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What is Kyoto Protocol?

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions .These amount to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012. The major distinction between the Protocol and the Convention is that while the Convention encouraged industrialized countries to stabilize GHG emissions, the Protocol commits them to do so. Recognizing

Where is world largest solar telescope developed?

India's remotely controlled terrestrial solar telescope, which will be the largest of its kind in the world will be operational by 2013. A high-resolution two-metre class solar telescope be placed soon to help scientists study the sun. The solar telescope will developed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Banglore in collaboration with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics Pune and the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital. The remotely controlled terrestrial solar-telescope, which will have a 2-metre diameter aperture, is the bigg

What is London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)?

London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is an interest rate at which banks can borrow funds from other banks in the London interbank market. One of the world’s most widely used benchmarks for short-term interest rates, LIBOR rates were first used in financial markets in 1986. From then on LIBOR has been growing in stature and today it is the key reference rate for financial products worth about $350 trillion. Small changes in the LIBOR can cause ripples in the money market. LIBOR is fixed on a daily basis by the British Bankers’ Association and is derived from a filtered average of the world’s m

What is Budget?

Budget is also called the Annual Financial Statement. This is the main budget document. Under Article 112 of the Constitution, a statement of estimated receipts and expenditure of the government of India has to be laid before Parliament for every financial year. This statement shows the receipts and payments of Government under the three parts in which Government accounts are kept: (1) Consolidated Fund (2) Contingency Fund and (3) Public Account. What is Revenue Budget? This consists of the revenue receipts of the government (tax revenues and other revenues) and the expenditure met from the

What is the Global Slavery Index?

The Global Slavery Index 2013 measures the size of the modern slavery problem, country by country. The Index provides a quantitative ranking of 162 countries around the world according to the estimated prevalence of modern slavery (that is, the estimated percentage of enslaved people in the national population at a point in time). The Index is constructed from three quantitative indicators on prevalence, one of which was generated internally (estimated prevalence of slavery), and two of which are based on an analysis of pre-existing data from UNICEF and the US Trafficking in Persons report. Th

What is polio?

Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease caused by the polio virus. It invades the nervous system, and can cause paralysis or even death in a matter of hours. How is polio transmitted? The polio virus (scientifically known as the wild polio virus or WPV) enters the body through water or food that has been contaminated with faecal material from an infected person. The virus multiplies in the intestine. From blood it may pass to the nerves of the brain stem and spinal cord. The disease mainly affects children under five years. Only humans can catch polio. The incubation period is three-

What is Higgs boson?

The Higgs boson is a particle in the standard model of particle physics. Its existence was postulated in 1960s, to explain why the tiny particles that make up atoms have mass. Physicist Peter Higgs and 5 other theoretical physicists proposed that an invisible field lying across the universe gives particles their mass, allowing them to clump together to form stars and planets. Prof. Higgs predicted that this field, the Higgs Field, would have a signature particle, a massive boson. Finding it would point towards the existence of the field. Why God particle? The Higgs is the last missing

What is Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an international body, which comprehensively assesses increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the worlds and passes that information on to policymakers through its reports. Why is it in news? Along with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, the IPCC has been awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to educate the public on the threat of global warming and for creating an informed consensus about its connection with human activities. When and why was it set up? The World Meteorological organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Env

What is credit rating?

A credit rating assesses the credit worthiness of an individual, corporation, or even a country. Credit ratings are calculated from financial history and current assets and liabilities. Typically, a credit rating tells a investor the probability of the subject being able to pay back a loan. However, in recent years, credit ratings have also been used to adjust insurance premiums, determine employment eligibility, and establish the amount of a utility or leasing deposit. A rating is an opinion of the credit rating agency (CRA), on the future ability and legal obligation of the company whose ins

What are the Child Rights?

Who is a Child? Article 1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child says, a child means every human being below the age of eighteen years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier. What is the Convention on the Rights of the Child? The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, often referred to as CRC or UNCRC, is an international convention setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children. Nations that ratify this international convention are bound by it by international law. The Convention- on the Ri

Career Opportunities in Fashion Designing

Fashion design is a dynamic and creative field that offers innovative career openings for those with a passion for style, creativity, and invention. This composition will explore the colorful job prospects in the fashion design assiduity, the original hires one can anticipate, and punctuate some o →

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Foundation Date: December 8, 1991 Headquarters: The Republic of Belarus Executive Secretaries: Sergei Lebedev Member Countries: 12 Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was established on December 8, 1991, and the leaders of the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine signed an a →

What is Bitcoin?

In 2009, an unknown programmer by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto put forward a whitepaper that proposed a creation of new form of digital currency - cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency functions the same way as regular currencies do in that its used as a means of exchange, unit of account and a store of va →

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

Headquarter: New Delhi Function and Objective of the Organization: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)has been established under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which consolidates various acts & orders that have hitherto handled food-related issues in various Ministries →