News at Glance
Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) of the Directors General/Commissioners of Customs Concludes
Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2015
The Union Public Service Commission will be conducting the Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2015 at different venues located at 41Centres throughout the country on 01.11.2015 (Sunday). The e-Admit Cards for the candidates have been uploaded on the Commission’s Web-sitehttp://www.upsc.gov.in which may be downloaded. Letters of rejection to the candidates stating reason(s) for rejection have already been sent through e-mail provided by the candidates. If any applicant is not able to download his e-Admit Card, he may contact UPSC Facilitation Counter on Telephone Nos. 011-23385271, 011-23381125 and 011-23098543 between (10.00 AM to 5.00 PM) on working day during working hours. The candidate may also send Fax message on Fax No. 011-23387310. The candidates may note that no paper admit card will be issued.
In case the photograph is not printed or available on the e-Admit Card, candidates are advised to carry three (03) photographs (one identical photograph for each session) along with proof of identity such as identity Card etc. and printout of e-Admit Card at the venue of the Examination to secure admission in the Examination.
A Depression Over East Central Arabian Sea
A depression formed over east central Arabian Sea remained practically stationary and lay centred about 410 km west-southwest of Goa and 630 km south-southwest of Mumbai at 0830 hours IST of today. It is initially expected to move north-northwestwards slowly and intensify into a deep depression during next 48 hrs.Under its influence, rainfall at many places with isolated heavy falls would occur over coastal Karnataka and Kerala during next 24 hours and over Konkan and Goa during subsequent 24 hrs.
Strong wind speeds reaching 30-40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph would prevail along and off Konkan, Goa and Karnataka coasts during next 48 hrs and along and off Kerala coast and Lakshadweep area during next 24 hrs. Sea condition would be rough.
Fishermen are advised not to venture into deep sea along and off Karnataka, Konkan and Goa coasts during next 48 hrs and Kerala coast and Lakshadweep area during next 24 hrs.
The 11th Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) of the Directors General/Commissioners of Customs concluded in Goa today. Representatives from 41 Asian and European countries and 2 Intergovernmental bodies, namely European Union and ASEAN took part in it.During the course of the meeting, the Heads of the Customs Administrations deliberated upon various issues and agreed upon an action plan called ‘Goa Declaration’ for 2016-17. The action plan involves Exchange of Best Practices and Capacity Building in the Areas of Trade Facilitation, Supply Chain Security, Scheme of Authorized Economic Operators, Coordinated Border Management, Intellectual Property Rights, Trans-boundary waste shipment, Joint Customs Operation against Counterfeit Goods, Paperless Customs, and Passenger Name Record. In order to promote Digital India campaign, India sponsored ‘Paperless Customs’ which received wide support from the ASEM Members.
During the Meeting, India and Korea signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) to facilitate the Scheme of Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) for boosting international trade and faster customs clearances between two countries. The 12th ASEM Meeting will be hosted by Germany in 2017 in Berlin.
BARC transfers key technology for strategic and non-strategic applications to accelerate Make in India mission
Rare Earth (RE) magnets, such as samarium-cobalt, find use in Atomic Energy, Space and Defence industries for a variety of strategic and non-strategic applications. These exhibit superior quality in terms of performance ability, device miniaturization capability and stability at high operating temperatures. These are becoming increasingly indispensable components in high power motors, micro motors, alternators, couplers, bearings, and actuators etc. that cater to various non-strategic industries. The requirement of Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPM) in the country is currently met by imports. Considering the dual uses of these and the fact that India is a non-signatory to Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), the availability of the magnets has been scarce to the country. In view of the above, there is a dire need for making indigenous effort to produce REPM.Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) has set up facilities for producing separated high pure RE oxides from mixed RE chlorides produced from its 10000 tons per annum monazite processing plant. The major RE’s used in production of REPM are Neodymium (Nd) and Samarium (Sm). IREL has facilities to produce Nd, Praseodymium (Pr) and Sm oxide.
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has developed a novel metallurgical process for making RE alloy powder using indigenous RE oxides prepared by IREL. The technology for converting the RE alloys to magnets is available with Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad. The magnets are then machined at BARC, magnetized and characterized for the required application.
RE alloys are industrially produced by melting pure RE metal and the alloying additions at high temperatures. However, high melting temperature, very high cost of pure RE metals and loss of RE at high temperature due to evaporation make the alloy product very expensive. Moreover, solid ingot requires further pulverization to yield powder, from which the magnets are made. All these processes are energy intensive. On the other hand, the process developed by BARC yields the alloy powders directly from inexpensive oxides at much lower temperature, thereby resulting in lower cost magnets made out of samarium available in Indian ore.
RE alloy powders thus prepared using BARC technology were converted to magnets by DMRL. Magnets of different shapes have been prepared and these have been found at par with imported magnets in terms of magnetic properties.
Based on the above mentioned indigenous efforts, IREL is considering to set up a plant for production of RE permanent magnets for use in the strategic sectors. BARC is now transferring the technology to IREL.
Independence Day of FIJI
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has extended his greetings and felicitations to the Government and the people of the Republic of Fiji on the eve of their Independence Day (October 10, 2015).
In his message to His Excellency Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, the President of the Republic of Fiji, the President has said, “On behalf of the Government, the people of India and on my own behalf, I would like to extend warm greetings and felicitations to you and to the people of Fiji on the occasion of your Independence Day.
Fiji is an important partner of India in the Pacific region and has made impressive progress since achieving independence. India and Fiji enjoy a very close, long-standing, warm and friendly relationship based on shared history and deep cultural linkages. Our ties have witnessed positive momentum in the recent period and I look forward to see our relationship attaining new heights. I wish the people of Fiji great success in their socio-economic development process, thereby achieving greater all-round progress.
Please accept, Excellency, my best wishes for your personal health and well-being and for the progress and prosperity of the friendly people of Fiji”.
US-led coalition targets ISIS with 15 airstrikes in Syria, Iraq
The US-lead coalition launched 15 airstrikes against Islamic State (previously ISIS/ISIL) in Iraq and Syria on Thursday, Reuters reported. Two strikes in Syria hit near Ar Raqqa and Mar’a, according to the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operations. Strikes also targeted the militant group near eight cities, including Ramadi, Sinjar and Kisik, the task force said on Friday.
Turkey says potential PKK ceasefire ‘tactic’
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is ready for a new ceasefire with the Turkish authorities despite almost three months of deadly violence, AFP said, citing one of PKK leaders. However, Cemil Bayik warned of “a drastic PKK response if Turkey continued its military campaign.” Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan on Friday dismissed the prospect of a ceasefire declaration by Kurdish fighters as a “tactic” ahead of a November 1 election in Turkey. The official reiterated government demands that the fighters lay down arms and leave Turkey, Reuters reported.- 09:32 GMT
China warns violations of territorial waters will not be allowed
China said Friday it would not stand for violations of its territorial waters in the name of freedom of navigation.“We urge the related parties not to take any provocative actions,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. The US is considering sailing warships close to China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea, Reuters reported. Washington is mulling sending ships within the next two weeks to waters inside the 12-nautical-mile zones that China claims as territory around islands it has built in the Spratly chain, according to a US defense official. China claims most of the South China Sea, while the US has signaled its navy will continue to operate wherever international law allows. - 08:41 GMT
Italy sends first asylum seekers to Sweden under EU relocation plan
A group of Eritreans left Italy for Sweden on Friday, the first contingent of asylum seekers to be relocated under a European Union scheme. The plan aims to ease the burden of the migration crisis on frontline countries. Five women and 14 men boarded a small propeller plane at Rome’s Ciampino airport, AFP said. EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Luxembourg minister Jean Asselborn, whose country holds the EU presidency, were in Rome to launch the scheme to relocate 160,000 people from Italy and Greece to other EU member states over the next two years. Iranian general Hamedani, military adviser, killed in Syria – reports
Iranian military commander Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani has been killed in Syria, where he was giving military advice to the Syrian army, Press TV reported. Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a statement cited by Sepah News on Friday that Hamedani, a commander with the IRGC, had been killed “by Takfiri Daesh terrorists on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Aleppo the night before.” The news was also carried by the Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen television.France bombs ISIS training camp in Syria
France launched a new airstrike overnight in Syria against an Islamic State (previously ISIS/ISIL) training camp, Reuters quoted Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian as saying Friday. “France hit Daesh in Syria last night in Raqqa… It is not the first time, nor will it be the last time,” Le Drian said on Europe 1 radio. “Rafale jets delivered bombs on this training camp and the targets were met,” he said.
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