CURRENT AFFAIRS 27-28 OCTOBER 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS

27-28 OCTOBER 2019

1.Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS):Baghdadi,(gs2,3)

Context:Great day for America, say U.S. leaders after Baghdadi’s death
Congratulating American troops for their daring air raid in northwest Syria that led to the death of ISIS leader and the world’s most wanted terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, top U.S. leaders on Sunday described it as a great day for America.

“It is truly a great day in America! Congratulations to President Trump, our intel community, and our US Special Forces for eliminating the most wanted terrorist in the world,” said Nikki Haley, Indian-American leader and former U.S. Ambassador to the UN.
“This is a great day for United States, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, and people all across the world who have suffered far too long from the cruelty of terrorism,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (2nd L), U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (3rd R), along with members of the national security team, watch as U.S. Special Operations forces close in on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in the Situation Room of the White House in Washington, U.S. on October 26, 2019. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), alternatively called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a jihadist organisation controlling parts of Iraq and Syria, with claims to be a worldwide caliphate. It is also called Daesh sometimes.
The organisation, as a caliphate, claims to have political, religious and military authority of all Muslims in the world. (Almost all Muslim countries reject this).
Wherever they have control, a strict interpretation of Sharia law is observed, along with massacres and brutalities for anyone who opposes them.
It is accused of gross human rights violation and ethnic cleansing by the UN and Amnesty International.
The IS’s stated objectives are to eliminate obstacles to restoring God’s rule on earth and to defend the Umma (Muslim community) against non-believers.
The IS is known for its videos of beheadings and executions. The ISIS soldiers also engage in public floggings and summary executions.
It also engages in sex slavery of women it captures from combat areas. Women and even young girls are sold as slaves or forcibly married off to ISIS fighters.
It uses propaganda, especially by social media, to attract recruits.
It also engages in forced conversions, group massacres and expulsion of minorities. There are also reports of ethnic cleansing.
The ISIS also engages in destroying places of worship, heritage sites and buildings which it deems unislamic. Many tombs of Islamic prophets and imams were also destroyed because ISIS considered worshiping at graves to be idolatrous.
Current leader of the organisation is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Many terrorist organisations in different countries have declared their allegiance to ISIS. a few prominent ones are Boko Haram, Jundallah, Caucasus Emirate, etc.
It is speculated that the states of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syrian government and Turkey are discreetly supporting the ISIS by various means including funding. This is, although denied by these countries officially.
India has banned this terrorist body in December 2016.

ISIS Origin

It started out in 1999 as Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad.
This organisation had sprung up during the insurgency in Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by US-led forces.
By 2015, it held large swathes of area in western Iraq and eastern Syria, and had over 30000 fighters.
It was founded by a Jordanian named Abu Musab al-Zarqawi under its previous name

2.INS Baaz(gs-3)

Context:Navy Chief visits INS Baaz, extends Diwali greetings to personnel
Admiral Karambir Singh, visited INS Baaz, Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar Island and spent a day with the personnel stationed in various units in Campbell Bay and extended Warm Greetings and Best Wishes to the personnel and their families on the auspicious occasion of Diwali.
During his interaction, Admiral Karambir Singh reiterated that the Andaman Nicobar islands are strategically important for national security and will provide the critical capability to monitor sea areas in the region.
He appreciated the significant contribution made by INS Baaz, towards ensuring maritime security in the Bay of Bengal & Andaman Sea and substantially enhancing Indian Navy’s maritime surveillance capability.
Personnel from the IAF, Coast Guard District Headquarters, Territorial Army, Border Road Organisation, Defence Civilians, A&N Police and Civil Administration were also present during this occasion.

INS Baaz:

India’s maritime operations will receive a significant boost as a key naval station called INS Baaz opened in southern Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The Naval Air Station ‘Baaz’, literally meaning Hawk, will perform surveillance over Malacca Strait and will come up at Campbell Bay which lies at the southern tip of India.
Besides keeping a hawk-eye over Malacca Strait, naval station INS Baaz will have an upgraded air base that will be able to operate the newly inducted Hercules C-130J heavy lift aircraft. INS Baaz will overlook Malacca Strait which has recurrently witnessed piracy and threatened maritime activities as well trade. The Strait of Malacca is a key link between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean connecting Asia and Africa to East Asia, Australia and the US.

The Naval Air Station (NAS) at Campbell Bay will be renamed ‘Baaz’. The NAS at Campbell Bay is one of the most crucial shipping lanes of the world. The new naval base will heighten India’s strategic reach in the region as it can now launch its operations from deep inside Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.
At present, Indian Navy already operates bases at Port Blair and Car Nicobar in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands chain. As for the new naval station Baaz, it will clearly grant Indian navy superiority in the region since it already has three air strips at Diglipur in north Andamans, Port Blair, and at Carnic in Nicobar Islands. As for the new naval base ‘Baaz’, it is about 300 nautical miles from Carnic in the south eastern fringe which will be a major leap in India’s strategic reach.
Meanwhile, plans are afoot to increase the air strip at Campbell Bay from the present 3000 odd feet to over 6000 feet. The Campbell Bay air field is used sparingly and it does not have a facility to either maintain or refuel aircrafts. However, the expansion of the air strip implies that NAS Baaz will have hangars for repair and maintenance of aircraft. The heavy transport aircraft like the C130J have already landed at Campbell Bay.
A full-fledged forward operating base like INS Baaz will be crucial in maintaining control by the navy in a very volatile region where a host of maritime activities take place. With a series of piracy attacks along the horn of Africa and Arabian Sea, nations like China have started to deploy warships in the region. Meanwhile, even the US has stated that it proposes to deploy at least 60 per cent of US Naval assets in Asia-Pacific as a part of its new military strategy for Asia-Pacific region.

3.NOTA(GS-2)

CONTEXT:NOTA sees a rise in Maharashtra polls
The percentage of voters punching in None of the Above or NOTA option in recently-concluded Maharashtra assembly elections has seen a rise compared to 2014 polls. In the October 24 verdict, the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena managed to retain power but ceded considerable ground--the saffron allies collectively lost 23 seats--to rivals NCP and Congress.

NOTA:
The use of NOTA in elections:

The option of NOTA for Lok Sabha and assembly elections was prescribed by the SC in 2013. The option of NOTA in RS polls was introduced by the EC in 2014. Thus, India became the 14th country to institute negative voting.

How is a NOTA vote cast?

The EVMs have the NOTA option at the end of the candidates’ list. Earlier, in order to cast a negative ballot, a voter had to inform the presiding officer at the polling booth. A NOTA vote doesn’t require the involvement of the presiding officer.

Why have NOTA if there’s ‘no electoral value’?

NOTA gives people dissatisfied with contesting candidates an opportunity to express their disapproval. This, in turn, increases the chances of more people turning up to cast their votes, even if they do not support any candidate, and decreases the count of bogus votes. Also, the Supreme Court has observed that negative voting could bring about “a systemic change in polls and political parties will be forced to project clean candidates”.

Why NOTA is good?

NOTA option will force the political parties to select the honest candidates, i.e with no criminal records.
NOTA ensures people’s ‘right to freedom of speech and expression’.
This will increase the polling percentage.

4.WORLD BANK(GS-2,3)

CONTEXT:World Bank to continue with USD 6 bn annual lending support to India
World Bank President David Malpass on Saturday said the multi-lateral funding agency will continue with USD 6 billion annual lending target for India to support infrastructure development and alleviate poverty.
As many as 97 projects are being currently executed with loan assistance from the World Bank.
“World Bank right now has 97 projects with USD 24 billion committed. So, we expect the programme to continue and to reflect the projects and reforms that were going on in India. May be 5-6 billion dollars (USD) per year,” he told media in an interaction.
With regard to the Ease of Doing Business ranking, Malpass said India has been among top 10 countries in the last three years and it has moved from 140th place to 63rd.
India jumped 14 places to the 63rd position on the World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking riding high on the government’s flagship ‘Make in India’ scheme and other reforms attracting foreign investment.
However, the report flagged that India still lags in areas such as enforcing contracts (163rd) and registering a property (154th).
“Looking forward one area that could be improved ensuring the commercial courts are adequately resourced at district level so that they can deliver judgments faster establishment fast track dispute resolution mechanism. Some countries have small claims courts. This helps people enter into contracts when they know that the contract can be enforced,” he said.
With regard to land management reform, he said this is the area that requires more progress including digitisation of land data which will facilitate buying and selling of land.
The visiting head of the World Bank earlier in the day met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
On his meeting with the prime minister, Malpass said he had a discussion on a range of topics, including infrastructure finance, strengthening of financial sector, regional connectivity and civil services reforms.
“We also spoke about water and skilling. I appreciate the Prime Minister’s vision on these topics,” he said.

World Bank :

With 189 member countries, the World Bank Group is a unique global partnership: five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries.
The Bank Group works with country governments, the private sector, civil society organizations, regional development banks, think tanks, and other international institutions on issues ranging from climate change, conflict, and food security to education, agriculture, finance, and trade.

A Group of Institutions

Together, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development Association (IDA) form the World Bank, which provides financing, policy advice, and technical assistance to governments of developing countries. While the World Bank Group consists of five development institutions.

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) provides loans, credits, and grants.
International Development Association (IDA) provides low- or no-interest loans to low-income countries.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) provides investment, advice, and asset management to companies and governments.
The Multilateral Guarantee Agency (MIGA) insures lenders and investors against political risk such as war.
The International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) settles investment-disputes between investors and countries.
All of these efforts support the Bank Group’s twin goals of ending extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity of the poorest 40% of the population in all countries.

History

The Bretton Woods Conference, officially known as the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, was a gathering of delegates from 44 nations that met from July 1 to 22, 1944 in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire (USA), to agree upon a series of new rules for international financial and monetary order after the conclusion of World War II.
The two major accomplishments of the conference were the creation of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Founded in 1944, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) — soon called the World Bank — has expanded to a closely associated group of five development institutions.
Originally, its loans helped rebuild countries devastated by World War II. In time, the focus shifted from reconstruction to development, with a heavy emphasis on infrastructure such as dams, electrical grids, irrigation systems, and roads.
With the founding of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in 1956, the institution became able to lend to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries.
Founding of the International Development Association (IDA) in 1960 put greater emphasis on the poorest countries, part of a steady shift toward the eradication of poverty becoming the Bank Group’s primary goal.
International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) founded in 1966 settles investment disputes between investors and countries.
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) founded in 1988 insures lenders and investors against political risk such as war.

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)

Following the recovery from World War II, the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development broadened its mandate to increasing global economic growth and eliminating poverty.
The Bank only finances sovereign governments directly or projects backed by sovereign governments.
Today, the IBRD focuses its services on middle-income countries or countries where the per capita income ranges from $1,026 to $12,475 per year. These countries, like Indonesia, India, and Thailand, are often home to fast-growing economies that attract a lot of foreign investment and large infrastructure building projects.
At the same time, middle-income countries are home to 70% of the world’s poor people, as the benefits of this economic growth are unevenly distributed across their populations.

Governance of IBRD:

IBRD Boards of Governors: The Boards of Governors consist of one Governor and one Alternate Governor appointed by each member country. The office is usually held by the country's minister of finance, governor of its central bank. The Board of Governors delegates most of its authority over daily matters such as lending and operations to the Board of Directors.

IBRD Board of Directors: The Board of Directors consists of currently 25 executive directors and is chaired by the President of the World Bank Group. Executive Directors are appointed or elected by the Governors. Executive Directors select the World Bank President, who is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Executive Directors are authorised for daily matters such as lending and operations.
IBRD raises most of its funds in the world's financial markets. This has allowed it to provide more than $500 billion in loans to alleviate poverty around the world since 1946, with its shareholder governments paying in about $14 billion in capital.
IBRD has maintained a triple-A rating since 1959. This high credit rating allows it to borrow at low cost and offer middle-income developing countries access to capital on favourable terms — helping ensure that development projects go forward in a more sustainable manner.
IBRD earns income every year from the return on its equity and from the small margin it makes on lending. This pays for World Bank operating expenses, goes into reserves to strengthen the balance sheet, and provides an annual transfer of funds to IDA, the fund for the poorest countries.

5.BASIC countries(GS-2,3)

CONTEXT:BASIC countries urge developed nations to adhere to Paris agreement to fight climate change
BASIC countries have urged the developed countries to take urgent action to close gaps and provide support to developing nations as a part of the commitment under the Paris agreement on climate change.
A joint statement issued by Brazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) on Saturday stated that global climate action should promote climate justice by recognising the fundamental equality of all people in accessing economic growth and sustainable development.

BASIC countries:
Who are the BASIC?

The BASIC group was formed as the result of an agreement signed by the four countries on November 28, 2009.
They are a bloc of four large newly industrialized countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China.

Significance of the grouping:

The signatory nations have a broadly common position on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and raising the massive funds that are needed to fight climate change.
The BASIC countries constituted one of the parties in the Copenhagen Accord reached with the US-led grouping; the Accord, was, however, not legally binding.
The BASIC group wields considerable heft purely because of the size of the economies and populations of the member countries.
Brazil, South Africa, India and China put together has one-third of the world’s geographical area and nearly 40% of the world’s population, and when they unitedly speak in one voice this shows their determination.
BASIC is one of several groups of nations working together to fight climate change and carry out negotiations within the UNFCCC.

Need for this grouping:

In light of the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C released in October last year, the group took note of its findings that highlight the “high vulnerability of developing countries to climate change effects and high resultant costs of adaptation”.
The findings of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming make it incredibly clear that the impacts of an already warming world are significant, and that impacts at 2°C are catastrophic compared to those of 1.5°C. Yet, the BASIC ministers recalled the Paris goal of limiting the temperature rise to well under 2°C, and aspiring to limit it to 1.5°C, suggesting their continued pursuit of 2°C as the target temperature limit.
The BASIC countries also contend that their nationally determined contributions (NDCs)— voluntary pledges of national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—have demonstrated “a high level of ambition in the context of poverty and sustainable development”.

Way ahead:

While developed countries must take the lead to reduce GHG emissions and enable developing countries to scale climate action. It is critical that all countries actively step-up to rapidly reduce global GHG emissions within their own jurisdictions and collectively work with each other to limit warming to 1.5°C.