16 September 2015

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UAE deports 4 from Kerala for ‘IS links  –   (International Relation)

  • A Hindu is among the four youths deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on suspicion of being sympathisers of the Islamic State (IS), a senior government official has said.
  • So far, their direct link to the militant group has not been established. Investigators said their role was limited to sending and receiving “radical content on Facebook.” The messages were intercepted by the UAE authorities.

 

India reaches out, wants to upgrade ties with North Korea  –    (International relation)

  • In a quiet but extremely significant diplomatic move, India signalled upgraded ties with North Korea, by sending Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju to participate in an event marking the North Korean national Independence Day in New Delhi, The Hindu has learnt.
  • India’s bilateral ties with North Korea have been frosty for several decades mainly due to the latter’s close strategic ties with Pakistan.

 

Telcos to blame for call drops: TRAI chief    –   (Economics)

  • Dismissing arguments over the lack of mobile towers and spectrum leading to a spate of call drops in the past few months, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman R.S. Sharma said the “remedy” for the problem lies solely with the service providers.

 

Disquiet over move to keep forest route open  –    (Environment)

  • In a move that is likely to take the sting out of the ongoing drive against red sanders smuggling, the Andhra Pradesh government is reportedly examining a proposal to keep open from dusk to dawn a 12-km road that cuts through the Sri Lankamalleshwar Sanctuary, the only habitat in the world for the endangered bird, the Jerdon’s Courser.

 

Time for G4 leaders to assert themselves   –   (International Relation)

  • The U.N.’s Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) that have been under way since 2008 finalised over the weekend a negotiating text for U.N. reforms, qualitatively changing the nature of the debate, though concrete action on it is unlikely to be immediate. A U.N. resolution on Monday also called for “equitable representation on, and increase in the membership of, the Security Council.”

 

Pentagon cell to push India trade ties  –   (International Relation)

  • In a clear signal of India’s importance, both as a major buyer and potential collaborator in the defence sector, the Pentagon has established its first-ever country special cell to speed up defence ties between India and the United States.

 

Modi, Ranil discuss U.N. rights report  –    (International Relation)

  • Sri Lanka plans to go ahead with the promise of devolution of power to Tamil-majority areas, a move guaranteed under its constitution but not implemented so far, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
  • The reconciliation process with the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka figured prominently in the talks between the two leaders, coming a day before the U.N. Human Rights Council presents what is expected to be a damning report on Sri Lanka’s actions during the war and after.

 

Biden to honour Bhartia, Nooyi as India season kicks off in U.S.  –    (International Relation)

  • The U.S. capital was in the grip of India fever this week with a sense of growing anticipation around interactions between senior administration officials from both nations during the September 21 Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (SC&D), and also a high-profile event hosted by the U.S. India Business Council (USIBC) at which Vice-President Joe Biden will honour top women CEOs Shobhana Bhartia and Indra Nooyi.

 

Exports drop by more than 20%  –    (Economics)

  • India’s merchandise exports shrank more than 20 per cent in August to $21.27 billion, the ninth straight monthly decline.
  • Imports fell 9.95 percent from a year earlier to $33.74 billion, on the back of both declining global commodity prices and weak domestic demand, according to official data released on Tuesday. Gold imports, however, shot up by more than 140 per cent to $4.95 billion from $ 2.06 billion in August 2014.

 

Space for both India, China to invest in Cambodia: Ansari  –   (Economics)

  • Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Tuesday said that China will not be uneasy about India’s increasing involvement in Cambodia and Laos.
  • Mr. Ansari is in Cambodia to conduct delegation-level talks and sign Memorandums of Understanding in tourism and infrastructure building.

 

Government permits foreign investment through partly paid shares   –   (Economics)

  • Government has permitted foreign investments through partly paid shares and warrants in a move to facilitate FDI in the country.
  • “The government has reviewed the provisions of the extant FDI policy…and it has been decided to allow partly paid shares and warrants as eligible capital instruments for the purposes of FDI policy,” the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) said in a notification.

 

Small leap forward in child health  –    (Health)

  • While the Rapid Survey on Children points to substantial progress in fields that have become a focus of serious action, such as safe delivery, it also highlights the penalties of inaction in other fields.
  • Health policy today is a morass of confusion and inertia, with the Health Ministry and NITI Aayog talking at cross purposes.

 

Fresh initiatives in Sri Lanka   –    (International Relation)

  • The Sri Lankan government’s revelation in the current session of the UN Human Rights Council that it is committed to the setting up of a Constituent Assembly of Parliament that will adopt a new Constitution, besides a truth and reconciliation commission, is a laudable step forward six years after the end of the horrific civil war. It reflects the dramatic change in the political context in the country.