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Q1 - Which of the following country does not touch Mediterranean sea? A. Turkey B. Greece C. Bulgaria D. France Q2 - Which of the following is/are not the objectives of United Nations? 1. Maintaining international peace and security 2. promoting human rights 3. protecting the environment A. 1,2 only B. 2,3 only C. 1,3 only D. All of the above Q3 - With reference to Balance of Payments, which of the following constitutes/constitute the Current Account? 1. Balance of trade 2. Foreign assets 3. Balance of invisibles 4. Special Drawing Rights Select the correct answer using the code given below. (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 (c) 1 and 3 (d) 1, 2 and 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Answer  1-C,2-D,3-C

Q.1- Military exercise Hand-in-Hand is exercise between India and which of the following country? A. Nepal B. China C. Russia D. Afghanistan Q.2- Which of the below statements correct regarding BS Norms? A) Bharat stage emission standards are emission standards instituted by the Government of India to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicles. B) The standards and the timeline for implementation are set by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of Environment & Forests and climate change a) A only b) B only c) Both A and B d) Neither A nor B. . . . . /. . . . . . . . . . . . .  Answer  1-B,2-C

In 1998, India was the only country in the world where fire was among the 15 leading causes of death. Even almost two decades later, incidents of burn-related injuries remain an “underserved and underrepresented category of violence”, according to a new study by the International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC)—a Chennai-based non-profit organisation. Going by the conservative estimates, about 100,000 women die of burn injuries in India every year. Tamil Nadu is one of the worst-affected states, with Chennai alone witnessing 100-150 burn cases every month. Women in the age group of 15-50 are most prone to fire-related deaths. Unfortunately, most women succumb to their injuries because of inadequate and unresponsive support services and not because of physical injury only. Why are women the worst sufferers? While mortality rate among women is higher than men, the follow-up rate (post discharge) among women is very low. Getting into the root of the problem, ...

It's not the first time that algae bloom has appeared in the Arabian Sea, but the bloom now stretches from the shores of Oman on the west to India and Pakistan on the east. The build-up of green slime is an ominous sign for the local ecosystem as it triggers release of ammonia, causing sea stench and poisoning nearby marine life. This bloom isn’t regularly seen until the past decade. Now, they are not only forming twice a year in the Arabian Sea, but its extent is also growing. What causes algae bloom? The algae bloom is caused by Noctiluca scintillans—microscopic dinoflagellates that feed on plankton and suck up energy from the sun through microscopic algae living within their cells. In a marine ecosystem, dinoflagellates make up only a small part of the food chain. However, when there's a build-up of plankton, it leads to massive algae blooms that start dominating the local area. When the cell of these dinoflagellates breaks down, ammonia is released. It changes the ...

The new US administration announced this week that it will be reviewing America’s Clean Power Plan, domestic legislation brought in by the previous administration in 2015 aimed at reducing US power sector emissions and increasing renewable energy production. The review comes shortly after the new US administration also submitted its first budget to Congress covering a wide range of areas from defense to education and including changes in funding for the US Environmental Protection Agency. These two announcements form part of well publicized election pledges made by the new President during last year’s campaign. As Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC I, like many people and organizations around the globe, are watching these developments with interest. Budget proposals in the United States often involve long and complex negotiations before they are finally approved in part or in full by Congress. The review of the Clean Power Plan may also take some time before an outcome emerge...

The development and evolution of the chemical industry is directly responsible for many of the technological advancements that have emerged since the late 19th century. The Conversation However, it was not until the 1980s that the environment became a priority for the chemical industry. This was prompted largely by stricter environmental regulations and a need to address the sector’s poor reputation, particularly due to pollution and industrial accidents. But the industry is now rapidly improving, and this changing mindset has provided the backdrop for the emergence of green chemistry. What is green chemistry? Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in almost every industry and chemistry is no different. Green chemistry aims to minimise the environmental impact of the chemical industry. This includes shifting away from oil to renewable sources where possible. Green chemistry also prioritises safety, improving energy efficiency and, most importantly, minimising (an...

Responding to the missives about the editorial pages I have not stopped marvelling at this newspaper’s uniqueness ever since I became its Readers’ Editor nearly five years ago. While my fellow news ombudsmen in the Organisation of News Ombudsmen talk about the complaints they receive about their news coverage, I have the distinction of getting the maximum missives about the editorial pages. At a deeper level, this repudiates the assumption of some that our attention spans have reduced in the age of digital platforms. Using Rawls to explain EVMs On March 27, 2017, this newspaper carried a lead article titled “Poor vote-getters blame the tools” by the former Chief Election Commissioner, N. Gopalaswami. He explained that criticisms of the reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs) were unwarranted, and explained the technical details that make these machines tamper-proof. It was a straightforward argument against some political leaders who have questioned the reliability of t...

Venezuela’s top court reverses a shocking order to take over the legislature’s functions The decision by Venezuela’s highest court on Saturday to reverse its earlier move of nullifying the elected legislature, the Congress, brings some respite from the relentless attack on democratic institutions under President Nicolás Maduro. And the fact that last week the judges initiated the process to strip the legislature of all law-making powers, indicating contempt for the will of the people in pursuit of Mr. Maduro’s interests, also puts in sharp focus the severe erosion of the judiciary’s independence. The attempted takeover marked the nadir in the months-long confrontation between the legislature and the courts, which are packed with loyalists of Mr. Maduro. A notable voice of dissent that seems to have forced the Supreme Court to rescind the decision came from the attorney general, who characterised the initial move as a “rupture in the constitutional order”. The information minister ma...

The importance of cooperation between the executive and the judiciary in dealing with the unacceptably high number of pending cases in the country cannot be overemphasised. For over a year, there were indications of an impasse over judicial appointments between the two branches of the state, mainly after the Supreme Court struck down legislation to establish a National Judicial Appointments Commission. That phase appears to be coming to an end. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance to the Chief Justice of India, J.S. Khehar, that his government would contribute its share in reducing the judiciary’s burden is a positive gesture that will be welcomed by the legal fraternity. Speaking at a function to mark the 150th anniversary of the Allahabad High Court, Mr. Modi gave the assurance after observing the pain behind the words of Justice Khehar over the increasing backlog of cases. Justice Khehar’s “dil ki baat (talk from the heart)” on the problem underscored an institutional anguish t...