Horror in Manchester Intro:- Islamic State claimed responsibility for suicide attack in Manchester that left at least 22 people dead and 59 injured. Investigators are yet to confirm the IS link. Groups such as the IS and al-qaeda, which have contracted out their violent, polarising ideology to extremist cells and individuals across the world Theresa May has hailed(स व गत) the spirit of Britain. Raises daunting challenges for the U.K. - British intelligence agencies, deemed to be among the best in terms of resources and efficiency. Hundreds of British nationals had travelled to Syria, a country that is being bombed by the U.K., the U.S. and several other countries, to join the IS over the past three years. A longer-term challenge for the political and community leadership is to find a way to address the challenge of radicalism.
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The commendation(appreciation) Human shield during the Srinagar Lok Sabha election on April 9. Award sends a truly unfortunate message Loss of public confidence in the Court of Inquiry. Impropriety(अन च त य) of the Indian Army using someone as a human shield. Use of human shields has been declared a war crime by the Geneva Conventions. Use of such shields has been perfected by terrorist organisations, ranging from the LTTE to the Islamic State. Use of a human shield, in this instance of a civilian, can hardly be justified - because it militates against the basic principles.
Lessons from the new French Revolution Emmanuel Macron- Truly the result of the presidential election has reinscribed France s reputation as the birthplace of a modern democratic. Major democratic revolution in 1789. Fact that French voters decisively rejected Marine Le Pen s socially conservative campaign that 1)-Attacked Islam, 2)-Immigrants, and 3)-The European Union Europe that has rapidly turned to 1)-Racism(ज चतव द), 2)-Xenophobia 3)-Intolerance, Rejection of an extreme right-wing party
Continue This is not the first time that political parties are in trouble. In the 1960s and 1970s, political scientists observed that parties in the U.S. and in Europe. In India in the late 1960s, and particularly after the 1975-1977 Emergency, voters lost hope in the ability of the Congress to deliver. Scholars told us that the dissolution of economic borders through the free movement of capital and goods would lead to the dissolution of territorial borders, and replace the nation state with a global community, and global modes of governance. But march of history took another direction. Economic globalisation worrying consequences: 1)-Unemployment, 2)-Poverty and 3)-Deep inequality Since national economies had been integrated into the world economy, political parties had neither the capacity nor the power to deal with the consequences.
Continue It is unlikely that President Macron will follow the route of populism. He emphasises the need to cultivate an open attitude to the world, To- 1)-Strengthen the European Union, 2)-Promote a positive attitude to immigration, 3)-Encourage free trade and 4)-Secure the rights of the LGBTQ community. But immigration is still a serious issue in France, unemployment runs at 10%. The political party system is once again in crisis, and this time the alternative to the crisis of representation is not a democratic civil society, but populist leaders. At stake here is not only the continuation of the party system, but democracy itself.
A flawed(त र च प र ण) rescue(ब व) act Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance of May 4, 2017, which empowers the RBI to take decisions on the settlement of non-performing assets (NPAs). A consequent cleaning up of bank balance sheets. With this direct intervention in the decision-making domain of banks. Surprisingly, despite the severity of the NPAs crises, the business of banking is very much in demand. The RBI recently granted bank licences to 23 applicants which included Aditya Birla Nuvo, Reliance Industries, Tech Mahindra and Vodafone M-pesa and Airtel. These corporates need to invest 100 crore each to gain entry into the banking sector Banks in India are in possession of 6,11,607 crore worth of NPA. In India, corporates rely on banks as the main source for funds. The February 2017 International Monetary Fund (IMF) report states that 65.7% of Indian corporate debt as of March 31, 2016 is funded by banks. The 2017 Economic Survey rightly referred to NPAs as the festering twin balance sheet problem.
Say no to GM mustard Intro:- Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee recently cleared the proposal for genetically modified mustard. Bharatiya Janata Party manifesto that GM foods will not be allowed without full scientific evaluation on the long term effects on soil, production and biological impact on consumers. Government of India in the 1990s, to welcome Bt cotton have now been belied(झ ठ स चबत). Despite increased fertilisers and irrigation, the expectations of enhanced cotton yield have not been realised. Most of the countries that have higher cotton yields than India do not grow GM cotton
Continue We would now be foolish in accepting the yield promises of the GM variety of mustard, a crop which is an integral part of every Indian s food. Highest yields in mustard are from five countries which do not grow GM mustard U.K., France, Poland, Germany and Czech Republic and not from the GM-growing U.S. or Canada. Many reports continue to claim that GM mustard will increase yields. Gaps in evaluation There have been numerous severe deficiencies in the evaluation process of GM mustard. The risks to 1)-Health, 2)-Environment and 3)-Agriculture have not been evaluated even through those inadequate tests which were conducted at the time of Bt brinjal examination, though mustard is far more extensively grown and consumed than brinjal.
Continue GM crops, the herbicides they promote, and diseases such as acute kidney injury, diabetes, autism, Alzheimer s and cancers in the past 20 years in the U.S. Seventeen of the 20 most developed countries including Japan, Russia, Israel and most of Europe refuse to grow GM crops. A recent report by the United Nation s Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, sums up the end game when it says: Recent mergers have resulted in just three powerful corporations: Monsanto and Bayer, Dow and Dupont, and Syngenta and ChemChina. They control more than 65 per cent of global pesticide sales. They also control almost 61 per cent of commercial seed sales. The pesticide industry s efforts to influence policymakers and regulators have obstructed reforms and paralysed global pesticide restrictions globally. Only hope that the Environment Minister, the Prime Minister and the Supreme Court will act in concert to protect Indian consumers, and farmers from the potentially irreversible destruction of an important Indian crop.
News Analysis Page-1,10-Fresh move to impeach Justice Nagarjuna Reddy Over 60 members of the Rajya Sabha, cutting across party lines, have submitted a motion seeking initiation of impeachment proceedings against Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy of the High Court for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This is the second attempt by members of the upper house to remove Justice Nagarjuna Reddy. Allegations against the judge include 1)-Interfering in the judicial process in several cases, 2)-Caste slurs(म नह चन), 3)-Including death threats against a Dalit junior civil judge
Continue Page-2- AIIMS to come up at Kamrup in Assam The medical institute, to be set up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna, Page-7- Rich get bail, poor remain in jails Rich and powerful to get bail with ease while the commoner and the poor languish in jail, the Law Commission of India said in its latest report. 268th report of the Law Commission led by former Supreme Court judge, Justice B.S. Chauhan, observed. Commission recommended to the government amendments to the bail provisions in the Criminal Procedure Code Unnecessary arrests- Over 60 per cent of arrests were unnecessary and such arrests accounted for 42.3 per cent of jail expenditure,
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Continue Page-11-An Abe-Modi plan for Africa India and Japan on Wednesday unveiled a vision document for the Asia Africa Growth Corridor, proposed by the Prime Ministers of the two countries More details are likely to be firmed up by September in time for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe s visit to New Delhi. Unlike China s One Belt One Road (OBOR) project, about which India has raised several concerns, the Asia Africa Growth Corridor is conceived as a more open and inclusive programme that will be based on more consultations and keep people as the centre piece rather than just trade and economic ties. four key elements that leverage the strengths of India and Japan- They are 1)-Enhancing capacity and skills; 2)-Building quality infrastructure and connecting institutions; 3)-Development and cooperation projects in health, manufacturing and disaster management; 4)-People-to-people partnerships.
Continue Page-11-Modi to be on four-nation tour from May 29 to June 3 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Germany, Spain, Russia and France between May 29 and June 3. He will hold bilateral discussions with the newly elected President Macron of France on strategic issues. A round table discussion with leading Spanish business leaders is on the agenda. Page-12-U.S. proposes cut in aid to Pak. The Trump administration has proposed that the military aid to Pakistan in 2018 be reduced to $100 million from $265 million in 2017. Under foreign military funding is to help Pakistan buy military hardware. Israel, Egypt and Jordan will not face any cuts in military grants. Israel will receive $3.1 billion, Egypt $1.3 billion and Jordan $350 million
Continue Page-13-India s electric vehicles push to benefit China India s ambitious plan to push electric vehicles at the expense of other technologies could benefit Chinese car makers seeking to enter the market. NITI Aayog, unveiled a policy blueprint this month aimed at electrifying all vehicles in the country by 2032 But is worrying established automakers who have so far focused on making hybrid models. Page-13- Govt. orders to favour local suppliers Under the new policy, local suppliers are those whose goods or services meet prescribed minimum thresholds (ordinarily 50%) for local content.
Continue Page-13-Cabinet nod for phasing out FIPB Phasing out of the 25-yearold Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) aimed at making India more attractive for foreign direct investment (FDI) by improving ease of doing business Promoting the Maximum Governance, Minimum Government principle Work relating to processing of applications for FDI and approval of the government would now be handled by the concerned ministries/departments in consultation with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (or the DIPP, in the) Ministry of Commerce Page-15- Ashwin is the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year
Q -Ans 24 High Court in India. New HC 1) Manipur HC, Maghalaya HC, Tripura HC - Established in March 2013 South Africa share boundary Nambia Botswane, Zimbabwe Swaziland Mozambique 1stRound Table Conference nov 1930- jan 1931 2ndRound table conference sep 1931- dec 1931 was attended by Mahatma Gandhi. 3rd Round table conference nov 1932-de c1932