9 PM Current Affairs Brief – January 12, 2018

A needless pursuit  Context It makes no sense for India, which prides itself on its multilingualism, to make a case for Hindi at the UN Official languages at UN Chinese, French, English, Russian and Spanish were the UN official languages, but by subsequent resolutions over the years, all five became working languages too In 1973,… Continue reading A needless pursuit 

The ABC of RTE  Context Open-minded adoption of the RTE Act’s enabling provisions can radically transform school education Origin of RTE Free and compulsory education of children in the 6 to 14 age group in India became a fundamental right when, in 2002, Article 21-A was inserted in the 86th Amendment to the Constitution This… Continue reading The ABC of RTE 

Professionalising arbitration  Context New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill of 2018 Need for more dispute resolution mechanisms Rapidly changing economic activities demand expeditious settlement of disputes To inspire confidence and credibility among the litigants. The huge backlog in courts Besides, the International Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ICADR), which was set up in 1995 with… Continue reading Professionalising arbitration 

In a first, collegium picks women lawyer as a judge Context In a historic decision, the Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India DipakMisra unanimously recommended the name of senior advocate Indu Malhotra for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court Other recommendations The Collegium has also recommended the name of Chief Justice of Uttarakhand… Continue reading In a first, collegium picks women lawyer as a judge

The road still runs through Ramallah Context NarendraModi’s visit to Israel  last year, the first by an Indian Prime Minister, stood out for his decision not to visit the Palestinian territories. Two months before Mr.Modi’s visit, even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest ally, U.S. President Donald Trump, had coupled his visit to Jerusalem with a… Continue reading The road still runs through Ramallah

Beijing wary of Indian presence in S. China sea Context China on Thursday objected to Vietnam’s invitation to India to invest in oil and natural gas sector in the disputed South China Sea, saying it is firmly opposed to infringement of its rights using development of bilateral ties as an “excuse” Invitation to India Investment… Continue reading Beijing wary of Indian presence in S. China sea

Budhism is basis of an early form of globalization Context Inaugurating the fourth International Dharma-Dhamma conference on state and social order at Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar on Thursday, President Ram NathKovind said Buddhism was the basis for an early form of globalisation, and of interconnectedness in our continent President’s views Timing is important:… Continue reading Budhism is basis of an early form of globalization

India’s vote at UN not an issue Context Indo-Israel bilateral relations – PM Netanyahu’s January visit to India Backdrop India in December voted in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution, condemning the U.S. for its decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Historic first Prime Minister NarendraModi had visited the Jewish state… Continue reading India’s vote at UN not an issue

India must seize the chance : US Context First public address by American envoy to India Kenneth Juster What did he say? Hub for US Business in Indo-pacific: India is a “leading power” in the Indo-Pacific and should gear up to become an alternative manufacturing destination to China to attract U.S. business Number of US companies are… Continue reading India must seize the chance : US

Towards stability Context A month after the Left Alliance secured a decisive victory in Nepal’s parliamentary elections, a government is yet to be formed in Kathmandu Alliance Left alliance includes the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre). Why the delay? Due to procedural issues, viz., The Upper House, or… Continue reading Towards stability

India confirms NSAs met in Bangkok Context The National Security Advisers (NSAs) of India and Pakistan met on December 26 in Bangkok, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Thursday Backdrop It was part of the mechanism to hold Pakistan accountable for the terrorism that emanates from its territory Issue raised by India India raised the… Continue reading India confirms NSAs met in Bangkok

SC asks for panels on Mullaperiyar dam Context Directions by the Supreme Court wrt Mullaiperiyar Dam Directions by SC The Supreme Court on Thursday directed Union government to set up a special committee to exclusively prepare disaster management plans wrt Mullaiperiyar Dam SC also directed Tamil Nadu, which owns the dam, and Kerala, where it is situated,… Continue reading SC asks for panels on Mullaperiyar dam

Space companies bet big on PSLV Context At least three overseas space companies have bet big on the PSLV-C40 launch of Friday. They each have put a 100-kg-class microsatellite on it as a testbed of their potential future constellations Other launches Also, at least two older constellation operators have brought new batches to be put… Continue reading Space companies bet big on PSLV

India UK hold trade talks in Brexit’s shadow, eye FTA Context Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu held talks with his British counterpart, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox on Thursday, as the two countries look for opportunities to boost trade and investment, including via a potential Free Trade Agreement, as Britain prepares to leave the European… Continue reading India UK hold trade talks in Brexit’s shadow, eye FTA

Ready for sale  Context The decision to allow 49% foreign stake in Air India sets the stage for its privatisation A key change in FDI norms Allowing up to 49% overseas ownership, including by a foreign airline, in Air India. This comes just a little more than six months after the Cabinet Committee on Economic… Continue reading Ready for sale 

Virtual Aadhar ID: too little. too late Context The move to introduce an “untested” virtual ID to address security concerns over Aadhaar database is a step in the right direction, but may be a case of too little, too late, according to experts, as many of the 119 crore Aadhaar holders have already shared their… Continue reading Virtual Aadhar ID: too little. too late