GS-III

ISRO stops Chandrayaan-2 countdown 56 minutes before scheduled lift-off India’s ambitious second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, suffered a temporary setback in the early hours of Monday, with the launch of the rocket being aborted 56 minutes before the scheduled lift-off. The mission was aimed at putting a rover on the moon’s …

Overfishing, plastic pollution pose threat to their populations Sharks — the sea’s top predators for millions of years — are at risk of disappearing from the Mediterranean as overfishing and plastic pollution choke populations of the endangered hunters, conservationists have warned. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said that more than …

Globally, losses from malicious software rose by 60% last year to $8 bn, according to latest data Services in the U.S. cities of Baltimore and Maryland were paralysed earlier this year when a ransomware attack locked up computer networks and made it impossible for residents to make property transactions or …

Orchids of India: A Pictorial Guide, which was published recently, puts the total number of species endemic to India at 388 The Botanical Survey of India has come up with the first comprehensive census of orchids of India putting the total number of orchid species or taxa to 1,256. Orchids …

Good diet, adequate exercise could make a big difference: study A healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia even in the presence of genes that raise the risk for these mind-destroying diseases, says a study. People with high genetic risk and poor health …

Policy must evolve over years and not change things overnight, say analysts The Union government’s push for electric vehicles (EV) in the Budget and the Economic Survey may adversely impact the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) auto industry, which is already under stress, in the medium to long term. The two …

be enough for admission to MD/MS programmes In a relief to medical students aspiring to pursue postgraduate courses, the Union Health Ministry has proposed to do away with NEET-PG and use the final MBBS examination for admission to MD and MS programmes. The amendment has been incorporated in the revised …

Punishment for murder attempt A 32-year-old doctor has been ordered by the Supreme Court to plant 100 trees in the next one year as punishment for attempting to commit murder at the age of 16. Solemen S.K., a doctor practising at Murshidabad in West Bengal, was sentenced to three years’ …

However, Mr. Goyal made it clear that the procurement of propulsion equipment or complete trains should be done in accordance with the ‘Make in India’ policy. The move follows a row over India’s first semi-high-speed Train 18 or Vande Bharat Express and the decision to stop production of the train …

Earns SC’s ire for excessive litigation While the debate continues over taxing disability pension for military personnel and assurances by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to look into the matter, information provided under the Right to Information (RTI) Act shows that between 2013 and July 2018, the Defence Ministry paid about …