Current Affairs - 2019-20

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Shell companies are created for unstated / hidden objectives of financial manoeuvres and not for normal trade.

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Chandrayaan was launched on October 22nd 2008 and successfully reached the lunar surface on November 14, 2008. The ISRO lost communication with Chandrayaan-1 on August 29, 2009, almost a year after it was launched on October 22, 2008. It operated for 312 days.
In 2017 NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have found India’s first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1 which was considered lost, is still orbiting the moon.

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In a major digital initiative to help plan the traffic flows and optimize freight operations, Ministry of Railways has launched Smart Freight Operation Optimisation and Real Time Information (SFOORTI) App for freight managers. The app provides features for monitoring and managing freight business using Geographic Information System (GIS) Views and Dashboard. With this application both passenger and freight trains can be tracked over Zones, Divisions and Sections in single GIS View. The app provides a bird’s eye view of all freight assets in a single window and end to end rake movement on Geospatial view. Expected traffic at interchange points can be viewed to evaluate daily performance. Position of rakes for specific type of stock can be viewed through this application.

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World’s First “Smart Train” based on Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) has been launched in China. The train is currently only operating on a small 3.1-kilometre-long stretch with just four stations and will soon go into regular service from next year. The rail system is capable of carrying 300 passengers in its three carriages and has a top speed of 70 kilometres per hour.

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Ministry of Communications has launched the Cool EMS Service. It is a one-way service that allows customers in India to import Japanese food for personal use. All the Food items will be carried by Japan Post in special cool boxes containing refrigerant to preserve the quality of the food items and then collected in India.

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AIDSS stands for Advanced Indigenous Distress Sonar System (AIDSS). HUMSA-UG stands for Upgrade for the Hull-Mounted Sonar Array. NACS stands for Near-field Acoustic Characterization System. Abhay is a Compact Hull-Mounted Sonar for Small Ships & Shallow Water Crafts system.

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Japan(6.56%)>China(6.49%)>India(2.79%)>Russia(2.75%)

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently announced to launch Mars Mission “HOPE”, which is expected to be launched by 2020. Upon launch, it will become the first mission to Mars by any Arab or Muslim country. The aim of the mission is to enrich the capabilities of Emirati engineers and to increase human knowledge about the Martian atmosphere. The Hope probe will study the atmospheric layers of Mars in detail and will provide data to study the causes of the corrosion of its surface that has made it impossible for water to exist on the planet. The project will also provide insights about the weather on the Red Planet. It will observe weather phenomena such as dust storms and changes in temperature and how the atmosphere interacts with topography, from the highest volcano peaks to ice sheets to the vast deserts and the deepest canyons. It is expected to reach Mars in 2021, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the UAE’s formation.

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The technique is useful in places where raw laser power, and particularly concentrated laser power, is of paramount importance.

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The National Press Day (NPD) is celebrated every year on 16th of November to commemorate the establishment of Press Council of India (PCI) in 1966. This was the day on which the PCI started functioning as a moral watchdog to ensure that not only did the press maintain the high standards expected from this powerful medium but also that it was not fettered by the influence or threats of any extraneous factors. The day is also celebrated as a symbol of a free and responsible press in India.