GS-III

New Delhi feels that Beijing will focus on food security by diversifying imports in view of trade war As the trade war with the United States continues to bite — with only a slim chance that the world’s two biggest economies can go past a possible truce — China appears …

The extent of independence of the ratings committee and quality of analysis warrant close watch The IL&FS saga has brought the spotlight back on credit ratings agencies for all wrong reasons. The last time such a situation arose was in late 2015, when auto ancillary company Amtek Auto defaulted on …

Tatas seem keen on Jet, due diligence may be over: analysts A deal to acquire Jet Airways may be in the making, now that Tata Sons has clarified that it is holding preliminary discussions with Jet Airways for a possible investment in one of India’s once-high-flying airlines. Analysts expect an …

To meet the government halfway, the RBI may take some steps to boost loans to the MSME sector that had been badly hit by the demonetisation exercise, and which the government is keen to support in an election year. However, it is to be seen how much RBI can do, …

Too young to fend for themselves, the year-old siblings will have to be captured and studied before a decision on their relocation is taken Maharashtra is faced with the question of how to rehabilitate the two year-old cubs of Avni, the alleged man-eating tigress of Pandharkwada, who was killed on …

Easing of PCA framework on the cards at board meeting The Union government may not invoke Section 7 of the RBI Act to issue directions to the central bank, in a bid to reduce the tension between North Block and Mint Road, sources privy to the government’s thinking told The …

Fixing them is more profitable to companies than relaunching new ones Imagine an airport where thousands of planes, empty of fuel, are left abandoned on the tarmac. That is what has been happening for decades with satellites that circle the Earth. When satellites run out of fuel, they can no …

The 0.7 m GROWTH-India telescope at the Indian Astronomical Observatory located in Hanle, Ladakh, has made its first science observation which is a follow-up study of a nova explosion. Novae are explosive events involving violent eruptions on the surface of white dwarf stars, leading to temporary increase in brightness of …

The IWAI contended that clearance was not necessary, as the proposed terminal at Varanasi was not a “port” and that only “maintenance dredging” was required. This activity was required to make an existing channel suitable, and was not a greenfield, dredging effort. Therefore, as per the provisions of the Environment …

The Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) meets every month to discuss inspection reports of banks and systemically important financial entities, and other routine issues of supervision. The Board now has 18 members, inclusive of the Governor and four Deputy Governors and two top bureaucrats from …

The result of a U.P. Forest Department and Wildlife SOS collaboration, the modern facility will treat treat injured, sick and geriatric elephants India’s elephants now have their first dedicated hospital near the Taj Mahal, complete with wireless digital X-Ray, laser treatment and dental X-ray facilities. The ‘jumbo’ hospital is the …

Before dawn breaks, K.C. Rekha, a 45-year-old mother of four, sits alone untangling a mass of nylon fishing nets on the Chettuva beach, a fishing village at Chavakkad in Thrissur district of Kerala. Her seawater-creased, tanned fingers finish the task before her husband, P. Karthikeyan, arrives for their voyage to …

The first reactor of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), which was stopped on August 1 for the mandatory third annual fuel outage, resumed power generation at 12.35 p.m. on Saturday. The loading of fuel and associated maintenance work were completed in 108 days. After the reactor ran for about …

The linking of Rivers Godavari and Cauvery proposed by the Centre will enable Tamil Nadu to get as much as 125 tmc of water, which will go a long way in making the State drought-free one, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said at Mecheri, near here, on Saturday. Speaking at …

India’s longest waterway project, one terminal of which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week, was made possible only after a high-power Committee of Ministers and senior officials from multiple Ministries overruled the recommendations of experts appointed by the Environment Ministry. The latter had recommended public consultations …

Black kites in Delhi actively choose to live near humans, even accepting food that they offer. But the birds perceive people near their nests as potential predators, suggesting that they can react to people based on the context, shows a recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE . In …

By using virus that infects bacteria (bacteriophages), researchers from Panjab University have successfully treated multidrug-resistant bacterial infection in diabetic mouse model. People with diabetes are more prone to fungal and bacterial infections and the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms has worsened the situation. Researchers have been searching for alternative treatment approaches …

The Navy will formally inaugurate the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) later this week. Through this Centre, information on “white shipping”, or commercial shipping, will be exchanged with countries in the region to improve maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean. “The IFC-IOR is established …

In a historic vote, nations on Friday unanimously approved a ground-breaking overhaul to the international system of measurements, uniting together behind new scientific definitions for the kilogram and other units.For more than a century, the kilogram has been defined as the mass of a cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy kept in …

In new research studying how genetic factors determine taste, scientists now believe they know why some humans prefer coffee, while others opt for tea.A paper published this week in the journal Nature Scientific Reports found that people who are genetically predisposed to like more bitter tastes typically choose coffee due …