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Tag Wise Current Affairs
Tag: Miscellaneous
US announces suspension of Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia
Tags: International Organizations, Miscellaneous
Published on: 02 February 2019
India, Bangladesh sign MoU for training 1800 Bangladesh civil servants
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 09 February 2019
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi elected as chairperson of African Union
Tags: International Organizations, Miscellaneous
Published on: 11 February 2019
ADB approves US $350 million loan for road project in Chhattisgarh
Tags: International Organizations, Miscellaneous
Published on: 01 June 2019
Statue of Unity shortlisted for UK-based structural award
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 05 August 2019
India-UK workshop on Science for Disaster and Emergency Risk Management
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 30 August 2019
Solomon Islands cuts diplomatic ties with Taiwan
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 18 September 2019
Saudi Arabia to offer tourist visas for the first time
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 27 September 2019
US approves legislation backing Hong Kong protestors
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 28 November 2019
India-Australia Mutual Logistics Support Agreement
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 11 December 2019
America threatens to destroy Iran’s cultural sites
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 07 January 2020
Safe third country agreement: The US- Guatemala asylum deal
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 18 January 2020
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">United States announced unilateral suspension from Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia. The announcement comes after US and Russia failed to resolve long-running accusation that Russia is violating this cold war era treaty. US will exit this treaty in six months unless Russia assures compliance by destroying all of its violating missiles, launchers, and associated equipment under this treaty.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for suspension</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The suspension comes after US President Donald Trump in October 2018 announced unilateral withdrawal of US from INF treaty.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">US alleges that Russia violated this treaty by testing 9M729 ground-launched cruise missile (NATO name SSC-8) in 2014, having range beyond prescribed by this treaty and had deployed the same missile that could strike Europe at short notice.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Russia, however, has denied US accusation saying that relevant missile was never tested at distances banned under the agreement and has called on US to show proof of a violation.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Russia also has accused US of breaching treaty by deploying its missile-defence systems in Europe, a charge which US rejects.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Since then both countries have failed to find resolution using dispute resolution mechanism in treaty. </span></span></li>
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<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was crucial Cold War-era treaty signed in December 1987 between then US President Ronald Reagan and his USSR counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev. (Russia was known as USSR before its disintegration after cold war in early 1990s).</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It prohibits US and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying ground-launched cruise missiles with ranges of 500–1,000 km or (short-range) and 1,000–5,500 km (intermediate-range).</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It also covers all land-based missiles, including those missiles carrying nuclear warheads. However, i<em>t does not cover sea-launched or air-launched weapons.</em></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ban under it was originally applied only to US and USSR forces, but its membership was eventually expanded in 1991 to include successor states of former Soviet Union. Thus, it offered blanket of protection to US’s European allies.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Significance</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This treaty marked watershed agreement between US and USSR which were at centre of arms race during the Cold War.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was central to ending arms race between two superpowers during cold war and protected US’s NATO allies in Europe from Soviet missile attacks. </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was designed to provide some strategic stability in Europe from USSR (now Russia). It had proved to be potent deterrent against any full-scale nuclear war in Europe. </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It had resulted in the destruction of 2,692 missiles (US had demolished 846, and Russia destroyed 1,846 missiles). It kept nuclear-tipped cruise missiles off European continent for three decades. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><img alt="Intermediate range Nuclear Forces Treaty" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/efb7/1x654c3d6zuqcii6g.jpg" style="float:left; height:572px; width:754px" /></span></span></p>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China has agreed to provide US $2.5 billion in loans to Pakistan to boost its depleting foreign exchange reserves. It will place $2.5 billion in deposits with Pakistan’s central bank viz. State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).The money is coming as part of Pakistan Government’s strategy to secure breathing space till time its macroeconomic stabilisation measures take effect.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">With this, China’s contribution in this fiscal year alone will be around $4.5 billion. In July 2018, China deposited $2 billion with SBP. In past five years, China has emerged as Pakistan’s single largest saviour in times of economic crisis.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>What is the issue?</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pakistan is struggling to maintain its foreign exchange (Forex) reserves and is nearly broke with drying up of foreign cash reserves and mounting external debt.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its $8.12 billion reserves, which are below minimum level prescribed by International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB), are sufficient to cover only seven weeks of imports.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Due to this, WB, IMF and Asian Development Bank (ADB) are not providing loans or bailing out Pakistan for budget financing.</span></span></li>
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<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>How it Pakistan tackling this issue?</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pakistan has secured $14.5 billion worth of commitments from China, Saudi Arabia and UAE as emergency loans to avoid looming default and bridge external financing gap.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide $6 billion financial assistance package to Pakistan, which included $3 billion in short term loans at interest rate of 3.18%. It has already disbursed $3 billion.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">UAE has agreed to provide $3 billion in loans at interest rate of around 3% and has already disbursed $1 billion.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">But despite $4 billion inflows from Saudi Arabia and UAE during past two months, gross official foreign currency reserves of Pakistan has stayed at only $8.12 billion as of December 2018 end.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pakistan also has launched <em>Diaspora bonds</em> at interest rates of 6.25% for three years and 6.75% for five years to arrange funds for balance of payments support.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will be also launching two more financial instruments viz. <em>Sukuk bonds (Islamic bonds)</em> and <em>$3 billion Euro bonds</em> to meet external sector financing requirements.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'India, Bangladesh sign MoU for training 1800 Bangladesh civil servants ',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India and Bangladesh have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for training 1800 Bangladesh Civil Servants at National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) over next 6 years. It was signed between NCGG and Bangladesh’s Ministry of Public Administration. This is for second time NCGG is entering into MoU for training program for Bangladesh Civil Servants. Under first MoU signed in 2014, 1500 Bangladesh Civil Servants were trained in NCGG.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Key Facts</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">NCGG will train Bangladesh Civil Servants in e-Governance and service delivery, public policy and implementation, information technology (IT), decentralization.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will also train them in urban development and planning, ethics in administration and challenges in implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These trainee officers will undergo training at NCGG Mussoorie centre, Uttarakhand and in Delhi where they would visit Government of India (GoI’s) establishments.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This collaboration is considered as historic milestone in capacity building and training programs between India and Bangladesh.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG)</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It isautonomous institute under Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG), Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was established in 2014 by rechristening and expanding mandate of National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR), set up in 1995 by Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its head office is in New Delhi and registered office in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its mandate is to assist in bringing about governance reforms through studies, training, knowledge sharing and promotion of good ideas.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It seeks to carry out policy relevant research and prepare case studies, curate training courses for civil servants from India and other developing countries.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It also provides platform for sharing of existing knowledge and pro-actively seek out and develop ideas for their implementation in government, both at States and Central level.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi elected as chairperson of African Union',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected chairperson of African Union (AU) by its 55 member nations at 32nd AU summit held in Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia. He will succeed Rwandan President Paul Kagame (in office from January 2018 to January 2019). The post of AU chairperson rotates annually between five regions of continent. This is for first time since establishment of AU, Egypt has assumed top seat of the body.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">African Union</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It is pan-Africa continental union consisting of 55 countries. Its structure is loosely modelled on that of European Union.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It aims at promoting unity and cooperation among African nations and strive to spread democracy and good governance in the continent.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It seeks to accelerate process of integration in continent to enable it play its rightful role in global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It was founded in May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched in July 2002 in South Africa. It had replaced Organisation of African Unity (OAU). </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Its secretariat/headquarters i.e. African Union Commission is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Its most important decisions are made by Assembly which is a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It also has official bodies such as Peace and Security Council and Pan-African Parliament. </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'title' => 'WHO recognizes Burnout as medical condition',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">World Health Organization (WHO) for the first time recognised “occupational burn-out” as a medical condition during its recently concluded World Health Assembly in Geneva. It has put burnout in International Classification of Diseases-11 (ICD-11) list, which is used globally as benchmark for health diagnosis. The updated ICD-11 list will take effect in January 2022, also</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Occupational Burn-out</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">WHO Definition:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It is defined as syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It refers specifically to phenomena in occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Three dimensions of Burnour:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> (i) Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion (ii) Increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and (iii) reduced professional efficacy. </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">International Classification of Diseases (ICD) </span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is the international standard diagnostic tool for epidemiology, clinical purposes and health management. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Full official name:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. It is maintained by WHO and revised periodically. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Purpose:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It serves as foundation for identifying health trends and statistics worldwide. It is designed as health care classification system by providing system of diagnostic codes for classifying diseases, including classifications of wide variety of signs, symptoms, complaints, social circumstances, abnormal findings and external causes of injury or disease. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It provides common language for health professionals to share health information across the globe. It contains more than 55,000 unique codes for injuries, diseases and causes of death. </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> <strong>ICD-11</strong></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is updated ICD list that will take effect in January 2022. It also contains several other additions, including classification of “compulsive sexual behaviour” as a mental disorder. It also recognises video gaming as an addiction, listing it alongside drug abuse and gambling. It also has for first time has added chapter on traditional systems of medicine.</span></span></span></span></p>
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'title' => 'ADB approves US $350 million loan for road project in Chhattisgarh',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Multi-lateral funding agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved US $350 million loan for road project in Chhattisgarh. The project aims at rehabilitating and upgrading state highways and major district roads in Chhattisgarh, which will improve connectivity and access to basic services and livelihood opportunities.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Project</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It aims to provide safer and higher capacity road connectivity between state capital, district centres, and other rural hubs. It also seeks to provide efficient linkages between existing key corridors.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It will support state government's strategy by rehabilitating or upgrading two state highways and 23 major district roads totalling about 850 kilometres. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The total cost of this project is US $521.69 million of which State Government will finance US $171.69 million. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Significance of Project: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It will boost access of the poor to socio-economic opportunities and to basic services such as healthcare and education. It will also improve the overall quality of life in influence areas along the roads. </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Background</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Chhattisgarh is overwhelmingly rural (about 96</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of the area) ad is rich in natural resources and a major producer of minerals such as coal and iron ore. However, according to 2011 census, poverty levels were at about 38</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of the population. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">There is need for safe and efficient road network to significantly improve state's economy and development, and for poverty reduction in the state. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Currently, Chhattisgarh relies heavily on roads for movement of people and goods, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas. About 70%of the state highways have only single or intermediate lanes, while most major and other district roads are single lanes. </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Asian Development Bank (ADB)</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is multilateral lending agency based in Manila, Philippines. It was established on 19 December 1966.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is collectively owned by its members. It has total 67 members – 48 from Asia-Pacific region (including India) and 19 from outside.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It envisions prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty in the region.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It assists its members, and partners, by providing loans, technical assistance, grants and equity investments to promote social and economic development</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It provides finance to both sovereign countries as well as to private entities. It provides soft loans to poorer countries and hard loans to middle-income countries.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Most of its lending is concentrated in five operational areas viz. education, environment, climate Change & disaster management, finance sector development, regional cooperation & integration and private sector lending.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'title' => 'Statue of Unity shortlisted for UK-based structural award',
'description' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Context: </strong>The Statue of Unity, a memorial to Sardar Patel, in <strong>Gujarat’s Kevadia town </strong>has been shortlisted for ‘<strong>The Structural Awards 2019’ of the UK-based Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE).</strong></span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Highlights:</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>The 182-m-tall</strong> statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi <strong>on October 31<sup>st</sup> 2018.</strong></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is <strong>among the 49 structures that will vie for the prestigious award,</strong> according to the institution’s website. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The <strong>awards will be announced at a function in London on November 15.</strong></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About the award:</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The institute has been bestowing this award for <strong>best structural designs for the last 52 years.</strong></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">One of the <strong>aims </strong>of this awards programme is to increase awareness of the important work that structural engineers do.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Other structures shortlisted</strong> for the award include a <strong>sports stadium with a roof made of rotating petals at Hangzhou in China, a 22-m-deep basement beneath a five-star hotel in London and buildings showcasing the world’s best seismic performance in San Francisco,</strong> according to the website. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Past winners </strong>of this award include iconic structures such as <strong>Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Pompidou Centre in Paris and Severn Bridge in England.</strong></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Why this statue was selected?</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is considered to be <strong>an impressive sculpture by virtue of its scale and location</strong>.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> It put <strong>great demands on the engineers to conquer the challenges</strong> such as defining the design loads, selecting the right materials for the right purposes, and handling the uncertainties of geology.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The statue, <strong>designed by architect Ram Suthar</strong> <strong>and built by Larsen and Toubro</strong>, has a <strong>viewing gallery at a height of 150 m </strong>which provides visitors a <strong>spectacular view of the Sardar Sarovar dam and its vicinity.</strong></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2042,
'title' => 'India-UK workshop on Science for Disaster and Emergency Risk Management',
'description' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">Context:</span></span></strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black"> <strong>A two days India-UK workshop </strong>on Science for Disaster and Emergency Risk Management was <strong>inaugurated on 29/08/2019 in Delhi by Dr. P. K. Mishra, Additional PS to the PM. </strong></span></span></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type:none"> </li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">In his <strong>inaugural address</strong> Dr. Mishra stressed that <strong>in an increasingly interconnected world, the disaster and emergency risks are becoming more complex and intractable</strong>. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">Therefore, it is of <strong>vital importance that India and UK work together to optimize the application of scientific and technological capabilities</strong> in order to understand reduce and manage disaster and emergency risks which have grave implications on life and economy of nations.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">The key objective of the workshop</span></span></strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">: To <strong>share the Indian and UK advise mechanisms and practices</strong> for using <strong>science and technology in the management of emergencies and disasters. </strong></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">More about the workshop:</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type:none"> </li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">The interactions will <strong>focus on presenting both countries respective scientific and technological apparatus for mitigating disasters proactively</strong> with the <strong>aim to facilitate adoption of best practices</strong> by i<strong>dentifying new opportunities and building upon the existing I</strong>ndo-UK collaborations on science and technology. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">The selected risk areas</span></span></strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black"> of interest to both countries including <strong>case studies</strong> covering Science for Disaster management, <strong>Risk assessment </strong>for resilience, <strong>Science for epidemic preparedness, Science for extreme weather events, Geophysical hazards</strong> including earthquakes and landslides and Civil nuclear safety including modeling of radiological release will be covered in the two-day dialogue.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">The event is organised by the <strong>Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, GoI</strong> along with the <strong>National Disaster Management Authority in partnership with the UK Governments Office of Science.</strong></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2240,
'title' => 'Solomon Islands cuts diplomatic ties with Taiwan',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Taiwan’s global acceptance has received a setback after its largest ally in pacific ,the Solomon Islands has decided to cut ties with it and shift allegience to China.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> The government had conducted a poll to decide on its policy, where 27 lawmakers voted in favour of switching allegiance to China and six abstained. The Cabinet then voted unanimously in favour of the change.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">After this incident only 16 countries worldwide continue to recognise Taiwan, including five small Pacific nations which includes American llies, the Marshall Islands and Palau. Experts say Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu could soon switch.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is said that China’s big purse attitude has created a shift in mindset of the Solomonese government, which planned on favouring china in exchange of monetary support.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Taiwan</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Taiwan, officially called the <strong>Republic of China</strong> (ROC), is a state in East Asia. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the north-east, and the Philippines to the south.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and wants to bring the island back into its fold. Taiwan split from mainland China during a civil war in 1949 and set up a rival government.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Solomon Islands</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Solomon Islands is a sovereign state consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania lying to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu.The country's capital is Honiara.</span></span></p>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'id' => (int) 2307,
'title' => 'Area 51 ',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">UFO enthusiasts drawn by alien-themed festivities arrived to rural Nevada in the U.S. near the Area 51 U.S. military base, which is rumoured to house government secrets about extraterrestrial life and spaceships.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Recently a facebook post was created for an event to storm Area 51 where more than 2mn people marked themselves as interested in attending the event.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This brought into focus the long mystery-shrouded military base, famous for its existence in movies and conspiracy theories.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Area 51 had long been shrouded in mystery, stoking conspiracy theories that it housed the remnants of a flying saucer and the bodies of its alien crew from a supposed unidentified flying object crash in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. government did not confirm the base existed until 2013, when it released CIA archives saying the site was used to test top-secret spy planes.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Several Americans believe that it was where the government hid bodies of aliens and UFOs and some believe it was here the government held “meetings” with extraterrestrials, and others speculated it was where the government developed “time travel” technology.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Area 51</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Area 51, a secret US military facility has become immortalized in pop culture thanks to conspiracy theories. It’s appeared in several films, including blockbusters like Independence Day, and was even the sole subject of a 2015 science-fiction film called Area 51.</span></span></p>
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(int) 10 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2352,
'title' => 'Saudi Arabia to offer tourist visas for the first time',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Saudi Arabia<strong> </strong>has said it will offer tourist visas for the first time, opening up the kingdom to holidaymakers as part of a push to diversify its economy away from oil.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Kickstarting tourism is one of the centrepieces of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 reform programme to prepare the biggest Arab economy for a post-oil era.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Saudi Arabia will open applications for online tourist visas to citizens of 49 countries.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Visas are currently restricted to expat workers, their dependents and Muslim pilgrims travelling to holy sites in Mecca and Medina.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The government hopes tourism will contribute up to 10% of the gross domestic product by 2030, compared to 3% currently.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Since oil prices have been reeling lately there is a need to look for alternative sources for economic growth.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Indian visa policy</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India offers Freedom of Movement to countires like Nepal and Bhutan, whose citizens can enter India without Visa and can live and work freely.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has expanded Visa on Arrival for more than 40 countries, who can obtain their stay certificate after their landing in India.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India also extends e-Visas for more than 100 countries globally, where visas can be obtained through online application.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2465,
'title' => 'Migrant crisis',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">At least 13 people died when an overloaded migrant boat capsized near the island of Lampedusa near Italy.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Large number of people are fleeing Africa and west Asia towards Europe to escape wars and persecution in their home land. They are forced to flee towards Europe in unsecured boats which are susceptible to drowning.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Details</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The European migrant crisis also known as the refugee crisis, is a period beginning in 2015 characterised by high numbers of people arriving in the European Union (EU) from across the Mediterranean Sea or overland through Southeast Europe following Turkey's migrant crisis. It is part of a pattern of increased immigration to Europe from other continents.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Immigrants from outside Europe include asylum seekers and economic migrants.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for migration</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Refugees as weapons</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Refugees as Weapons", or "Weapon of Mass Migration" is a term used for mass exodus of refugees from a state to a hostile state as a "weapon" against an enemy.</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>War and civil war</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In June 2015 the UN refugee agency reported that wars and persecutions are the main reasons behind the refugee crises all over the world.</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Human rights violations</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Discrimination and inequality can also lead many individuals and families to move away from their homelands to other countries or regions.</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Environment and climate</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">People displaced by the effects of climate change have often been termed "climate refugees" or "climate change refugees.</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Economic hardship</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">People are forced to migrate due to lack of economic security in their home country.</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Political Reasons</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">People prosecuted for their political activities are also forced to abandon their home land and move towards another country to seek political asylum.</span></span></p>
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(int) 12 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2548,
'title' => 'US passes’ Hong Kong Democracy Act’',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue </strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that aims to defend civil rights in the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The law would end the Hong Kong-U.S. special trading status unless the State Department certifies annually that city authorities are respecting human rights and the rule of law.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Th act requires the U.S. president to identify and sanction people who are responsible for the erosion of autonomy and serious abuses of human rights in Hong Kong.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The House of Representatives has said that the act is just an effoert to force China to honor the government's promises that Hong Kong's rights and autonomy would be protected.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>China’s response</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China has said that U.S. should stop meddling in other affairs and warned China would take strong measures to counter the proposed Hong Kong bill.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Hong Kong protests</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Millions of citizens have taken to the streets of Hong Kong, against a now-dropped effort by its leaders to allow extraditions to the authoritarian Chinese mainland.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The months-long movement has expanded into a broader pro-democracy push in the territory where activists say freedoms are being eroded by Beijing to undermine autonomy of Hong Kong.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 13 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2574,
'title' => 'Mexico deports illegal Indian migrants',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> More than 300 Indians were deported back by Mexican immigration authorities for illegally entering the country to sneak into the United States.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Large number of people, especially from 3rd world countries try to enter into the US illegally through porous borders of Mexico. Eventhough it is risky and tiring, immigrants undertake it, hoping for a secured future in the US.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The journey for the majority of the deportees, who are from Punjab and Haryana, started from Ecuador and ended in Mexico via Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, which is the standard route followed by the immigrants to enter into the US illegally.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Citing rampant migrational trends, US President Donald Trump had threatened tariffs on all Mexican imports if the country did not put a check on people entering America through Mexico's borders.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mexico had agreed to boost security on the border and expand its policy of taking back migrants.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for migration</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Migration is commonly practised as a strategy for making a living and is related to the struggle for a better life.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Vulnerabilities caused by environmental disasters can be avoided by moving.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Remittances can improve people's everyday life and health.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Education can also be reason for migrating.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Political and social causes like asylum,can also force people to migrate to new places.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Drawbacks of migration</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Migrants can have problems accessing health care, and also experience much danger at border crossings.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Transnational families can suffer emotionally as well as physically due to separation.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Attacks from natives for entering into their country and encroaching upon their jobs.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Racial threats.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Increasing crime and terrorist activities.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
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(int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2686,
'title' => 'India walks out of RECP deal',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India was dropping out of the RCEP agreement, citing its negative effects on farmers, MSMEs and dairy sector.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has reiterated its stand that it would like to be part of a mutually beneficial RCEP deal, which is in interest of all the participants including its own citizens. With chances of repurcusions on domestic industry due to the deal, India has been reluctant to join.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The government is keen uphold the stakes of Indian farmers, traders, professionals and industrialists, all of whom have protested against the government’s decision to go ahead with the negotiations in the last few months.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Since 2012, there have been 28 rounds of negotiations that went right down to the end of the summit at the RCEP ministerial meeting, which ended inconclusively for India.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The outstanding issues included major trade deficits with all the countries in RCEP, lack of assurances on market access, and RCEP negotiators’ insistence on keeping 2014 as the base year for tariff reductions.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has also not received any credible assurances on its demand for more market access, and its concerns over non-tariff barriers.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">RCEP participants like China are known to have used non-tariff barriers in the past to prevent India from growing its exports to the country.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Major oppositions</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The decision to join RCEP met with stiff resistance in India from most industry and farmers’ bodies. The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), which represents about 10 lakh farmers, had called for an all-India protest on Monday against joining.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Confederation of All India Traders, which represents about seven crore traders, made several representations to the Commerce Ministry to keep steel and allied services, and dairy out of the purview of the RCEP agreement.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They have argued that some domestic sectors may take a hit due to cheaper alternatives from other participant countries. For instance, the dairy industry was expected to face stiff competition from Australia and New Zealand.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>RCEP deal</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The RCEP brings together 16 member countries. They include Asociation of South Asian Nations (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines,Cambodia) along with India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The purpose of the deal is to create an <strong>integrated market</strong> spanning all 16 countries. This means that it would be easier for the products and services of each of these countries to be available across the entire region.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The RCEP is billed to be the largest regional trading agreement yet the countries involved account for almost half of the world’s population, contribute over a quarter of world exports, and make up around 30% of the global Gross Domestic Product</span></span></p>
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(int) 15 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2696,
'title' => 'Iran announces break from nuclear deal',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has announced that Tehran will begin injecting uranium gas into 1,044 centrifuges in an attempt to produce weapon grade enriched uranium.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iran has been desperate to produce weapon grade fuels in order to boost its nuclear program. The development is significant as the centrifuges previously spun empty, without gas injection, under the 2015 nuclear accord.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The centrifuges at Fordo are IR-1s, Iran’s first-generation centrifuge. The nuclear deal allowed those at Fordo to spin without uranium gas, while allowing over 5,000 at its Natanz facility to enrich uranium.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iran is currently working on a prototype that is 50 times faster than those allowed by the deal.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is operating 60 IR-6 advanced centrifuges. Such a centrifuge can produce enriched uranium 10 times as fast as the first-generation IR-1s allowed under the accord.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iran has previously broken through its stockpile and enrichment limitations, trying to pressure Europe to offer it a new deal, more than a year since US from the accord.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Iran nuclear deal</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Iran nuclear deal framework was a preliminary framework agreement reached in 2015 between the Islamic Republic of Iran and a group of world powers: the P5+1 (the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, The United States, The United Kingdom, Russia, France, and China plus Germany) and the European Union.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Negotiations toward JCPOA began with the adoption of the Joint Plan of Action, an interim agreement signed between Iran and the P5+1 countries.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Under JCPOA, Iran agreed to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium, cut its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98%, and reduce by about two-thirds the number of its gas centrifuges for 13 years.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">For the next 15 years Iran will only enrich uranium up to 3.67%. Iran also agreed not to build any new heavy-water facilities for the same period of time.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Uranium-enrichment activities will be limited to a single facility using first-generation centrifuges for 10 years. Other facilities will be converted to avoid proliferation risks.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">To monitor and verify Iran's compliance with the agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will have regular access to all Iranian nuclear facilities. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The agreement provides that in return for verifiably abiding by its commitments, Iran will receive relief from U.S., European Union, and United Nations Security Council nuclear-related sanctions.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 16 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
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'title' => 'China launches Sudan’s first ever satellite',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Sudan's first ever satellite for conducting research in military, economic and space technology has been launched by <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/281-244/china/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">China, </a>according to official sources.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Sudan, which is battling an economic crisis, has been involved in a national <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/1503-1461/space-programme/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">space programme </a>for decades covering activities such as remote sensing and geoinformatics</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The satellite aims to develop research in space technology, acquire data as well as discover natural resources for the country's military needs.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The officials also announced that the satellite will be operational soon and will be monitored from ground station in Sudan.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>CNSA</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China National Space Administration is the national space agency of China. It is responsible for the national space program and for planning and development of space activities.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Sudan</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Sudan is a country in Northeast <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa" title="Africa">Africa</a>. It is bordered by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt" title="Egypt"><strong>Egypt</strong></a> to the north, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea" title="Red Sea">Red Sea</a> to the northeast<strong>, </strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrea" title="Eritrea"><strong>Eritrea</strong></a> to the east, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia" title="Ethiopia"><strong>Ethiopia</strong></a> to the southeast, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudan" title="South Sudan"><strong>South Sudan</strong></a> to the south, <strong>the </strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Republic" title="Central African Republic"><strong>Central African Republic</strong></a> to the southwest, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad" title="Chad"><strong>Chad</strong></a> to the west, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libya" title="Libya"><strong>Libya</strong></a> to the northwest.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The capital is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khartoum" title="Khartoum"><strong>Khartoum</strong></a>, located at the confluence of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Nile" title="Blue Nile">Blue</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Nile" title="White Nile">White Nile</a>. The currency is <strong>Sudanese pound</strong>.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>South Sudan</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">South Sudan, officially known as the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It gained independence from the Republic of the Sudan in 2011, making it the most recent sovereign state with widespread recognition. Its capital and largest city is Juba.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">South Sudan is bordered by <strong>Sudan </strong>to the north, <strong>Ethiopia</strong> to the east, <strong>Kenya</strong> to the southeast, <strong>Uganda</strong> to the south, <strong>the Democratic Republic of the Congo</strong> to the southwest and the <strong>Central African Republic</strong> to the west.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 17 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2759,
'title' => 'Socialists win Spain elections',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Spain’s Socialist premier Pedro Sanchez emerged as winner but lost some seats in the repeat <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/1369-1349/election/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">election </a>held on 10th of November.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ballot, the fourth in as many years, failed to end months of parliamentary deadlock following an inconclusive April poll.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The final results showed the Socialists taking 120 of the parliament’s 350 seats (28% of the votes) while Vox secured 52 (15%) , more than double its mandates in the outgoing Assembly.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In second place was the right-wing Popular Party, which took 88 mandates (nearly 21%), up from 66 in the previous poll.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The results will make forming a government more difficult due to the parliament’s deep fragmentation and the rise of Vox.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Spain</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Spain is a country on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula,which includes 17 autonomous regions with diverse geography and cultures. The Capital city is <strong>Madrid</strong>.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Neighbours</u>: Portugal, France, Morocco (Ceuta and Melilla), Andorra, United Kingdom (Gibraltar).</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Memberships</u>: European Union, United Nations, NATO, OECD,WTO etc.</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Currency</u>: Euro</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Mountains</u>: Pyrenees mountains, Cantabrian mountains, Sistema central.</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Other important features</u>: Andalusian plains, canary islands, Bay of Biscay (between Spain and France).</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Rivers</u>: Tajo, Duero, Guadiana and Guadalquivir, Tagus (all Atlantic ocean), Ebro (Mediterranean sea).</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Map location</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><img alt="Socialists win Spain elections" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/35dc/uktzmcnofkda1ws6g.jpg" style="height:768px; width:1024px" /></strong></span></span></p>
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(int) 18 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2858,
'title' => 'US deports asylum seekers to Guatemala',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> A foreign asylum seeker was sent to Guatemala under a U.S. agreement designating Guatemala as a so-called safe third country for people fleeing persecution.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The arrival of the individual in Guatemala marks a historic shift in how the United States treats people seeking asylum protections away from its embrace of refugees.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. government had brokered an agreement with Guatemala in July. The deal allows U.S. immigration officials to make migrants requesting asylum at the U.S.-Mexican border apply for asylum in Guatemala first.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Democrats and activists say it is irresponsible to send vulnerable people to seek shelter in Guatemala, with its high murder rates, tiny asylum system and weak rule of law.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Guatemalan government has said that it would process anybody who wanted to apply for asylum, but noted that United Nations immigration and asylum agencies would be responsible for providing shelter during their stay.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.N. International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that the United States had provided it with $10 million to help migrants voluntarily return from Guatemala to their homelands.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Guatemala</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Guatemala, a Central American country south of Mexico, is home to volcanoes, rainforests and ancient Mayan sites. The capital is <strong>Guatemala City</strong>.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is bordered by <strong>Mexico to the north and west,</strong> <strong>Belize and the Caribbean</strong> to the <strong>northeast</strong>, <strong>Honduras to the east, El Salvador to the southeast </strong>and<strong> the Pacific Ocean </strong>to the<strong> south.</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">President: <strong>Jimmy Morales</strong> (outgoing), <strong>Alejandro Giammattei</strong> (President elect)</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Currency: <strong>Quetzai</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Location</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><img alt="US deports asylum seekers to Guatemala 22nd nov 19" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ba1b/xai5hyvkip036s26g.jpg" style="height:277px; width:316px" /></strong></span></span></p>
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(int) 19 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2867,
'title' => 'Mauritius and Chagos island controversy',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mauritius has accused the United Kingdom an ‘illegal colonial occupier’ after it failed to meet a UN deadline to return control of an overseas territory to the island nation.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Britain was given six months to return the Chagos Islands after the UN General Assembly voted to condemn its continued occupation of the Indian Ocean territory. After the deadline passed, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said the UK was now an illegal colonial occupier.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mauritius, a former British colony, claims it was forced to trade the Chagos Islands in exchange for independence.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">When Mauritius was still a colony, Britain purchased the islands for 3 million pounds in 1965. This archipelago is known as British Indian Ocean Territory.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">UK foreign officials say that the territory will remain in British hands until it is no longer needed for defence purposes.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Chagos Islands</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Chagos Archipelago or Chagos Islands are a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres south of the Maldives archipelago.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">the United Kingdom had purchased the island from Mauritius in 1965 and gave an island<strong> </strong>to the United States to build a military base on <strong>Diego Garcia</strong>, the largest of the Chagos Islands.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Mauritius</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mauritius officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) off the southeast coast of the African continent. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The country includes the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, Agaléga and St. Brandon. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues form part of the Mascarene Islands, along with nearby Réunion, a French overseas department. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The capital and largest city Port Louis is located on the main island of Mauritius.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Prime Minister: <strong>Pravind Jugnauth</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">President: <strong>Barlen Vyapoory</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Currency: <strong>Mauritian Rupee</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Location</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><img alt="Mauritius and Chagos island controversy 23 daily current affars -1" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0e9f/e200v1gqndfygkn6g.jpg" style="height:268px; width:392px" /><img alt="Mauritius and Chagos island controversy 23 daily current affars -2" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4166/j5j0pbj8yfvpfgx6g.jpg" /></strong></span></span></p>
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(int) 20 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2886,
'title' => 'GSOMIA pact of South Korea',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">South Korea has decided to suspend its plans to quit an intelligence sharing pact, GSOMIA with Japan amid pressure from the US.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Previously, South Korea had decided to discontinue the intelligence pact called the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), unless Japan decided to review its export control measures.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The need for GSOMIA was felt amidst a growing threat from North Korea, especially when it started conducting nuclear tests and developing ballistic missiles.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The US’ interest in this agreement arises from its need to forge alliances in the northeast to be able to analyse and respond to any threats from North Korea. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is also felt that GSOMIA is an attempt by the US-Japan-South Korea trilateral alliance to contain Beijing, thereby maintaining a degree of opposition between this trilateral alliance and that of China-North Korea-Russia.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The relationship between Japan and South Korea has deteriorated, given the territorial dispute over the Dokdo islands also known as Takeshima in Japan. While South Korea controls them, the islands are claimed by Japan.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Japan imposed export controls on three chemicals that South Korea uses in its important semiconductor industry.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Japan also decided to remove South Korea from its “white list”, a fast track trade list of trusted partners. This is considered to be retaliation for South Korea’s decision to leave the intelligence pact.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>GSOMIA pact</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">General Security Of Military Information Agreements (GSOMIA) is one of the four foundational agreements that the U.S. signs with allies and close partners to facilitate interoperability between militaries and sale of high end technology. GSOMIA allows militaries to share the intelligence gathered by them.</span></span></p>
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(int) 21 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2916,
'title' => 'US approves legislation backing Hong Kong protestors',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law congressional legislation backing protesters in Hong Kong,<strong> </strong>despite angry objections from Beijing.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Congress passed a second bil, banning the export to the Hong Kong police of crowd-control munitions, such as teargas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and stun guns.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The new legislation, approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate and by all but one lawmaker in the House of Representatives last week, requires the State Department to certify, at least annually, that Hong Kong retains enough autonomy to justify favorable U.S. trading terms that have helped it maintain its position as a world financial center. It also threatens sanctions for human rights violations.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Officials responsible for human rights violations in Hong Kong could also be subject to sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The law has potential to completely upend relations between the United States and Hong Kong and change the territory’s status to that of any other Chinese city.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">From a business perspective, one of the most important elements of Hong Kong’s special status has been that it is considered a separate customs and trading zone from China. Trade-war tariffs don’t apply to exports from Hong Kong.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Hong Kong</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is a special administrative region on the eastern side of the Pearl River estuary in southern China.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Currency: <strong>Hong Kong dollar</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><img alt="US approves legislation backing Hong Kong protestors" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/72f4/iazub4wrqa020536g.jpg" style="height:267px; width:366px" /></strong></span></span></p>
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(int) 22 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2975,
'title' => 'US House approves Uighur bill',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. House of Representatives have approved a bill that would require the Trump administration to toughen its response to China's crackdown on its Muslim minority, the Uighurs.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> United Nations experts and activists say at least 1 million Uighurs and members of other largely Muslim minority groups have been detained in the camps, located mainly in Xinjiang province of China.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Uighur Act of 2019 is a stronger version of a bill that angered Beijing when it passed the Senate in September. It calls on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions for the first time on a member of China's powerful politburo.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The bill requires the U.S. president to condemn abuses against Muslims and call for the closure of mass detention camps in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The revised bill still has to be approved by the Senate before being sent to Trump. The President has the power to Veto the bill if he believes that to be in national interest.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The bill also requires the secretary of state to submit a report on abuses in Xinjiang, to include assessments of the numbers held in re-education and forced labor camps.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Uighurs</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Uyghurs alternately Uigurs, are a minority Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Uyghurs have been recognized as native to only one region, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They are considered to be one of China's 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities. The Uyghurs are recognized by China only as a regional minority within a multicultural nation and China rejects the idea of them being an indigenous group. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Uyghurs have traditionally inhabited a series of oases scattered across the <strong>Taklamakan</strong> Desert.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is estimated that over a million Uyghurs have been detained in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_re-education_camps" title="Xinjiang re-education camps">Xinjiang re-education camps</a>. The main feature of the camps is to ensure adherence to Chinese Communist Party ideology.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Voluntary departure from the camps is not possible and Inmates are detained for a minimum of 12 months depending on their performance in Chinese ideology tests.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><img alt="US House approves Uighur bill Daily Current Affairs 4 des" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3a39/cbcnyzfyxjx0jl66g.jpg" style="height:290px; width:335px" /></span></span></p>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 2984,
'title' => 'PISA test and its importance',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Students of Chandigarh’s government schools will represent India in the Programme for International Student Assessment test in 2021, which will be the first in 6 years.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a study done to produce comparable data on education policy and outcomes across countries. It is initiated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental economic organisation with 36 member countries.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study, which began in the year 2000, conducts a test evaluating 15-year-olds in member and non-member countries to assess the quality and inclusivity of school systems in these countries. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The PISA test is held every three years and the next test will be held in 2021, in which students from government schools in Chandigarh will represent India.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The test is set by educational experts from across the world. Experts from more than eighty countries have contributed towards framing the test questions, mostly from countries that have already participated in the test.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The PISA test does not assess students on their memory, but attempts to evaluate whether students can apply the knowledge they have gained through primary and secondary education.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Apart from subjects such as Math, reading comprehension and science, the test also includes an optional section on innovative subjects such as collaborative problem-solving and financial literacy. The test is taken in the language of instruction that the students are familiar with.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Regions are identified within the country where the test can be conducted. Within the region, individual schools are chosen which are approved by the PISA governing board and evaluated using stringent criteria. These schools represent the country’s education system.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The aim of the test is not to rank the countries which volunteer to participate in the evaluation, but to give a comprehensive analysis of how education systems are working in terms of preparing its students for higher education and subsequent employment. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">After collecting results from across the world, experts translate these results into data points which are evaluated to score the countries.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">If a country scores well, it suggests that not only does it has an effective education system but an inclusive one, in which students from privileged and underprivileged backgrounds perform equally well.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">OECD also hopes that the test will allow countries to learn from each other about effective education policies and improve their own systems, using others as examples.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>India’s participation</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has participated in the PISA test only once before, in 2009. In this round of PISA, where students from Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu sat for the test, India ranked 72nd out of 73 countries, outranking only Kyrgistan.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Way forward</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian education is immersed in rote learning and memorisation. PISA requires experiential learning and out of the box thinking. Educators and students need to work hard to adapt to innovative learning.</span></span></p>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'title' => 'Russia banned from Olympics on doping charges',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Russia has been banned from the Olympics and world championships in a range of sport for four years after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ruled to punish it for manipulating laboratory data.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The punishment however allows clean Russian athletes to compete at major international sporting events without their flag or anthem for four years.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The decison was taken after it was found that Moscow had tampered with laboratory data by planting fake evidence and deleting files linked to positive doping tests that could have helped identify drug cheats.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Russia has tried to showcase itself as a global sport power but has been embroiled in doping scandals since a 2015 report commissioned by WADA found evidence of mass doping in Russian athletics.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The biggest beneficiaries of Russia’s exclusion are likely to be the United States, China and Japan, who should claim 10 of the banned nation's projected gold medals between them in the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>World Anti-Doping Agency</strong> (WADA)</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The World Anti-Doping Agency is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. Its Headquarters is located in Montreal, Canada.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The agency's key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities, and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code, whose provisions are enforced by the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>National Anti-Doping Agency</strong> (NADA)</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is the national organisation responsible for promoting, coordinating, and monitoring the doping control program in sports in all its forms in India. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">NADA deals with adopting and implementing anti-doping rules and policies which conform with the World Anti-Doping Agency, cooperates with other anti-doping organisations and promotes anti-doping research and education. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">NADA is formed by the Union Government under the societies Registration Act. NADA includes scientists and representatives from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). </span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 3047,
'title' => 'India-Australia Mutual Logistics Support Agreement',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India and Australia have moved one step closer towards signing the Logistics Exchange Agreement, which will enhance cooperation between the two countries considerably.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The LSA will be one of the key agenda points during Prime Minister Morrison’s scheduled visit. The Agreement will allow the two countries to use each other’s military bases for logistics support, including food, water, and petroleum.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India and Australia share a common concern over China, which forms a lot of the bilateral transactions between the two countries. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">While Australia is worried about China’s presence in the Pacific, India is worried about China’s increasing activities and influence in the Indian Ocean.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Australian and Indian navies had recently concluded a two-week-long bilateral maritime exercise code-named <strong>AUSINDEX</strong>. It was carried out to strengthen and enhance mutual cooperation and interoperability between Indian Navy and Royal Australian Navy.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">From 2016-18, the armies of the countries conducted a joint military exercise dubbed “<strong>AUSTRA HIND</strong>”. Australia’s Foreign Policy White Paper identifies India as being at the “front rank” of Australia’s international partnerships, “on par with the US, Japan, Indonesia, and China.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>The QUAD</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The informal strategic Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) that was initiated by Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007 was largely in response to China’s growing power and influence.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Australia chose to withdraw when Kevin Rudd was Prime Minister, since it did not want to be a part of an anti-China alliance at the time.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Australia later rejoined the dialogue in 2017 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, signalling a change in its stand.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Logistics Support Agreement (LSA)</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Logistics agreements are administrative arrangements facilitating access to military facilities for exchange of fuel and provisions on mutual agreement, simplifying logistical support and increasing operational turnaround of the military away from India.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
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'metatitle' => 'India-Australia Mutual Logistics Support Agreement',
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(int) 26 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 3065,
'title' => 'US approves Space Force Bill',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. House of Representatives approved a defense policy bill providing the first paid family leave for all federal workers and the creation of a Space Force, a top military priority for President Donald Trump.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The establishment of the U.S. Space Force as the sixth Armed Service of the United States, under the Air Force, fulfills one of Trump’s most high-profile requests.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The United States Space Force (USSF) is the anticipated space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> It will be the sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces and the eighth U.S. uniformed service.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will be organized as a military service branch within the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once established, the U.S. Space Force is intended to become the lead military service for space operations, responsible for space doctrine, organization, training, matériel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Functions</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As described in the Space Force Act, the U.S. Space Force will be organized, trained, and equipped to: </span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"Provide freedom of operation for the United States in, from, and to space"</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"Provide prompt and sustained space operations"</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Duties</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The duties of the Space Force include: </span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"Protect the interests of the United States in space"</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"Deter aggression in, from, and to space"</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"conduct space operations"</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 27 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 3066,
'title' => 'USMCA trade group',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mexico's Senate has approved the revised U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal that includes tougher enforcement of worker rights and the elimination of a patent provision for biologic drugs.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Senators approved the changes to USMCA, which was signed more than a year ago to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once it passes into law in the three countries, USMCA will encompass $1.2 trillion in annual trade across the continent and support 12 million U.S. jobs and a third of American agricultural exports.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Democrats controlling the U.S. House of Representatives had insisted on major changes to labor and environmental enforcement in USMCA before bringing it to a vote in the United States.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>USCMCA</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada is a signed but not ratified free trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Compared to NAFTA, USMCA increases environmental and labour regulations, and incentivizes more domestic production of cars and trucks.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The agreement also provides updated intellectual property protections, gives the United States more access to Canada's dairy market.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Additionally, there is a stipulation that the agreement itself must be reviewed by the three nations every six years, with a 16-year sunset clause. The agreement can be extended for additional 16-year terms during the six-year reviews.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The deal establishes requirements for currency and macroeconomic transparency which, if violated, would constitute grounds for a dispute appeal.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'Anti-Semitism executive order of US President',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that will prohibit federal funding for colleges and universities that allow anti-Semitism.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The order is being seen as a threat to those college and university campuses that tolerate anti-Israel movements such as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that describes itself as working towards ending international support for Israel’s “oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.”</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The order extends the protections against discrimination under the 1964 Civil Rights Act to people who are subjected to anti-Sentimism, which is described as having feelings of hostility or discrimination against Jews, either as a religious group or as a race.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The order extends the protections against discrimination under the 1964 Civil Rights Act to people who are subjected to anti-Sentimism, which is described as having feelings of hostility or discrimination against Jews, either as a religious group or as a race.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These include targeting the state of Israel, which is considered to be a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as anti-semitic.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Other things include calling for, aiding or justifying the killing of Jews in the name of “radical ideology”, making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising or stereotypical allegations against Jews, using symbols and images associated with “classic” anti-Semitism and holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the state of Israel among others.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Criticism</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Free speech advocates have criticised it on the grounds that it goes against the tenets of the right to free speech as put forth by the First Amendment of the US Constitution<span style="color:#3e3e3e">.</span></span></span></p>
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'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 3090,
'title' => '‘Phase One’ trade agreement between US and China',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The United States and China cooled their trade war by announcing a "Phase one" agreement that reduces some U.S. tariffs in exchange for increased Chinese purchases of American farm goods.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Reaching the agreement will serve the fundamental interests of the people of the two countries and the world, and is expected to bring positive influences on areas including economy, trade, investment and the financial market.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The US will be maintaining 25 per cent tariffs on approximately $250 billion of Chinese imports, along with 7.5 per cent tariffs on approximately $120 billion of Chinese imports.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the Phase One agreement, the chapter on trade expansion mentions commitments from China to import various US goods and services over the next two years, the total amount for which will exceed China’s annual levels of imports for those goods and services in 2017 by not less than $200 billion.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The agreement addresses unfair currency practices by committing to refrain from competitive devaluations and exchange rate targeting.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">If the agreement is signed, for the first time in any trade agreement, China would have agreed not to pressure foreign companies to transfer their technology to Chinese companies.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The deal would increase Chinese purchases of American agricultural and energy products, and also place limits on Beijing’s ability to weaken its currency and provide greater protection to US companies that are operating in China.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 30 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 3199,
'title' => 'Italy approves digital tax',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Italy has approved a new tax to be levied on large tech companies, a move that is likely to put more strain on the country’s relations with the U.S.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The tax is similar to the one France implemented earlier this year which has attracted severe criticism from the U.S.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Italian parliament has approved a three percent digital tax on some digital revenue of technology companies that make over $831 million in global revenue, including least $6 million in Italy.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Dozens of countries are working on proposals to change corporate tax schemes to capture money from tech firms that have users across the world, such as Facebook and Google’s parent company Alphabet.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S has opposed digital services taxes because they have a discriminatory impact on U.S.-based businesses and are inconsistent with the architecture of current international tax rules.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Representatives of trade body say that France’s digital services tax discriminates against U.S. companies, is inconsistent with prevailing principles of international tax policy, and is unusually burdensome for affected U.S. companies.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Authorities are also planning to explore Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which provides the U.S. with the authority to enforce trade agreements, resolve trade disputes, and open foreign markets to U.S. goods and services.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Digital tax</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Digital tax is a tax applied to digital business activities. Those include both digital-only brands which deal with virtual commodities and the services traditional market players use while transforming their businesses with digital technologies.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Digital businesses have three distinct characteristics:</strong><br />
(a) They are not physically established - for example, Facebook, can offer all of their services with limited or no physical presence.<br />
(b) They heavily rely on intellectual property assets (which can be quite mobile) and are typically located in, or worse shifted to, a low-tax jurisdiction.<br />
(c) They are able to generate value through highly engaged 'user participation' from the source country market.</span></span><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Protectionism</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Protectionism refers to government actions and policies that restrict or restrain international trade for the benefit of a single domestic economy.</span></span></p>
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(int) 31 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'id' => (int) 3210,
'title' => 'Treaty to combat cybercrimes',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.N. General Assembly has approved a resolution that will start the process of drafting a new international treaty<strong> </strong>to combat cybercrime over objections from the European Union, the United States and other countries.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Russian-drafted resolution was approved by the 193-member world body by a vote of 79-60 with 33 abstentions.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The resolution establishes an expert committee representing all regions of the world to elaborate a comprehensive international convention on countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Parties say that this resolution will undermine international cooperation to combat cybercrime at a time when enhanced coordination is essential.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The resolution requires that the new committee must take into account the results of the work of the expert group on cybercrime.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Convention on Cybercrimes</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Convention on Cybercrime, also known as the <strong>Budapest</strong> <strong>Convention</strong> on Cybercrime or the Budapest Convention, is the first international treaty seeking to address Internet and computer crime (cybercrime)by harmonizing national laws, improving investigative techniques, and increasing cooperation among nations. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was drawn up by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, with the active participation of the Council of Europe's observer states Canada, Japan, Philippines, South Africa and the United States.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Important countries like Brazil and India have declined to adopt the Convention on the grounds that they did not participate in its drafting.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Russia opposes the Convention, stating that adoption would violate Russian sovereignty, and has usually refused to cooperate in law enforcement investigations relating to cybercrime. It is the<strong> first multilateral legally binding instrument to regulate cybercrime</strong>.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The following offences are defined by the Convention: <strong>illegal access, illegal interception, data interference, system interference, misuse of devices, computer-related forgery, computer-related fraud, offences related to child pornography, </strong>and<strong> offences related to copyright and neighbouring rights</strong>.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Objectives</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Convention aims principally at:</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Harmonising the domestic criminal substantive law elements of offences and connected provisions in the area of cyber-crime.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Providing for domestic criminal procedural law powers necessary for the investigation and prosecution of such offences as well as other offences committed by means of a computer system or evidence in relation to which is in electronic form.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Setting up a fast and effective regime of international cooperation.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 32 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 3298,
'title' => 'JUS COGENS',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Following President Donald Trump’s threat to attack sites<strong> </strong>that were important to Iran and Iranian culture, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that US threatens to commit new breaches of JUS COGENS.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Most states and international organisations accept the principle of jus cogens, which dates back to Roman times. These norms cannot be offset by a separate treaty between parties intending to do so, since they hold fundamental values.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">JUS COGENS or ius cogens, meaning “compelling law” in Latin, are rules in international law that are peremptory or authoritative, and from which states cannot deviate. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The jus cogens rules have been sanctioned by the Vienna Conventions on the Law of Treaties of 1969 and 1986. According to both Conventions, a treaty is void if it breaches jus cogens rules.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Article 64 of the 1986 Convention, “Emergence of a new peremptory norm of general international law (jus cogens)”, says: “If a new peremptory norm of general international law emerges, any existing treaty which is in conflict with that norm becomes void and terminates.”</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">So far, an exhaustive list of jus cogens rules does not exist. However, the prohibition of slavery, genocide, racial discrimination, torture, and the right to self-determination are recognised norms. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The prohibition against apartheid is also recognised as a jus cogens rule, from which no derogation is allowed, since apartheid is against the basic principles of the United Nations.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Vienna Convention on Law of Treaties</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) is an international agreement regulating treaties between states. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Known as the "<strong>treaty on treaties</strong>", it establishes comprehensive rules, procedures, and guidelines for how treaties are defined, drafted, amended, interpreted, and generally operate.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Convention was adopted and opened to signature on 23 May 1969, and entered into force on 27 January 1980. It has been ratified by 116 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_state" title="Sovereign state">states</a> as of January 2018. Some non-ratifying parties, such as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a>, recognize parts of it as a restatement of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customary_law" title="Customary law">customary law</a> and binding upon them as such. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The VCLT is regarded as one of the most important instruments in treaty law, and remains an authoritative guide in disputes over treaty interpretation<strong>. India is neither a signatory nor has ratified the Vienna Convention on Law of Treaties</strong>.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">President Donald Trump has said that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets in retaliation, the US would target 52 sites in Iran, some of which are important to Iran & the Iranian culture.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest civilisations dating back to 10,000 BC. Its rich heritage and culture is an amalgam of Arab, Persian, Turkish and South Asian cultures.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Twenty-four Iranian sites are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, two of which are natural sites and the rest cultural sites. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Among the main World Heritage Sites in Iran are the Meidan Emam and Masjed-e-Jame in Isfahan, the Golestan Palace in the historic heart of Tehran, Pasargadae and Persepolis, capitals of the Achaemenid Empire and the archaeological site of Takht-e Soleyman, which has the remains of an ancient Zoroastrian sanctuary.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Protection of cultural sites</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Following the unparalleled destruction of cultural heritage in World War II, the nations of the world adopted at <strong>The Hague in 1954</strong>, The <strong>Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict</strong>, the first international treaty focussed exclusively on the protection of cultural heritage during war and armed conflict.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Convention defined cultural property as “movable or immovable property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people, such as monuments of architecture, art or history, whether religious or secular, archaeological sites etc”. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The signatories, referred to in the Convention as “the High Contracting Parties”, committed themselves to protecting, safeguarding, and having respect for cultural property.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There are currently 133 signatories to Convention, including countries that have acceded to and ratified the treaty. Both the United States and Iran (as well as <strong>India</strong>) signed the Convention on May 14, 1954, and it entered into force on August 7, 1956.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Rome Statute of 1998, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court, describes as a “war crime” any intentional attack against a historical monument, or a building dedicated to religion, education, art, or science.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>International Criminal court</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The International Criminal Court started functioning in 2002 with jurisdiction over four main crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">122 countries are States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The United States is a signatory that has not ratified the Statute. <strong>India</strong> has <strong>neither signed nor ratified the Statute</strong>.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 34 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 3405,
'title' => 'Rohingya rehabilitation on emerged island',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A Bangladeshi island regularly submerged by monsoon rains is ready to house 1lakh Rohingya refugees, but no date has been announced to relocate people.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Flood protection embankments, houses, hospitals and mosques have been built on <strong>Bhasan</strong> <strong>Char</strong>, or floating island, in the Bay of Bengal.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The island is built to accommodate 1 lakh people, just a fraction of the million Rohingya Muslims who have fled waves of violent persecution in their native Myanmar.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">About 7 lakh people came after August 2017, when the military in Buddhist-majority Myanmar began a harsh crackdown against Rohingya in response to an attack by insurgents.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Bangladesh navy has been implementing a multimillion-dollar plan to bolster the swampy island, which is submerged for months during annual monsoon season.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">International aid agencies and the United Nations have opposed the relocation plan since it was first proposed in 2015, expressing fear that a big storm could overwhelm the island and endanger thousands of lives.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has repeatedly told the U.N. and other international partners that her administration will consult them before making a final decision on the relocation, and that no refugees will be forced to move.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The current refugee camps near the beach town of Cox’s Bazar are overcrowded and unhygienic. Disease and organized crime are rampant. Education is limited and refugees aren’t allowed to work.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Rohingyas</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Rohingya people are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam with a minority following Hinduism and reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar.</span></span></p>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2',
'id' => (int) 3409,
'title' => 'Safe third country agreement: The US- Guatemala asylum deal',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In July last year, Guatemala’s Ex-President Jimmy Morales had signed a highly criticised asylum deal with the US which allowed Washington to send asylum seekers from third countries to Guatemala.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the 2019 fiscal year, Guatemala was the largest source of migrants (more than 2.64 lakh persons) detained at the US border. New President Alejandro Giammattei has not cleared his position on the pact, causing uncertainty over its future.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Under the “<strong>safe third country</strong>” agreement, migrants have to apply for asylum in the first country they land in. If they fail to do so and proceed to the second country, they can be sent back to the first country.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In 2019, the Trump administration signed “safe third country” agreements with the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, making it more difficult for refugees to seek asylum in the US.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A “safe third country” is supposed to mean a nation which is capable of offering protection to refugees. The Northern Triangle countries, which have signed these agreements, are known for high levels of crime, violence, and economic deprivation. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The deal with Guatemala has been criticised, given the risk that migrants might face when they are sent back here.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The US has increasingly adopted policies aimed at deterring refugee migration. Under the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, which came into force in January 2019, 55,000 asylum seekers to the US have been sent back to Mexico to wait out their asylum cases in that country.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'ICJ ruling on Rohingya issue',
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<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has<strong> </strong>asked the government of Myanmar to immediately take all measures within its power to prevent atrocities against members of the minority Rohingya Muslim community.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Gambia, which is predominantly Muslim, went to the ICJ in November 2019, accusing Myanmar of genocide, which is the most serious of all international crimes. The Gambia was backed by the 57-member Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC).</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ruling of the court is binding on Myanmar, and cannot be appealed. However, no means are available to the court to enforce it.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Gambia and Myanmar are parties to the Genocide Convention that allows a party to move the ICJ for violations.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Proving genocide has been difficult because of the high bar set by its ‘intent requirement’, that is showing the genocidal acts were carried out with the specific intent to eliminate a people on the basis of their ethnicity.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">So far, only three cases of genocide worldwide have been recognised since World War II: Cambodia (the late 1970s), Rwanda (1994), and Srebrenica, Bosnia (1995).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Even with the stepping in of the Security Council, there are several hurdles in enforcement of ICJ decisions. Any one of the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto powers can block the enforcement of an ICJ decision against itself or its ally.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>ICJ statement</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Myanmar shall ensure that its military or any irregular armed units within its control, do not commit any of the acts described above, or conspire to commit, direct, attempt to commit, or be complicit in genocide.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Myanmar shall take “effective measures to prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of evidence related to allegations of acts” of genocide.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Myanmar shall submit a report to the ICJ on all measures taken to give effect to the order within four months, and thereafter every six months, until a final decision is passed.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Rohingya case</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An estimated 7.3 lakh Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since 2017 when the Myanmar military launched a brutal crackdown on Rohingya villages in the country’s coastal Rakhine state. In August 2019, the UN said the army’s action was carried out with “genocidal intent”.</span></span></p>
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<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has<strong> </strong>asked the government of Myanmar to immediately take all measures within its power to prevent atrocities against members of the minority Rohingya Muslim community.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Gambia, which is predominantly Muslim, went to the ICJ in November 2019, accusing Myanmar of genocide, which is the most serious of all international crimes. The Gambia was backed by the 57-member Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC).</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ruling of the court is binding on Myanmar, and cannot be appealed. However, no means are available to the court to enforce it.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Gambia and Myanmar are parties to the Genocide Convention that allows a party to move the ICJ for violations.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Proving genocide has been difficult because of the high bar set by its ‘intent requirement’, that is showing the genocidal acts were carried out with the specific intent to eliminate a people on the basis of their ethnicity.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">So far, only three cases of genocide worldwide have been recognised since World War II: Cambodia (the late 1970s), Rwanda (1994), and Srebrenica, Bosnia (1995).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Even with the stepping in of the Security Council, there are several hurdles in enforcement of ICJ decisions. Any one of the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto powers can block the enforcement of an ICJ decision against itself or its ally.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>ICJ statement</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Myanmar shall ensure that its military or any irregular armed units within its control, do not commit any of the acts described above, or conspire to commit, direct, attempt to commit, or be complicit in genocide.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Myanmar shall take “effective measures to prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of evidence related to allegations of acts” of genocide.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Myanmar shall submit a report to the ICJ on all measures taken to give effect to the order within four months, and thereafter every six months, until a final decision is passed.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Rohingya case</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An estimated 7.3 lakh Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since 2017 when the Myanmar military launched a brutal crackdown on Rohingya villages in the country’s coastal Rakhine state. In August 2019, the UN said the army’s action was carried out with “genocidal intent”.</span></span></p>
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'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 38, 'title' => 'US announces suspension of Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">United States announced unilateral suspension from Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia. The announcement comes after US and Russia failed to resolve long-running accusation that Russia is violating this cold war era treaty. US will exit this treaty in six months unless Russia assures compliance by destroying all of its violating missiles, launchers, and associated equipment under this treaty.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for suspension</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The suspension comes after US President Donald Trump in October 2018 announced unilateral withdrawal of US from INF treaty.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">US alleges that Russia violated this treaty by testing 9M729 ground-launched cruise missile (NATO name SSC-8) in 2014, having range beyond prescribed by this treaty and had deployed the same missile that could strike Europe at short notice.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Russia, however, has denied US accusation saying that relevant missile was never tested at distances banned under the agreement and has called on US to show proof of a violation.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Russia also has accused US of breaching treaty by deploying its missile-defence systems in Europe, a charge which US rejects.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Since then both countries have failed to find resolution using dispute resolution mechanism in treaty. </span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was crucial Cold War-era treaty signed in December 1987 between then US President Ronald Reagan and his USSR counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev. (Russia was known as USSR before its disintegration after cold war in early 1990s).</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It prohibits US and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying ground-launched cruise missiles with ranges of 500–1,000 km or (short-range) and 1,000–5,500 km (intermediate-range).</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It also covers all land-based missiles, including those missiles carrying nuclear warheads. However, i<em>t does not cover sea-launched or air-launched weapons.</em></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ban under it was originally applied only to US and USSR forces, but its membership was eventually expanded in 1991 to include successor states of former Soviet Union. Thus, it offered blanket of protection to US’s European allies.</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Significance</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This treaty marked watershed agreement between US and USSR which were at centre of arms race during the Cold War.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was central to ending arms race between two superpowers during cold war and protected US’s NATO allies in Europe from Soviet missile attacks. </span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was designed to provide some strategic stability in Europe from USSR (now Russia). It had proved to be potent deterrent against any full-scale nuclear war in Europe. </span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It had resulted in the destruction of 2,692 missiles (US had demolished 846, and Russia destroyed 1,846 missiles). It kept nuclear-tipped cruise missiles off European continent for three decades. </span></span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><img alt="Intermediate range Nuclear Forces Treaty" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/efb7/1x654c3d6zuqcii6g.jpg" style="float:left; height:572px; width:754px" /></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'us-suspends-intermediate-range-nuclear-forces-treaty-with-russia', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3b2d/17byy4aps4oaabg6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3b2d/17byy4aps4oaabg6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'US suspends Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia', 'metakeyword' => 'US suspends Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia', 'metadescription' => 'In International Current Affairs, US suspends Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/ul29cp1oqddovkv/7.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 1 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 51, 'title' => 'China to provide $2.5 billion loan to Pakistan', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China has agreed to provide US $2.5 billion in loans to Pakistan to boost its depleting foreign exchange reserves. It will place $2.5 billion in deposits with Pakistan’s central bank viz. State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).The money is coming as part of Pakistan Government’s strategy to secure breathing space till time its macroeconomic stabilisation measures take effect.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">With this, China’s contribution in this fiscal year alone will be around $4.5 billion. In July 2018, China deposited $2 billion with SBP. In past five years, China has emerged as Pakistan’s single largest saviour in times of economic crisis.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>What is the issue?</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pakistan is struggling to maintain its foreign exchange (Forex) reserves and is nearly broke with drying up of foreign cash reserves and mounting external debt.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its $8.12 billion reserves, which are below minimum level prescribed by International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB), are sufficient to cover only seven weeks of imports.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Due to this, WB, IMF and Asian Development Bank (ADB) are not providing loans or bailing out Pakistan for budget financing.</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>How it Pakistan tackling this issue?</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pakistan has secured $14.5 billion worth of commitments from China, Saudi Arabia and UAE as emergency loans to avoid looming default and bridge external financing gap.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide $6 billion financial assistance package to Pakistan, which included $3 billion in short term loans at interest rate of 3.18%. It has already disbursed $3 billion.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">UAE has agreed to provide $3 billion in loans at interest rate of around 3% and has already disbursed $1 billion.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">But despite $4 billion inflows from Saudi Arabia and UAE during past two months, gross official foreign currency reserves of Pakistan has stayed at only $8.12 billion as of December 2018 end.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pakistan also has launched <em>Diaspora bonds</em> at interest rates of 6.25% for three years and 6.75% for five years to arrange funds for balance of payments support.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will be also launching two more financial instruments viz. <em>Sukuk bonds (Islamic bonds)</em> and <em>$3 billion Euro bonds</em> to meet external sector financing requirements.</span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'china-to-provide-2-5-billion-loan-to-pakistan', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/fe15/5wngpq3z1exxznl6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/fe15/5wngpq3z1exxznl6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'China to provide $2.5 billion loan to Pakistan - Study IQ', 'metakeyword' => 'China, Pakistan loan by China, Pakistan, $2.5 billion loan to Pakistan', 'metadescription' => 'China has agreed to provide US $2.5 billion in loans to Pakistan to boost its depleting foreign exchange reserves. Know all the Information about China over Pak', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/u40dqsocgqq0421/current_affair_9.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 2 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 107, 'title' => 'India, Bangladesh sign MoU for training 1800 Bangladesh civil servants ', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India and Bangladesh have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for training 1800 Bangladesh Civil Servants at National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) over next 6 years. It was signed between NCGG and Bangladesh’s Ministry of Public Administration. This is for second time NCGG is entering into MoU for training program for Bangladesh Civil Servants. Under first MoU signed in 2014, 1500 Bangladesh Civil Servants were trained in NCGG.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Key Facts</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">NCGG will train Bangladesh Civil Servants in e-Governance and service delivery, public policy and implementation, information technology (IT), decentralization.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will also train them in urban development and planning, ethics in administration and challenges in implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These trainee officers will undergo training at NCGG Mussoorie centre, Uttarakhand and in Delhi where they would visit Government of India (GoI’s) establishments.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This collaboration is considered as historic milestone in capacity building and training programs between India and Bangladesh.</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG)</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It isautonomous institute under Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG), Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was established in 2014 by rechristening and expanding mandate of National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR), set up in 1995 by Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its head office is in New Delhi and registered office in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its mandate is to assist in bringing about governance reforms through studies, training, knowledge sharing and promotion of good ideas.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It seeks to carry out policy relevant research and prepare case studies, curate training courses for civil servants from India and other developing countries.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It also provides platform for sharing of existing knowledge and pro-actively seek out and develop ideas for their implementation in government, both at States and Central level.</span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-bangladesh-sign-mou-for-training', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/b200/s2biu1b2k280psa6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/b200/s2biu1b2k280psa6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India, Bangladesh sign MoU for training 1800 B.desh civil servant', 'metakeyword' => 'In National Current Affairs, India-Bangladesh, Training, Civil Servants, NCGG, National Centre for Good Governance ', 'metadescription' => 'India and Bangladesh have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for training 1800 Bangladesh Civil Servants at National Centre for Good Governance ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/x626ltnrd3rxqta/9feb_India%252C_Bangladesh_sign.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 3 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 116, 'title' => 'Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi elected as chairperson of African Union', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected chairperson of African Union (AU) by its 55 member nations at 32nd AU summit held in Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia. He will succeed Rwandan President Paul Kagame (in office from January 2018 to January 2019). The post of AU chairperson rotates annually between five regions of continent. This is for first time since establishment of AU, Egypt has assumed top seat of the body.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">African Union</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It is pan-Africa continental union consisting of 55 countries. Its structure is loosely modelled on that of European Union.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It aims at promoting unity and cooperation among African nations and strive to spread democracy and good governance in the continent.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It seeks to accelerate process of integration in continent to enable it play its rightful role in global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It was founded in May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched in July 2002 in South Africa. It had replaced Organisation of African Unity (OAU). </span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Its secretariat/headquarters i.e. African Union Commission is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. </span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Its most important decisions are made by Assembly which is a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It also has official bodies such as Peace and Security Council and Pan-African Parliament. </span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'al-Sisi-chairperson-african-union', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3803/hgle3p278zhycj96g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3803/hgle3p278zhycj96g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Abdel Fattah al-Sisi elected as chairperson of African Union', 'metakeyword' => 'In International Current Affairs, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi elected as chairperson of African Union', 'metadescription' => 'Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi elected chairperson of African Union ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/n3q746fsub2dnbd/11FEBEgypt%2527s_President_Abdel_Fattah.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 4 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 1235, 'title' => 'WHO recognizes Burnout as medical condition', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">World Health Organization (WHO) for the first time recognised “occupational burn-out” as a medical condition during its recently concluded World Health Assembly in Geneva. It has put burnout in International Classification of Diseases-11 (ICD-11) list, which is used globally as benchmark for health diagnosis. The updated ICD-11 list will take effect in January 2022, also</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Occupational Burn-out</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">WHO Definition:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It is defined as syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It refers specifically to phenomena in occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Three dimensions of Burnour:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> (i) Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion (ii) Increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and (iii) reduced professional efficacy. </span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">International Classification of Diseases (ICD) </span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is the international standard diagnostic tool for epidemiology, clinical purposes and health management. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Full official name:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. It is maintained by WHO and revised periodically. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Purpose:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It serves as foundation for identifying health trends and statistics worldwide. It is designed as health care classification system by providing system of diagnostic codes for classifying diseases, including classifications of wide variety of signs, symptoms, complaints, social circumstances, abnormal findings and external causes of injury or disease. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It provides common language for health professionals to share health information across the globe. It contains more than 55,000 unique codes for injuries, diseases and causes of death. </span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> <strong>ICD-11</strong></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is updated ICD list that will take effect in January 2022. It also contains several other additions, including classification of “compulsive sexual behaviour” as a mental disorder. It also recognises video gaming as an addiction, listing it alongside drug abuse and gambling. It also has for first time has added chapter on traditional systems of medicine.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'who-recognizes-burnout-as-medical-condition', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/561e/rwccz587btsyaje6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/561e/rwccz587btsyaje6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'WHO recognizes Burnout as medical condition', 'metakeyword' => 'WHO recognizes Burnout as medical condition, International Classification of Diseases-11', 'metadescription' => 'WHO recognizes Burnout as medical condition, International Classification of Diseases-11', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/jmd5eovh3wqmpah/WHO_recognizes_Burnout_as_medical_condition.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 5 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 1297, 'title' => 'ADB approves US $350 million loan for road project in Chhattisgarh', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Multi-lateral funding agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved US $350 million loan for road project in Chhattisgarh. The project aims at rehabilitating and upgrading state highways and major district roads in Chhattisgarh, which will improve connectivity and access to basic services and livelihood opportunities.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Project</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It aims to provide safer and higher capacity road connectivity between state capital, district centres, and other rural hubs. It also seeks to provide efficient linkages between existing key corridors.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It will support state government's strategy by rehabilitating or upgrading two state highways and 23 major district roads totalling about 850 kilometres. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The total cost of this project is US $521.69 million of which State Government will finance US $171.69 million. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Significance of Project: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It will boost access of the poor to socio-economic opportunities and to basic services such as healthcare and education. It will also improve the overall quality of life in influence areas along the roads. </span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Background</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Chhattisgarh is overwhelmingly rural (about 96</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of the area) ad is rich in natural resources and a major producer of minerals such as coal and iron ore. However, according to 2011 census, poverty levels were at about 38</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of the population. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">There is need for safe and efficient road network to significantly improve state's economy and development, and for poverty reduction in the state. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Currently, Chhattisgarh relies heavily on roads for movement of people and goods, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas. About 70%of the state highways have only single or intermediate lanes, while most major and other district roads are single lanes. </span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Asian Development Bank (ADB)</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is multilateral lending agency based in Manila, Philippines. It was established on 19 December 1966.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is collectively owned by its members. It has total 67 members – 48 from Asia-Pacific region (including India) and 19 from outside.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It envisions prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty in the region.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It assists its members, and partners, by providing loans, technical assistance, grants and equity investments to promote social and economic development</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It provides finance to both sovereign countries as well as to private entities. It provides soft loans to poorer countries and hard loans to middle-income countries.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Most of its lending is concentrated in five operational areas viz. education, environment, climate Change & disaster management, finance sector development, regional cooperation & integration and private sector lending.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'adb-loan-road-project-chhattisgarh', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9a3a/c9pebk8et8cq0l06g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9a3a/c9pebk8et8cq0l06g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'ADB approves US $350 mn loan for road project in Chhattisgarh', 'metakeyword' => 'ADB, approved, $350 million loan, road project, Chhattisgarh, rehabilitating, upgrading, state highways', 'metadescription' => 'ADB) has approved US $350 million loan for road project in Chhattisgarh. The project aims at rehabilitating and upgrading state highways', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/2613w1ewqmhblja/ADB_approves_US_%24350_million_loan_for_road_project_in_Chhattisgarh.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 6 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 1837, 'title' => 'Statue of Unity shortlisted for UK-based structural award', 'description' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Context: </strong>The Statue of Unity, a memorial to Sardar Patel, in <strong>Gujarat’s Kevadia town </strong>has been shortlisted for ‘<strong>The Structural Awards 2019’ of the UK-based Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE).</strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Highlights:</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>The 182-m-tall</strong> statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi <strong>on October 31<sup>st</sup> 2018.</strong></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is <strong>among the 49 structures that will vie for the prestigious award,</strong> according to the institution’s website. </span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The <strong>awards will be announced at a function in London on November 15.</strong></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About the award:</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The institute has been bestowing this award for <strong>best structural designs for the last 52 years.</strong></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">One of the <strong>aims </strong>of this awards programme is to increase awareness of the important work that structural engineers do.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Other structures shortlisted</strong> for the award include a <strong>sports stadium with a roof made of rotating petals at Hangzhou in China, a 22-m-deep basement beneath a five-star hotel in London and buildings showcasing the world’s best seismic performance in San Francisco,</strong> according to the website. </span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Past winners </strong>of this award include iconic structures such as <strong>Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Pompidou Centre in Paris and Severn Bridge in England.</strong></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Why this statue was selected?</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is considered to be <strong>an impressive sculpture by virtue of its scale and location</strong>.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> It put <strong>great demands on the engineers to conquer the challenges</strong> such as defining the design loads, selecting the right materials for the right purposes, and handling the uncertainties of geology.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The statue, <strong>designed by architect Ram Suthar</strong> <strong>and built by Larsen and Toubro</strong>, has a <strong>viewing gallery at a height of 150 m </strong>which provides visitors a <strong>spectacular view of the Sardar Sarovar dam and its vicinity.</strong></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'statue-of-unity-shortlisted-for-uk-based', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/48d1/h0d3v2e9cm0dr6t6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/48d1/h0d3v2e9cm0dr6t6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Statue of Unity shortlisted for UK-based', 'metakeyword' => 'Statue of Unity shortlisted, Statue of Unity shortlisted for UK-based, ', 'metadescription' => 'The Statue of Unity, a memorial to Sardar Patel, in Gujarat’s Kevadia town has been shortlisted for ‘The Structural Awards 2019’ of the UK-based', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/160xtvt917qpob0/Statue_of_Unity_shortlisted_for_UK-based_structural_award.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 7 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2042, 'title' => 'India-UK workshop on Science for Disaster and Emergency Risk Management', 'description' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">Context:</span></span></strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black"> <strong>A two days India-UK workshop </strong>on Science for Disaster and Emergency Risk Management was <strong>inaugurated on 29/08/2019 in Delhi by Dr. P. K. Mishra, Additional PS to the PM. </strong></span></span></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:none"> </li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">In his <strong>inaugural address</strong> Dr. Mishra stressed that <strong>in an increasingly interconnected world, the disaster and emergency risks are becoming more complex and intractable</strong>. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">Therefore, it is of <strong>vital importance that India and UK work together to optimize the application of scientific and technological capabilities</strong> in order to understand reduce and manage disaster and emergency risks which have grave implications on life and economy of nations.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">The key objective of the workshop</span></span></strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">: To <strong>share the Indian and UK advise mechanisms and practices</strong> for using <strong>science and technology in the management of emergencies and disasters. </strong></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">More about the workshop:</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:none"> </li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">The interactions will <strong>focus on presenting both countries respective scientific and technological apparatus for mitigating disasters proactively</strong> with the <strong>aim to facilitate adoption of best practices</strong> by i<strong>dentifying new opportunities and building upon the existing I</strong>ndo-UK collaborations on science and technology. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">The selected risk areas</span></span></strong><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black"> of interest to both countries including <strong>case studies</strong> covering Science for Disaster management, <strong>Risk assessment </strong>for resilience, <strong>Science for epidemic preparedness, Science for extreme weather events, Geophysical hazards</strong> including earthquakes and landslides and Civil nuclear safety including modeling of radiological release will be covered in the two-day dialogue.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">The event is organised by the <strong>Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, GoI</strong> along with the <strong>National Disaster Management Authority in partnership with the UK Governments Office of Science.</strong></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-uk-workshop-on-science-for-disaster', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4dba/gx92elngnhx7s0n6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4dba/gx92elngnhx7s0n6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India-UK workshop on Science for Disaster', 'metakeyword' => 'India-UK workshop on Science for Disaster', 'metadescription' => 'A two days India-UK workshop on Science for Disaster and Emergency Risk Management was inaugurated on 29/08/2019 in Delhi by Dr. P. K. Mishra, Additional PS to the PM', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/z6pj9kf23l6sbft/India-UK_workshop_on_Science.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 8 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2240, 'title' => 'Solomon Islands cuts diplomatic ties with Taiwan', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Taiwan’s global acceptance has received a setback after its largest ally in pacific ,the Solomon Islands has decided to cut ties with it and shift allegience to China.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> The government had conducted a poll to decide on its policy, where 27 lawmakers voted in favour of switching allegiance to China and six abstained. The Cabinet then voted unanimously in favour of the change.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">After this incident only 16 countries worldwide continue to recognise Taiwan, including five small Pacific nations which includes American llies, the Marshall Islands and Palau. Experts say Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu could soon switch.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is said that China’s big purse attitude has created a shift in mindset of the Solomonese government, which planned on favouring china in exchange of monetary support.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Taiwan</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Taiwan, officially called the <strong>Republic of China</strong> (ROC), is a state in East Asia. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the north-east, and the Philippines to the south.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and wants to bring the island back into its fold. Taiwan split from mainland China during a civil war in 1949 and set up a rival government.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Solomon Islands</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Solomon Islands is a sovereign state consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania lying to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu.The country's capital is Honiara.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'solomon-islands-cuts-diplomatic-ties-with-taiwan', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/389d/3n8ps5j1vwneq656g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/389d/3n8ps5j1vwneq656g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Solomon Islands cuts diplomatic ties with Taiwan', 'metakeyword' => 'China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and wants to ', 'metadescription' => 'China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and wants to bring the island back into its fold. Taiwan split from mainland China during a civil war in 1949', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/3n8ps5j1vwneq65/Solomon_Islands_cuts_diplomatic_ties_with_Taiwan.jpg/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 9 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2307, 'title' => 'Area 51 ', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">UFO enthusiasts drawn by alien-themed festivities arrived to rural Nevada in the U.S. near the Area 51 U.S. military base, which is rumoured to house government secrets about extraterrestrial life and spaceships.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Recently a facebook post was created for an event to storm Area 51 where more than 2mn people marked themselves as interested in attending the event.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This brought into focus the long mystery-shrouded military base, famous for its existence in movies and conspiracy theories.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Area 51 had long been shrouded in mystery, stoking conspiracy theories that it housed the remnants of a flying saucer and the bodies of its alien crew from a supposed unidentified flying object crash in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. government did not confirm the base existed until 2013, when it released CIA archives saying the site was used to test top-secret spy planes.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Several Americans believe that it was where the government hid bodies of aliens and UFOs and some believe it was here the government held “meetings” with extraterrestrials, and others speculated it was where the government developed “time travel” technology.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Area 51</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Area 51, a secret US military facility has become immortalized in pop culture thanks to conspiracy theories. It’s appeared in several films, including blockbusters like Independence Day, and was even the sole subject of a 2015 science-fiction film called Area 51.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'area-51 ', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/7bf0/9sov25c5zixnzyp6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/7bf0/9sov25c5zixnzyp6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Area 51 ', 'metakeyword' => 'UFO enthusiasts drawn by alien-themed festivities arrivedt', 'metadescription' => 'UFO enthusiasts drawn by alien-themed festivities arrived to rural Nevada in the U.S. near the Area 51 U.S. military base, which is rumoured to house ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/xclm0blctwhryoo/Area_51.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 10 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2352, 'title' => 'Saudi Arabia to offer tourist visas for the first time', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Saudi Arabia<strong> </strong>has said it will offer tourist visas for the first time, opening up the kingdom to holidaymakers as part of a push to diversify its economy away from oil.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Kickstarting tourism is one of the centrepieces of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 reform programme to prepare the biggest Arab economy for a post-oil era.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Saudi Arabia will open applications for online tourist visas to citizens of 49 countries.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Visas are currently restricted to expat workers, their dependents and Muslim pilgrims travelling to holy sites in Mecca and Medina.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The government hopes tourism will contribute up to 10% of the gross domestic product by 2030, compared to 3% currently.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Since oil prices have been reeling lately there is a need to look for alternative sources for economic growth.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Indian visa policy</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India offers Freedom of Movement to countires like Nepal and Bhutan, whose citizens can enter India without Visa and can live and work freely.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has expanded Visa on Arrival for more than 40 countries, who can obtain their stay certificate after their landing in India.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India also extends e-Visas for more than 100 countries globally, where visas can be obtained through online application.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'saudi-arabia-to-offer-tourist-visas-for-the-first-time', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/e084/4rvpy8blwghg2at6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/e084/4rvpy8blwghg2at6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Saudi Arabia to offer tourist visas for the first time', 'metakeyword' => 'Saudi Arabia has said it will offer tourist visas for the', 'metadescription' => 'Saudi Arabia has said it will offer tourist visas for the first time, opening up the kingdom to holidaymakers as part of a push to diversify its economy away from oil.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/fxeebb2cwy8fwyu/Saudi_Arabia_to_offer_tourist_visas_for_the_first_time.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 11 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2465, 'title' => 'Migrant crisis', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">At least 13 people died when an overloaded migrant boat capsized near the island of Lampedusa near Italy.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Large number of people are fleeing Africa and west Asia towards Europe to escape wars and persecution in their home land. They are forced to flee towards Europe in unsecured boats which are susceptible to drowning.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Details</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The European migrant crisis also known as the refugee crisis, is a period beginning in 2015 characterised by high numbers of people arriving in the European Union (EU) from across the Mediterranean Sea or overland through Southeast Europe following Turkey's migrant crisis. It is part of a pattern of increased immigration to Europe from other continents.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Immigrants from outside Europe include asylum seekers and economic migrants.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for migration</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Refugees as weapons</strong></span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Refugees as Weapons", or "Weapon of Mass Migration" is a term used for mass exodus of refugees from a state to a hostile state as a "weapon" against an enemy.</span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>War and civil war</strong></span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In June 2015 the UN refugee agency reported that wars and persecutions are the main reasons behind the refugee crises all over the world.</span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Human rights violations</strong></span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Discrimination and inequality can also lead many individuals and families to move away from their homelands to other countries or regions.</span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Environment and climate</strong></span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">People displaced by the effects of climate change have often been termed "climate refugees" or "climate change refugees.</span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Economic hardship</strong></span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">People are forced to migrate due to lack of economic security in their home country.</span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Political Reasons</strong></span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">People prosecuted for their political activities are also forced to abandon their home land and move towards another country to seek political asylum.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'migrant-crisis', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/fdfe/nvlg1s0w3nlxu7a6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/fdfe/nvlg1s0w3nlxu7a6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Migrant crisis | the island of Lampedusa near Italy', 'metakeyword' => 'Migrant crisis', 'metadescription' => 'At least 13 people died when an overloaded migrant boat capsized near the island of Lampedusa near Italy.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/1jz4f0m0bl4hknr/Migrant_crisis.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 12 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2548, 'title' => 'US passes’ Hong Kong Democracy Act’', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue </strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that aims to defend civil rights in the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The law would end the Hong Kong-U.S. special trading status unless the State Department certifies annually that city authorities are respecting human rights and the rule of law.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Th act requires the U.S. president to identify and sanction people who are responsible for the erosion of autonomy and serious abuses of human rights in Hong Kong.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The House of Representatives has said that the act is just an effoert to force China to honor the government's promises that Hong Kong's rights and autonomy would be protected.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>China’s response</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China has said that U.S. should stop meddling in other affairs and warned China would take strong measures to counter the proposed Hong Kong bill.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Hong Kong protests</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Millions of citizens have taken to the streets of Hong Kong, against a now-dropped effort by its leaders to allow extraditions to the authoritarian Chinese mainland.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The months-long movement has expanded into a broader pro-democracy push in the territory where activists say freedoms are being eroded by Beijing to undermine autonomy of Hong Kong.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'us-passes-hong-kong-democracy-act', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/47fc/z78ctm6k9ztezh16g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/47fc/z78ctm6k9ztezh16g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'US passes’ Hong Kong Democracy Act’', 'metakeyword' => 'Millions of citizens have taken to the streets', 'metadescription' => 'Millions of citizens have taken to the streets of Hong Kong, against a now-dropped effort by its leaders to allow extraditions to the authoritarian Chinese ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/tlp56hfm96id9t3/US_passes%C6_Hong_Kong_Democracy_Act%C6.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 13 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2574, 'title' => 'Mexico deports illegal Indian migrants', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> More than 300 Indians were deported back by Mexican immigration authorities for illegally entering the country to sneak into the United States.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Large number of people, especially from 3rd world countries try to enter into the US illegally through porous borders of Mexico. Eventhough it is risky and tiring, immigrants undertake it, hoping for a secured future in the US.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The journey for the majority of the deportees, who are from Punjab and Haryana, started from Ecuador and ended in Mexico via Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, which is the standard route followed by the immigrants to enter into the US illegally.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Citing rampant migrational trends, US President Donald Trump had threatened tariffs on all Mexican imports if the country did not put a check on people entering America through Mexico's borders.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mexico had agreed to boost security on the border and expand its policy of taking back migrants.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for migration</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Migration is commonly practised as a strategy for making a living and is related to the struggle for a better life.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Vulnerabilities caused by environmental disasters can be avoided by moving.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Remittances can improve people's everyday life and health.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Education can also be reason for migrating.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Political and social causes like asylum,can also force people to migrate to new places.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Drawbacks of migration</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Migrants can have problems accessing health care, and also experience much danger at border crossings.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Transnational families can suffer emotionally as well as physically due to separation.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Attacks from natives for entering into their country and encroaching upon their jobs.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Racial threats.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Increasing crime and terrorist activities.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'mexico-deports-illegal-indian-migrants', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/fa01/ifkw8vj8elm98aw6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/fa01/ifkw8vj8elm98aw6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Mexico deports illegal Indian migrants', 'metakeyword' => 'immigrants undertake it, hoping for a secured future in the US.', 'metadescription' => 'Large number of people, especially from 3rd world countries try to enter into the US illegally through porous borders of Mexico. Eventhough it is risky and tiring, ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/2yzljsysitl57fq/mexico_deports_illegal_indian_immigrants.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2686, 'title' => 'India walks out of RECP deal', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India was dropping out of the RCEP agreement, citing its negative effects on farmers, MSMEs and dairy sector.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has reiterated its stand that it would like to be part of a mutually beneficial RCEP deal, which is in interest of all the participants including its own citizens. With chances of repurcusions on domestic industry due to the deal, India has been reluctant to join.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The government is keen uphold the stakes of Indian farmers, traders, professionals and industrialists, all of whom have protested against the government’s decision to go ahead with the negotiations in the last few months.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Since 2012, there have been 28 rounds of negotiations that went right down to the end of the summit at the RCEP ministerial meeting, which ended inconclusively for India.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The outstanding issues included major trade deficits with all the countries in RCEP, lack of assurances on market access, and RCEP negotiators’ insistence on keeping 2014 as the base year for tariff reductions.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has also not received any credible assurances on its demand for more market access, and its concerns over non-tariff barriers.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">RCEP participants like China are known to have used non-tariff barriers in the past to prevent India from growing its exports to the country.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Major oppositions</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The decision to join RCEP met with stiff resistance in India from most industry and farmers’ bodies. The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), which represents about 10 lakh farmers, had called for an all-India protest on Monday against joining.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Confederation of All India Traders, which represents about seven crore traders, made several representations to the Commerce Ministry to keep steel and allied services, and dairy out of the purview of the RCEP agreement.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They have argued that some domestic sectors may take a hit due to cheaper alternatives from other participant countries. For instance, the dairy industry was expected to face stiff competition from Australia and New Zealand.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>RCEP deal</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The RCEP brings together 16 member countries. They include Asociation of South Asian Nations (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines,Cambodia) along with India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The purpose of the deal is to create an <strong>integrated market</strong> spanning all 16 countries. This means that it would be easier for the products and services of each of these countries to be available across the entire region.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The RCEP is billed to be the largest regional trading agreement yet the countries involved account for almost half of the world’s population, contribute over a quarter of world exports, and make up around 30% of the global Gross Domestic Product</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-walks-out-of-recep-deal', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/22e3/foizskykv5jywf06g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/22e3/foizskykv5jywf06g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India walks out of RECP deal', 'metakeyword' => 'keeping 2014 as the base year for tariff reductions.', 'metadescription' => 'The outstanding issues included major trade deficits with all the countries in RCEP, lack of assurances on market access, and RCEP negotiators’ insistence on ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/et0ajnuyjttwvza/India_walks_out_of_RCEP_deal.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 15 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2696, 'title' => 'Iran announces break from nuclear deal', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has announced that Tehran will begin injecting uranium gas into 1,044 centrifuges in an attempt to produce weapon grade enriched uranium.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iran has been desperate to produce weapon grade fuels in order to boost its nuclear program. The development is significant as the centrifuges previously spun empty, without gas injection, under the 2015 nuclear accord.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The centrifuges at Fordo are IR-1s, Iran’s first-generation centrifuge. The nuclear deal allowed those at Fordo to spin without uranium gas, while allowing over 5,000 at its Natanz facility to enrich uranium.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iran is currently working on a prototype that is 50 times faster than those allowed by the deal.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is operating 60 IR-6 advanced centrifuges. Such a centrifuge can produce enriched uranium 10 times as fast as the first-generation IR-1s allowed under the accord.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iran has previously broken through its stockpile and enrichment limitations, trying to pressure Europe to offer it a new deal, more than a year since US from the accord.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Iran nuclear deal</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Iran nuclear deal framework was a preliminary framework agreement reached in 2015 between the Islamic Republic of Iran and a group of world powers: the P5+1 (the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, The United States, The United Kingdom, Russia, France, and China plus Germany) and the European Union.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Negotiations toward JCPOA began with the adoption of the Joint Plan of Action, an interim agreement signed between Iran and the P5+1 countries.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Under JCPOA, Iran agreed to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium, cut its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98%, and reduce by about two-thirds the number of its gas centrifuges for 13 years.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">For the next 15 years Iran will only enrich uranium up to 3.67%. Iran also agreed not to build any new heavy-water facilities for the same period of time.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Uranium-enrichment activities will be limited to a single facility using first-generation centrifuges for 10 years. Other facilities will be converted to avoid proliferation risks.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">To monitor and verify Iran's compliance with the agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will have regular access to all Iranian nuclear facilities. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The agreement provides that in return for verifiably abiding by its commitments, Iran will receive relief from U.S., European Union, and United Nations Security Council nuclear-related sanctions.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'iran-announces-break-from-nuclear-deal', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d691/ad600ie2s755pf76g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d691/ad600ie2s755pf76g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Iran announces break from nuclear deal', 'metakeyword' => 'Iran announces break from nuclear deal', 'metadescription' => 'Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has announced that Tehran will begin injecting uranium gas into 1,044 centrifuges in an attempt to produce weapon grade', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/emzztv17m5ykdh6/Iran_announces_break_from_nuclear_deal.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 16 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2699, 'title' => 'China launches Sudan’s first ever satellite', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Sudan's first ever satellite for conducting research in military, economic and space technology has been launched by <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/281-244/china/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">China, </a>according to official sources.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Sudan, which is battling an economic crisis, has been involved in a national <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/1503-1461/space-programme/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">space programme </a>for decades covering activities such as remote sensing and geoinformatics</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The satellite aims to develop research in space technology, acquire data as well as discover natural resources for the country's military needs.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The officials also announced that the satellite will be operational soon and will be monitored from ground station in Sudan.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>CNSA</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China National Space Administration is the national space agency of China. It is responsible for the national space program and for planning and development of space activities.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Sudan</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Sudan is a country in Northeast <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa" title="Africa">Africa</a>. It is bordered by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt" title="Egypt"><strong>Egypt</strong></a> to the north, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea" title="Red Sea">Red Sea</a> to the northeast<strong>, </strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrea" title="Eritrea"><strong>Eritrea</strong></a> to the east, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia" title="Ethiopia"><strong>Ethiopia</strong></a> to the southeast, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudan" title="South Sudan"><strong>South Sudan</strong></a> to the south, <strong>the </strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Republic" title="Central African Republic"><strong>Central African Republic</strong></a> to the southwest, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad" title="Chad"><strong>Chad</strong></a> to the west, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libya" title="Libya"><strong>Libya</strong></a> to the northwest.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The capital is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khartoum" title="Khartoum"><strong>Khartoum</strong></a>, located at the confluence of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Nile" title="Blue Nile">Blue</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Nile" title="White Nile">White Nile</a>. The currency is <strong>Sudanese pound</strong>.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>South Sudan</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">South Sudan, officially known as the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It gained independence from the Republic of the Sudan in 2011, making it the most recent sovereign state with widespread recognition. Its capital and largest city is Juba.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">South Sudan is bordered by <strong>Sudan </strong>to the north, <strong>Ethiopia</strong> to the east, <strong>Kenya</strong> to the southeast, <strong>Uganda</strong> to the south, <strong>the Democratic Republic of the Congo</strong> to the southwest and the <strong>Central African Republic</strong> to the west.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'china-launches-sudans-first-ever-satellite', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d746/dlr3t2o1dl0div26g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d746/dlr3t2o1dl0div26g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'China launches Sudan’s first ever satellite', 'metakeyword' => 'Sudan, which is battling an economic crisis, has been ', 'metadescription' => 'Sudan, which is battling an economic crisis, has been involved in a national space programme for decades covering activities such as remote sensing and geoinformatics', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/3norzt747piee8p/China_launches_Sudan%25C3%2586s_first_ever_satellite.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 17 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2759, 'title' => 'Socialists win Spain elections', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Spain’s Socialist premier Pedro Sanchez emerged as winner but lost some seats in the repeat <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/1369-1349/election/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">election </a>held on 10th of November.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ballot, the fourth in as many years, failed to end months of parliamentary deadlock following an inconclusive April poll.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The final results showed the Socialists taking 120 of the parliament’s 350 seats (28% of the votes) while Vox secured 52 (15%) , more than double its mandates in the outgoing Assembly.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In second place was the right-wing Popular Party, which took 88 mandates (nearly 21%), up from 66 in the previous poll.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The results will make forming a government more difficult due to the parliament’s deep fragmentation and the rise of Vox.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Spain</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Spain is a country on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula,which includes 17 autonomous regions with diverse geography and cultures. The Capital city is <strong>Madrid</strong>.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Neighbours</u>: Portugal, France, Morocco (Ceuta and Melilla), Andorra, United Kingdom (Gibraltar).</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Memberships</u>: European Union, United Nations, NATO, OECD,WTO etc.</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Currency</u>: Euro</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Mountains</u>: Pyrenees mountains, Cantabrian mountains, Sistema central.</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Other important features</u>: Andalusian plains, canary islands, Bay of Biscay (between Spain and France).</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><u>Rivers</u>: Tajo, Duero, Guadiana and Guadalquivir, Tagus (all Atlantic ocean), Ebro (Mediterranean sea).</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Map location</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><img alt="Socialists win Spain elections" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/35dc/uktzmcnofkda1ws6g.jpg" style="height:768px; width:1024px" /></strong></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'socialists-win-spain-elections', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/12fa/s1dwuvydrx0xx7u6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/12fa/s1dwuvydrx0xx7u6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Socialists win Spain elections', 'metakeyword' => 'Socialists win Spain elections', 'metadescription' => 'Spain’s Socialist premier Pedro Sanchez emerged as winner but lost some seats in the repeat election held on 10th of November.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/jo419kb4sax5f45/Socialists_win_Spain_elections.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 18 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2858, 'title' => 'US deports asylum seekers to Guatemala', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> A foreign asylum seeker was sent to Guatemala under a U.S. agreement designating Guatemala as a so-called safe third country for people fleeing persecution.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The arrival of the individual in Guatemala marks a historic shift in how the United States treats people seeking asylum protections away from its embrace of refugees.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. government had brokered an agreement with Guatemala in July. The deal allows U.S. immigration officials to make migrants requesting asylum at the U.S.-Mexican border apply for asylum in Guatemala first.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Democrats and activists say it is irresponsible to send vulnerable people to seek shelter in Guatemala, with its high murder rates, tiny asylum system and weak rule of law.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Guatemalan government has said that it would process anybody who wanted to apply for asylum, but noted that United Nations immigration and asylum agencies would be responsible for providing shelter during their stay.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.N. International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that the United States had provided it with $10 million to help migrants voluntarily return from Guatemala to their homelands.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Guatemala</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Guatemala, a Central American country south of Mexico, is home to volcanoes, rainforests and ancient Mayan sites. The capital is <strong>Guatemala City</strong>.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is bordered by <strong>Mexico to the north and west,</strong> <strong>Belize and the Caribbean</strong> to the <strong>northeast</strong>, <strong>Honduras to the east, El Salvador to the southeast </strong>and<strong> the Pacific Ocean </strong>to the<strong> south.</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">President: <strong>Jimmy Morales</strong> (outgoing), <strong>Alejandro Giammattei</strong> (President elect)</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Currency: <strong>Quetzai</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Location</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><img alt="US deports asylum seekers to Guatemala 22nd nov 19" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ba1b/xai5hyvkip036s26g.jpg" style="height:277px; width:316px" /></strong></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'us-deports-asylum-seekers-to-guatemala', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bfaa/x2mfr9wzv9z7e3j6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bfaa/x2mfr9wzv9z7e3j6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'US deports asylum seekers to Guatemala', 'metakeyword' => 'US deports asylum seekers to Guatemala', 'metadescription' => 'A foreign asylum seeker was sent to Guatemala under a U.S. agreement designating Guatemala as a so-called safe third country for people fleeing persecution.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/xf0tk4fahe21ldc/US_deports_asylum_seekers_to_Guatemala.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 19 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2867, 'title' => 'Mauritius and Chagos island controversy', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mauritius has accused the United Kingdom an ‘illegal colonial occupier’ after it failed to meet a UN deadline to return control of an overseas territory to the island nation.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Britain was given six months to return the Chagos Islands after the UN General Assembly voted to condemn its continued occupation of the Indian Ocean territory. After the deadline passed, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said the UK was now an illegal colonial occupier.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mauritius, a former British colony, claims it was forced to trade the Chagos Islands in exchange for independence.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">When Mauritius was still a colony, Britain purchased the islands for 3 million pounds in 1965. This archipelago is known as British Indian Ocean Territory.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">UK foreign officials say that the territory will remain in British hands until it is no longer needed for defence purposes.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Chagos Islands</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Chagos Archipelago or Chagos Islands are a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres south of the Maldives archipelago.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">the United Kingdom had purchased the island from Mauritius in 1965 and gave an island<strong> </strong>to the United States to build a military base on <strong>Diego Garcia</strong>, the largest of the Chagos Islands.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Mauritius</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mauritius officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) off the southeast coast of the African continent. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The country includes the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, Agaléga and St. Brandon. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues form part of the Mascarene Islands, along with nearby Réunion, a French overseas department. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The capital and largest city Port Louis is located on the main island of Mauritius.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Prime Minister: <strong>Pravind Jugnauth</strong></span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">President: <strong>Barlen Vyapoory</strong></span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Currency: <strong>Mauritian Rupee</strong></span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Location</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><img alt="Mauritius and Chagos island controversy 23 daily current affars -1" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0e9f/e200v1gqndfygkn6g.jpg" style="height:268px; width:392px" /><img alt="Mauritius and Chagos island controversy 23 daily current affars -2" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4166/j5j0pbj8yfvpfgx6g.jpg" /></strong></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'mauritius-and-chagos-island-controversy', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f4f5/wmkb9iyfuub10m46g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f4f5/wmkb9iyfuub10m46g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Mauritius and Chagos island controversy', 'metakeyword' => 'Mauritius and Chagos island controversy', 'metadescription' => 'Mauritius has accused the United Kingdom an ‘illegal colonial occupier’ after it failed to meet a UN deadline to return control of an overseas territory', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/zi7y92nqz9pfrs6/Mauritius_and_Chagos_island_controversy.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 20 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2886, 'title' => 'GSOMIA pact of South Korea', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">South Korea has decided to suspend its plans to quit an intelligence sharing pact, GSOMIA with Japan amid pressure from the US.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Previously, South Korea had decided to discontinue the intelligence pact called the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), unless Japan decided to review its export control measures.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The need for GSOMIA was felt amidst a growing threat from North Korea, especially when it started conducting nuclear tests and developing ballistic missiles.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The US’ interest in this agreement arises from its need to forge alliances in the northeast to be able to analyse and respond to any threats from North Korea. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is also felt that GSOMIA is an attempt by the US-Japan-South Korea trilateral alliance to contain Beijing, thereby maintaining a degree of opposition between this trilateral alliance and that of China-North Korea-Russia.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The relationship between Japan and South Korea has deteriorated, given the territorial dispute over the Dokdo islands also known as Takeshima in Japan. While South Korea controls them, the islands are claimed by Japan.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Japan imposed export controls on three chemicals that South Korea uses in its important semiconductor industry.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Japan also decided to remove South Korea from its “white list”, a fast track trade list of trusted partners. This is considered to be retaliation for South Korea’s decision to leave the intelligence pact.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>GSOMIA pact</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">General Security Of Military Information Agreements (GSOMIA) is one of the four foundational agreements that the U.S. signs with allies and close partners to facilitate interoperability between militaries and sale of high end technology. GSOMIA allows militaries to share the intelligence gathered by them.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'gsomia-pact-of-south-korea', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/eee9/ajb0hictvqfazwg6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/eee9/ajb0hictvqfazwg6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'GSOMIA pact of South Korea', 'metakeyword' => 'GSOMIA pact of South Korea', 'metadescription' => 'South Korea has decided to suspend its plans to quit an intelligence sharing pact, GSOMIA with Japan amid pressure from the US.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/tqgz0ukl2ql0l3e/GSOMIA_pact_of_South_Korea.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 21 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2916, 'title' => 'US approves legislation backing Hong Kong protestors', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law congressional legislation backing protesters in Hong Kong,<strong> </strong>despite angry objections from Beijing.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Congress passed a second bil, banning the export to the Hong Kong police of crowd-control munitions, such as teargas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and stun guns.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The new legislation, approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate and by all but one lawmaker in the House of Representatives last week, requires the State Department to certify, at least annually, that Hong Kong retains enough autonomy to justify favorable U.S. trading terms that have helped it maintain its position as a world financial center. It also threatens sanctions for human rights violations.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Officials responsible for human rights violations in Hong Kong could also be subject to sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The law has potential to completely upend relations between the United States and Hong Kong and change the territory’s status to that of any other Chinese city.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">From a business perspective, one of the most important elements of Hong Kong’s special status has been that it is considered a separate customs and trading zone from China. Trade-war tariffs don’t apply to exports from Hong Kong.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Hong Kong</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is a special administrative region on the eastern side of the Pearl River estuary in southern China.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Currency: <strong>Hong Kong dollar</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><img alt="US approves legislation backing Hong Kong protestors" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/72f4/iazub4wrqa020536g.jpg" style="height:267px; width:366px" /></strong></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'us-approves-legislation-backing', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/fbe5/vhmsvdnpd8w1evi6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/fbe5/vhmsvdnpd8w1evi6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'US approves legislation backing Hong Kong protestors', 'metakeyword' => 'US approves legislation backing Hong Kong protestors', 'metadescription' => 'U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law congressional legislation backing protesters in Hong Kong, despite angry objections from Beijing.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/7pwy5cx71r6e9xr/US_approves_legislation_backing_Hong_Kong_protestors.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 22 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2975, 'title' => 'US House approves Uighur bill', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. House of Representatives have approved a bill that would require the Trump administration to toughen its response to China's crackdown on its Muslim minority, the Uighurs.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> United Nations experts and activists say at least 1 million Uighurs and members of other largely Muslim minority groups have been detained in the camps, located mainly in Xinjiang province of China.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Uighur Act of 2019 is a stronger version of a bill that angered Beijing when it passed the Senate in September. It calls on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions for the first time on a member of China's powerful politburo.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The bill requires the U.S. president to condemn abuses against Muslims and call for the closure of mass detention camps in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The revised bill still has to be approved by the Senate before being sent to Trump. The President has the power to Veto the bill if he believes that to be in national interest.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The bill also requires the secretary of state to submit a report on abuses in Xinjiang, to include assessments of the numbers held in re-education and forced labor camps.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Uighurs</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Uyghurs alternately Uigurs, are a minority Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Uyghurs have been recognized as native to only one region, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They are considered to be one of China's 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities. The Uyghurs are recognized by China only as a regional minority within a multicultural nation and China rejects the idea of them being an indigenous group. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Uyghurs have traditionally inhabited a series of oases scattered across the <strong>Taklamakan</strong> Desert.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is estimated that over a million Uyghurs have been detained in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_re-education_camps" title="Xinjiang re-education camps">Xinjiang re-education camps</a>. The main feature of the camps is to ensure adherence to Chinese Communist Party ideology.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Voluntary departure from the camps is not possible and Inmates are detained for a minimum of 12 months depending on their performance in Chinese ideology tests.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><img alt="US House approves Uighur bill Daily Current Affairs 4 des" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3a39/cbcnyzfyxjx0jl66g.jpg" style="height:290px; width:335px" /></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'us-house-approves-uighur-bill', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/6a32/xdi4on6njwnq7p16g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/6a32/xdi4on6njwnq7p16g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'US House approves Uighur bill', 'metakeyword' => 'US House approves Uighur bill', 'metadescription' => 'The U.S. House of Representatives have approved a bill that would require the Trump administration to toughen its response to China's crackdown on its', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/zwcnmwynxmfn2vw/US_House_approves_Uighur_bill.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 23 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 2984, 'title' => 'PISA test and its importance', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Students of Chandigarh’s government schools will represent India in the Programme for International Student Assessment test in 2021, which will be the first in 6 years.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a study done to produce comparable data on education policy and outcomes across countries. It is initiated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental economic organisation with 36 member countries.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study, which began in the year 2000, conducts a test evaluating 15-year-olds in member and non-member countries to assess the quality and inclusivity of school systems in these countries. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The PISA test is held every three years and the next test will be held in 2021, in which students from government schools in Chandigarh will represent India.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The test is set by educational experts from across the world. Experts from more than eighty countries have contributed towards framing the test questions, mostly from countries that have already participated in the test.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The PISA test does not assess students on their memory, but attempts to evaluate whether students can apply the knowledge they have gained through primary and secondary education.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Apart from subjects such as Math, reading comprehension and science, the test also includes an optional section on innovative subjects such as collaborative problem-solving and financial literacy. The test is taken in the language of instruction that the students are familiar with.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Regions are identified within the country where the test can be conducted. Within the region, individual schools are chosen which are approved by the PISA governing board and evaluated using stringent criteria. These schools represent the country’s education system.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The aim of the test is not to rank the countries which volunteer to participate in the evaluation, but to give a comprehensive analysis of how education systems are working in terms of preparing its students for higher education and subsequent employment. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">After collecting results from across the world, experts translate these results into data points which are evaluated to score the countries.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">If a country scores well, it suggests that not only does it has an effective education system but an inclusive one, in which students from privileged and underprivileged backgrounds perform equally well.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">OECD also hopes that the test will allow countries to learn from each other about effective education policies and improve their own systems, using others as examples.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>India’s participation</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has participated in the PISA test only once before, in 2009. In this round of PISA, where students from Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu sat for the test, India ranked 72nd out of 73 countries, outranking only Kyrgistan.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Way forward</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian education is immersed in rote learning and memorisation. PISA requires experiential learning and out of the box thinking. Educators and students need to work hard to adapt to innovative learning.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'pisa-test-and-it-importance', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ab06/0rhlfse2agszcbz6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ab06/0rhlfse2agszcbz6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'PISA test and its importance', 'metakeyword' => 'PISA test and its importance', 'metadescription' => 'Students of Chandigarh’s government schools will represent India in the Programme for International Student Assessment test in 2021, which will be the first in 6 years.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/veig65k75k691yc/PISA_test_and_its_importance.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 24 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3035, 'title' => 'Russia banned from Olympics on doping charges', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Russia has been banned from the Olympics and world championships in a range of sport for four years after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ruled to punish it for manipulating laboratory data.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The punishment however allows clean Russian athletes to compete at major international sporting events without their flag or anthem for four years.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The decison was taken after it was found that Moscow had tampered with laboratory data by planting fake evidence and deleting files linked to positive doping tests that could have helped identify drug cheats.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Russia has tried to showcase itself as a global sport power but has been embroiled in doping scandals since a 2015 report commissioned by WADA found evidence of mass doping in Russian athletics.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The biggest beneficiaries of Russia’s exclusion are likely to be the United States, China and Japan, who should claim 10 of the banned nation's projected gold medals between them in the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>World Anti-Doping Agency</strong> (WADA)</span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The World Anti-Doping Agency is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. Its Headquarters is located in Montreal, Canada.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The agency's key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities, and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code, whose provisions are enforced by the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>National Anti-Doping Agency</strong> (NADA)</span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is the national organisation responsible for promoting, coordinating, and monitoring the doping control program in sports in all its forms in India. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">NADA deals with adopting and implementing anti-doping rules and policies which conform with the World Anti-Doping Agency, cooperates with other anti-doping organisations and promotes anti-doping research and education. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">NADA is formed by the Union Government under the societies Registration Act. NADA includes scientists and representatives from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). </span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'russia-banned-from-olympics-on-doping-charges', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3be4/f6i8dtkkdsumogx6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3be4/f6i8dtkkdsumogx6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Russia banned from Olympics on doping charges', 'metakeyword' => 'Russia banned from Olympics on doping charges', 'metadescription' => 'Russia has been banned from the Olympics and world championships in a range of sport for four years after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ruled', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/34rtob0qo6cyalc/Russia_banned_from_Olympics_on_doping_charges.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 25 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3047, 'title' => 'India-Australia Mutual Logistics Support Agreement', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India and Australia have moved one step closer towards signing the Logistics Exchange Agreement, which will enhance cooperation between the two countries considerably.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The LSA will be one of the key agenda points during Prime Minister Morrison’s scheduled visit. The Agreement will allow the two countries to use each other’s military bases for logistics support, including food, water, and petroleum.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India and Australia share a common concern over China, which forms a lot of the bilateral transactions between the two countries. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">While Australia is worried about China’s presence in the Pacific, India is worried about China’s increasing activities and influence in the Indian Ocean.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Australian and Indian navies had recently concluded a two-week-long bilateral maritime exercise code-named <strong>AUSINDEX</strong>. It was carried out to strengthen and enhance mutual cooperation and interoperability between Indian Navy and Royal Australian Navy.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">From 2016-18, the armies of the countries conducted a joint military exercise dubbed “<strong>AUSTRA HIND</strong>”. Australia’s Foreign Policy White Paper identifies India as being at the “front rank” of Australia’s international partnerships, “on par with the US, Japan, Indonesia, and China.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>The QUAD</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The informal strategic Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) that was initiated by Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007 was largely in response to China’s growing power and influence.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Australia chose to withdraw when Kevin Rudd was Prime Minister, since it did not want to be a part of an anti-China alliance at the time.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Australia later rejoined the dialogue in 2017 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, signalling a change in its stand.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Logistics Support Agreement (LSA)</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Logistics agreements are administrative arrangements facilitating access to military facilities for exchange of fuel and provisions on mutual agreement, simplifying logistical support and increasing operational turnaround of the military away from India.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-australia-mutual-logistics-support-agreement', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f296/a5170w4imjpl0mz6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f296/a5170w4imjpl0mz6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India-Australia Mutual Logistics Support Agreement', 'metakeyword' => 'India-Australia Mutual Logistics Support Agreement', 'metadescription' => 'India and Australia have moved one step closer towards signing the Logistics Exchange Agreement, which will enhance cooperation between the two countries', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/bmszcnfcqbyceba/India-Australia_Mutual_Logistics_Support_Agreement.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 26 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3065, 'title' => 'US approves Space Force Bill', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. House of Representatives approved a defense policy bill providing the first paid family leave for all federal workers and the creation of a Space Force, a top military priority for President Donald Trump.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The establishment of the U.S. Space Force as the sixth Armed Service of the United States, under the Air Force, fulfills one of Trump’s most high-profile requests.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The United States Space Force (USSF) is the anticipated space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> It will be the sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces and the eighth U.S. uniformed service.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will be organized as a military service branch within the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once established, the U.S. Space Force is intended to become the lead military service for space operations, responsible for space doctrine, organization, training, matériel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Functions</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As described in the Space Force Act, the U.S. Space Force will be organized, trained, and equipped to: </span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"Provide freedom of operation for the United States in, from, and to space"</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"Provide prompt and sustained space operations"</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Duties</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The duties of the Space Force include: </span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"Protect the interests of the United States in space"</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"Deter aggression in, from, and to space"</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"conduct space operations"</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'us-approves-space-force-bill', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/1b6b/2xsb5w2h8ponvy96g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/1b6b/2xsb5w2h8ponvy96g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'US approves Space Force Bill', 'metakeyword' => 'US approves Space Force Bill', 'metadescription' => 'The U.S. House of Representatives approved a defense policy bill providing the first paid family leave for all federal workers and the creation of a Space Force', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/lyzu24negfeemlf/US_approves_Space_Force_Bill.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 27 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3066, 'title' => 'USMCA trade group', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mexico's Senate has approved the revised U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal that includes tougher enforcement of worker rights and the elimination of a patent provision for biologic drugs.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Senators approved the changes to USMCA, which was signed more than a year ago to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once it passes into law in the three countries, USMCA will encompass $1.2 trillion in annual trade across the continent and support 12 million U.S. jobs and a third of American agricultural exports.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Democrats controlling the U.S. House of Representatives had insisted on major changes to labor and environmental enforcement in USMCA before bringing it to a vote in the United States.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>USCMCA</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada is a signed but not ratified free trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Compared to NAFTA, USMCA increases environmental and labour regulations, and incentivizes more domestic production of cars and trucks.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The agreement also provides updated intellectual property protections, gives the United States more access to Canada's dairy market.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Additionally, there is a stipulation that the agreement itself must be reviewed by the three nations every six years, with a 16-year sunset clause. The agreement can be extended for additional 16-year terms during the six-year reviews.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The deal establishes requirements for currency and macroeconomic transparency which, if violated, would constitute grounds for a dispute appeal.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'usmca-trade-group', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/baa0/qjudivqye0uz7rw6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/baa0/qjudivqye0uz7rw6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'USMCA trade group | USMCA trade | trade group', 'metakeyword' => 'USMCA trade group, USMCA trade, trade group', 'metadescription' => 'Mexico's Senate has approved the revised U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal that includes tougher enforcement of worker rights and the elimination ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/e6c4owrsw8usb4z/USMCA_trade_group.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 28 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3078, 'title' => 'Anti-Semitism executive order of US President', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that will prohibit federal funding for colleges and universities that allow anti-Semitism.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The order is being seen as a threat to those college and university campuses that tolerate anti-Israel movements such as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that describes itself as working towards ending international support for Israel’s “oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.”</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The order extends the protections against discrimination under the 1964 Civil Rights Act to people who are subjected to anti-Sentimism, which is described as having feelings of hostility or discrimination against Jews, either as a religious group or as a race.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The order extends the protections against discrimination under the 1964 Civil Rights Act to people who are subjected to anti-Sentimism, which is described as having feelings of hostility or discrimination against Jews, either as a religious group or as a race.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These include targeting the state of Israel, which is considered to be a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as anti-semitic.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Other things include calling for, aiding or justifying the killing of Jews in the name of “radical ideology”, making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising or stereotypical allegations against Jews, using symbols and images associated with “classic” anti-Semitism and holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the state of Israel among others.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Criticism</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Free speech advocates have criticised it on the grounds that it goes against the tenets of the right to free speech as put forth by the First Amendment of the US Constitution<span style="color:#3e3e3e">.</span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'anti-semitism-executive-order-of-us-president', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bf92/of2p1ls7mm5vyer6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bf92/of2p1ls7mm5vyer6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Anti-Semitism executive order of US President', 'metakeyword' => 'Anti-Semitism executive order of US President', 'metadescription' => 'US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that will prohibit federal funding for colleges and universities that allow anti-Semitism.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/tge0x6d3dtseiiq/Anti-Semitism_executive_order_of_US_President.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 29 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3090, 'title' => '‘Phase One’ trade agreement between US and China', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The United States and China cooled their trade war by announcing a "Phase one" agreement that reduces some U.S. tariffs in exchange for increased Chinese purchases of American farm goods.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Reaching the agreement will serve the fundamental interests of the people of the two countries and the world, and is expected to bring positive influences on areas including economy, trade, investment and the financial market.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The US will be maintaining 25 per cent tariffs on approximately $250 billion of Chinese imports, along with 7.5 per cent tariffs on approximately $120 billion of Chinese imports.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the Phase One agreement, the chapter on trade expansion mentions commitments from China to import various US goods and services over the next two years, the total amount for which will exceed China’s annual levels of imports for those goods and services in 2017 by not less than $200 billion.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The agreement addresses unfair currency practices by committing to refrain from competitive devaluations and exchange rate targeting.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">If the agreement is signed, for the first time in any trade agreement, China would have agreed not to pressure foreign companies to transfer their technology to Chinese companies.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The deal would increase Chinese purchases of American agricultural and energy products, and also place limits on Beijing’s ability to weaken its currency and provide greater protection to US companies that are operating in China.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'phase-one-trade-agreement', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5446/yod5r0kbdhdlae76g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5446/yod5r0kbdhdlae76g.jpg', 'metatitle' => '‘Phase One’ trade agreement between US and China', 'metakeyword' => '‘Phase One’ trade agreement between US and China', 'metadescription' => 'The United States and China cooled their trade war by announcing a "Phase one" agreement that reduces some U.S. tariffs in exchange for increased Chinese', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/1htj7p269tp6knh/%E6Phase_One%C6_trade_agreement_between_US_and_China.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 30 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3199, 'title' => 'Italy approves digital tax', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Italy has approved a new tax to be levied on large tech companies, a move that is likely to put more strain on the country’s relations with the U.S.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The tax is similar to the one France implemented earlier this year which has attracted severe criticism from the U.S.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Italian parliament has approved a three percent digital tax on some digital revenue of technology companies that make over $831 million in global revenue, including least $6 million in Italy.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Dozens of countries are working on proposals to change corporate tax schemes to capture money from tech firms that have users across the world, such as Facebook and Google’s parent company Alphabet.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S has opposed digital services taxes because they have a discriminatory impact on U.S.-based businesses and are inconsistent with the architecture of current international tax rules.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Representatives of trade body say that France’s digital services tax discriminates against U.S. companies, is inconsistent with prevailing principles of international tax policy, and is unusually burdensome for affected U.S. companies.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Authorities are also planning to explore Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which provides the U.S. with the authority to enforce trade agreements, resolve trade disputes, and open foreign markets to U.S. goods and services.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Digital tax</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Digital tax is a tax applied to digital business activities. Those include both digital-only brands which deal with virtual commodities and the services traditional market players use while transforming their businesses with digital technologies.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Digital businesses have three distinct characteristics:</strong><br /> (a) They are not physically established - for example, Facebook, can offer all of their services with limited or no physical presence.<br /> (b) They heavily rely on intellectual property assets (which can be quite mobile) and are typically located in, or worse shifted to, a low-tax jurisdiction.<br /> (c) They are able to generate value through highly engaged 'user participation' from the source country market.</span></span><br /> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Protectionism</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Protectionism refers to government actions and policies that restrict or restrain international trade for the benefit of a single domestic economy.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'italy-approves-digital-tax', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/346a/3drkdy47jri0m3n6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/346a/3drkdy47jri0m3n6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Italy approves digital tax | digital tax', 'metakeyword' => 'Italy approves digital tax', 'metadescription' => ' Italy has approved a new tax to be levied on large tech companies, a move that is likely to put more strain on the country’s relations with the U.S.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/e623uv6gjjbo3bs/Italy_approves_digital_tax.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 31 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3210, 'title' => 'Treaty to combat cybercrimes', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.N. General Assembly has approved a resolution that will start the process of drafting a new international treaty<strong> </strong>to combat cybercrime over objections from the European Union, the United States and other countries.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Russian-drafted resolution was approved by the 193-member world body by a vote of 79-60 with 33 abstentions.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The resolution establishes an expert committee representing all regions of the world to elaborate a comprehensive international convention on countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Parties say that this resolution will undermine international cooperation to combat cybercrime at a time when enhanced coordination is essential.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The resolution requires that the new committee must take into account the results of the work of the expert group on cybercrime.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Convention on Cybercrimes</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Convention on Cybercrime, also known as the <strong>Budapest</strong> <strong>Convention</strong> on Cybercrime or the Budapest Convention, is the first international treaty seeking to address Internet and computer crime (cybercrime)by harmonizing national laws, improving investigative techniques, and increasing cooperation among nations. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was drawn up by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, with the active participation of the Council of Europe's observer states Canada, Japan, Philippines, South Africa and the United States.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Important countries like Brazil and India have declined to adopt the Convention on the grounds that they did not participate in its drafting.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Russia opposes the Convention, stating that adoption would violate Russian sovereignty, and has usually refused to cooperate in law enforcement investigations relating to cybercrime. It is the<strong> first multilateral legally binding instrument to regulate cybercrime</strong>.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The following offences are defined by the Convention: <strong>illegal access, illegal interception, data interference, system interference, misuse of devices, computer-related forgery, computer-related fraud, offences related to child pornography, </strong>and<strong> offences related to copyright and neighbouring rights</strong>.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Objectives</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Convention aims principally at:</span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Harmonising the domestic criminal substantive law elements of offences and connected provisions in the area of cyber-crime.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Providing for domestic criminal procedural law powers necessary for the investigation and prosecution of such offences as well as other offences committed by means of a computer system or evidence in relation to which is in electronic form.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Setting up a fast and effective regime of international cooperation.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'treaty-to-combat-cybercrimes', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9a97/qynoomw8gt5qc9q6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9a97/qynoomw8gt5qc9q6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Treaty to combat cybercrimes', 'metakeyword' => 'Treaty to combat cybercrimes', 'metadescription' => 'The U.N. General Assembly has approved a resolution that will start the process of drafting a new international treaty to combat cybercrime over objections', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/mlrirrymm7bx1lv/Treaty_to_combat_cybercrimes.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 32 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3298, 'title' => 'JUS COGENS', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Following President Donald Trump’s threat to attack sites<strong> </strong>that were important to Iran and Iranian culture, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that US threatens to commit new breaches of JUS COGENS.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Most states and international organisations accept the principle of jus cogens, which dates back to Roman times. These norms cannot be offset by a separate treaty between parties intending to do so, since they hold fundamental values.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">JUS COGENS or ius cogens, meaning “compelling law” in Latin, are rules in international law that are peremptory or authoritative, and from which states cannot deviate. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The jus cogens rules have been sanctioned by the Vienna Conventions on the Law of Treaties of 1969 and 1986. According to both Conventions, a treaty is void if it breaches jus cogens rules.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Article 64 of the 1986 Convention, “Emergence of a new peremptory norm of general international law (jus cogens)”, says: “If a new peremptory norm of general international law emerges, any existing treaty which is in conflict with that norm becomes void and terminates.”</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">So far, an exhaustive list of jus cogens rules does not exist. However, the prohibition of slavery, genocide, racial discrimination, torture, and the right to self-determination are recognised norms. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The prohibition against apartheid is also recognised as a jus cogens rule, from which no derogation is allowed, since apartheid is against the basic principles of the United Nations.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Vienna Convention on Law of Treaties</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) is an international agreement regulating treaties between states. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Known as the "<strong>treaty on treaties</strong>", it establishes comprehensive rules, procedures, and guidelines for how treaties are defined, drafted, amended, interpreted, and generally operate.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Convention was adopted and opened to signature on 23 May 1969, and entered into force on 27 January 1980. It has been ratified by 116 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_state" title="Sovereign state">states</a> as of January 2018. Some non-ratifying parties, such as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a>, recognize parts of it as a restatement of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customary_law" title="Customary law">customary law</a> and binding upon them as such. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The VCLT is regarded as one of the most important instruments in treaty law, and remains an authoritative guide in disputes over treaty interpretation<strong>. India is neither a signatory nor has ratified the Vienna Convention on Law of Treaties</strong>.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'jus-cogens', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/06d5/4lftavni2zdvqqo6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/06d5/4lftavni2zdvqqo6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'JUS COGENS | new breaches of JUS COGENS', 'metakeyword' => 'JUS COGENS, new breaches of JUS COGENS', 'metadescription' => 'Following President Donald Trump’s threat to attack sites that were important to Iran and Iranian culture, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/s6qbbcw7ggbaz6o/JUS_COGENS.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 33 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3299, 'title' => 'America threatens to destroy Iran’s cultural sites', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">President Donald Trump has said that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets in retaliation, the US would target 52 sites in Iran, some of which are important to Iran & the Iranian culture.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest civilisations dating back to 10,000 BC. Its rich heritage and culture is an amalgam of Arab, Persian, Turkish and South Asian cultures.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Twenty-four Iranian sites are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, two of which are natural sites and the rest cultural sites. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Among the main World Heritage Sites in Iran are the Meidan Emam and Masjed-e-Jame in Isfahan, the Golestan Palace in the historic heart of Tehran, Pasargadae and Persepolis, capitals of the Achaemenid Empire and the archaeological site of Takht-e Soleyman, which has the remains of an ancient Zoroastrian sanctuary.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Protection of cultural sites</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Following the unparalleled destruction of cultural heritage in World War II, the nations of the world adopted at <strong>The Hague in 1954</strong>, The <strong>Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict</strong>, the first international treaty focussed exclusively on the protection of cultural heritage during war and armed conflict.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Convention defined cultural property as “movable or immovable property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people, such as monuments of architecture, art or history, whether religious or secular, archaeological sites etc”. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The signatories, referred to in the Convention as “the High Contracting Parties”, committed themselves to protecting, safeguarding, and having respect for cultural property.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There are currently 133 signatories to Convention, including countries that have acceded to and ratified the treaty. Both the United States and Iran (as well as <strong>India</strong>) signed the Convention on May 14, 1954, and it entered into force on August 7, 1956.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Rome Statute of 1998, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court, describes as a “war crime” any intentional attack against a historical monument, or a building dedicated to religion, education, art, or science.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>International Criminal court</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The International Criminal Court started functioning in 2002 with jurisdiction over four main crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">122 countries are States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The United States is a signatory that has not ratified the Statute. <strong>India</strong> has <strong>neither signed nor ratified the Statute</strong>.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'america-threatens-to-destroy-iran-cultural-sites', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d6db/ox5iawcbdgdn11t6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d6db/ox5iawcbdgdn11t6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'America threatens to destroy Iran’s cultural sites', 'metakeyword' => 'America threatens to destroy Iran’s cultural sites', 'metadescription' => 'President Donald Trump has said that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets in retaliation, the US would target 52 sites in Iran, some of which', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/s6y382712s2j2cs/America_threatens_to_destroy_Iran%C6s_cultural_sites.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 34 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3405, 'title' => 'Rohingya rehabilitation on emerged island', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A Bangladeshi island regularly submerged by monsoon rains is ready to house 1lakh Rohingya refugees, but no date has been announced to relocate people.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Flood protection embankments, houses, hospitals and mosques have been built on <strong>Bhasan</strong> <strong>Char</strong>, or floating island, in the Bay of Bengal.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The island is built to accommodate 1 lakh people, just a fraction of the million Rohingya Muslims who have fled waves of violent persecution in their native Myanmar.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">About 7 lakh people came after August 2017, when the military in Buddhist-majority Myanmar began a harsh crackdown against Rohingya in response to an attack by insurgents.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Bangladesh navy has been implementing a multimillion-dollar plan to bolster the swampy island, which is submerged for months during annual monsoon season.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">International aid agencies and the United Nations have opposed the relocation plan since it was first proposed in 2015, expressing fear that a big storm could overwhelm the island and endanger thousands of lives.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has repeatedly told the U.N. and other international partners that her administration will consult them before making a final decision on the relocation, and that no refugees will be forced to move.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The current refugee camps near the beach town of Cox’s Bazar are overcrowded and unhygienic. Disease and organized crime are rampant. Education is limited and refugees aren’t allowed to work.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Rohingyas</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Rohingya people are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam with a minority following Hinduism and reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'rohingya-rehabilitation-on-emerged-island', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9245/gjt978t566kzqxa6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9245/gjt978t566kzqxa6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Rohingya rehabilitation on emerged island', 'metakeyword' => 'Rohingya rehabilitation on emerged island', 'metadescription' => 'A Bangladeshi island regularly submerged by monsoon rains is ready to house 1lakh Rohingya refugees, but no date has been announced to relocate people.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/qpb12q6t68symln/Rohingya_rehabilitation_on_emerged_island.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 35 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-2', 'id' => (int) 3409, 'title' => 'Safe third country agreement: The US- Guatemala asylum deal', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In July last year, Guatemala’s Ex-President Jimmy Morales had signed a highly criticised asylum deal with the US which allowed Washington to send asylum seekers from third countries to Guatemala.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the 2019 fiscal year, Guatemala was the largest source of migrants (more than 2.64 lakh persons) detained at the US border. New President Alejandro Giammattei has not cleared his position on the pact, causing uncertainty over its future.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Under the “<strong>safe third country</strong>” agreement, migrants have to apply for asylum in the first country they land in. If they fail to do so and proceed to the second country, they can be sent back to the first country.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In 2019, the Trump administration signed “safe third country” agreements with the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, making it more difficult for refugees to seek asylum in the US.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A “safe third country” is supposed to mean a nation which is capable of offering protection to refugees. The Northern Triangle countries, which have signed these agreements, are known for high levels of crime, violence, and economic deprivation. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The deal with Guatemala has been criticised, given the risk that migrants might face when they are sent back here.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The US has increasingly adopted policies aimed at deterring refugee migration. 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However, no means are available to the court to enforce it.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Gambia and Myanmar are parties to the Genocide Convention that allows a party to move the ICJ for violations.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Proving genocide has been difficult because of the high bar set by its ‘intent requirement’, that is showing the genocidal acts were carried out with the specific intent to eliminate a people on the basis of their ethnicity.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">So far, only three cases of genocide worldwide have been recognised since World War II: Cambodia (the late 1970s), Rwanda (1994), and Srebrenica, Bosnia (1995).</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Even with the stepping in of the Security Council, there are several hurdles in enforcement of ICJ decisions. Any one of the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto powers can block the enforcement of an ICJ decision against itself or its ally.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>ICJ statement</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Myanmar shall ensure that its military or any irregular armed units within its control, do not commit any of the acts described above, or conspire to commit, direct, attempt to commit, or be complicit in genocide.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Myanmar shall take “effective measures to prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of evidence related to allegations of acts” of genocide.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Myanmar shall submit a report to the ICJ on all measures taken to give effect to the order within four months, and thereafter every six months, until a final decision is passed.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Rohingya case</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An estimated 7.3 lakh Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since 2017 when the Myanmar military launched a brutal crackdown on Rohingya villages in the country’s coastal Rakhine state. 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