Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Polity & International Relations)|October 28, 2020

On April 1, 2020, China and India usher in the important moment of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
•Looking back at the past 70 years, China-India relations have moved ahead despite wind and rain and gone through an extraordinary development path.
•In the 1950s, the leaders of the older generation of the two countries made the historical decision to establish diplomatic relations between China and India, and jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
•“Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai” (Indians and Chinese are brothers) resounded throughout our two countries.
•From the 1980s, the two sides agreed to solve the boundary question through peaceful and friendly consultation, established strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity, and achieved all-round development of bilateral relations.
After 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the “hometown diplomacy”, held two informal summits in Wuhan and Chennai respectively, carried out strategic communication on overarching, long-term and strategic issues of global and regional importance, and agreed to strengthen the closer partnership for development between the two countries.
Source: The Hindu

The Eastern Economic Forum was established by decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in 2015 to support the economic development of Russia’s Far East and to expand international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Unveiling the Russian edition of India’s ‘Look East, Act East’ policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged on September 2019 to extend a $1 billion Line of Credit to Russia’s Far East region (RFE).
Source: Indian Express

The Global Forum on Remittances, Investment and Development (GFRID) brings together key decision makers, stakeholders and practitioners who are engaged in the field of remittances and migration for development.
•Since its first forum in 2007, IFAD has gathered over 1,000 participants from the public and private sector, and the civil society, to facilitate the creation of partnerships and the exchange of best practices in maximizing the impact of remittances to the benefit of migrants’ communities of origin.
•In doing so, IFAD partners with key international financial institutions and other prominent organizations, such as the European Commission (2015) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2017).
•The forum is held biannually, in conjunction with the observance of the International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) on 16 June.
Source: IFAD

India and several African countries on February 2020 pledged to deepen cooperation to combat the growing threat of terrorism and preserve maritime security by sharing information, intelligence and surveillance, in a joint deceleration (lucknow declaration) adopted at the first India- Africa Defence Ministers conclave at the ongoing Defexpo.
Source: The Hindu

Nepal has invited the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan along with several other heads of government and heads of state for the Sagarmatha Sambaad.
The first ever multi-stakeholder dialogue event is expected to be the biggest diplomatic initiative in Nepal’s recent history that will be attended by many global figures apart from the leaders of the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Source: The Hindu

The Union Cabinet has ratified the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement between India and France aimed at enhancing people-to-people contacts, fostering Mobility of students, academics, researchers and skilled professionals.
•The Agreement was actually signed in March, 2018 during the State Visit of the French President to India.
•The Agreement is initially valid for a period of seven years, incorporates provision for automatic renewal and a monitoring mechanism through a Joint Working Group.
Source: Indian Express

The West Asia peace plan unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump on January 2020 seeks to give the Israelis what they have long wanted — an expansive state with Jerusalem as its “undivided capital” and tight security control over a future Palestinian state.
•With his plan, Mr. Trump is actually pushing to revive the stalled two-state talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but on his own terms.
•Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had earlier spoken against the two-state solution, has accepted the Trump plan, while appearing beside the President in the White House.
•The Palestinians were absent.
Source: The Hindu

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) was set up in 1985 with the principal bench at Delhi and additional benches in different states.
•At present, it has 17 regular benches, 15 of which operate at the principal seats of high courts and the remaining two at Jaipur and Lucknow.
•These benches also hold circuit sittings at other seats of high courts.
•The CAT exercises original jurisdiction in relation to recruitment and all service matters of public servants covered by it.
•Its jurisdiction extends to the all-India services, the Central civil services, civil posts under the Centre and civilian employees of defence services.
•However, the members of the defence forces, officers and servants of the Supreme Court and the secretarial staff of the Parliament are not covered by it.
•The CAT is not bound by the procedure laid down in the Civil Procedure Code of 1908. It is guided by the principles of natural justice.
•These principles keep the CAT flexible in approach. Only a nominal fee of 50 is to be paid by the applicant. The applicant may appear either in person or through a lawyer.
Source: Laxmikanth

Under Article 352, the President can declare a national emergency when the security of India or a part of it is threatened by war or external aggression or armed rebellion.
•It may be noted that the president can declare a national emergency even before the actual occurrence of war or external aggression or armed rebellion, if he is satisfied that there is an imminent danger.
•The President, however, can proclaim a national emergency only after receiving a written recommendation from the cabinet.
•This means that the emergency can be declared only on the concurrence of the cabinet and not merely on the advice of the prime minister.
•In 1975, the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi advised the president to proclaim emergency without consulting her cabinet. The cabinet was informed of the proclamation after it was made, as a fait accompli.
•The 44th Amendment Act of 1978 introduced this safeguard to eliminate any possibility of the prime minister alone taking a decision in this regard.
Source: Laxmikanth

A person to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court should have the following qualifications:
1. He should be a citizen of India.
2. (A) He should have been a judge of a High Court (or high courts in succession) for five years; or (B) He should have been an advocate of a High Court (or High Courts in succession) for ten years; or (C) He should be a distinguished jurist in the opinion of the president.
From the above, it is clear that the Constitution has not prescribed a minimum age for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court.
Source: Laxmikanth