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BIMSTEC needs to reinvent itself

- April 16, 2021

BIMSTEC needs to reinvent itself Context: The foreign ministers of BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) met virtually on April 1. That they made time to hold their 17th meeting is good news. Their major task was to pave the way for the next summit, the grouping’s fifth, due to be held in Sri Lanka in the “next few months”. While most multilateral groupings from G20 to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) held their deliberations at the highest political level in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, BIMSTEC leaders failed to do so. In contrast to a meeting of even SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) leaders held at India’s initiative a year ago, BIMSTEC could not arrange its ministerial meeting until April 2021. This is due as much to contextual factors as the diplomatic environment prevailing today. Background for BIMSTEC: Unfolding rejuve

Sputnik V recommended for emergency use

- April 13, 2021

Sputnik V recommended for emergency use Part of : GS Prelims and GS – II – Health In news Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine — Sputnik V — has been recommended for emergency use authorisation in India following a meeting of the Subject Expert Committee (SEC). Key takeaways If approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Sputnik V would be the third vaccine to be made available in India after the Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin . Sputnik V is developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology It claims to be one of the three vaccines in the world with efficacy of over 90%. The vaccine supplies for the global market will be produced by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) international partners in India, Brazil, China, South Korea and other countries

Deconstructing declarations of carbon-neutrality

- April 13, 2021

Deconstructing declarations of carbon-neutrality Introduction: At the latest count by the non-profit Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) , at the beginning of April, 32 countries had declared, in some documented form, their proposed intention to achieve carbon neutral status by mid-century or thereabouts. Of these, only eight have any firm status, the rest being in the form of proposed legislation or mentions in policy documents. Since some months ago, the UN Secretary General has taken the lead in sparking off an international chorus, led by global civil society organisations based in the developed countries and encouraged by their governments, that is urging all countries, especially India, to make explicit declarations. Context: virtual Climate Leaders’ Summit convened by US President Joe Biden on April 22-23 where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the invitees. In its bid to reclaim the global climate leadership, the US is widely expected to commit itself

SC’s views on religious conversions

- April 12, 2021

SC’s views on religious conversions Part of : GS Prelims and GS – II – Fundamental Rights In news The SC said that people are free to choose their religion and it lashed out at a petition claiming there is mass religious conversion happening “by hook or by crook” across the cou ntry. Key takeaways It said that people have a right under the Constitution to profess, practise and propagate religion. Article 25: It grants Fundamental right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion, subject to public order, morality and health. Every person is the final judge of his/her choice of religion or who their life partner should be. Courts cannot sit in judgment of a person’s choice of religion or life partner. Religious faith is a part of the fundamental right to privacy. The Constitution Bench judgment had earlier upheld inviolability of the right to privacy, equating it with the rights to life, of dignity and liberty.

Dolphin boom in Odisha’s Chilika lake

- April 12, 2021

Dolphin boom in Odisha’s Chilika lake: Context: Odisha has released the final data on the dolphin census. Key findings: The population of dolphins in Chilika, India’s largest brackish water lake, and along the Odisha coast has doubled this year compared with last year. Three species were recorded during the census, with 544 Irrawaddy, bottle-nose and humpback dolphins sighted this year, compared with 233 last year. The rise in the Irrawaddy dolphin population in Chilika can be attributed to the eviction of illegal fish enclosures. About Irrawaddy dolphins: Found in coastal areas in South and Southeast Asia, and in three rivers: the Irrawaddy (Myanmar), the Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo) and the Mekong (China). They are ‘Endangered’ as per the IUCN Red List. About Indo- Pacific Bottlenose dolphins: Lives in the waters around India, northern Australia, South China, the Red Sea, and the eastern coast of Africa. IUCN status: Near Threatened (Source: Wiki). About Indian Ocean Humpback dolp

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

- April 10, 2021

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) What is NATO? The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. Its headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium. Its other official name is the French equivalent, l’Organisation du Traité de l’Atlantique Nord (OTAN) (English and French being the two official languages of the organisation). Background The Treaty of Brussels, signed on 17 March 1948 by Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and the United Kingdom, is considered the precursor to the NATO agreement. This treaty established a military alliance, later to become the Western European Union. However, American participation was thought necessary in order to counter the military power of the Soviet Union, and therefore talks f

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