Hayat Ashraf

The national anthem of India is "Jana Gana Mana." It was composed by the renowned poet Rabindranath Tagore. The anthem was first sung on December 27, 1911, at the Calcutta (now Kolkata) Session of the Indian National Congress. It was officially adopted as the national anthem of India on January 24, 1950.  The lyrics in Romanized Hindi: Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he Bharata-bhagya-vidhata Punjab-Sindh-Gujarat-Maratha Dravida-Utkala-Banga Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga Ucchala-jaladhi-taranga Tava shubha name jage Tava shubha ashish maange Gahe tava jaya gatha Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he Bharata-bhagya-vidhata Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he The anthem in its entirety typically lasts about 52 seconds when sung or played properly.

The Preamble to the Constitution of India  WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens: JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation; IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.

The India-Japan partnership for their joint moon mission, Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX), is likely to take flight in a few years, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in an interview recently.  About Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX): It is a collaborative endeavor between Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The mission is scheduled to launch in 2025. This mission will take off aboard Japan’s H3 rocket. Primary Goal: To explore the moon’s southern polar region, investigating the presence of water and other elements, potentially in the form of surface ice. It aims to showcase innovative surface exploration technologies. The special focus is on vehicular transport and lunar night survival. It features both a lander and a rover. JAXA is responsible for developing and operating the rover, and ISRO for developing and operating the lander that will carry the rover.  The rover will drive on its own to ...

French security forces are stepping up efforts to regain control of New Caledonia amid ongoing and deadly unrest.  About New Caledonia: It is a French overseas collectivity with significant autonomy under the terms of the 1998 Nouméa Accord.   It is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 900 miles (1,500 km) east of Australia. Unlike many Pacific islands that are of relatively recent volcanic origin, New Caledonia is an ancient fragment of the Gondwana supercontinent. It comprises the main island of Grande Terre, the four Loyalty Islands (Ouvéa, Lifou, Tiga, and Maré), the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and some remote islands.  Capital:  Nouméa (located on Grande Terre) Population: Just over 270,000 people live in New Caledonia (2019). Approximately 39 percent are indigenous ('Kanak'). The remainder are Caledonians of European, Polynesian, and other (including Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Algerian) origins. New Caledonians are Fre...

It is accepted wisdom that GSP renewal would offer an avenue for wide-ranging U.S.-India trade negotiations that can help in vaulting the bilateral trade relationship.  About Generalized System of Preferences (GSP):  It was instituted in 1971 under the aegis of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It is a voluntary trade measure implemented by developed countries that provides an advantageous, or “preferential”, tariff treatment to imports from developing countries. The preferences are in the form of either elimination or reduction in customs duty when the list of eligible products from the beneficiary developing country (BDC) is exported to the developed country. However, an exporter under the GSP is required to fulfil the rules of origin under the GSP scheme. The rules of origin are the criteria required to ensure that the product exported originates from the country of export and is not being diverted from another country. The GSP is a unilateral...

Three youths from Konaseema district, Andhra Pradesh, tragically drowned to death in the Godavari River recently.  About Godavari River: It is India's second-longest river after the Ganga and the third-largest in India drains about 10% of India's total geographical area. It is also called `Dakshina Ganga`, which translates into the South Ganges River. Course: The origin of the Godavari River is in Brahmagiri Mountain at Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district of It runs for a length of about 1,465 kilometers. It finally empties itself into the Bay of Bengal at Narasapuram in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. The river mainstem, travels through three states: Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, while its basin includes Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, parts of Chattisgarh, and Odisha. It has a drainage basin of some 121,000 square miles (313,000 square km) The basin is bounded by the Satmala hills, the Ajanta range, and the Maha...