General Knowledge For UPSC, SSC, PSC, Railways, Bank Exams (September 1, 2019)

General Knowledge: In this GK roundup of September 1, 2019, stories on new governers appointed in five Indian states, hurricane Dorian, bank merger, climate change and latest developments from Iran sanctions and Amazon fires have been listed. You will also find details about UN climate action summit, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and related issues here in these stories.

General Knowledge For Competitive Examinations: September 1, 2019

New governors in five Indian states

The President of India today made following appointments/changes:

(1) Kalraj Mishra, Governor of Himachal Pradesh is transferred and appointed as Governor of Rajasthan

(2) Bhagat Singh Koshyari as Governor of Maharashtra

(3) Bandaru Dattatraya as Governor of Himachal Pradesh

(4) Arif Mohammed Khan as Governor of Kerala

(5) Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan as Governor of Telangana 

Read: New Governors Appointed In 5 States, Tamil Nadu BJP Chief Gets Telangana

Hurricane Dorian

Hurricane Dorian strengthened into a catastrophic Category 5 storm Sunday, packing 160 mph (267 kph) winds as it was about to slam into the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, US weather forecasters said.

Read: Hurricane Dorian Now Category 5 Storm: US Weather Forecasters

Bank mergers

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today calmed fear of job loss following the merging of public sector banks, saying it would not lead to any. The minister's assurance coming two days after it was announced that 27 state-run banks will be merged to form 12 strong banks.

Read: Bank Mergers Won't Lead To Job Loss, Nirmala Sitharaman Assures

Heritage status for trees

The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to conserve trees that are more than 100 years old and give them the status of "heritage". The Principal Chief Conservator of forests (PCCF), Pawan Kumar, recently directed the state's Forest Department to collaborate with gram sabhas to identify such trees in their respective village areas and ensure their conservation.

Read: UP To Conserve Century-Old Trees, Give Them "Heritage" Status: Officials

UN Climate Summit

In the run up to two key UN summits on Climate Change, India has raised the pitch for finance and technology support to developing nations to achieve the Paris Agreement goals of keeping a global average temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar said India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was taking decisive steps in achieving Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which is the heart of the 2015 Paris pact. A climate action summit being hosted by UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres will be held this month and the United Nations summit hosted by Chile in December. 

Read: India Pitches For Financial Support By Nations Ahead Of UN Climate Summit

Iran sanctions

President Hassan Rouhani spoke with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, warning him Iran would take the next step in reducing its nuclear commitments unless Europe lives up to its own undertakings. Tensions have spiked in the Gulf since May last year when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers -- known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Read: No Talks With US Until Sanctions Are Lifted: Iranian President Rouhani

Amazon fires

The number of fires in Brazil's Amazon basin is still on the rise, even though the government has banned burning, officials said on Saturday. In the first 48 hours since the ban was issued, satellite data from the National Space Research Institute (INPE) showed 3,859 new outbreaks of fire, of which some 2,000 were concentrated in the Amazon region.

Read: New Outbreaks Of Fire In Brazil's Amazon Forest

(With Inputs from Agencies)