CONTEXT: Environment and energy ministers of the Group of 20 major economies met this weekend in Karuizawa, northwest of Tokyo, ahead of the G20 summit in Osaka, western Japan, on…
The IPTA meet is a collaboration of radio astronomers from a dozen countries across the globe. The city-based National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) is all set to host the…
CONTEXT: India has decided to impose retaliatory tariffs on 29 goods imported from the U.S. from June 16, 2019 onwards. The tariffs will place a burden of $220-290 million on…
CONTEXT: “Russian sources” stepped up a long-running disinformation campaign against the European Union in a bid to undermine the bloc’s elections last month. The sources used fake social media accounts,…
CONTEXT: Chandrayaan-2, India’s second Moon mission, will be launched on July 15. Chandrayaan-1 mission was launched about 10 years ago. Chandrayaan-2, which will be launched at 2.51 a.m. from Sriharikota,…
CONTEXT: India will build its own space station in low earth orbit to conduct microgravity experiments in space in 5 -7 years. The proposed Indian space station would be much…
People worldwide could be ingesting 5 g of microscopic plastic particles every week, equivalent in weight to a credit card. Coming mostly from tap and especially bottled water, nearly invisible…
CONTEXT: The Athene brama or the Spotted Owlet is one of the most commonly sighted owls in our backyard. It is a nocturnal raptor (a bird of prey) found in…
The animal is believed to have been between two and four years old when it died A first intact head of a gigantic adult wolf which died about 32,000 years…
CONTEXT: Representations of the Earth’s water cycle used in textbooks throughout the world need to be updated, say scientists who have drawn up a new set of diagrams to include…
CONTEXT: The United States had no announcement of a trade action at the moment but continued to raise market access concerns with India, reacting to media reports last week that…
CONTEXT : The Cabinet cleared a fresh bill to ban the practice of instant triple talaq. The bill will be introduced in the Budget session of Parliament to replace an…
CONTEXT: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a high-level six-member committee under IBA Chief Executive V G Kannan. The committee will examine ATM charges and fees by…
CONTEXT: The Union Cabinet approved a MoU on the cooperation between India and Thailand in the field of Astronomy / Astrophysics / Atmospheric Science. The MoU will lead to new…
CONTEXT: The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the international governing body for the sport of athletics, changed it name from IAAF to World Athletics. The members of IAAF council…
CONTEXT: S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo hinted that it was possible to reinstate the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), a programme for preferential access to certain goods markets in…
CONTEXT: The Centre has set a target of providing clean drinking water to all by 2024. In states like UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha, the coverage of…
CONTEXT: The RBI has allowed banks to offer cheque book facility and other services to the no-frills account holders. But they could not ask such account holders to maintain any…
CONTEXT: A UAE businessman linked to a probe of illegal donations to Donald Trump’s political campaign was paid by his country’s intelligence agency to spy on the U.S. President’s administration.…
CONTEXT The V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust, Tuticorin and Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) signed a MoU on 10 June 2019. It will facilitate Direct Port Entry (DPE) of e-sealed factory stuffed…
CONTEXT: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would visit India in June 2019 to forge relations with India. He would outline the US strategy on the Indo-Pacific ahead of his…
CONTEXT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted an invitation to attend the session of the G7 Summit in Biarritz. The 45th summit of the G7 group of countries takes place from…
CONTEXT: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has amended the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964. MHA has empowered district magistrates in all States and Union Territories to set up tribunals to…
CONTEXT In their first meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday after his re-election, Secretaries to the Government of India have been tasked with creating a five-year road map…
CONTEXT India has partnered with Portugal to set up a national maritime heritage museum at Lothal in Gujarat. The Indian Navy will be the stakeholder in the project and the…
CONTEXT German Chancellor Angela Merkel indicated that the European Union would be willing to renegotiate the Brexit deal. Hunt is one of nearly a dozen Conservatives to replace Theresa May…
CONTEXT That the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan before the summit meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is not confirmed yet. The leaders…
CONTEXT Women members of Deccan Development Society (DDS) sanghams have bagged one of the most coveted UN awards — Equator Prize for 2019. DDS sanghams have made a significant contribution…
CONTEXT An experimental antiviral drug, remdesivir, designed to treat Ebola virus disease can effectively help fight off Nipah virus. Remdesivir completely protected four African green monkeys from a lethal dose…
CONTEXT UN's Secretary General Antonio Guterres has praised the India-UN Development Partnership Fund for championing greater prosperity. India is a valued supporter of South-South cooperation. The India-UN Development Partnership Fund…
CONTEXT The second term of Narendra Modi government is likely to place the controversial Triple Talaq Bill in its very first session of Parliament. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights…
CONTEXT L&T Financial Services’ (LTFS) ‘Digital Sakhi’, an educational programme aimed at digital financial inclusion of rural women, was launched in 20 villages of Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu. LTFS…
CONTEXT Renowned scientist and cyclone warning specialist Mrutyunjay Mohapatra was appointed as the chief of India Meteorological Department (IMD) on 4 June 2019. Mr Mohapatra leads the Cyclone Warning Division…
CONTEXT Former Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami has been appointed as an electoral officer for the BCCI's Annual General Meeting. The Committee of Administrators (CoA) had announced that the long-awaited…
Context: China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin hit back at U.S. global economic dominance on Friday as they took the stage together at Russia’s showcase business forum. With China…
Context: U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo will deliver the keynote address on ‘The U.S. and India: An Economic Foundation for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ in Washington D.C. Mr.…
Every day, more than 1 million new cases of curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are detected in people aged 15-49 years, according to latest data released by the World Health…
Context: PM Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Maldives beginning 8 June 2019. The visit is reflective of the new momentum in high-level exchanges between India and…
Context: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will attend the 2-day meeting of G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank governors in Japan on June 8-9, 2019. It is the first overseas visit…
Context: Jagan Mohan Reddy, who took power in Andhra Pradesh, will have a record five Deputy Chief Ministers. He would have five deputies and a full 25- member cabinet, which…
CONTEXT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved changes to the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme forwards of deceased defense personnel under the National Defence Fund. The quota of new scholarships for children…
CONTEXT: National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) data showed that India has 20.6 health workers per 10,000 people. This is less than the World Health Organization's (WHO) minimum overreach of 22.8…
CONTEXT: Flight Lieutenant Mohana Singh became the first IAF woman pilot to become completely operational by day on Hawk advanced jet aircraft. She landed the grueling 4 aircraft combat sortie…
CONTEXT: Telangana was formed on 2nd June in 2014 following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. A number of cultural events, sports, and social events lined up in the state as…
CONTEXT: Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) in its World Health Assembly held in Geneva, had for the first time recognized 'burn out' as a medical condition in its International…
CONTEXT: On May 21, a 34-member panel of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) voted 29-4 in favour of designating a new geological epoch — the Anthropocene. The vote signals the…
CONTEXT: A new species of wasp from the genus Kudakrumia has been recently identified by scientists in Goa. The wasp, Kudakrumia rangnekari, was named after Goa-based researcher Parag Rangnekar. The…
CONTEXT: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad called for talks to resolve the ongoing trade dispute between Washington and Beijing and urged the world to accept China’s technological prowess. The U.S.…
CONTEXT: The US has ruled out giving any exemption from its punitive sanctions to some countries for buying oil from Iran, saying America's maximum pressure campaign was working and the…
CONTEXT: Sri Lanka, Japan, and India signed an agreement to jointly develop the East Container Terminal at the Colombo Port on 28th May. The joint initiative is estimated to cost…
CONTEXT: The External Affairs Ministry says the security situation is gradually returning to normal in the island nation but Indian nationals travelling there need to be careful and vigilant. Indian…
CONTEXT: An eruption of the Mount Agung volcano that spread ash over the south of the Indonesian island. The national disaster agency announced the eruption on Friday night lasted about…
CONTEXT: The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has decided to carry out a comprehensive scientific study involving multiple agencies to ascertain the exact cause behind the frequent fish kills…
CONTEXT: Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an agreement with Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC). It will provide $750 million long-term financing for the Railways Track Electrification Project as part of…
CONTEXT: It is sponsored yearly since 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue. May 24 is observed as National Brother’s Day in the United States to honor the brothers in one’s life.…
CONTEXT: Under the threat of potentially devastating U.S. tariffs on autos, Japan is ready to roll out the newest phase of its charm offensive targeting President Donald Trump as it…
CONTEXT: Longest serving CM of any state Pawan Kumar Chamling-led Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) lost after 25 years to Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) in the state Assembly elections. In the…
CONTEXT: The coach of Kenya’s Olympic track team in 2016, Michael Rotich, has been banned for 10 years for corruption. He asked for $12,000 to give athletes advance notice to…
CONTEXT: Karnataka Bank launched a new savings bank product called 'KBL SB Salary' for salaried class with three variants of Executive, Prime, and Classic. All these 3 variants of KBL…
CONTEXT: High-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX Company launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida on Thursday on a mission to carry the first batch of five dozen small satellites into…
CONTEXT: The National Centre for Coastal Research, an institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, in India, has a field research station in the Gulf of Mannar region, and researchers…
CONTEXT: The Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad has stopped issuing visas to Pakistani nationals for one week. This is a mark of protest as a Bangladeshi diplomat's visa-extension application has…
CONTEXT: Rajasthan Government set to revamp ‘Ujala Clinics’ for adolescents. It will appoint peer educators for counseling the youngsters in order to ensure coordination with other medical and health schemes.…
CONTEXT: Sri Lanka marked 10 years since the end of a decades-long civil war that left more than 100,000 people dead. The United Nations has urged Sri Lanka to investigate…
CONTEXT : PCT Humanity, a charity run by an Indian, in the UAE has entered the Guinness Book of World Records. It got recognised for its hunger relief efforts during…
CONTEXT : Kerala became the first state to tap into masala bond market by listing the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB)’s masala bond in LSE’s International Securities Market (ISM).…
CONTEXT : Austrian far-right Ministers were ready to quit their posts, after the country’s coalition government collapsed over a corruption scandal days before European elections. Conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has…
CONTEXT : S. President Donald Trump on Sunday warned he would destroy Iran if it threatens the U.S. “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of…
CONTEXT : Bandipora youth Mudasir Nazir Wani has been selected for the Asia Youth International Model United Nations (AYIMUN) conference. He was selected from more than 33,000 applicants across the…
CONTEXT : RISAT-2B, the satellite due to be launched before dawn on May 22 from Sriharikota, will mark the resumption of a vital ring of Indian all-seeing radar imaging satellites…
CONTEXT : Saudi Arabia has wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with 'all strength', telling Iran that the ball was now in its court.…
CONTEXT : The study carried out in Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh noted that hornbills, one among the large-sized frugivores, are the top seed dispersers. Sadly, they are also…
CONTEXT : President Donald Trump on Friday announced a deal to lift U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada and Mexico that had created friction between the neighbours…
CONTEXT : The Centre has issued a drought advisory to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, asking them to use water judiciously. The drought advisory is issued…
Bank of India reported a net profit of 252 crore for the quarter ended March 31, compared with a loss of ₹3,969 crore in 2018. The Gross NPA ratio improved…
US President Donald Trump will delay by six months a decision on imposing steep tariffs on imported autos. The decision marks an attempt by Washington to increase pressure ahead of…
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi, which goes to polls, continues to have only one air quality monitoring station, despite being ranked as among the top 3 most polluted cities…
India captain Virat Kohli bagged the International Cricketer and Batsman of the Year award during the CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) International awards 2019. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah was adjudged as International…
Rainfall from the Asian summer monsoon, which influences water availability, ecosystems and agriculture in India, has been decreasing over the past 80 years, according to a study. Man-made atmospheric pollutants…
Groundnuts grown in India have about 55% oleic acid, about 25% linoleic acid and around 10% palmitic acid, whereas in the U.S., several groundnut varieties have 80% oleic acid and…
Low-cost technology developed by IIT Bombay can be used to detect imprints on currency notes, blood cells Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have devised low-cost lenses…
The natural satellite is believed to have gone through a phase when it was composed of molten rock Scientists have said they could be a step closer to solving the…
Pakistan's currency hit an all-time low against the US dollar after it dropped to Rs 148 per dollar in the inter-bank market. The devaluation followed bailout package by the International…
China warned the U.S. on Thursday against further harming trade ties after President Donald Trump effectively barred Chinese telecom giant Huawei from the U.S. market, escalating tensions between the world’s…
Education, language skills to be rewarded in new proposal S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a proposal that will include significant changes to the way green cards are allocated,…
A proposal by India to prevent developed countries from dumping their electronic and plastic waste onto developing countries, was defeated at the recently concluded meeting of the Basel Convention in…
India and the U.S. are cooperating to prevent all forms of terrorism both from land and sea, U.S. Chief of naval operations . The Admiral, who was in India earlier…
The Moon is steadily shrinking, causing wrinkling on its surface and quakes, according to an analysis of imagery captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). A survey of more than…
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development announced a Rs 700-crore venture capital fund for equity investments in agriculture and rural-focused startups. NABARD has been contributing to other funds…
China’s President Xi Jinping debunked the “clash of civilisations” theory, and appealed for harmonious dialogue and coexistence between civilisations. Without naming the U.S., President Xi, in his address at the…
The department ordered “non-emergency U.S. government employees”, at both the Embassy in Baghdad and the Consulate in Irbil, to leave the country. The order applies primarily to full-time diplomats posted…
The Union Environment Ministry has embarked on a project to create DNA profiles of all rhinos in the country. By 2021, the project’s deadline, the Indian rhino could be the…
The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has identified a substation to be upgraded into an unmanned substation- the first of its kind in the city. The 33 (KV)/11…
The parasitic bloom is a variant of a Japanese orchid Discovery has given India one of its smallest orchids in terms of size and duration of bloom to be recorded…
For the first time, researchers have sighted nests of the grizzled giant squirrel at Pakkamalai Reserve Forests near Gingee in the Eastern Ghats. The squirrel is an endangered species listed…
Temperature rise and climate change affect not just some countries but the entire globe, on which all species live- humans, animals, plants, fish, microbes. The Earth and the atmosphere surrounding…
Herpetologists took 12 years to document Smithophis atemporalis, a predominantly aquatic species It’s literally raining reptiles in the Northeast, and the latest to be discovered has a Mizo name that…
Around 180 governments on Friday agreed on a new UN accord to regulate the export of plastic waste, some eight million tonnes of which ends up in the oceans each…
CONTEXT: India has got an invitation from France to attend the outreach Session at the G-7 Summit to be held in France in August 2019. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has…
India’s Esha Singh and Akull Kumar won silver in junior mixed air pistol event in the International Shooting Competition at Hannover, Germany. They secured 5.4 points and defeated by the…
Lakes and ponds, a lifeline for the deer, wild boar, jackals and peacocks, all dried up this summer. A herd of endangered deer wait under the shade of one of…
Unique genetic evolution has helped them as they search for food and mates While people and other vertebrates are colour blind in dim light, some deep-sea fish may possess keen…
For the very first-time scientists carried out a genetic study on people of Lakshadweep Islands. It was conducted by a team of researchers at CSIR's (Council of Scientific & Industrial…
ISRO aims to land Vikram in unexplored lunar south pole. Chandrayaan-2, the lunar lander mission planned to be launched during July 9-16, will have 14 Indian payloads or study devices.…
Finance Ministry told that the country's fiscal deficit at ₹51 trillion at the end of February 2019 had touched 4.52% of the GDP. The government's has pegged its fiscal deficit…
India’s first ‘mega-science’ exhibition ‘Vigyan Samagam’ was inaugurated in Mumbai. It is organised by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the National…
With the eighth position, the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad has been ranked among the top ten best airports in the world. The survey was conducted by AirHelp. The…
Olympia Cyberspace, a unit of the Chennai-based Olympia Group, is coming up with a million square feet greenfield IT park jointly with US Private equity fund Apollo Global, in Guindy.…
Solutions to the biggest threats facing our planet lie underground, according to experts who insist climate change, overpopulation and food shortages can all be tackled by going subterranean. Efforts to…
Monkeypox, a virus similar to the human smallpox which was eradicated in 1980, does not spread easily from person to person, but can in rare cases be fatal. Singapore has…
Amazon going to send a spaceship to the moon, joining a resurgence of lunar interest half a century after people first set foot there. Blue Origin will land a robotic…
The Delhi High Court has waived the cooling-off period for divorce by mutual consent of a woman, from her estranged husband, after she expressed her intention to enter into another…
Navy ships INS Kolkata and Shakti carried out Group Sail with the naval ships of Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. in the South China Sea (SCS) from May 3-9.…
Team of herpetologists hoping to study its diet, breeding pattern and habitat India now has a fifth brown pit viper but with a reddish tinge. A team of herpetologists led…
ECube, an ESG (environment, social and governance) platform announced the appointment of Chandru Badrinarayanan as managing partner. Early this year, Ecube had announced a fundraise of $1 billion jointly with…
India's crude oil imports are set to become expensive as U.S. ends waiver on crude import from Iran India will be hit by the Trump administration's decision to end waivers…
Piramal Enterprises Ltd. and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) have entered into a MoU to co-sponsor a renewable energy-focused Infrastructure Investment Trust. The InvIT would seek to acquire up…
WHO says over 1.35 mn lives lost a year Road accidents are the leading cause of death among people in the 5-29 age-group worldwide with more than 1.35 million lives…
The U.S. Commercial Service will bring more than 100 U.S. companies to India as part of the U.S. BACKGROUND: Department of Commerce’s largest annual trade mission program, Trade Winds. Trade…
Relentless pursuit of economic growth, twinned with the impact of climate change, has put one million species at risk of extinction, as per a report. Known as the Global Assessment,…
The riverbeds of Nagavali and Gostani, in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh. The report notes that China and India head the list of critical hotspots for sand extraction impacts in rivers,…
Following a plea raising concerns over incidents of forest fires in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, the National Green Tribunal has sought a report from the Union Environment…
India and the United States have agreed to strengthen economic co-operation and bilateral trade by ensuring greater collaboration amongst stakeholders, including government, businesses and entrepreneurs. BACKGROUND: A bilateral trade meeting…
In early March, the small set of NewSpace entities in the country sat up in disbelief to see a state-run company taking birth in that name although it did not…
The Finance Ministry has, on the recommendations of the Commerce Ministry, imposed an anti-dumping duty of $1,633.17 per tonne on the import of saccharine from Indonesia. Saccharine is a compound…
Ministry of Electronics & IT, and CSC e- Governance Services India Limited partnered with the IIT Kanpur to upscale ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’. BACKGROUND: 'Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’ is the programme of…
The Department of Mines and Geology has passed an order to tentatively halt sand extraction from the Tunga in the vicinity of the Chibbalagudde fish sanctuary in Tirthahalli taluk. BACKGROUND:…
The move marked a major escalation in trade tensions between the world's two largest economies and a shift in tone from Mr. Trump, who cited progress in talks as recently…
The model can reduce and even replace testing cosmetics on animals Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi have successfully 3D bioprinted human skin models that have certain…
Decreasing monsoon rainfall is associated with natural changes in the subtropical Pacific Ocean. BACKGROUND: Northeast India, one of the wettest places on the Earth has been experiencing rapid drying, especially…
Endobot is a low-cost solution to identify faults and stealthy connections BACKGROUND: At a time when water scarcity pervades many urban centres, it is important to ensure that water being…
The government has again extended its deadline to impose retaliatory import duties on 29 U.S. products, including on almonds, walnuts and pulses, till May 16. A Finance Ministry notification said…
Pakistan has issued an official order to freeze the assets of and impose a travel ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. BACKGROUND: This move comes after the United Nations declared…
A huge peace meeting aimed at finding an exit from Afghanistan's war concluded in Kabul on May 3, 2019. BACKGROUND: A vital first step is an immediate reduction in violence,…
First part of joint exercise, named Varuna, already under way off Goa End of this month, India and France will hold anti-submarine warfare games off Djibouti coast near the Horn…
Of ₹28,000 cr. sanctioned, only ₹6,700 cr. spent till date The National Democratic Alliance government has only finished 10 of the 100 sewage infrastructure projects commissioned after 2015 under the…
A total of 3,000 kg of solid waste has been collected from Mt. Everest, since April 14, 2019, as a part of a campaign launched by Nepal. The campaign seeks…
ISRO chairman K. Sivan addresses a press conference in Bengaluru. The moon landing is likely to be around September 6, 2019, nearly two months after the launch. India’s much-delayed second…
The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved for judgment a batch of petitions challenging the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act of 2018 which nullified a…
A cargo ship transits the Panama Canal on its way to the Atlantic Ocean, while tree trunks that used to be submerged are exposed due to the low water levels…
The mandible is so well preserved that it allows for a virtual reconstruction of the two sides of the mandible. Mirrored parts are in grey. (Picture credit: Jean-Jacques Hublin, MPI-EVA,…
Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar was listed as a designated terrorist by the UN Security Council 1267 Committee on Wednesday. BACKGROUND: Significantly, the reasons for listing did not mention the Pulwama…
Outer space becoming an arena of rivalry between nations. Defence and offensive space technologies are being developed with various aims of spying, gaining control, deactivating service and destroying, French Envoy…
Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has set up a 13 member committee under IRDAI Executive Director Suresh Mathur. It will review the regulatory framework on microinsurance &…
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