The Conservative Party in the United Kingdom was the victim of a Thursday night massacre as it lost a record 250 seats, with 11 cabinet members and a former prime minister losing their own seats, as the Keir Starmer-led Labour Party stormed to victory in a landslide reminiscent of Tony Blair’s 1997 triumph.

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🔆Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

✅It is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation aiming to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.
✅It was created in 2001.
✅The SCO Charter was signed in 2002, and entered into force in 2003.
✅The SCO's official languages are Russian and Chinese.
✅The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO.
✅Headquarters: Beijing, China
✅SCO has 8 Member States : China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India ,Iran and Pakistan;
✅It meets once a year and adopts decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organisation.
✅SCO Secretariat based in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent.
✅3 observer states: Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia.

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France India's steady partner in green growth

✅On July 14, 2023, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi elevated the 'Partnership for the Planet' as one of the three pillars of the Indo-French Horizon 2047 Roadmap, reflecting increased Indo-French cooperation on climate change, biodiversity, health, and environment.

✅Future bilateral initiatives between India and France are expected to focus on the Indo-Pacific dimension and innovation, including the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership and the creation of the Indo-French Year of Innovation in 2026 to showcase solutions blending social inclusion with sustainability.

#IR
#environment

✅The new government aims to scale up climate action, affecting every ministry and sector, and structuring India's economic path sustainably.

✅Key achievements include the establishment of global institutions like the International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and Global Biofuels Alliance.

✅India is moving towards an Indian emissions carbon trading scheme expected to operate for 30-40 years.

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#environment
#economy
#GS1
#GS2
#GS3

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Old traditions new ties

✅India is concerned about Russia's growing dependence on China and the implications for India-Russia dynamics

✅India has demonstrated a balanced diplomatic stance by engaging with both western and Russian blocs.

✅The visit underscores India's commitment to traditional ties with Russia and the nation's role in promoting dialogue and diplomacy.

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#security

🔆India will sign and rectify the High sea treaty

📍UN High Seas Treaty:

✅It is the first-ever treaty to protect the world's oceans that lie outside national boundaries.
✅It is also known as the ‘Paris Agreement for the Ocean.’
✅It is a legally binding treaty that aims at protecting, caring for, and ensuring the responsible use of the marine environment, maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems, and conserving the inherent value of marine biological diversity.
✅The treaty is built on the legacy of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is the last international agreement on ocean protection, signed 40 years ago in 1982. UNCLOS established an area called the high seas.

📍What are High Seas?

✅The high seas begin at the border of countries’ exclusive economic zones, which extend up to 370km (200 nautical miles) from coastlines.
✅Beyond that point, the seas are under the jurisdiction of no country.

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#prelims

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🔆Hannibal Directive:

✅It is a purported operational doctrine of using maximum force to ensure no soldiers are captured, even if it means sacrificing military and civilian lives, a media investigation has found.

✅It is also known as Hannibal Procedure and Hannibal Protocol.

✅The expression refers to a purported Israel Defence Forces (IDF) operational policy that aims to pre-empt politically painful prisoner swaps by immediately eliminating everyone in the vicinity of a captive Israeli soldier, even if it poses a risk to the soldier himself.

✅The full text of the purported doctrine has never been published, even though its existence has been an open secret that has long been discussed by soldiers and analysts.

✅It is believed that the policy was named after the Carthaginian general Hannibal, who apparently chose to kill himself when faced with the possibility of capture by the Romans in c. 181 BCE.

📍Origin of the doctrine

✅The Hannibal Doctrine was formulated as a response to the Jibril Agreement of 1985 in which 1,150 Palestinian prisoners were exchanged for three Israelis who had been seized in Lebanon by the Syria-based militant group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC).

✅Criticism: The Hannibal Doctrine has been criticised by legal experts for its disregard for human life.

#gs2
#ir
#prelims

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🔆Why Austria Matters

✅The Prime Minister of India paid an official visit to Austria, this was the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Austria in 41 years, marking the 75th year of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

How have India-Austria Relations been so Far?

✅Political Relations: Diplomatic relations established in 1949. 75th year of bilateral relations to be observed from Nov2023 - Nov2024.

✅India played a significant role in Austria's negotiations with the Soviet Union for independence in 1955.

✅Economic Cooperation: Austria, one of the richest countries in the European Union  is an important link for India in its relationship with Europe, especially with countries of central and Eastern Europe.

✅The Indo-Austrian Joint Economic Commission (JEC) established in 1983 provides a forum for bilateral interaction between the governmental Ministries and Chambers of Commerce and Industry. 

✅By 2022, bilateral trade reached USD 2.84 billion,

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BIMSTEC

✅The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a multilateral regional organisation that was established with the aim of accelerating shared growth and cooperation between littoral and adjacent countries in the Bay of Bengal region.
✅It was founded as BIST-EC, in 1997, with the adoption of the Bangkok Declaration, with Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand as members.
✅It became BIMST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation) with the entry of Myanmar in late 1997, and eventually, it was named in its current form, when Nepal and Bhutan became members in 2004.
✅It focuses on Trade & Investment (facilitating commerce and economic ties); Transport & Communication (enhancing connectivity across borders); Energy (collaborating on energy security and sustainability); Tourism (promoting cultural exchange and tourism); Technology (sharing knowledge and innovation); Fisheries & Agriculture (ensuring food security); Public Health (addressing health challenges together); Poverty Alleviation (lifting communities out of poverty); Counter-Terrorism & Transnational Crime (strengthening security); Environment & Disaster Management and Climate Change (protecting our planet); People-to-People Contact; and Cultural Cooperation.

🔆China slams US on Tibet dispute act

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#ir

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🔆How India Russia trade gap may threaten rupee internationalisation efforts

Why in news?

✅New Delhi aims to enhance bilateral trade with Moscow to $100 billion by 2030 to curb its rising oil import bill and reduce dependence on the US dollar.

✅However, since the Ukraine war in 2022, India-Russia trade dynamics have become skewed. Russia is now India’s top oil supplier, but Indian exports to Russia have lagged, leading to a $57 billion trade deficit out of a $66 billion bilateral trade in FY24.

✅While India has saved over $10 billion by importing cheaper Russian oil and benefited from exporting petroleum products made from Urals crude, the low exports to Russia have hindered India's goal to reduce dependence on the US dollar.

✅Continued unbalanced trade might compel India to use the Chinese yuan, undermining efforts to internationalize the rupee.

#gs3
#economy

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🔆Hannibal Directive:

✅It is a purported operational doctrine of using maximum force to ensure no soldiers are captured, even if it means sacrificing military and civilian lives, a media investigation has found.

✅It is also known as Hannibal Procedure and Hannibal Protocol.

✅The expression refers to a purported Israel Defence Forces (IDF) operational policy that aims to pre-empt politically painful prisoner swaps by immediately eliminating everyone in the vicinity of a captive Israeli soldier, even if it poses a risk to the soldier himself.

✅The full text of the purported doctrine has never been published, even though its existence has been an open secret that has long been discussed by soldiers and analysts.

✅It is believed that the policy was named after the Carthaginian general Hannibal, who apparently chose to kill himself when faced with the possibility of capture by the Romans in c. 181 BCE.

📍Origin of the doctrine

✅The Hannibal Doctrine was formulated as a response to the Jibril Agreement of 1985 in which 1,150 Palestinian prisoners were exchanged for three Israelis who had been seized in Lebanon by the Syria-based militant group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC).

✅Criticism: The Hannibal Doctrine has been criticised by legal experts for its disregard for human life.

#gs2
#ir
#prelims

@upsc_4_ir
@upsc_prep_squad

🔆Prime Minister of India and Nepal Must rebuild trust

#gs2
#ir

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