GS-III

Rupee slides to a new low vs dollar

Foreign exchange reserves have declined by $23 billion in the last four months, and stood at $402.7 billion as of the week ended August 3, 2018. The weak trend in the global markets along with the fall in the rupee affected investor sentiment in the equity market as well, with …

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Aluminium makers face coal shortage: FIMI

Aluminium makers hit by coal shortage, says FIMI Aluminium makers are facing shortage of coal to run their captive power plants which has hit their refinery and smelting operations adversely, according to the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI). Captive power plants of aluminium makers are not getting coal even …

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NTPC to set up unit for coal mining

State-run power giant NTPC will soon set up a subsidiary to handle its coal mining operations and also plans to enter commercial coal mining after meeting its requirement, an official said. The power sector behemoth also has a plan to list the coal subsidiary subsequently on stock exchanges. “The NTPC …

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‘Steel sector’s growth trend to continue’

Tata Steel Ltd. CEO and MD T.V. Narendran on Wednesday said the steel sector had been witnessing a positive growth and this trend would continue with improving economic activities across the world. Talking to reporters after hoisting the Tricolour on the occasion of the 72nd Independence Day at Tata Steel …

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Tea exports to China, Pak. rise

India shipped larger quantities of tea to two neighbouring countries — China and Pakistan — in the first half of 2018, when overall tea exports increased to 112.1 million kg, from 107.1 million kg in the year earlier period. According to data with the Tea Board, total earnings between January …

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‘Earth to stay extremely hot until 2022’

Manmade global warming and a natural surge in Earth’s surface temperature will join forces to make the next five years exceptionally hot, according to a study published on Tuesday. The double whammy of climate change and so-called natural variability more than doubles the likelihood of “extreme warm events” in ocean …

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Should coffee carry cancer warnings?

That undisputed fact led a Los Angeles judge to rule this spring that coffee companies must provide cancer warnings to coffee drinkers. The ruling cast a shadow on a daily and often essential rite for millions of people around the world. But now, the state of California has intervened, telling …

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In China, rainbow trout gets a new name: salmon

When Chinese state TV accidentally revealed much of the “salmon” sashimi eaten in the country was actually rainbow trout, domestic fish farmers faced a crisis of consumer confidence. After fishing for a solution, they came up with an idea: to officially deem the rainbow trout a type of salmon. Over …

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Seeking help on social media

Social media was flooded with distress calls from stranded people as well as videos of swirling waters taking over homesteads, roads and riverbanks. The personnel of the Army, the National Disaster Response Force, the State police and the Revenue Department had a tough time reaching out to the people marooned …

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Retail inflation slows to 9-month low at 4.17%

‘Moderate food inflation to continue till MSP impact hits’ Retail inflation eased to a nine-month low of 4.17% in July as food inflation cooled to its lowest level since July 2017, according to official data released on Monday. Inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) slowed from the 4.92% …

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Google to livestream Modi speech

Prasar Bharati wants Independence Day event to gain greater visibility Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech will be live-streamed on the Google homepage. Google had done a similar thing during Donald Trump’s inaugural address in January 2017. When you go to Google search page and search for Independence Day, …

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