National News
1. India International Science Festival 2018 Concludes: Important Highlights
i. The four-day long mega science expo, India International Science Festival
(IISF-2018) concluded in
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. IISF-2018 witnessed a footfall of more than 10 lakh
people and more than 22 thousand registrations, the highest in its four-year history making
it the largest festival of its kind in Asia.
ii. IISF was inaugurated
by the President Ram Nath Kovind. IISF 2018 also saw two major Guinness World
Records being made one of which was a World Record successful attempt to “isolate DNA” by 550
students from class 8th to 10th standard. IISF-2018 with its focal theme “Science for Transformation” had
more than 23 special events in its 4th edition.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for
IBPS PO Mains Exam 2018-
·
IISF 2017 was held in Chennai, Tamil
Nadu.
International News
2. India Signs Key Agreements With
Tajikistan
 |
| India Signs Key Agreements With Tajikistan |
i.
President Ram Nath Kovind had
a meeting with his Tajikistan
counterpart Mr. Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe. On this
occasion, both countries signed MoUs in various fields including political
relations, strategic research, agriculture, renewable energy, traditional
medicine, space technology, youth affairs, Culture and Disaster
Management.
ii. The President held
bilateral level talks his Tajikistan counterpart Emomali Rahmon. Indian grant of 20 million US
dollars was announced for Tajikistan to finance development projects.
Several other key bilateral pacts were also signed.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for
Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
Tajikistan Capital: Dushanbe, Currencies: Tajikistani
somoni, Ruble.
3. Minister of State for Commerce Attends India–West Africa
Conclave in Nigeria
i. Minister of State for Commerce &
Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution, C. R.
Chaudhary led the Indian delegation
to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)- EXIM Bank, Regional Conclave on
India-West Africa Project Partnership being held in Abuja, Nigeria.
ii. The
Conclave is a two-day event with the focus on business deliberations,
Business to Government (B2G) and Business to Business (B2B) engagements.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam
2018-
·
Nigeria Capital: Abuja, Currency: Nigerian
naira.
4. Pakistan Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable Ghauri Ballistic
Missile
i.
Pakistan has successfully test-fired Ghauri ballistic missile capable
of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads up to a distance of 1,300 kilometres.
ii. The
launch was conducted by Army Strategic Forces Command and was aimed at testing
the operational and technical readiness.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for
Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
Pakistan PM- Imran Khan, Currency- Pakistani Rupee
Banking/Business/Economy News
5. IMF Projects India's Growth At 7.3% In 2018 and 7.4% In
2019
i. As per the IMF's latest report, India is projected to grow at
7.3% in 2018 and 7.4% in 2019. The report predicted India to regain
the tag of the world's fastest-growing major economy this year, crossing China
with more than 0.7 percentage points.
ii. In
China, growth is projected to moderate from 6.9 per cent in 2017 to 6.6% in
2018 and 6.2 % in 2019. In
2017, India had clocked a 6.7% growth rate.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for
IBPS PO Mains Exam 2018-
·
Managing Director of International Monetary Fund- Christine Lagarde, Headquarters
in- Washington DC, USA.
6. Google To Shut Down Google+ For Consumers Over The Security Lapse
i.
Google will shut down Google+ for
consumer use over the next 10
months after a bug exposed the personal data of up to 5 lakh users.
Google stated that it discovered and immediately patched the bug in March 2018
but found "no evidence" that any data was actually misused.
ii. According
to Google, Google+ currently has “low
usage and engagement” and that 90% of Google+ user sessions last
less than 5 seconds. Still, the company plans to keep the service alive for enterprise customers who
use it to facilitate conversation among co-workers.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for
Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
Google CEO-Sundar Pichai, Parent company- Alphabet Inc.
·
Google was recently displaced by Apple to become the world's top
brand.
7. Centre Decides To Start Issuing Sovereign Gold Bonds 2018-19 From October
i. The
Centre in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India has decided to
issue Sovereign Gold Bonds 2018-19. The Sovereign Gold Bonds will be
issued every month from October to February 2019.
ii. The 2018-19 Series II
tranche will be issued on 23rd of October and the period of submission
is 15th to 19th of October. The Bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding
Corporation of India Limited, designated post offices and recognised stock
exchanges National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock Exchange
Limited.
8. NHB Increases Refinance Limit From Rs24,000 crore To Rs30,000 crore
i.
National Housing Bank (NHB) has decided to
increase the Refinance Limit from Rs.
24,000 crore to Rs.30,000 crore for the Current Year (July 2018-June
2019) towards refinancing eligible institutions. Now, eligible Housing Finance
Companies & Other entities will have increased availability of funds.
ii. Till
date, Rs.8835 crore
has been sanctioned. This refinancing is a credit flow to Housing
Finance Companies & other Institutions.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for
Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
The Committee of Secretaries considered’ the recommendation
and set up the High-Level Group under the Chairmanship
of Dr. C. Rangarajan, the then Deputy Governor, RBI to
examine the proposal and recommended the setting up of National Housing Bank as
an autonomous housing finance institution.
·
NHB was set up on July 9, 1988, under the National Housing
Bank Act, 1987.
·
The Head Office of NHB is at New Delhi.
·
Dakshita Das is the Managing Director & Chief Executive
Officer of National Housing Bank.
Important Days
9. World Post Day: 9th
October
i.
World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9 October, the
anniversary of the establishment
of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital,
Bern.
ii. The
theme selected for the 2018 competition is: "Imagine
you are a letter travelling through time. What message do you wish to convey to
your readers?"
Sports News
10. Asian
Para Games 2018: India Bags 11 Medals, 3 Golds
i.
Javelin thrower Sandeep Chaudhary produced
a stunning world record effort as India
bagged 11 medals, including three gold, at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta,
Indonesia.
ii. Chaudhary clinched India's first gold of the Games in the men's category before middle
distance runner Raju
Rakshitha in women's 1500 meters and swimmer Jadhav Suyash Narayan in men's 50-meter
butterfly added the yellow metals later on the second day of
competitions.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for
Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) confirmed
that Hangzhou in
China will host the fourth edition of Asian Para Games in 2022.
11. Youth Olympic Games 2018: Jeremy, 1st Ever Indian Gold
Medallist in YOG
i.
Weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga has
become India's first-ever gold medallist in the history of Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
The 15-year-old achieved the feat by lifting a total weight of 274 kg in the
men's 62 kg category at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
ii. Jeremy’s
personal best until the Buenos Aires lift was of 273 kg (snatch+clean and jerk), which he
achieved during an event at NIS Patiala.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for
Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
Argentina Capital: Buenos Aires, Currency: Argentine
peso.
·
Official Mascot of Youth Olympic Games 2018 is Pandi.
12.
Youth Olympic Games 2018: Thangjam Tababi Devi Clinches India's 1st Judo
Medal
i.
16-Year-old Thangjam Tababi Devi became India's first judo
medallist at the Olympic level, claiming a silver at the ongoing Youth
Games.
ii. She was defeated by Venezuela's Maria Giminez in the finals of the women's 44kg category in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tababi Devi hails from Manipur. India has never won an Olympic medal in judo either at the senior or the youth level.
ii. She was defeated by Venezuela's Maria Giminez in the finals of the women's 44kg category in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tababi Devi hails from Manipur. India has never won an Olympic medal in judo either at the senior or the youth level.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for
Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
Argentina Capital: Buenos Aires, Currency: Argentine
peso.
·
Official Mascot of Youth Olympic Games 2018 is Pandi.
