Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 22-01-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 22-01-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Law & Constitution – Decision on Rajiv case convict soon, SC told – Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit will take a decision “as per the Constitution” in the next three or four days on a plea for release by A.G. Perarivalan, who is undergoing life imprisonment for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta orally informed the Supreme Court on January 21. The court, however, noted in its short order that the “Solicitor-General submitted that the application filed by the petitioner [Perarivalan] under Article 161 of the Constitution of India shall be considered within four weeks from today. List this matter after four weeks”. Reacting to the variation, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan said Perarivalan’s side was planning to mention the case in court for a clarification.
2. World – Biden begins dismantling Trump legacy – The Biden presidency began with a flurry of activity, with the new President signing 17 executive orders, memos and directives on his first day in office, including on climate change, the pandemic, immigration and equality. Shortly after being sworn in as the President on January 20, Joe Biden began dismantling significant parts of the legacy of his predecessor, Donald Trump, including by officially bringing America back into the Paris Climate Accord. He conveyed his intent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres via a letter. Consequently, the U.S. would be back in the agreement on February 19. Mr. Biden stopped the U.S.’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization. In a letter to Mr. Guterres, he highlighted the “crucial” role it plays in combating COVID-19 and other health challenges.
3. Agriculture – Farmers reject proposal to suspend laws for 18 months – Protesting farm unions on January 21 rejected the Centre’s proposal to suspend the three farm reform laws for one-and-a-half years. They intend to continue their agitation until the laws are repealed, and a law guaranteeing minimum support price for crops is enacted. The decision was taken after a five-hour meeting of the full general body of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a joint front representing about 500 protesting groups, at the Singhu protest site on the Delhi-Haryana border in the evening. The unions will inform the government of their decision at the 11th round of talks with Central Ministers on January 22. Later in the evening, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar met Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence.
4. Economy – ‘GDP within striking distance of growth’ – The economy is within striking distance of attaining positive growth, officials of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) wrote, adding that the letter ‘V’ in the V-shaped recovery stood for vaccine. The Centre unveiled a vaccination drive on January 16 to protect people from COVID-19. India’s vaccination drive is backed by its comparative advantage of having the largest vaccine manufacturing capacity in the world and a rich experience of mass inoculation drives against polio and measles. The views expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the central bank’s views, the RBI said. E-commerce and digital technologies will likely be the bright spots in a recovery in a world in which there will be rebounds for sure, but pre-pandemic levels of output and employment are a long way off, they said.
5. World – Senate confirms Biden’s first Cabinet pick – Three new Senators were sworn into office on January 20 after President Joe Biden’s inauguration, securing the majority for Democrats in the Senate and across a unified government to tackle the new President’s agenda at a time of unprecedented national challenges. In a first vote, the Senate confirmed Mr. Biden’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines. Senators worked into the evening and overcame some Republican opposition to approve his first Cabinet member, in what’s traditionally a show of good faith on Inauguration Day to confirm at least some nominees for a new President’s administration. Ms. Haines, a former CIA deputy director, will become a core member of Mr. Biden’s security team, overseeing the agencies that make up the nation’s intelligence community. She was confirmed 84-10.
6. World – Google, French press ink copyright payments deal – Google and French newspapers have signed an agreement aimed at opening the path to digital copyright payments from the online giant after months of heated negotiations. The accord signed with the APIG alliance of French dailies involves “neighbouring rights,” which call for payment for showing news content with Internet searches. It said the agreement sets a framework for Google to negotiate individual licence agreements with newspapers on the payments and will give papers access to its new News Showcase programme, which sees it pay publishers for a selection of enriched content. Payments are to be calculated individually and will be based on criteria including internet viewing figures and the amount of information published.
7. People & Personalities – Ex-Pond’s India CMD Narayanan passes away – V. Narayanan (83), who headed Pond’s India Ltd. prior to its merger with Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL) and later served on the board of HLL, passed away on January 21. An alumnus of Lawrence School at Lovedale and Loyola College, Narayanan began his career in 1959 as a management trainee in HLL (now HUL). In his 10 years there, he served in the sales and marketing functions, both in India and in the U.K. He returned to India in 1968 and joined Chesebrough Pond’s Inc. as marketing director. He became chairman and CEO of Pond’s (India) and served the company till 1997.
8. Economy – Sri Lanka reopens for tourists – Sri Lanka has reopened its borders for foreign tourists after about 10 months, hoping to revive its pandemic-hit tourism sector. The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau has set up what it calls a “Safe and Secure” bubble, mandating pre-departure PCR tests for tourists, restricting their stay to designated high-end hotels and beach resorts, and allowing access to select tourist spots, to limit visitors from mixing with the local community. As per the arrangement, Sri Lanka does not require tourists to stay for a minimum number of days, while visitors are offered a “quarantine free” experience.
9. Covid-19 – India to clear vaccine exports to Brazil today – Brazil is set to receive the go-ahead from the Indian government on January 22 to collect two million doses of the Covishield vaccine made by the Serum Institute, two weeks after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro requested PM Modi for their “urgent” clearance. The consignment, which was due to be collected by a special Brazilian plane last week, was delayed as the government had not yet finalised its plans for exports of Indian-made vaccines. The delay had led to a flurry of messages from Brazil, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had spoken to his Brazilian counterpart Ernesto Araujo to reassure him on January 16.
10. Covid-19 – Co-WIN platform gets upgrade – The cumulative number of healthcare workers vaccinated against COVID-19 has touched 9,99,065 (till 6 p.m. on January 21) through a total of 18,159 sessions. A total of 4,041 sessions were held till 6 p.m. on January 21, and 1,92,581 beneficiaries were vaccinated on the sixth day of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination. As per reports, there are no cases of serious/severe AEFI (adverse event following immunisation) attributable to vaccination till date. Reports suggest that 187 minor AEFIs have been reported till 6 p.m. on the sixth day of the vaccination drive. It added that an enhancement in Co-WIN software has been introduced to cater to the creation of more session sites, more sessions per site, and a change in site location, which is now allowed.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	AMDER	Laboratory Assistant, Project Associate-I	35	B.Sc, M.Sc, M.Tech	23-01-2021	https://amd.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/file/amd/DetailedAdvertisementEnglish_final(2).pdf
2	IIT, Delhi	Sr, Jr Project Asst & Project Asst (Tech)	7	Degree	01-02-2021	https://ird.iitd.ac.in/sites/default/files/jobs/project/IITD-IRD-010-2021.PDF
3	IIT, Madras	Chief Technology Officer, Sr Project Officer, Project Associate & JRF	10	B.Tech/ B.E/ PG (Relevnat Discipline) with GATE, Ph.D	29-01-2021	https://icandsr.iitm.ac.in/recruitment/admin/uploads/announce/Announcement%20in%20the%20dept%20of%20Electrical%20Engineering.pdf
4	Cochin Shipyard Limited	Jr Technical Asst, Jr Commercial Asst & Storekeeper	13	Diploma, Any Degree, PG Diplom	09-02-2021	https://cochinshipyard.com/uploads/career/c7d67fca2b8f2616e82ac262d39eb81b.pdf
5	MSME Technology Centre, Sitarganj	Manager, Sr Engineer, Engineer, Store Officer, Sr Technician	9	Diploma (Engg), Degree	30 Days	http://estcindia.com/MSME%20Technology%20Centre,%20Sitarganj%20-%20Recruitment%20Advertisement.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 PARI co-founder Mangesh Kale passes away

 

 

   

Key points – 

• Precision Automation and Robotics India (PARI) co-founder Mangesh Kale has passed away.
• Mangesh Kale, an engineer by profession from Pune started PARI robotics in August 1990 with an idea of providing manufacturers with automation services that would yield greater efficiencies and increase profits.
• PARI has deployed over 1,500 automated systems worldwide across more than 75 global customers through its factories in Pune and Detroit.
• He was a member of MCCIA’s executive committee for several years that chaired the automation committee and was part of MCCIA’s business delegations to China and Germany.

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

3.1 Ratle Hydro Power Project in J&K

 

 

Key points –

• The Cabinet has given its approval for the investment of over 5200 crore rupees for 850 MW Ratle Hydro Electric (HE) Project located on river Chenab, in Kishtwar in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• This will be a new Joint Venture Company (JVC) of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Ltd (JKSPDC) with equity contribution of 51 per cent and 49 per cent respectively.
• Government is also supporting the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory by providing grant of 776.44 crore rupees for Equity contribution of JKSPDC in the JVC to be set up for construction of Ratle HE Project.
• The Ratle Hydro Electric Project shall be commissioned within 60 months. The Power generated from the Project will help in providing balancing of Grid and will improve the power supply position.
• The construction activities of the Project will provide direct and indirect employment to around 4000 persons and will contribute immensely in the overall socio-economic development of Jammu and Kashmir.

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

4.1 Suriname President among 30 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardees 

• Suriname President Chandrika Persad Santokhi, Curacao Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath and New Zealand minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan were among 30 NRIs, and Indian-origin people and organisations who were conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award on January 9, 2021. President Ram Nath Kovind, who delivered the valedictory address on the third and final day of the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations, presented the awards at a virtual event.
• The awardees also included Mukhesh Aghi (President and CEO of US-India Strategic Partnership Forum), Dr. Rajani Chandra D’Mello (Azerbaijan), Baburajan Vava Kalluparambil Gopalan (Bahrain), Jamal Ahmad (Botswana), Janakiraman Ravikumar (Cameroon), Debashish Chaudhuri (Czech Republic), Mohammed Husein Hasanali Sardharwala (Ethiopia), Balasubramanian Ramani (Germany), Lal Lokumal Chellaram (Hong Kong), Dr. (Prof.) Muralidhar Miryala (Japan), Rajib Shaw (Japan), Salil Panigrahi (Maldives), Ravi Prakash Singh (Mexico), Mohan Thomas Lazarus Pakalomattom (Qatar), Arvind Phukan (US), Nilu Gupta (US) and Sudhakar Jonnalagadda (US).
• Four organisations -- NGO Cultural Diversity for Peaceful Future in Armenia, Sai Prema Foundation in Fiji, Indian Cultural Association in Nigeria, Federation of Indian Associations of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut -- were also awarded for community service and their work for promoting cultural ties.
• A Jury-cum-Awards Committee with Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu as the chairman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as the vice chair and other distinguished members from various walks of life considered the nominations for the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards, 2021, and unanimously selected the awardees.

4.2 News Round-up – International Affairs 

 

 

• Four people died as supporters of President Donald Trump violently occupied the US Capitol that houses the US Parliament (Congress) comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives in Washington on January 7, 2021. Later in the day, a Joint Session of the U.S. Congress on January 7, 2021 formally certified the electoral victory of Joe Biden as the next U.S. President and Kamala Harris as the Vice President in the November 3 election.
• The U.S. intelligence apparatus got larger on January 8, 2021 with the addition of the ‘Space Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Enterprise’ as its 18th member. It has not been expanded since 2006 when the Drug Enforcement Administration’s intelligence unit became a member.
• The United Kingdom has raised $1 billion from global donors to fund vaccination campaigns against Covid-19 in developing countries, the UK Foreign Office said on January 10, 2021.
• Iran seized a South Korean-flagged tanker ‘Hankuk Chemi’ in the Strait of Hormuz on January 4, 2021. While Iran claims it seized the ship over polluting the Persian Gulf and the strait, the move came just ahead of a South Korean diplomat heading to Tehran to negotiate over Iran’s $7 billion funds frozen amid a U.S. pressure campaign.
• Kuwait’s foreign ministry on January 4, 2021 announced that Saudi Arabia will open its air and land borders with Qatar in the first steps toward ending a diplomatic crisis that has deeply divided regional US allies since 2017. Qatar’s only land border has been mostly closed since mid-2017, when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain launched a blockade against the tiny Gulf state, accusing it of supporting Islamist groups in the region and of having warm ties with Iran.
• Pakistan’s Supreme Court on January 5, 2021 ordered the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) to start reconstruction of a century-old Hindu temple that was vandalised and set on fire by a mob in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on December 30, 2020, saying the attack has caused “international embarrassment” to the country.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) said that China has denied entry to the international experts’ team due to arrive in Wuhan to probe the origins of COVID-19. Two members were on their way to China when they were told that they did not have necessary clearances from China to enter the country. WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has expressed disappointment over China’s denial of permission.
• Pakistan on January 7, 2021 successfully conducted the test-flight of an indigenously developed Guided Multi Launch Rocket System named ‘Fatah-1’, capable of delivering conventional warheads, with a maximum range of 140 km.
• People started protesting the removal of a war memorial on campus at the Jaffna University on January 9, 2021. On January 8, the university authorities bulldozed a sculpture, of hands held out of water, erected in memory of several thousand civilians brutally killed in the final phase of the civil war in 2009, in Mullivaikkal in Sri Lanka’s northern Mullaitivu district.
• Brazil’s Economy Ministry on January 5, 2021 said it had defaulted on its penultimate capital instalment to the New Development Bank (NDB) because the payment had not been authorised by Congress. The NBD was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, a group of emerging economies known as the BRICS. Brazil in 2015 agreed to pay its contribution to capitalize the bank in seven installments. Brazil’s two outstanding installments total $350 million.
• A British judge on January 4, 2021 blocked the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face espionage charges, finding that he was at serious risk of suicide. Judge Vanessa Baraitser said the 49-year-old Australian publisher’s actions in leaking secret documents went “well beyond” that of a journalist, and he would have been “well aware” of the dangers the leak posed. But facing the “harsh conditions” likely in the U.S. jail system, Assange’s mental health would deteriorate, “causing him to commit suicide”
• Twitter has announced that it had permanently suspended the account of outgoing President Donald Trump due to “risk of further incitement of violence”, three days after his supporters stormed the US Capitol and five people died in the violence. The unprecedented move by the social media platform comes after Trump tweeted that he would not attend the inauguration of his successor Joe Biden on January 20.
• British diplomat Brian Urquhart, an early leader of the United Nations who played a central role in developing the U.N. practice of peacekeeping, died at the age of 101 in US on January 2. He served as a principal adviser to the first 5 U.N. Secretary-Generals.
• Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi was re-elected on January 3, 2020 as the speaker of the US House of Representatives for the 117th Congress. Pelosi, 80, from the Democratic Party, secured 216 votes in a contest against Republican Party’s Kevin McCarthy, who got 209 votes.

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

5.1 Financial assistance to UP under PMAY-G

 

Highlights – 

• PM Modi has released financial assistance of around Rs 2,691 crores to 6.1 lakh beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh, under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) via video conferencing.
• The assistance will include the release of the first installment to 5.30 lakh beneficiaries and second installment to 80,000 beneficiaries who have already availed the first installment of assistance under PMAY-G.
• Prime Minister had given the clarion call of "Housing for All by 2022", for which a flagship programme of PMAY-G was launched on November 20, 2016.
• So far 1.26 crore houses have already been built across the country under the scheme. Under PMAY-G, each beneficiary is given 100 per cent grant of Rs 1.20 lakh in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh in hilly states, North Eastern States, difficult areas, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, among others.
• The beneficiaries of PMAY-G, in addition to the unit assistance, are also provided support of unskilled labour wages under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and assistance of Rs. 12,000 for construction of toilets through Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G).
• The scheme has provisions for convergence with other central or state government schemes for providing LPG connection under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Scheme, electricity connection and access to safe drinking water under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Pakistan tests Shaheen-III ballistic missile

 

Highlights – 

• Pakistan has successfully conducted a flight test of Shaheen-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads up to 2,750 kilometers.
• The test flight was aimed at “re-validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system”.
• Experts believe that the “Shaheen-III missile, once inducted will provide Pakistan with the full spectrum deterrence against the adversary” and will further enhance strategic stability in the South Asian region.
• The missile completed its initial tests in 2015 and was tested again on January 20, 2021, with various modifications based on groundbreaking technology.
• It is believed to be compatible with the Ababeel Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MITREV) that allow a missile to deliver multiple nuclear warheads to different targets and is capable of evading most ballistic missile interceptors.
• On January 7, Pakistan’s Fatah-1 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) successfully completed a 140-kilometer mission.
• The indigenously developed Fatah-1 surface-to-surface weapon system “is likely to give Pakistan Army capability of precision target engagement deep in enemy territory”.

6.2 News Round-up – Sports

• Claire Polosak becomes first woman to officiate in men’s test match - Australia’s Claire Polosak will become the first woman match official in a men’s Test when she takes up the fourth umpire’s role in the third Test of Australia-India series starting at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 7, 2021.
• Book on India-Australia cricket tours released - ‘India’s 71-Year Test: The Journey to Triumph in Australia’, a book authored by sports journalist R. Kaushik, was released on January 6, 2021. The book which reflects on India’s previous 12 tours in Australia is an initiative of Bradman Museum.
• Hriday Hazarika improves world record in men’s air rifle - 19-year-old Hriday Hazarika shot 253.2, a total better than the world record, to clinch the top spot in men’s air rifle in the National shooting selection trials on January 9, 2021. The world record is held by Yu Haonan of China (252.8).
• Teimour Radjabov wins Airthings Masters online rapid chess final - Teimour Radjabov defeated Levon Aronian to win the $200,000 Airthings Masters online rapid chess final on January 3, 2020. The triumph was worth $60,000 for Radjabov. For the third place, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave beat Daniil Dubov.
• First Khelo India Sports School in NE opened at Shillong - Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports Kiren Rijiju launched the Assam Rifles Public School in Shillong as a Khelo India Sports School on January 4, 2021. At present, nine Sports Schools have been approved across the country. In the North-East Region, Assam Rifles Public School is the first Sports School announced under Khelo India scheme.
• African runners win Dhaka Marathon 2021 - African runners won Dhaka Marathon 2021 organised on January 10, 2021. Hicham Lakohi of Morocco came first in the elite competition of the marathon in men’s category while Angela Jim Asunde from Kenya won the women’s category in the same event.  The marathon was organized to commemorate the return of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from Pakistan jail to Bangladesh in 1972.
• India’s Zeel Desai loses in final of ITF women’s tennis in Tunisia - India’s Zeel Desai was beaten 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 by Salma Djoubri of France in the final of the $15,000 ITF women’s tennis in Monastir, Tunisia, on January 10, 2021.
• Former tennis coach Bob Brett passes away - Australian Bob Brett (67), who coached Boris Becker in his standout 1989 season during which he won Wimbledon and the US Open, passed away on January 5, 2021. Brett coached Becker from November 1987 to February 1991. Brett also worked with Grand Slam tournament winners such as Goran Ivanisevic, Mats Wilander and Marin Cilic.
• Agnes Keleti, the oldest living Olympic champion, turns 100 - Agnes Keleti, the oldest living Olympic champion, turned 100 on January 9, 2021. She won 10 medals for Hungary in gymnastics at the Olympic Games including 5 golds -- 1 at Helsinki in 1952 and 4 at Melbourne in 1956.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Netaji Express 

 

Highlights –

• Ahead of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 125th birth anniversary celebrations, the Howrah-Kalka Mail has been renamed as 'Netaji Express'.
• The great freedom fighter was born on January 23, 1897 and floated Azad Hind Fauj to fight for India's independence.
• The Howrah-Kalka Mail runs daily between Howrah and Kalka via Delhi.
• The order to rename the train was issued on January 19, when the central government had also decided to celebrate Netaji's birth anniversary on January 23 as 'Parakram Diwas' every year.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit West Bengal on January 23 on the occasion.

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

8.1 Not Available Today

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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 -

• Vikram Misri is India’s ambassador to China?.
• J.A. Jayalal has taken charge as the new President of Indian Medical Association.
• The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020 was passed by the Legislative Assembly on December 9, 2020.
• Amish Tripathi’s book titled ‘Dharma: Decoding the Epics for A Meaningful Life’ released in Dec 2020.
• The Centre has decided to name the second campus of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) in Thiruvananthapuram after M.S. Golwalkar.

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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