Vikram undergoes de-orbit manoeuvre
Chandrayaan 2’s moon lander Vikram underwent the first of two ‘de-orbiting’ manoeuvres on 3 September 2019 morning. The four-second operation performed from ISRO’s Bengaluru control centre has slightly trimmed the lander’s orbit towards its destination.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21382-vikram-undergoes-de-orbit-manoeuvre
#Vikram #Chandrayaan2 #OHRC #DEM #ISRO #Forging #orbit

Pakistan skips UN summit in India
A 12-day UN meet on combating desertification, land degradation and drought opened at Greater Noida on 2 September 2019 with India taking over presidency of the Conference of Parties (COP) from China for next two years while its neighbour Pakistan skipped it despite being invited by the global body.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21381-pakistan-skips-un-summit-in-india
#Pakistan #COP #UNCCD #ISRO #Pakistani #India

Caused of mass extinctions found
Around 420 million years ago, a devastating mass extinction event, known as Lau/Kozlowskii extinction, wiped around 23 per cent of all marine animals from the Earth in the late prehistoric Silurian Period.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21380-caused-of-mass-extinctions-found
#FSU #Kozlowskii #Earth #mass #extinctions

Apache AH-64E inducted in IAF
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has formally inducted eight of the 22 AH-64E Apache helicopters at the Air Force Station, Pathankot. The Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters, which are expected to improve battlefield attack capabilities for the IAF, were inducted by Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21379-apache-ah-64e-inducted-in-iaf
#IAF #AH64E #Pathankot #AirForceStation #BSDhanoa #helicopters #MoD

CIMON returns to Earth
The Crew Interactive Mobile CompaniON (CIMON), which is the first artificial intelligence (AI)-based astronaut assistance system returned to Earth after spending over a year on the International Space Station (ISS).
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21378-cimon-returns-to-earth
#CIMON #ISS #DLR #ESA #Germany #artificialintelligence #IBM

Mithali Raj retired from T20
Former captain Mithali Raj announced her retirement from the shortest format of the game on 3 September 2019 after having led the Indian women’s cricket team in 32 T20 matches including three World Cups in 2012 (Sri Lanka), 2014 (Bangladesh) and 2016 (India).
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21377-mithali-raj-retired-from-t20
#MithaliRaj #T20 #ECB #Bangladesh #Indianwomen #CricketTeam

PM at EEF
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Plenary Session at the 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), said India will give a line of credit worth USD 1 billion for the development of the Far East.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21402-pm-at-eef
#PM #EEF #NarendraModi #ActEast #FEFU #Gandhi #Russia

IoE status to 5 public institutions
The HRD Ministry on 5 September 2019, awarded Institution of Eminence (IoE) status to five public institutions including Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, University of Hyderabad, IIT-Madras and IIT-Kharagpur.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21401-ioe-status-to-5-public-institutions
#IoE #IITMadras #budget #Hyderabad #InstitutionsofEminence

Mysterious colourful lights spotted
NASA’s NuSTAR space observatory has captured extremely bright sources of X-ray light that appeared as bright blue and green spots. However, these colourful blobs disappeared days later.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21400-mysterious-colourful-lights-spotted
#Mysterious #NuSTAR #NASA #ULX #LEOStar #brightblue #greenspots

India's Position in gold reserves
India has pipped the Netherlands to move into the list of top ten countries in terms of total gold reserves.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21399-india-s-position-in-gold-reserves
#India #Netherlands #WorldGoldCouncil #IMF #GoldPrices

Peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan
India and Russia supported all efforts for an inclusive peace and reconciliation in war-torn Afghanistan. Addressing a joint press meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “India wants to see a Afghanistan which is safe, stable, peaceful, independent, undivided and democratic.”
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21398-peace-and-reconciliation-in-afghanistan
#Afghanistan #NarendraModi #JCPOA #VladimirPutin #Russia

Global Liveability Ranking 2019
One of Pakistan’s cities — Karachi — has been ranked among one of the least liveable cities on the earth. On the other hand, national capital Delhi does not even feature in the top 100 cities to live in, according to a recent report by the Economist Intelligence Unit titled Global Liveability Ranking 2019.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21397-global-liveability-ranking-2019
#Karachi #GlobalLiveability #Ranking2019 #Pakistan #EIU

Black hole is ‘physically impossible’
Space scientists are analysing the signals provided by Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo interferometer that provide details of a big black hole which is so huge that until now has been thought to be physically impossible.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21396-black-hole-is-physically-impossible
#Blackhole #LIGO #physicallyimpossible #Virgo

No Aryan invasion over South Asia
A latest study by a team of archaeologists has busted the previously believed theories that all South Asians have an Aryan ancestry.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21410-no-aryan-invasion-over-south-asia
#SouthAsia #Aryan #DNA #Haryana #BCE #Zagrosmountains

TSENTR 2019
Even as the relationship between India and Pakistan continues to remain tense, the armies of the two nations will take part in a multi-national military exercise in Russia next week – China will also take part in the exercise.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21409-tsentr-2019
#TSENTR2019 #Pakistan #VOSTOK2018 #India #JammuandKashmir

Soft landing of Vikram
The crucial landing of ‘Vikram’, Chandrayaan-2’s moon lander, will be carried out by at least eight onboard equipment in a coordinated manner.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21408-soft-landing-of-vikram
#Vikram #Chandrayaan2 #Pragyaan #LHDAC #LASA #ISRO #NASA

India to host 6th India-China SED
India will host the 6th India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) that will focus on collaboration between two countries on areas of infrastructure, energy, high-tech, resource conservation, pharmaceuticals an policy coordination.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21407-india-to-host-6th-india-china-sed
#SED #India #NDRC #RajivKumar #NITIAayog #infrastructure

Volcanic eruption set off a phytoplankton bloom
The eruption last year of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii produced the equivalent of 320,000 Olympic-size swimming pools of lava. Much of it ended up flowing into the Pacific Ocean, creating plumes of acidic, glassy steam in the process.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21406-volcanic-eruption-set-off-a-phytoplankton-bloom
#Hawaii #Volcanic #phytoplankton #Olympic

Vikram lander located
The news of Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander being located on the lunar surface by ISRO on 8 September 2019 has lent a ray of hope among Indians of the space agency re-establishing contact with the module.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21424-vikram-lander-located
#Vikram #ISRO #Chandrayaan2s #Vikramlander #Indiantricolour

Govt to roll out UDAY 2.0
The government is in the process of rolling out a new tariff policy and UDAY 2.0 to address the issue of losses of discoms, which is the “only difficulty” in ensuring round the clock electricity supply for all, Power Minister R K Singh said.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21423-govt-to-roll-out-uday-2-0
#UDAY2.0 #tariffpolicy #RKSingh #PowerMinister #PRAAPTIportal

First greenfield industrial smart city
Prime Minister said the ambitious Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC) was not merely being developed as a ‘smart industrial city’, but would be a pulsating centre of the country’s industrial activity in the near future.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21422-first-greenfield-industrial-smart-city
#smartcity #AURIC #AurangabadIndustrialCity #greenfieldindustrial

Pakistan, China discuss Kashmir issue
Pakistan and China on 8 September 2019 discussed the Kashmir issue and underlined the need to settle disputes in the region through dialogue on the basis of mutual respect and equality,
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21421-pakistan-china-discuss-kashmir-issue
#Pakistan #WangYis #Beijing #Kashmirissue #UNCharter

Joint Panel for FTA
India and the 10-member bloc of South-East Asian nations have decided to review their free trade agreement (FTA) in goods that was signed in 2009.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21446-joint-panel-for-fta
#FTA #JointPanel #ASEAN #RCEP #Indianindustry #PiyushGoyal

Healthcare’s climate footprint
India figures among the top ten countries that account for 75 per cent of global healthcare climate footprint, according to a report released by Health Care Without Harm, an international NGO, in collaboration with Arup.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21445-healthcare-s-climate-footprint
#Healthcare #footprint #GHG #NGO #greenhouse #gas

UN refuses to interfere on Kashmir issue
A day after India and Pakistan had a face-off at the 42nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on 11 September 2019 expressed concern on the potential escalation between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue and appealed to both sides to solve it through dialogue.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21444-un-refuses-to-interfere-on-kashmir-issue
#Kashmir #Pakistan #ImranKhan #UNSC #Article370 #UNHRC #NarendraModi

A rare Harvest Moon
This 13 September 2019, a full moon will be visible in the sky, which will be the first time in nearly 20 years that it will coincide with the 13th September 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21443-a-rare-harvest-moon
#Harvest #Moon #NationalGeographic #HarvestMoon #fullmoon

India gets tactical advantage in the Doklam
Ahead of the India-China informal summit later this month, India has opened up an alternate road which will make it easy for the Indian forces to move faster than before in the Doklam area.
Read Here: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21629-india-gets-tactical-advantage-in-the-doklam.html
#India #Doklam #LAC #BRO #JNU #LAC #BRDB

Mizoram rejects Forest Act amendment
The Mizoram government has rejected the Centre’s proposal to amend the “anti-indigenous people” Indian Forest Act, 1927, as its provisions are in conflict with the special provisions the State enjoys under Article 371G of the Constitution.
Read Here: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21628-mizoram-rejects-forest-act-amendment.html
#Mizoram #ForestAct #amendment #Article371G #MNF #JFMC

Army inducts 'tank killers’
Indian infantry soldiers now finally have a new weapon to destroy advancing enemy tanks on the western front with Pakistan.
Read Here: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21627-army-inducts-tank-killers.html
#Army #tankkillers #ATGMs #Pakistan #DRDO #PSU

India's first corporatised train
Chief minister Aditya Nath Yogi flagged off the first corporatised train of Indian Railways, Tejas express, from Lucknow Junction station's cabway, on 4 October 2019, to New Delhi.
Read Here: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21626-india-s-first-corporatised-train.html
#India #corporatised #train #AdityaNathYogi #IndianRailways #IRCTC

Old giant continents near Earth’s mantle
The underground rocky continents which are deep inside the Earth might have formed from an ancient magma ocean which got solidified during the starting of the formation of the Earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago, according to a new study.
Read Here: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21625-old-giant-continents-near-earth-s-mantle.html
#Earth #Oldgiant #mantle #AGU #Moon

India slips in GHI 2019
India slipped to 102 position in the 2019 Global Hunger Index featuring 117 countries, behind Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Over one in every five children in India is “wasted” (low weight for height), the highest for any country in the report.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21718-india-slips-in-ghi-2019.html
#India #GHI2019 #GlobalHungerIndex #Pakistan #WeltHungerHilfe

WIPO report on patent
China accounted for nearly half of global patent filings last year, with a record 1.54 million applications, led by telecoms and computer technology, the U.N.'s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said on 16 October 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21717-wipo-report-on-patent.html
#WIPO #IP #China #Organization #telecoms

India halved its poverty rate
India has halved its poverty rate since the 1990s and achieved a seven plus growth rate over the last 15 years, the World Bank said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21716-india-halved-its-poverty-rate.html
#India #IMF #WorldBank #GDP #InternationalMonetaryFund

UNICEF Report on malnutrition
Malnutrition caused 69 per cent of deaths of children below the age of five in India, according to a UNICEF report released. In its report — The State of the World’s Children 2019, UNICEF said that every second child in that age group is affected by some form of malnutrition.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21735-unicef-report-on-malnutrition.html
#UNICEF #malnutrition #NNM #POSHAN #India


FATF retains Pakistan in Grey List
International terror financing watchdog FATF on 18 October 2019 retained Pakistan on the Grey List and warned the country of action for its failure in combating money laundering and terror financing.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21734-fatf-retains-pakistan-in-grey-list.html
#FATF #Pakistan #GreyList #FinancialAction #TaskForce

BREXIT deal sealed
The long-awaited BREXIT deal has finally been sealed but it is too early to draw inferences on its implications on India as the minutes of the deal have not yet been disclosed.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21733-brexit-deal-sealed.html
#BREXIT #India #BorisJohnson #EuropeanUnion

Global Tuberculosis Report 2019
The Global Tuberculosis Report 2019 cites that nearly 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis (TB) each year. The report categorically establishes that TB is one of the top 10 causes of death, ranking above HIV/ AIDS.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21732-global-tuberculosis-report-2019.html
#GTR #GlobalTuberculosisReport2019 #HIV #AIDS #MDR #HBC

Insight lander starts digging
NASA’s InSight lander has dug nearly 2 centimetres (3/4 of an inch) into the surface of Mars with the help of its heat probe called “the mole”, the US space agency has announced.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21731-insight-lander-starts-digging.html
#NASA #Mars #Martiansoil #HP3 #spacecraft #redplanet

Kartarpur agreement
The Ministry of External Affairs on 21 October 2019 said that the government is ready to sign the Kartarpur agreement on October 23 so that the corridor can be opened on November 12.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21760-kartarpur-agreement.html
#Kartarpur #Kartarpuragreement #ExternalAffairs #Pakistan

First illuminated image of Moon’s surface
ISRO’s Chandrayaan 2 has started capturing the lunar surface and has sent stunning pictures of illuminated surface of the Moon.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21759-first-illuminated-image-of-moon-s-surface.html
#illuminatedimage #Moonssurface #IIRS #Chandrayaan2


China unveils new commercial carrier rockets
China has unveiled its new generation of commercial carrier rockets which could carry up to 1.5 tonne payload as it gears up to compete with India to attract the lucrative global space launch market.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21758-china-unveils-new-commercial-carrier-rockets.html
#Chinaunveils #rockets #SmartDragon #SD #LaunchVehicleTechnology

Only Indian city in the world's richest list
India’s Financial capital Mumbai is among 20 of the world’s richest cities, making it the only Indian candidate in the list.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21757-only-indian-city-in-the-world-s-richest-list.html
#Indiancity #MukeshAmbani #NewWorldWealth #Mumbai

Dharma Guardian 2019
The second edition of bilateral annual military ‘Exercise Dharma Guardian – 2019’ between Indian and Japan Army commenced on 19 October 2019 at the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) at Vairengte in Mizoram.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21751-dharma-guardian-2019.html
#DharmaGuardian #CIJWS #JGSDF #JapanArmy #PKhngsai

Common payment system
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, a group of major emerging economies known as BRICS, back the idea of developing a common payment system, a Russian official said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21999-common-payment-system.html
#RDIF #BRICS #G20 #SouthAfrica #India #KirillDmitriev

ICC approves probe for Rohingya
The International Criminal Court approved a full investigation into Myanmar's alleged crimes against the Rohingya, as the southeast Asian nation faced mounting legal pressure worldwide over their fate.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21998-icc-approves-probe-for-rohingya.html
#ICC #Myanmar #ICJ #AungSanSuuKyi #genocide #Rohingya

Rules under insolvency law notified
The government on 15 November 2019 notified rules under the insolvency law to deal with resolution of financial service providers, excluding banks.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21997-rules-under-insolvency-law-notified.html
#insolvency #CIRP #FSPs #Bankruptcy #Rules #FinancialServiceProviders

UNICEF report
India had the second-highest number of deaths of children under the age of five in 2018 due to pneumonia, a curable and preventable disease that claimed the life of one child every 39 seconds globally, according to a new report by the UN.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21996-unicef-report.html
#UNICEF #Nigeria #India #ChildhoodPneumonia #UHC #Pakistan #Congo

Committee for liabilities between J&K, Ladakh
The Centre has constituted a three-member committee for division of assets and liabilities of Jammu and Kashmir between two successor Union territories, which came into existence on October 31.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21995-committee-for-liabilities-between-j-k-ladakh.html
#ICAS #Article370 #AjayKumar #liabilities #Ladakh #AnandSharma

Longest UN climate talks end
Marathon international climate talks ended on 15 December 2019 with negotiators postponing until next year a key decision on how to regulate global carbon markets.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22345-longest-un-climate-talks-end.html
#COP25 #LongestUN #climatetalks #Madrid #Glasgow #greenhousegas

India in CCPI 2020
India is among the top 10 nations as per the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) which is based parameters like renewable power and energy use efficiency, Power Minster R K Singh said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22344-india-in-ccpi-2020.html
#CCPI2020 #India #RKSingh #COP #NDCs #CCPI

Khyber Pass economic agreement
Pakistan and the World Bank has signed a project agreement worth $406.6 million for financing the Khyber Pass Economic Corridor (KPEC) project with an aim to promote economic development.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22343-khyber-pass-economic-agreement.html
#Khyber #KPEC #WorldBank #Pakistan

MCA's 2019 Review
In its year-end review, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) on 15 December 2019 mentioned the various steps it undertook in 2019 for ease of doing business and creating a robust insolvency framework.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22342-mca-s-2019-review.html
#MCA #SPICe #NCLT #CCI #DVRs #WorldBank #GreenChannel #Amendment

Draft guidelines to treat rare genetic diseases
In a bid to attract the pharmaceutical industry for pooling investments in drugs for treating rare diseases, country’s apex research body Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has come up with national guidelines for gene therapy related clinical trials.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22341-draft-guidelines-to-treat-rare-genetic-diseases.html
#ICMR #PID #CDSCO #NDCTR #India #CAGR #orphandrug

India in Gender Gap Report
India is 112th among nations ranked in terms of the gap between genders, and it was among the bottom five for women's health and survival and economic participation, said an annual survey on 17 December 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22363-india-in-gender-gap-report.html
#India #GenderGapReport #WEF #Pakistan #GGR

'Make in India' success of BrahMos
The Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was on 17 December 2019 test-fired successfully from an Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22362-make-in-india-success-of-brahmos.html
#BrahMos #MakeinIndia #DRDO #MTCR #LCA #NPO #IndianAirForce

Minority status based on state-wise population
The Supreme Court on 17 December 2019 dismissed a petition challenging the validity of the Centre’s 26-year-old notification according minority status to five communities — Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis, saying religion must be considered pan-India.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22361-minority-status-based-on-state-wise-population.html
#Minority #BRGavai #PIL #BJP #Muslims #SupremeCourt

Indian receive prestigious UN medal
About 850 Indian peacekeepers serving in South Sudan have been awarded the prestigious UN medal for their service and contribution to building peace in the strife-torn nation and supporting the local communities.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22360-indian-receive-prestigious-un-medal.html
#Indian #UNMISS #UNmedal #SouthSudan #UNM #Kodok

Interest Subvention Scheme for MSME
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari approved changes in the Interest Subvention Scheme guidelines for micro, small and medium enterprises, and said the modifications are expected to boost their productivity through access to credit at reduced cost.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22359-interest-subvention-scheme-for-msme.html
#MSME #NitinGadkari #ISS #UAN #NarendraModi #GST

Chandrayaan-3 announced
ISRO on 1 January 2020 announced that the launch of country's third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3 may happen next year and said four from the Indian Air Force have been selected for the ambitious Gaganyaan programme, whose astronaut training would commence soon in Russia.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22549-chandrayaan-3-announced.html
#Chandrayaan3 #ISRO #JitendraSingh #NASA #Vikram #IndianAirForce

India-Mauritius FTA nears finalisation
The proposed free trade agreement between India and Mauritius is nearing finalisation as both sides have concluded the negotiations for the pact, the commerce ministry said on 1 January 2020.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22548-india-mauritius-fta-nears-finalisation.html
#India #FTA #CECPA #FDI #Africa #finalisation

E-cigarettes decoded
Vitamin E acetate, a chemical used in many E-cigarettes, may be the causative agent for vaping related respiratory diseases, according to a study which strengthens the link between the compound and lung injury.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22547-e-cigarettes-decoded.html
#Ecigarettes #EVALI #CDC #VitaminE #ENDS #BAL

India, Pakistan exchange nuclear installations
Continuing a 29-year unbroken practice, India and Pakistan on 1 January 2020 exchanged a list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral arrangement that prohibits them from attacking each other's atomic facilities.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22546-india-pakistan-exchange-nuclear-installations.html
#India #nuclear #Pakistan #installations #Attack

Sea Guardians-2020
China and Pakistan on January 14 concluded a nine-day mega naval exercise during which they carried out advance-level joint drills and naval maneuvers in the North Arabian Sea.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22637-sea-guardians-2020.html
#SeaGuardians #China #CPEC #IndianNavy #Pakistan

India, Uzbekistan explore PTA
India and Uzbekistan agreed to work towards early conclusion of the Feasibility Study to be jointly conducted by the two sides to begin negotiations for a Preferential Trade Agreement.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22636-india-uzbekistan-explore-pta.html
#India #PTA #SCO #WTO #GSP #Uzbekistan #Kamilov

Iran Nuclear-deal dispute action
Britain, France and Germany have launched action under the Iran nuclear agreement paving the way for possible sanctions in response to Tehran’s attempts to roll back parts of the deal, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22635-iran-nuclear-deal-dispute-action.html
#Iran #Nuclear #Germany #disputemechanism #JosepBorrell


First ever ethnic group in US census
Sikhs in the US will be counted as a separate ethnic group in the 2020 census, an organisation of the minority community said, describing it as a milestone. President of the Sikh Society of San Diego Baljeet Singh said that the Sikh community's efforts have come to fruition.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22634-first-ever-ethnic-group-in-us-census.html
#US #census #Sikhs #BaljeetSingh #SikhsOfAmerica

Oldest solid material on Earth discovered
Scientists have discovered the oldest solid material ever found on the Earth, in the form of stardust trapped inside a meteorite that crashed into Australia 50 years ago and predates the formation of our solar system.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22633-oldest-solid-material-on-earth-discovered.html
#Earth #Australia #PNAS #Chicago #galaxy #babyboom

SC refuses plea for minority status
The Supreme Court 20 February 2020 refused to entertain a plea seeking to define the word 'minority' and laying of guidelines to accord minority status based on state-wise population of a particular community.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22921-sc-refuses-plea-for-minority-status.html
#SC #minority #Articles29 #VikasSingh #RFNariman

Pakistan retained on grey list of FATF
Pakistan has been retained on the “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for another four months, with a stern warning from the global watchdog that met in Paris (February 19-21) to complete the 27-point action plan it has been given by June 2020 or face being put on the “black list”.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22920-pakistan-retained-on-grey-list-of-fatf.html
#Pakistan #FATF #UNSC #greylist #blacklist

Agreement on violence cut pact
The United States and the Taliban will sign an agreement on Feb. 29 at the end of a week long period of violence reduction in Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Taliban said on 21 February 2020.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22919-agreement-on-violence-cut-pact.html
#Agreement #violence #GMT #IEA #RIV #Afghanistan

Watch: India ranks 85 in corruption perception index of 2021 #corruptionindex #indiaincorruption #india
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtTYkVnL6UE

Watch: India ranks 85 in corruption perception index of 2021 #corruptionindex #indiaincorruption #india
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtTYkVnL6UE&list=PLCUwtp5IghZlGtWhDAkuXVFs8MLdVey75&index=45
#UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

Today's Headlines - 28 July 2023
Kargil Vijay Diwas
GS Paper - 2 (Polity)

Leaders across India’s political spectrum paid their tributes to India’s armed forces and the fallen martyrs on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas. The Kargil war was imposed on India. At that time, India had tried to solve the issues with Pakistan through talks. During Operation Vijay, the Indian Army sent a message not only to Pakistan but to the whole world that when it comes to our national interests, our Army will not back down at any cost.

The Kargil War

The Kargil War officially ended on 26 July 1999, with the eviction of the last remaining Pakistani troops and infiltrators from positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC).
The conflict was triggered when infiltrators from Pakistan crossed the LoC and occupied high positions in Ladakh’s Kargil district.
The infiltrators were initially thought to be jihadis. But over the first few weeks, as the sheer scale of the invasion came to light, the role of the Pakistani state became undeniable.
Between mid-May and July, the Indian forces slowly recaptured critical positions from the Pakistanis, in the face of heavy casualties and numerous strategic and logistic difficulties, culminating with the Army announcing the complete withdrawal of all Pakistani regular and irregular troops from Kargil on 26 July 2023.
Indian casualties at the end of the War stood at 527 dead, 1,363 wounded and 1 PoW (Fl Lt K Nachiketa, whose MiG-27 was shot down during a strike operation).

Challenging conditions

The Kargil War posed multiple challenges to the Indian armed forces. On one hand, were the enemy infiltrators, well armed and supported by non-stop shelling by Pakistan artillery from across the border. On the other, were the conditions of Kargil itself.
Kargil is located at the northern edge of the LoC some 200 km northeast of Srinagar and 230 km west of Leh.
While the town of Kargil is itself at an altitude of 2,676 m (8,780 ft), Dras lies at a height of 3,300 m (10,800 ft) and the surrounding peaks rise to altitudes of 4,800 m (16,000 ft) to 5,500 m (18,000 ft).
These are extremely high altitudes, which cause severe physiological effects on the human body while also posing logistical and strategic challenges.

How the Army conquered Kargil’s conditions

The initial stages of the War taught some valuable lessons, as both the Army and the Air Force discovered that it was unprepared for such high-altitude combat at this scale.
Many soldiers suffered from altitude sickness which event caused a few casualties. The lack of equipment for fighting in such cold weather was another challenge.
On the other hand, the terrain and Pakistan’s constant shelling on the crucial NH 1A caused major logistical challenges.
Eventually, the Army modified its methods to overcome these challenges. Units initiated acclimatisation and training programs to better prepare the soldiers for the conditions.
Better cold-weather equipment was procured (though the Army remained lacking in this regard throughout the War).
Techniques for high-altitude assault were further honed. Instead of daytime frontal attacks, assaults increasingly featured small groups scaling near-vertical terrain.

#upsc #news #todayheadline #kargil #vijaydiwas #polity #pakistan #ladakh #indian #forces #loc #physiological #strategic #army #war #logistical #equipment

Today's Headlines - 01 August 2023
Key takeaways of WMO report
GS Paper - 3 (Environment)

According to a new report, released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Asia is the world’s most disaster-prone region and it experienced 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters in 2022. These events directly affected more than 50 million people with about 5,000 getting killed and economic damage worth $ 36 billion, the report added. Although, in 2021, the continent had been affected by around 100 natural disasters, the extent of these hazards was more prominent in 2022 — the number of people and facilities affected, and economic damage has increased.

What are the key takeaways from the report?

According to the report, while the mean temperature over Asia in 2022 was about 0.72 degree Celsius above the 1991–2020 average, it was about 1.68 degree Celsius above the 1961–1990 average.
This rise in temperatures has had some severe fallouts, including an uptick in the occurrence of extreme weather events.
For instance, droughts ravaged numerous parts of Asia in 2022. China particularly suffered the most as last year, the Yangtze River Basin, located in the country’s southwest, experienced the worst drought in the last six decades.
This not only affected crops and vegetation, as well as the drinking water supply but also caused an economic loss of about $ 7.6 billion.
Many other regions were hit by severe floods and extreme monsoon rainfalls. Pakistan is the most notable example – it received 60 percent of normal total monsoon rainfall within just three weeks of the start of the 2022 monsoon season, and the heavy rains resulted in urban and flash floods, landslides, and glacial lake outburst floods across the country.
More than 33 million people were affected, over 1,730 people died and almost eight million people were displaced, according to the report.
Apart from natural disasters, climate change has exacerbated glaciers melting in Asia due to high temperatures and dry conditions.
Four glaciers in the High Mountain Asia region, centred on the Tibetan Plateau, have recorded significant mass losses, with an accelerating trend since the mid-1990s.
At the same time, these four glaciers show an overall weaker cumulative mass loss than the average for the global reference glaciers during the period 1980–2022.
Even thesea surface temperatures in Asia are getting warmer than ever before. The report pointed out that in the north-western Arabian Sea, the Philippine Sea and the seas east of Japan, the warming rates have exceeded 0.5 degree Celsius per decade since the 1980s. It is about three times faster than the global average surface ocean warming rate.

India in report

In India, heavy rainfalls “lasting from May to September triggered multiple landslides and river overflows and floods, resulting in casualties and damage”.
In total, this flooding resulted in over 2,000 deaths and affected 1.3 million people — the disaster event caused the highest number of casualties of any disaster event in 2022 in India.
The report also said economic loss due to disasters relating to floods exceeded the average for the 2002–2021 period. Pakistan incurred a loss of over $ 15 billion, followed by China, over $ 5 billion, and India, over $ 4.2 billion.
Another extreme weather event that became a mainstay in Asia last year was heat waves.
The report noted that India and Pakistan experienced “abnormally warm conditions” in the pre-monsoon season (March–May), the report mentioned. China, Hong Kong and Japan also saw the mercury rising to record high levels in 2022.

#upsc #news #headline #WMO #report #enviroment #world #meteorological #organization #disasters #economic #temperature #asia #china #yangtze #river #basin #country #rainfalls #monsoon #pakistan #tibetan #plateau #mountain #celsius #arabian #sea #philippine #japan #glaciers

Iran Air Strike On Pakistan | S Jaishankar Iran Visit | Current Affairs For UPSC | Mustafa Ali Shah

https://youtu.be/JJ-cS27dEXU?si=0wSFk3mpdTENcYlj