17 November 2015

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De-link terror and religion: Modi   –    (Security)

  • India late on Sunday called for a comprehensive global strategy to delink terror and religion, and to promote cooperation among countries to counter radicalisation.
  • Addressing the G20 leaders here at a session on terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “We need to involve religious leaders, thinkers and opinion-makers for a social movement against extremism, particularly addressed to the youth.”

 

G20 vows to step up anti-terror coordination  –    (Security)

  • The G20 on Monday pledged stepped-up cooperation to combat terrorism, especially the threat from the Islamic State, on the final day of their two-day summit in the Turkish town on the Mediterranean coast.
  • It resolved to develop measures for better information-sharing, border management and to strengthen global aviation security.

 

Demystifying the Constitution for students  –    (Indian Polity)

  • It’s been more than six and a half decades since the Constitution came into force, yet many students may not be aware of the aspects of its making and evolution — how many Articles and schedules the Indian Constitution contains? How many members were there in the Constituent Assembly and how many times has the Constitution been amended?
  • This November 26, students across the country will find answers to these questions and much more on the Constitution as for the first time all schools in the country will be observing Constitution Day.

 

Next generation missile to be test-fired  –    (Defence)

  • The Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM), which can intercept incoming targets at a range of 80 km, is all set to be test-fired from a naval warship this month.
  • Navy officials said integration of the missile and all the systems on board the guided missile destroyer INS Kolkata were complete. “All preparations are done and the test can happen anytime.”

 

Panda favours rethink on Elders’ ‘veto’ power  –    (Indian Polity)

  • Ten days before the start of what is forecast to be a conflict-ridden Winter Session of Parliament, Biju Janata Dal MP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda has said the Upper House of Parliament cannot have a “veto” on legislative business as it has today and asked for reforms in the Constitution to remedy the situation.
  • Mr. Panda was speaking at the second India Ideas Conclave organised by the India Foundation here.

 

‘Express dissent through debate’  –    (Indian Polity)

  • President Pranab Mukherjee has intervened twice in the recent past to comment on acts of intolerance in the country.
  • However, on the occasion of National Press Freedom Day, in the backdrop of a debate initiated by civil society, notably by artists and writers who returned their awards to protest against the government’s silence, the President said disagreement should be expressed through debate and discussion without letting emotions overrun reason.

 

Selfie militancy, a developing crisis  –    (Security)

  • Political parties should get their cadre to eschew activities that could exacerbate communal tension; alongside they could encourage a dialogue with civil society to rebuild bridges within and between the State’s estranged regions. Second, they could work towards implementing the common minimum programme.
  • After the violence of the summer of 2010 in Kashmir, local populations remained opposed to a renewal of militancy. If today that resistance has faded, then the State and Central governments need to take urgent and remedial measures.

 

Road from Paris for G-20   –    (International Relation)

  • The terrorist attacks in Paris have given the world the necessary urgency for a united fight against Islamic State (ISIS). Given their scale and specifics, the global response was bound to be swift and collaborative.
  • In the event, the G-20 summit in Antalya, Turkey became a timely platform to launch this fight. As leaders of the world’s biggest economies gathered, it was heartening to see the pull-aside meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who set aside their differences to speak about a common strategy to target ISIS.

 

Traditional friends, modern allies    –    (International Relation)

  • India and Afghanistan’s Strategic Partnership Agreement will help achieve shared objectives in many areas as well as bolster the overall human security situation in Afghanistan.

 

Suu Kyi will play a critical role in Myanmar   –    (International Relation)

  • The historic election in Myanmar on November 8 is the first step to a peaceful transition of power after decades of military rule.
  • The people of Myanmar have given an absolute majority to the Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD). In step, the military, which continues to exercise power over the defeated Union.

 

Let’s be realistic on FDI  –    (Economics)

  • Without changing the overall policy landscape and attitude, India cannot expect to make a success of ‘Make in India’ with the help of Foreign Direct Investment alone.
  • For India, the servicing burden of FDI in terms of repatriations, dividend payments and payments for use of intellectual property is now showing up prominently.

 

G20 nations narrow differences on climate change  –    (Environment)

  • The world’s largest economies narrowed their differences over the stand on climate change ahead of the COP 21 talks in Paris that start at the end of this month.
  • After “intense” negotiations that ran into the morning hours of Monday on the key issue of whether to mention the aim to limit the rise in global warming to 2 degrees, they included the two-degree-goal in the G20 communique.

 

 

Modi seeks help to get back illicit money  –    (Security)

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sought greater international cooperation for the return of illicit money to the country of origin.
  • Addressing G20 leaders, at the session on ‘Enhancing Resilience,’ he wanted them to address the issues of excessive banking secrecy and complex legal and regulatory frameworks. “In India, my government has zero tolerance of corruption and black money…We have enacted a law to deal with undisclosed assets and income kept abroad. We have also entered into a number of bilateral tax treaties.”

 

Canadian pension fund set to pick up 49% in Reliance Infra  –    (Economics)

  • Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra) has agreed to sell 49 per cent stake in its Mumbai-based power generation, transmission and distribution business to a Canadian pension fund for an enterprise value of Rs.15,000 crore, leading to six per cent increase in RInfra shares to Rs.417 in a firm Mumbai market on Monday.
  • RInfra signed the non-binding term sheet with the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), one of the largest pension fund managers in Canada with C$112.0 billion of net assets under management, said a company statement adding that specified business was to be carved out on a going concern basis into a separate special purpose vehicle (SPV), in which RInfra would own the controlling 51 per cent stake.

 

WPI inflation at -3.8 per cent, 12th straight month in negative territory  –    (Economics)

  • WPI inflation in October was -3.8 per cent, compared with -4.5 per cent in September, the 12th consecutive month in which WPI inflation was negative.
  • This was mostly driven by a high-base effect, muted commodity prices in India and internationally, and poor demand in the economy.