DAILY GK 3-4 SEP 2026
1.
GRAND CHESS TOUR 2026
·
Indian
Chess Grandmaster (GM) Rameshbabu (R) Praggnanandhaa won
the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) 2026 Finals, becoming the
first Indian champion by defeating USA GM Fabiano Caruana in
the finals held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
·
GM Wesley So of
the USA secured third place while GM Vincent
Keymer of Germany finished fourth.
2.
LIONEL MESSI ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
·
Legendary Argentina footballer
and captain Lionel Messi announced his retirement
from international football at the age of 39 after
Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the 2026 FIFA (International Federation of
Association Football) World Cup final.
·
He ended a 20-year career as his nation’s most-capped player (207) and
all-time leading scorer (125), as well as South America’s top international goal scorer.
·
Messi
played six FIFA World Cup tournaments,
equalling Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico), setting a
record of 34 appearances and scoring 21
goals, second only to Kylian Mbappé (France).
·
Messi
will continue playing club football with
Inter Miami CF (Football Club) in Major League Soccer for the remainder of
his contract.
·
Messi
won the FIFA World Cup 2022, Copa América 2021, Copa América 2024, and Finalissima
2022, while finishing runner-up in the FIFA World Cup (2014, 2026) and Copa
América (2007, 2015, 2016).
3.
FIH HOCKEY WORLD CUP 2026
·
The 2026
International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey World Cup the 16th edition
of both the men’s and women’s tournaments, held in
Wavre, Belgium and Amsterdam, Netherlands.
·
Germany won the Men’s
title by defeating Spain 1–0.
·
Argentina
won the bronze medal after beating the Netherlands 2-1.
·
Argentina won the women’s
title by defeating record nine-time champions Netherlands in
a shootout.
·
Format: features 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams divided into
four pools (A–D) of four in the group stage, followed by crossover playoffs
where second- and third-placed teams compete.
·
India finished eighth at the FIH World Cup after Belgium won 4-3 in a shootout
following a 3-3 draw.
4.
WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2027
·
The
International Cricket Council (ICC) approved India as host for
the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy 2027,
shifting it from Sri Lanka due to governance issues
and failure to meet reform conditions.
·
The tournament will be held across two
venues: the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai and the Vadodara
International Cricket Stadium in Vadodara (Gujarat).
·
Six teams Australia, England, India,
New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka, qualified based on ICC Women’s Twenty20 International
(T20I) rankings as of 6 July 2026.
·
The
tournament will follow a round-robin
league format with each team playing all others once, and the top two teams
advancing to the final.
5.
WORLD SANSKRIT DAY 2026 – AUGUST 28
·
World Sanskrit Day, also known as Sanskrit Diwas / Vishva Samskrita Dinam, is observed annually
across the world on Shravana Purnima
(full moon day of Shravana month) to promote Sanskrit, one of India’s
oldest languages.
·
World Sanskrit Day 2026 was observed
on 28 August 2026.
·
In 1969,
the Ministry of Education (MoE) initiated the observance of Sanskrit Diwas at
central and state levels.
·
The
day commemorates Panini, the ancient Sanskrit grammarian
and author of Ashtadhyayi, a foundational text on
Sanskrit grammar.
6.
INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS 2026 – AUGUST 29
·
The
United Nations (UN’s) International Day Against Nuclear Tests (IDANT)
is annually observed across the globe on 29 August to
raise awareness about the harmful effects of nuclear weapon test explosions and
to promote a nuclear-weapon-free world.
·
First
observed on 29 August 2010.
·
It
Marks the closure of the Semipalatinsk
Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) in Kazakhstan on 29 August 1991, where 456 nuclear
tests were conducted between 1949–1989.
7.
NATIONAL SPORTS DAY 2026 – AUGUST 29
·
National
Sports Day (NSD), also known as Rashtriya Khel Divas, is
annually observed across India on 29 August to
commemorate the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand,
widely regarded as the “Wizard of
Hockey.”
·
The first NSD was celebrated on 29 August 2012.
·
National
Sports Day 2026 was celebrated under the nationwide
call “Ek Ghanta Khel Ke Maidan Mein” (One Hour on the Playground).
8.
WORLD COCONUT DAY 2026 – SEPTEMBER 2
·
World Coconut Day is observed annually across the globe on 2
September to celebrate the significance of coconuts in
agriculture, nutrition, and livelihoods worldwide.
·
2026 Theme: “Coconuts in
Times of Uncertainty: Securing Food, Energy, and Livelihoods”.
·
First
observed in 2009, it is celebrated annually across major coconut-producing
countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
·
2 September marks the foundation day
of the ICC, established in 1969 under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), with India as a founding member.
9.
NSO PROJECTS GDP GROWTH AT 7.8%
·
The
National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of
Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the Quarterly
Estimates of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 1st Quarter (Q1: April-June
2026) of Financial Year 2026-27 (FY27).
·
As per the NSO data, India’s Real
GDP grew by 7.8% in Q1FY27, higher than the 6.9% growth recorded in
Q1FY26.
·
This
release is first to incorporate the
updated National Accounts Statistics (NAS) publication,
which revised annual estimates for FY23, FY24 and FY25 using the new series of Output Producer Price Index
(PPI) and Banking
Services Price Index (BSPI), both with base year 2022-23.
·
The
compilation of Quarterly GDP Estimates
is based on the Benchmark-Indicator Methodology, which
estimates the previous financial year’s fingers using relevant sectoral
indicators.
·
The GDP at Constant Prices (2022-23) is estimated at Rs
81.36 lakh crore (Cr) in Q1FY27, compared to Rs 75.46 lakh Cr in
Q1FY26.
·
The
GDP at Current Prices is estimated at Rs 88.27
lakh Cr in Q1FY27, against Rs 80.00 lakh Cr in Q1FY26, showing a
growth rate of 10.3%.
10.
RBI RELAXES WEEKLY ACCESS RULE FOR FCNR(B) SWAP FACILITY
·
The
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) relaxed access norms for
its dollar-rupee swap facility under
Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank), FCNR(B) deposits,
allowing banks to undertake swaps above USD 100 million outside
weekly windows across India, to strengthen foreign exchange (forex) reserves
and support rupee stability.
·
Earlier, RBI allowed banks to access
the swap window
only once a week on designated days, leading to
delays in transferring foreign currency inflows and increasing overnight swap
market pressures.
·
Banks can now access the swap
facility on any day
for inflows exceeding USD 100 million,
while smaller transactions remain on
weekly schedules, improving liquidity management, reducing hedging costs,
easing short-term swap pressures, and enabling efficient handling of surplus
dollar liquidity.
·
The facility attracted USD 72.85
billion in inflows,
with FCNR(B) deposits contributing USD 65.40 billion, followed by overseas
borrowings of USD 4.86 billion and External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) of USD
2.59 billion.
