GS Paper - II
Tensions in West Asia have spiked afresh after pagers and hand-held radios exploded of coordinated attacks across Lebanon and parts of Syria, killing at least 37 persons and injuring more than 3,500, according to the Lebanese government. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese political party and militant group, has accused Israel of carrying out the attacks, which the Israelis have neither owned nor disowned.
GS Paper - II
Union Health Minister J P Nadda on 20 September 2024 said he had sought a report on the controversy over the alleged use of animal fat in the preparation of laddus that are distributed as prasadam at the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had alleged that during the previous YSRCP regime, animal fat was used to prepare the laddu prasadam at Tirumala.
GS Paper - III
The United States Federal Reserve (‘the Fed’), which is in charge of the country’s monetary policy, announced that it will cut the benchmark interest rate — the Federal Funds Rate — by 50 basis points, or half a percentage point.
GS Paper - III
According to a new study, the Earth’s gravitational field will temporarily capture a small asteroid, called 2024 PT5, in late September. The asteroid will stay for two months before flying off into space. While gaining a “mini-moon” is not new for Earth, the phenomenon is rare — in most cases, asteroids either miss the planet or burn upon entering the Earth’s atmosphere. A team of scientists discovered 2024 PT5 and published their findings in the journal Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society earlier this month.
