TODAY’S TOP NEWS: 02 SEPTEMBER, 2020 (GPN): 

NATIONAL NEWS:

1. *Ganesh Visarjan, which has always been an extravagant event in Mumbai completed yesterday* with the police and administration doing their best to ensure the city’s biggest religious event goes off without a hitch, has been affected by the lockdown this year.

2. *UPSC releases admit cards for Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2020 at upsconline.nic.in* : UPSC aspirants, who registered for the exams, can download their admit cards from upsc.gov.in or upsconline.nic.in.

3. *The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Tuesday declared the final result of the Combined Defence Services (II) 2019* . A total of 196 candidates have been selected on the basis of the exam held on September 2019 and the interviews held by the Services Selection Boards (SSB) of Ministry of Defence. Candidates can check their results online at, upsc.gov.in.

4. The number of vacancies, as intimated by the Centre is 100 for Indian Military Academy (including 13 vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ certificates (Army Wing) holders), 45 for Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala Executive (General Service)/Hydro (including 06 vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ Certificate holders of Naval Wing) and 32 for Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (03 vacancies are reserved for NCC ’C’ Certificate of Air Wing holders through NCC Spl. Entry.

5. *The ashes of former President Pranab Mukherjee were immersed in the Ganga at Har ki Pauri* late on Tuesday evening by his son Abhijit Mukherjee. Pranab Mukherjee passed away on Monday at the Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi at the age of 84. He was cremated on Tuesday with full state honours.

6. *Former President Pranab Mukherjee’s son Abhijit,* a former parliamentarian, *plans to convert one floor of their house* in West Bengal’s Jangipur *into a museum-cum-library in the memory of the departed leader.*

7. *Indian Railways invites tenders for Delhi-Jaipur-Udaipur-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor* : The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on Tuesday invited its first set of tenders for the 886 km long Delhi-Jaipur-Udaipur-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor to kickstart preparations for formulating its detailed project report.

8. *Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday carried out a comprehensive review of the situation in eastern Ladakh* in the wake of China’s “provocative” military manoeuvres to change the status quo in the southern bank area of Pangong lake.

9. *Amid a political row over Facebook India executives’ alleged bias towards the BJP, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wrote to Mark Zuckerberg accusing the social media platform’s employees of supporting people from a political predisposition* that lost successive elections, and “abusing” the prime minister and senior cabinet ministers.

10. *The Supreme Court pronounced its judgement on the AGR dues issues.* The judgement was announced by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra through video conferencing. The court said that the telecom companies shall pay their AGR dues with in a time frame of 10 years to the central government. *AGR is Adjusted Gross Revenue. It is the usage and licensing fee that the Department of Telecommunication charges* on the telecom operators.

11. *Development Council (FSDC) discussed issues related to inter-Regulatory coordination* amid the coronavirus crisis.The meeting was *chaired by RBI governor Shaktikanta Das.*

12. The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet approved the extension of the tenure of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Pramod C Mody for 6 months. His term was to end on 31st August 2020.

13. *AP to launch 2 schemes for pregnant women* : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is to launch two schemes for pregnant women – YSR Sampoorna Poshana and YSR Sampoorna Poshana Plus. The aim is to provide nutritious food for pregnant and lactating mothers along with children.

14. *Assam CM Sarbanada Sonowal inaugurated a scheme for setting up new rice mills and upgradation of 220 existing rice mills* . The scheme is to be implemented by Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Limited.

15. The Indian Railways has solarised more than 960 railway stations. This is being done to achieve the objective of becoming 100% self sustainable for all its power needs

16. *India’s first female cardiologist, Dr S. I. Padmavati, dies at 103;* won Padma Bhushan (1967) and Padma Vibhushan (1992).

17. *Indian Defence Ministry put pen to paper sealing a deal with two leading private defence majors for the development and procurement of Pinaka rocket launchers* for six Army regiments at a total cost estimated to be Rs 2,580 crore. The deal came after Pinaka rocket launchers exclusively manufactured by the private sector were successfully test fired at a firing range in Pokhran.

18. Few days ahead of Rafale induction, Air Chief Marshal writes to municipal body saying that bird activity at Ambala should be monitored otherwise it will be harmful to the newly brought Rafale jets.

19. *The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main begins yesterday (September 1) after being postponed twice due to the coronavirus pandemic.* The National Testing Agency (NTA) is all prepared to conduct the exam amid COVID-19 guidelines

20. *Unlock 4: States further ease COVID-19 restrictions;* Bars and hotels reopen, prohibiting activities of schools, colleges, cinema halls, etc till September 30.

21. *Punjab has decided to continue with the lockdown restrictions in September* , while other states like Himachal Pradesh are persisting with the curbs on inter-state transport. Some others like Delhi are yet to come out with the guidelines for this month.

22. *The Sun Temple at Konark in Odisha* ‘s Puri district, a major tourist attraction, was on Tuesday *re-opened for visitors* after remaining closed for more than five months.

23. *COVID-19 Status*
CONFIRMED 36,91,166
DEATHS 65,288

*✈INTERNATIONAL NEWS*

1. *India, China LAC standoff continues amid PLA’s provocative action in eastern Ladakh* : the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is now very tense. India has said that China again engaged in “provocative action” even as their military talks were underway and termed the PLA bid a reflection of “complete disregard” to bilateral understandings.

2. *China is perplexed over the Indian Army’s response to PLA’s attempt to transgress into eastern Ladakh* . China had planned to occupy the southern shore of Pangong Lake in Ladakh, but the trespass bid was foiled on the night of August 29 and 30. China currently has border disputes with 18 countries, including India.

3. *India has already stepped up its vigil of this area with the help of radar and night vision cameras.* Large vehicles, cannons and big weapons can be easily transported to ​​Chushul area in Ladakh. Apart from this, India has also deployed a large number of troops on important fronts like Rezang La and Rekin La.

4. *India’s ban on international commercial flight extended till September 30* : The ban on international commercial flight operating to and from India has been extended until midnight of September 30. This ban was earlier scheduled to end on August 31. This is not applicable to international all-cargo flights and flights approved by regulator.

5. *Vijay Mallya asked to appear before Supreme Court on October 5 in contempt case;* *his review plea dismissed:* Mallya, an accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines, is in the United Kingdom. Vijaya Mallya, who is based in the UK since March 2016, remains on bail on an extradition warrant executed three years ago by Scotland Yard on April 18, 2017.

6. *Amidst border tensions between India and China, China has reportedly built a missile launch site in Kailash-Mansarovar* .The Kailash-Mansarovar is revered by four religions (Hindus, Buddhist, Jains and Bons) and is linked to high spiritual scriptures in India

*WORLD NEWS*

1. *Joe Biden accuses Donald Trump of stoking violence in Pennsylvania battleground* : Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Monday called for rioters and looters to be prosecuted, and slammed President Donald Trump for stoking violence in American cities gripped by protests over police brutality and racial inequality.

2. *Lebanon set to designate new PM* Lebanon’s ambassador to Germany Mustapha Adib ahead to Beirut by the French president Emmanuel Macron visit.
He will press for long-delayed reforms to steer the Middle East nation out of its deep crisis.

3. *One person killed, five others wounded in shooting at Pancake House restaurant in Chicago* All of the injured people have been taken to local hospitals, three of them were in critical condition,.

4. *Twenty-nine people were killed and 28 others injured after a village restaurant collapsed* during an 80th birthday celebration for a resident *in north China’s Shanxi province*

5. *Hong Kong will resume face-to-face school classes from September 23* as the Asian financial hub`s authorities aim to wind back strict coronavirus restrictions, which kept around 900,000 students working at home for over four months.

6. *Schools, colleges reopen after months of lockdown in UK:* Wearing masks, hundreds of thousands of children and young people across England returned to their classes at schools and colleges on Tuesday after over five months of lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

7. Indian-origin Pritam Singh takes charge as first Leader of the Opposition in Singapore.

8. Qatar raises minimum wage by 25%, lifts restrictions on changing jobs.

9. *WORLD COVID 19*
CONFIRMED 2,32,60,775
DEATHS 8,05,765

* SPORTS:*

1. *N. Bhanu Prakash Jonnalagadda wins gold medal* at the Mind Sports Olympiad in London.

2. *Western & Southern Open tennis tournament in US:* Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (men’s), Victoria Azarenka of Belarus (women’s) win singles title

*USD 73.30 GBP 98.14*
_In Lucknow_(UP)
*Gold ₹49,340@10 gm 24 (Krt)*
*Silver ₹68,700@ Kg*
⛽ *Petrol ₹ 82.20*
⛽ *Diesel ₹ 73.71*

* FACTS ABOUT INDIA*

Jammu has historically been the capital of Jammu Province and the winter capital of the east, while Jammu and Kashmir princely state (1846–1952). Jambu Lochan was the brother of Raja Bahu Lochan who constructed a fort, Bahu Fort, on the bank of river Tawi. The city name figures in the ancient book Mahabharata. Excavation near Akhnoor, 32 kilometres (20 mi) from Jammu city, provides evidence that Jammu was once part of the Harappan civilization.

* THOUGHT OF THE DAY*

Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than what you’ve done before.

JOKES OF THE DAY:*

1) Do bachche aapas mein baaten kar rahe thy.

*Ek bachcha* : mere daada jee 50 laakh chhod kar mare the.

*Dusra bachcha* : isamen kaun see badi baat hai mere daada jee
saari duniya chhod kar mare the.

2) A lawyer, who had a wife and 12 children, needed to move because his rental agreement was terminated by the owner, who wanted to reoccupy the home.

When he said he had 12 children, no one would rent a home to him because they felt that the children would destroy the place.

So he sent his wife for a walk to the cemetery with 11 of their kids.

He took the remaining one with him to see rental homes with the real estate agent.

He loved one of the homes and the price was right. The agent asked, “How many children do you have?”

He answered, “Twelve.”

The agent asked, “Where are the others?”

The lawyer, with his best courtroom sad look, answered, “They’re in the cemetery with their mother.”

3) Jim needs a job, and has no qualms about inventing the necessary qualifications. He reasons that once he finds work, he will impress the boss so much that everything will be forgiven.

After a successful initial interview at the Encyclopedia of American History, he is called back to meet the sales manager.

“You say you have experience selling books?”

“Lots of it,” replies Jim.

“And you have a Master’s in American history from the University of Michigan?” 

“Correct,” replies Jim. “History is my field of study.” I LOVE HISTORY.

“Well then,” says the sales manager, “As soon as I can complete your KYC form, we can get you started in the firm.”

While the sales manager is making a few notations, Jim, obviously pleased with himself on his job confirmation, begins to whistle. Looking around the room, he notices pictures of Washington and Lincoln on the walls.

Pointing to the portraits, he turns to the sales manager and says, “Fine looking men. Your partners?”

Manager: “OUT” U LOUD-MOUTH, BLUFF MASTER, SON OF A RAS..L.

4) A young man and woman were eager to enjoy a picnic in the park one Saturday noon, and they opted to go through a fast-food drive-in for a quick snack.

They ordered, paid, got their bag of goodies, and headed for the park. When they opened the bag, it was full on money instead of the hamburgers they expected.

They rushed back to the fast-food place and returned the money.

“This is WONDERFUL,” exclaimed the manager. “We’ve been looking for this money all morning and couldn’t figure out where it could have been misplaced. You two are an honest couple. A lot of people would not have the morals and honesty to return the money. I’m going to call the TV and the newspapers and let everybody know what an honest deed you’ve done.”

“Uh, don’t do that,” says the man, “my wife might see it on TV.”

5) So I went to stay in the US and started getting used to the American way of life…

After a few months of staying there, I thought I should have a personal handgun as well.

Yesterday I got my permit to carry a concealed weapon. So, today I went over to the local Gun shop to get a 9mm handgun for home/personal protection.

When I was ready to pay for the pistol and ammo, the cashier said, “Strip down, facing me.”

I made her repeat what she had just said, because I thought I hadn’t heard it right the first time. She duly repeated the line.

Making a mental note to complain to the government about gun control wackos running amok, I did just as she had instructed.

When the hysterical shrieking and alarms finally subsided, I found out she was referring to how I should place my credit card in the card reader.

As a senior citizen, I do not get flustered often, but this time it took me a while to get my pants back on.

I’ve been asked to shop elsewhere in the future. They need to make their instructions to seniors a little more clear.

And I just need to wear underwear more often.

6) When the members of Parliament attended a fire safety seminar, they watched a fire official demonstrate the proper way to operate an extinguisher.

“Pull the pin like a hand grenade,” he explained, “then operate the trigger to release the foam.”

Rahul Gandhi as usual was a little drowsy listening to the Instructor.

Later when he was selected to extinguish a controlled fire in the parking lot. In his nervousness, he forgot to pull the pin and looked amusingly at the people around.

The instructor hinted, “Like a hand grenade, remember?”

In a burst of confidence Rahul pulled the pin…. and hurled the extinguisher at the blaze and heaved a sigh of relief!!

There was a thunder of Laughter, Parliament Shocked, Rahul Rocked.

7) Down in the south, there are many churches known as “answer back” churches. When the preacher says something, the congregation naturally replies.

One Sunday, a preacher was speaking on what it would take for the church to become better.

He said, “If this church is to become better, it must take up it’s bed, and walk.”

The congregation said, “Let it walk, Preacher, let it walk.”

Encouraged by their response, he went further.

“If this church is going to become better, it will have to throw aside it’s hindrances and run!”

The congregation replied, “Let it run, preacher, let it run!”

Now really into his message, he spoke stronger.

“If this church really wants to become great, it will have to take up it’s wings and fly!”

“Let it fly, Preacher, let it fly!” the congregation shouts.

The Preacher gets louder. “If this church is going to fly, it will cost money!”

The congregation replied, “Let it walk, Preacher, let it walk.”

Preacher: OK , Misers

8)One day, Santa Banta 2 brothers in Rome, aged 12 and 14, came home with a 20 and 50 euro note.

Their mother asked them where they got all that money from.
“Well, we were standing outside the brothel when a guy left,” said the 12-year-old.

We told him that we knew where he had been, so he asked us not to reveal anything and gave us 20 euros.”

“Then we followed the man,” said the other boy, “and when he came to his house we told him that now we also knew where he lived. Then he gave us another 50 euros and begged us to keep quiet.”

“That’s a truly awful behaviour,” the mother replied. “You really should be ashamed of yourselves and feel sorry for the man. Off you go to confession in the church.”

The boys did what they were told and went to the Church, to confess and atone before the priest.

After a while they came back with 100 euros, because now they also knew where the man worked!!!

*TELL ME WHY❓❓❓*

*What Is Vitiligo?* *Why it happens*

Vitiligo is a condition in which white patches develop on the skin. Any location on the body can be affected, and most people with vitiligo have white patches on many areas.

Vitiligo is caused by the lack of a pigment called melanin in the skin. Melanin is produced by skin cells called melanocytes, and it gives your skin its colour. In vitiligo, there are not enough working melanocytes to produce enough melanin in your skin. This causes white patches to develop on your skin or hair.

*LEARN SANSKRIT*
*spandana स्पन्दन* : Response प्रतिक्रिया

*HOW IT WORKS* ⁉

*How an Ear hearing aid works*

A hearing aid has three basic parts: a microphone, amplifier, and speaker. The hearing aid receives sound through a microphone, which converts the sound waves to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signals and then sends them to the ear through a speaker.

The sound waves are gathered by the outer ear and sent down the ear canal to the eardrum. The sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate, which sets the three tiny bones in the middle ear into motion. The motion of the bones causes the fluid in the inner ear or cochlea to move. cochlea, causes changes in tiny structures called hair cells.

*How we can lose our hearing*
The path between your outer ear and your brain can be blocked or damaged in many different places and in a number of different ways, so people can become deaf or lose some or all of their hearing for lots of different reasons. One of the most common types of hearing loss happens when the hairs in the cochlea become damaged. If there are fewer hairs, sounds produce less stimulation in your brain—so things need to be louder for you to hear them. That’s where hearing aids come in. They can’t help everyone with impaired hearing, but they can often make a difference to hearing problems caused by a loss of cochlear hair cells or damage to other parts of the inner ear.

‍♂️ *GK TODAY*

Jainism is somewhat similar to Buddhism, of which it was an important rival in India. It was founded by Vardhamana Jnatiputra or Nataputta Mahavira (599-527 BC), called Jina (Spiritual Conqueror), a contemporary of Buddha.

The texts containing the teachings of Mahavira are called the Agamas

*VEDIK GYAN*

*Mirabai मीराबाई,* (1498–1556) was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Lord Krishna. Meera unwillingly married Bhoj Raj, the crown prince of Mewar, in 1516. Her husband was wounded in one of the ongoing wars with the Delhi Sultanate in 1518, and he died of battle wounds in 1521. Both her father and father in law died few days after the battle of Khanwa in exile as they had vowed not to return to Mewar until they had defeated Babur. After the death of her father-in-law, Vikram Singh became the ruler of Mewar.

Meera’s love for Krishna was not liked by her in-laws and her mother-in-law insisted her to worship Durga Maa as her in-laws worshiped Durga Devi, but Meera did not. During that time, she told the in-laws clearly that she had already done her life in the name of Shri Krishna.

According to a popular legend, her in-laws tried many times to execute her, such as sending Meera a glass of poison and telling her it was nectar or sending her a basket with a snake instead of flowers. According to the hagiographic legends, she was not harmed in either case, with the snake miraculously becoming a Krishna idol (or a garland of flowers depending on the version).

*HEALTH CARE: HOME REMEDIES*
( *Note* : These home tips followed in villages/ancient traditions, it is up to you to use it or not)

*Tamarind* (Imli) has long been touted as a natural laxative that stimulates your metabolism and further keeps your digestive system strong. Fibre helps smoothen the process of moving the stool easily through your intestinal tract. Tamarind also stimulates the activity of bile that helps dissolve the food quickly speeding up digestion.

Tamarind has traditionally been used as a laxative because it has high amounts of malic and tartaric acids. Tamarind also contains potassium bitartrate, which, along with other active ingredients, relieves constipation.

Constipation and diarrhea often cause abdominal pain. Tamarind bark and root extracts have been proven to be effective in curing stomach ache. In Nigeria, soaked tamarind is eaten to deal with constipation

PLZ FOLLOW GOVT. NORMS, MAINT SOCIAL DISTANCE, KEEP YOURSELF & YOUR FAMILY SAFE ENDS