September 2018 Current Affairs Important Highlights (One-Liners)

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Friends, here are the Major Current Affairs Highlights of September 2018. These one-liners cover all important International, National, MOUs, Indexes, Banking, Technology, Books & Authors, Committees and Sports affairs of September month (from 1st to 30th September 2018). You will get pdf versoin of this list by this evening. All the Best and Happy Reading :)

September 2018 Current Affairs Highlights (One-Liners) 

• 10th September 2018 was observed as World Suicide Prevention Day with the theme ‘Working Together to Prevent Suicide’.
• 15th September 2018 was observed as the International Day of Democracy with the theme "Democracy under Strain: Solutions for a Changing World".
• 16th September 2018 was observed as International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (International Ozone Day) with the theme 'Keep Cool and Carry on: Montreal Protocol'.
• 2 day Regional Conference on Good Governance with Focus on Aspirational Districts was recently held in Bhopal (capital of Madhya Pradesh).
  
• 21st September 2018 was observed as International Day of Peace / World Peace Day with the theme “The Right to Peace - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70”.
• 23rd September 2018 was observed as International Day of Sign Languages with the theme “With Sign Language, Everyone is Included!”.
• 27th September 2018 was observed as World Tourism Day with the theme "Tourism and the Digital Transformation".
• 28th September 2018 was observed as World Rabies day with the theme ‘Rabies: Share the message. Save a life’.
• 29th September 2018 was observed as World Heart Day with the theme "My Heart, Your Heart".
• 2nd September 2018 was observed as World Coconut Day with the theme 'Coconut for Good Health, Wealth & Wellness'.
• 30th September 2018 was observed as International Translation Day with the theme "Translation: promoting cultural heritage in changing times".
• 31st meeting of the Central Hindi Committee was recently held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat, and other members of the committee participated in this meeting.
• 3rd ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Conference on ‘Global Ageing and Human Rights of Older Persons’  was held in Seoul, capital of South Korea.
• 3rd Summit of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was recently held in Beijing. During the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $60 billion (over ₹4 lakh crore) in financial support to Africa.
• 4th BIMSTEC Summit concluded in Kathmandu (Nepal's Capital) with signing and adoption of Kathmandu Declaration by all the 7 BIMSTEC members (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand). Theme of 4th BIMSTEC Summit 2018 : ‘Towards a Peaceful Prosperous, and Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region’.
• 4th International Ayurveda Congress (IAvC) was recentlhy held at Leiden, Netherlands.
• 51st Engineer's Day was observed in India on 15th September 2018 with the theme 'Engineering Challenges for Knowledge Era'.
• 5th meeting of Boundary Working Group (BWG) between India and Nepal held in Kathmandu. During this meet, both countries have agreed to explore possibility of using high resolution satellite images in boundary survey work. 
• 6th East Asia Summit – Economic Ministers meeting EAS-EMM) & 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM) was held in Singapore.
• 6th edition of India, Sri Lanka joint naval exercise SLINEX-2018 was held at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.
• 6th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Trade Ministers’ Meeting was recently held in Singapore. Indian delegation was led by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu.
• 7th meeting of National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) of Ministry of AYUSH was held under the chairpersonship of Minister of State for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik at New Delhi.
• A 10-foot-tall bird, Vorombe titan, known to have become extinct around 1,000 years ago in Madagascar, has been declared as the world's largest bird. With a 650-kg mean body mass, it belonged to the family of flightless animals including the kiwi and the ostrich.
• A Bilateral meeting on Tourism Cooperation between India and Morocco led by the Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Handicraft and Social Economy, Kingdom of Morocco, Mr. Mohamed Sajid and the Minister of State for Tourism (IC), Government of India, Shri. K. J. Alphons, held in New Delhi. During this meeting both the Ministers agreed to enhance the tourism cooperation between India & Morocco and to work towards increasing tourist arrivals between both countries.
• According to recent report, Pakistan could become world’s 5th largest nuclear weapons state after Russia, United States, France and China in terms of possession of total nuclear warheads. Pakistan currently has 140 to 150 nuclear warheads and its stockpile is expected to increase to 220 to 250 by 2025 (surpassing United Kingdom) if its current proliferation trend continues.
• According to the 2018 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index released by United Nations, over 270 million people in India moved out of poverty in the decade since 2005-06. The Report stated that India's poverty rate came down to 27.5% from 54.7% during the period.
• Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani was on a visit to India. This visit comes ahead of next month’s parliamentary polls in the landlocked country.
• After the launch of payments bank, the Indian Postal department has announced that it is going to set up an Insurance firm as a special business unit within two years. At present, the postal department offers Life Insurance Schemes including Postal Life Insurance (PLI), Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI), among others.
• Ahead of US sanctions on Iranian oil, Iraq has replaced Saudi Arabia as India's largest oil supplier in August. 
• Amazon India launched a Hindi version of its mobile website and app for Android smartphones. None of India's other leading e-commerce portals like Flipkart, Snapdeal or Paytm Mall currently have a local language version of their apps or websites.
• American electronic commerce and cloud computing company Amazon is going to launch its checkout-free 'Amazon Go' grocery store in New York. The cashierless store requires customers to scan a code on an app while entering.
• American multinational investment bank and financial services company Goldman Sachs downgraded Indian equities for the first time since March 2014 citing expensive valuations and upcoming elections. The investment bank cut India's rating to the equivalent of a 'hold' from 'buy'.
• American multinational technology company Microsoft partnered with the Data Security Council of India to launch a three-year programme, called CyberShikshaa. Aim of CyberShikshaa : To train 1,000 women from underserved communities in cybersecurity. 
• American online social media and social networking service company Facebook announced that it is going to build its 1st Asian data centre in Singapore. This 11-storey  data centre is expected to open in 2022.
• American security and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has entered into an agreement with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) to manufacture wings of its F-16 fighter jets in India.
• Amid a rise in rape cases, Nepal has announced a ban on websites with adult content in the country.
• Argentina has received $57.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) aimed at boosting the country's struggling economy. This is the biggest loan package ever from the global body.
• Around 129 countries at the United Nations pledged to combat drug problem, signing a US-drafted one-page "call to action on the world drug problem".
• As a part of the Bay of Bengal initiative for multi-sectoral technical and economic cooperation (Bimstec), a field training military exercise (MILEX-18) was held at Foreign Training Node at Aundh in Pune, Maharashtra. All member BIMSTEC countries, except Thailand and Nepal took active part in this exercise. Theme of MILEX 18 : Counter-terrorism in semi-urban terrain.
• As part of it's 'Saudi Vision 2030' programme, Saudi Arabia inaugurated a high-speed rail line connecting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
• Australia's Perth Mint has unveiled the most valuable coin ever made in the country to meet growing demand for high-end collectables. The 2-kg coin, which is encrusted with rare pink diamonds worth ₹12 crore, depicts a sailing ship, a gold prospector and boab trees. Called 'Discovery', the coin is considered legal tender and will be sold to the highest bidder.
• Bengaluru International Airport has announced plans to introduce Paperless Boarding for passengers of some airlines from next year, and will use facial recognition technology for the same.
• Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay has recommissioned India’s oldest nuclear research reactor named ‘Apsara’, which was shut down permanently in 2009 for repair. The refurbished version of this reactor has been named as ‘Apsara-upgraded’ (Apsara-U) and also has double capacity compared to its earlier version. 
• British racing driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) has won the Italian Grand Prix 2018 held at Autodromo Nazionale Monza track, in Italy.
• British racing driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won the Singapore Grand Prix 2018 at Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore.
• Cab-hailing startup Ola launched a safety programme called 'Guardian' in India to monitor rides in real time.
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved 100% electrification of broad gauge routes of Indian Railways (IR) by the year 2021-22. The 100% electrification will reduce use of imported fossil fuels thereby improve energy security.
• China and Pakistan have decided to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project towards Afghanistan. The CPEC project aims to strategically link China's Xinjiang with Pakistan's Gwadar port.
• China is planning to bring its Second Space Lab, Tiangong-2 back to Earth in July 2019 in a "controlled deorbit".
• China participated in Exercise Kakadu, Australia's largest maritime drill for the first time. Other nations participated in the drill include India, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, New Zealand and Pakistan.
• China successfully launched a new marine satellite called HY-1C aboard a Long March-2C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China’s Shanxi Province. Objectives : Oetter monitor China's maritime waters and study the impact of climate change.
• China-Maldives Friendship Bridge was recently opened for traffic. It is 1st cross-sea bridge to be built in Maldives.
• Congress MP Kapil Sibal will be releasing a new book titled "Shades of Truth : A Journey Derailed". This book is going to be published by New Delhi-based Rupa Publications in September.
• Cyient Solutions & Systems Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture between IT firm Cyient and BlueBird Aero Systems of Israel,  has bagged order from Indian Army to supply SpyLite mini UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) systems for high altitude aerial surveillance.
• Cyient Solutions & Systems, a joint venture of IT firm Cyient and BlueBird Aero Systems of Israel) bagged order from Indian Army to supply SpyLite mini UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) systems for high altitude aerial surveillance. SpyLite mini UAV unmanned aerial system has endurance of 4-5 hours and maximum flight ceiling of 30,000 feet, making it ideal for Indian Army operations along border with China and Siachen glacier.
• Delhi government started its 'Doorstep Dlivery of Services' programme to make 40 government services including Driving License, New Water connection and Ration Card available at residents' doorstep in the first phase. Available at an extra fee of ₹50, applicants have to call the helpline number 1076 to request for the services.
• Denmark's largest lender Danske Bank's CEO Thomas Borgen resigned following an investigation into payments of about $234 billion through the bank's Estonian branch, many of which were suspicious. India has signed a $74 million financing loan agreement with the World Bank for Uttarakhand Workforce Development Project (UKWDP). Objective of UKWDP : To improve the quality and relevance of training at priority Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and to increase the number of labour-market-relevant workers through short term training in Uttrakhand.
• Elon Musk-led startup SpaceX revealed that Yusaku Maezawa, founder of Japan's largest clothing website Zozotown, has signed up to be the world's first private passenger to fly around the Moon. The 42-year-old with $2.9 billion net worth will be travelling to space aboard SpaceX's BFR launch vehicle.
• England’s opener Alastair Cook has announced his retirement from all formats of the cricket. Cook has scored 12,254 runs and made 32 centuries in 160 Tests all England records.
• England's James Anderson bowled India's Mohammad Shami in the fifth Test  to go past former Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath's tally of 563 wickets to become the highest wicket-taking pacer in Test cricket history. 
• European railway manufacturer Alstom has launched world’s first hydrogen fuel cell train. The French company said that the CoradiaiLint used fuel cells that turn hydrogen and oxygen into electricity.
• Ex-England captain Alastair Cook slammed his 33rd Test Century in his last-ever Test innings against India. Cook is the fifth cricketer to score a century in his first and last Tests.
• Ex-Team India captain M S Dhoni has become India's second-most capped cricketer, achieving the feat against Pakistan in the Asia Cup.
• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj led the Indian delegation at the 23rd meeting of India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission (IRIGC-TEC). This meeting was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov.
• Fields Medal and Abel Prize-winning mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah demonstrated a proof of the 159-year-old Riemann Hypothesis, which is one of the "Millennium Problems", carrying a $1-million award for a confirmed solution.
• Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar has announced that the boards of state-run Dena Bank, Vijaya Bank and Bank of Baroda have been advised to merge the three banks. The amalgamated entity would be the 3rd largest bank in India.
• For the first time in the history of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) international football team rankings, 2 teams are sharing the top spot. They are France & Belgium.
• Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held the 1st high-level 2+2 talks with their US counterparts Mike Pompeo and Jim Mattis. They discussed issues of strategic and security interest. Both the countries have agreed to work together towards India's entry in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
• Former film actress, author, columnist and producer Twinkle Khanna launched her third book titled 'Pyjamas are Forgiving'. She has previously written two books, 'Mrs Funnybones: She's Just Like You and a Lot Like Me' (2015) and 'The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad' (2016).
• Former Indian hockey team captain Sardar Singh announced his retirement from international hockey.
• Germany has announced to provide soft loan of euro 120 million (Rs. 990 crore approximately) to India to strengthen sewage water treatment infrastructure in Uttarakhand in an effort to clean River Ganga under Clean Ganga Mission.
• Germany launched the world's first zero-emission hydrogen trains which will run on a 100-kilometre stretch.
• Government has constituted 8-member search committee to recommend names for posts of Lokpal chairperson and members. The committee will be headed by : Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (former Supreme Court judge).
• Haryana Government has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to set up Ethanol plant at Bohali village in Panipat district with an outlay of over Rs. 900 crore.
• ICICI Bank announced that it is going to acquire 8.85% stake in Avenues Payment India for ₹10 crore in cash.
• In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court scrapped the 150-year old Section 497, which deals with Adultery saying it is unconstitutional. According to the adultery law, a man can be punished for having a sexual relationship with a married woman without the consent of her husband.
• India along with 23 other nations participated in major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock exercise known as IOWave18. The exercise is being organized by Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. Aim of IOWae18 : To increase tsunami preparedness, evaluate response capabilities in each state and improve coordination throughout the region. 
• India and Cyprus have signed two MoUs in the field of sharing of financial intelligence and environment.
• India and France announced a working group for Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) first manned space mission Gaganyaan. The mission would make India one of the four countries in the world after Russia, China, and the US to launch a manned space flight.
• India and United States conducted their annual combat exercise “Yudh Abhyas” at Chaubatia in Uttarakhand from 16 to 29 September, 2018. Aim of Yudh Abhyas : To enhance interoperability between armies. It will also focus on enhancing counter-terror cooperation.
• India Blue cricket team has won 2017-18 Duleep Trophy by defeating defending champion India Red in the final match played at NPR College ground in Dindigul, Tamilnadu. Himachal Pradesh batsman Nikhil Gangta was named Man of Match.
• India captain Virat Kohli has become the fastest batsman to reach 18,000 runs in international cricket. He surpassed ex-Windies captain Brian Lara, who took 411 innings to reach the milestone.
• India celebrated the 2nd Anniversary of Surgical Strikes as Parakram Parv during 29th to 30th September 2018.Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has partnered with Google to launch Loo Review campaign on Google Map. The joint campaign has been launched under aegis of Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM–U).
• India defeat Bangladesh to win Asia Cup for the second straight time and overall seventh time.
• India has been included in the UN's list of 38 "shameful" nations for intimidating people cooperating with the global body on human rights. China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Israel have also been included in the list.
• India has contributed $1 million to United Nations (UN) Headquarters’ Solar Project, under which solar panels will be installed on roof of world body’s headquarters at New York, US. This contribution makes India first responder to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for climate action.
• India has improved its ranking by one spot from 2016 and now stands 19th in the ‘Theft Ranking’ for countries with weapons usable nuclear materials, according to recently released Nuclear Security Index. The index was released by the US-based Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), which is co-chaired by Sam Nunn and Ernest Moni. Australia, which was at the top in 2012, 2014, and 2016 among the 22 countries with weapons-usable nuclear materials, this time shares the top spot with Switzerland.
• India has lost its tag as Asia-Pacific's best-performing stock market this year to New Zealand.
• India has signed two loan agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for construction of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project and Kolkata East West Metro Project. Under these agreements, Japan is going to provide Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of around Rs 5,500 crore as tranche 1 for Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project Rs.1619 crore for tranche 3 Kolkata East-West Metro Project .
• India is going to help Nepal build a railway line connecting Raxaul (Bihar) to Kathmandu (Nepal).
• India is going to purchase 18 bullet trains from Japan at a cost of ₹7,000 crore in a deal where the seller will also have to transfer technology for local production. Each train will have 10 coaches and have cruising speeds of 350 kmph.
• India is going to supply 160 railway passenger coaches to Sri Lanka valued at around $82.64 million. The agreement to supply the coaches custom-made in India was signed between state-owned RITES and the Sri Lankan government.
• India is Partner Country in 87th Izmir International tradeshow in (Izmir) Turkey. India also launched its mega business pavilion ‘Source India’ hosting 75 Indian companies in the tradeshow. 
• India observed National Nutrition Week from 1st of September to 7th of September 2018. Theme of the year 2018 : 'Go Further with Food'.
• India retained the top WHO position in South-East Asia Region with Dr. PoonamKhetrapal Singh unanimously re-elected as Regional Director for another five-year term beginning February 2019.
• India signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) with the US during the 2+2 talks in Delhi. This deal will enable India to access advanced technologies from US.
• India, Afghanistan and Iran held the 1st-ever trilateral meeting at the Deputy Foreign Minister level in Kabul.
• India, Kazakhstan joint army exercise KAZIND was held between Indian and Kazakhstan Army in Otar region, Kazakhstan from 10th to 23rd September 2018. Aim of KAZIND : To build and promote bilateral army to army relations and exchange skills and experiences between armies of both countries.
• India, Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant 2018 commenced at Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area in Ulaanbaatar (capital of Mongolia).
• India’s biggest cyclotron facility named Cyclone-30 became operational at Kolkata-based Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC), which comes under Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
• India’s first underwater robotic drone EyeROV TUNA was handed over to Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully test fired indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) Astra from Su-30 figher aircraft.
• Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully carried out it's 1st ever mid-air refuelling of indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas MK-1 at an altitude of 20,000 feet. During the process, 1,900 kg fuel was transferred. 
• Indian e-commerce payment system and digital wallet company Paytm has started testing the facial recognition feature that can unlock its payments app on a user's smartphone. The platform is going to introduce the technology for wallet payments, which do not require the second-factor authentication. 
• Indian Information Technology Services corporation Wipro has announced that it has bagged its biggest ever deal of $1.5 billion from US-based Alight Solutions that provides technology-enabled health, wealth, HR and finance solutions.
• Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri has participated in the exercise. 
• Indian Navy has signed contract with Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) located in Visakhapatnam for construction of two Diving Support Vessels (DSV).
• Indian pacer Jhulan Goswami became the 1st bowler in women's cricket to pick 300 International Wickets after reaching the landmark figure in India's nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka. 
• Indian Pacer RP Singh announced his retirement from cricket, exactly 13 years after making his international debut. He was a part of India's 2007 World T20-winning team, and played 82 international matches between 2005 and 2011.
• Indian state-owned telecommunications company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has signed a deal with Japan's SoftBank and NTT Communications to launch 5G internet service and Internet of Things technology in India.
• India's 37-year-old wicketkeeper M S Dhoni became the oldest player to captain India in an ODI after he led the Indian team against Afghanistan in Rohit Sharma's absence in the Asia Cup. 
• India's first all-electric hypercar concept, Vazirani Shul, designed and developed by Mumbai-based Vazirani Automotive has been officially unveiled in the country. The car comes with an electric motor on each wheel, making it an all-wheel-drive product with a single-ratio gearbox.
• India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory ASTROSAT has completed 3 years in Earth's orbit. Launched on September 28, 2015, ASTROSAT has helped scientists confirm the presence of younger stars in globular clusters, earlier believed to contain only old stars.
• India's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) is going to to run 10,000 ATMs on solar power in the next two years. At present, the bank has 1,200 ATMs which run on solar power.
• India's second-largest IT services company Infosys has formed a joint venture with Singaporean holding company Temasek to support the investment company’s digital transformation. Shveta Arora (Vice President at Infosys) has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the new venture.
• Insurance regulator IRDAI has raised the minimum personal accident cover for owner-drivers to ₹15 lakh and has fixed the premium for the cover at ₹750 per annum. Earlier, the mandatory cover was ₹2 lakh for cars and ₹1 lakh for two-wheelers. 
• Island nation Mauritius remained the top source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India in 2017-18 followed by Singapore, a recently released data by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stated.
• ISRO Chairman K Sivan announced that India will get internet speeds of over 100 Gbps before the end of next year. He added that India's GSAT-19, launched in 2017, and the yet-to-be-launched GSAT-11, GSAT-29 and GSAT-20 will together provide high bandwidth connectivity and bridge the digital divide. 
• Junior Shooters Divyansh Singh Panwar and Shreya Agarwal bagged the Bronze medal in the Junior 10m air rifle mixed team event at the ISSF World Championship.
• Justice Mukul Mudgal, who headed the Supreme Court-appointed probe into the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, has been named Chairman of the 11-member selection committee to pick this year's Dronacharya and Dhyanchand awardees.
• Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has become the quickest Indian spinner to take 50 wickets in ODI cricket, achieving the feat in his 24th ODI against Hong Kong in Asia Cup. The previous quickest Indian spinner to achieve the milestone was Amit Mishra, who reached the 50-wicket mark in 32 ODIs.
• Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh's capital) is going to host its 1st International match in 24 years after the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) announced that the Indian cricket team will face the Windies in a T20I match on November 6.
• Maldives opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has won the Presidential elections after having received 134,616 votes as compared to 96,132 votes received by incumbent President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
• Man Kaur, a 102-year-old Chandigarh-based athlete, won the 200m race in the 100-104 age group category at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Spain.
• Modi inaugurated a new airport in Jharsuguda. It is first airport in Odisha to provide necessary connectivity to Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Ranchi under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN (UdeDesh Ka AamNaagrik) Scheme.
• Moroccan Defence Minister Abdeltif Loudyi  was on a two day visit to India. This was the first ever visit of a Moroccan Defence Minister to India. During this visit India and Morocco have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of Defence and Security.
• Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio is going to use satellites to provide 4G services in  rural and remote areas of India. It will use capacity from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and satellite technology from Hughes Communications. 
• Multilateral lender Asian Development Bank (ADB) is going to provide US $150 million loan for establishing first multi-skills park in central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This new flagship GSP campus will be established in state capital Bhopal from where about 20,000 people are expected to be benefited.
• Municipal elections were held in Syria for the first time since the civil war broke out in the country in 2011. Over 40,000 candidates are competing for more than 18,400 council seats.
• National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and London Stock Exchange (LSE) have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on creating dual listing route for masala bonds and foreign currency bonds of Indian issuers.
• Nepal flagged off a bus service between its capital Kathmandu and the Buddhist pilgrimage town of Bodhgaya (Bihar).
• Nepal has refused to participate in the 1st ever joint military exercise among the armies of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) Nations that was hosted by India.
• Nepal took part in 'Sagarmatha Friendship-2' a 12-day-long military exercise with China. The exercise took place in China's Chengdu city.
• New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern became the 1st  female world leader to attend the United Nations General Assembly with a newborn. 
• North and South Koreas opened a Liaison office in the North Korean city of Kaesong for the first time since the Koreas were divided at the end of World War II in 1945.
• One of the "Big Three credit rating agencies (other two are Moody's and Standard & Poor's), Fitch Ratings in its Global Economic Outlook has revised up India’s growth forecast for current fiscal year (2018-19) to 7.8% from 7.4% projected earlier.
• Pakistan hiked its key interest rate by 100 bps to a three-year high of 8.5%, citing rising inflation and concerns over large fiscal and current account deficits. The hike comes amid speculation that Pakistan may need another bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has pledged to implement the country's citizenship laws that would grant citizenship to all Afghan and Bangladeshi refugees born on Pakistani soil.
• Policy think tank of the Government of India, NITI Aayog has singed Statement of Intent (SoI) with US multinational computer technology corporation Oracle to pilot real drug supply-chain using blockchain distributed ledger and Internet of Things (IoT) software to fight growing problem of counterfeit drugs in India.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli inaugurated 400-bed Nepal-Bharat Maitri Pashupati Dharamshala in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. 
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina have launched 3 key projects via video conferencing. They are : Rehabilitation of Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of Bangladesh Railways, 500 MW additional power supply from India to Bangladesh via Bheramara-Baharampur interconnection, 15 km Akhaura–Agartala Rail Link.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the construction of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline Project through video conferencing. The 130-kilometre-long pipeline will connect Siliguri in West Bengal and Parbatipur in Bangladesh's Dinajpur district.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the government will issue a policy on electric vehicles and vehicles running on alternative fuels. The new policy will be aimed at strengthening e-mobility drive in the country.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to the swearing-in ceremony of Maldives' President-elect, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for a ₹13,000-crore project to revive Talcher fertiliser plant in Odisha. Once commissioned, it will produce 1.27 million tonnes of neem-coated urea per annum.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched commencement of work for India’s first Coal-gasification based fertilizer plant with pet coke blending at Talcher (Odisha).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) which will go live with 650 branches and 3,250 access points. The government aims to link all 1.55 lakh post offices to the India Post Payments Bank system by December 31.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ' Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)' scheme, deemed as the world's largest government-funded healthcare programme covering over 50 crore beneficiaries. This scheme offers an annual cover of ₹5 lakh to economically weaker sections of society. This is the world's largest public health insurance scheme.
• Prime Ministyer Narendra Modi inaugurated Pakyong Airport near Gangtok in Sikkim. This is India's 100th airport and the state's first airport situated at an altitude of 4,500 feet above sea level. S
• Qatar amended its residency laws to allow foreign workers to leave the country without exit permits from their employers.
• Qatar has become the 1st Gulf nation to offer permanent residency to expatriates ( a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than their native country).
• Rajasthan’s 1st Lion safari was inaugurated at Nahargarh Biological Park. The park is located on Delhi-Jaipur National Highway in the Aravalli foothills, nearly 12 kilometers from state capital Jaipur (known as Pink City).
• Russia began delivering the S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria which will reach in two weeks. Russia approved the sale after its military jet was mistakenly shot down by Syria earlier this month.
• Russia recently began 'Vostok-2018' at eastern Siberia. This is Russia's biggest military exercise since the Cold War, involving around 3 lakh troops, 36,000 vehicles and over 1,000 aircraft.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to visit India from October 4-5. During this visit, he will attend the 19th India-Russia Annual Summit. The main highlight of the meeting is likely to be the gifting of three Mig-21 fighter jets to Russia.
• Russia's Mikhail Youzhny, who is nicknamed 'Colonel', retired from professional tennis one win short of 500 career wins.
• Sara Iftekhar, a Pakistani-origin student from northern England became the 1st hijab-wearing finalist of the Miss England beauty pageant.
• South Africa entered recession for the first time since 2009 in the second quarter.  Its economy contracted by 0.7% in the second quarter, led by declines in the agricultural, transport and retail sectors.
• South African conglomerate Naspers-owned online payments service provider PayU has received a licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to open its own Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC). The licence will be used to start a new credit business, PayU Credit. Through the service, PayU will issue personal loans and equated monthly instalments for consumers. MD of PayU (India) : Jitendra Gupta.
• South Korea's BTS band became the 1st K-Pop group to address the United Nations.
• State-owned India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and private life insurer Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co Ltd (BALIC) have entered into strtegic partnership to provide life insurance solutions. It will allow IPPB customers across segments to access wide array of life insurance products and services at doorstep.
• State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has made oil and gas discoveries in Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal that may potentially open up two new sedimentary basins in country. They are category-III basins, having hydrocarbon and are considered geologically prospective for exploration.
• State-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has bagged an order worth Rs. 9,200 crore for supply of 7 Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) systems to Indian Navy.
• Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven became the country's first leader to be ousted in a no-confidence vote. 
• Tamil Nadu government has announced Scheme for protection of exotic Neela kurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus) plants that flower only once in 12 years. This scheme comes following complaints that these rare and ecologically unique flowers are being packaged and sold on the commercial basis.
• Tamil Nadu has issued an order banning the manufacture, sale (including online sale) and possession of e-cigarettes with immediate effect. 
• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) became the 2nd Indian company to cross ₹8 trillion in market capitalisation after Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries. 
• Thailand's Royal Police Cadet Academy has announced it will not admit female candidates from the next academic year. The academy, which began admitting female students in 2009, has produced about 700 policewomen.
• The 182-member Gujarat Assembly passed a bill to increase MLAs' monthly salaries by over ₹45,000. The MLAs who were earlier paid ₹70,727 will now get ₹1,16,316, which is effective from December 22, 2017, so they will also receive the arrears.
• The 2 day Regional Conference on Good Governance with Focus on Aspirational Districts was held in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).
• The Andhra Pradesh government launched an app titled e-Rythu, to digitise agricultural marketplaces and payments. This app will help farmers buy, sell and receive payments for their products through phones in an easy and secure way.
• The Asia Index Pvt Ltd has launched S&P BSE Private Banks Index to measure the performance of private banks. This index is designed to provide market participants with transparent and rules-based benchmark that measures performance of private banks listed in India.
• The bi-annual talks between India and Bangladesh border forces recently held in New Delhi. The meeting was aimed at increasing bilateral cooperation in checking trans-border crimes such as smuggling of drugs and narcotics, cattle lifting and gun running across the international border between the two countries.
• The biography of Dutee Chand, who rose from abject poverty to become one of India's biggest sprinting stars, is going to be punished as a book with the title "Story so far". The book is being written by journalist, author and filmmaker Sundeep Misra, who has previously authored a biography of hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay.
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has hired former left-handed Sri Lankan cricketer Nuwan Seneviratne as Team India's throwdown specialist to help Indian batsmen prepare for left-arm fast bowlers in the Asia Cup. 
• The Board of Directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved a $455-million loan for a road project in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh. The project aims for construction and upgradation of more than 6,000 km of roads connecting around 3,300 rural habitations in Andhra Pradesh.
• The board of state-run Vijaya Bank gave in-principle approval for merger with Bank of Baroda and Dena Bank.
• The BRICS' New Development Bank has approved a $525-million loan for infrastructure projects in India. The loan aims to improve connectivity of the rural interior with the national and state highways.
• The Cabinet approved the New telecom policy titled National Digital Communications Policy-2018. Aim of National Digital Communications Policy-2018 : To attract $100 billion in investments and create 4 million jobs in the sector by 2022.
• The Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi approved Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) to protect income of farmers growing pulses, oilseeds and copra. It will be a mix of sub-schemes involving direct procurement from farmers, involvement of private players for procurement on a pilot basis, and paying farmers the difference between the MSP and the selling price.
• The Cabinet cleared a proposal to convert GST Network (GSTN) into a 100% government-owned company. 50% stake will be owned by the Centre and the remaining by the states.
• The Defence Ministry announced that Aero India 2019 will be held in Bengaluru from February 20-24 next year.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested the indigenously developed surface-to-surface tactical missile ‘Prahar’, from Launch Complex-III, ITR, Balasore, Odisha.
• The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under Union Ministry of Science and Technology has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with International Energy Agency (IEA) for enhancing innovation for Clean Energy Transition. The MoU seeks to deepen co-operation in support of clean energy innovations to accelerate research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of clean energy technologies in India.
• The European Union and Iran have announced to create a new payment system to enable legal trade with Iran in a bid to avoid the US' sanctions.
• The government has appointed a panel under Bimal Jalan (former Reserve Bank of India governor) to select the next Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) in the finance ministry.
• The government has doubled the Overdraft Cap from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. The scheme, which earlier aimed to provide a bank account to every Indian household, will now provide a bank account to every individual. The age limit for availing overdraft has been increased to 65 years.
• The government has hiked Interest rate on small savings schemes including Public Provident Fund (PPF), which will now fetch 8% interest rate for the October-December quarter, up from existing 7.6%. The 5-year Senior Citizen Savings Scheme will fetch 8.7%, while Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme 8.5%.
• The government has raised Import duties on 19 "non-essential items" including air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and jewellery items in a bid to reduce the Current Account Deficit. The total value of imports of these items in FY18 was about ₹86,000 crore.
• The government has set up a Panel to review the Competition Act to ensure that the legislation is in line with the changing business environment. The nine-member panel will be headed by Injeti Srinivas (Corporate Affairs Secretary).
• The Haryana cabinet approved a scheme under which a Monthly pension will be provided to Acid Attack survivors. Any woman or girl who suffered an acid attack on or after May 2, 2011 will be eligible for the pension. 
• The Haryana government has settled the first claim of ₹9,000 under the public insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat for a baby girl born in Karnal's Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College. The scheme's first beneficiary Mousami gave birth to Karishma through a caesarean section on August 17 and the claim amount was paid to the treating hospital on August 31.
• The Home Ministry has announced it will collect data on Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for the first time in the 2021 Census.
• The inaugural General Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA) is going to be held on 2nd October 2018 in New Delhi.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully carried out first ever midair refuelling of indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. The midair refuelling test conducted involved dry linkup, meaning no fuel was actually transferred between IAF Il-78 tanker and Tejas fighter jet through its air-to-air refuelling probe.
• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned indigenously built patrol vessel ICGS Vijaya in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is second in the series of 98 m offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) commissioned by ICG.
• The Indian Navy has defeated teams from 22 other nations to win Kakadu Cup 2018 which was organised by the Australian Navy as part of its multi-nation maritime exercise. INS Sahyadri had participated in the Cup which involved swimming, running, crossing water and land obstacles.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going to conduct 19 missions, including 10 satellites and nine launch vehicles, in the next seven months between September and March. It will include the launch of India's second moon mission Chandrayaan-2.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going to set up a Satellite ground control station at the North Pole for a "14-orbit coverage" to efficiently download data from India's Earth-observing satellites. The space agency already has two ground stations, IMGEOS at Telangana's Shadnagar (built in 2011) and AGEOS in Antarctica.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is setting up 3rd launch pad at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh to undertake Gaganyaan manned space flight programme. 
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its PSLV-C42 rocket carrying two British Earth observation satellites from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota. The two satellites, NovaSAR and S1-4, are intended to improve UK's disaster management capabilities.
• The Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) has developed India’s first indigenous medical kit for protection against nuclear warfare or radioactive leakage. The kit will ensure protection from serious injury and aid faster healing of wounds due to nuclear warfare or radioactive leakage.
• The International Aviation Summit which was organized by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Ministry of Civil Aviation and International Air Transport Association (IATA) was recently held at New Delhi.
• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has predicted that India’s unemployment rate in 2018 will stay at 3.5 per cent while China’s would edge up from 4.7 per cent to 4.8 per cent.
• The International Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2018 was recently held at Kathmandu (Nepal's capital). Theme of  International Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2018  : “Equality begins with Economic Empowerment”.
• The Internet Society (ISOC) has signed an MOU with Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) to undertake activities to promote security of network infrastructure in India to make the web safe for business and consuers alike.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced implementation of the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017. The act criminalises any kind of discrimination against people suffering from AIDS in terms of treatment, employment and workplace.
• The Nagaland government has declared the Singphan Wildlife Sanctuary as an elephant reserve making it the 30th reserve for Elephants in India. This reserve is located in Mon district of Nagaland and spreads over an area of 5825 acres (2357 hac).
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched its most advanced space laser, ICESat-2, a $1-billion mission that will shoot lasers towards Earth to track the planet's melting ice.
• The Nelson Mandela Peace Summit was recently held at New York city. India was represented by Externatl Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj.
• The Ocean Cleanup foundation (founded by 24-year-old Dutch innovator Boyan Slat) launched world’s first ocean cleanup array titled System 001, from San Francisco, marking start of cleanup of Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a collection of marine debris in North Pacific Ocean. The patch is larger than area of France.
• The Oscar-winning duo of composer A R Rahman and lyricist Gulzar is creating the Anthem song for the upcoming Men's Hockey World Cup 2018, which is set to be held in Odisha later this year.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asked all Scheduled Commercial Banks with more than 10 branches to appoint an Internal Ombudsman (IO).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) barred Bandhan Bank from opening new branches, and also ordered freezing of the bank's CEO salary over failure to stick to shareholding rules. Headquartered in Kolkata, Bandhan, which started as a micro-finance company in 2001, received banking licence by Reserve Bank of India in 2014.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that the undivided area of the single largest piece of a damaged ₹2,000 note must be 88 square cm for a full refund and 44 square cm for half refund. For exchanging ₹200 notes, 78 square cm of undivided area is needed for a full refund, and 39 square cm for half refund.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked Yes Bank's Managing Director and CEO Rana Kapoor to step down after a term extension up to January 31, 2019.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has bought Gold for the first time in nearly 9 years in the financial year 2017-18.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a ₹10 million penalty on Union Bank of India for failing to detect and report fraud on time.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a total penalty of Rs 3 crore on 3 state-run banks (Union Bank of India, Bank of India and Bank of Maharashtra) for delay in detection and reporting of fraud in some accounts.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is going to purchase Government securities (G-secs) worth Rs 10,000 crore on September 19, a move aimed at inducing liquidity in the system. The purchase of the government securities will be done through Open Market Operations (OMO).
• The state governments of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)  to build a ₹250-crore ropeway connecting  two renowned Sikh and Hindu shrines. The 3.5 km-long ropeway project, expected to be completed in three years, will connect the birthplace of Khalsa Panth at Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Punjab and Himachal's Mata Naina Devi temple.
• The Supreme Court lifted the centuries-old ban on entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years in Sabarimala Temple (Kerala), thereby allowing women of all ages to enter the 800-year-old temple.
• The Supreme Court ruled that the linking of a person's Aadhaar to his/her bank accounts is not mandatory. However, the court said that a person may choose to give Aadhaar voluntarily as identity proof. 
• The Supreme Court scrapped parts of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the 1862 law which criminalised homosexuality. With this, the court ruled that homosexuality is not a crime in India anymore.
• The Supreme Court set up a 3-member committee to look into issues afflicting Indian prisons and recommend steps towards prison reforms. Head of this Committee : Amitava Roy.
• The UN Security Council (UNSC) held its 1st-ever meeting on corruption and its linkages to global conflicts. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that corruption is linked to illicit trafficking of arms, drugs and people as well as terrorism.
• The Union Cabinet approved the ordinance making Triple Talaq a punishable offence, after the bill to criminalise triple talaq got stuck in the Rajya Sabha.
• The Union Cabinet cleared a ₹5,500-crore incentive package for the Sugar industry. Under the package, the government will give transport subsidies of ₹1,000-3,000 per tonne to sugar mills, depending on their distance from ports.
• The Union Cabinet has approved National Digital Communications Policy-2018 (NDCP 2018).  It replaces existing National Telecom Policy-2012 to cater to the modern needs of the digital communications sector of India.
• The Union Health Ministry has released Draft Rules on sale of Drugs by e-pharmacies in order to regulate online sale of medicines. The draft rules state that all the e-pharmacies will have to be registered compulsorily with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization. The e-pharmacies will not be allowed to sell tranquiliser, psychotropic drugs, narcotics and habit-forming drugs.
• The Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has constituted a High Level Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility – 2018 (HLC-2018) under Chairmanship of Injeti Srinivas. It will review existing framework and guide and formulate roadmap for coherent policy on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has cleared proposal of Jharkhand Government to rename Nagar Untari town and railway station as Banshidhar Nagar, after Banshidhar Temple, which is dedicated to Krishna in Garhwa district of state.
• The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has announced that it is going to participate in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) after gap of 9  years. It will send team of officers to Paris to negotiate India’s terms of participation in PISA 2021.
• The Union Ministry of Tourism has inaugurated India’s first tribal circuit project connecting 13 tourism sites in Chhattisgarh under Swadesh Darshan Scheme. The circuit connects Jashpur, Kunkuri, Mainpat, Kamleshpur, Maheshpur, Kurdar, Sarodadadar, Gangrel, Kondagaon, Nathiya Nawagaon, Jagdalpur, Chitrakoot, and Tirthgarh in Chhattisgarh.
• The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development had inaugurated a widows’ home titled ‘Krishna Kutir’ at Vrindavan in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Krishna Kutir is special home for 1000 widows set under Swadhar Greh scheme and is the largest ever facility of its kind created by government organization.
• The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the administrative body for association football in Europe,  has announced that Germany will host the 2024 European Championship. This is Germany's first major football championship since the World Cup 2006.
• The US military has decided to cancel 300 million dollars aid to Pakistan over its failure to take decisive actions against terror groups.
• The World Hindu Congress (WHC-2018) was held Chicago, United States from 7th to 9th September 2018. Theme of WHC-2018 : “Sumantrite Suvikrante”, which means - "Think collectively, achieve valiantly”.
• The World Summit on Accreditation (WOSA-2018) was recently held New Delhi. Theme of WOSA 2018 : “Challenges and Opportunities in Outcome Based Accreditation”.
• The world's first self-driving tram, fitted with multiple radar, LiDAR, and camera sensors, has successfully been tested in Potsdam, Germany. The tram, which relies on AI algorithms, can react to trackside signals and respond to hazards like crossing pedestrians and vehicles. 
• To boost dairy sector, the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has launched Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) Scheme with an outlay of Rs. 10881 crore. Under this scheme, eligible milk organisations will be provided financial assistance in the form of a loan at 6.5% interest for building an efficient milk procurement system and other dairy processing infrastructure.
• To ensure a high standard of cleanliness across the country before Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary (2nd October), Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 'Swachhata Hi Seva' movement.
• To help scientists, data journalists and others find data required for their work, search Engine gaint Google launched a new search engine called 'Dataset Search'. 'Dataset Search' will let people find "datasets wherever they're hosted, whether it's a publisher's site, a digital library," Google said.
• To help train medical students, US-based company Gaumard Scientific has developed a child robot called HAL. The robot, which is worth around ₹35 lakh. is made of sensors which give the robot a pulse, help respond to certain questions, bleed and convulse.
• To mark fight against malnutrition, the National Nutrition Month (Rashtriya Poshan Maah) is being observed across India in September 2018.
• To mark the second anniversary of Surgical Strike carried out by the Indian Army, India observed a three-day event titled 'Parakram Parva (पराक्रमपर्व)' from 28th to 30th September 2018.
• To promote local handset production, the government has waived basic customs duty on 35 capital goods used for making mobile phone components. Items such as motherboard coating machine, PCB assembly loader and unloader were exempted from the customs duty.
• Triple jumper Arpinder Singh created history by becoming the 1st Indian to win a medal in the IAAF Continental Cup as he clinched the Bronze Medal.
• Ukraine has launched annual joint military exercise titled Rapid Trident with United States and other NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) member countries. Aim of Rapid Trident 2018 : To practice countering armed aggression in conditions of the hybrid war.
• Union Bank of India has announced that it will close its branch in the global diamond hub of Antwerp within a year.
• Union Cabinet has approved MoU signed between Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) and member banks under BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism on Collaborative Research on Distributed Ledger and Block chain Technology in context of development of digital economy.
• Union Finance Ministry has doubled Pecuniary limit to Rs. 20 lakh from Rs.10 lakh for filing loan recovery application in Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRT) by banks and financial institutions. It means that bank or financial institution or consortium of banks or financial institutions cannot approach DRTs if pecuniary limit amount due is less than Rs 20 lakh.
• Union Government has enhanced its contribution in State Disaster Response fund (SDRF) from 75% to 90%. Now, Central government will contribute 90% and all States will contribute 10% to the SDRF.
• Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 3-day Defence & Homeland Security Expo and Conference – 2018 in New Delhi. It was jointly organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
• Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Environment Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated air pollution control device WAYU (Wind Augmentation PurifYing Unit) for traffic junctions at ITO intersection and Mukarba Chowk in New Delhi.
• Union Ministry for Minority Affairs has launched India's 1st National Scholarship Portal Mobile App (NSP Mobile App). It aims to provide smooth, accessible and hassle-free scholarship system for students from poor and weaker sections.
• Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry has launched National Mission on Government eMarketplace (GeM) for increasing awareness and accelerating use of GeM by major central Ministries, State Governments and their agencies.
• Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) have signed agreement for implementation of e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati (e-VBAB) Network Project in Africa.
• Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched India’s National Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO). With this, India became the 9th nation to maintain such thorough database. 
• Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to set up of state-of-the-art Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response (ICR-ER).
• Union Ministry of Power has launched Chiller Star Labelling Program to encourage deployment of energy efficient chiller systems in the country. It was launched as part of occasion of 24th World Ozone Day and 31st Anniversary of Montreal Protocol, which were observed on 16th September 2018.
• US President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on $200 billion of Chinese goods, intensifying the trade war between the world's largest economies. China also announced tariffs on US goods worth $60 billion, in retaliation to the 10% import tariffs.
• US President Donald Trump signed an executive order enabling sanctions on foreign countries or people who try to interfere in the US political process.
• US technology giant Google has agreed to store data from its payment service Google Pay in India as mandated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• US-based aircraft maker Boeing is setting up an electronics manufacturing and avionics assembly facility in Bengaluru at an investment of ₹1,152 crore. The 36-acre facility will be Boeing's second-largest after its Seattle, Washington unit and is said to create about 2,600 direct jobs on completion. President of Boeing India : Pratyush Kumar.
• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that the state ranks 1st in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
• Uttarakhand passed a resolution to declare Cow the 'Rashtra Mata' (Mother of the Nation).
• Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated Indian Culinary Institute (ICI) in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. The main objective of ICI  is to institutionalize mechanism to support efforts intended to preserve, document, promote and disseminate Indian Cuisine.
• Watergate reporter Bob Woodward's new book titled 'Fear: Trump in the White House' is recently in news due to it's controversial claim saying that the US President Donald Trump mocked Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
• West Bengal government has made it compulsory for all cinema halls and multiplexes in the state to screen Bengali films with immediate effect. 
• Women belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in Rajasthan will soon get free mobile phones under the Bhamashah Yojana.
• World Bank board has approved ambitious 5-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for India that is in line with Government of India’s objectives of high, sustainable and inclusive growth. The framework is aimed at supporting India’s transition to higher middle-income country by addressing some of its key development priorities resource efficient and inclusive growth, job creation and building human capital.
• World number 19 Naomi Osaka won her maiden Grand Slam title after defeating her childhood idol and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the US Open women's singles final.

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