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GS-2 4.CHINA AMENDS DEFENCE LAW TO BOOST WAR PREPAREDNESS: China’s National Defence Law has been amended. KEY CHANGES: Gives the Central Military Commission (CMC) greater power in mobilising resources to protect a new and broader definition of what constitutes the national interest. Experts say the phrase “development interests” included the …

GS-3 3.FSSAI SLASHES LIMIT FOR TRANSFAT LEVELS IN FOODS: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped the amount of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats to 3% for 2021 and 2% by 2022 from the current permissible limit of 5% through an amendment to …

GS-3 8.INDUCTION OF INDIGENOUS BRIDGING SYSTEM INTO THE INDIAN ARMY In close coordination with the private industry and DRDO, the Indian Army has inducted three sets of 10-metre short span bridges. IMPORTANT POINTS: The equipment will meet the important requirement of providing mobility to own forces by speedy bridging of …

GS-3 6.CABINET APPROVES INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR NODES AT KRISHNAPATNAM AND TUMAKURU UNDER CBIC SIGNIFICANT POINTS: Cabinet has approved Industrial Corridor nodes at Krishnapatnam and Tumakuruunder Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC). Multi Modal Logistics Hub & Multi Modal Transport Hub (MMTH) at Greater Noida was also approved. The approved proposals have a …

GS-3 2. ATMOSPHERIC AND CLIMATE RESEARCH-MODELLING OBSERVING SYSTEMS AND SERVICES (ACROSS) SIGNIFICANT POINTS: ACROSS scheme pertains to the atmospheric science programs of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). It addresses different aspects of weather and climate services, which includes warnings for cyclone, storm surges, heatwaves, thunderstorms, etc. The ACROSS scheme …

GS-2 4. CLEAR CONNECTION The termination charge for wireless to wireless domestic calls has been zeroed from January 1, 2021 onwards. Until now operators paid Interconnection Usage Charges (IUC) of 6 paise per minute on mobile calls. INTERCONNECTION USAGE CHARGES: Interconnection Usage Charges (IUC) is a charge paid by the …

GS-3 7.MAIDEN FLIGHT TRIAL OF SAHAYAK-NG, AIR DROPPABLE CONTAINER Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘SAHAYAK-NG’ off the coast of Goa. It is India’s first indigenously designed and developed Air Dropped Container from IL 38SD aircraft (Indian Navy) IMPORTANT …

GS-2 3. HEALTH MINISTRY PLANS COMMUNICATION STRATEGY The Union Ministry of Health has come up with an elaborate communication strategy to counter issues arising out of vaccine hesitancy, and ‘eagerness’ among the people. DETAILS: The strategy is structured to guide national, state and district level communication channels. The idea is …

GS-2 1. IFSCA BECOMES MEMBER OF IOSCO The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has become an Associate Member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). ABOUT IOSCO: The IOSCO is the international organization that brings together the world’s securities regulators, covering more than 95% of the world’s securities …

GS-1 5.SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE: Subhash Chandra Bose had unfurled the Tricolour in Port Blair on 30th December, 1943. Bose had arrived in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1943 after Japan handed them over to his Azad Hind government. Japan had captured the islands during the second world war. …

They demand justice for those killed and injured in two weeks of unrest Dressed in black, marching silently and raising one fist, around a thousand women on Friday demanded justice for those killed and injured during the last two weeks of social unrest in Chile. Their march started off a …

The Jammu and Kashmir government has shelved the global investors’ summit scheduled for October. Governor Satya Pal Malik on Thursday reviewed the preparedness for holding the summit, and decided “to reschedule it to 2020 in consultation with the Union government”. “This is to give the Industries and Commerce Departments reasonable …

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Tuesday recommended a comprehensive legislation to make the Central Bureau of Investigation functional as an efficient and impartial investigative agency.Delivering the 18th D.P. Kohli Memorial Lecture, Chief Justice Gogoi listed legal ambiguity, weak human resource, lack of adequate investment, accountability, and political and …

“The proposal is being scrutinised for the possibility of inclusion in the Budget speech,” said a senior official of the Rural Development Ministry, which administers the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). If the proposal is announced, the Ministry will then move the Cabinet to approve the increase in pensions, said …

1,600-year-old Byzantine art was stolen in the 1970s One of the last missing pieces of Byzantine art stolen from Cyprus in the 1970s was handed back this week by a renowned Dutch art investigator. “It was in the possession of a British family, who bought the mosaic in good faith …

Oxford Dictionary has declared the adjective ‘toxic’ as the Word of the Year for what it says reflects the ethos, mood, or preoccupations in 2018. The word was selected from a shortlist that included ‘gaslighting,’ ‘incel’ and ‘techlash.’ The data showed that, after ‘chemical’, ‘masculinity’ is the most-used word in …

Last week, German authorities arrested eight men in the State of Saxony who were part of a far-right “terrorist” ring, called ‘Revolution Chemnitz’. Chemnitz, the largest city in Saxony, was recently in the news when hundreds of neo-Nazis took out a protests against refugees and immigrants. According to police, the …

The National Security Guard (NSG), which provides security cover to select VIPs like Home Minister Rajnath Singh and many Chief Ministers, has upgraded its protocol and armour on lines of the Special Protection Group (SPG) in view of the upcoming election season in the country. The elite counter-terror force has …

Justice Chandrachud calls to balance group rights with individual freedoms Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, in his separate opinion in the Sabarimala case on Friday, proposed a new method on how courts should deal with ecclesiastical matters of religion and faith. The judge observed that courts should adopt a deferential attitude to …

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said that Pakistan’s offer of “friendship” to India should not be considered as its weakness and the Indian leadership should shun “arrogance” to hold peace talks. Addressing Punjab bureaucracy here on Sunday, Mr. Khan said, “I hope the Indian leadership will shun arrogance and …