Day-155 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | ART AND CULTURE
[WpProQuiz 170]
[WpProQuiz 170]
THE CONTEXT: France President invoked a Cold War-era term“Finlandization” of Ukraine was “one of the models on the table” for defusing tensions with Russia.
THE EXPLANATION:
What is term about?
THE NEW ALLIANCE
With Russia determined to expand his sphere of influence and undermine an independent Ukrainian government, and the West making it clear it would not go to war against Russia to defend Ukraine, some experts have argued that “Finlandization” is the best course Ukraine can take.
THE CONTEXT: Ukraine has filed an application before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), instituting proceedings against the Russian Federation concerning “a dispute…relating to the interpretation, application and fulfillment of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide” (the “Genocide Convention”).
THE EXPLANATION:
Ukraine has accused Russia of falsely claiming that “acts of genocide have occurred in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts of Ukraine”, and of using that as a pretext to recognise the independence of these regions and of going to war against Ukraine.
About the International court:
India at the ICJ
India has been a party to a case at the ICJ on six occasions, four of which have involved Pakistan. They are:
THE CONTEXT: Japan and India have renewed the Bilateral Swap Arrangement (BSA) of up to $75 billion with effect from February 28, 2022.
THE EXPLANATION:
What is Bilateral Swap Arrangement?
Background:
In recent years, economic relationship between Japan and India have steadily expanded and deepened. The volume of trade between the two countries has increased. India was the 18th largest trading partner for Japan, and Japan was the 12th largest trading partner for India in 2020.
The year 2022 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and India. It is an opportunity to reminisce, be mindful of the present and envision our future. It gives me pleasure that we can celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Independence of India and the 70th anniversary of Japan-India diplomatic relations together.
THE CONTEXT: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the climate science body of the United Nations, published the second instalment of its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). It focuses on the effects of climate change on ecosystems and society.
THE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:
INDIA’S PICTURE
According to IPCC report, Lucknow and Patna, are among the cities predicted to reach wet-bulb temperatures (a metric of humidity) of 35°C if emissions continued to rise, while Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Mumbai, Indore, and Ahmedabad are all identified as at risk of reaching wet-bulb temperatures of 32-34°C with continued emissions; overall, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab will be the most severely affected, but if emissions continue to increase, all Indian States will have regions that experience wet-bulb 30°C or more by the end of the century.
BIODIVERSITY
According to the report, the future climate change could reduce the extent of a suitable habitat for giant pandas, the moose, black muntjac, the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey in China, Persian leopard in Iran, Bengal tiger and four tree snail species in Thailand.
Climate change will have little impact on the habitats of the Asian elephant, but would cause the extinction of the Hoolock gibbon in Bangladesh by 2070.
The snow leopard, which is the apex predator in the mountain ranges of central and south Asia, is found across 12 countries in Asia. Of these, its suitable habitat area will increase in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia.
Climate change will promote the invasion of six mostly serious invasive plant species in Nepal. These are:
It would also promote the growth of eleven invasive plant species in the western Himalayas and the Giant African Snail in India. Climate change would also inhibit the invasion of two invasive plants — Chromolaena odorata (Bitter bush) and Tridax procumbens (Tridax daisy) — in India.
“Projected sea-level rise, related aquatic salinisation and alteration in fish species composition may have a negative impact on poor households in southwest coastal Bangladesh.
URGENT NEED FOR MORE FINANCE, POLITICAL COMMITMENT
WAY FORWARD
THE CONTEXT: Amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey has barred warships from passing through the key straits of Bosphorus and Dardanelles in a bid to de-escalate the crisis.
THE EXPLANATION:
The Turkish straits give Russia’s Black Sea fleet entry to the Mediterranean. The Montreux agreement allows Ankara to regulate maritime traffic through the waterways during peace and wartime alike.
The Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits connect the Aegean (part of the Mediterranean), Marmara (Turkey’s inland sea), and the Black Sea, the latter from which Russia launched an incursion on Ukraine’s southern coast.
The 1936 pact gives Ankara the right to bar warships from using the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus during wartime and in case of threats to Turkey.
Q1. Consider the following statements about IPCC:
Which of the above given statements is/are incorrect?
a) 1 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 3 only
Q2. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: C
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: Society for Worldwide Inter bank Financial Telecommunication(SWIFT) is a messaging network used by banks and financial institutions globally for quick and faultless exchange of information pertaining to financial transactions. SWIFT, first used in 1973, went live in 1977 with 518 institutions from 22 countries, its website states. SWIFT itself had replaced the much slower and far less dynamic Telex.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Belgium-headquartered SWIFT connects more than 11,000 banking and securities organisations in over 200 countries and territories.
Statement 3 is correct: SWIFT is merely a platform that sends messages and does not hold any securities or money. It provides standardised and reliable communication to facilitate the transaction.
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
SOCIAL ISSUE
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY
QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS
50-WORD TALK
Things to Remember:
[WpProQuiz 169]
THE CONTEXT: India is planning to bring about a national e-commerce policy. However, the government has decided to stay away from negotiations at the World Trade Organization platform to set international e-commerce rules due to many concerns. This article discusses WTO negotiations on e-commerce and India’s stand.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF NEGOTIATIONS AT THE WTO
The second phase of the final discussion started after 2019 and still date it is going on. India decided to stay away from negotiations.
OSAKA TRACK
INDIA’S CONCERNS
The government has decided to stay away from negotiations at the WTO (World Trade Organization) platform to set international e-commerce rules. It believes that the WTO framework may not safeguard the interest of its fledgling domestic e-commerce sector, hamper its control over cross-border data flow, and undermine its sovereignty over national legislation regarding custom taxation.
Cross-border data flow: India is wary of the demand made by developed countries to ban the regulations that many countries passed to protect the data.
Taxation issues: The WTO has already, for several years, been applying an agreed moratorium on tariffs for goods that are transmitted electronically. Developed countries are arguing for making this moratorium permanent. India fears that as more and more goods shift to the digital domain (in light of developments in digital manufacturing technologies such as 3-D printing), these could mean a substantial loss of revenue for emerging economies like India.
Underprepared MSMEs: Domestic retailers, especially small businesses, are underprepared to compete with large global e-commerce companies.
Digital divide: India is opposed to the formalization of talks on any form of an international treaty prior to the resolution of cross-cutting issues such as the digital divide between developed and developing nations.
Predatory pricing: In the case of B2C, there are issues related to shifting consumers from store to non-store formats, predatory pricing, providing heavy discounts to retain consumers, etc. Indian regulations related to predatory pricing are weak, and it is in fact difficult to prove predatory pricing.
SHOULD INDIA RECONSIDER ON ITS STAND?
Advantageous to the MSMEs:
Growing e-commerce market:
Tax losses:
Stand of other countries:
Developmental approach:
INDIA’S PREPARATION
OTHER INITIATIVES
Digital India: The Digital India program is a flagship program of the Government of India which aims to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. The Digital India program is based on three key vision areas:
Make in India: The Make in India initiative was launched to transform India into a global design and manufacturing hub and to reduce dependence on imports of goods such as electronic goods.
Start-up India: Startup India was intended to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and start-ups in the country to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large-scale employment opportunities.
WAY FORWARD:
CONCLUSION:
E-commerce is generally presented in very positive terms but along with the potential benefits come potential problems for developing countries. In this case, the role of government becomes crucial. For example, the Federal Trade Commission of the United States is the nodal agency that regulates e-commerce activities, such as commercial email, online advertising, and consumer privacy. Similarly, India must also have such an agency that can control multiple dynamics of online retail. And should build institutional capacity for WTO negotiations and international competitions.