Must Read News Articles –December 21

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GS: 2


International relations:

India, Myanmar seal deal (The Hindu)

Foreign Secretary Jaishankar signs agreement for development of Rakhine state

Wait and watch: on U.S. security strategy (The Hindu Editorial)

India has unequivocally welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of the National Security Strategy(NSS) for his country during his tenure.

Pak issues visas to Jadhav’s lin(The Hindu)

The  Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday issued visas to the wife and mother of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to allow them to meet him on December 25, Foreign Office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal tweeted.

Lobbying intensifies for India’s UNGA vote on Jerusalem (The Hindu)

The draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem to be presented on Thursday expresses deep “regret” on the US’ stated position on Jerusalem and calls for “the final status of Jerusalem to be resolved through negotiations.”

Platform created to connect Chinese hardware with Indian software (The Hindu)

A new wave of Indian software  developers will soon be able to plug into China’s next wave of industrialisation, based on Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (IOT).

Sri Lanka is keen to introduce an Aadhaar-like initiative (The Hindu)

Sri Lanka will explore launching an application similar to the Unified Mobile Application for New age Governance (UMANG) in India, and it is in talks with New Delhi at the highest levels, said Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Harin Fernando.

SSB enhances security next to Doklam area (The Hindu)

Political changes in Nepal and the growing Chinese influence in the neighbouring country are some of the major challenges for the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the Central armed force deployed along the Nepal-Bhutan border.

In Donald Trump’s world (Indian Express)

Delhi must find ways to seize the opportunities, deal with the uncertainties of a new global order

Being neighbourly (Indian Express)

To fulfil ambitions in Indo-Pacific and beyond, India must work for a cohesive South Asia

Finding used copters for Kabul (The Hindu)

In a bid to bolster Afghanistan’s air capabilities, India is considering buying several second-hand Russian-made Mi35s for the Afghan National Defence Security Forces (ANDSF) from other countries, a move that signals closer cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow on Afghanistan, Indian and Afghan officials confirmed to The Hindu.

Indian Constitution and Polity:

UPCOC Bill tabled, Opposition fumes (The Hindu)

Opposition parties have come together to oppose the Uttar Pradesh Control of Organized Crime Act, 2017 (UPCOCA) introduced by the State’s BJP government. They say it could potentially be used as a tool to suppress rivals, settle political vendetta and target specific communities.

Cleaning up (The Hindu Editorial)

A permanent mechanism is needed to review laws and weed out the obsolete ones

Ryan student to be tried as an adult (The Hindu)

The 16-year-old student of the Ryan International School, apprehended in connection with the murder of his schoolmate Pradhyuman Thakur, will be tried as an adult, the Juvenile Justice Board said here on Wednesday.

No plan to take away J&K’s special status, says Centre (The Hindu)

The government informed Parliament on Wednesday that there was no proposal as of now for abolition of Articles 35A and 370 which give special status to Jammu and Kashmir.


GS:3


Economy:

Another tool of resolution (The Hindu)

The Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill does not take away from the government’s implicit guarantee to depositors.

No systemic risk due to bitcoins as yet: Tyagi (The Hindu)

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairman Ajay Tyagi said that while bitcoins could not be ignored, the cryptocurrency had so far not posed any systemic risk and the government has formed a panel to look into it.

Rising crude oil prices, fiscal slippage a concern, says Patel (The Hindu)

Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel voiced concern over rising crude oil prices and fiscal slippage, during the meeting of the fifth bi-monthly monetary policy review held earlier this month.

The outlook for oil in 2018 (The Hindu)

The price of oil rose this year as the supply-cut agreement signed by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2016 managed to survive despite a lot of speculation otherwise.

‘PSBs not meeting recap target’ (The Hindu)

The Finance Ministry on Wednesday said it had not provided the entire amount towards capital infusion in public sector banks as most of them failed to meet the performance target.

Raise social security budget, Jaitley told (The Hindu)

Sixty of India’s leading development economists wrote to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday asking for a big increase in the budget allocation for social security pensions and maternity entitlements.

How the 2G controversy shaped telecom policy, impacted industry (Indian Express)

Earlier this year, the Reserve Bank of India red-flagged the telecom industry and asked banks to review their exposure to the sector.

Environment:

‘2017 may be among top 3 hottest years’ (The Hindu)

The year 2017 will likely be among the three warmest years on global record, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Reconsider the Rules: on 2017 Wetland Rules (The Hindu)

The 2017 Wetland Rules limit monitoring and omit important wetland types


Yesterday’s  current affairs material by ForumIAS


7 PM Editorial: Swachh Bharat Mission: an updated holistic analysis

9 PM Current affairs brief:

10 PM Current affairs MCQs:

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