August 2024 

National News (India):

1. Independence Day: India celebrated its 78th Independence Day on August 15, 2024.
2. 3rd Voice of Global South Summit: India hosted the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit in virtual format on August 17, 2024, with the theme “An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future.”
3. Vadhvan Port Foundation Stone: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Vadhavan Port in Palghar, Maharashtra, a major new project.
4. GDP Growth: India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at 6.7% in the first quarter (April-June) of 2024-25.
5. RBI Repo Rate Unchanged: The RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the policy repo rate unchanged at 6.5%.
6. Unified Pension Scheme: The Union Cabinet approved a Unified Pension Scheme for government employees, guaranteeing 50% of average basic pay.
7. Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024: Two bills, including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, were introduced in Lok Sabha to streamline Waqf property management.
8. Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024: Introduced in Lok Sabha to empower states to constitute Urban Disaster Management Authorities.
9. National Handloom Day: Observed on August 7, 2024, to honor handloom weavers in the country.
10. Quit India Movement Day: Commemorated on August 9, 2024, marking the anniversary of the movement.
11. World Biofuel Day: Celebrated on August 10, 2024.
12. World Lion Day: Observed on August 10, 2024.
13. International Youth Day: Celebrated on August 12, 2024.
14. World Elephant Day: Observed on August 12, 2024.
15. Rakshabandhan: The festival celebrating the bond between siblings was celebrated on August 19, 2024.
16. Sanskrit Diwas: World Sanskrit Day was observed on August 19, 2024.
17. Krishna Janmashtami: The birth anniversary of Lord Krishna was celebrated on August 26, 2024.
18. National Sports Day: Observed on August 29, 2024, commemorating Dhyan Chand’s birth anniversary.
19. ISRO Day: August 23, 2024, was declared ISRO Day to commemorate the soft landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the Moon.
20. Supreme Court Task Force on Medical Personnel Safety: The Supreme Court formed a task force to recommend safety measures for medical personnel.
21. PM Modi Unveils Climate-Resilient Seed Varieties: 109 new high-yielding, climate-resilient, and biofortified seed varieties were introduced to boost farm productivity.
22. India Plans 50 E-commerce Export Hubs: The government plans to set up 50 e-commerce export hubs, with 10 in the current financial year.
23. India’s Critical Minerals Incentives: India plans to offer incentives for critical mineral extraction, allocating nearly US$50 million for research and collaboration.
24. Vulture Count 2024 Project: WWF-India initiated “Vulture Count 2024” to take place from September 7 to October 6, 2024.
25. Jio Brain AI Suite: Reliance Jio introduced “Jio Brain,” a new AI initiative.

International News:

26. Global Climate Emergency Declared: The UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared a global climate emergency in Tonga.
27. Chad Humanitarian Crisis: Chad faced a significant humanitarian crisis due to floods and prolonged heavy rains.
28. International Day Against Nuclear Tests: Observed on August 29, 2024.
29. World Humanitarian Day: Observed annually on August 19, paying tribute to aid workers.
30. World Photography Day: Celebrated on August 19 annually.
31. Hiroshima Day: Observed on August 6, marking the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
32. Nagasaki Day: Observed on August 9, marking the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
33. International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: Celebrated on August 9.
34. International Lefthanders Day: Observed on August 13.
35. World Organ Donation Day: Observed on August 13.
36. International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition: Observed on August 23.
37. Women’s Equality Day: Observed on August 26.
38. International Dog Day: Observed on August 26.
39. Brightest Quasar Ever Discovered: Astronomers discovered J0529-4351, the brightest object ever observed in the universe.
40. Highest Heat Index Recorded: A village on Iran’s southern coast may have experienced an extremely high heat index of 82.2°C, potentially the highest ever recorded.
41. ChatGPT User Growth: OpenAI’s ChatGPT reached around 200 million weekly users.
42. INDUS-X Summit (India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem): A major event for leaders from India and the US to discuss defense technologies.
43. Atlantic Ocean Temperature Drop: Scientists observed an unusual temperature drop in part of the Atlantic Ocean near the equator.
44. West Nile Virus Updates: A teenager in Missouri was reported sick with the West Nile virus.
45. ASSOCHAM Environment Conference: Union Minister Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh inaugurated the ASSOCHAM Environment and Carbon Conference in New Delhi.
46. Coral Sea Temperature Reconstruction: Scientists in Australia published a new temperature reconstruction for the Coral Sea, linking recent ocean heat to mass bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.
47. New Species of Yeast: Scientists identified a new species of yeast, Kazachstania weizmannii, with potential to fight Candida albicans infections.
48. Deep-Sea Canyon Discovered: Scientists revealed a colossal submarine canyon near the Eratosthenes Seamount in the Mediterranean Sea.
49. UN Security Council Resolutions: The UN Security Council continued to pass resolutions on various global situations, including the Middle East and Somalia.

US Open (Tennis): The US Open tennis tournament was scheduled to begin in New York on August 26.