Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Aug 22nd to 31st Aug 2024. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBIClerk 2024 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

Weekly Current Affairs August 22nd to 31st PDF Download

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• International Day for the Remembrance of Slave Trade and Abolition is celebrated on 23 August every year.
• National Space Day 2024 celebrated on August 23, 2024
• International Dog Day is celebrated on August 26 every year.
• Women’s Equality Day is observed on August 26 every year to commemorate the right of women to vote in the United States.
• The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is organizing the 2024 edition of World Water Week from August 25-29, 2024.
• National Sports Day or Rashtriya Khel Divas is celebrated on 29 August every year.
• The National Small Industry Day is an annual celebration observed on 30th August.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has been ranked the top central banker globally for the second consecutive year by US-based Global Finance magazine.
• IDBI Bank has increased its fixed deposit (FD) rate to 7.85% for a 444-day tenure, aiming to attract more deposits.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the launch of the RBI90Quiz for college students at the undergraduate level.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a framework for recognition of self-regulatory organisations (SROs) in the financial markets space to help strengthen compliance culture and provide a consultative platform for policy making.
• Fintech firm BharatPe announced its foray into facilitating secured loans for merchant partners on its platform.
• Bank of Baroda (BoB) secured a ₹5,000 crore loan deal with Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), a major state-owned steelmaker.
• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed amendments to ease the compliance requirements for entities with listed non-convertible securities.
• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed amendments to ease the compliance requirements for entities with listed non-convertible securities.
• According to the domestic rating agency ICRA report, Non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) will likely see their gross stage-3 asset ratio or gross bad loans rising by 30-50 basis points (bps) in the current financial year, from 2.8% in FY24.
• Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed changes to the regulations concerning debenture trustees (DTs).
• Nippon Life India Asset Management launched the Nifty 500 Equal Weight Index Fund, a unique open-ended scheme tracking the Nifty 500 Equal Weight Index.
• India has signed a USD 500 million loan package with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the Maharashtra Tertiary Care and Medical Education Sector Development Program.
• The Department of Economic Affairs has amended the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019, to support the global expansion of Indian companies through cross-border share swaps, mergers, and acquisitions.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has incorporated the auto replenishment of Fastags and national common mobility cards (NCMCs) into the e-mandate framework.
• PGIM India Mutual Fund has announced the launch of PGIM India Multi Cap Fund, an open-ended equity scheme investing across large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap stocks.
• LIC Housing Finance raised ₹1,050 crore through a bond issue with a 5-year maturity period at a coupon rate of 7.75%.
• IndusInd Bank has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to establish a wholly owned subsidiary focused on asset management in the mutual fund sector.
• The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD) has issued a 9-year, $225 million principal-protected Amazon Reforestation-Linked Bond.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the calendar for the premature redemption of Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) issued between May 2017 and May 2020.
• Walmart backed fintech firm PhonePe launched Credit Line on UPI on its platform to enable consumers availing credit lines from their banks to seamlessly link them to UPI on PhonePe for merchant payments.
• Naspers-backed fintech firm PayU has partnered with Amazon Pay Later to provide instant digital credit access to Indian shoppers.
• Bandhan Bank has introduced 'Avni', a savings account exclusively designed for women.
• Aditya Birla Finance Limited ("ABFL"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital, India's leading financial services conglomerate and AU Small Finance Bank Limited (SFB), India's largest small finance bank, has announced the launch of Aditya Birla Finance AU credit cards, powered by and available on Visa and RuPay payment networks.
• Axis Bank has become the leading player in credit card terminals in India, surpassing ICICI Bank.
• Piramal Capital and Housing Finance Limited (referred to as Piramal Finance), a wholly owned subsidiary of Piramal Enterprises Limited (‘PEL’), and Central Bank of India, have announced a strategic partnership to expand their co-lending business.
• Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman sought the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) intervention for clearing the pending dues of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) with state governments.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹1,92,00,000 on NDX P2P Private Limited, also known as 'LiquiLoans'.
• Tata AIA Life Insurance has unveiled its latest term insurance product, Sampoorna Raksha Promise.
• Bengaluru-based investment management firm Capitalmind Financial Services Private Limited has received in-principle approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to launch a new mutual fund.
• GST taxpayers who do not furnish bank account details to GST authorities will be barred from filing outward supply return GSTR-1 from September 1,2024.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das announced the launch of the Unified Lending Interface (ULI) during the Global Conference on Digital Public Infrastructure and Emerging Technologies in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• According to the data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) indicate that people are continuing to repose faith in small savings schemes with the corpus clocking a decent annual growth of 13.8% up to February 2024 reaching ₹18.1 lakh crore.
• State-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) raised Rs 5,000 crore through 10-year infrastructure bonds at a coupon rate of 7.3%.
• India's market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has imposed a five-year ban on industrialist Anil Ambani and 24 others, including top executives of Reliance Home Finance Limited. (RHFL), from participating in the securities market.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that “UBS AG” has been included in the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) advised that “Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited” has been excluded from the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 .
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) advised that “Credit Suisse AG” has been excluded from the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty on Mahoba Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd., Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkashi Zila Sahkari Bank Ltd., Uttarkashi, U. P. Postal Primary Co-operative Bank Ltd., Lucknow.
• ESAF Small Finance Bank has introduced the Inori RuPay Platinum Credit Card, a premium financial product developed in collaboration with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
• Jio Financial Services Limited has received approval from the Department of Economic Affairs to raise the aggregate limit of foreign investment (including Foreign Portfolio Investors, FPIs) to 49% of the paid-up equity share capital on a fully diluted basis.
• The Goods and Services Tax (GST) department in Maharashtra has imposed a penalty on Yes Bank amounting to ₹24,92,978.
• Zeta, a provider of next-gen banking technology to financial institutions globally, has partnered with HDFC Bank to support the bank’s credit line offerings on the UPI (CLOU) platform.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has officially recognized the Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE) as the first Self-Regulatory Organization in the FinTech sector (SRO-FT).
• The Department of Economic Affairs, under the Ministry of Finance, has amended the Securities Contracts Regulation Rules (SCRR), 1956.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed that Qualified Stock Brokers (QSBs) offer a UPI-based block mechanism for trading in the secondary market, similar to the Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA) facility used in the primary market.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed to make it mandatory for all entities regulated by it to maintain communication records, including acknowledgements, for at least 8 years.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹1.25 lakh on The Valsad Mahila Nagarik Sahakari Bank Ltd., Valsad, Gujarat.
• Analysis of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data on deposits of scheduled commercial banks (including regional rural) from FY19 to FY24 showed that deposits grew at 4% in FY24 compared to the previous year.
• Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman made the announcement of a new pension scheme under the National Pension Scheme (NPS), called NPS Vatsalya.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi has introduced a pilot project aimed at transforming 60 Fair Price Shops (FPS), commonly known as ration shops, into ‘Jan Poshan Kendras’ across Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Telangana.
• The Ministry of Finance has issued a clarification regarding the necessity of obtaining an Income Tax Clearance Certificate (ITCC) for Indian nationals travelling abroad.
• The Indian government is considering a significant expansion of its flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
• The Indian government has authorized the export of 200,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice to Malaysia through National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL).
• The 165th anniversary of Income Tax Day was marked on August 21 by a special event presided over by the Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, in New Delhi.
• The Central Government is considering extending the Udan (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme for an additional 10 years.
• State-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has committed approximately ₹21,000 crore for the development of the Vadhavan Port.
• The North-Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC) under the Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), Govt. of India, has successfully obtained the prestigious Oeko-Tex certification for its Eri Silk, directly from Germany on the Nation’s 78th Independence Day.
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).
• The Spices Board of India has launched a transformative scheme aimed at significantly enhancing the export of spices and value-added spice products as well as improving the productivity of cardamom and upgrading the post-harvest quality of spices for exports
• The National Medical Register (NMR) portal was launched by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, J.P. Nadda.
• RailTel Corporation of India Ltd (RailTel), a Miniratna PSU, has been awarded the ISO 14001:2015 certification.
• India's solar power capacity surged by 282% in the first half of 2024, adding nearly 15 GW—the highest-ever half-yearly installation, according to Mercom India Research.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has established five new districts in the Union Territory of Ladakh: Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang.
• The Union Government has unveiled new 2024 guidelines aimed at improving the handling of public grievances with a focus on citizen empowerment and streamlining the redressal process.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has proposed the Remediation of Contaminated Sites Rules, 2024, to clean up lands contaminated by hazardous substances.
• The Central government has shortened the grievance redressal time on the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal from 30 days to 21 days.
• The Uttar Pradesh government aims to boost farm exports to Rs 50,000 crore in the next three to four years.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 44th edition of PRAGATI, a multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation involving Centre and state governments.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved 12 new industrial nodes and three rail projects, focusing on connectivity between key industrial locations.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Jan Dhan Yojana on August 28, highlighting its transformative impact on financial inclusion in India.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development, led by Union Minister Smt. Annapurna Devi has launched the new SHe-Box portal, a centralised platform for registering and monitoring complaints of sexual harassment of women at the workplace.
• Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya launched the "Retired Sportsperson Empowerment Training" (RESET) Programme on National Sports Day in New Delhi.
• The Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare (DoPPW) has introduced a New Single Simplified Pension Application Form 6-A, integrated with Bhavishya and e-HRMS platforms.
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Ministry of Power's proposal to provide Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to State Governments in the North Eastern Region (NER) for their equity participation in developing Hydro Electric Projects.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved 12 new project proposals under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP).
• Pakistan has officially invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting scheduled for October 15-16 in

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

• 57 casual employees of Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve (NNP&TR) have been reinstated three months after their services were terminated.
• Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren launched the much-hyped Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Maiyan Samman Yojna (JMMSY).
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released a Rs 100 commemorative coin to mark the birth centenary of late DMK president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. Singh praised Karunanidhi as a "titan" of Indian politics.
• The Chhattisgarh government’s education department is using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve school education and programmes like midday meals.
• The Bharatiya Janata Party Government led by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, announced the implementation of the Subhadra scheme under which ₹50,000 will be provided over five years to one crore women between the ages of 21 and 60.
• The Maharashtra cabinet has decided to implement the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for state government employees, making it the first state to adopt the scheme announced by the Union government.
• The Himachal Pradesh (HP) State Assembly passed a Bill increasing the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years in order to support gender equality and higher education.
• The Centre proposed an outlay of ₹26,000 crore for various road projects in Bihar.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• Granules India has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for Glycopyrrolate Oral Solution 1mg/5mL.
• French sports retailer Decathlon announced plans to invest €100 million (approximately ₹933 crore) in India over the next five years.
• The ministerial panel on GST rate rationalisation largely agreed to maintain the existing 4-tier slab structure.
• The finance ministry reaffirms the projection of real GDP growth at 6.5%-7% for FY25, as outlined in the 2023-24 economic survey.
• Dabur, one of India’s leading Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) giants, will invest Rs 400 crore to set up a world-class manufacturing plant, its first ever in south India, at the Sipcot Food Park in Tindivanam in Villupuram district.
• The National Stock Exchange (NSE) board has approved a fresh application to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a no-objection certificate (NOC) to launch its long-delayed initial public offering (IPO).
• Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, inaugurated the GST Bhawan, the official complex of the CGST Udaipur Commissionerate under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
• Oyo, the hospitality major heading towards an IPO, reported a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 132 crore for the first quarter (Q1) of FY25, marking a significant turnaround from a loss of Rs 108 crore in the same period last year.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced that the state received investment proposals worth Rs 8,000 crore during the Regional Industrial Conclave (RIC) in Gwalior.
• Vedanta Ltd has assembled a war chest of ₹30,000 crore through recent financial manoeuvres

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

• Telangana is set to host its first Global AI Summit on September 5-6, 2024.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• The Indian Power Ministry engaged with a US delegation led by John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy.
• Bilateral trade between India and Africa reached $100 billion in 2022.
• The 10th Round of India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) negotiations was held in Sydney from 19-22 August 2024.
• India and Indonesia held the sixth meeting of the India-Indonesia Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in Jakarta, reaffirming their commitment to combating terrorism.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to further strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership between India and Singapore.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• Almin Karamehmedovic, previously the executive producer of "World News Tonight," has been named the President of ABC News.
• Rajesh Nambiar has stepped down as Cognizant Technology Solutions Corps India chairman and managing director to become president of information technology (IT) industry body National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom).
• Senior IAS officer Amardeep Singh Bhatia has assumed the charge of Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• Ashok Kumar Singh has been appointed as the Director General of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), which operates under the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved a series of postings and reshuffle at senior bureaucratic positions in various departments and ministries.
• The Ministry of External Affairs appointed seasoned diplomat Parvathaneni Harish as India's next Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
• Apple Inc named Kevan Parekh, an Indian-origin engineer, as its next Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
• Online travel services operator EaseMyTrip.com has roped in Bollywood star Jacqueline Fernandez as its brand ambassador.
• Shriram Capital Private Limited, the holding company of the Shriram Group, has announced the appointment of Subhasri as the company’s Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective September 1, 2024.
• Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar, NM assumed the duties of Director General of Project Seabird, overseeing the largest defence infrastructure project at the Karwar Naval Base.
• Satish Kumar, an officer from the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS), has been appointed as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Railway Board.
• B Srinivasan, a senior IPS officer, has been appointed as the Director General (DG) of the National Security Guard (NSG).
• Fatemeh Mohajerani has been appointed as Iran's first female government spokesperson, marking a historic first for the country.
• Food delivery major Swiggy Announced the appointment of Amitesh Jha as the chief executive officer (CEO) of its quick commerce arm Swiggy Instamart, effective September 4, 2024.
• The Centre announced that IPS officer Rajwinder Singh Bhatti will be the new Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and IPS officer Daljit Singh Chaudhary will be the Chief of the Border Security Force (BSF).
• Sindhu Gangadharan, Managing Director of SAP Labs India, has been appointed as the chairperson of Nasscom (National Association of Software and Service Companies), effective immediately.
• Liu Jin has resigned from his roles as Vice Chairman and President of the Bank of China.
• Sanjeev Raina, a 1987-batch ITBP officer, has been appointed as the Additional Director General (ADG) of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
• Union Minister Chirag Paswan has been re-elected as the national president of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) for a term of five years.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad has been honoured as the Best Airport at the prestigious India Travel Awards for the third consecutive year.
• President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu was awarded the National Geoscience Awards (NGA) for 2023 at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in New Delhi.
• President Droupadi Murmu conferred the first-ever Vigyan Ratna Puraskar -- India's top science award -- on noted biochemist and former director of the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science Govind Rajan Padmanabhan
• MAK Lubricants, a premium brand of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), has been honoured with the ‘Brand of the Decade Award 2024’.
• The 24th International Mother Teresa Awards Ceremony took place on August 26, 2024, at Millennium Plaza Dubai, celebrating the 114th birth anniversary of Mother Teresa.
• Jana Small Finance Bank secured four prestigious awards at the 2nd ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave & Awards:
  • Best Small Finance Bank, India
  • Best Performance on Profitability (Runners-up)
  • Best Performance on Asset Quality
  • Best Performance on Risk Management
• The Goalfest Conclave 2024 took place at ITC Maratha, Mumbai, and was inaugurated with a recognition ceremony led by Saimik Sen, Editor-In-Chief of Herald Global.
• Launched in March 2015, the Anubhav portal serves as a platform for retiring government officials to document and share their experiences and insights.
• Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, planted saplings at the IARI Campus PUSA as part of the #एक_पेड़_मां_के_नाम #Plant4Mother

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• A satellite named Tanager-1, developed by a coalition of companies and organizations including National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA's) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
• Experian India, a leader in data and technology, has unveiled AiDRIAN, an advanced tool that detects potential fraud.
• Nokia has joined hands with Axiom Space to integrate advanced 4G/LTE communication capabilities into the next-generation spacesuits that will be used for the Artemis III mission, NASA's ambitious plans to land humans at the south pole of the moon.
• India's National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) developed the 'Kamikaze' drone, featuring an indigenously built engine and a range of 1,000 kilometres.
• India launched its first reusable hybrid rocket, named RHUMI-1.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the creation of a ₹1,000 crore venture capital fund to enhance the space economy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• Consumer payments and lending company Slice has received approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for its merger with North East Small Finance Bank (NESFB).
• Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) sold a 2.09% stake in state-owned Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) for ₹447 crore through an open market transaction.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the acquisition of a 60% shareholding in Invesco Asset Management (India) Private Limited and Invesco Trustee Private Limited by IndusInd International Holdings Limited (IIHL).
• Fintech major Pine Labs has received an initial approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to merge its entities in India and Singapore.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of shareholding in Shriram Housing Finance Limited by Mango Crest Investment Limited.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed combination involving the acquisition by Advent (through Rasmeli) in Apollo Healthco, the acquisition by Apollo Healthco in Keimed and the Merger of Keimed into Apollo Healthco.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted approval to SBI Mutual Fund (SBI MF) to acquire up to 9.99% of the paid-up share capital or voting rights of Karur Vysya Bank (KVB).
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed combination involving Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Viacom18 Media Private Limited (Viacom18), Digital18 Media Limited, Star India Private Limited (SIPL), and Star Television Productions Limited (STPL).
• Food delivery major Zomato has completed the acquisition of Paytm’s event ticketing subsidiaries Wasteland Entertainment Private Limited (WEPL) and Orbgen Technologies Private Limited (OTPL).
• Jio Financial Services Limited. (JFS) has raised its stake in Jio Payments Bank Limited. (JPBL) from 78.95% to 82.17%.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

• Amul has been recognized as the world's strongest food brand in Brand Finance’s Global Food & Drinks Report 2024, achieving a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 91 and a brand valuation of $3.3 billion.
• A recent report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) sheds light on the significant challenges facing India's agriculture sector due to extreme climate events.
• The latest edition of "The X Index" India report by Havas CX India highlights a significant shift in consumer preferences and expectations, reflecting the changing landscape of customer experience (CX) in India.
• Manila ranked first globally with a 26% annual increase in prime residential property prices during the June quarter of 2024, according to a report by Knight Frank.
• South Asia remains the world's most polluted region, accounting for 45% of global life years lost due to high pollution, despite some improvements in air quality compared to previous years.
• Gautam Adani's net worth surged by 95% to Rs 11.6 lakh crore in the past year, making him the richest Indian, surpassing Mukesh Ambani.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• The Sri Lankan government and India's state-run firm, Petronet LNG Limited, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop critical infrastructure for the storage, regasification, and supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to power plants in Sri Lanka.
• During the recent state visit of Malaysia’s Prime Minister to India, the two countries announced an elevation of their bilateral ties from an Enhanced Strategic Partnership, which was established in 2015.
• GAIL (India) Limited and Petron Scientech Inc (Petron) have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly explore setting up of a 500 Kilo Tons per Annum (KTA) bio-ethylene plant along with its downstream unit(s) in India, based on bio-ethanol produced in the plant in a 50:50 Joint Venture (JV) mode.
• The Centre has roped in private consulting firm MicroSave to optimize utilisation of the Community Investment Support Fund (CIF) a nd enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of organizations working under the Rural Livelihood Mission.
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) signed an important MoU with the Department of Posts working under the Ministry of Communications at KVIC
• REC Ltd and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the newly-constructed state-of-the-art Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre building in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mumbai will make its maiden visit to Sri Lanka, arriving at the port of Colombo for a three-day stay.
• The first indigenously designed and built Pollution Control Vessel (PCV) for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is named 'Samudra Pratap'.
• INS Arighaat, Indias second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, was commissioned into service in Visakhapatnam in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
• India has placed a repeat order for 73,000 SIG716 assault rifles from the U.S. firm SiG Sauer Inc.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• Chef de Mission: Satya Prakash Sangwan, Vice-President of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), was appointed chef de mission for the Indian team.
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially confirmed that the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup will be relocated from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Jay Shah, the current secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is expected to succeed Greg Barclay as the next chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
• Germany's legendary goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, announced his retirement from international football after an illustrious 15-year career and 124 caps for the national team.
• The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that Lord's, often called the 'home of cricket,' will host its first-ever women’s Test match in 2026.
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) is undergoing a significant leadership transition following the completion of Indra Nooyi's six-year term as the first female independent director and the upcoming election for a new chairman.
• Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
• India won the silver medal at the Maruhaba Cup during the Asian Surfing Championships 2024, held in Thulusdhoo, Maldives.
• Tanvi Patri won the under-15 girls singles title at the Badminton Asia U-17 & U-15 Junior Championships.
• Lando Norris secured pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix with a standout qualifying performance.
• The Indian national surfing team clinched a silver medal at the Maruhaba Cup, a prestigious team event at the Asian Surfing Championships 2024.
• In a significant achievement for Indian badminton, Tanvi Patri, a 14-year-old from Odisha, India, won the women’s singles title at the Asian U-15 Junior Championships 2024 held in Chengdu, China.
• Jay Shah was elected unopposed as the next ICC Chairman.
• The International League T20 (ILT20) organizers are considering a new window for future editions to avoid scheduling conflicts with other major leagues like the Big Bash League (BBL) and SA20.
• Dawid Malan, the England star and former World No.1 T20I batter, has officially announced his retirement from international cricket.
• Caroline Groot of the Netherlands claimed the first gold medal of the Paralympic Games by winning the 500-meter time trial in women's track cycling for the C4 and C5 classifications.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

• Kalpana Sankar's autobiography, “The Scientist Entrepreneur: Empowering Millions of Women,” was unveiled at Cathedral Road.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

• India’s 20th Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Sundararajan Padmanabhan, a highly decorated officer under whose leadership the Indian Army made big gains over armed militants in Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s, passed away at the age of 83.
• Graham Thorpe (England) passed away after being struck by a train at a railway station in Surrey.
• Sara Abraham, the doyenne of contemporary Indian Art in the early Seventies, passed away at Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN).
• The world's oldest person, Spain's Maria Branyas Morera, who was born in the United States, passed away at the age of 117.
• Former Swedish tennis player Peter Lundgren, who also coached Roger Federer early in the Swiss player's career, has passed away at the age of 59.
• Daniela Larreal Chirinos, a five-time Olympic cyclist who competed for Venezuela over the course of a decade, has passed away at the age of 51.
• Five-time former Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Hoss, who served during some of the most tumultuous years of his country’s modern history, passed away at the age of 94.
• Veteran Congress leader and recently elected Member of Parliament representing Nanded constituency, Vasantrao Chavan, passed away at the age of 70.Swedish Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, First Foreigner to Lead England Team, Passed Away