RAPID GK SERIES 2

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">1. The authors of the famous book ‘Is Paris Burning’ is<br /> 2. The Indian Public Sector Bank which has more number of foreign banks is<br /> 3. The Oldest <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD7">Refinery<span class="IL_AD_ICON"></span></span> in India is<br /> 4. The first telegraph line in India was laid between these two places<br /> 5. The World’s wettest place in terms of average annual rainfall is<br /> 6. The first Governor General of India is<br /> 7. <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD10">The Capital<span class="IL_AD_ICON"></span></span> of Bulgaria is<br /> 8. Blue Book is the Official Report of this Government<br /> 9. The Unit of Heat is<br /> 10. The National Energy Conservation Day is observed on<br /> <br /> <strong>ANSWERS</strong><br /> <br /> 1. Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre<br /> 2. State Bank of India<br /> 3. Digboi (Assam)<br /> 4. Kolkata to Diamond Harbor in 1838<br /> 5. Mawsynram (Meghalaya)<br /> 6. Warren Hastings (1773-1785)<br /> 7. Sofia<br /> 8. British Government<br /> 9. Calorie<br /> 10. December 14</div>

RAPID GK SERIES 2

1. The authors of the famous book ‘Is Paris Burning’ is 2. The Indian Public Sector Bank which has more number of foreign banks is 3. The ...

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US to freeze $700 mn aid to Pakistan

<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  the midst of a tense standoff with Islamabad, a Congressional panel has agreed to freeze $700 million in US aid to Pakistan unless it helps in the fight against homemade bombs in Afghanistan.</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 freeze on US aid was agreed to by leaders of the armed services committees from both Republican and Democratic parties in the House and Senate as part of a defence bill that is expected to be passed</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 US wants “assurances that Pakistan is countering improvised explosive devices in their country that are targeting their coalition forces.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

US to freeze $700 mn aid to Pakistan

In  the midst of a tense standoff with Islamabad, a Congressional panel has agreed to freeze $700 million in US aid to Pakistan unless it...

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Himalayan nations plan climate adaptation

<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;">Following a two-day summit in Bhutan, the Himalayan nations of India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan have decided to collaborate on ways to adapt to climate change.</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 four Himalayan nations, that are facing the threat of weather changes, were part of the Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas that was held in Bhutan’s capital Thimphu. The agreement involves issues on energy, water, food and biodiversity.</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;">Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y. Thinleysaid, Bhutan’s Prime Minister .</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 absence of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan was underplayed by the summit organizers who insisted that the summit was more about securing ecosystems, endangered species, and food and water sources for the Himalayas’ eastern part than the whole geographical area.</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;">In the summit action was called for amid the international community’s inability to agree on limiting greenhouse gas emissions that is blamed for global climate change</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Himalayan nations plan climate adaptation

Following a two-day summit in Bhutan, the Himalayan nations of India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan have decided to collaborate on ways to...

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Oldest Lion Safari Renuka Ji about to close in Himachal

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The oldest Lion Safari Shri Renuka Ji in Himachal Pradesh has taken another step for its closure as 11 years Lioness Megha has been died. With the death of Megha the number of wild cat has been reduced to two.</span></span></li> </ul></div>

Oldest Lion Safari Renuka Ji about to close in Himachal

The oldest Lion Safari Shri Renuka Ji in Himachal Pradesh has taken another step for its closure as 11 years Lioness Megha has been died. ...

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Green India Mission – A Way to Enhance ECO-Systems

<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 National Mission for a Green India is one of the eight Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The Green India Mission recognizes that climate change phenomena will seriously affect and alter the distribution, type and quality of natural resources of the country and the associated livelihoods of the 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;">The Key Innovations are the focus on quality of forests, ecosystem services, democratic decentralization, creating a new cadre of Community Youth as Foresters, Adoption of Landscape-based Approach and Reform Agenda as conditionality.<strong> </strong>Total Mission Cost is Rs 46,000 crore for a period of 10 years<strong> </strong>covering both Centre and States.</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;"><strong>Mission Objectives</strong></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 plans to<strong><em> </em></strong>Increase forest/tree cover on 5 m ha of forest/non-forest lands  and improved quality of forest cover on another  5 m ha  (a  total of 10 m ha), improve ecosystem services including biodiversity, hydrological services and carbon sequestration as a result of treatment of 10 m ha, increase forest-based livelihood income for 3 million forest dependent households and  enhance annual CO2 sequestration  of 50-60 million tonnes by the year 2020</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 Mission will implement its strategy through a set of 5 Sub-Missions and cross-cutting interventions at National level, an autonomous society under MEF with  an inclusive governing council, the mission to develop systems for highest degree of accountability  will work. At State  and District Levels,  State Forest Development Agency (SFDA) and  District FDA linked to District Planning Committee will be revamped. Gram Sabha and its Committees will work at village Institutions level and in  Urban Areas, Ward level Committees /RWAs with support from Municipal organizations and the Forest Departments. Monitoring  will be done at  4 levels, namely self Monitoring by community and field staff, Remote Sensing and GIS, third party monitoring  by key indicators .</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 actual implementation period of the Mission would spread over 10 years, coinciding with the 12</span><sup style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">th</sup><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;"> and 13</span><sup style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">th</sup><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">five year plan period. The Action Plan for the year 2011-12 is the  preparatory year of the Mission</span></span></li> </ul></div>

Green India Mission – A Way to Enhance ECO-Systems

The National Mission for a Green India is one of the eight Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The Green India Mis...

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Canada quits Kyoto Protocol, first nation to do so

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Canada, a major energy producer, has become the first country to quit the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, saying the 1997 accord was an "impediment" on cutting global carbon emissions with top emitters like the US and China not covered by it.<strong> </strong></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997 by the previous Liberal government, which committed Canada to cutting greenhouse gas emissions 6% below 1990 levels by 2012.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><strong></strong></span></span><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 announcement came after the end of the latest round of talks involving the 195 parties to the UNFCCC in Durban, South Africa.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><strong></strong></span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had just finished saying that a "significant agreement" had been reached, which has been dubbed "The Durban Platform," when Canada pulled the plug.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><strong></strong></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The new deal, agreed Sunday, brings in major emitters of greenhouse gas emissions including the United States, China, India and Brazil.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><strong></strong></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The parties agreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol, which was due to expire at the end of 2012, and to discuss a legally binding pact to cover all major emitters by 2015, with any agreed deal to start in 2020</span></span></li> </ul></div>

Canada quits Kyoto Protocol, first nation to do so

Canada, a major energy producer, has become the first country to quit the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, saying the 1997 accord was an...

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India court orders shelters for homeless in winter

<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;">India's Supreme Court has ordered states to provide adequate night shelters for the homeless during the coming winter.</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;">"You should not allow even a single person to die this winter from the freezing cold," the judges said.</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;">Indian-administered Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh states usually experience severe cold snaps.</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 capital Delhi is also affected, with one 2008 estimate saying 150,000 sleep rough in the freezing cold.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

India court orders shelters for homeless in winter

India's Supreme Court has ordered states to provide adequate night shelters for the homeless during the coming winter. "You s...

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Russia to launch ESA satellites

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5126" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">A Russian launcher will put several European Space Agency (ESA) satellites into orbit Dec 17 from the Kourou space port in French Guiana.</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 Soyuz ST-A will orbit Pleades and SSoT satellites, as well as four Elisa microsatellites. </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 Soyuz launcher took off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana Oct 21. </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;">Soyuz is a medium-class launcher</span></span><br /> </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div></div></div>

Russia to launch ESA satellites

A Russian launcher will put several European Space Agency (ESA) satellites into orbit Dec 17 fr...

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PM mulls Rs.1,000 crore corpus for housing poor

<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 government is considering creating a corpus fund of Rs.1,000 crore in the current fiscal that would encourage banks to give housing loans in "significant volumes" to the urban poor, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said </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;">Addressing a conference on the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) here, Manmohan Singh said the corpus of Rs.1,000 would be set aside to create a credit risk guarantee fund that could be used to cover any bank losses.</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;">He mentioned the government's Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) launched this year for "creating inclusive and slum-free cities, while leveraging the value of land to generate revenues". </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 aim is to achieve slum redevelopment and create affordable housing stock by providing assistance to those states that are willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers. This reform will give the urban poor a formal stake in the cities' economic and social development." </span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

PM mulls Rs.1,000 crore corpus for housing poor

The government is considering creating a corpus fund of Rs.1,000 crore in the current fiscal that would encourage banks to give housing l...

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SC green signal to unused Endosulfan export

<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;">The Supreme Court today allowed export of unused stock of Endosulfan insecticide while retaining the complete ban imposed by it in on its production, sale and use in the country. While allowing the export, a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice S. H. Kapadia said the dilution, packaging and export of the agrochemical would be handled by public sector unit (PSU) Hindustan Insecticide Ltd.</span></span></li> </ul></div>

SC green signal to unused Endosulfan export

The Supreme Court today allowed export of unused stock of Endosulfan insecticide while retaining the complete ban imposed by it in on its ...

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Govt sets up TV content regulatoral

<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 Government has set up two tier self regulatory body to monitor television broadcast contents.</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;"> Information and Broadcasting Minister Mrs. Ambika Soni said that 13-member body comprising of members of civil societies, broadcasters and members from Women Commission, Child Right Protection Commission and Minority Commission started functioning from June this year.</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  Cable Television Networks (Regulation) second Amendment Bill, 2011 in the House was introduced</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Govt sets up TV content regulatoral

The Government has set up two tier self regulatory body to monitor television broadcast contents.  Information and Broadcasting Minis...

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Govt to develop 35 cities to boost tourism

<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 Government has decided to develop 35 tourist cities in the next five years to attract more tourists in the country. </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;">Chairing the meeting of the National Tourism Advisory Council in New Delhi, Union Minister for Tourism Mr. Subodh Kant Sahai said tourist places would be developed through Public-Private Partnership.</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  Ministry had appointed a national-level consultant, which was in the process of identification of the four tourist circuits and two rural clusters in each state. He added that the tourist places would be developed in a phased manner.</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  Tourism Ministry has asked the Planning Commission for an allocation of about Rs 23 crore in the 12th Five Year Plan for this project</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Govt to develop 35 cities to boost tourism

The Government has decided to develop 35 tourist cities in the next five years to attract more tourists in the country.  Chairing the...

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Moncef Marzouki elected Tunisia President

<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 Tunisia, Moncef Marzouki has been elected by interim Parliament as the new President of the country. <strong> </strong></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;">Marzouki was elected with 153 votes in the 217-member constituent assembly. He will serve for a year until the Constitution is re-written and new elections are held.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><strong></strong></span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Marzouki is respected by many Tunisians for his opposition to the autocratic Ben Ali. He was imprisoned and then exiled for opposing former President Ben Ali</span></span></li> </ul></div>

Moncef Marzouki elected Tunisia President

In Tunisia, Moncef Marzouki has been elected by interim Parliament as the new President of the country.    Marzouki was elected with ...

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India, US iron out differences on N-treaty

<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 United States has said India shared its commitment to the full implementation of the Civil Nuclear Agreement as both countries discussed ways to iron out differences on the nuclear liability law.<strong> </strong></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;"> US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, who is in New Delhi, held wide-ranging talks with Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai on Monday covering the issue of implementation of the civil nuclear deal and other subjects like Afghanistan and Pakistan.</span></span></li> </ul></div>

India, US iron out differences on N-treaty

The United States has said India shared its commitment to the full implementation of the Civil Nuclear Agreement as both countries discu...

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International Conference on Globalisation begins in Gangtok

<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;"><strong>T</strong>he 10th International Conference on Globalisation and Cultural Practices in Mountains began in Gangtok today. It has been organised by the Sikkim University in collaboration with the Japan Foundation.</span></span><br /> <br /> </li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Experts from USA, Japan, Banlgdesh and Nepal too are attending the two day Conference.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

International Conference on Globalisation begins in Gangtok

T he 10th International Conference on Globalisation and Cultural Practices in Mountains began in Gangtok today. It has been organised by ...

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Suu Kyi's NLD wins legal status

<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 Myanmar government has officially recognized Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) as a political party, <strong> </strong></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 NLD is yet to announce if Aung San Suu Kyi, the party's general secretary, will run in the by-elections.</span></span></li> </ul></div>

Suu Kyi's NLD wins legal status

The Myanmar government has officially recognized Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) as a political...

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ICC elects African as new chief prosecutor

<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;">International Criminal Court member states on Monday unanimously elected Fatou Bensouda of Gambia as the new chief prosecutor of the main genocide and war crimes tribunal. <strong> </strong></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;">Bensouda, is currently the ICC deputy prosecutor and a former justice minister in Gambia. She will take over next June from Luis Moreno-Ocampo who sought the genocide warrant against Sudan's Omar al-Bashir and crimes against humanity case against late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><strong></strong></span></span><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 new prosecutor was elected by consensus at the annual meeting of the ICC's 120 state parties at the UN headquarters.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><strong></strong></span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">She must also handle a sensitive case over whether Seif al-Islam, the son of Gaddafi, is tried in Libya or at the ICC in The Hague. </span></span></li> </ul></div>

ICC elects African as new chief prosecutor

International Criminal Court member states on Monday unanimously elected Fatou Bensouda of Gambia as the new chief prosecutor of the main...

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Japan chooses F-35 as mainstay fighter jet'

<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;">Japan has chosen the US-made F-35 stealth jet as its next-generation mainstay fighter in a multi-billion dollar deal.<strong> </strong></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 defence ministry picked the jet made by Lockheed Martin to replace its ageing fleet of F-4 jets over two rivals, the Boeing-made F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon</span></span></li> </ul></div>

Japan chooses F-35 as mainstay fighter jet'

Japan has chosen the US-made F-35 stealth jet as its next-generation mainstay fighter in a multi-billion dollar deal.   The defence m...

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Arogyasri: action taken against 66 hospitals

<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 Andhra Pradesh government  has stopped payments and launched punitive action against 66 hospitals in the State for committing irregularities while offering treatment to patients under Arogyasri health insurance scheme. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">It said action would be taken against erring hospitals if a complaint was made to Arogyasri Trust.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The note stated that complaints against any of the 353 empanelled hospitals for refusing treatment to a person covered by Arogyasri would be entertained round the clock through the 104 Services call centres, enquired into and immediate action taken. Out of these institutions, 97 were in the Government sector.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Arogyasri: action taken against 66 hospitals

The Andhra Pradesh government  has stopped payments and launched punitive action against 66 hospitals in the State for committing irregul...

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Dominique de Villepin to run for French president

<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 prime minister will run as independent, spicing up the race between bitter rival Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande</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;">Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin, who gained international renown as the country's spokesman against the war in Iraq, has shaken up the presidential campaign by announcing that he will run as an independent.</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 election will take place over two rounds in April and May. Another National Front candidate</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Dominique de Villepin to run for French president

Former prime minister will run as independent, spicing up the race between bitter rival Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande Former ...

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Jobless man hurls shoes at Iranian president

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5140" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">An unemployed Iranian man threw his shoes at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while the leader was delivering a speech at a ceremony in the northern city of Sari in Mazandaran Province.</span></span><br /> <br /> </li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The 45-year old, who was fired by a weaving factory, managed to get to the front row to complain about unemployment, and then he threw his shoes at the president</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div></div>

Jobless man hurls shoes at Iranian president

An unemployed Iranian man threw his shoes at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while the leader was...

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