1. RBI allows recurring transactions up to 2,000 on cards from Sept 1

• The Reserve Bank of India allows customers to make recurring payments of less than Rs.2000 without the two-factor authentication process
• The changing payment needs and the requirement to balance the safety and security of card transactions with customer convenience decided to permit processing of e-mandate on cards for recurring transactions (merchant payments)
• The move has been made to make digital payments to merchant, typically at kirana and grocery stores where ticket sizes are small, more convenient. The circular is applicable for transactions performed using all types of cards – debit, credit and Prepaid Card

Foot Notes:
Reserve Bank of India
1. Headquarters: Mumbai
2. Founder: British Raj
3. Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata
4. Governor: Shaktikanta Das

2. First World Youth Conference on Kindness inaugurated by Indian President

• Shri Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the first World Youth conference on kindness at VigyanBhawan in New Delhi. The president addressed the event celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on the theme ‘VasudhaivaKutumbakam: Gandhi for the Contemporary World’.
• To impart empathy, compassion, mindfulness and critical enquiry to inspire, empower and enable youth to transform building a long-lasting peace in their communities and finding pathways to achieve Sustainable Development Goals(SDG).
• 10th edition of UNESCO’s Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) flagship programme ‘the Blue Dot’. It focuses on MGIEP social and emotional learning.More than 1000 Youth leaders from 27 countries participated in the event.
• The conference was organised by UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

Foot Notes:
About UNESCO MGIEP:
1. It is a category 1 research institute that focuses on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
2. It was launched by former UNESCO Director General Ms. Irina Bokova and former President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee.
3. Launched –  2012.

3. FATF Asia-Pacific Group blacklists Pakistan

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

Foot Notes:
About Pakistan
1. Pakistan Capital: Islamabad
2. PM: Imran Khan
3. President: Arif Alvi.

4. Indian Railways directs all units to ban single-use plastic from October 2, 2019

• In an eco-friendly initiative, the Ministry of Railways has directed all railway units to strictly enforce a ban on single-use plastic, with less than 50-micron thickness, from October 2, 2019, in its premises and trains with the aim to achieve “Plastic Free Railway.
• The new guideline comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, urged citizens of the country to minimize the use of plastic from October 2, 2019,  on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Development Corporation (IRCTC) will implement the return of plastic drinking water bottles as part of extended producer responsibility and 1,853 plastic bottle crushing machines will be installed at 360 major railway stations in the 1st  phase of this initiative.

Foot Notes:
About Ministry of Railways:
1.Headquarters:  New Delhi
2. Formation: 16 April 1853
3. Union Minister: Piyush Goyal

5. Ajay Kumar Bhalla appointed as Home Secretary

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

6. AbdallaHamdok becomes the new prime minister of Sudan

• Abdalla Hamdok took charge as the new prime minister(15th) of Sudan embarking three year transition to civilian rule after military authoritarian Omar al-Bashir was forced to step down from president post by rage protests. The chief justice of Sudan administered the swearing in ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Khartoum.
• The Government under Hamdok will be formed on August 28 with 20ministers being selected by the opposition Freedom and Change Alliance. His appointment comes as Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan was sowrn in as the leader of the new Sovereign Council.
• Previously Hamdok served as Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa(UNECA).Under Sudan’s Transitional Military Council(TMC) and Freedom and Change Alliance, a total of 11 members(5 chosen by TMC and 5 chosen by opposition and 1 civilian) will be comprised in the Sovereign Council.

Foot Notes:
About Sudan:
1. Capital- Khartoum.
2. Currency- Sudanese pound.

7. International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition: 23 August

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

About UNESCO
 1. Headquarters: New York, USA
 2. Founded: 24 October 1945.
 3. Secretary: General: Antonio Guterres.

8. Paytm to continue as BCCI title sponsor till 2023 for Rs 326.8 crore

• The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Rahul Johri announced that Paytm will continue as the title sponsor of the Indian cricket board’s domestic and international matches for the next five years i.e till 2023.
• The bid from One 97 Communications, holding company of Paytm, was the winning bid for Rs 326.80 crore. At Rs 3.80 crore per match, Paytm’s bid was at 58% incremental value in comparison to the previous per match value of Rs 2.4 crore.

Foot Notes:
About
1. Founded: 2010
2. Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh
3. Founder : Vijay Shekhar Sharma

9. PM Modi visits France

• Prime Minister Modi is paying a two-day state visit to France from 22 August ahead G-7 meeting. Modi and his French counterpart President Emmanuel Macron held talks discussed to strengthen strategic ties in key sectors. They also discussed the government’s move to suspend Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and split the State into two Union Territories.
• France confirmed that it will support any policy that would give the region stability. It also added that no one should provoke violence in the region. It said that the issues should be resolved between India and Pakistan and no other party should be involved.

10. Vikram Rathour is India’s new batting coach

• Former opener Vikram Rathour, aged 50, was appointed as India’s new batting coach. He succeeds Sanjay Bangar. Bharath Arun and R Sridhar retained as bowling and fielding coaches respectively.
• The senior national selection committee headed by MSK Prasad recommended 3 names each for all the support staff positions and the top names in each category will be appointed after the formalities with regards to Conflict of Interest declaration is complete.