Nih News

Names of cyclones originating in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are picked from a list of 64 names, prepared by eight countries. The countries, namely India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, gave eight names each. Some of the names given by India are Agni, Jal, Vayu, Megh and Lehar.

Homemakers in India make around ₹54,000 crore annually in sales by selling articles via social media, a report revealed. These entrepreneurs create items like junk jewellery and collectibles, and post them on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, for buyers to go through and select. The market is expected to grow 40-50% annually by 2022, becoming 5% of India's retail market.

Customers can know the daily revised fuel prices from June 16 through LED screens at petrol pumps, toll-free numbers, social media posts and alerts on Indian Oil's app 'Fuel@IOC'. Customers can also get the revised price on SMS or by logging onto Indian Oil's website. Prices will be communicated to dealers through SMS, emails and the customised web portal.

NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind has been a Rajya Sabha MP for two terms, between 1994-2000 and 2000-2006. His overall attendance was 87%, with 89% in the first term and 85% in the second term. He asked a total of 283 questions to 34 different ministries, most of them addressed to finance ministry. Further, he participated in 89 debates.

The last six Indian Presidents have cumulatively disposed 127 mercy petitions, with the most being disposed by current President Pranab Mukherjee, and the least by KR Narayanan. Out of these, R Venkatraman has rejected all 40 mercy petitions that he disposed, while Pranab Mukherjee has rejected 42 out of 49. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam rejected one and commuted the other.

An electoral college consisting of members of both Houses of the Parliament votes to elect the country's Vice President. Any candidate contesting for the post has to be a citizen of India and shouldn't be a member of any House of Parliament. Further, he/she has to have at least 20 MPs as proposers and at least 20 MPs as seconders.

After the implementation of GST, ticket prices of sporting events in India have become more expensive. While IPL tickets will be taxed at the highest rate of 28%, other events by recognised sports governing bodies like BCCI will be taxed at 18%. Purchasing sports equipment is now more expensive, with sports goods manufacturing being taxed between 12%-28%.

The conflict between India and China in 1967 was triggered after China accused India of stealing sheep and yaks from Tibetan herdsmen near the Sikkim border. India replied to the allegations saying the four herdsmen had come to India for refuge and are "free to go back to Tibet at any time if they desire", along with their animals.

Maharashtra Police's beef-detection kits have a plate coated with antibodies found in beef. The beef sample is to be added to the plate to bind with the antibodies. A substrate is added next, after which the colour changes to blue, if the sample is beef. Next, a stop solution has to be added after which colour absorbance is measured.

The counting of votes in the Presidential election takes place under the supervision of the Returning Officer. The invalid votes, ones which are not cast in the prescribed format, are removed first. The ballot box of the Parliament House is opened first, while those of the states follow next, in an alphabetical order. There are total eight rounds of counting.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said that it earned around ₹45.2 crore after successfully launching the Cartosat 2E satellite and 30 nanosatellites in June this year. Between 1990 and 2014, ISRO had launched 40 satellites for foreign clients and earned ₹484 crore. Notably, ISRO has a 0.6% share in the global satellite launch market, valued at ₹36,000 crore.

Following the government deactivating around 11.44 lakh Permanent Account Numbers, one can check whether their PAN is still active or not by logging on to "https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in". One should then click on "Know Your PAN" option and fill details like surname, date of birth, and mobile number. After OTP validation if the PAN is valid, it will be shown as "Active".

The election of the Rajya Sabha members is by proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. A candidate requires a minimum 'quota' of votes to be elected. The vote is transferred from one candidate to another if either the candidate obtains more votes than the quota, or is out of the race for winning the seat.

To protect oneself during a stampede, one should start moving with the shockwaves that travel through the crowd, and absolutely avoid fighting them. The person should then attempt moving sideways, or diagonally backwards if possible, and avoid falling over. In case a person falls, they should use their arms to cover their face and chest to make room for breathing.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, who has been appointed as the Deputy Director General for Programmes of WHO, is a pediatrician and a globally-recognised researcher on tuberculosis and HIV. The daughter of noted geneticist MS Swaminathan, Soumya has an experience of 30 years in clinical care and research. The 58-year-old is also the director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) constructed the world's highest motorable road in Ladakh, where the construction crew faced several life-threatening challenges. The personnel involved faced health problems like loss of memory and eyesight. The officials also informed that efficiency of machines and manpower declined by 50% due to harsh climate and less oxygen level in the region.

If there is only one presidential nomination for the Indian National Congress, s/he is elected without contest. If there are multiple candidates, voting takes place and the winner needs over 50% votes. Otherwise, members of Pradesh Congress Committees vote by listing down preferences. If there is no clear majority, candidates with least votes are eliminated and second preferences are counted.

Divorce in Islam is of three types, including Talaq-e-biddat, or instant Triple Talaq, which the government is seeking to criminalise. Instant Triple Talaq allows divorce by saying 'talaq' thrice in one sitting. In Talaq-e-Ahsan, the husband expresses divorce in a single sentence when the wife is not menstruating. Under Talaq-e-Hasan, the husband pronounces talaq thrice over three monthly courses.