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General Studies-01

Journalist Gauri Lankesh shot dead.

News:

• Nationally renowned journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, 55, known for her firebrand writing on social issues, was shot dead by unidentified assailants, right outside her residence in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in west Bengaluru.

Beyond News:

• Earlier she was punished for defaming a political leader (6 months & 10,000 fine).
• She got bail from higher court recently.
• 2 years ago,another writer MM kalburae killed in a similar way near his house.
• The police are analyzing footage from two CCTV cameras installed at her house and believed that they may hold vital clues. They said that she had neither complained to the police of any threats to her life nor sought security.

General Studies-02

Modi’s 10 ‘noble commitments’ for BRICS

News:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday pitched for a coordinated action on counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and disaster management, as he suggested 10 “noble commitments” through which BRICS could achieve leadership in global transformation.

Beyond News:

• At the BRICS Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue organised by China on the sidelines of the 9th BRICS Summit as an outreach exercise, Mr. Modi said India had a long tradition of partnerships with fellow developing countries, while pursuing its own aspirations for growth.

10 Noble Commitments:

1. Creating a safer world by “organised and coordinated action on at least three issues: counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and disaster management.”
2. creating a greener world,
3. creating an enabled world,
4. creating an inclusive world,
5. creating a digital world,
6. creating a skilled world,
7. creating a healthier world,
8. creating an equitable world,
9. creating a connected world
10. creating a harmonious world.

Section 377: SC to start hearing 

• The Supreme Court is likely to hear curative petitions against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a colonial-era provision criminalizing consensual sexual acts of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) adults in private.
• On February 2 last year, a Bench led by the then Chief Justice of India, T.S. Thakur, indicated that the petitions needed to be referred to a five-judge Constitution Bench for a possible back-to-roots, in-depth hearing.
• The three-judge Bench of CJI Thakur and Justices Anil R. Dave and J.S. Khehar gave credence to arguments that the threat imposed by Section 377 amounted to denial of the rights to privacy and dignity, and resulted in gross miscarriage of justice.

India, Egypt to bolster bilateral ties 

News:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and held talks on ways to strengthen bilateral ties.

Beyond News:

• Earlier, during his address at the BRICS Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, which was attended by Egypt, Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan on China’s invitation as part of “BRICS Plus” outreach exercise, Mr. Modi described these countries as “close and valued” partners of India.
• India and Egypt have a strong economic relationship and cooperation in areas of security and counter-terrorism.
• India is the sixth largest trading partner of Egypt. India’s imports from Egypt were worth $1.74 billion during the 2014-15.(With ANI inputs)

India to flag worry on pace of services talks at RCEP

News:

• At the forthcoming ministerial-level meeting on the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) involving 16 Asia-Pacific nations, India will raise concerns regarding the ‘slow’ pace of negotiations on services trade liberalisation as opposed to ‘higher priority’ being accorded to commitments to open up goods trade in the region.

Beyond News:

• The mega-FTA is known in official parlance as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
• It involves the 10-member ASEAN bloc and its six FTA partners including India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
• India is learnt to be upset that other RCEP nations seem to be focused more on “extracting as much (binding commitments) as possible on eliminating tariffs to open up goods trade”.

There is a Rohingya in all of us

• In the Supreme Court this week the Centre refused to revise its stand on deporting Rohinya immigrants in India.
• It was in effect adhering to its position taken on August 9, when the Minister of State for Home Affairs informed Parliament that 40,000 Rohingya were to be deported.
• With that, the idea of India, the India of democracy and hospitality disappeared in a single stroke. A dream of India disappeared in a single moment.
• The Government of India has returned to an idea of hard state, dropping its dreams of compassion, care and civility.

In many ways, the Rohingya represent “the last man” of international society that Gandhi talked about.

• They are the world’s most persecuted minority.
• They are Muslims, belonging to the Sunni sect, scattered mainly over the Rakhine state of Myanmar.
• Harassed by the Myanmar Army and forced to serve as slave labour, they have also been systematically persecuted by the Buddhist majority.
• The persecution of the Rohingya also highlights the silence of Aung San Suu Kyi, destroying another myth of ethics and human rights.
• A woman whose campaign for human rights won her the Peace Nobel now stands embarrassingly silent in case her broader political strategies are affected.
• The dispensability of the Rohingya is clear and so is the callousness of the nation state.
• India can no longer criticise the West for being hostile to Syrian and Sudanese refugees.

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