India-Mongolia Joint Exercise ‘Nomadic Elephant 2018’ Starts in Mongolia

The 12 days long Indo-Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant-2018, commenced at Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with a brief opening ceremony. 
Exercise Nomadic Elephant is an annual, bilateral exercise since 2006 which is designed to strengthen the partnership between Indian Army and Mongolian Armed Forces. The exercise will see them improve their tactical and technical skills in joint counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations in the rural and urban scenario under United Nations mandate. 
Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • Mongolia Capital: Ulaanbaatar, Currency: Mongolian togrog. 

Justice Om Prakash Mishra Sworn In As new Chief Justice Of Nepal

Justice Om Prakash Mishra has been sworn in as new Chief Justice of Nepal. The President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Justice Mishra in Kathmandu. 
Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC) unanimously endorsed his name for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Justice Mishra was appointed as a justice of the Supreme Court in 2014. 
Source- DD News

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli is the current Prime Minister of Nepal.
  • Bidya Devi Bhandari is the current President of Nepal and commander in chief of Nepalese Army. 
  • The Nepalese Rupee is the currency of Nepal. 
  • Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal. 

India Joins Elite Group of Countries Capable Of Air-to-Air Fuel Transfer

The first ever mid-air refuelling of the indigenously developed light combat aircraft Tejas was successfully carried out, placing India in an elite group of countries having air-to-air refuelling capacity for military planes. 
The mid-air re-fuelling of wet contact trial for Light Combat Aircraft, LCA Tejas MK-1 was successfully carried out from an Indian Air Force base. The Air-to-Air refuelling capability for Tejas is a force multiplier for the Indian Air Force, giving the aircraft the potential to stay airborne for much longer periods of time. 
Source- AIR World Service

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • Nirmala Sitharaman is the present  Defence Minister of India. 
  • Birender Singh Dhanoa is the present Chief of Air Staff of Indian Air Force. 

India, Bangladesh Jointly Inaugurate 3 Projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, and Chief Ministers of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb jointly inaugurated three projects in Bangladesh via video conferencing.  These include: 
1. 500 MW additional power supply from India to Bangladesh, 
2. Akhaura – Agartala Rail Link, and 
3. Rehabilitation of the Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of Bangladesh Railways. 

Akhaura-Agartala rail project is about 12 km long of which 5.5 km would be laid in India while 6.5 km would be in Bangladesh. The total cost of the project would be about 960 crore rupees. The Agartala-Akhaura rail project is part of India’s $4.5 billion third line of credit extended to Bangladesh for its infrastructure and social sector development.
Source- AIR World Service

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • Bangladesh PM- Sheikh Hasina, Capital- Dhaka, Currency- Bangladeshi Taka. 

The Four Grand Slams Of 2018: Complete List of Winners

The Grand Slam tournaments, also called majors, are the four most important annual tennis events. They offer the most ranking points, prize money, public and media attention, the greatest strength and size of the field, and a greater number of ‘best of’ sets for men. The Grand Slam itinerary consists of the Australian Open in mid-January, the French Open in May and June, Wimbledon in July, and the US Open in August and September. Here in this article, we have compiled all the winners of these four Grand Slam Tournaments for you. Please go through it thoroughly. 

1. Australian Open 2018 Winners List: 

Australian Open 2018 tournament concluded in January 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. It is one of four grand slam tournaments played annually. Roger Federer of Switzerland won in the men’s Singles category after defeating Marin Cilic of Croatia. In women’s singles category, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark defeated Simona Halep of Romania. 
Here is the Complete List of Winners in Different Category (with their Respective Countries):

S.
No.		 Category Winner Runner Up
1. Men’s Singles Roger Federer (Switzerland) Marin Cilic (Croatia)
2. Women’s Singles Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) Simona Halep (Romania)
3. Men’s Doubles Oliver Marach (Austria) & Mate Pavic(Croatia) Robert Farah (Colombia) & J. Cabal (Colombia)
4. Women’s Doubles Kristina Mladenovic (France) & Tímea Babos (Hungary) Elena Vesnina (Russia) & Ekaterina Makarova (Russia)
5. Mixed Doubles Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) & Mate Pavic (Croatia) Rohan Bopanna (India) & Timea Babos (Hungary)

2. French Open 2018 Winners List: 

The 2018 French Open (also known as Roland Garros) was a Grand Slam tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 122nd edition of the French Open and the second Grand Slam event of 2018. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. Rafael Nadal of Spain won in Men’s Category after defeating Dominic Thiem. Simona Halep won her first Grand Slam title.  
Here is the Complete List of Winners in Different Category (with their Respective Countries):

S. No Category Winner Runner Up
1. Men’s Singles Rafael Nadal (Spain) Dominic Thiem (Austria)
2. Women’s Singles Simona Halep (Rome) Sloane Stephens (USA)
3. Men’s Doubles Nicolas Mahut (France) and Pierre-Hugues Herbert (France) Oliver Marach (Austria) and Mate Pavic (Croatia)
4. Women’s Doubles Barbara Krejcikova (Czech Republic) and Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) Eri Hozumi (Japan) and Makoto Ninomiya (Japan)
5. Mixed Doubles Latisha Chan (Taiwan) and Ivan Dodig (Croatia) Gaby Dabrowski (Canada) and Mate Pavic (Croatia)

3. Wimbledon Championship 2018 Winners List: 
The 2018 Wimbledon Championships is a Grand Slam tennis tournament which takes place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The main tournament began on 2 July 2018 and finished on 15 July 2018. The 2018 tournament was the 132nd edition of the Championships. Novak Djokovic won the men’s singles Title for the fourth time. Angelique Kerber won the Ladies’ Singles title. 
Here is the Complete List of Winners in Different Category (with their Respective Countries):

S. No.  Category Winner Runner Up
1. Men’s Singles Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Kevin Anderson (South Africa)
2. Women’s Singles Angelique Kerber (Germany) Serena Williams (USA)
3. Men’s Doubles Mike Bryan (USA) and Jack Sock (USA) Michael Venus (New Zealand) and Raven Klaasen (South Africa)
4. Women’s Doubles Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic) and Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) Nicole Melichar (USA) and Kveta Peschke (Czech Republic)
5. Mixed Doubles Alexander Peya (Austria) and Nicole Melichar (USA) Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) and Jamie Murray (United Kingdom)
4. The US Open 2018 Winners List: 
The 2018 US Open was the 138th edition of tennis’ US Open and the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year. It was held on outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. Novak Djokovic of Serbia won in Men’s category after defeating Juan Martin del Potro. Naomi Osaka of Japan has defeated Serena Williams to win the US Open title. 
Here is the Complete List of Winners in Different Category (with their Respective Countries):

S. No.  Category Winner Runner Up
1. Men’s Singles Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina)
2. Women’s Singles Naomi Osaka (Japan) Serena Williams (USA)
3. Men’s Doubles Mike Bryan (USA) and Jack Sock (USA) Łukasz Kubot (Poland) and Marcelo Melo (Brazil)
4. Women’s Doubles Ashleigh Barty (Australia) and CoCo Vandeweghe (United States) Timea Babos (Hungary) and Kristina Mladenovic (France)
5. Mixed Doubles Bethanie Mattek-Sands (United States) Jamie Murray (United Kingdom)  Alicja Rosolska (Poland) and Nikola Mektic (Croatia) 

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana To Cover Child Cancer Treatment

The Union Government has announced that the treatment of childhood cancer will be covered under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. The information was shared by NITI Aayog member Vinod Kumar Paul, while speaking at a function in New Delhi. 
The child cancer will be treated under the Ayushman Bharat scheme and the rate in this regard has been fixed. According to the announcement made, 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres will be opened across India by 2022 under the scheme. The centres will provide comprehensive health care for diseases like diabetes, cancer, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. 
Source- The Indian Express

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • J.P.Nadda is the present Minister of Health and Family Welfare. 

India Blue Trounces India Red To Win Duleep Trophy

India Blue thrashed defending champion India Red by an innings and 187 runs in the final to win the 57th Duleep Trophy at NPR College ground, in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. 
Spinners Deepak Jagbir Hooda (5 for 56) and Saurabh Kumar (5 for 51) needed just 10.5 overs on the fourth day to bundle out India Red for 172 in the second innings. Himachal Pradesh batsman Nikhil Gangta was named the man of the match for his superb knock of 130. 
Source- The Indian Express

RBI Notifies Amended Note Refund Rules

The Reserve Bank of India has released new guidelines through a gazette notification for all notes which were introduced post note ban, or notes which were introduced as part of the Mahatma Gandhi New Series. 

With this, the RBI has ended the lack of clarity over the exchange of the Rs 2000 or Rs 200 currency notes, introduced post demonetisation. Till now, there were clear rules for the value of soiled, damaged or mutilated Rs 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500 notes, but the public was facing problems with the exchange of damaged Rs 200 and Rs 2000 notes as the rules for their exchange were yet to be amended. 
The Reserve Bank of India (Note Refund) Rules earlier only specified currency notes of Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 denomination. The Rs 2000 and Rs 200 (issued in November 2016 and September 2017 respectively) could not be governed by the old rules due to their difference in size. 
As per the new Reserve Bank of India (Note Refund) Amendment Rules, 2018, “the undivided area of the single largest piece of the note” for a damaged Rs 2000 note must be 88 square cm for a full refund, and 44 square cm for half refund. The Rs 2000 note is 109.56 square cm in dimension. For a damaged Rs 200 note, the criteria is 78 square cm for a full refund, and 39 square cm for half refund.
Know About Types of Notes:

1. Government note:  means any note issued by the Central Government or supplied by the Central Government to the Bank and issued by the Bank, provided the liability for the payment of the value in respect of such note has devolved on and been taken over by the Bank. 
2. Imperfect note: means any note, which is wholly or partially, obliterated, shrunk, washed, altered or indecipherable but does not include a mutilated note.
3. Mutilated note: means a note of which a portion is missing or which is composed of more than two pieces.
4. Mismatched Note: means a mutilated note which has been formed by joining a half note of any one note to a half note of another note.
5. Soiled Note: means a note which, has become dirty due to usage and also includes a two piece note pasted together wherein both the pieces presented belong to the same note, and form the entire note. 
Source- The Hindu Business Line

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • Urjit Patel- 24th Governor of RBI, Headquarters- Mumbai, Established on- 1st April 1935, in Kolkata. 

India And France Signed Implementation Agreement on ‘Mobilise Your City’

India and France have signed an implementation agreement on ‘Mobilise Your City’ (MYC) in the presence of Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Hardeep Singh Puri and Alexander Ziegler, Ambassador of France in India. 
Mobilise Your City (MYC) is part of an international initiative which is supported by the French and the German Governments and was launched at 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) meeting. Based on a proposal made by AFD in 2015, the European Union has agreed to provide funds of Euro 3.5 million through the AFD to contribute to specific investments and technical assistance components within the Mobilise Your City (MYC) programme in India. 

Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • France Capital: Paris, Currency: Euro, CFP franc, President: Emmanuel Macron. 


Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Receives Meryl Streep Award for Excellence

Actress Aishwarya Rai was honoured with the Meryl Streep Award for Excellence at the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) India Award. 
The ceremony was established to honour the best female talent in Bollywood and Hollywood. WIFT India is part of WIFT International, a network which promotes professional development and achievement for women in the film industry, video, and other screen-based media. 
Source- Hindustan Times