Civil Service Bytes

RCEP draft moots tough curbs on cheap medicines Analysis of leaked chapter of the draft RCEP agreement Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement – being negotiated by 16 countries (10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 6 other countries that have Free Trade Agreements with the ASEAN) A leaked chapter of the draft RCEP agreement reveals that the  trade pact in its current form could reduce access to affordable medicines in many developing countries . The chapter on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) is part of draft of the RCEP agreement. India has opposed some damaging proposals initiated by the RCEP members, particularly Japan and Korea,  involving patent extensions , restrictive rules on copyright exceptions , and  other anti-consumer measures . Some member countries, who are part of both the TPP [the U.S.-led Trans Pacific Partnership] and the RCEP, are trying to push for the TPP standards in...

A united Europe, which turned centuries of war into decades of peace, must preserve its remarkable legacy, says US Preside nt S. President Barack Obama has urged British citizens to vote to stay in the European Union in the referendum on June 23. In what is likely to be his last visit to the U.K. as President, Mr. Obama said a united Europe, which turned “centuries of war in Europe into decades of peace”, must preserve its “remarkable legacy.” He placed the EU in the class of post-war international institutions and initiatives like the United Nations, Bretton Woods, the Marshall Plan and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Mr. Obama told British citizens that they should be “proud that the EU has helped spread British values and practices — democracy, the rule of law, open markets — across the continent and to its periphery”.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt Has Decided to Build Bridge Over the Red Sea Saudi Arabia and Egypt Has Decided to Build Bridge Over the Red Sea Saudi Arabia and Egypt have decided to build bridge which will connect both them over the Red Sea to boost trade and commerce. Saudi Arabia has publicized that an agreement has been reached with Egypt regarding to this. During official visit of Saudi Arabia’s king Salman to the Egypt this was announced but where the bridge will be situated was not declared in this announcement. Key facts: It is hypothesized that the joint bridge will be planned over the Red Sea at the entrance of the Gulf of Aqaba. It will be situated at the closest point near Nabq, north of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt and Ras Alsheikh Hamid in Saudi Arabia where two countries are 16km apart. To connect the two countries from Africa and Asia continents the project will be act as the pipeline for several years. The walkway bridge would pass through Saudi Arabia’s Ti...

Delhi Dialogue to focus on Impact of TPP on India-ASEAN ties The  impact of the U.S.-led mega trading and political blocs on India-ASEAN ties  is likely to be the highlight of the 8th round of  Delhi Dialogue . One emerging mega bloc, the  Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), received a major boost recently with the joining of Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore (ASEAN Countries). Diplomats are concerned that India will have to adjust to  the new set of security and economic rules  as increasing number of Southeast Asian countries join TPP, which began taking shape with the arrival of President Barack Obama to the White House in 2009. “The process of joining TPP by several countries in Southeast Asia has highlighted the conflicting segments in the Southeast Asian region. Delhi Dialogue will give us a chance to assess how India will have to adjust to these mega trading and political blocs  emerging in this region which is vital fo...

Indian will set up a satellite tracking and imaging centre in southern Vietnam by taking forward the strategic relationship between the two countries to the next level. What is the use of this satellite for Vietnam? It will give Vietnam an  access to pictures from Indian earth observation satellites that cover the region, including China and the South China Sea. Impact of this move: The move could heighten tensions between the two countries (India , vietnam)  and China. Both states have long-running territorial disputes with China. The facility will be equipped to receive images from India’s Earth observation satellites that Vietnam can use in return for granting India the tracking site. Earth observation satellites have agricultural, scientific and environmental applications, but can also provide military intelligence. on the other side: India extended a $100m credit line for Vietnam  to buy patrol boats and is training Vietnamese submariners i...

Greek islanders are to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize with the support of their national government. A petition on the website of the grassroots campaign group, Avaaz, in favour of the nomination has amassed 280,000 signatures. Greece has an extremely large number of islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000,depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166   and 227. The largest Greek island by area is Crete, located at the southern edge of the Aegean Sea. With many thousands of refugees—most of them from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sub-Saharan Africa—still trying to reach Europe on a daily basis, the sea crossing remains the most dangerous part of any journey. Why Greek islanders are to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize? For their compassion and courage, for treating those in danger with humanity, and for setting an example for the rest of ...

The U.S.  removed a wide range of sanctions against Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran had met its commitments to roll back its nuclear programme, under an agreement with China, France, Russia, the U.K., the U.S. and Germany on July 14 last year. U.S again imposed fresh sanctions on Iranian companies and individuals over a recent ballistic missile test. The new sanctions prevent 11 entities and individuals linked to the missile programme from using the US banking system. Impact on Iran  after removing older sanctions : The removal of restrictions on its oil, petrochemicals, banking, natural gas and port sectors will hugely benefit Iran and allow it to re-enter the global market. Iran will be able to access the huge amount of cash it has accumulated overseas from restricted oil sales during the sanctions. Most of this money is sitting in China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey. Iran could boost its GDP growth to aro...

Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a new international development bank  Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank    (AIIB)  seen as a rival to the U.S.-led World Bank. Despite opposition from Washington, U.S. allies including Australia, Britain, German, Italy, the Philippines and South Korea have agreed to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in recognition of China’s growing economic clout. China is the bank’s largest shareholder(30.34%).China, India and Russia are the three largest shareholders, taking a 30.34 per cent, 8.52 per cent, 6.66 per cent stake respectively in the newly-formed bank. The AIIB is expected to lend $10 billion-$15 billion a year for the first five or six years and will start operations in the second quarter of 2016. Thirty founding countries that hold over 74 percent of shares in the bank have ratified the AIIB agreement and the remaining countries have until the end of the year to complete the membership process. ...

Who: Indo-Russia bilateral naval exercise Indra Navy-15 Where: In Visakhapatanam What: INDRA Commenced When: 7 December 2015 Indo-Russia bilateral maritime exercise Indra Navy 2015 commenced on 7 December 2015 in Vishakhapatanam. The exercise epitomises the strategic relationship between the two nations. The 8th edition of Indra Navy will be conducted in the Bay of Bengal till 12 December 2015. About Indra Navy 2015 • The primary aim of Indra Navy 2015 is to increase interoperability between the two navies and develop common understanding of procedures for maritime security operations. • The scope of the exercise includes wide-ranging professional interactions during the Harbour phase and a diverse canvas of operational activities at sea across a spectrum of maritime operations. • The Indian Navy will be represented by INS Sahyadri an indigenous frigate, INS Ranvijay, a guided missile destroyer and INS Shakti a Fleet Support Ship. • The Russian Federation Nav...

This Opinion explains the present political situation in Nepal   –Written by   Rakesh Sood, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation till May 2014, is a former Ambassador to Nepal Summary of the opinion : 1. Nepal Prime Minister  K.P. Oli  telephoned Mr. Modi on New Year’s Eve to convey his greetings for 2016 and informed him about his government’s plans to move forward with the three-point package while undertaking negotiations with the agitating Madhesi leaders of the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM). 2. The first sign of change came on December 21 following the decisions taken by the Nepali cabinet to address the demands of the SLMM. 3.The three-point package consists of constitutional amendments on participation in the state organs on the basis of “proportionate inclusiveness” and delineation of electoral constituencies on the basis of population. 4. other demands — including those pertaining to “citiz...