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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 20 July 2015

Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 20 July 2015

Following the success of Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) and the recent launch of five British satellites, India plans next possible 'deep space exploration' missions to Venus, Mars and even an asteroid.
Besides the second Mars mission, we are looking at Venus and even an asteroid for exploration. A project has to be formulated for this before we chart out a proper roadmap for the explorations, ISRO Chairman Kiran Kumar was quoted as saying.
“Venus is our neighbor and has many scientific challenges and aspects that need to be studied. Exploring an asteroid is also challenging task, he added.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is now embarking on a new planet-hunting endeavour. There are indications that the United States of America will be working with India in this ‘deep space exploration’.

Taiwan’s top two political parties have each nominated a woman for President in 2016, a historic first signalling acceptance of female leadership.
The ruling Nationalist Party on Sunday picked as its candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (in picture), a former teacher and the current deputy legislative speaker.
Ms. Hung, who supports friendly relations with China, will run against Tsai Ing-wen, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party chairwoman.Tsai leads in opinion polls.

When the famously ill-spoken Prince Phillip, the present British monarch’s husband, recently visited a community centre, he reportedly asked the women “So whom are you sponging on?” His hosts politely ignored his comment.
The public response to the latest royal family controversy however suggests that the culture of monarchical exceptionalism in this country is changing.
With the British media carrying reports of a “livid” Queen Elizabeth ordering an inquiry into the source of the leak of video footage dating back to 1933, showing her throwing the Nazi salute as a child, the furore over the publication of so-called ‘private’ royal family material is roiling public opinion in Britain.
The issue has thrown up issues of media freedom vis-à-vis the monarchy — an institution that most Britons of a earlier generation instinctively feel must be shielded from the darker aspects of its past, of which its well-documented links with fascism, and more notably the Third Reich, are a part.
The Sun , owned by the Murdoch empire, is a defiantly sensationalist newspaper, who critics say had an eye on the circulation spurt that the publication of such a report would generate. It claims it obtained the footage from a ‘legitimate source’ and discussed its publication editorially for weeks, and also got it cleared from its lawyers.

Zimbabwe had never won a T20 International at Harare before 19 July. They had lost nine out of nine. They had also never beaten India in a T20I.
Both streaks came to a screeching halt at the end of 40 overs on Sunday as Zimbabwe celebrated a famous win. They had learned from their mistakes, while India hadn't.
It was poor running, irresponsible batting and undisciplined bowling that undid India.
It started off with the pace bowlers bowling too short and then too wide. The Zimbabwe batsmen were ready to take on the short stuff but bowlers refused to adjust. Nearly 43 percent of the balls India bowled were short of a good length.
It took some brilliant death bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar to restrict Zimbabwe to 145 for 7 as India conceded just 33 runs from the last five overs, while taking four wickets.

Indian wrestler Sangram Singh made the country proud by defeating Canada's Joe Legend to win the WWP Commonwealth Championship at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in South Africa.
This was sangram singh’s first professional fight after a hiatus of three years and he signed a death contract for this fight