GS-III

Violent flares from the host star may make planets orbiting it uninhabitable by affecting their atmospheres, scientists using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found. Hubble is observing such stars through a large programme called HAZMAT — Habitable Zones and M dwarf Activity across Time, NASA said in a statement. “M …

The government is likely to appoint a new chief economic advisor (CEA) in the next one or two months, sources said. A search committee appointed by the finance ministry is expected to finalise the list of suitable candidates soon and appointment is likely in 1-2 months, they said further. The …

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has opposed the move to have an independent Payments Regulatory Board (PRB) as envisaged by the draft proposal for amendments to the Payment & Settlement Systems Act, 2007. In a dissenting note to the Inter-Ministerial Committee for finalisation of amendments, the RBI said, “There …

Pakistan said on Friday that India’s decision to buy S-400 missile defence system from Russia will further destabilise stability in the region and renewed the arms race. In a statement, the Foreign Office said the Indian purchase was part of its efforts to acquire a Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) System …

China is planning to launch its own ‘artificial moon’ by 2020 to replace streetlamps and lower electricity costs in urban areas, state media reported Friday. Chengdu, a city in southwestern Sichuan province, is developing “illumination satellites” which will shine in tandem with the real moon, but are eight times brighter, …

The United Nations has launched a strategy to deal with workplace mental health issues and the well-being of its staff. UN staff struggling with anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder have reported feeling isolated and ashamed, with no one to turn to for help, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. Noting …

State-of-the-art sensors that can measure stress levels, mood, posture, performance and even smell took centre stage at Asia’s top high-tech fair in Tokyo. The big-screen TVs and entertainment systems that were all the rage 10 years ago at the CEATEC fair have gradually been replaced by tiny sensors that accurately …

Egyptians practised fish farming more than 3,500 years ago, the earliest evidence of such activity worldwide according to a joint German-Israeli study released on Tuesday. Scientists studied 100 fish teeth found at archaeological sites across modern-day Israel to conclude they had been plucked from a lagoon in Egypt’s Sinai thousands …

After bees and birds, insects and other arthropods have also suffered massive losses, a study from a Puerto Rico forest published on Monday showed, citing the impact of climate change. Measuring the population of arthropods, which includes insects, caterpillars, and spiders, is not simple but one method is to place …

Facebook said on Wednesday that it was reviving the pioneering MTV reality show The Real World as its secret weapon to lure viewers away from YouTube. The social media giant said it was also trying to harness the formidable online power of the “cute kitten” factor with a new show …

Supported by strong performance by its petrochemicals, retail and Jio businesses, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) reported 17.4% growth in consolidated net profit at Rs. 9,516 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2018, as compared to Rs. 8,109 crore for the same period last year. During the period, the …

A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to the Centre and the city government to act on starvation deaths, especially of children, in various parts of the country, including the national capital. The plea, moved by a lawyer, said that starvation deaths and malnutrition …

The Zika virus behind the ongoing outbreak in Rajasthan is closely related to the virus that caused the Brazilian outbreak, according to Balram Bhargava, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Dr. Bhargava told The Hindu that the National Institute of Virology (NIV) had fully sequenced the …

Kuligod in Karnataka’s Belagavi district is the country’s best developed village, but more than a third of the gram panchayats ranked in the top 10 are in Andhra Pradesh, according to the findings of an ongoing Rural Development Ministry survey. With multiple panchayats assigned the same score – and thus …

NASA’s Chandra X-ray telescope — which observes galaxies from the Earth’s orbit — is back in action after suffering a technical glitch and going into safe mode last week, the U.S. space agency said. The glitch occurred in one of Chandra’s gyroscopes, scientists said. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/nasas-chandra-observatory-back-online-after-brief-shutdown/article25243002.ece

Researchers have found the oldest clue yet to the mystery of animal life in ancient rocks and oils, including those from India, dating back at least 100 million years before the famous Cambrian explosion of animal fossils. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside in the U.S. tracked molecular signs …

The Centre has increased the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF) and other related schemes by 0.4 percentage points to 8% for the October-December quarter. The rate is in line with that for Public Provident Fund. The interest rate on GPF was 7.6% for the July-September quarter of …

India has emerged as the fastest growing low-cost carrier (LCC) market in the world by recording the largest increase (an additional 15.6 million) in departure seats in the first nine months of this year, aviation consulting and research firm Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) said. Indian has also reinforced …

Paul G. Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft who helped usher in the personal computing revolution and then channelled his enormous fortune into transforming Seattle into a cultural destination, died Monday in Seattle. He was 65. The cause was complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, his family said in a statement. The disease …

The imposition of safeguard duty by the government on imported photovoltaic modules and rupee depreciation are estimated to increase the capital cost of solar power projects by 20-25%, according to ICRA. In a report on the wind and solar sectors, ICRA said while bidding activity has remained strong, several key …