The Competition Master

RAPID GK SERIES 16

RAPID GK SERIES 16

1. This bank has introduced the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in India 2. The unit of â€˜Amount of Substanceâ€™ is 3. The Periyar Wildlif...

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Lokpal Bill to come up in Budget session: Govt

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> Government today said the Lokpal Bill will be brought before the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage during the Budget session of Parliament.    
   
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy told reporters in New Delhi that after going through the amendments, the government will take a final call on the amendments and get back to the Opposition parties.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Referring to the amendments moved by key UPA partner Trinamool Congress on the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Narayanasamy said its reservations are regarding the appointment of Lokayuktas in the states and they have no grievances against Lokpal.        
   
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> But at the same time the minister said Trinamool was part of the Cabinet decision to clear the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill introduced in Lok Sabha a few days ago.   
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> This Bill could not be passed in the extended session of Rajya Sabha last night as unruly scenes were witnessed when the Minister of State for Personnel was winding up the debate. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The legislation has already been passed by the Lok Sabha 
</li>
</ul></div>

Lokpal Bill to come up in Budget session: Govt

Government today said the Lokpal Bill will be brought before the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage during the Budget session of P...

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Cyclone Thane leaves 11 dead in TN and Puducherry

Cyclone Thane leaves 11 dead in TN and Puducherry

The very severe cyclonic storm, 'Thane', crossed the Tamil Nadu coast, leaving 11 persons dead and causing extensive damage to Cu...

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India’s no to Pak proposal of moving heavy artillery away from LoC

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> India has rejected Pakistan's proposal to move heavy artillery and mortars away from the Line of Control citing frequent ceasefire violations.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> New Delhi asked Islamabad to come clear on its nuclear policy, including command and control over nuclear assets. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> this was conveyed to the Pakistani officials by India during the two-day talks on nuclear and conventional Confidence Building Measures that were held in Islamabad after a gap of four years.   
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> During the talks India conveyed to Pakistan the need to demonstrate restraint and responsibility in the nuclear field and urged it facilitate the talks on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty.   </li>
</ul></div>

India’s no to Pak proposal of moving heavy artillery away from LoC

India has rejected Pakistan's proposal to move heavy artillery and mortars away from the Line of Control citing frequent ceasefire vi...

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India starts probe into alleged dumping of choline chloride from China

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has initiated the probe into alleged dumping of choline chloride from China.      
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> After the probe, merits of imposing anti-dumping duty on imports of choline chloride, a chemical used mainly for animal feed, from China will be ascertained.    
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> India has initiated 149 anti-dumping cases against China, which account for over half of such actions taken by the country against foreign nations.        
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Countries  initiate anti-dumping probes to check if domestic industry has been hurt because of a surge in cheap imports.          
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> As a counter-measure, they impose duties under the multilateral WTO regime.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Unlike safeguard duties, which are levied in a uniform way, anti-dumping duties vary from product-to-product and from country-to-country. </li>
</ul></div>

India starts probe into alleged dumping of choline chloride from China

The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has initiated the probe into alleged dumping of choline chloride from C...

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N Korea rejects any engagement with South Korea

N Korea rejects any engagement with South Korea

North Korea today ruled out any policy changes and rejected any engagement with South Korea's current government. The announcemen...

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Russian nuclear submarine catches fire

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> A huge fire has engulfed Russian nuclear submarine as it was undergoing repairs at a shipyard in the northern region of Murmansk. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The K-84 Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine is one of seven Delta-IV class submarines in service, all deployed in the Northern Fleet. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> It carries 16 NATO classification "Skiff" submarine-launched ballistic missiles. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The Delta-IV class submarines are the core of the naval component of the Russian nuclear triad at present and may remain in service for another 10 years. 
</li>
</ul></div>

Russian nuclear submarine catches fire

A huge fire has engulfed Russian nuclear submarine as it was undergoing repairs at a shipyard in the northern region of Murmansk. Th...

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Expert team from Roorkie IIT surveys Mullapperiyar dam

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> In Kerala, the expert team of engineers from Roorkie, IIT undertaking a dam break analysis study in the Mullapperiyar dam area, is surveying places from lower Periyar to Bhoothathankettu . 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The team led by Dr. SK Mishra has inspected Mullapperiyar dam and places near to the 116 year old structure on Thursday to study the impact in case of a dam break. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The team will be submitting its report to the state government within a fortnight. Meanwhile, hunger strike and Satyagraha demanding decommissioning of the dam by leaders of different political parties are continuing in Idukki. 
</li>
</ul></div>

Expert team from Roorkie IIT surveys Mullapperiyar dam

In Kerala, the expert team of engineers from Roorkie, IIT undertaking a dam break analysis study in the Mullapperiyar dam area, is survey...

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Jayalalithaa sanctions Rs.150 cr for cyclone relief

Jayalalithaa sanctions Rs.150 cr for cyclone relief

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Friday alloted Rs. 150 crore for immediate relief measures and directed four Ministers to visit ...

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Navy floats out first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier

Navy floats out first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier

The first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) of the Navy was floated out at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), at a low-key event attended...

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Argentina: Ex-President Gets 15 Years

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> Argentina’s last military president has been found guilty of more crimes against humanity, this time getting 15 years for setting up a secret torture center inside a hospital during the 1976 military coup.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The leader, Reynaldo Benito Bignone, oversaw the takeover of the Posadas de Haedo hospital in provincial Buenos Aires 35 years ago.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Dozens of people were kidnapped, and doctors and nurses were among the torture victims. General Bignone, 85, was previously sentenced to 25 years in prison for involvement in illegal raids, kidnapping and torture involving 56 people from 1976 to 1978 at the Campo de Mayo detention centers at a military base on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. 
</li>
</ul></div>

Argentina: Ex-President Gets 15 Years

Argentina’s last military president has been found guilty of more crimes against humanity, this time getting 15 years for setting up a se...

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Three-layer system for Western Ghats protection mooted

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel has proposed a three-layer system — comprising the (WGEA) Western Ghats Ecology Authority (as the apex body), the State authorities and the district ecology committees — to address the environmental challenges of the Western Ghats. The Madhav Gadgil-led expert panel has proposed that the 24-member WGEA deal with the “myriad environmental implications in the Western Ghats.” 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The Authority “shall be the apex multi-statal authority for regulation, management and planning of all activities impacting all categories of ecologically sensitive zones within the States of the Western Ghats, namely, Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and shall be constituted under the relevant provisions of the Environment Protection Act,” it said. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The panel has proposed that either a “retired judge of the Supreme Court, preferably from the Western Ghats region, with proven integrity and sympathetic to the cause of conservation and pro-poor sustainable development” or an “eminent ecologist/conservation biologist of the Western Ghats region who has made substantial contribution to the conservation of the region in the last 25 years” be appointed chairman of the WGEA. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> A conservation biologist, an environmental lawyer, an agricultural scientist, a landscape ecologist, a representative of a prominent tribal group on rotation from each State and a civil society representative from each State, who has contributed to the conservation of the Ghats, should be made members. The WGEA will also have an Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the chairmen of the Pollution Control Boards and the National Biodiversity Authority and a member of the Planning Commission. 
</li>
</ul></div>

Three-layer system for Western Ghats protection mooted

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel has proposed a three-layer system — comprising the (WGEA) Western Ghats Ecology Authority (as the ...

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U.S. to Sell F-15s to Saudi Arabia

U.S. to Sell F-15s to Saudi Arabia

The Obama administration said it has reached a $30 billion agreement to sell advanced fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia, part of a broader...

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Harvard-Tiruchi project to arrest cervical cancer

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li> <div style="text-align: justify;">An initiative undertaken by the non-profit Hindu Mission Hospital here and researchers from Harvard Medical School aims at nipping cervical cancer in the bud through a self-sustaining screening programme targeting women in rural Tamil Nadu.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 
</div> </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Sexually transmitted infection of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the cause for more than 90 per cent of cervical cancer cases. Yet HPV infection is not always cancerous as only persistent infection in some women leads to cancer 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The project with its base in Tiruchi would cover Salem, Erode and Karur, some of the districts with high incidence of cervical cancer next to Chennai. The project would move a step ahead of the existing cancer screening government initiative by employing multiple screening techniques. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> While the government project uses a simple cost-effective method- Visual Inspection method with Ascetic Acid (VIA), the Harvard project employs two additional techniques as VIA though non-expensive, is subjective 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> One of the important feature of the ‘Harvard Project' is the introduction of HPV testing, a rarity here, due to lack of trained experts and expenses incurred. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> By identifying HPV infection in high-risk women above 30 years and suggesting intervention, the project envisages reducing cancer-related deaths. 
</li>
</ul></div>

Harvard-Tiruchi project to arrest cervical cancer

An initiative undertaken by the non-profit Hindu Mission Hospital here and researchers from Harvard Medical School aims at nipping cervic...

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Nasa telescopes capture image of galaxy resembling eye

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> The three telescopes were able to create the image of the galaxy NGC 4151 showing gas interacting with the growing black hole at its centre. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The white spot which looks like the eye’s pupil is the black hole and the red circumference is hydrogen. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The blue is created by X-rays which scientists are studying to understand how such black holes interact with the gas around them. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> NGC 4151 is one of the nearest galaxies which contains an actively growing black hole. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> It offers one of the best chances of studying the interaction between an active supermassive black hole and the surrounding gas of its host galaxy 
</li>
</ul></div>

Nasa telescopes capture image of galaxy resembling eye

The three telescopes were able to create the image of the galaxy NGC 4151 showing gas interacting with the growing black hole at its cent...

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NASA PROBE SNAPS AMAZING PHOTOSF SATURN MOONS

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has captured stunning shots of three of Saturn’s moons, showcasing the diversity and beauty of the ringed planet’s natural satellites. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The Cassini probe recently beamed home photos of Titan, Dione and Enceladus, three of Saturn’s six largest moons. The giant planet has 62 known satellites, but most of them are small, rocky moonlets too small to be rounded by their own gravity. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Titan is the ringed planet’s largest satellite; at 3,200 miles (5,150 kilometers) wide, it’s nearly 1.5 times bigger than Earth’s moon.   
 
 <ul><li> Titan has a thick, nitrogen-rich atmosphere that shrouds the frigid body in a soupy brown haze. Complex organic molecules — the carbon-containing building blocks of life as we know it — swirl about in this atmosphere. 
 
 </li>
<li> The huge moon also has a hydrocarbon-based weather system, with methane rain falling from the sky and pooling in liquid-methane lakes. Astrobiologists speculate that Titan may be one of the best places in the solar system to search for life beyond Earth. 
 
 </li>
<li> Dione, an icy, pockmarked globe 698 miles (1,123 km) across. The moon’s leading hemisphere is heavily cratered, while its trailing one sports an intricate web of ice cliffs. 
 
 </li>
<li>  At 319 miles (513 km) across, Enceladus is Saturn’s sixth-largest moon — but it may be the gas giant’s most intriguing satellite. 
 
 </li>
<li> Icy geysers erupt from Enceladus’ south polar region, fueled by a powerful interior heat source of mysterious origin. And scientists think an ocean of salty, liquid water lurks beneath the moon’s icy crust, making Enceladus another key target in the search for alien life in our solar system. 
 
 </li>
<li> Cassini launched in 1997 and arrived at Saturn in 2004. It has been studying the ringed planet and its many moons ever since, and will continue to do for years to come. Last year, NASA extended the probe’s mission to at least 2017. 
</li>
</ul></li>
</ul></div>

NASA PROBE SNAPS AMAZING PHOTOSF SATURN MOONS

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has captured stunning shots of three of Saturn’s moons, showcasing the diversity and beauty of the ringed plane...

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Centre plans to borrow Rs.40,000 cr more now

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> The Central Government is looking at borrowing around Rs.40,000 crore more to make up for the shortfall in revenue receipts and poor disinvestment realisation in the current fiscal. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The government may borrow Rs.30,000-40,000 crore to plug a shortfall in receipts in the current fiscal 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> If approved, it would be the second additional borrowing. As per the revised target, gross market borrowing for the current fiscal is pegged at Rs.4.70 lakh crore. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Earlier this week, a top Finance Ministry official had admitted that the government was finding it difficult to meet the direct tax target due to industrial slowdown and might go in for larger market borrowings. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> In September, the government had announced an additional market borrowing of Rs.52,800 crore on top of Rs.4.17 lakh crore planned in the budget. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Besides, slowdown in the economic activities due to domestic and global factors, the government's subsidy bill on petroleum and fertilizers is likely to increase further 
</li>
</ul></div>

Centre plans to borrow Rs.40,000 cr more now

The Central Government is looking at borrowing around Rs.40,000 crore more to make up for the shortfall in revenue receipts and poor disi...

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New DoNER project on climate change

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> Ministry of Development of North East Region (DoNER) has initiated the Climate Change Adaptation North Easter Region (CCANER) Project in partnership with the German Development Cooperation and the State Governments of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim to strengthen the rural livelihood resilience and also to teach adaptability to the impacts of climate variability and change. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The German Development Cooperation would focus on capacity development of the people, institutions, and organizations of these three North East States, an official source said. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The Meghalaya Government has finalized in March this year the Draft State Climate Change Action Plan (SAPCC) to understand the importance of climate issues and its impact on inclusive growth, the official sources said, adding that the Draft Plan was the output of various inter and intra working groups constituted by the Government and in consultation with regional and national experts. 
</li>
</ul></div>

New DoNER project on climate change

Ministry of Development of North East Region (DoNER) has initiated the Climate Change Adaptation North Easter Region (CCANER) Project in ...

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Hyderabad in race to host ICANN Conference

Hyderabad in race to host ICANN Conference

Hyderabad, the emerging hub of the IT industry in India, is in the race to host the Internet Corporation for Assigned Name and Numbers (...

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Jamaican opposition party wins election

Jamaican opposition party wins election

An election dominated by the economy has swept Jamaica's opposition, and its first female prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller, back...

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Samoa celebrates New Year a day earlier!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">  Samoa, a tiny nation in the South Pacific and its neighbour Tokelau have already embraced the New Year, a day earlier than the rest of the world, to align closely with their major trading partners in Australasia.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">  Samoa has fast-forwarded to 31 December, missing out 30 December. Samoa has announced this decision in May in a bid to improve ties with major trade partners Australia and New Zealand.    
    
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The change comes 119 years after Samoa moved in the opposite direction. Then, it transferred to the same side of the International Date Line as the United States, in an effort to aid trade.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Samoan Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Samoa is located approximately halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii and has a population of 180,000 people. Local time up to now has been 21 hours behind Sydney. From 31 December it will be three hours ahead.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Tokelau is a tiny New Zealand-administered territory of three islands. It lies to the north of Fiji, approximately half-way between Hawaii and the Australian coast. 
</li>
</ul></div>

Samoa celebrates New Year a day earlier!

Samoa, a tiny nation in the South Pacific and its neighbour Tokelau have already embraced the New Year, a day earlier than the rest of t...

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New island born in Red Sea after volcanic activity

New island born in Red Sea after volcanic activity

A new island is forming in the Red Sea in the Zubair archipelago resulting from a volcanic activity as lava is cooled by the surrounding ...

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Joint convention promotes Indo-Pak peace process

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> Promoting peace between India and Pakistan through people-to-people contact is the focus of an ongoing joint convention 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The three-day conference, which kicked off yesterday, was organised by social organisation 'Pakistan India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD)'. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Established in 1993 to promote peace between India and Pakistan, the Forum has so far held seven joint conventions, the last one being organised at New Delhi in February 2005. 
</li>
</ul></div>

Joint convention promotes Indo-Pak peace process

Promoting peace between India and Pakistan through people-to-people contact is the focus of an ongoing joint convention The three-day...

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China plans for more space missions

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> Gearing up to land a rover on moon and send manned spaceflights to built space station, China on Thursday said it will push forward its exploration of planets, asteroids and solar system in order to achieve self sufficiency. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">  China will launch lunar mission to land a rover on moon for carrying out a survey of its surface in the next five years and conduct studies for a human lunar landing. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The lunar probe projects have achieved milestone breakthroughs since 2006, with the successful launching of two lunar probes, the Chang'e-1 in 2007 and Chang'e-2 on October 1, 2010 to orbit moon.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> China will launch space laboratories, manned spaceship and space freighters, make breakthroughs in and master space station key technologies, including astronauts' medium-term stay, regenerative life support and propellant refueling. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> It will enhance the reliability and adaptability of launch vehicles in service, develop new-generation launch vehicles and their upper stages, and implement the first flight of the Long March-5, Long March-6 and Long March-7 launch vehicles.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> On the Satellite front, China has developed Fengyun (wind and cloud), Haiyang (ocean), Ziyuan (resources), Yaogan (remote-sensing) and Tianhui (space mapping) satellite series, plus a constellation of small satellites for environmental and disaster monitoring and forecasting 
</li>
</ul></div>

China plans for more space missions

Gearing up to land a rover on moon and send manned spaceflights to built space station, China on Thursday said it will push forward its e...

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