Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 15-10-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 15-10-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Economy – Loan borrowers’ Deepavali is in your hands, SC tells Centre – The Supreme Court questioned the government’s need to wait till Nov 15, to notify the implementation of a scheme for waiving the compound interest accumulated during the moratorium against loans worth up to Rs. 2 crore. The scheme is meant to “hand-hold small and vulnerable borrowers” whose fortunes have dipped during the lockdown. “Their Deepavali is in your hands,” the court told the government. The waiver scheme has been proposed for eight different categories, including MSME, education, housing, consumer durables, credit card, auto, personal and consumption loans. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had termed the Centre’s resolve an “additional relief” for pandemic-induced financial distress among borrowers.
2. Socio-political – Farmers’ delegation boycotts Central meet – A delegation of farmer leaders from Punjab walked out of talks with Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal, tearing up copies of the controversial farm market reform laws in front of Krishi Bhavan, which houses the Agriculture Ministry. They raised slogans slamming the BJP government and called for the repeal of the laws. The farmer leaders were angry that they were not granted a meeting with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, or a Group of Ministers (GoM) empowered to negotiate their demand to repeal the laws passed by Parliament last month. The 29 farm unions driving the widespread protests and rail blockades across the State now plan to meet in Chandigarh to discuss their future course of action and how to intensify the agitation. This is their second rejection this month of the Centre’s efforts to initiate dialogue to end the protests.
3. Indian Politics – Abdullahs meet Mehbooba, to discuss Gupkar pact today – National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday met Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, released from detention after 14 months on Tuesday, and extended an invitation to hold on Thursday a meeting of all the signatories of the Gupkar Declaration, a pact to fight for the restoration of J&K’s special status. The Abdullahs, once considered arch rivals of the Muftis, arrived at the residence of Ms. Mufti at Gupkar on Wednesday afternoon. Party sources said the leaders “agreed on the need to put up a joint front”.
4. Constitution and Law – HC notice to Centre on same-sex couples’ pleas – The Delhi High Court asked the Union government to respond to two separate petitions by same-sex couples seeking to declare that the Special Marriage Act (SMA) and the Foreign Marriage Act (FMA) ought to apply to all couples regardless of their gender identity and sexual orientation. A Bench of Justices Rajiv Sahai Endlaw and Asha Menon remarked that they had no doubts as to the maintainability of the petitions, but wanted answers on whether the definition of marriage under the customary law also needed to be challenged going forward. The Bench said both the Acts did not provide for what was marriage.
5. Environment and Ecology – SC: Evict 39 resorts in Tamil Nadu elephant corridor – Describing elephants as “keystone species” for survival of Indian forests and other animals, the SC concurred with the Madras HC and directed the eviction of 39 resorts in the Mudumalai reserve forest area falling in the elephant corridor. The resorts, which house 309 buildings, hindered the nomadic lifestyle intrinsic to the survival of pachyderms, reports Dhananjay Mahapatra. The SC upheld the Tamil Nadu government’s 2010 order, identifying elephant corridors in the Sigur Plateau in the state connecting the forests in the Western and Eastern Ghats, which sustain elephant populations and their genetic diversity.
6. Economy – Mediclaim policyholders see premiums rise 70% – Annual premium on health covers have risen by 40-70% for policyholders after insurance companies hiked rates following a regulatory diktat to widen coverage and standardise conditions with regard to exclusions. Insurers say the hikes are necessary as the Irdai has asked them to cover a range of conditions excluded earlier. From pandemics like Covid-19 to age-related ailments such as cataract surgery, knee-cap replacements, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, insurers could earlier exclude them. With regulatory changes in the last one year making it mandatory for them to cover Covid-19, HIV/ AIDs, artificial life maintenance, treatment of mental illness, mental disorders, age-related degeneration, internal congenital diseases, insurers say price rise is inevitable.
7. Education – 10 IITs to start placements from Dec 1 – Ten leading IITs, including IIT-Bombay, Delhi and Madras, have agreed to kick-start their campus placements on December 1– a tradition that has been followed for years. The All IITs’ Placement Committee (AIPC) has decided to stick to the regular schedule so far and most are working towards attaining it. With a delayed start to the academic session due to the pandemic, a few were apprehensive about starting campus placement from December 1. IITs are divided into two groups this year, only for placement purposes – group-I and group-II. The group-I IITs include the older institutes - IITBombay, Delhi, Madras, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Guwahati, Roorkee, IIT (ISM)-Dhanbad, IITBHU and IIT-Hyderabad. Group-II includes the newer IITs, however, based on the increase in graduating students, a group-II institute can enter group-I later. IIT-Hyderabad, moved from Group II to I this year.
8. US Presidential Elections – Trump, Biden camps portraying each other as mentally & physically unfit – The US presidential election has turned ugly, personal, and ferocious, its prime contenders embarking on a course of denigrating each other over their mental acuity, physical fitness, and moral rectitude in pursuit of crucial voting blocks, particularly seniors and women. President Trump, whose dragging of US political discourse into the gutter has agitated even Republican stalwarts, continued with his tactics of falsified videos, doctored photos, and lies — some of which have been flagged by social media platforms — by posting a photoshopped image of Joe Biden in a wheelchair with senior citizens in what appeared to be an elder care facility. In the caption “Biden for President”, the P had been erased to make him a resident.
9. Science and Technology – 3 hours and 3 minutes’: Astronauts reach ISS in record time – A three-person crew successfully reached the International Space Station aboard a Russian rocket after the fastest ever journey from Earth of just over three hours. The mission of the Soyuz space craft carrying two Russian cosmonauts and one Nasa astronaut was of immense importance to Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, coming as the SpaceX programme relaunches manned spaceflight from the US and ignites fresh talk of a space race between the two countries.
10. Economy – Banks can rejig realty loans based on project, not realtor – The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted banks to restructure loans to real estate companies on the basis of the project rather than the developer. It has also indicated that banks can restructure loans drawn by a borrower during the current fiscal, provided the account was classified as ‘standard’ (not overdue for more than 30 days) as on March 1, 2020. These clarifications were issued by the central bank in a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the resolution framework for Covid-related stress announced last month. Only in respect of borrowers belonging to real estate sector, and have both residential and commercial real estate business, the prescribed thresholds for the financial parameters may be applied at the project level.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Cent Bank Home Finance Limited	Officer, Sr. Officer, Jr. Manager, Asst. Mgr & Mgr	30	Any Degree	OCT-23-2020	http://www.cbhfl.com/pdf/IBPS%20Notification%20-CBHFL%2012.10.2020.pdf
2	AIIMS, Bhubaneswar	Research Asst, Field Worker, Lab Tech, DEO	6	Degree, PG (Science/ SS)	OCT-18-2020	https://aiimsbhubaneswar.nic.in/admin/Document/Notices/Website9d7a8a22-533a-4eb2-9cc1-92e04738e69c.pdf
3	IISER, Pune	Pro. In-charge, Veterinary Scientist, Tech. Officer	8	B.V.Sc, M.V.Sc/ M. Pharm	OCT-26-2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/10/Notification-NALCO-GDMO-Specialist-Posts.pdf
4	IOCL, Refineries Division	Jr Technical Asst IV and Jr Qty Control Analyst I	57	ITI, Diploma (Eng.), Degree	NOV-7-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/iocl-recruitment/17021/#JEA-JTA
5	IIT, Gandhinagar	JRF	5	Deg, PG with NET/ GATE	OCT-20-2020	https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XGg996PPi94I88N3pbgCwqJopcohYehZ/view
6	Indian Army	JAG Entry Scheme 26th Course (Apr 2021)	8	LLB	NOV-11-2020	https://joinindianarmy.nic.in/writereaddata/Portal/NotificationPDF/JAG_MEN__26.pdf
7	CPRI	Engineering Officer Gr.1	11	BE/ B.Tech	NOV-6-2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/10/Notification-CPRI-Engineering-Officer-Gr-I-Posts.pdf

 

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

1.1 Not Available Today

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• 2. ECONOMY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper

2.1 $500 million loan for Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut rapid rail, $241 million for Mumbai Metro Line 6

 

Key point –

• The New Development Bank (NDB), also known as BRICS Bank, has approved loans worth USD 741 million for two critical infrastructure projects in India.

Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System Project –

• The NDB Board approved a loan of USD 500 million for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Project.
• The loan would be used for on-lending to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC) for construction of a rapid rail corridor connecting the National Capital Territory of Delhi with the cities of Ghaziabad and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh (UP).
• The RRTS will have a total length of 82.15 km (68.03 km elevated and 14.12 km underground) with 25 stations.
• It will have a design speed of 180 km per hour, maximum operating speed of 160 km per hour and high-frequency operations, which will reduce the journey time from Delhi to Meerut to 60 minutes.
• The aim of the project is an efficient and sustainable regional transport system and reduce congestion in Delhi, by offering people the alternative of settling in surrounding cities and being able to commute to Delhi through a fast, reliable, safe and comfortable public transport system.

Mumbai Metro Rail II (Line 6) Project –

• The NDB Board has approved a loan of USD 241 million for the Mumbai Metro Rail II (Line 6) Project.
• The loan will be used for on-lending to the Government of Maharashtra for the purpose of implementing a metro rail Line 6 with length of about 14.47 km in the city of Mumbai.
• The aim of the project is to improve Mumbai’s transport and traffic conditions through providing a modern metro system, featuring high-capacity, safe, and comfortable mode of transport.
• Line 6 will provide rail-based connectivity between the western and eastern suburbs, and will contribute towards an integrated seamless public transport network in Mumbai.
• The NDB is also supporting the implementation of metro lines in Mumbai with length totalling to about 58 km (Line 2 and Line 7) by financing of the Mumbai Metro Rail Project 

NDB –

• The NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS).
• Its primary aim is to mobilise the resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in the five BRICS countries and other emerging economies and developing countries.
• The NDB was formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank. It is headquartered in Shanghai, China.
• The first regional office of the NDB was established in Johannesburg, South Africa. The NDB was founded on July 15, 2014. First president of the bank was K V Kamath.

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• 3. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper)

3.1 Not Available Today

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• 4. FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

4.1 Weekly Roundup – Foreign Affairs I

• U.S. Navy’s maritime patrol aircraft refuels at Port Blair - A U.S. Navy P-8A long range Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) landed at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (A&N Islands) on September 25, 2020 for refuelling under the bilateral logistics support agreement. This was the first refuelling at A&N Islands after the coming into effect of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) between the two countries.
• India, Bangladesh hold naval exercise ‘Bongosagar’ in Bay of Bengal - The second edition of the bilateral naval exercise Bongosagar between India and Bangladesh was held on October 3, 2020 in Northern Bay of Bengal. This was followed by the third edition of India Bangladesh Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) on 4-5 October.
• PM inaugurates Vaishvik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit - Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Vaishvik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit, a global virtual summit of overseas and resident Indian Researchers and Academicians, on October 2, 2020. The summit will conclude on October 31 and will have interactions among the overseas experts and Indian counterparts over a series of webinars and video conferences.
• India backs n-weapons abolition: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla - India on October 3, 2020 reiterated that nuclear weapons should be abolished in a step-by-step non-discriminatory process. Addressing the High-level Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (observed on September 26), Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also said India remains committed to “No First Use” against nuclear weapon states.
• India, S. Africa seek TRIPS waiver from WTO for COVID-19 prevention, care - India and South Africa have appealed to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to waive certain provisions of Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to speed up efforts to prevent, treat and contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The two nations made a formal submission to the WTO on October 2.
• India to build 100-bedded hospital, 22,000-seater stadium in Maldives - India will build a 100-bedded cancer hospital 22,000-seater cricket stadium in Hulhumalé in capital Male, under the USD 800 million Line of Credit (LoC) that was extended to the country last year, according to the Indian Embassy in Maldives on September 30, 2020.
• PMs of India and Denmark co-chair Virtual Summit -  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on September 28, 2020 co-chaired a Virtual Summit in which the two leaders acknowledged the importance of establishing a Green Strategic Partnership.
• Amnesty International halts India operations - Amnesty International India on September 29, 2020 said the government had frozen all its bank accounts, leading to all of its work in the country coming to a halt.
• COVID-19: U.S. commits $1.9 mn to support informal sector workers, MSMEs - The U.S. has committed $1.9 million to support vulnerable populations like informal sector workers whose livelihoods have been disrupted due to COVID-19. The financial assistance from US Agency for International Development (USAID) was announced by U.S. Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster.
• Devyani Khobragade appointed as India's next ambassador to Cambodia - Indian Foreign Service officer Devyani Uttam Khobragade has been appointed as India's next ambassador to Cambodia, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Oct 1.

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• 5. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES (Prelims, GS Paper 2, GS Paper 3)

5.1 Not Available Today

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Round-up – Defence

• Supersonic cruise missile BrahMos test fired at an extended range - India on September 30, 2020 successfully test fired a new version of the surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from a land based mobile launcher at integrated test range at Balasore in Odisha. The range of the new land attack version of the missile has been extended to 400 km from the original 290 km. Its speed has been maintained at Mach 2.8 which is nearly three times that of sound.
• Indian Coast Guard Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS 'Kanaklata Barua' commissioned - Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS 'Kanaklata Barua' of the Indian Coast Guard was commissioned at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd in Kolkata on September 30, 2020.
• Surface-to-surface nuclear capable hypersonic missile ‘Shaurya’ test fired - India on October 3, 2020 successfully test fired its surface-to-surface nuclear capable hypersonic missile ‘Shaurya’ with a strike range of 700-1,000 km from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) on APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Balasore district of Odisha. The missile is capable of carrying payloads up to 1000 kg and is 10 metres long.
• Lt Gen Harinder Singh appointed head of Indian Military Academy - Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, has been appointed as head of the Dehradun-based Indian Military Academy. He will relinquish his current post, which he held for one year, by mid-October to take charge as commandant of the institute that trains young cadets to become officers.
• ITBP DG S. S. Deswal given additional charge of NSG - ITBP Director General S. S. Deswal has been given the additional charge of counter-terrorism force National Security Guard (NSG) as its incumbent chief A. K. Singh retired on September 30.

6.2  Rudram – the anti-radiation missile from Sukhoi-30

 

Highlights –

• India has successfully test-fired its indigenous ‘Rudram’ Anti-Radiation Missile from a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft off the east coast.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed the Missile.
• ‘Rudram’ is the country’s first indigenous Anti-Radiation missile for Indian Air Force that has been developed by DRDO.
• The missile is integrated on Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft as a launch platform.
• It has the capability of varying ranges based on launch conditions.
• The missile has a speed of Mach two or twice the speed of sound, that will be part of the tactical weaponry of the Indian Air Force.
• An anti-radiation missile is capable of locating and targeting any radiation emitting source like enemy radars, communication sites and other Radio Frequency (RF) emitting targets.
• They have got the potential to play a key role in neutralising any jamming platforms of the enemy or take out radar stations thereby clearing a path for own fighters to carry out an offensive and also prevent own systems from being jammed.
• Once the missile is ready for induction, it is likely to be integrated with the Sukhoi fighter jets of the Indian Force.
• In May 2019, the Indian Air successfully test-fired the aerial version of the BrahMos missile from a Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft.
• The BrahMos missile provides the IAF a much-desired capability to strike from large stand-off ranges on any target at sea or on land with pinpoint accuracy by day or night and in all weather conditions.
• The IAF is also integrating the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile on over 40 Sukhoi fighter jets which is aimed at bolstering overall combat capability of the force.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 IFS Day 2020

 

Key points –  

• The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is the diplomatic civil service under Group A and Group B of the Central Civil Services of the executive branch of the Government of India.
• Established on October 9, 1946, the IFS on October 9, 2020 celebrated its 74 years.
• The history of the IFS Day goes back to the British era when the foreign department was created to conduct business with the "Foreign European Powers".
• On September 13, 1783, the Board of Directors of the East India Company passed a resolution at Fort William, Calcutta (now Kolkata), to create a department, which could help 'relieve the pressure' on the Warren Hastings administration in conducting its 'secret and political business'.
• Subsequently known as the Indian Foreign Department, it went ahead with the expansion of diplomatic representation, wherever necessary, to protect British interests.
• Months before India's independence, in September 1946, the Indian Foreign Service was created "for India's diplomatic, consular and commercial representation overseas."

IFS –

• The service is entrusted to conduct diplomacy and manage foreign relations of India.
• It is the body of career diplomats serving in more than 162 Indian Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations around the world.
• In addition, they serve at the headquarters of the Ministry of External affairs in Delhi and the Prime Minister's Office.
• They also head the Regional Passport Offices throughout the country and hold positions in the President's Secretariat and several ministries on deputation.
• The administrative and political heads are respectively the Foreign Secretary and the External Affairs Minister.

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• 8. SOCIAL ISSUES (Prelims, GS Paper 1, GS Paper 2)

8.1 Nobel Prize in Literature

 

Key points –

• The 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to the American poet Louise Glück for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.
• With this, she has become the first US winner since poet and singer Bob Dylan in 2016.

Important details –

• Glück has received a host of literary prizes over the years including the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for her collection The Wild Iris and the National Book Award in 2014.
• Born in 1943, Glück is a professor of English at Yale University and carved her path in the literary scene in 1968 with her collection, Firstborn.
• She is also famous for her visionary reworking of Greek and Roman myths as evidenced in her 2006 collection Averno, a masterful retelling of the myth of Persephone’s descent into hell and captivity of the god of death, Hades.
• Her other works include Descending Figure, The Triumph of Achilles and Ararat.
• The Nobel prizes are named after dynamite inventor and wealthy businessman Alfred Nobel and have been awarded since 1901 for achievements in science, literature and peace in accordance with his will.
• The literature prize has been dogged by controversy over the past several years.
• In 2019 the Academy exceptionally named two winners after postponing the 2018 prize in the wake of a sexual assault scandal involving the husband of one of its members.

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• 9. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3)

9.1 CK Rajkumar passes away

 

Highlights –

• CK Rajkumar, the Founder of Sujatha Bio Tech and the owner of brands like Nivaran 90 and Velvette shampoo, passed away on October 7.
• He was 68.
• Rajkumar was recently in the news after one of their experiments to find a cure for Covid-19 went wrong in their lab in Chennai.
• He was a qualified doctor and widely known for his sachet concept, which gave an affordable option to middle income families.
• CK Rajkumar was called the ‘sachet pioneer’.
• Hailing from a rich trader family in the coastal town of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, Dr Rajkumar began experimenting with marketing shampoo and other products manufactured by his father since his college days and emerged successful.
• From stuffing powder in a piece of paper in the name of Vel shampoo to packing the liquid in tiny polythene covers to their current form of fool-proof sachets, it was all Dr Rajkumar’s idea that earned him the sobriquet “sachet king.”
• Dr Rajkumar manufactured and marketed Velvette shampoo, Nivaran 90 cough syrup, and memory-enhancer tablet Memory Plus, which were household names in the 1990s.
• The doctor-turned-entrepreneur spread his wings in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka too.
• Dr Rajkumar pursued higher studies and became an ophthalmologist but his father’s sudden death in 1979 forced him to take over the family business which he transformed into an empire.
• The company that he took over was doing business only in three to four districts in Tamil Nadu, but Dr Rajkumar wanted the Velvette brand to reach the nook and corner of India that he approached industrialist Adi Godrej for marketing his brand.
• The partnership with Godrej was successful for Velvette which became a national brand in just about a year.

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• 10. FACTS, CHARTS, RANKINGS and EDITORIALS (Prelims + GS Mains)

10.1 Not Available Today

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• Wesley So and Magnus Carlsen (Norway) were declared joint winners of St. Louis rapid and blitz online chess in US in September 2020.
• Sir M. Visvesvaraya’s birth anniversary was observed as the Engineers’ Day on September 15.
• The Omnibus Resolution on Comprehensive and Coordinated Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic was adopted by the 193-member General Assembly on September 11, 2020.
• India was declared joint winner of the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad with Russia in August.
• Former head of Law Commission, R. Lakshmanan died in Tiruchi on August 27, 2020 at the age of 78.

10.3 Today's best editorials to read

• We offer you 7 excellent editorials from across 10 newspapers we have scanned. 

CLICK HERE TO OPEN AND READ!

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Solve the online quiz given, right now. Check scores, and relative performance!

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