constituted a 4-member Advisory Board for Banking Frauds. The ABBF will be headed by former Vigilance Commissioner T.M. Bhasin.
ii. The panel will function as the 1st level of examination of all large fraud cases. Lenders will refer all large fraud cases above Rs 50 crore to the board and on receipt of its recommendation or advice, the bank concerned would take further action in such matters.
iii. The other members of the panel are Madhusudan Prasad, former Urban Development Secretary; D.K. Pathak, former Director General of the Border Security Force; and Suresh N Patel, former MD and CEO of Andhra Bank.
iv. The panel was previously called the Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and Financial Frauds.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Central Vigilance Commissioner: Sharad Kumar.

Awards

10. CPWD-DG Prabhakar Singh selected for ‘Eminent Engineer Award 2019’
i. Prabhakar Singh, Director General, Central Public Works Department has been chosen for the ‘Eminent Engineer Award for the Year 2019’. This award will be given by the Institution of Engineers (India) for his distinguished and exemplary service in the field of Engineering and Technology.
ii. This Elite and Prestigious Award shall be conferred to him on the ‘Engineers Day’ on September 15, 2019, in New Delhi.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Minister of State (Independent Charge) Housing & Urban Affairs: Hardeep Singh Puri.

Summit and Conferences

11. 45th G7 Summit begins in Biarritz, France
i. The Group of 7 or G7 Summit has begun in Biarritz, France. It is an informal meeting between France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada as well as the European Union. These world powers, which represent 50% of the global economy, also share the values of freedom and democracy, as well as a collective ambition to deal with the world’s major issues.
ii. India has been invited as a special guest in the summit. PM Narendra Modi will address sessions on the environment, climate, oceans and digital transformation at the G7 Summit.

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

• President of France: Emmanuel Macron; Capital: Paris.

Books and Authors

12. “Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story” book will be launched in October
i. A new book recounting the story of how Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal (both-former founders of Flipkart) built e-commerce giant Flipkart. This book is written by Mihir Dalal. The book is titled as “Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story” and will be published by “Pan Macmillan India”. This book will be launched in October 2019.

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

• Flipkart established: October 2007; Headquarter of Flipkart: Bengaluru.

Sports

13. Gokulam Kerala FC wins Durand Cup
i. In football, Gokulam Kerala FC won the 129th Durand Cup, defeating heavyweights Mohun Bagan 2-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
ii. Bagan had more possession, but Gokulam were superb in counter-attacks. With today's win, Gokulam Kerala became the first club from the state in 22 years to clinch the tournament.

14. Alex Rins wins British Grand Prix
i. Spain motorcycle racer, Alex Rins of the Team SUZUKI ECSTAR has won the British Grand Prix. He defeated Marc Marquez by 0.013 seconds. While Maverick Vinales of Spain finished with the third position. The race was held at the Silverstone racetrack, in Silverstone, England.

15. Komalika Bari becomes recurve cadet at the World Archery Youth Championships
i. India's Komalika Bari became recurve cadet world champion at the World Archery Youth Championships in Madrid, Spain. She defeated higher-ranked Sonoda Waka of Japan 7-3 in the final. 
ii. India also won a gold in the compound junior mixed pair event and a bronze in the compound junior men's team.

Miscellaneous

16. PM Modi launches a redevelopment project of the Sri Krishna temple in Bahrain
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched redevelopment project of the 200-year-old Sri Krishna temple in Manama, Bahrain. 
ii. The $4.2 million redevelopment project will be on a piece of land measuring 16,500 square feet. iii. The new 4-floor structure covering will cover 45,000 square feet, will have an overall height of 30 meters.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• King of Bahrain: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa; Capital: Manama.

17. Textiles minister Smriti Irani launches sustainable fashion project "SU.RE"
i. The Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani has inaugurated Project SU.RE(Sustainable Resolution). This is a joint project of CMAI(Clothing Manufacturers Association of India)& IMG Reliance(International Management Group, during Lakme Fashion Winter/Festive 2019 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The aim of this initiative is to move towards sustainable fashion that contributes to a clean environment.