• National

A four-member Group of Ministers has been constituted to advise Prime Minister Narendra Modi .

• The Union Government constituted a four-member Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu.
• The GoM has been constituted to advise Prime Minister Narendra Modi on whether to continue with or withdraw from the 16-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations.

• Economy and Business

The Government has approved the authorised equity capital expansion of HEFA to Rs.10,000 crore.

• The Government has approved the authorised equity capital expansion of Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) to Rs.10,000 crore.
• The Union Cabinet had approved HEFA in September 2016 as a Special Purpose Vehicle with a Canara Bank.

• Sports

The Indian women chess team at the Asian Nations Cup 2018 clinched the gold.

• The Indian women chess team at the Asian Nations Cup 2018 clinched the gold in the Blitz event held in Iran.
• It’s India’s first gold-medal finish at the event since 2014.

• Appointments

Aditya Vikram and Pramod chandra Modi has appointed as the member of CBDT.

• The government appointed two members, Aditya Vikram, IRS (IT) 1981 batch & Pramod Chandra Mody, IRS (IT) 1982 batch, as members in the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
• Their names were cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• Important Days

The National Handloom Day is being observed every year on 7 August .

• The National Handloom Day is being observed every year on 7 August to honour the handloom weavers in the country and also carter an impetus to India’s handloom industry.
• This year it was the 4th edition of the National Handloom Day after it was instituted in 2015.

• Science and Tech

Google's latest Android operating system update, Android 9 Pie, has officially released .

• Google’s latest Android operating system update, Android 9 Pie, was officially released to customers following a beta testing period that started earlier this year.
• Android Pie introduces a new gesture-based system interface that’s similar to the interface of the iPhone X, with iPhone-like swipes for navigating through the operating system.

• Science and Tech

Chinese scientists have discovered the most lithium-rich giant star ever known.

• Chinese scientists have discovered the most lithium-rich giant star ever known.
• The star has a mass almost 1.5 times our sun.

• Defence

A joint military exercise 'Maitree' has started on 6th August 2018.

• Exercise Maitree is a joint military exercise between Indian Army and Royal Thai Army which started on 6 August and will end on 19 August 2018 in Thailand.
• It is a platoon level exercise which comprises of infantry component.

• Obituaries

DMK chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi passed away in Chennai.

• Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi passed away in Chennai.
• He was the 94-year-old veteran leader of Tamil Nadu.

• States

The world's first-ever thermal battery plant was unveiled in Andhra Pradesh .

• The world’s first-ever thermal battery plant was unveiled in Andhra Pradesh by the state’s Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
• Manufactured by the Bharat Energy Storage Technology Private Limited (BEST), the first-of-its-kind batteries will aim to boost renewable sources of energy production and reduce the dependence on non-renewable fossil fuel-based energy generation.

• Miscellaneous

Pacific Endeavor-2018 under the MCIP started in Kathmandu, Nepal.

• Pacific Endeavor-2018, a communication exercise under the Multinational Communications Interoperability Program (MCIP) started in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• The basic objective of 12 day exercise is to develop common communications operating procedures to enable military forces in the Asia Pacific region to collectively work in the wake of disaster.

• Agreements

MoA has been signed amongst Government of India, NABARD and National Water Development Agency.

• A revised Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has been signed amongst Government of India, NABARD and National Water Development Agency.
• The MoA was signed to fund the central share of 99 prioritized irrigation projects under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).