1. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits India
Tags: International News
The Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi reached India on 25 March 2022, He is the most senior Chinese official to visit India after the border clash in Galwan, Ladakh which led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and 4 Chinese soldiers in June 2020. Since the Galwan clash, troops of both countries have been deployed on the Line of Actual control along the border.
Wang Yi came to India after his visit to Pakistan, Afghanistan and he will also visit Nepal from India.
India sharply criticised Wang's comment in the Organisation of Islamic States foreign ministers meeting held in Islamabad, where he supported Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir.
Wang last visited India for the Special Representative-level border talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Kumar Doval in December 2019.
The visit of Wang Yi is seen as an attempt by the Chinese leadership to ensure the participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the forthcoming BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China , South Africa) summit to be held in China in 2022.
Also both countries are close to Russia and there is pressure on both the countries from western countries to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has identified three “mutuals' ' to normalise the strained ties between India and China. Three “mutuals” are mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.
The Chinese by supporting Pakistan on Kashmir issue and its deployment of troops along the borders with India is seen by India as going against the three “mutuals” identified by S. Jaishankar.
2. Exercise Cold Response of NATO
Tags: International News
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is undertaking a large-scale military exercise in Norway code named Cold Response 2022. The military exercise is organised by Norway every two years.
About 30,000 troops from 27 countries from Europe and North America are participating in the exercise which are being held in March and April 2022.
The exercise assumed significance after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has announced that he will visit Norway on 25 March 2022 to witness the exercise just after the NATO, EU, G-7 summit meeting in Brussels on 24 March 2022.
Important for Exam
NATO
It is a military alliance which was set up after the signing of the Washington Treaty on 4 April 1949 in Washington , United States of America.
It was set up to combat threats from the communist countries led by the Soviet Union in Europe. After the breakup of the Soviet Union ,Russia is considered as the successor state of the Soviet Union and Russia is seen as a threat by NATO.
Initially there were 12 member countries but at present there are 30 member countries.
Headquarters of the NATO : Brussels , Belgium
- Member : Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.
3. G-7,EU,NATO holds emergency meeting on Russia Ukraine Conflict
Tags: International News
In an unprecedented move the Western countries leader held an extraordinary summit meeting in Brussels, Belgium on 24 March 2022 to put pressure on the Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
The Group of 7 or G-7 ,European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO ) was held back to back on 24 March 2022.
The three back to back summit meeting which was attended by the President of Joe Biden is an attempt by the western countries to show solidarity to Ukraine and to present a united stand against Russia.
Highlights of the meeting
NATO leaders agreed to help Ukraine protect itself against any chemical, biological or nuclear attacks by Russia.
NATO, which has already increased its troop deployment to 40,000 along the eastern border of Russia from the Baltic to the Black Sea, has agreed to set up new combat units in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.
The alliance also warned China not to support Russia’s war effort or to take any actions that will help Russia circumvent the western sanctions on Russia.
NATO turned down Ukrainian requests to defend Ukraine's skies by imposing a no-fly zone and said again, it will not send troops to Ukraine for fear of being dragged into a full-on military confrontation with nuclear-armed Russia.
EU Meeting
At the European Union summit meeting ,the United States promised to supply the EU with 15 billion cubic metres more of liquefied natural gas this year than had been planned before so as to curb the European bloc's reliance on Russian gas.
Russia supplies 40% of the EU's gas needs and more than a quarter of its oil imports. Those most dependent on this supply - in particular Germany - are reluctant to take a step that would have a major economic impact.
President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also addressed the leaders via videoconference.
Russia does not want Ukraine to become a member of either the European Union or NATO. It fears if Ukraine joins these western blocs then the security of Russia will be compromised.
Important for Exam
European Union
It is a political and Economic group of 27 European countries .
The European Economic Community was launched in 1957 and it became the European Union in 1993 with the adoption of the Maastricht Treaty.
Member countries of EU : Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Headquarters of the European Union : Brussels
G-7 or Group of Seven countries
The G7 (Group of Seven) is an organisation of the world's seven largest advanced economies, which dominate global trade and the international financial system.
They are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Russia joined in 1998, creating the G8, but was excluded in 2014 for its annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine .
It has no permanent secretariat .
The 2021 summit meeting was held in England
The 2022 summit meeting will be held in Germany .
4. Danish Sidduiqi families files case against Taliban in International Criminal Court
Tags: International News
The family of the slain Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui has filed a case against the Taliban in the International Criminal Court (ICC) pleading for an investigation into the circumstances leading to his death in Afghanistan on 16 July 2021.
The family is seeking legal action against high level Taliban leaders and commanders accusing them of torturing and killing Sidduiqi becausing he was an Indian.
Danish Siddiqui was a Pulitzer prize winning journalist working for Reuters news agency in Afghanistan. He was killed when Taliban attacked the Afghan special forces with which Danish was travelling in Kandahar province’s Spin Boldak district, a town near Afghanistan Pakistan Border.
Taliban has denied that it tortured and killed Danish Siddiqui.
The International Criminal Court has been engaged in an ongoing investigation on international crimes, including crimes against humanity and war crimes, in Afghanistan, over which it has jurisdiction after Afghanistan’s government acceded to the Rome treaty 1998.
India is not a member of the International Criminal Court.
International Criminal Court(ICC)
It was set up in July 2002 under the Rome treaty of 1998.
It is the only permanent court to prosecute persons for crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes and crimes of agression.
At present 123 countries are its members. The United States, China, and Israel are not its members.
The court's jurisdiction extends to offences that occurred after July 1, 2002, that were committed either in a state that has ratified the agreement or by a national of such a state or the case which was referred to it by the United Nations Security Council.
The Headquarters of ICC: The Hague, Netherlands
ICC is different from the International Court of Justice (ICJ). ICJ is a United Nations court which hears disputes involving the member states of the United Nations.
5. Over 31 lakh trees cut in India for developmental projects in 2020-21
Tags: National
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav informed the Parliament on 21 March 2021 that 30,97,721 trees were cut down for construction and development of public infrastructure projects across India in 2020-21, but not a single tree was felled in Delhi.
The Minister said that the trees were cut under the Forest (Conservation) act 1980 and over 3.6 crore seedlings were planted as part of compensatory afforestation during that year for which Rs 358.87 crore was spent by the government.
As per the data shared by the minister, the maximum number of trees were cut down in Madhya Pradesh (16,40,532), followed by Uttar Pradesh (3,11,998) and Odisha (2,23,375).
However, the maximum amount of money spent for afforestation was by Gujarat (Rs 52 crore), followed by Uttarakhand (Rs 48.2 crore) and Haryana (Rs 45 crore)
6. Vacancies in High Court
Tags: National News
According to the Government of India the total vacancies in the 25 High Courts of India was 404 against the sanctioned strength of 1104 Judges in the High Courts as on 11 March 2022.
The highest vacancy was in the Allahabad High court . It has 67 vacancies out of the total sanctioned strength of 160(120 are permanent Judges and 40 are additional Judges). It was followed by Bombay and Punjab and Haryana High Court having 36 vacancies each.
The total strength of the Bombay High Court is 94 (71 permanent Judges and 23 additional Judges) and for Punjab and Haryana High Court it is 85 (64 permanent Judges and 21 additional Judges)
Only two High Courts, Tripura and Sikkim had no vacancy. Tripura has a sanctioned strength of 5 and Sikkim High Court strength is 3 Judges.
The Judges of the High Court are appointed by the President in consultation with the Chief Justice of India, Governor of the state concerned and Chief Justice of the concerned High Court.
Under 217 of the Constitution High Court Judges are appointed and under article 224 of the constitution the President can appoint additional Judges in the High Court for two years.
Important For Exam
Allahabad High Court has the maximum sanctioned Judges in India. It has 160 sanctioned Judges, 120 permanent Judges and 40 additional Judges.
Total sanctioned strength of Sikkim High Court is 3 only. All 3 are permanent Judges. It has the least number of Judges in a High Court in India.
7. 2nd India Australia Virtual Summit Meeting held
Tags: Summits International News
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Scott Morrison held the 2nd India-Australia virtual summit on 21 March 2022. The first virtual summit meeting was held in June 2020.
Prime Minister Modi thanked Mr. Scott Morrison for the special gesture in returning 29 ancient artefacts to India. These artefacts comprise sculptures, paintings and photographs, across centuries, some dating back to the 9th-10th century, from different parts of India.
The artefacts include 12th century Chola bronzes, 11th-12th century Jain sculptures from Rajasthan, 12th-13th century sandstone Goddess Mahishasura Mardini from Gujarat, 18th-19th century paintings and early gelatin silver photographs.
Australia
It is the smallest continent by area on Earth after Asia, Africa, North America , South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia.
It is the 6th largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China, United States, and Brazil.
Australia has been called “the Oldest Continent,” “the Last of Lands,” and “the Last Frontier.”
Its unique flora and fauna include the only egg-laying mammals on Earth, the Platypus and Echidna. It is also famous for its Kangaroos,Koala bears.
It is the second driest continent after Antarctica.
Its highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, rises to only 7,310 feet (2,228 meters).
Its Capital : Canberra
Currency : Australian Dollar
Prime Minister : Scott Morrison
The United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the State of Australia.
8. Common Entrance Test for Central University UG Course
Tags: National News
The University Grant Commission chairman M Jagadesh Kumar has announced that the admission to the Undergraduate courses in the 45 Central University will now be solely through a Common University Entrance Test (CUET) from the 2022-23 session onwards .
The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) will be a computerised exam and will be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the first week of July 2022.
Admission to undergraduate courses in these universities will henceforth be solely based on the CUET score, and Class 12 Board marks will not carry any weightage,
CUET will carry multiple choice questions based on NCERT textbooks and students will be marked negatively for incorrect answers. The CUET 2022 will be offered in 13 languages, namely Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, Assamese, Bengali, Punjabi, Odia and English.
International students are exempted from CUET.
The reserved seats in the Central universities for SC/ST/ or minorities will also be filled through CUET .
The exam will be conducted in two shifts. In the first shift, candidates will appear for Section I (languages), two chosen domain subjects and the general test. In the second shift, they will appear for the other four domain subjects and an additional language test, if opted for.
Central University is set up by the Government of India . Some of the famous central University in India are ,JawaharLal Nehru University (JNU),Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University (BHU),Jamia Millia Islamia , Aligharh Muslim University (AMU) etc.
9. Major Plane Crash in China, all 132 passenger feared dead
Tags: International News
132 people on board a Eastern China Airlines are feared dead in a plane crash on 21 March 2022. It is the worst air disaster in China since 2010.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off from Kunming, capital of the southwestern province of Yunnan, to the port city of Guangzhou before it crashed in the mountains of southern Guangxi.
The regulator of the civil aviation sector in India, Director General Civil Aviation(DGCA) has put Boeing 737s in the country under “enhanced surveillance” after an aircraft of the same model crashed in China.
This means that DGCA will deploy its teams to monitor flight procedures, airworthiness and operations of these planes in India. Three airlines, Vistara, SpiceJet and Air India Express, have Boeing 737s on their fleet. There are a total 64 of these planes in the country.
Boeing is an American company which manufactures planes for civilian and military purposes.
10. World's Longest suspension bridge inaugurated in Turkey
Tags: Popular International News
The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated the world's largest suspension bridge on 18 March 2022 across Dardanelles Strait in northwestern Turkey - which cuts travel time between Asia and Europe to six minutes.
The 1915 Canakkale Bridge was built by Turkish and South Korean firms with an investment of 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion),connecting Turkey's European and Asian shores.
The 2,023 metre length of its midspan (distance between the two towers) is an allusion to the Turkish Republic's 100th anniversary in 2023.
Its towers are 318 metres (347.8 yards) high and the total length of the bridge is 4.6 km (2.9 miles) including the approach viaducts.
Now the second longest suspension bridge in the world is Japan’s Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which has a 1,992-m-long main span.
Ambassador Bridge on the river detroit, which connects Canada and the United States of America is the International suspension bridge in the world.
Important for Exam
Dardanelles Strait
It links the Agean sea with the sea of Marmara .
The Strait is a narrow body of water which connects two large bodies of water .
Dardanelles strait is one of the narrowest international straits and it separates Asian Turkey from European Turkey.
Turkey lies partly in Asia and partly in Europe .
It's currency : Turkish Lira
Capital : Ankara
President :Tayyip Erdogan
