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INTERNATIONAL

Angela Merkel to step down as German chancellor in 2021
Germany’s Angela Merkel has said she will step down as chancellor in 2021, following recent election setbacks. She also said she would not seek re-election as leader of the centre-right CDU party in December. She has held the post since 2000.

Higgins re-elected Irish President again
Michael D Higgins has been re-elected Irish president after winning a landslide victory with 8,22,566 votes. The 77-year-old professor and campaigner will serve his second term after first being elected in 2011. Mr Higgins is Ireland’s ninth president.

Jair Bolsonaro wins presidential election in Brazil
Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro has won a sweeping victory in Brazil’s presidential election. Mr. Bolsonaro won 55.2% of the votes cast against 44.8% for Fernando Haddad from the left-wing Workers’ Party. Mr. Bolsonaro campaigned on a promise to eradicate corruption and to drive down Brazil’s high crime levels. His campaign slogan was ‘Brazil above everything, God above everyone’.

World’s largest airport ‘under one roof’ to open in Istanbul
The world’s largest airport terminal “under one roof” with a capacity to serve 90 million passengers will be officially opened in Istanbul, Turkey. Dubbed as phase-1A of the project Istanbul New Airport will have a capacity to handle 90 million passenger per year, making it the largest such facility in the world.

Mahinda Rajapaksa sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new PM
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe, incumbent prime minister of Sri Lanka and appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksha as new Prime Minister. In recent times, the politics of Sri Lanka is in turmoil because of the tension between President Sirisena and PM Vikramasinghe.

India to become world’s 3rd largest aviation market: IATA
International Air Transport Association (IATA) stated that, India will become the world’s 3rd largest aviation market around 2024 surpassing the United Kingdom. India is at present, the world’s 7th largest aviation market. By 2037, out of 572 million new passengers in the world, India will account for 414 million passengers.

Iraq PM Adel Abdul Mahdi sworn in
Iraq’s new Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi was sworn in but could not announce the full cabinet after legislators failed to reach a consensus on key postings. Abdul Mahdi was initially expected to nominate a full 22-member cabinet, including the defence and interior ministers. Under Iraq’s constitution, Shia, Sunnis, Kurds and other minorities must all be represented in cabinet.

Paul Biya wins 7th term as President of Cameroon
Paul Biya, won the 7th term as President of Cameroon. Paul Biya has been ruling Cameroon since 1982. He is 85 years old. He had won 71.3 % of the ballot in the presidential election. His rival Maurice Kamto came second with 14.2 % of the vote.

Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa to form new government in Bhutan
The Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) will form new government in Bhutan. The party has won 30 seats in 47 member National Assembly, the lower house of the parliament. The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) has got remaining 17 seats. The Election Commission of Bhutan has formally announced the results of the parliamentary elections.

Maeen Abdulmalik sworn in as Yemen’s new PM
Yemen’s newly appointed Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik was sworn in to lead the internationally-backed government in the war-torn Arab country. Maeen was appointed as Prime Minister by Yemen’s President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi earlier this week, replacing his sacked predecessor Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr.

Global Competitiveness Report 2018: India Ranks 58th, US Top
The World Economic Forum released the Global Competitiveness Report 2018. According to the report, India has jumped five spots to become the 58th most competitive economy on the Global Competitiveness Index 2018 (GCI 4.0). India witnessed the largest gain among the G20 nations. The index covers 140 nations and it measures national competitiveness.

India is the world’s most depressed country, closely followed by China and the US
According to a World Health Organization report, India is the world’s most depressed country, closely followed by China and the US. Also according to the 2015-16 National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) implemented by National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, every sixth person in India needs mental health help.

Global Hunger Index 2018: Belarus tops, India Ranks 103rd
The 2018 Global Hunger Index (GHI) indicates that the level of hunger and undernutrition worldwide falls into the serious category, at a value of 20.9, down from 29.2 in 2000. As per the index, India was ranked 103rd out of 119 qualifying countries.

India elected to UNHRC securing maximum votes
India has been elected to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council with the highest vote among all candidates. It secured 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category for a period of three years. India’s win with the highest number of votes reflects the country’s standing in the international comity.

Malaysian Government Abolishes Capital Punishment
In Malaysia, the cabinet decided to abolish the death penalty. Communications and multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo stated that the government decided to scrap capital punishment following strong domestic opposition to the practice. Capital punishment in Malaysia is currently mandatory for murder, kidnapping, possession of firearms and drug trafficking, among other crimes.

Singapore ranks first in World Bank Human Capital Index
Singapore has emerged as the top among the 157 countries and territories in the inaugural World Bank Human Capital Index (HCI), which measures the human capital that a child born today can expect to attain by the age of 18. The index defines human capital as the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate over their lives.

Japanese Passport named as the World’s most powerful Passport
Replacing the Singaporean passport, the Japanese passport has been declared the most powerful passport across the world in 2018. According to 2018 Henley Passport Index, the people having Japanese passport can travel without a visa or can get an on-arrival visa across 190 countries.

Interpol chief resigns amid detention in China
Meng Hongwei resigned as the President of International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). Meng Hongwei is from China. He has resigned after he was detained in China and having been kept under probe for alleged involvement in criminal activities.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 1st Person to Lose Honorary Canadian Citizenship
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi became the first person to be stripped of the honorary Canadian citizenship for her role in gross human rights violations against the Rohingya people. The Canadian Senate formally revoked the symbolic honour that was bestowed on Suu Kyi in 2007. Senators unanimously adopted a genocide motion tabled by Independent Senator Ratna Omidvar in the red chamber.

Kurdish moderate Barham Salih elected Iraq president
Moderate Kurdish candidate Barham Salih swept to the post of president of Iraq with a resounding victory in a parliamentary vote. Saleh routed his main rival Fuad Hussein with 219 votes to 22. Saleh immediately named Adel Abdul Mahdi prime minister-designate.

INDIA & WORLD

 India ranked 28th among 73 countries in govt e-payment adoption

The Government E-Payments Adoption Ranking (GEAR), compiled by The Economist Intelligence Unit commissioned by payments company Visa ranked India as 28th country to progress in the digital transformation journey.

  NATIONAL

 India becomes second largest solar market: MERCOM

India installed 4.9 GW of solar power, consolidating its position as the second largest solar market in the world, during the first half of the calendar year 2018 according to a report by Mercom Communications India. According to the report, China topped the list.

India has most outward migrants in 2017: ADB Report
Most of the international migrants in 2017 were from India, followed by China and Bangladesh, according to an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report titled ‘Asian Economic Integration Report 2018’. As per the report, as many as one-third of international migrants were from Asia in 2017. India had the most outward migrants in 2017 (17 million), followed by China (10 million) and Bangladesh (7.5 million).

India’s longest river bridge to be built on Brahmaputra river in Assam
It was announced that India’s longest river bridge will be built across the Brahmaputra, connecting Dhubri in Assamto Phulbari in Meghalaya, by 2026-27. It will be a 19.3 km, four-lane bridge that will cut road travel by 203 km. The new bridge will complete the missing link of NH127B from Assam to Meghalaya.

India ranked 9th most valuable Nation Brand
India has secured ninth rank out of top 50 valuable national brands, according to a report titled ‘Nation Brands 2018’ released by Brand Finance, a leading brand valuation and strategy consultancy. India was ranked 8th in last year’s report but slipped by a spot to the 9th rank, despite its brand value rose by 5%.

India’s Highest Tricolour Unfurled at Haj House in Mumbai
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi unfurled India’s highest tricolour on the terrace of the majestic Haj House in Mumbai. The national flag measured 20×30 feet and stood 350 feet above the ground level.

India’s 1st Cryptocurrency ATM installed in Bengaluru
An ATM for deposit and withdrawal of money for cryptocurrencies has been installed in Bengaluru’s Kemp Fort Mall by virtual currency exchange Unocoin. Users can deposit money to buy currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum using an OTP received on their registered numbers. In order to withdraw money, a request has to be first made on the Unocoin website.

Centre to provide Rs 7.8 Crore Textile Tourism Complex in Meghalaya
Minister of State for Textiles, Ajay Tamta has stated that the Ministry will release 7.8 crore rupees for the construction of a textile tourism complex in Nongpoh, Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya. The Union Minister visited different weaving centers in Shillong. The NBCC has completed construction of an apparel center worth 14 crores rupees in the State.

Delhi, Moscow sign twin-city agreement
Delhi government signed a twin-city agreement with the government of Moscow for cooperation in various fields like environment, culture and education, for the next 3 years. The agreement was signed by Minister of the Moscow City government and head of its international relations Sergey Cheremin and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

India ranks 147th in Oxfam world inequality index
India has been ranked among the bottom 10 countries in a new worldwide indexon the commitment of different nations to reduce inequalities in their populations. UK-based charity Oxfam International’s ‘Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index’ ranks India 147th among 157 countries.

India Post honors Narayan Seva Sansthan with new postal stamp
The Indian postal services honoured the Narayan Seva Sansthan, the Udaipur-based non-profit organisation, by launching their postal stamps. The stamp of Rs 5 includes the official logo of the Narayan Seva Sansthan in bright colours along with the picture of NGO’s Polio Hospital which is situated in Udaipur.

21 IORA Countries adopt Delhi declaration on Renewable Energy
As many as 21 countries in the Indian Ocean Rim Association, IORA, adopted the Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy in the Indian Ocean Region. These nations adopted the Delhi Declaration post the second IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting held in Greater Noida, near Delhi.

India & ADB Sign $240 Million Loan for 3 WB Districts
Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed $240 million loan for providing safe and sustainable drinking water to about 1.65 million people in three districts of the state of West Bengal affected by arsenic, fluoride, and salinity.

Kolkata gets India’s 1st comprehensive city-level flood forecasting & warning system
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) launched a Flood Forecasting and Early Warning System (FFEWS) for Kolkata City. It is also India’s first comprehensive city-level FFEWS.

 STATES 

Kerala the best State for teenage girls in India: Report
Kerala tops the TAG index which compares the performance of each State based on the status of their teenage girls, as a part of the survey findings of The Teen Age Girls (TAG) Report, conducted by Project Nanhi Kali. Compiled and published by the Naandi Foundation, with grant support from Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, this report is touted as the nation’s first report on what it means to be a teenage girl in India.

Shimla is to be renamed as Shyamala
BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh government is considering a proposal to rename state capital Shimla to Shyamala. The demand was made by right-wing Hindu groups as part of efforts to remove symbols of British rule. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that his government will seek public opinion on the demand for Shimla’s renaming.

Bihar’s Shahi litchi gets GI tag
After Katrani rice, Jardalu mango and Magahi paan, Bihars Shahi litchi has got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag and has become an exclusive brand in the national and international market. The famous Shahi litchi, which is famous for its sweet, juicy, unique flavour and aroma, is mostly grown in Muzaffarpur and neighbouring districts including East Champaran, Vaishali, Samastipur and Begusarai.

Allahabad to be renamed Prayagraj very soon
Ahead of the Kumbh Mela next year, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced that very soon Allahabad district will be renamed Prayagraj. Akhada Parishad and others regarding changing the name of Allahabad district. UP Governor Ram Naik has also given his consent to the proposal.

Niwari inducted as the 52nd district of MP
The state Cabinet of Madhya Pradesh approved the proposal of induction of Niwari district in the state. It became the 52nd district of the state. IAS officer Akshay Kumar Singh has been appointed as the first interim District Collector of the district.

Maharashtra tops list of states with maximum average AUM: AMFI
According to Association of Mutual Funds of India’s (AMFI) statistics, Maharashtra tops the chart for state with the maximum penetration and Assets Under Management (AUM). Also, as per August, average assets under management (AUM) of mutual funds rose to an all-time high of Rs 25.2 lakh crore across the country.

CONFERENCES

International Conference on Status & Protection of Coral Reefs
International Conference on Status and Protection of Coral Reefs (STAPCOR – 2018) was held at Bangaram Island, Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The theme of the conference was “Reef for Life”. It was inaugurated by Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr. Harsh Vardhan.

3-day India mobile congress 2018 concludes
India Mobile Congress(IMC) 2018 – a marquee event which provided a peep into the exciting future in the rapidly evolving area of digital communications – ended, with participants and organisers promising to be back next year. The mega 3-day event was inaugurated by Shri Manoj Sinha,Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications.

20th edition of WETEX 2018 held in Dubai
The 20th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) 2018 was held at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. WETEX is organized by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) every year. WETEX 2018 is the largest edition in the 20 year-history of WETEX.

22nd National level meeting held between India & Myanmar
The 22nd National Level Meeting between India and Myanmar was held in October, 2018. During the meeting both sides agreed to take action against insurgent groups operating within their territories. The two countries agreed on providing of security cooperation along with international border and facilitating movement of people and trade across the international border.

2nd International conference on Primary Health Care
J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare addressed the ‘Second Plenary Session of ‘2nd International Conference on Primary Health Care (PHC) towards UHC & SDGs’, at Astana, Kazakhstan. The conference aims to renew the commitment to primary health care to achieve universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Global Agriculture Leadership Summit 2018 held in New Delhi
The Global Agriculture Leadership Summit 2018 opened in New Delhi. The theme of the 2-day summit is, ‘Connecting Farmers to Market’. The summit was inaugurated by the Secretary Agriculture and Co-operation, Sanjay Agrawal.

1st Trilateral meeting among India, Afghanistan & Iran held in Tehran
The first trilateral meeting among India, Afghanistan and Iran of the Coordination Council of the Chabahar Agreement took place on in Tehran, Iran. The Indian delegation was led by Secretary (Economic Relations) TS Tirumurti. Detailed discussions were held between the three sides on full operationalisation of the trilateral Agreement for international transit and transport through Chabahar Port.

7th Meeting of Education Ministers of SCO Member States held in Astana
7th meeting of education ministers of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held in Astana, Kazakhstan. Dr. Satya Pal Singh, Minister of State for Human Resource Development, participated on behalf of Government of India. Minister of Education and Science of Kazakhstan Yerlan Sagadiyev chaired the event.

Prime Minister chaired 6th meeting of NDMA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the sixth meeting of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) at New Delhi. Other delegates present in the meeting were: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and officials of NDMA.

6th RCEP Inter-Sessional Ministerial meeting held in Singapore
The Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution C. R. Chaudhary, attended the 6th RCEP Inter-sessional Ministerial Meeting (IMM) in Singapore. The Ministers from 16 RCEP countries met in Singapore to discuss a modern, comprehensive and mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement among ASEAN and ASEAN’s FTA partners.

International conference on the future of the Indian Ocean held in Colombo
The Indian Ocean: Defining our Future” Conference was held at Temple Trees, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is aimed to explore strongest challenges in the Indian Ocean region. The inaugural address of the Conference was delivered by President Maithripala Sirisena while Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe delivered the keynote address.

 First Regional conference on Women in Detention & Access to Justice

The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Ministry of Home Affairs is organising the First ever Regional Conference at Shimla on ‘Women in Detention and Access to Justice’ in collaboration with the Prison Department, Himachal Pradesh.

  AWARDS & HONOURS 

Simona Halep becomes first recipient of Chris Evert WTA World No.1 Trophy
Simona Halep becomes first recipient of Chris Evert WTA World No.1 Trophy . She is the first recipient of the Chris Evert Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) World No.1 Trophy, named after WTA’s first-ever world number one, Chris Evert.

Roopam Sharma wins World Health summit startup award in Berlin
Roopam Sharma, a 23-year old Indian scientist, won the World Health Summit Startup award, 2018 for his invention, Manovue – the world’s first intelligent personal assisting system for the visually impaired. Sharma was awarded at an annual event of the health summit in Berlin recently.

BEML received top challengers’ & best mining equipment seller award
Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), a Mini Ratna Public Sector Undertaking, under the Ministry of Defence, received the prestigious ‘Top Challengers Award 2018’ for the excellent performance during financial year 2017-18 and Best Seller in Crawler Equipment- Dozers and Rigid Dump Truck segment for mining sectors.

Asma Jahangir posthumously awarded UN Human Rights Prize
Late Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir was announced as one of the four winners of the 2018 UN Human Rights Prize. She became the fourth Pakistani woman to be awarded the UN Human Rights Prize.

Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony announced
The Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for the years 2014, 2015 & 2016 is being conferred on the doyen of Manipuri dance Sh. Rajkumar Singhajit Singh (For 2014); Chhayanaut (a cultural organization of Bangladesh, for 2015) and on one of India’s greatest sculptors, Sh. Ram Vanji Sutar (for 2016). The chairman of the Jury was Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the jury comprised of the Chief Justice of India, Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

India wins CAPAM Award 2018
India has won the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) Award, 2018. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is an institutional member of CAPAM. The awards were announced at the Annual General Members Meet held at Georgetown, Guyana.

M.S. Swaminathan to be awarded World Agriculture Prize
Agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan will receive the first World Agriculture Prize instituted by the Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) in New Delhi. The prize will be presented by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu at Vigyan Bhawan at a special session. The prize has been instituted by the ICFA with an aim to recognise individuals who have served humanity through agriculture.

PM Narendra Modi to be awarded the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is conferred this award in recognition of his efforts to improve international cooperation, global economic growth, Human Development of people of India, economic growth in the world’s fastest growing large economy and development of democracy through anti-corruption and social integration efforts.

Invest India wins UN Investment Promotion award
The award was presented by Armenian President Armen Sarkissian to Deepak Bagla, the CEO of Invest India, in Geneva, Switzerland. The Awards have been given annually since 2002 as part of UNCTAD’s investment promotion and facilitation programme.

Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime Achievement award for Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Grammy-winning Hindustani classical music instrumentalist Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt will be honoured with the annual Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime Achievement Award. Best known for his Grammy award winning album ‘A Meeting by the River’ with Ry Cooder, Bhatt, born in Jaipur, plays the Mohan Veena (slide guitar).

US-based Dalit writer Sujatha Gidla wins 2018 Shakti Bhatt Prize
US-based Dalit writer Sujatha Gidla (55) has won 2018 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize for her debut book “Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India”. Her book was shortlisted by award panel from of other six contestants.

PM announces award in Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s name
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an annual award in the name of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose for police and paramilitary forces for commendable contributions in disaster relief operations. He announced this while dedicating the National Police Memorial to the nation in New Delhi on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day.

Indian-Origin Woman wins top US honour for combatting sex slavery
Minal Patel Davis won the US’ Presidential Medal for her work against sex slavery and labour exploitation at a White House ceremony attended by President Donald Trump. Davis is Special Adviser on Human Trafficking to Houston Mayor.

Piyush Goyal receives Carnot prize
Union Minister for Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs Piyush Goyal received the prestigious Carnot prize for his contribution towards sustainable energy solutions. The former power minister will be awarded by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design.

Wildlife Photographer of the year 2018 Bagged by Marsel Van Oosten
Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten won the grand title with his photo of critically endangered golden snub-nosed monkeys in China. With this photo titled ‘The Golden Couple’ Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten has won Wildlife Photographer of the Year, awarded by London’s Natural History Museum.

Suheil Tandon wins International Olympic committee award
Social Entrepreneur Suheil F. Tandon has won the International Olympic Committee’s Sport and Active Society Commission Grant Award for his contribution to sports development. Suheil is the Founder of Pro Sport Development (PSD) and Executive Director of Martha Farrell Foundation.

Arshdeep Singh wins top Wildlife Photo award in junior category
Arshdeep Singh, a 10-year-old boy from Punjab, has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in 10 Years and Under category given by UK’s Natural History Museum. He won the award for the picture titled ‘Pipe Owls’, which showed two spotted owlets sitting inside an old waste-pipe in Punjab’s Kapurthala. Arshdeep has been taking photographs since he was six.

Northern Irish Author Anna Burns wins 2018’s Man Booker Prize
Milkman” by writer Anna Burns scooped the 2018 Man Booker Prize, with the Northern Irish writer winning the literary award for her third full-length novel. Set in an unnamed city during the bloody “Troubles” of Northern Ireland, the ‘Milkman’ tells the coming-of-age story of a young girl’s affair with an older man.

H M Pernal gets Vishwa Konkani book award
World Konkani Centre announced that writer, journalist and critic, H M Pernal bagged the prestigious ‘Vimala V Pai Vishwa’ Konkani best book award for the year 2018. He was conferred this award for ‘Beeg Ani Beegath’, a collection of short stories in Konkani.

Prema Gopalan wins Social Entrepreneur of the Year award 2018
Prema Gopalan was presented the 8th Social Entrepreneur of the Year award (SEOY) 2018, by Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, in New Delhi. Prema Gopalan was awarded for her work in promoting women’s entrepreneurship and rural livelihood. She is the founder of Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP).

Khayyam named for Hridaynath award for lifetime achievement
National Award winning music director Mohammed Zahur Khayyam Hashmi, famous as ‘Khayyam’, has been named for this year’s Hridaynath Award for Lifetime Achievement. Instituted by the Hridayesh Arts, the award carries a cash prize of Rs 100,000 and a memento and shall be conferred by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a function in Mumbai.

Sikkim wins FAO’s Future Policy award 2018
Sikkim was awarded UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Future Policy Gold Award (Gold Prize) for its achievement in becoming the world’s first totally organic agriculture state. Sikkim beat out 51 other nominees from around the world for the award. Policies from Brazil, Denmark and Quito (Ecuador) were jointly Silver Awards.

Maryse Conde wins alternative Nobel Literature Prize
Guadeloupean author Maryse Conde (81) was awarded New Academy Prize in Literature, an alternative award formed in protest to Nobel Literature Prize. She was selected from 47 authors who were nominated by Swedish librarians and voted on by nearly 33,000 people from around the world.

Indus Towers wins Deming Prize for 2018
Indus Towers, world’s largest telecom tower company (outside China), won the Deming Prize for 2018, being the first Indian company in the service sector and the fifth in the world to achieve this. The Deming Prize was bestowed on Indus Towers for distinctive performance improvements through the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) practices.

ESIC Wins ‘ISSA GOOD Practice award, Asia & The Pacific 2018
The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation has won the ‘ISSA Good Practice Award’ for Administrative Solution for Coverage Extension at the ”Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific” held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia recently. Director General of ESIC Raj Kumar represented the Corporation and received the Certificate of Merit on behalf of ESIC.

Nobel Prize in economics awarded to William Nordhaus and Paul Romer
American economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer have been awarded the Economics Nobel Prize 2018 for their work on understanding how economies can grow sustainably. Nordhaus, a professor at Yale University, is best known for his work on climate economics.

Nobel laureates Nadia, Mukwege nominated for Mother Teresa award-2018
Anti-rape campaigners Nadia Murad and Dr Denis Mukwege, who were declared as the Nobel Peace Prize winners for 2018, have been nominated for this year’s ‘Mother Teresa Memorial Award’. In the past, Nobel laureates who were among those nominated ‘Mother Teresa Memorial Award’.

Nobel peace prize goes to campaigners against sexual violence
The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to a Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and an Iraqi woman Nadia Murad for their efforts to end sexual violence as a weapon of war.

South Sudanese surgeon to receive 2018 Nansen Refugee award
Evan Atar Adha, a surgeon who runs a remote hospital in South Sudan, received the prestigious 2018 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award. He was chosen for his 20-year commitment to providing medical services to people forced to flee conflict and persecution in Sudan and South Sudan.

Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Arthur Ashkin, Gerard Mourou & Donna Strickland
American scientist Arthur Ashkin, French engineer Gerard Mourou and Canadian professor Donna Strickland have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in the field of laser physics. Dr. Ashkin has been awarded the Prize for the optical tweezers and their application to biological systems. Dr. Mourou & Dr. Strickland have been awarded ‘for their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses.

Nobel Prize for Medicine goes to cancer researchers from US, Japan
James P. Allison of the US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering work in the fight against cancer. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute recognised the pair for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.

Entrepreneur Chiranjiv Patel wins Business World’s ’40 Under 40′ title
Prominent entrepreneur Chiranjiv Patel has bagged the prestigious “BW 40 under 40” award in BW Business World’s second edition of 40 Under 40 awards held in Gurgaon.

  SPORTS & GAMES 

Roger Federer won 99th career title in his Hometown
Swiss tennis star Roger Federer won his 99th career title after winning the Basel Open for the ninth time in his career. Federer, who was born in the Swiss city of Basel, won his fourth title of the year in the form of the Basel Open.

India & Pakistan declared joint winners of Asian Champions Trophy
In Men’s Hockey, India and Pakistan were declared joint winners of the Asian Champions Trophy at Muscat in Oman. The tournament director declared both teams as winners after the summit clash was called off due to heavy rain. Defending champions India, thus, ended the tournament unbeaten. Before this edition, both India and Pakistan had won the tournament twice each.

Sourav Kothari wins World Billiards Championship title
India’s Sourav Kothari defeated Peter Gilchrist of Singapore to clinch the 2018 WBL World Billiards Championship title. The former national and Asian Billiards champion was pipped at the post for the coveted World Billiards crown on two occasions in the last two years.

Wheelchair shuttler Sanjeev Kumar wins two gold medals
Wheelchair shuttler Sanjeev Kumar has won two gold medals and a bronze medal at the Denmark Open held in Odense, Denmark recently. anjeev Kumar is an international para shuttler from Punjab. He won a gold medal in the men’s singles event, a gold medal in the men’s doubles event, and a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event.

PV Sindhu regains World No. 2 spot in BWF rankings
Olympic and world championship silver medallist PV Sindhu has once again regained her World No. 2 status in the latest BWF rankings. She is behind Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying, who continues to dominate the rankings. Saina Nehwal gained 9th position. In the men’s singles, Kidambi Srikanth remained static at world no 6.

Pooja Dhanda wins Bronze in World Wrestling championships
In Wrestling World Championships, Pooja Dhanda won a bronze medal in the women’s freestyle 57kg weight class in Budapest, Hungary last night. Dhanda defeated Grace Bullen of Norway 10-7. This was India’s second medal at the 2018 Championships. Before Pooja, only three Indian women grapplers (Alka Tomar, Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat) had won a bronze medal each at the Worlds Championships.

Kohli becomes fastest to reach 10,000 Runs In History Of ODI Cricket
Virat Kohli scored his 37th ODI hundred, reaching the landmark in 116 fewer innings than Sachin Tendulkar. He scored his 37th ODI hundred in his 205th innings, while Sachin had reached the milestone in his 321st innings against Pakistan in 2004.

Sri Lankan Spinner Herath to retire after first England Test
Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath, the most successful left-arm spinner in test history, will retire after the series opener against England in Galle next month. Herath has taken 430 wickets in 92 tests and is 10th on the list of most successful bowlers in the five-day format. He has 34 five-wicket hauls and has taken 10 wickets or more on nine occasions.

Bajrang Punia bagged silver at Wrestling World Championships
Wrestler Bajrang Punia won the silver medal after he went down against Japan’s Takuto Otoguro in the 65kg final of the Wrestling World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. It is his second medal at the Worlds. Only the fourth Indian ever to make it to the World Championship gold medal match, 24-year-old Bajrang was rattled by the 19-year old Otoguro.

Marc Marquez wins 2018 MotoGP World Champion
Marc Marquez won the hard-fought battle with Andrea Dovizioso at Motegi to win Japanese Grand Prix. With this win, Repsol Honda rider Marquez clinched his seventh World Title and fifth Premier Class Title equaling the record of Mike Dohan.

Praveen Kumar announces retirement from all forms of Cricket
Medium pacer Praveen Kumar has decided to retire from all forms of cricket, calling time on his 13-year long career. Kumar, 32, played six Tests, 68 ODIs and 10 T20Is for India, picking up 112 wickets across the formats.

World Wrestling Championships-2018 begins at Budapest
World Wrestling Championship has begun in Budapest, Hungary. Asian Games gold medallist Bajrang Punia will be India’s best bet for a medal as a 30-member team seeks a strong performance in the flagship event. Already a bronze winner at the 2013 World Championship, Bajrang has come a long way in last five years, establishing himself as a force to reckon with in the 65-kilogram category.

India finishes with 16th in Youth Olympic Games
India’s campaign at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires ended with 13 medals (three gold medals, nine silvers and one bronze). This is India’s best medal haul at the Summer Youth Olympic Games. India had won 8 medals in 2010 and 2 in 2014.

Canelo Alvarez signs richest contract in Sports History, Worth $365 Million
Professional Boxer Canelo Alvarez has signed the largest contract in the history of sports, agreeing a five-year, 11-fight deal worth at least $365 million with streaming service DAZN. Under the deal, Alvarez will participate in 11 fights, starting December 2018. The previous richest contract was the 13-year, $325-million deal signed by New York Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton in 2014.

Akash Malik wins India’s Maiden Archery Silver at YOG
Akash Malik became India’s first silver-medallist in archery at the Youth Olympic Games, providing a fitting finale to the country’s best-ever campaign at the marquee event Buenos Aires.

Suraj Panwar wins India’s 1st Athletics Medal
Suraj Panwar won India’s first medal in athletics at the Youth Olympic Games 2018 after claiming the silver medal in the men’s 5000m race walk event Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 17-year-old’s silver was India’s third overall medal in athletics in the history of the Youth Olympic Games.

Indian Men’s & Women’s Hockey teams bag Silver medals at Youth Olympic Games
The Indian Under-18 men’s and womens Hockey team finished their 2018 Youth Olympic Games campaign with silver medals at Buenos Aires, Argentina. While the women suffered a heart-breaking 1-3 loss against hosts Argentina, the men were handed a 2-4 loss by Malaysia in their respective final of the Hockey 5s competition.

Shanghai Masters: Novak Djokovic beats Borna Coric
Novak Djokovic continued his superb form by beating Croatia’s Borna Coric in the final of the Shanghai Masters. Coric, the 13th seed, upset Roger Federer in semi-finals to reach his first Masters 1000 final.

Great Britain beats India to win Sultan Johar Cup Junior Hockey
In Hockey, Great Britain lifted the 2018 Sultan of Johor Cup. In Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Great Britain defeated India in the final. The other teams in the tournament were Japan, Australia, Malaysia and New Zealand. Great Britain, who finished runners-up last year, secured their second Sultan of Johor Cup title by virtue of this win.

Bajrang Punia first Indian to get seeded at world wrestling championship
Bajrang Punia has become the first Indian wrestler to get seeded at the World Championship that will be held in Budapest, Hungary. In the 65kg category of men’s freestyle event, Bajrang Punia has been seeded third, with 45 points in the ranking list released by United World Wrestling.

Manu Bhaker becomes second Indian to win two medals
Manu Bhaker becomes second Indian to win two medals .She bagged a silver medal after her gold medal finish in 10m air pistol event becoming only the second India after judoka Tababi Devi Thangjam to win two medals at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

Former Pakistan left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman retires from international cricket
Former Pakistan left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman announced his retirement from international cricket.Abdur Rehman is 38 years old. He made his debut at the age of 26. He has scored 99 wickets in 22 Tests. He has also taken 30 wickets in 31 one-days and 8 wickets in 11 Twenty20 internationals.

Archer Harvinder Singh clinches Seventh Gold for India
Archer Harvinder Singh notched up the men’s individual recurve gold, while track-and-field athletes added a silver and a bronze to India’s tally in the Asian Para-Games in Jakarta. Harvinder defeated China’s Zhao Lixue 6-0 in the W2/ST category final to claim the top honors and take India’s gold tally to seven.

Thangjam Tababi Devi Clinches India’s 1st Judo Medal
16 Year old Thangjam Tababi Devi became India’s first judo medallist at the Olympic level, claiming a silver at the ongoing Youth Games. 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.

Caroline Wozniacki wins her 30th WTA singles title
Caroline Wozniacki won her 30th WTA singles title with victory over Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova in the China Open final in Beijing.The 28-year-old Wozniacki, who won her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open at the start of this year, was imperious against the unseeded Sevastova, winning 6-3, 6-3. It is her second China Open crown as she also won it in 2010.

Former England batsman Nick Compton retires from cricket
Former England batsman Nick Compton announced his retirement from cricket. South Africa-born Compton played 16 Tests for England, scoring two hundred.

India’s Keerthana Pandian wins girls’ title in IBSF world U-16 Snooker championships
India’s Keerthana Pandian has won the girls’ title in the IBSF World Under-16 Snooker Championships. In the final in St Petersburg, Russia, Keerthana outclassed her Belarussian rival Albina Leschuk 3-1. It is the Indian girl’s maiden international crown. In the corresponding boys category, Ben Martens of Belgium won the title.

Lewis Hamilton wins the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix
Four-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes won the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix to take a 67-point lead over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in the championship title race,who Secured Sixth Position.

Virat Kohli becomes fastest batsman to score 24 Test hundreds since Don Bradman
India captain Virat Kohli became the quickest batsman to reach 24 Test centuries after the great Donald Bradman early on day two against the West Indies. The Indian skipper also surpassed Australia’s Steve Smith to go second in the list of centurions among active players, behind South Africa’s Hashim Amla on 28.

Manipur clinch Women’s National Football Championship crown
Manipur claimed victory in the final of the 24th Senior Women’s National Football Championships, defeating hosts Odisha in the summit clash by a 2-1 margin in Cuttack. The result marked the 19th occasion that the state from the northeast of India won the trophy. The final held at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha.

Australia’s Mile Jedinak retires from International Football
Australian midfielder Mile Jedinak announced his retirement from international football, bringing the curtain down on a 79-cap career which included leading the Socceroos at two World Cups. The Aston Villa player led his country at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and this year’s tournament in Russia.

Central Information Commission brings BCCI under RTI Act
The Central Information Commission has pronounced the judgement that the BCCI comes under the jurisdiction of the RTI Act. As a result of the ruling, the board is now ‘answerable to the people of the country’.

Lewis Hamilton wins Russian Grand Prix
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton won the Russian Grand Prix in Russia. This was Lewis Hamilton’s 70th career win. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas finished in second position. He was followed by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in third place.

ECONOMY 

India ranked 58th most competitive economy in WEF index
World Economic Forum (WEF) released the Index on Most Competitive Economy for 2018, in which India ranked 58th out of 140 Countries.India jumped 5 places from 2017. India Scored 62.0 in the latest Global Competitiveness Index.This is the largest gain among all G20 economies.

GPF interest rate hiked to 8% for october-december quarter
The government has increased the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF) and other related schemes by 0.4% points to 8% for the October-December quarter. The rate is in line with that for Public Provident Fund (PPF). The interest rate on GPF was 7.6% for the July-September quarter of 2018-19.

IMF retains India FY19 growth outlook at 7.3%
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has retained its India growth forecast for the current year but it will remain the fastest-growing major economy. In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF said India will grow 7.3% in FY19 and 7.4% in FY20.

UNCTAD expects India’s GDP to rise 7% in 2018
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in its Trade and Development Report predicted the GDP growth of India for 2018 to be at 7%. Previously in 2017, it was 6.2%.

India’s external debt declines 2.8 per cent $514.4 billion at end-June
India’s external debt declined 2.8 per cent to USD 514.4 billion at June-end over the previous quarter on account of a decrease in commercial borrowings, short-term debt and non-resident Indian (NRI) deposits. At end-June 2018, the external debt was placed at USD 514.4 billion, recording a decrease of USD 14.9 billion over its level at end-March 2018.

Govt Cuts Gross Borrowing Estimate For Current Fiscal by Rs 70,000 crore
Economic Affairs Secretary SC Garg has announced a reduction in gross borrowing estimate for the current fiscal by 70,000 crore rupees and maintained that the government will contain fiscal deficit target at 3.3%.

  SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Russia Successfully Launched 1st Soyuz Rocket Since Failed Space Launch
Russia has successfully launched a Soyuz-2.1B rocket for the first time since the failure of a similar rocket aborted a manned take-off to the International Space Station (ISS).

Europe, Japan send spacecraft on 7-Year Journey to Mercury
European and Japanese space agencies stated that an Ariane 5 rocket successfully lifted a spacecraft carrying two probes into orbit for a joint mission to Mercury, the closest planet to the sun. The unmanned BepiColombo spacecraft successfully separated and was sent into orbit from French Guiana as planned to begin a seven-year journey to Mercury.

NASAs Chandra Observatory is back in action after brief shutdown
NASA’s Chandra X-ray telescope that suffered technical glitch is back online. Due to the glitch occurred in one of Chandra’s gyroscopes it went into safe mode. Chandra X-ray telescope observes galaxies from the Earth’s orbit. The team analyzed and completed plans to switch gyroscopes and place the gyroscope that experienced the glitch in reserve.

NASA’s Voyager 2 probe approaches Interstellar Space
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Voyager 2 probe is on its way outside the influence of the Sun and it could be close to interstellar space. Voyager 2 was launched. It has crossed the Kuiper Belt, an interstellar space beyond Pluto.

China successfully launches two remote sensing satellites
China successfully launched two remote sensing satellites belonging to the Yaogan-32 family by a Long March-2C rocket with an upper stage on its top, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China.

Successful night trial of Prithvi-II missile
India’s Strategic Forces Command successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile during night time as part of a user trial by the Army from a test range in Odisha. The surface-to-surface missile, which has a strike range of 350 km, was launched from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near Balasore.

 APPOINTMENTS 

Rohini Bopanna appointed Hockey’s International Technical Official
Hockey India congratulated Rohini Bopanna on being promoted as FIH International Technical Official by the FIH Officials Committee. Earlier this year, Bopanna was also appointed as a technical official for the 5th Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2018 held in Donghae City, South Korea.

Sanjay Mishra appointed interim ED chief
The government appointed IRS officer Sanjay Kumar Mishra as the Interim Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for three months as incumbent Karnal Singh will retire. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) also said that it has approved Mishra’s appointment to the post of Principal Special Director of the financial probe agency.

Wipro appoints former SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya as independent director
Wipro said it had appointed former State Bank of India chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya as an independent director. Bhattacharya’s appointment is for a period of five years and is subject to shareholder approval. Recently, she was also appointed to Infosys board.

Saurabh Kumar appointed Ambassador to Myanmar
Senior diplomat Saurabh Kumar has been appointed India’s ambassador to Myanmar. Saurabh Kumar, a 1989 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently serving as the Indian envoy in Iran. Kumar will succeed Vikram Misri who has been serving as Indian envoy in Myanmar since August 31, 2016.

Ethiopia appoints Sahle-Work Zewde as 1st Female President
Ethiopia appointed diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde as its first-ever female President. The position of the President is largely ceremonial in the nation. Zewde was appointed by the Ethiopian lawmakers through a unanimous vote. She would be replacing Mulatu Teshome Wirtu.

Satish Kumar Gupta appointed CEO of Paytm Payments Bank
Paytm Payments Bank has appointed veteran banker Satish Kumar Gupta as managing director and CEO. Gupta comes in after Renu Satti stepped down as CEO in July and moved on to head the company’s new retail business. Gupta was former deputy general manager at State Bank of India where he worked for over three decades.

Govt appoints Nageshwar Rao as interim CBI director
The Centre has intervened to stabilise the Central Bureau of Investigation by appointing M Nageswar Rao as the interim Director, CBI. Rao is presently the Joint Director, CBI. He is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1986 batch. He joined the CBI in 2016.

Vikas Sehgal is appointed as Cyient director
Cyient, IT firm, has appointed Vikas Sehgal as an independent director. Earlier, he was an executive vice-chairman of Rothschild Global Advisory for South and South East Asian region and global head of the automotive sector.

Suresh Nambath appointed as the next Editor of ‘The Hindu’
The Board of Directors of The Hindu Publishing Group unanimously appointed Suresh Nambath as Editor of The Hindu. He will succeed Mukund Padmanabhan, who has been Editor of the newspaper.

Sajjan Jindal elected as Treasurer of World Steel Association
JSW Steel CMD Sajjan Jindal was elected as treasurer of World Steel Association (WSA). He was appointed for one-year period by Board of Directors of WSA at Worldsteel General Assembly held in Toyko, Japan. The board also has appointed Tata Steel MD T V Narendran and ArcelorMittal Chief L N Mittal as its members. Andre Johannpeter, Executive VC of Gerdau S A was elected as the Chairman.

BankBazaar appoints former RBI deputy governor SS Mundra as advisor
BankBazaar appointed former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor S S Mundra as an advisor. S S Mundra will help BankBazaar achieve 100 percent paperless and presence-less financing in India.

Nimesh Chandan appointed as head of investment-equity in Canara Robeco Mutual Fund
Canara Robeco Mutual Fund elevated Nimesh Chandan as the Head – Investment, Equity with immediate effect. This position has been newly created. In this role, Nimesh Chandan will guide the equity team in providing a strategy for equity funds.

Nokia appoints Alia Bhatt as brand ambassador in India
HMD Global, which designs and sells phones under the Nokia brand, appointed actress Alia Bhatt as the face of Nokia phones’ in India. As part of the partnership, a print campaign featuring Alia Bhatt has already started to mark the festive season.

RBI approves Sandeep Bakshi appointment as ICICI Bank MD, CEO
ICICI Bank has said the RBI has approved Sandeep Bakshi’s appointment as Managing Director and CEO of the bank for three years. After resignation of Chanda Kochhar, the bank’s board had elevated Chief Operating Officer (COO) Bakshi as the new managing director and CEO for five years.

Shekhar Mande appointed as Director-General of CSIR
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Dr. Shekhar Mande as the Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) & Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Research (DSIR).

ICICI Prudential MF’s Nimesh Shah new Amfi chairman
ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Managing Director and Chief Executive Nimesh Shah has been elected as the chairperson of industry body Amfi. Shah has replaced A Balasubramanian, chief executive officer of Aditya Birla Sun Life MF, who took over as Amfi chairman in 2016.

Suchitra Durai appointed as the next ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Thailand
Suchitra Durai was appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Thailand. Suchitra Durai is an Indian Foreign Service Officer (IFS) of 1988 batch. She is at present, the High Commissioner of India to Kenya.

Amway appointed Milind Pant as first global CEO
Amway appointed Milind Pant as its CEO. Mr.Pant joins Amway, which has a revenue of $8.6 billion. Mr.Pant joins Amway from Yum! Brands where he was recently president of Pizza Hut International. He will be reporting directly to Amway’s board of directors and will also hold a seat on the board.

Bank of Baroda MD & CEO Jayakumar gets one-year extension
The government has granted a year’s extension to Bank of Baroda’s Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, PS Jayakumar. Apparently, the government wants continuity at the top in BoB, the largest of the three banks that are getting consolidated.

Jackie Doyle Price is appointed as Suicide Prevention Minister in UK
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May appointed Jackie Doyle-Price as the Suicide Prevention Minister. This is a part of a national effort in order to reduce the number of people who take their own lives.

Former SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya joins ChrysCapital as advisor
The largest home grown private equity firm ChrysCapital Advisors LLP has hired former SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya as an advisor.Bhattacharya who will advise on firm’s strategy and investments, will be working with ChrysCapital managing partner Kunal Shroff and other partners.

HDFC Bank appoints Vinay Razdan as Chief Human Resources Officer
HDFC Bank has appointed Vinay Razdan as its chief human resources officer (CHRO). Vinay Razdan will be responsible for the complete human resource operations in HDFC Bank. Previously, he was CHRO in Idea Cellular. He had joined Idea in 2006.

Mahesh Reddy takes over as PHDCCI Secretary-General
PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) has announced that Mahesh Y Reddy has taken over as its Secretary General with immediate effect. He holds 28 years of experience in national level trade, infrastructure and industry bodies in various capacities, the chamber said in a statement.

Pravin Srivastava appointed as India’s third Chief Statistician
The government appointed 58-year-old Pravin Srivastava, as the chief statistician of India (CSI). He will be succeeding previous incumbent Mr. TCA Anant.

Tushar Mehta appointed as the new Solicitor General of India
Senior Advocate Tushar Mehta has been appointed as the new Solicitor General of India. He is currently serving as the Additional Solicitor General. The Solicitor General of India is the second-highest rank for a law officer of the government.

Sanjay Verma appointed India’s Ambassador to Spain
Sanjay Verma appointed India’s Ambassador to Spain. He is a 1990 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer. He is currently the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. He has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to Spain.

Srinivasan Swamy appointed as chairman of International Advertising Association
Srinivasan Swamy, chairman of marketing communications firm RK Swamy Hansa Group, has been unanimously elected as the chairman and world president of International Advertising Association, for a period of two years.

WFE appoints Vikram Limaye as Chairman of Working Committee
The National Stock Exchange’s (NSE) MD and CEO Vikram Limaye has been appointed the chairman of the working committee and director on the board by the international industry body–World Federation of Exchanges (WFE).

Brett Kavanaugh sworn in as US Supreme Court Justice
In USA, President Donald Trump’s controversial nominee Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as the 114th Justice of the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh was officially sworn by outgoing Chief Justice John Roberts who administered the Constitutional Oath, hours after the 53-year-old judge was confirmed by a bitterly divided Senate by 50-48 votes.

Govt appoints Rakesh Sharma as IDBI chief
The government has appointed senior banker Rakesh Sharma as managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of IDBI Bank. Sharma was appointed for six months or until further orders and will have the task of ensuring a smooth transfer of majority ownership from the government to Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).

Ravi Venkatesan appointed as UNICEF special representative
The UNICEF has appointed Ravi Venkatesan has its special representative of young people. His new role will provide strategic guidance and support UNICEF globally with high-level outreach, partnerships and scaling innovations.

Justice Surya Kant named HP High Court Chief Justice
Justice Surya Kant was appointed as the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court. Justice Surya Kant was a judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The post of Chief Justice in Himachal Pradesh High Court has been vacant since April 2017.

Madan Bhimarao Lokur appointed Executive Chairman of NALSA
President Ramnath Kovind has appointed senior judge of Supreme Court Madan Bhimarao Lokur (64) as Executive Chairman of National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA). He was appointed by President in exercise of power conferred under Clause (b) of sub-section (2) of Section 3 of the Legal Authorities Act, 1987.

Rangachari Sridharan appointed chairperson of NFRA
The Centre has appointed former IAS officer Rangachari Sridharan as chairperson of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), an entity which will function as an independent regulator for the auditing profession.

Justice Ranjan Gogoi sworn in as 46th Chief Justice of India
Justice Ranjan Gogoi has sworn-in as new Chief Justice of India. President Ram Nath Kovind administered him the oath of office at a function in Rashtrapati Bhawan. He is succeeding Justice Dipak Misra who retired as Chief Justice of India recently. Justice Gogoi is the 46th Chief Justice of India.

Air Marshal Anil Khosla took over as Vice Chief of Air Staff
Air Marshal Anil Khosla PVSM AVSM VM took over as the Vice Chief of Air Staff, Born on 09 Apr 1959, Air Marshal an alumni of the National Defence Academy, was commissioned in Indian Air Force in Dec 1979. Air officer has over 4000 hours of accident free flying mainly on different variants of Jaguar, Mig-21 and Kiran aircraft.

India-Born Professor Gita Gopinath named IMF Chief Economist
India-born Harvard University professor Gita Gopinath has been appointed as the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by IMF’s Managing Director Christine Lagarde. Ms. Gopinath will succeed Maurice (Maury) Obstfeld. Ms. Gopinath currently serves as the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University. The 46-year-old is also Economic Adviser to Kerala CM.

Neymar appointed permanent captain of Brazilian Football team
Paris Sain-Germain striker Neymar has been appointed as the permanent captain of Brazil’s national team. Brazil’s head coach Tite scrapped the captaincy rotation policy of the team to give Neymar the permanent position.

Jayant Mammen Mathew elected president of Indian Newspaper Society
Jayant Mammen Mathew was elected president of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) for 2018-19. Jayant Mammen Mathew is the Executive Editor of Malayala Manorama. He replaces Akila Urankar.

 RESIGNS 

IL&FS Investment Managers non-executive director Vibhav Kapoor resigns
IL&FS Investment Managers Ltd non-executive director Vibhav Kapoor resigned from its board. The reason for his resignation was not revealed. Several top officials had resigned from the group recently.

Union Minister MJ Akbar Resigns
MJ Akbar, who faces multiple charges of sexual harassment, resigned as Union minister of state for external affairs. Akbar is facing allegations of sexual harassment and had filed a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani, who was the first to report against him.

Union Minister MJ Akbar Resigns
MJ Akbar, who faces multiple charges of sexual harassment, resigned as Union minister of state for external affairs. Akbar is facing allegations of sexual harassment and had filed a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani, who was the first to report against him.

Nikki Haley resigned as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Indian American Nikki Haley resigned as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations (UN). Despite her statement that she will not run for the 2020 election, it is expected that she might contest in the 2020 presidential election. In her political career, she was the Governor of South Carolina. She was elected as the State’s first woman Governor in 2010.

Chanda Kochhar quits as ICICI Bank CEO
The ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar quit her position with immediate effect. The announcement came after her plea for early retirement was accepted by the bank.

IDBI Bank MD, CEO B Sriram retires
B Sriram has resigned as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of IDBI Bank. He became MD and CEO of IDBI bank in June 2018 replacing Mahesh Kumar Jain. B Sriram, was previously the Managing Director at State Bank of India. IDBI Bank is yet to select its new MD and CEO.

Afghan Ambassador to India Shaida Abdali resigns
Afghan Ambassador to India Shaida Abdali has resigned from the post, saying he wants to serve the people of his country who are facing challenging situation. Abdali has submitted his resignation letter when Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was on a day-long visit to India.

 DEATHS 

Urdu writer Qazi Abdussattar passes away
Professor and Urdu writer Qazi Abdussattar, died following a long term illness, in Delhi. Qazi Abdussattar was 85 years old. He was the former head of Aligarh Muslim University’s Urdu department. He had won Padma Shri in 1974. He was the first recipient of Ghalib Academy Award in 1978.

Former Delhi CM Madan Lal Khurana passes away
Former chief minister of Delhi Madan Lal Khurana passed away at the age of 82. He was bedridden for over two years due to multiple illnesses and was undergoing treatment at his Kirti Nagar residence in the city. A tall BJP leader, Khurana was the chief minister of Delhi from 1993 to 1996. He also served as the governor of Rajasthan in 2004 and was also former Union tourism minister.

Japanese Nobel Chemistry Laureate Shimomura passes away
Japanese-born Marine biologist Osamu Shimomura, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, has died. He was 90. Shimomura and two American scientists shared the 2008 Nobel prize for the discovery and development of a jellyfish protein that contributed to cancer studies.

BJP MP Bhola Singh passes away
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Bhola Singh died in Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital at the of 79. Singh was Lok Sabha MP from Bihar’s Begusarai. Singh has also served as the deputy speaker of the Bihar Assembly.

N D Tiwari, former CM of UP and Uttarakhand, passed away
N D Tiwari, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, passed away after a prolonged stint of hospitalisation in New Delhi. Mr.Tiwari began his career with the erstwhile Praja Socialist Party (PSP) to then serve his entire career in the Congress was 93 at the time of his death.

Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen passes away
Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft in 1975 passed away aged 65 after battling cancer. Allen was the childhood friend of Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates. It was Allen who came up with the name Microsoft and had left the company in 1983.

Legendary Musician Annapurna Devi Passes away
Legendary musician Annapurna Devi has passed away in Mumbai. She was 91. She was suffering from age-related issues. Annapurna Devi was an Indian surbahar player of Hindustani classical music and she was the daughter and disciple of Allauddin Khan. She was married to sitar maestro Ravi Shankar.

Environmentalist GD Agarwal passes away
Environmentalist G.D. Agarwal, who was on a fast for the last 111 days demanding a clean Ganga, passed away after a heart attack in Rishikesh. The 86-year old former IIT-Kanpur professor, Agarwal had been on hunger strike for a pollution-free and uninterrupted flow in the Ganga.

Noted Malayalam poet MN Paloor passes away
Well-known Malayalam poet M N Paloor passed away at the age of 86-year due to age-related ailments. Paloor won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, the state’s highest literary honour, in 1983 for his collection ‘Kalikalam’.

Singer Nitin Bali passes away in Mumbai road accident
Singer Nitin Bali died from injuries sustained in a car accident, police said. He was 47. Bali, who shot to fame in the 1990s singing remixed yesteryear hits, was injured when his car hit a divider on SV Road in suburban Borivali.

Montserrat Caballe, world-famous soprano passed away
Spanish Opera singer Montserrat Caballé died following a long term illness, in Barcelona, Spain. Montserrat Caballé was 85 years old. She was born in Barcelona. She started training with Barcelona’s Conservatori Liceu at the age of 9.

Gujarat human rights lawyer Girish Patel passes away
Well-known human rights activist Girish Patel passed away in Ahmedabad. He was 86. He suffered from multiple age-related ailments. Patel was a fighter for the causes of the poor right from the days of Narmada Bachao Andolan and sugarcane workers’ agitation.

Natwar Thakkar passed away
Eminent Gandhian Natwar Thakkar passed away due to his ill health. His efforts to spread Gandhian philosophy and peace had earned him the title ‘Nagaland’s Gandhi’. He was the founder of Nagaland Gandhi Ashram. He was honoured with the Padma Shri award.

Oscar-winning animator Will Vinton passes away at 70
Oscar-winning animator Will Vinton passed away at the age of 70. He was battling with multiple myeloma for 12 years. Having worked in more than a hundred films, Vinton won an Oscar for the 1975 short animated film ‘Closed Mondays’.

Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council member M V V S Murthy passed away
Telugu Desam Party leader, educationist and member of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council M V V S Murthy died in a road accident in the USA. M V V S Murthy was 76 years old. He served as member of Lok Sabha from Visakhapatnam for two terms.

Thampi Kannanthanam passes away
Veteran Malayalam film personality Thampi Kannanthanam passed away at a private hospital in Kochi after several days of illness. He was a producer, director and have also acted in a few films.

Former MP Malti Sharma dead
Former Uttar Pradesh minister and parliamentarian Malti Sharma passed away following a short term illness. She was 89 years old. She belonged to the BJP party. In 1977, she was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly from Muzaffarnagar constituency. In 1994, she was elected to Rajya Sabha. She was a former junior minister in Uttar Pradesh.

 VISITORS 

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in France on 3-day visit
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has left for Paris on a three-day visit to France. Ms Sitharaman will hold wide-ranging talks with her French counterpart Florence Parly on ways to deepen strategic cooperation between the two countries and also deliberate on major regional and global issues of mutual interests.

President Ram Nath Kovind in Tajikistan on 3-day visit
President Ram Nath Kovind has reached Tajikistan on a three-day visit to Central Asian Country. He arrived in Dushanbe and was received by Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan Zokirzoda Mahmad Toir.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman 3-day visit to Kazakhstan
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman completed her 3-day visit to Astana, Kazakhstan. She visited Kazakhstan at the invitation of Minister of Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Nurlan Yermekbayev.

 MISCELLANEOUS 

Clara Sosa won Miss Grand International 2018 in Yangon, Myanmar
Miss Paraguay Clara Sosa won the Miss Grand International 2018 title at the 6th edition of the beauty pageant in Yangon, Myanmar. Clara Sosa succeeds Miss Grand International 2017 Maria Jose Lora of Peru. India’s, fbb Colors Femina Miss Grand India 2018 Meenakshi Chaudhary was named 1st runner up.

3 Indian-Americans named in Time Magazine’s ‘Health Care 50’ List
Three Indian-Americans have been named in the Time magazine’s 2018 list of the 50 most influential people whose work is transforming healthcare in the US. The three Indian-Americans included in the list are Divya Nag, Dr Raj Panjabi and Atul Gawande. The list included physicians, scientists, business and political leaders, whose work is transforming healthcare.

Haryana girl wins Miss Deaf Asia crown
Haryana girl Nishtha Dudeja has proved that disability cannot come in the way of success. She has won the 18th Miss Deaf Asia 2018 title at an international pageant held in Prague recently. She is the first Indian to have won any title at the Miss Deaf World Pageant.

4 Himalayan Peaks named after late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Four Himalayan peaks near Gangotri glacier of Uttarkashi district have been named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Located near Sudarshan and Saifi peaks in Raktvan valley, the peaks have been named Atal-1, 2, 3 and 4.

Veena Sendre is India’s first Trans Queen
Veena Sendre from Chhattisgarh was selected as India’s first ‘Miss Trans Queen’, in Mumbai. Veena Sendre defeated Namita Ammu of Tamil Nadu and won the title at the national-level beauty contest.

City girl excels in Dazzle Miss India World-2018
Mamidi Sai Venkata Pallavi, a resident of Kancharapalem has been adjudged the second runner-up in the Miss India World-2018 beauty pageant organised by the Dazzle, in New Delhi recently. She has also been adjudged Miss India World-2018, Andhra Pradesh.

Mukesh Ambani Richest Indian For 11th Consecutive Year
Reliance Industries’ Chairman Mukesh Ambani has emerged as the richest Indian for the 11th consecutive year with a net worth of USD 47.3 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Ambani is also the year’s biggest gainer, adding USD 9.3 billion to his wealth amid the continuing success of his Reliance Jio broadband telco service.

  BOOKS IN NEWS

Statistician Vijayan Bala comes up with new book
Veteran commentator and cricket statistician Vijayan Bala has come up with his new book “Indian Sports: Conversations and Reflections”, a compilation of interviews of eminent sports persons he has conducted since 1971.

Yogi Adityanath’s biography by Pravin Kumar is now in Hindi
The biography of UP Chief Minister ‘Yogi Adityanath: The Rise of a Saffron Socialist’ is now amongst best seller books. The book written by Pravin Kumar. The life of Yogi Adityanath ji is full of changes. The book traces his fascinating journey and also the history of the Gorakhnath Temple and the Nath sect.

Stephen Hawking’s final book ‘Brief Answers to the Big Questions’ launched
Stephen Hawking’s final work, which tackles issues from the existence of God to the potential for time travel, was launched by his children, who helped complete the book after the British astrophysics giant’s death. Hawking was forever being asked the same things and started work on ‘Brief Answers to the Big Questions’ last year.

Maharana Pratap: The Invincible Warrior: A book authored by Rima Hooja released
A new book on Maharana Pratap named ‘Maharana Pratap: The Invincible Warrior’ authored by historian Rima Hooja has been released. The book narrates the life of Maharana Pratap, the great Rajput warrior and also talks about the famous battle of Haldighati.

Vice President releases biography of Anumolu Ramakrishna titled ‘Building a Legacy’
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu released the Biography of late Industrialist, Dr. Anumolu Ramakrishna titled ‘Building a Legacy’ written by Chartered Accountant V. Pattabhi Ram and R. Mohan, in Chennai. Dr. Anumolu Ramakrishna was a pioneer in using innovative construction techniques in the Indian construction sector.

Bihar Deputy CM releases book ‘Lalu-Leela’ on scams by Lalu Prasad
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi released a book named ‘Lalu-Leela’, at an event in Patna. The book has nearly 200 pages. It is about alleged illegal dealings of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members. This is Sushil Modi’s second book. His first book ‘Beech Samar Mein’ (In the Middle of War) was released two years back.

Shashi Tharoor introduces his book ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister’ & 29-letter word ‘Floccinaucinihilipilification’
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor introduced his new book ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister’ and a 29-letter word ‘floccinaucinihilipilification’. Shashi Tharoor has described his new book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as ‘more than just a 400-page exercise in floccinaucinihilipilification’.

Idiocracy among 1,400 new words in Oxford dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has officially added word ‘Idiocracy’ in it. It is among 1,400 new words, senses, and phrases added to the latest update of OED. The OED has defined word as society consisting of or governed by people characterized as idiots or government formed of people considered stupid, ignorant, or idiotic.

Sudha Menon’s Book ‘Feisty at Fifty’ released
The book ‘Feisty At Fifty’ authored by Sudha Menon, was released at the Pune International Literary Festival recently. It has been published by Pan Macmillan India. The books speaks about different phases of a woman’s life.

Urdu version of PM Modi’s book ‘Exam Warriors’ released
The Urdu version of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s book ‘Exam Warriors’ was released in New Delhi. The book was released by Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar along with other union ministers. The launch event was organised by the India Islamic Cultural Centre.

 COMMITTEES

Parliamentary panel to examine functioning of EPFO
A parliamentary panel will examine the functioning of retirement fund body Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), its coverage and recovery of arrears. The parliamentary standing committee on labour has also decided to review the implementation of labour laws, social security and welfare scheme for workers.

10-member government panel set to probe e-commerce firms’ big discounts
The Corporate affairs ministry set up a 10-member panel to check on the discounts offered by the online retailers. These came to the forefront as traditional retailers requested the commerce minister to impose a ban on discounted sales by online sellers.

Government sets up Competition Law Review Committee
The government has formed a Competition Law Review Committee to ensure that the legislation is in tune with the changing business environment. The Committee will be headed by Injeti Srinivas, Secretary of the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

 DAYS & DATES 

October 28: International Animation Day
International Animation Day was celebrated all over the world on October 28. In 2002, ASIFA (Association Internationale du Film d’Animation or International Animated Film Association) declared 28 October as International Animation Day.

27 October: World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage was celebrated all over the world. In 2005, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) General Conference declared October 27 as World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. The theme of the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2018 is “Your Story is Moving”.

24 October: United Nations Day
The United Nations Day is celebrated on 24th of October every year. The Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being. 2018 UN Day Concert will be in UN Headquarters in New York, with the theme ‘Traditions of Peace and Non-violence’.

October 20: World Osteoporosis Day
World Osteoporosis Day is observed every year on October 20. It is organized by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). This day creates awareness about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease. Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become weak and brittle and increases the risk of a broken bone.

17 October: International day for the eradication of poverty
The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed on October 17 each year since 1993. It promotes people’s awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution worldwide, particularly in developing countries.

16 October: World Food Day
World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. The theme for WFD 2018 is ‘Our Actions Are Our Future’.

15 October: International Day of Rural Women
International Day of Rural Women was celebrated all over the world. In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly, declared October 15 as International Day of Rural Women. It was first observed in 2008. The theme for International Day of Rural Women 2018 is ‘Sustainable infrastructure, services and social protection for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls’.

10 October: World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day was observed on 10th October all over the world. The Theme for World Mental Health Day 2018 is ‘Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World’.

09 October: World Post Day
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. 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?’.

05 October: World Teachers Day
World Teachers’ Day is celebrated globally on 5th October. The WTD 2018 will mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) that recognizes education as a key fundamental right and establishes an entitlement to free compulsory education, ensuring inclusive and equitable access for all children. The theme for this year’s WTD is ‘The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher’.

04 October: World Animal Day
World Animal Day is celebrated at various parts of the world on 4th October to raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe. World Animal Day was originated by Heinrich Zimmermann. He organized the first World Animal Day on 24 March 1925 at the Sports Palace in Berlin, Germany.

01 October: International day of Older Persons
The International Day of Older Persons is observed on October 1 each year to recognize the contributions of older persons and to examine issues that affect their lives. The theme for the 2018 celebration is “Celebrating Older Human Rights champions.

  BANKING AWARENESS

RBI to inject Rs 40,000 Crore in November via OMO
The Reserve Bank of India has announced that it will inject Rs 40,000 crore into the system in November through the purchase of government securities as it looks to meet festive season demand for funds. The central bank had already injected Rs 36,000 crore into the system in October through open market operation (OMO).

IDFC bank to be renamed as IDFC First Bank
IDFC bank proposed to change its name to ‘IDFC First Bank Ltd’ in the wake of its amalgamation with the non-banking financial company Capital First. The decision was taken during the meeting of the Board of Directors of IDFC Bank. The proposal now needs the approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

RBI lifts the ban on Fino Payments Bank to open new accounts
After almost five months of being barred from adding new customers, Fino Payments Bank, one of India’s first payments banks has been allowed to open new accounts by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) after it submitted the compliance report to the central bank.

Rs 728 cr capital infusion to Syndicate Bank from government
Public sector Syndicate Bank announced capital infusion of Rs 728 crore from the government in lieu of preferential allotment of shares. The government order issued that it would infuse Rs 728 crore to Syndicate Bank against preferential allotment of equity shares during 2018-19.

Bank of India shuts down operations in Jersey
State-run Bank of India has closed down its operations at Jersey in the Channel Islands. Earlier, the bank had also closed down its operations in Yangoon, Bostwana and Dubai.

RBI issues guidelines to facilitate payments among PPI
In a move aimed at promoting digital transactions, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released operational guidelines to facilitate payments among prepaid instruments (PPI) such as mobile wallets. The guidelines elaborate on requirements for achieving interoperability for mobile wallets and cards, and norms for customer protection and grievance redressal.

NHB increases refinance limit from Rs 24,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore
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.

Electronic Trading Platforms Directions, 2018 released by RBI
The Reserve Bank of India issued guidelines for operating Electronic Trading Platforms (ETPs) to transact in eligible instruments. Trading on electronic platforms is being encouraged across the world as it enhances pricing transparency, processing efficiency and risk control.

Monetary Policy: RBI leaves Repo Rate unchanged at 6.5%
The Reserve Bank of India has kept the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.5%. Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF remains at 6.25%, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.75%.

Bank of Maharashtra closes 51 branches to cut costs
The Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has announced the closure of 51 branches across the country as part of cost-cutting measures being implemented in the banking industry. This is the first such measure initiated by any PSB in Maharashtra. The BoM has around 1,900 branches all over the country.

SBI reduces ATM withdrawal limit
State Bank of India has slashed the daily withdrawal limit on its classic debit card from Rs 40,000 to Rs 20,000. There is no change in the daily withdrawal limits on other cards.

Rs. 36,000 cr to be injected into system through purchase of govt bonds
Reserve Bank of India announced injection of Rs.36,000 crore into the system through purchase of government bonds with the object to meet the festival season demand for funds. It would take place in the second, third and fourth week of October.