GS: 2
International relations:
India confirms NSAs met in Bangkok (The Hindu)
The National Security Advisers (NSAs) of India and Pakistan met on December 26 in Bangkok, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Thursday.
Towards stability (The Hindu Editorial)
Nepal must hasten the process of government-formation
India must seize the chance : US (The Hindu)
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, said U.S. ambassador to India Kenneth Juster.
India’s vote at UN not an issue (The Hindu)
Not disheartened by India’s vote against Israel at the UN General Assembly on the issue of Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed hope that bilateral ties would receive a further boost during his milestone visit to the country.
Budhism is basis of an early form of globalization (The Hindu)
Inaugurating the fourth International Dharma-Dhamma conference on state and social order at Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar on Thursday, President Ram Nath Kovind said Buddhism was the basis for an early form of globalisation, and of interconnectedness in our continent.
Netanyahu’s visit to give a leg up to India Israel ties (The Hindu)
Israeli Prime Minsiter Benjamin Netanyahu will visit India between 14-19 January, 2018, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday. The visit is a reciprocating gesture from Israel to the first Prime Minister-level visit from India undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2017.
Beijing wary of Indian presence in S. China sea (The Hindu)
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”.
The road still runs through Ramallah(The Hindu Opinion)
Narendra Modi’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 trip to Bethlehem to meet the Palestinian leadership.
Indian Constitution and Polity:
In a first, collegium picks women lawyer as a judge (The Hindu)
In a historic decision, the Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra unanimously recommended the name of senior advocate Indu Malhotra for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court.
Professionalising arbitration (The Hindu Opinion)
In its statement of objects and reasons for the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill of 2018, which was introduced earlier this month in the Lok Sabha, the government highlighted that rapidly changing economic activities demand expeditious settlement of disputes. The government also stressed the need for creation and establishment of mechanisms such as institutional arbitration to inspire confidence and credibility among the litigants.
The ABC of RTE (The Hindu Opinion)
Open-minded adoption of the RTE Act’s enabling provisions can radically transform school education
A needless pursuit (the Hindu Opinion)
It makes no sense for India, which prides itself on its multilingualism, to make a case for Hindi at the UN
GS: 3
Economy:
Virtual Aadhar ID: too little. too late (The Hindu)
he 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 12-digit numbers with various entities.
Ready for sale (The Hindu Editorial)
The decision to allow 49% foreign stake in Air India sets the stage for its privatisation
India UK hold trade talks in Brexit’s shadow, eye FTA (The Hindu)
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 Union.
Independent directors must help moniter firms (The Hindu)
Describing independent directors as “watchdogs of companies”, Union Minister P.P. Chaudhary said they should exercise caution regarding conflict of interest in related party transactions and issues concerning managerial remuneration.
Science and Technology:
Space companies bet big on PSLV (The Hindu)
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.
Disaster management:
SC asks for panels on Mullaperiyar dam (The Hindu)
Despite assurances from the Union government that the 122-year-old Mullaiperiyar dam is “safe”, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed it to set up a special committee to exclusively prepare disaster management plans
Yesterday’s current affairs material by Forum IAS
7 PM Editorial: Tigers in danger
9 PM Current affairs brief:
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