Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 29-10-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 29-10-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Education – ‘20% rural students lack books’ – According to the Annual State of Education Report (ASER) survey conducted, about 20% of rural children have no textbooks at home, the sixth month of school closures due to COVID-19 across the country. In Andhra Pradesh, less than 35% of children had textbooks, and only 60% had textbooks in Rajasthan. More than 98% had textbooks in West Bengal, Nagaland and Assam. In the week of the survey, about one in three rural children had done no learning activity at all. About two in three had no learning material or activity given by their school that week, and only one in 10 had access to live online classes. However, it’s not always about technology; in fact, levels of smartphone ownership have almost doubled from 2018, but a third of children with smartphone access still did not receive any learning materials.
2. India Politics – In Bihar poll rallies, Modi invokes Ram temple issue – Even as polling for 71 seats was on in Bihar, PM Modi invoked the Ram temple construction in Ayodhya, and attacked Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and chief ministerial face of the ‘Mahagathbandan’ Tejashwi Yadav by indirectly calling him “Jungle raj ka yuvraj (crown prince of the rule of lawlessness)”. The first phase of polling for 71 seats was held amid tight security. Officials followed COVID-19 guidelines. Mr. Modi addressed three public meetings for the second phase of election, coming up on November 3.  Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed Mr. Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his public meetings in West Champaran and Darbhanga districts.
3. Environment and Ecology – ‘Green’ crackers to make full-fledged Delhi debut – Delhi is set for its first full-fledged date with ‘green’ crackers this Deepavali amid growing sentiment against not deepening the air pollution crisis the Capital countenances every winter. A ban on fireworks was imposed in 2018 and in 2019 only ‘green’ crackers were allowed, but the permission had come too late for manufacturers to ensure their availability on time. The production levels, however, are likely to be on the lower side this year due to the on-going novel coronavirus pandemic, with the Capital continuing to register high daily numbers of fresh infections. According to the Delhi police, 40 traders in all had applied for a licence to sell firecrackers in 2019; this year they received only 28 requests, out of which 15 have been given the nod. Around eight shops in Old Delhi have an all-year licence to sell firecrackers.
4. Bihar Elections – Bihar election phase 1 sees 54% turnout – The first of the three-phase Bihar Assembly election in 71 constituencies across 16 districts ended peacefully on Wednesday, amid reports of clashes between supporters of two parties in Shahpur, Kaimur and Gaya, and electronic voting machines (EVM) not working properly in some places. According to the Election Commission’s (EC) Voter Turnout App, the provisional polling was 54.26% that was updated till 10 p.m. Nearly 2.15 crore eligible voters exercised their franchise, marginally lower than in 2015. The second phase of polling for 94 seats will be held on November 3, while the third one will be on November 7 for 78 seats. Counting of votes will be done on November 10.
5. Science and Technology – ISRO to launch satellite EOS-01 on Nov 7 – India would launch its latest earth observation satellite EOS-01 and nine international customer spacecraft onboard its Polar rocket PSLV-C49 from the spaceport of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 7. This is the first launch by ISRO since the COVID-19 lockdown came into force in March. ISRO Chairman K. Sivan had said in June that ten space missions being prepared for launch this year had been ’disturbed’ due to the lockdown. EOS-01 is intended for applications in agriculture, forestry and disaster management support, ISRO said. The launch is tentatively scheduled at 3.02 p.m. on November 7 subject to weather conditions from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, the statement noted.
6. COVID-19 Impact – Seven months on, state asks railways to open Mumbai local trains to all – Over seven months since the Covid lockdown, the state government has written to the railways to open local train services for everyone, but with separate time slots for those authorised to travel till now, including essential service providers, and the general public, with peak hours only for the former. The government has not announced a desired date and has left it to the railways to work out the modalities. But sources said it is likely to be from the first week of November. The state has suggested staggered timings wherein the general public can be allowed to board trains during three non-peak time slots-—from the first local to 7.30am, 11am to 4.30pm and from 8pm till the last train for the day. The remaining time slots can be reserved for those authorized till now.
7. Social  – ‘India seeing its biggest content revolution’ –  India is seeing its biggest content revolution and there is a fundamental shift in viewing habits with two out of three Indians saying that they would rather give up TV than YouTube for a month, said Sanjay Gupta, country head and vice-president, Google India. Speaking at YouTube’s annual ‘Brandcast’ event, Mr. Gupta added that online video today is not just about entertainment but also experiences and learning.
8. World – Erdogan blasts ‘disgusting’ Charlie Hebdo cartoon, Turkey President vows to take ‘legal and diplomatic action’ – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vented his outrage at the “scoundrels” at the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo for mocking him in a front-cover cartoon. His office also vowed to take “legal and diplomatic action” over the depiction of the 66-year-old leader. The publication stoked fury in Turkish political circles and added to a sense of crisis enveloping Turkey’s deteriorating relations with France. The cartoon came out just days after Mr. Erdogan called for a boycott of French products and questioned President Emmanuel Macron’s sanity for promoting a drive against radical Islam. Mr. Macron’s accompanying defence of the media’s right to mock religion stirred angry protests across Turkey and swathes of the Muslim world.
9. World – China has brought lawlessness to SL, Maldives – USA – US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said that the Chinese Communist Party had brought lawlessness to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, as the top US diplomat kept up tough criticism of China during a trip to Asia. The five-day tour is aimed at girding allies against China’s increasing political and military inroads in the region in recent years. China has invested billions of dollars in projects in Sri Lanka and the Maldives as part of its Belt and Road Initiative of transport and energy links, a programme the US believes is designed to trap smaller countries into debt. Pompeo was heavily critical of China’s “lawless and threatening” behaviour in the region, telling a news conference at a resort near Male that Beijing was illegally occupying territory and damaging the environment.
10. Economy – U.K. to partner for developing GIFT City, funding infra pipeline – The United Kingdom has entered into a strategic partnership to develop India’s fledgling international financial services centre GIFT City, and agreed to set up a new Fund of Funds to be managed by the State Bank of India (SBI) group in order to route the U.K.’s future capital investments into India. India and the U.K. also signed off on a new infrastructure finance and policy partnership to help India execute its National Infrastructure Pipeline that envisages investments worth $1.4 trillion, at the 10th Economic and Financial Dialogue between the two countries steered by U.K. Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	LPSC	Scientist/ Engineer	7	B.E/ B.Tech/ M.E/M.Tech	NOV-9-2020	https://www.lpsc.gov.in/docs/Engr%202020-concise-bilingual.pdf
2	NIT, Jalandhar	Tech Asst, Jr Engineer, Tech, Asst, Steno	93	Dip (Engg), Degree, PG	NOV-30-2020	https://www.nitj.ac.in/nitj_files/links/Advt_04_of_2020_82416.pdf
3	DRDO-TBRL	Research Associate, JRF	6	Degree, PG, Ph.D	NOV-13-2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/10/Notification-DRDO-TBRL-JRF-RA-Posts.pdf
4	Dr. YSR AHC Trust, Visakhapatna	Aarogya Mithra & Team Leader	34	B.Pharmacy, Nursing	NOV-31-2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s32d6cc4b2d139a53512fb8cbb3086ae2e/uploads/2020/10/2020102459.pdf
5	Dr. YSR AGC Trust, Ananthapuram	Aarogya Mithra & Team Leader	49	B.Pharmacy, B.Sc (Nursing)	OCT-31-2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s333e8075e9970de0cfea955afd4644bb2/uploads/2020/10/2020102412.pdf
6	Dr. YSR AHC Trust, YSR Dist.	Aarogya Mithra & Team Leader	58	B.Pharmacy, M.Sc Nursing	OCT-31-2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s37dcd340d84f762eba80aa538b0c527f7/uploads/2020/10/2020102428.pdf
7	LPSC	Scientist/ Engineer	7	B.E/ B.Tech/ M.E/M.Tech	NOV-9,2020	https://www.lpsc.gov.in/docs/Engr%202020-concise-bilingual.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 Global FDI flows decline sharply: UNCTAD

 

 

Key point –

• Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows fell 49 per cent in the first half of 2020 compared to 2019 due to the economic fallout from COVID-19 pandemic.
• Despite the 2020 drop, FDI remains the most important source of external finance for developing countries.

The report –

• In the wake of the pandemic, lockdowns around the world slowed existing investment projects and the prospects of a deep recession led multinational enterprises to reassess new projects.
• Developed economies saw the biggest fall, with FDI reaching an estimated $98 billion in the six-month period, declining 75 per cent as compared to 2019.
• The trend was worsened by sharply negative inflows in European economies, mainly in the Netherlands and Switzerland. FDI flows to North America fell by 56 per cent to $68 billion.
• The 16 per cent decrease in FDI flows to developing economies was less than expected, due mainly to investment in China.
• Flows decreased by just 12 per cent in Asia but were 28 per cent lower than in 2019 in Africa and 25 per cent lower in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• In the first half of 2020, developing countries in Asia accounted for more than half of global FDI. Flows to economies in transition were down 81 per cent due to a strong decline in Russia. The decline cut across all major forms of FDI.    
• Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) values reached $319 billion in the first three quarters of 2020. The 21 per cent decline in developed countries, which account for about 80 per cent of global transactions, was checked by the continuation of M&A activity in digital industries.
• The value of greenfield investment project announcements—an indicator of future FDI trends—was $358 billion in the first eight months of 2020.
• Developing economies witnessed a much bigger fall (-49%) than developed economies (-17%), reflecting their more limited capacity to roll out economic support packages.
• The number of announced cross-border project finance deals declined by 25 per cent, with the biggest drops in the third quarter of 2020, suggesting that the slide is still accelerating.

Future outlook –

• The full year may witness a 30 per cent to 40 per cent decrease in FDI flows.
• The rate of decline in developed economies may flatten as some investment activity appeared to be picking up in the third quarter.
• Flows to developing economies are likely to stabilize, with east Asia showing signs of an impending recovery.

2.2 Weekly round-up – Corporate World

 

• Apple enters 5G race with new iPhone 12 range - Apple Inc on October 13, 2020 launched its next-generation iPhone 12, with faster 5G connectivity. The core of the line-up, the iPhone 12 with a 6.1-inch display, will sell for $799, while a ‘Mini’ version with a 5.4-inch screen will be slightly cheaper at $699. Apple also announced a HomePod Mini smart speaker that will cost $99.
• Consortium gets creditors’ approval for acquiring Jet Airways - Over 97% Committee of Creditors (CoC) of Jet Airways have voted in favour of the resolution plan submitted by a consortium of financial advisory firm Kalrock Capital and Murari Lal Jalan, a UAE-based entrepreneur. The airline was grounded in April 2019 over unpaid dues and multiple defaults.
• Demerger of Chhattisgarh’s Nagarnar Steel Plant from NMDC approved - The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on October 14, 2020 gave “in-principle” approval to the demerger of Chhattisgarh-based Nagarnar Steel Plant (NSP) from National Minerals Development Corporation (NMDC), and strategic disinvestment of the demerged company by selling the entire government stake to a strategic buyer.
• Govt allows ADNOC to trade 50% of oil stored in Indian strategic reserves - The Union Cabinet on October 14, 2020 allowed Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) to trade half of the crude oil it has stored in Indian underground strategic reserves. Till now, ADNOC, which has hired half of 1.5 million tonnes underground storage at Mangaluru, was allowed to commercially use 35% of the oil stored. It could trade or sell another 15% with the explicit approval of the government.
• Govt. partners with Swiggy to take street food vendors online - The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has entered into an MoU with Swiggy, one of the leading food delivery platforms, to onboard street food vendors on its e-commerce platform. The MoU aims at giving the street food vendors online access to consumers. The arrangement has been facilitated under the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme.
• Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) sign MoU with Gujarat to set up zinc smelter - Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) on October 14, 2020 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Government of Gujarat for setting up of the 300 kilo-tonnes per annum (ktpa) greenfield zinc smelter in Doswada industrial estate of Tapi district at an estimated cost of Rs. 10,000 crores.
• Hughes Communications to connect remotely located panchayats - The government has selected Hughes Communications India to connect all gram panchayats in border and Naxal-affected states as well as in island territories with satellite broadband under BharatNet project by March 2021. The BharatNet network is being created by Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL).
• IBM to set up Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence with the GeM - Global technology firm IBM will set up an Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence with the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to bring in transparency, usability, efficiency and cost savings in the public procurement process, CEO Arvind Krishna said on October 5, 2020.
• Likhitha Infrastructure shares list at a premium after IPO - Shares of Hyderabad-based Likhitha Infrastructure, an oil and gas pipeline infrastructure service provider, were listed at Rs 130, an 8.3 per cent premium over IPO price on October 15, 2020.
• Mazagon Dock shares list at a premium after IPO - Shares of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders on October 12, 2020 listed at Rs 216.25, at a near 50 per cent premium to its IPO price.
• Mastercard, CAIT launch Small Business Support Coalition - Mastercard and CAIT (Confederation Of All India Traders) have partnered with Indian NGO ACCESS to launch the Small Business Support Coalition. The Coalition will work towards educating small merchants and kirana store owners on government approved protocols for improved safety and hygiene. To mark the launch, the Coalition will distribute 35,000 health protections kits in some of Delhi’s busiest markets.
•  Microsoft partners with AICTE to train students, educators in new-age tech - Microsoft on October 12, 2020 said it has partnered with AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) to train students and educators in new-age technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), data science and cloud computing. Microsoft’s course modules will be made available free of cost through AICTE’s e-learning portal ELIS.
• Public sector oil companies to launch portal on capital goods requirements - Public sector oil companies such as IOC and ONGC will launch a portal to provide information on their capital goods requirements besides the items related to MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) to domestic industry in line with the government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign. Engineers India Limited will be leading the development of this portal.
• UTI Asset Management Company shares list at a discount after IPO - Shares of UTI Asset Management Company (AMC) on October 12, 2020 listed at a discount to its initial public offering (IPO) price. UTI AMC’s shares listed at Rs 490.25 on the BSE, lower than the IPO price of Rs 554 and closed 14% below the IPO price.
• Wipro announces Rs 9,500 cr share buyback - Indian IT services provider Wipro's board has approved a share buyback worth Rs 9,500 crore as a part of its September quarter results.

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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 Maritime India Vision 2030

 

 

Key points –  

• Maritime India Vision 2030 is set to be released by PM Modi at Maritime India Summit in November 2020.
• It envisions maritime development In India for next 10 years. It is a blue print for development of maritime sector in next years.

Highlights –

• This document advances further the ambitious Sagarmala project, major investment of Rs. 3.5 Lakh Crore to double the cargo volumes from current 1,300 million tonnes to 2,600 million tonnes.
• Experts expect it to create 2 million additional jobs in maritime and related sectors, and unlock additional revenue of about Rs. 20,000 crore funding is allotted to state owned ports.
• Maritime India Vision 2030 relooks at tapping 15,000 acres of land owned by port authorities to accelerate port led industrialisation, for which a land use policy is being finalised by Ministry of Shipping.
• The Maritime Development Fund seeks to provide low cost, long-tenure financing to the sector with the Centre contributing ₹2,500 crore over seven years. This is part of a plan to promote shipping capacity under the Indian flag.
• Maritime Indian Vision 2030, also covers Eastern Waterways Transport Grid project for enhanced connectivity with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar.
• As per the reports, government will build threee mega ports of capacity 300 million tonnes and above, increase Indian cargo shipped domestically, from 25 per cent to 75 per cent, reduce vessel shipping related charges and deepen the draft to 14-18 meters, and new ports to have 18 meters.
• To ease shipping regulation, and increase shipping capacity under Indian flag, Merchant shipping Act will be re-written, which will form part of Maritime India Vision 2030 to help increase India’s shipping tonnage capacity.
• Earlier a ship was not deemed Indian, unless wholly owned by Indian citizen, Indian company or principle place of business in India, as per section 21 of Merchant shipping Act.
• Government is also planning to ease the registration norms by allowing vessels if they are substantially owned by Indian and Overseas Corporate Indian (OCI) and Limited Liability Partnerships, to be registered under Indian flag.
• Newly State run firms and Public companies have been asked to hire only ships owned by local companies for transport contract values under Rs. 200 crores. This is likely to give a push to local companies.
• Replacing the old Indian Ports Act 1908, new Indian Ports Act will include a regulatory authority to oversee ports, institutional coverage of ports, improve investments, and promote structured growth of ports.

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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 

 

• CRPF, IIT-Delhi and DRDO sign MoU - The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to create a pool of officials who will work to find technology solutions for its operational challenges. CRPF has about 500 officers and sub-officers who hold professional degrees in engineering and technology.
• Decade-long travel, arms embargo imposed by UN on Iran ends - A decade-long U.N. arms embargo on Iran that barred it from purchasing foreign weapons like tanks and fighter jets expired on October 18, 2020 as planned under its nuclear deal with world powers. The UN had banned Iran from buying major foreign weapon systems in 2010 amid tensions over its nuclear program.
• India to hand over INS Sindhuvir, a Kilo class submarine to the Myanmar Navy - India will hand over INS Sindhuvir, a Kilo class submarine to the Myanmar Navy, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on October 15, 2020. This will be the first submarine of the Southeast Asian country. The submarine, purchased from the Soviet Union in the 1980s, has undergone modernisation at the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Vizag.
• Rajnath Singh dedicates 44 bridges built by BRO in 7 states, UTs - Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 44 bridges built by Border Road Organisation (BRO) and laid the foundation stone of Nechiphu tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh on October 12, 2020. These new bridges are located in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.
• SLINEX-20 held off Trincomalee from Oct 19-21 - The eighth edition of annual Indian Navy (IN) – Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) bilateral maritime exercise SLINEX-20 was scheduled off Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from October 19 to 21, 2020. SLINEX-20 aims to enhance inter-operability and improve mutual understanding for maritime operations between both navies.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Infantry Day – October 27

 

 

October 27 celebrated as Infantry Day – 

• It was on this day that first Indian infantry soldiers took part in an action to defend Indian territory from external aggression.
• The day is celebrated as a remembrance of the first military event of independent India, when the First Battalion of the Sikh Regiment of Indian Army fought battle to accomplish victory over the first attack on the Indian soil by the Pakistan Army and Lashkar invader on October 27, 1947, in the Kashmir valley, who tried to grab J&K.
• On October 26, 1947 the then Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, signed the instrument of accession, making his state a part of Indian dominion, and thus paving the day for Indian troops to be deployed in the state to fight against Pakistani invaders.

Important events preceding the deployment of Indian soldiers in J&K –

• On October 22, Pakistan had poured in thousands of regular soldiers in the garb of tribals as well as volunteers from the tribal areas of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) into J&K with the aim of forcibly occupying the state and integrating it into Pakistan. The initial resistance to the invaders was given by the state forces of J&K.
• On October 26, after the Maharaja signed the instrument of accession the way was paved for India to send in its troops and ward off the Pakistani invaders on October 27.

Note –

• The Infantry, the largest component and the premier fighting arm of the Indian Army,  is also known as the ‘Queen of the Battle’.

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

8.1 Actor-turned-politician Naresh Kanodia dies

 

Key point –

• On October 27, Veteran Gujarati film star-turned-politician Naresh Kanodia died at a city-based hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for coronavirus. He was 77.

Highlights –

• Kanodia worked in over 300 Gujarati films, and won the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award in 2012 to mark the centenary of Indian cinema.
• The Gujarati film superstar died two days after his elder brother and former BJP MP from Patan Loksabha constituency, Mahesh, who was also a legendary Gujarati singer-musician, died following prolonged illness at his residence.
• Both brothers were known as the Mahesh-Naresh duo in Gujarati film industry and together shared credit for several Gujarati hit movies.
• Mr. Kanodia served as Karjan MLA from 2002 to 2007. His son, Hitu Kanodia, is a BJP MLA from Idar constituency.

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

9.1 Not Available Today

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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 -

• The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been won by Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna.
• The annual World Pharmacists Day was celebrated on Sept 25.
• Ang Rita Sherpa, the first man to climb Mount Everest 10 times, died at the age of 72 in Kathmandu in Sept 2020.
• Valdis Dombrovskis was appointed as the new Trade Commissioner of the EU.
• Managing director of Lokmat was elected as the chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for the year 2020-2021.

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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