RAPID GK SERIES 3

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">1. The Isotope of Uranium used in Atomic <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD4">Reactors<span class="IL_AD_ICON"></span></span> is<br /> 2. Among the defects of eye, the Short-sightedness is called<br /> 3. This continent is the third largest in terms of Population of the world<br /> 4. Mekong River drains into this sea<br /> 5. The first person who traveled twice to space as a tourist is<br /> 6. Mahatma Gandhi’s remark, “A Post-dated cheque on a crumbling bank” is regarding with this proposals of this mission<br /> 7. The Money Order System was introduced in India in this year<br /> 8. The second largest Railway <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD6">network<span class="IL_AD_ICON"></span></span> in the world is<br /> 9. In India, the term Black Revolution is associated with this<br /> 10. Singareni Coal Fields lies in this River Valley<br /> <br /> <strong>ANSWERS</strong><br /> <br /> 1. U 235<br /> 2. Myopia<br /> 3. Europe<br /> 4. <span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit ! important; font-size: inherit ! important; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px solid blue; font-family: inherit ! important; font-size: inherit ! important; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: static;">South </span><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px solid blue; font-family: inherit ! important; font-size: inherit ! important; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: static;">China</span></span> Sea<br /> 5. Charles Simonyi<br /> 6. Cripps Mission<br /> 7. 1880<br /> 8. Indian Railway Network<br /> 9. Self-dependence in Petroleum / Crude Oil<br /> 10. Godavari Valley</div>

RAPID GK SERIES 3

1. The Isotope of Uranium used in Atomic Reactors is 2. Among the defects of eye, the Short-sightedness is called 3. This continent is th...

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Cabinet clears 3 bills to combat corruption & ensure transparency

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5142" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The government has cleared three draft legislations to combat the menace of corruption and ensure transparency in public dealings.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">These include Judicial Accountability Bill, Whistleblowers' Bill and Citizens' Charter Bill.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> The decision was taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">the Judicial Accountability Bill seeks to lay down judicial standards and provide for accountability of judges. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha last year. It was later sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel and Law and Justice.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">A key recommendation of the committee that seeks to restrain judges from making unwarranted comments against other constitutional bodies or persons in courts has been accepted by the Government.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The Citizen's Charter, seeks to ensure the citizen's Right to Service and set up a grievance redressal mechanism. It envisages the stetting up of a Central Public Grievance Redressal Commission. The Whistleblowers Bill or the Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosures Bill seeks to protect RTI and other activists.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The Cabinet also discussed the National Food Security Bill, but reports suggest some UPA allies wanted to discuss some aspects of the bill further. This will now be brought up at a meeting next week. The Food Security Bill proposes an expenditure of 95,000 crore rupees for implementing the framework legislation on food security.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The draft Bill, seeks to cover upto 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 percent of urban households. It proposes right to 7 kg foodgrains per month per person, at three rupees per kg for rice, 2 rupees per kg for wheat and one rupee per kg for coarse grains to the priority beneficiaries.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div></div>

Cabinet clears 3 bills to combat corruption & ensure transparency

The government has cleared three draft legislations to combat the menace of corruption and ensu...

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PM leaves for Russia

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh accompanied by a high level delegation is arriving Moscow tomorrow for annual summit with Russian President Dmitry Mededev on December 16. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The annual Summit is expected to impart a fresh momentum to the special, privileged strategic partnership between the two time tested partners with a signing of agreements in areas ranging from nuclear energy to economic co-operation, space, hydrocarbons, trade and education.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

PM leaves for Russia

Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh accompanied by a high level delegation is arriving Moscow tomorrow for annual summit with Russian Pres...

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OPEC meets to decide oil output for next year

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The  Oil Ministers of 12 OPEC countries are meeting in Vienna today to decide on the output for the next year. There are indications that the organization will maintain its output at the existing levels of 24.88 million barrels per day.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The OPEC meeting comes in the backdrop of Euro zone crisis, economic slowdown, tensions over Iran, and the flow of oil from Libya. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The 12 member cartel of oil exporting nations has been producing nearly 25 million barrels per day over the past three years. It is expected that the the current output target will be maintained to keep the oil prices around $100 per barrel. </span></span><br /> </li> </ul><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">About OPEC</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><strong>Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries</strong>) is an intergovernmental organization of twelve developing countries made up of Algeria, Angola,Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> OPEC has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965 </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Indonesia withdrew in 2008 after it became a net importer of oil, but stated it would likely return if it became a net exporter again.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">According to its statutes, one of the principal goals is the determination of the best means for safeguarding the organization's interests, individually and collectively. </span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

OPEC meets to decide oil output for next year

The  Oil Ministers of 12 OPEC countries are meeting in Vienna today to decide on the output for the next year. There are indications that...

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Lifetime achievement award for Swraj Paul

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Industrialist and Labour peer Swraj Paul was on Tuesday given the lifetime achievement award for his outstanding contributions in various fields.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">The  award, instituted by an Indian company, Powerbrands</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Lifetime achievement award for Swraj Paul

Industrialist and Labour peer Swraj Paul was on Tuesday given the lifetime achievement award for his outstanding contributions in various...

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Pentavalent vaccine to be introduced

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Dismissing reports of deaths of some children after administration of pentavalent vaccine in Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Pakistan as unrelated, the Centre will introduce this vaccine as part of the routine immunisation programme in Kerala</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The vaccine that will prevent children from five life threatening diseases will be introduced in Tamil Nadu</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Pentavalent vaccine will protect children from Diphtheria, Pertussis, Hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae Hib disease, which is a new addition to the routine immunisation programme in the county.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">It is administered to children at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age and will replace the existing DPT and Hepatitis B vaccine primary dose of which is given at the same age.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">At present, there are 170 countries using the pentavalent vaccine of the 193 World Health Organisation member states.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">Goa has been administering pentavalent vaccine from the State budget since 2008 which was initially introduced in selected blocks but the entire State was covered in 2011.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;"> </span></span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Introduction of Hib vaccination as a combination vaccine carries the added advantage of reducing the number of injections given to a child from 9 (3 each for DPT, Hepatitis B and Hib) to three.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">It is estimated that 40 per cent of all under-5 mortality in India is attributed to pneumonia, meningitis ad diarrhoeas. Hib disease is estimated to cause 2.6 lakh cases of pneumonia and 52,000 cases of meningitis every year. Haemophilus influenza B is difficult to culture from pneumonia and meningitis cases as facility for taking the sample for culture is usually available only in tertiary care hospitals, due to prior use of antibiotics before reaching such facility and stringent culture conditions.</span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><br /> </span></span><br /> </li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Based on the recommendations of WHO and the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), Pentavalent vaccine will be introduced in these two States with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation GAVI providing free vaccine for three years after which the Centre takes over the programme</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Pentavalent vaccine to be introduced

Dismissing reports of deaths of some children after administration of pentavalent vaccine in Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Pakistan as unrelated,...

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MP doubles honorarium of anganwadi workers

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">In Madhya Pradesh, the state cabinet has decided to double the honorarium of Anganwadi workers and assistants.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">The State Government will have to bear an additional burden of about 22 crore 40 lac rupees due to the increase in honorarium.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">Anganwadi workers will now get three thousand rupees per month as honorarium instead of 1500 rupees while anganwadi assistants and sub-workers will get 1500 rupees instead of 750 rupees per month.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

MP doubles honorarium of anganwadi workers

In Madhya Pradesh, the state cabinet has decided to double the honorarium of Anganwadi workers and assistants. The State Government wi...

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Cancer, diabetes screening for all in five years

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Every Indian will be screened for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke over the next five years, union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">India will be the first country in the world to screen the entire population in the next five years</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">Pilot projects have already been launched in 100 districts and in the slums of 30 cities with populations of more than 10 lakh, 20,000 sub-centres will screen 17-18 crore people.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">The scheme will be implemented in the remaining period of the 11th five-year plan and in 12th plan, the remaining parts of the country will be taken up.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The scheme was started with diabetes and blood pressure screening in Delhi in November 2010. It later travelled to Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The Centre provides the test kits and equipment while the states provide the logistics. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">In India, 64 million people are projected to have heart disease in 2015 - 60% of cases in the world. With over 50 million cases, India is already the world's diabetes capital.  </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Under the <strong>Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi</strong>, the Centre gives funds to states to provide up to Rs 1.5 lakh financial assistance to all BPL patients suffering from cancer. In 2011-12, 2,202 cancer patients have received financial help, of which 241 were recommended by MPs.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Cancer, diabetes screening for all in five years

Every Indian will be screened for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke over the next five years, union health minister Ghulam Nabi ...

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Aslam Sher Khan to head Olympians body

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Former India hockey star Aslam Sher Khan was unanimously elected president of the Olympian Association of India at a meeting</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Tokyo Olympics finalist in the 110m hurdles, Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, was elected senior vice-president, while International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Randhir Singh was chosen chief patron and triple hockey Olympian Balbir Singh (Sr) and ‘Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh patrons of the newly-formed association</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Aslam Sher Khan to head Olympians body

Former India hockey star Aslam Sher Khan was unanimously elected president of the Olympian Association of India at a meeting Tokyo Ol...

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Obama visiting Fort Bragg to mark end of Iraq war

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">President Barack <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Obama</span></strong> <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Obama</span></strong> is marking the end of the Iraq war with a tribute to the troops who fought and died in a conflict he opposed from the start.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Accompanied by first lady Michelle <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Obama</span></strong>, the president was traveling to Fort Bragg in North Carolina to address service members and their families as he brings the war to a close.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">All U.S. troops are to be out of Iraq Dec. 31</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The  U.S. will continue to help Iraq as it faces an uncertain future in a volatile region of the world.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">It's the president's first visit to Fort Bragg, which is home to Army Special Operations, the 18th Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Obama visiting Fort Bragg to mark end of Iraq war

President Barack  Obama Obama  is marking the end of the Iraq war with a tribute to the troops who fought and died in a conflict he oppose...

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New member Palestine raises flag at UNESCO

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Palestinians have raised their flag at the headquarters of the UN cultural agency in Paris, a symbolic boost in their push for an independent state. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">Cheers rose alongside the red, black, white and green flag today during a ceremony held in the rain. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was among those present. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Palestine was admitted as a UNESCO member after an October vote that prompted the US to cut off funds to the agency</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

New member Palestine raises flag at UNESCO

Palestinians have raised their flag at the headquarters of the UN cultural agency in Paris, a symbolic boost in their push for an indepen...

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UN rights watchdog to end mission in Nepal

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The UN rights watchdog OHCHR will end its mission in Nepal amid fears of that those accused of committing war crimes during the decade-long Maoist-led insurgency may get away scot-free. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">"Nepal government has decided that the presence of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights-Nepal (OHCHR) is no longer needed and decided not to extend the mandate.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

UN rights watchdog to end mission in Nepal

The UN rights watchdog OHCHR will end its mission in Nepal amid fears of that those accused of committing war crimes during the decade-lo...

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Microsoft co-founder launches space project

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen is planning to build a spaceship that could replace the Space Shuttle and put paying passengers into orbit this decade. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Lifelong space enthusiast Allen is hoping to launch unmanned rockets from a massive flying carrier plane to put government and commercial satellites into space and eventually evolve to human space missions. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The initiative comes only months after the United States retired the Space Shuttle program after 30 years, opening the door to private enterprise to supply space vehicles</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Allen's rocket will be launched from what will be the world's biggest plane, a massive carrier aircraft powered by six jumbo jet engines, to be constructed by Scaled Composites, a unit of defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Its wingspan will be about 385 feet (117 meters), bigger than a football field and 70 percent longer than the wings of a Boeing 747. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The rocket itself will be made by private space company SpaceX, created by Elon Musk, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal. The rocket and carrier will be integrated by aviation and missile specialists Dynetics.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The first test flight is targeted for 2015 with the first commercial flight the year after.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Microsoft co-founder launches space project

Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen is planning to build a spaceship that could replace the Space Shuttle and put paying passengers into...

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Mars rover begins space research

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">NASA's car-sized Curiosity rover has begun monitoring space radiation during its eight-month trip from Earth to Mars.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> The research will aid in planning for future human missions to the Red Planet. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">It carries an instrument called the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) that monitors high-energy atomic and subatomic particles from the sun, distant supernovas and other sources. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">These particles constitute radiation that could be harmful to any microbes or astronauts in space or on Mars. The rover will monitor radiation on the surface of Mars after its August 2012 landing. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">RAD is serving as a proxy for an astronaut inside a spacecraft on the way to Mars,</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The instrument is deep inside the spacecraft, the way an astronaut would be. Understanding the effects of the spacecraft on the radiation field will be valuable in designing craft for astronauts to travel to Mars.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Mars rover begins space research

NASA's car-sized Curiosity rover has begun monitoring space radiation during its eight-month trip from Earth to Mars.  The researc...

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No cut in USD 700 mn civilian aid to Pak: US

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Struggling hard to restore its ties with Pakistan in the aftermath of NATO air strike last month, the Obama Administration Wednesday said that it has not cut any civilian aid to Pakistan, noting that this is an on-going move in the Congress right now. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">First of all, just to clarify what has and hasn't happened here in our understanding. We have not cut USD 700 million in aid to Pakistan.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

No cut in USD 700 mn civilian aid to Pak: US

Struggling hard to restore its ties with Pakistan in the aftermath of NATO air strike last month, the Obama Administration Wednesday said...

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Malaysia Crowns New King

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">An 84-year-old sultan known as an avid fan of football and singers like Frank Sinatra became Malaysia's new king Tuesday, the oldest constitutional monarch in the Southeast Asian nation's history.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> </span></span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Under a unique system maintained since Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957, nine hereditary state rulers take turns as the country's king for five-year terms.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The monarch's role is largely ceremonial, since administrative power is vested in the prime minister and Parliament. But he is highly regarded, particularly among the ethnic Malay Muslim majority, as the supreme upholder of Malay tradition and symbolic head of Islam.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Besides being Malaysia's 14th and oldest king, Sultan Abdul Halim is the first to ascend the throne twice. He was also king between 1970 and 1975, when the father of Malaysia's current prime minister, Najib Razak, was premier.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">He succeeds Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, 49, who was one of Malaysia's youngest kings.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Malaysia Crowns New King

An 84-year-old sultan known as an avid fan of football and singers like Frank Sinatra became Malaysia's new king Tuesday, the oldest ...

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