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Q- Which of the following is correct regarding India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty? 1. It gives Bhutan freedom to pursue its foreign policy irrespective of its consequences to India 2. The treaty commits both countries to cooperate closely with each other on issues relating to their national interests A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Q- Consider the following statements about AFSPA? 1.Armed force special power act of parliament which passed in 1958 2.recently afspa has been revoked from Nagaland after 18 years which of the above statements is/are true A. only 1 B. only 2 C. neither 1 nor 2 D. Both 1 & 2 Q- Which of the following countries are observer states in ASEAN? a) Australia b) Thailand c) U.K d) New Zealand A) a,b B) a,c C) a,d D) b,c. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Answer  1-B,  2-A,  3-C

Q- Which of the following is correct regarding Kambala? 1. It is traditional bull fighting festival 2. It is part of Kerala’s tradition A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Q- Golan Heights is a phenomena associated with which of the following region? A. Central Asia B. North America C. Middle east D. South Asia Q- What is/are the most likely advantages of implementing ‘Goods and Services Tax (GST)’? 1. It will replace multiple taxes collected by multiple authorities and will thus create a single market in India. 2. It will drastically reduce the ‘Current Account Deficit’ of India and will enable it to increase its foreign exchange reserves. 3. It will enormously increase the growth and size of economy of India and will enable it to overtake China in the near future. Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Q- Amichai settlements are recently seen in news. Which among the following is correct about Amichai settlements? A. It is a settlement between North Korea and South Korea B. It is settlement for Tamil speaking population in Sri Lanka C. It is a settlement by Israel on West Bank D. None of the above Q- Which of the following is correct regarding money kept by Indians in Swiss banks? 1. It has constantly increased in last five years 2. It is fivepercent of the total money kept in swiss banks A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Q- Which of the following correctly defines initial public offering? 1. First sale of shares to the public 2. Sale of shares in the share market A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Answer  1-C,  2-D  3-A

Q- Which of the following have coral reefs? 1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2. Gulf of Kutch 3. Gulf of Mannar 4. Sunderbans Select the correct answer using the code given below. A. 1, 2 and 3 only B. 2 and 4 only C. 1 and 3 only D. 1, 2, 3 and 4 Q- hich of the following are correct 1) Alpha diversity (within-community diversity) refers to the rate of replacement of species along a gradient of habitats or communities. 2) Gamma diversity (overall) refers to the diversity of the habitats over the total landscape or geographical area. A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Q- Which of the following countries is not part of Sahel region? A. Senegal B. Mali C. Nigeria D. Egypt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Answer  1-A,  2-C,  3-D

Q- Which one of the following is NOT a Central Paramilitary Force under the Ministry of Home Affairs ? A. Central Industrial Security Force B. Central Reserve Police Force C. Ladakh Scouts D. Border Security Force Q- Which among the following is correct regarding financial stability report? a) It is published by finance ministry b) It is published twice in a year A) a only B) b only C) Both D) None Q- In the wake of 14th finance commission recommendation, we have seen various changes in the Centre-State financial relations. Which of the following statements are correct after 14th FC recommendations? 1. Grant for BRGF and Rajiv Gandhi panchayat sashaktikaranyojana have increased 2. Devolution from tax pool has been increased. A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Answer 1-C,  2-B,  3-B

Q- Which of the following passes connect Kashmir valley to Ladakh? A. Nathu la B. Rohtang C. Zoji la D. None of the above Q- Which of the following is correct regarding Asian Development Bank? 1. It was formed immediately after the second world war 2. It's headquarter is located in Manila 3. ADB admits member of UNESCAP only A. 1,2 B. 2,3 C. 2 only D. All Q- Which of the following is correct regarding GSAT-17? 1. It is the heaviest spacecraft built by the Indian Space Research Organisation 2. It will add to the services they provide for broadcasting, telecommunications, VSAT services, meteorology, search and rescue A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Answer1-C,  2-C,  3-C

The month of June will remain an important phase in the history of global climate politics. While the US—the world’s largest polluter in historical and current values—yet again pulled out of climate agreement (first Kyoto Protocol and now Paris Agreement) there have been quick developments in the domestic scenario triggered as a response to the US pull-out of the climate deal. President Trump called the Paris Agreement “unfair” to American interests, while announcing the pull-out. However, sub-national actors are carrying forward the baton of climate change action. States and cities arenow the ‘agents of change’, creating right circumstances in terms of policies and measures to address climate change; and rightly so. Climate change is a global challenge but its impacts are felt on the ground by cities, municipalities and villages. Therefore, they assume central importance in bringing about change. The US federal structure bestows states with considerable autonomy to carry out inde

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The newly elected director-general of World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus has emphasised on the health impacts of climate and environmental change, while outlining his agenda in his first address since election. Tedros was addressing a gathering of WHO staff in Geneva. While keeping universal health coverage at the centre of his agenda, he listed out three priorities: Health emergencies; women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health; health impacts of climate and environmental change. Tedros also spoke of ethical healthcare, calling it a human rights issue. On climate change, he said, “While health emergencies hit quickly, climate change is a slow-motion disaster. WHO must play a strategic and decisive role not only in adaptation but also in mitigation.” On the recent controversy over travel expenditure in the WHO, its director-general said, “I am reviewing the situation thoroughly and will ensure that our resources are used efficiently. We have to be good stewards

Sitting in the glass-and-concrete State Convention Centre in the capital of hilly state, Meghalaya, participants of a media workshop on climate change were feeling sweaty. The convention centre is not air-conditioned nor does it have ceiling fans. For the comfort of guests, some pedestal fans were plugged in. Why are we sweating in Shillong? Asked state information technology minister Dr M Ampareen Lyngdoh. The question may sound strange for those who have read in tourist brochures and text books about the wettest places on the planet being in Meghalaya and about its round-the-year cool weather. The answer to this question came in the form of a new study done by researchers from the Water and Climate Lab at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Gandhinagar. The study has shown that air temperature in the state is rising at the rate of 0.031 degree per year. The trend is consistent from 1981 to 2014, barring the years 1991 and 1992. This translates into 1 degree centigrade rise bet

Diagnosis is complicated due to challenges associated with sample collection While detection of tuberculosis (TB) in children remains a challenge, it has now emerged that Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) TB is higher among children than expected. This has been described as a “worrying trend” by the Union Health Ministry. As many as 5,500 of over 76,000 children tested in nine cities have been diagnosed with TB. Nine per cent of these paediatric TB cases have been diagnosed to have MDR TB, according to the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) that conducted the tests in collaboration with the Central TB Division under the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP). Unique initiative FIND initially started a unique initiative for diagnosing paediatric TB in four cities of Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata from April 2014 with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It has now scaled up the project to include additional five citie

A Mumbai-based study on to track dengue biomarkers can help curb deaths drastically Ever wondered why one dengue patient recovers at home with simple symptomatic line of treatment while another may battle for life in an intensive care unit (ICU) with severe complications? The extremely varied prognosis of the mosquito-borne disease has intrigued the medical fraternity for a long time. Tracking dengue biomarkers To find answers, the civic-run Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Laboratory at Arthur Road in Mumbai has tied up with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay to track down some biomarkers in order to predict how dengue will progress in a particular patient. If all goes well, these biomarkers can drastically change the disease management and help in curbing dengue deaths. “The idea is to establish molecular signatures for complicated dengue cases and thus have sound knowledge of the disease progression in different individuals suffering from the disease,” says Dr. Jayan

Regulator to expedite approvals for generics to damp prices The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s moves on generics are a storm warning for pharma. In a bid to combat high prices, new commissioner Scott Gottlieb will expedite reviews of generic-drug applications to promote competition. The changes will batter the likes of Valeant and Cardinal Health, and cast a cloud over branded drug makers. The FDA traditionally left questions of pricing to pharma firms, but a political uproar about gouging has prompted a rethink. Companies have jacked up the prices of branded and generic drugs needed by AIDS patients, premature infants and cancer victims, among others in some cases by 100-fold or more. Mallinckrodt’s drug for infantile spasm, which cost about $40 a vial around the turn of the millennium, is now over $30,000. Such behaviour has crept into the $85 billion-a-year U.S. generic market. The Government Accountability Office found about one-fifth of the generics it surveyed had a

Until now the impacts of climate change and associated ice melt on bidoversity have been overlooked Scattered within the vast frozen expanse of Antarctica are isolated ice-free nooks — nunataks (exposed mountain tops), scree slopes, cliffs, valleys and coastal oases — which cover less than 1% of the area, but support almost all of the continent’s biodiversity. But by the turn of the century these ice-free islands could grow by over 17,000 sq.km (a 25% increase) due to climate change, according to a paper published in Nature. While this may sound like good news for Antarctica's biodiversity that is likely to find larger habitats, “it is not known if the potential negative impacts will outweigh the benefits,” the authors say. Invasive species As ice-free islands expand and coalesce, biodiversity could homogenise, less competitive species could go extinct and ecosystems destabilise from the spread of invasive species, which already pose a threat to native species, says the

The executors of violence know that strong-arm tactics send powerful signals of who belongs and who does not What encourages Indians who subscribe to different religious persuasions, speak different languages, and hold different conceptions of the good to believe that they are equal members of a democratic political community? Many features bind us together: shared memories of a massive struggle against colonialism, the spectacle of and general enthusiasm for elections, love of cricket and fascination with Bollywood. The most important bond that welds disparate people into a political community is, arguably, constitutional democracy and the fundamental rights granted by the Constitution. About the right to life Logically, the one right that enables us to possess and exercise other rights is the right to life granted by Article 21 of the Fundamental Rights Chapter of the Constitution. It states explicitly that no person shall be deprived of her life or personal liberty, save by p

China takes a positive step to globalise its bond market China opened itself to foreign investors on Monday by liberalising rules that regulate participation in its massive bond market. The new Bond Connect scheme, which was keenly awaited for months, allows large foreign investors such as banks and pension funds to buy and sell mainland Chinese bonds through offshore accounts in Hong Kong. China’s bond market, the third largest in the world, is estimated to be over $9 trillion in value and is expected to double in size over the next five years. Yet foreign investors own less than 2% of the overall bond market, thanks to China’s policy of raising significant barriers to the free entry and exit of capital. Further, its central bank, the People’s Bank of China, of late has been tightening monetary policy to squeeze out liquidity, which has, in turn, led bond yields in China to be higher than in many developed economies. So it was no surprise that investors rushed in to make use of the