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South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians, and pleaded with the UN’s top court on to urgently order a halt to the country’s military operation. Israel has vehemently denied the allegations.
South African lawyers said during the opening arguments that the latest Gaza war is part of a decades-long oppression of the Palestinians by Israel.
They asked judges to impose binding preliminary orders on Israel, including an immediate halt to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Genocides are never declared in advance, but this court has the benefit of the past 13 weeks of evidence that shows incontrovertibly a pattern of conduct and related intention that justifies as a plausible claim of genocidal acts,” South African lawyer Adila Hassim told the judges and audience in the packed, ornate room of the Peace Palace in The Hague.
Nothing will stop the suffering except an order from this court,” she said. South Africa insisted Israel committed genocide by design.
States
Once a 42 km drive, Atal Setu to reduce Mumbai – Navi Mumbai commute to 20 minutes (Page no. 4)
(GS Paper 3, Infrastructure)
Equipped with cutting-edge Japanese technology, the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), also known as the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, promises to cut short the arduous two-hour-long journey between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to a mere 20-minute ride.
The project, which has been nearly six years in the making, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The project, built at a cost of almost ₹20,000 crore, is being branded as a boon to Mumbaikars, who normally have to drive 42 km between the two destinations through endless traffic.
The Atal Setu instead spans 22 km, and aims to save hours of travel time and litres of fuel, said Sanjay Mukherjee, Metropolitan Commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
The line originates at Sewri in south Mumbai, and terminates at Chirle near Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai, but also provides interchanges at Sewri, Shivajinagar, State Highway-54 and NH-348, extending much-needed connectivity to Pune, Goa and parts of southern India.
Touted as India’s longest sea bridge, the six-lane project comprises a 16.5-km-long sea bridge, and a 5.5-km-long elevated road on land.
The bridge, according to officials, is designed to carry a daily capacity of 70,000 vehicles travelling at an average speed of 100 km per hour.
Editorial
A Bangladesh ‘one-party state’ and India’s options (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
India has been joined by China and Russia in congratulating Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her return to power in yet another election without the participation of the principal opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party-Jamaat-e-Islami coalition.
Unlike China and Russia, India is a functional democracy and will have to live with allegations of United States-type double standards of ‘democracy at home and support for autocracies abroad’ to suit strategic interests.
With Ms. Hasina back in power for a record fifth time (fourth in a row), India stands assured of continuity in the excellent bilateral relationship it has with Bangladesh, as Ms. Hasina has certainly addressed India’s security and connectivity concerns unlike any other foreign leader. But she cannot turn Bangladesh into a one-party state and count on Indian support as she often tends to.
The world’s most populous democracy having to back a friendly government sustained by three highly controversial elections sits uneasy on India’s image as a global big player (if not big power).
This also explains why anti-Indian sentiments are at an all-time high in Bangladesh — India’s support for an increasingly autocratic regime sustained by rigged and non-participatory elections has not gone down well, especially with the youth (60% of the population in Bangladesh is below 25 years) who resent the massive corruption through large-scale bank defaults and extensive money laundering, the mismanagement of economy and the abnormal price rise that tainted the Hasina government in its third term after a decade of substantial economic growth.
Opinion
Are antibiotics over-prescribed in India? (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recently found that over half of the nearly 10,000 hospital patients surveyed for a study were given antibiotics to prevent, rather than treat, infection.
The survey mapped patients treated on one to five days each at 20 tertiary care institutes across 15 States and two Union Territories between November 2021 and April 2022.
It found that 55% of the patients surveyed were prescribed antibiotics as prophylaxis, or as a preventive; only 45% were prescribed antibiotics to actually treat infections; and of them, only 6% were prescribed the drugs after identifying the specific bacteria.
This is worrying as India carries one of the largest burdens of drug-resistant pathogens worldwide. Are antibiotics being over-prescribed in India?
Text & Context
Strained ties in India-Maldives relations (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tourism push for Lakshadweep triggered a social media spat, escalating into a diplomatic clash between India and the Maldives, worsening the already strained relationship between the Indian Ocean neighbours.
Disparaging remarks led to the suspension of three Maldivian Ministers. India expressed concerns, impacting travel bookings, and ‘boycott Maldives’ trended on social media.
India-Maldives relations have hit a rough patch since Mohamed Muizzu was elected President last year on the back of an ‘India Out’ campaign.
The Maldives is a key maritime neighbour of India in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The country’s location holds significant strategic importance to India, especially amid China’s growing engagements in the region.
Although Maldives-India ties have been mostly cordial over the years, there was a noticeable tilt towards China during the presidency of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) leader Abdulla Yameen from 2013 to 2018. It was under Mr. Yameen that China included the Maldives as a part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Is tableau selection turning into a political battleground? (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 1, Culture)
The ongoing dispute between the Central government and non-BJP States regarding Republic Day parade tableaux has taken a political tone, with the Opposition accusing the Modi government of bias.
The Centre denies the allegations, citing a misalignment with this year’s theme and emphasising that similar controversies occurred under previous regimes.
Republic Day celebrates India’s adoption of the Constitution and transition to a democratic republic. The parade, led by the President in New Delhi, showcases military strength and cultural heritage, featuring tableaux from States, Union Territories, Ministries, and departments.
The Ministry of Defence oversees parade coordination and preparations. This process includes the selection and shortlisting of tableaux.
News
Surat, Indore cleanest cities; Maharashtra tops State list (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Surat in Gujarat and Indore in Madhya Pradesh were on Thursday jointly declared the cleanest cities of India at the annual clean city awards for 2023 of the Union Urban Affairs Ministry. The next best is Navi Mumbai.
The Swachh Survekshan awards were given away by President Droupadi Murmu here. Indore has been adjudged the cleanest city for the seventh time in a row.
The list of top 10 cleanest cities with a population of more than one lakh includes Greater Visakhapatnam, Bhopal, Vijayawada, New Delhi, Tirupati, Greater Hyderabad and Pune.
In the State rankings, Maharashtra came first, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Odisha is ranked fourth, followed by Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Karnataka, Goa, Haryana and Bihar.
In the category of cities with a population of less than one lakh, Sasvad and Lonavala in Maharashtra and Patan in Chhattisgarh secured the top three spots. The Mhow Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh was adjudged the cleanest cantonment Board.
World
Maldives, China commit to greater strategic cooperation, sign 20 MoUs (Page no. 19)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Noting that the “strategic significance” of China-Maldives relations has become more prominent, the two countries committed to greater strategic cooperation this week, while China said it “firmly opposes” external interference in the internal affairs of the Maldives, according to a joint press communiqué.
The two sides agree to elevate China-Maldives relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, better leverage the political guidance of high-level engagement, expand practical cooperation between the two countries in various fields, strengthen collaboration on international and multilateral affairs, enhance the well-being of the two peoples, and work toward a China-Maldives community with a shared future,” said the communiqué, issued on January 11, on the penultimate day of Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s five-day state visit to China.
The move is among many initiatives the two countries announced, including Maldives’s participation in the Global Security Initiative (GSI), following Sri Lanka’s affirmation in October 2023.
The two governments agreed to draw up an “action plan” for building a “China-Maldives Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership from 2024 to 2028.
Business
‘Budget may set fiscal deficit target of 5.3%’ (Page no. 20)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Rating firm ICRA said it expects the government to set a fiscal deficit target of 5.3% of GDP in the upcoming Union Budget for next year, covering half the distance to achieve a deficit of 4.5% of GDP for 2025-26.
While this year’s deficit is unlikely to overshoot the ₹17.9 lakh crore target, given that the National Statistical Office has estimated a lower nominal GDP growth of 8.9% compared with the Budget estimate of 10.5%, the fiscal deficit is, however, expected to hit 6% of GDP for 2023-24, instead of the 5.9% target.
Factoring in the 3% Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) borrowing limit set by the 15th Finance Commission for 2024-25, ICRA expects the General Government deficit to dip to 8.3% of GDP next year, from 9.2% expected this year.
This would be the lowest level of the General Government deficit since 2019-2020, when it was 7.2% of GDP,” it said in a report on expectations from the Interim Budget to be presented on February 1.
Science
Ministry notifies revised rules to ensure quality of medicines (Page no. 22)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare late last week notified revised rules under Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.
The revision aims to ensure that the pharma sector recommits to the manufacture of safe, effective, and high-quality drugs in compliance with international quality standards, thus benefiting both patients and industry. This is a response to the backlash India has been receiving over reports of sub-standard medicine exports.
Last year, the country felt intense global scrutiny after the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an alert about cough syrups being contaminated with diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol.
These are considered toxic to humans and can prove fatal. The contamination was allegedly found in samples taken from a batch of cough syrup made by QP Pharmachem Ltd, based in Punjab. QP Pharmachem Ltd’s manufacturing licence was suspended after cough syrup, linked to child deaths in Gambia and Uzbekistan, were found to be contaminated. Other cases of alleged contamination have also been reported from cough syrups made in India.
The latest revision includes five new categories of drugs — pharmaceutical products containing hazardous substances such as sex hormones, steroids (anabolic and androgenic), cytotoxic substances, biological products and radiopharmaceuticals.
It also has additional sections including — introduction of a pharmaceutical quality system (PQS), quality risk management (QRM), product quality review (PQR), qualification and validation of equipment, and a computerised storage system for all drug products.