World Amateur Radio Day was observed across the World on 18 April 2013. This day is observed to celebrate the beginning of the IARU-the International Amateur Radio Union – back in 1925. The theme for 2013 is Amateur Radio: Entering Its Second Century of Disaster Communications. The theme commemorates to the first known use of Amateur Radio in a disaster situation by Herbert V. Akerberg — a 15-year-old from Hilltop, Ohio, USA. He is believed to be the first person to use an Amateur Radio to call for help during a disaster.

International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was founded on 18 April 1925 and is also known as the Ham Radio. In making this Ham Radio operational licensed participants operate the communication equipment in form of a service and a hobby.

Hams get involved in the Amateur radio because of their basic knowledge of radio technology and principles of operation. They need to pass an examination for getting a license to operate on radio frequencies known as Amateur Bands.

21 April: Civil Services Day
National Civil Services Day was observed on 21 April 2013 across India. The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh inaugurated the function organized to give away the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration for the year 2011-12.

This is a say that is observed by Civil Services to rededicate and recommit themselves to the cause of the people. It provides a unique opportunity for introspection as also working out future strategies to deal with the challenges being posed by the changing times. Eighth in a row, the day is being celebrated since 2006.

Federal Space Agency Roscosmos, Russia launched the world’s only returnable satellite called Bion-M1 on 20 April 2013. The satellite is aimed at biological research in space and for interplanetary flights in future. The Bion-1M satellite was separated from the Soyuz carrier rocket and entered an elliptic orbit at 575 kilometers above the Earth. The satellite carries 45 mice, 15 geckos, eight Mongolian gerbils, snails, and containers with various microorganisms and plants.

The satellite will conduct more than 70 physiological, genetic, morphological and molecular-biological experiments during its 30-day flight. Besides, Bion-1M carries a number of Russian and foreign microsatellites which will slowly be separated from the spacecraft in the next two days and carry on their individual missions.

North Korea has threatened to shut down the inter-Korean industrial complex in Kaesong, located in the southwestern part of the country.

The jointly-run industrial park is a symbol of cooperation between the 2 Koreas. Some 50,000 North Koreans work for South Korean firms operating in the complex.

Officials in Pyongyang said that the country will close the industrial park without hesitation if South Korea undermines the North’s dignity.

The officials were apparently referring to the South’s joint military drills currently taking place with the United States.

The Kaesong complex is an important means for impoverished North Korea to earn foreign currency. The industrial park has operated normally even after the North severed a military hotline with the South on Wednesday.

The line was used for checking the entry of South Koreans to the special zone. Observers say, that the latest threat may be part of North Korea’s tactics to rattle the South.

In Tennis, world number one Serena Williams have clinched the Miami Open title for a record sixth time by beating Maria Sharapova of Russia 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. In the women’s singles final held at Miami yesterday, Williams fought back from a set down to win the tournament.

In men’s singles, Andy Murray of Great Britain will clash against Spain’s David Ferrer in the title match today . Earlier yesterday, Murray posted a 6-7 , 6-1, 6-2 win over France’s Richard Gasquet to make it to the finals. ]]> http://www.generalknowledgetoday.com/serena-williams-beats-maria-sharapova-to-win-miami-title-7901.htm/feed 0 http://www.generalknowledgetoday.com/the-government-of-india-and-its-visa-policies-7897.htm http://www.generalknowledgetoday.com/the-government-of-india-and-its-visa-policies-7897.htm#comments Sun, 31 Mar 2013 17:13:47 +0000 admin http://www.generalknowledgetoday.com/?p=7897 Tourist Visa on Arrival

TOURIST VISA ON ARRIVAL (T-VoA) SCHEME
The Government of India has announced a scheme of granting Tourist Visa on Arrival for the citizens of eleven countries. The scheme is valid for citizens of the countries mentioned below planning to visit India on single entry strictly for the purpose of tourism and for a short period of upto a maximum of 30 days. The salient features of the scheme are given below:

WHO IS ELIGIBLE:
-Citizens with valid passports of the following countries:
Cambodia, Finland, Indonesia, Japan , Laos, Luxembourg, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam.
-Visiting India for the purpose of tourism (recreation, sight -seeing, visiting friends and relatives)
- Fulfills all other criteria for grant of normal tourist visa to India like assured financial
standing (production of return ticket and proof of availability of sufficient funds to spend in
India), passport of at least six month validity and reentry permit if required.

WHO IS NOT ELIGIBLE:
- Citizens of the above countries who was or whose parents or grand parents (paternal or maternal) was born in, and was permanently resident in Pakistan.
- Persons holding Diplomatic/ Official passports
- A person who is a resident of India and /or works in India
-A person who is declared persona non grata by Government of India and is not the subject of a black list or any warning circular or other restrictive list

VALIDITY
The Visa on Arrival is valid for a single entry into India for a period of upto 30 (thirty) days.This Visa is non-extendable and non-convertible and will be issued at arrival only at the designated international airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Only two visits on a Tourist Visa-on-Arrival shall be permissible in a calendar year and there shall be a gap of at least two months between each visit.

FEE
The fee for the visa on arrival is USD 60 (Sixty United States Dollars) or equivalent amount in Indian Rupees per passenger (including children).

Visa Application Form
Visa application form is available at the office of Indian Embassy/ High Commission/Consulate in the country where the applicant resides. Visa form for nationals of Pakistan and Bangladesh are generally different. All applicants, including children need to apply for Visa in separate visa forms.

Procedure for obtaining Visa
Visas can be applied for in person or by post at Indian Embassy/ High Commission/ Consulate based in the country from where the candidate intends to depart for India. You are requested to contact the nearest Indian mission for details.Specific visas are granted for a variety of purposes that are aforementioned.

Requirements for Visa
Generally the following documents are required for obtaining Indian Visa. However, the requirement may vary from country to country.
•    Original passport valid for at least 6 months
•    Visa fee
•    Two passport size photographs
•    Supporting documents, where necessary
•    Duly completed application form

Disclaimer:
The above is only for information. You are requested to contact the nearest Indian Mission (Embassy/ High Commission/ Consulate) or visit their websites for up-to-date information regarding visas, fees, procedures, etc.

Sebastian Vettel’s 27th victory in Formula One .The three-time defending champion ignored team orders Sunday and overtook fellow Red Bull driver Mark Webber toward the end to win the Malaysian Grand Prix, having been told to stand down and cruise to a 1-2 finish.

The German’s move left Webber fuming and had team officials remonstrating Vettel publicly after the race. Vettel apologized, but said he didn’t realize he had been told to hold back.

“Mark should have won,” said Vettel, who now leads the championship standings by nine points ahead of Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen. “I made a big mistake today and we should have stayed in the position. I messed up in that situation and took the lead from Mark and can see now he is upset. Apologies to Mark. The result is there and all I can say is that I didn’t do it deliberately.”

Webber refused to acknowledge his teammate after the race, and said he had been told by the team to keep a slower pace to save the tires to the end.

“Seb made his own decisions and he will have protection as usual and that’s the way it goes,” Webber said. “It’s still very raw at the moment.”

Asked if the fight had him reconsidering his role at Red Bull, Webber said he had “a lot of things going through my mind.”

Rafael Nadal of Spain won Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open 2013 on 17 March 2013. Nadal defeated Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final. After winning Tokyo Open in October 2010, this is the first hard court victory of Nadal. With this, Nadal became number 4 in the world ranking.

Apart from this, Maria Sharapova won the first title of 2013 in women’s final of the tournament by defeating Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-2.

• Union Government to introduce National Policy on Drug Abuse
• Three NRIs Honoured by Indian High Commission in London on World Hindi Day 2013
• Tiger Woods Won Arnold Palmer Invitational 2013; Regained World Number 1 Ranking
• Apple bought Indoor Mapping firm WiFiSlam for 20 Million Dollar
• Two Time Pulitzer Prize-winner Anthony Lewis died at the age of 85
• Growth-Oriented MoU Signed Between SPMCIL and Department of Economic Affairs
• Competition Commission of India (CCI) Nominated for GCR Awards 2013

The Union Government on 18 March 2013 approved a bill that is directed towards providing access to all central and state government services such as passport, ration card and driving licences electronically, especially the Internet, within eight years.

The bill will be of directive nature and mandate the government organisations to start providing all services for citizen within eight years time through electronic medium.

The (central and state) governments will notify the service that they will provide electronically in next 5 years. They will be given extra three years after five years to ensure all services all provided electronically.

The bill is supposed to bring more transparency in the system as the electronic delivery of services will help rein in corruption.

The Electronic Service Delivery bill was brought before the Cabinet to bring it in sync with Citizens Charter Bill or The Right of Citizens for Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011, and was approved by Union Cabinet on 7 March 2013.

2) Lung Cancer Prevention
Studies in mice show that pomegranate juice may inhibit the development of lung cancer.

3) Slows Prostate Cancer
It slowed the growth of prostate cancer in mice.

4) Keeps PSA Levels Stable
In a study of 50 men who had undergone treatment for prostate cancer, 8 ounces of pomegranate juice per day kept PSA levels stable, reducing the need for further treatment

5) Protects the Neonatal Brain
Studies show that maternal consumption of pomegranate juice may protect the neonatal brain from damage after injury.

6) Prevention of Osteoarthritis
Several studies indicate that pomegranate juice may prevent cartilage deterioration.

7) Protects the Arteries
It prevents plaque from building up in the arteries and may reverse previous plaque buildup.

Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention It may prevent and slow Alzheimer’s disease. In one study, mice bred to develop Alzheimer’s disease were given pomegranate juice. They accumulated significantly less amyloid plaque than control mice and they performed mental tasks better.

9)Lowers Cholesterol
It lowers LDL (bad cholesterol) and raises HDL (good cholesterol).

10) Lowers Blood Pressure
One study showed that drinking 1.7 ounces of pomegranate juice per day lowered systolic blood pressure by as much as 5 percent.

11) Dental Protection
Research suggests that drinking pomegranate juice may be a natural way to prevent dental plaque.

India  has got advantage against a depleted Australia side in the third Test match that begins Today at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium here.

With only 12 players to pick a team from, Australia are under huge pressure. The onus of ending their two-match losing streak looms large under the backdrop of the suspension of its four players Monday due to breach of discipline.

The Australia team management Monday suspended four of its players including vice-captain Shane Watson for not doing a homework. Along with Watson, James Pattinson, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Johnson were suspended for the Test.

With Australia trailing 0-2 in the series, all the players were given five days to prepare a feedback on how they could improve. But the four players failed to meet the deadline, and paid the price.

While Watson and Pattinson would have been automatic choices, Khawaja and Johnson also had a strong chance.

The inexperienced Australia batting line-up will have a tough time against the Indian spinners. However, the good news for them is that skipper Michael Clarke is in form. Clarke has scored one century and two half-centuries in the four innings he has played so far.

The big news for India will be the debut of Delhi batsman Shikhar Dhawan who will replace citymate Virender Sehwag, who was dropped after failing in the first two Tests, averaging just nine.

The Indian batting order has put together good performances so far. Led by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Cheteshwar Pujara, Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli have scored a ton each.

When it comes to bowling, Pragyan Ojha is likely to retain his bench in the pavilion as India will likely retain its winning combination.

Ravichandran Ashwin has been very impressive taking three five-wicket hauls, with a best of 7/103. Harbhajan Singh has taken wickets though not regularly. Lack of wickets could prove to be trouble for him in the future.

Ironically, Ravindra Jadeja has been even more effective than Harbhajan. Firstly, he has taken more wickets than Harbhajan and, secondly, important wickets of men-in-form like Clarke and Wade at crucial junctures of both the matches.

The building blocks of blue-green algae – sunlight, carbon dioxide and bacteria – are being used by researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm to produce butanol, a hydrocarbon-like fuel for motor vehicles.

The advantage of butanol is that the raw materials are abundant and renewable, and production has the potential to be 20 times more efficient than making ethanol from corn and sugar cane.

Using genetically-modified cyanobacteria, the team linked butanol production to the algae’s natural metabolism, says Paul Hudson, a researcher at the School of Biotechnology at KTH who leads the research. “With relevant genes integrated in the right place in cyanobacteria’s genome, we have tricked the cells to produce butanol instead of fulfilling their normal function,” he says.

1. The drugs used to reduces body temperature is called

a)antipyretics, b) anticyptics, c)antibody, d) antithermo

2. The National Chemical Laboratory is situated in

a)Pune b) mumbai c) kolkata d)bangalore

3. Which radioactive pollutant has recently drawn the attention of the public, due to its occurrence in the building material?

a) Pythyim b)Thorium c)  Sulpher d) titanium

4. What is called the rate of change of velocity?

a) gravity b)  force c)  attraction d)Acceleration

5.  Use suitable alternative He is desirous _____ visiting Delhi.

a) of  b) is  c) was  d) are

New President and Vice-President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India Appointed

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) appointed Subodh Kumar Agrawal as its new President and
 K. Raghu as its new Vice-President on 12 February 2013.

Subodh Kumar Agrawal

•    He had served the ICAI as its fellow for 24 years
•    He had been the member of Institute’s central council twice since 2007
•    He is specialized in area of internal and statutory audit of private and public sector entities like insurance companies and banks
•    He had served the institute at different positions and it includes Vice President and Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Member of its different Committees

K. Raghu

•    K. Raghu is specialized in areas of business, taxation and technology consultation
•    He served as the member of the central council of ICAI from 2007 to 2010 and during this period he served ICAI as the Chairman of Information Technology Committee and brought forward the e-learning and web-casting initiatives of the organization