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Grizzled Giant Squirrel

GRIZZLED GIANT SQUIRREL For: Preliminary Topics Covered: Grizzled giant squirrel   News Flash For the first time, researchers have sighted nests of the grizzled giant squirrel, an endangered species listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 at Pakkamalai Reserve Forests near Gingee in the Eastern Ghats.   Grizzled giant squirrel The species is usually known to nest only in Western Ghats in Southern India ranging from Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary in Kerala to…

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INS VELA Scorpene Submarine

INS VELA SCORPENE SUBMARINE  For: Preliminary Topics covered: INS Vela, Advantages, Features   News Flash Fourth Scorpene-class submarine Vela launched in Mumbai (Mazagon Dockyard) with an aim to boost Indian capability to defend and secure the strategic sea lanes. The Scorpene-class submarine Vela is the fourth of six underwater warships being built in India with French collaboration. The fifth Scorpene-class submarine will be launched soon. Before Vela, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited  (MDL) launched Kalvari, Khanderi,…

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Aditya – L1 First Indian mission to study the Sun

ADITYA-L1 FIRST INDIAN MISSION TO STUDY THE SUN For: Preliminary & Mains Topics covered: Mission, Objectives, Lagrange point, Halo orbit, L1 Point, Aditya-1 Vs. Aditya L1   News Flash Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that the India’s first mission to study the sun, Aditya-L1, will be launched in the first half of next year. According to ISRO, Aditya-L1 mission is expected to be inserted in a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point…

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Prepaid Payment Instruments

PRE-PAID PAYMENT INSTRUMENTS For: Preliminary & Mains Topics covered: PPI, Types, Objectives, Issuer   News Flash The Reserve Bank of India has imposed monetary penalty on five pre-paid payment instrument issuers, for violating regulatory guidelines. Panelty has been imposed on Vodafone m-pesa, PhonePe, Y-cash Software solutions and G.I. Technology Private Ltd. In a separate statement, the central bank had imposed a penalty on Western Union Financial Services Inc., USA., and on MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc,…

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IMF Report on Carbon Tax

IMF REPORT ON CARBON TAX   For: Preliminary & Mains Topics covered: Carbon tax, IMF, Paris Agreement, Yellow Vest protest movement   News Flash According to International Monetary Fund report, at USD 70 per ton of carbon dioxide, a carbon tax would be the most efficient means of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. But for the moment, carbon taxes remain unpopular, particularly in France, where plans to increase it to 55 euros (or $61.60) from 44.60…

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Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)

PACIFIC DECADAL OSCILLATION For: Preliminary & Mains Topics covered: PDO, Factors affecting Monsoon   News Flash Northeast India, one of the wettest places on the Earth has been experiencing rapid drying, especially in the last 30 years. Some places which used to get as high as 3,000 mm of rain during the monsoon season have seen a drop of about 25-30%. The decreasing monsoon rainfall is associated with natural changes in the subtropical Pacific Ocean.…

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INS Vishal – Copycat Supercarrier

INS VISHAL For: Preliminary   News Flash The United Kingdom is in talks with the Indian government on building a new state-of-the-art aircraft carrier along the lines of Britain’s HMS Queen Elizabeth as part of the ongoing ‘Make in India’ negotations. The talks are under way for the Indian Navy to buy detailed plans for the 65,000-ton British warship to build a so-called “copycat supercarrier” to be named INS Vishal in 2022.   Rosyth dockyard,…

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World Press Freedom Day

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY For: Preliminary Topics covered: World Press Freedom Prize   News Flash The World Press Freedom Prize also known as UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize is formally conferred every year by Director-General of UNESCO, on occasion of World Press Freedom Day observed on 3 May. The main celebration of Unesco’s World Press Freedom Day 2019 is taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as a category 8 symposium from 1 to 3…

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Ross Ice Shelf

ROSS ICE SHELF For: Mains Topics Covered: Ross Ice Shelf, Ice Shelves, Findings of study, Why melting rapidly   News Flash Antarctica’s biggest ice shelf may be more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought.   Findings A new study shows that a key section of the France-size hunk of ice (Ross Ice Shelf) is melting much faster than the rest. Melting ice in Antartica has focused on the rapidly melting western shore, where there…

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CRISPR gene editing technology

CRISPR GENE EDITING TECHNOLOGY   For: Mains Topics covered: Box Jellyfish, anti-venom drug, CRISPR Technology, Gene editing, Genes   News Flash A team of researchers has managed to develop an antidote to block ‘Box Jellyfish’ (Chironex fleckeri) venom using the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR. Chironex fleckeri is among the deadliest box jellyfish species, with an explosive sting that causes cardiac arrest in humans.   Box Jellyfish The most powerful venom in the world actually belongs…

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