Final Magazine - February

Pakistan’s First Monthly E-Magazine for Civil Services Aspirants
Turkey Earthquake
Publishers
February 2023
Current Affairs
MCQs
Jan 2023
Human Rights Watch's

World Report 2023 Minks & Bird u
Role of Ruminants in Climate Change

Pakistan's Economic Crisis & 4RF
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CSS Times Earthquake Disaster 03
HSM
Publishers
A huge earthquake killed more than 3,700 century. The magnitude 7.4 catastrophe
people across a swathe of Turkey and created headlines worldwide. Tens of
northwest Syria on 6 February 2023. thousands dead. Some 250,000 homeless.
The magnitude 7.8 quake brought down And billions of dollars' worth of damage to
whole apartment blocks in Turkish cities and Turkey's industrial heartland.
piled more devastation on millions of Syrians Istanbul, a city of more than seven million
displaced by years of war. people about 50 miles (80 kilometers)
The earthquake was the biggest recorded northwest of the epicenter, was violently
worldwide by the U.S. Geological Survey since shaken.
a tremor in the remote South Atlantic in
What causes earthquakes in Turkey?
August 2021.
Turkey sits in an earthquake hot spot. Three
tectonic plates — the Arabian, Anatolian and
African plates — meet in this region, and as
they slide past and squeeze against each
other, they build up friction and stress that
gets released as earthquakes, according to
Yaareb Altaweel, a seismologist at the
National Earthquake Information Center in
Colorado.
The Arabian plate is plowing northward at a
rate of about 11 millimeters (just under a
half-inch) per year, said Stephen Hicks, a
seismologist at University College London.
Gölcük lies near the epicenter of one of the Turkey, which sits on the Anatolian plate, is
most punishing earthquakes of the past therefore being squeezed westward.
Monthly HSM CSS Times (E Magazine) |Feb 2023 | For Free Download: www.hsmpublishers.com
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Feb 2023
That movement means Turkey has two major o Past each other (a transform
faults where earthquakes originate: the 930- boundary)
mile-long North Anatolian fault and the more · The continuous motion of tectonic
than 300-mile-long East Anatolian fault. Many plates causes a steady build-up of
of Turkey's largest quakes originate on the pressure in the rock strata on both
northern fault, and it has gained the most
sides of a fault.
attention because of the potential for a major
· It gets released as waves of seismic
quake near the population center of Istanbul.
energy and propagate through the
ground and over its surface and causes
shaking as earthquakes.
What is an earthquake?
Types of energy waves
Fault - A fracture in the rocks that make
· P waves or primary waves – They are
up the Earth's crust
Epicenter - The point at the surface of the first waves to be detected.
the Earth above the focus · These are compressional waves that
Plates - Massive rocks that make up the push and pull as they move through
outer layer of the Earth's surface and rock and fluids.
whose movement along faults triggers
earthquakes
Seismic waves - Waves that transmit
the energy released by an earthquake
Focus (Hypocenter) - The point within
the Earth where an earthquake rupture
starts
Earthquakes
· Earthquakes are caused by a sudden
release of stress along faults in the
earth's crust.
· The Earth's crust consists of 7 large
lithospheric plates and numerous
smaller plates (tectonic plates) that
move · S waves or secondary waves - They
o Towards each other (a convergent are the next waves to be detected.
boundary) · These waves move only through
o Apart (a divergent boundary) or solids.
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Feb 2023
· They move up and down or side to
side, perpendicular to the direction in
which the wave is moving.
· Surface waves - It follow P and S
waves and travel along the surface of
the earth and thus cause the most
damage.
· Surface waves can be characterized as
o Love waves - Faster and move
the ground from side to side,
and
o Rayleigh waves - Roll like Earthquake prone zones
waves on the surface of oceans · The regions regularly exhibiting
and lakes earthquakes include the
o Circum-Pacific seismic belt -
along the rim of the Pacific
Ocean
o Alpide belt - along the
southern margin of Eurasia
through the Himalayan
Mountains, Sumatra, and Java
o Mid-Atlantic Ridge - along the
floor of the Atlantic Ocean
Types of Earthquake
· Tectonic - Earthquakes that
occur when the edges of the
tectonic plates slide against
each other in fault zones
· Volcanic - Earthquakes that
occur in conjunction with
volcanic activity
· Collapse - Smaller-scale
earthquakes that result from What scales of measurement are available?
Measuring the magnitude
the subterranean collapse of
caverns or mines Earthquakes are measured by their
magnitude, which is set up as a logarithmic
· Induced - Quakes caused by scale. That means that each whole number
human activity, like tunnel represents a tenfold increase in strength.
construction, filling reservoirs While there's technically no upper limit, the
and implementing most powerful quake on record is a 9.5-
magnitude one that struck Chile in May 1960.
geothermal or fracking
Based on this scale, a 7.8-magnitude quake is
(hydraulic fracturing) projects very powerful.
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· Earthquake magnitude is a measure Measuring the intensity
of the size or amplitude of the · The intensity is related to the tangible
seismic waves generated by an impact a quake has.
earthquake source. · Intensity scales, like the Modified
· Richter Scale (denoted as ML) - Mercalli Scale and the Rossi-Forel
Devised in 1935 by Charles Francis scale, measure the amount of shaking at
Richter, the Richter Scale is a a particular location.
logarithmic scale, where each step · The Modified Mercalli Scale ranks
represents a tenfold increase in earthquake intensity on a scale of I. (not
magnitude. felt) to XII. (extreme).
· Thus, an earthquake measuring 7 The maximum intensity of Turkey earthquake
on the Richter Scale has 10 times in Modified Mercalli Scale is IX. (Violent)
the magnitude of one measured 6.
· Moment Magnitude Scale
(denoted as Mw) – It is a
logarithmic scale which is related to
the total energy released in the
earthquake.
· This scale provides a more accurate
estimate of magnitude.
· They can even continue for days,

weeks, months, or even years for a
very large mainshock.
· Although aftershocks tend to be
weaker than the main seismic event,
they can cause significant damage.
· In Turkey, reports suggest that
significant damage that has
followed the original quake has
been a result of aftershocks.
What are aftershocks and why do they · Shallower quakes are generally felt
occur? as more intense than deeper
· Aftershocks are a sequence of quakes due to their proximity from
earthquakes that happen after a larger the surface.
mainshock on a fault. · The aftershock in Turkey was
· Aftershocks occur near the fault zone extremely shallow, only 10 km deep,
where the mainshock rupture
which worsens the shaking felt.
occurred.
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Feb 2023
What makes Turkey a hotbed of seismic

activity?
According to an estimate, almost 95% of the
country's land mass is prone to earthquakes,
while about a third of the country is at high
risk.
· Turkey is located on the Anatolian
tectonic plate, which is located
between the Eurasian and African
plates.
· On the north side, the minor Arabian
plate further restricts movement.
· The North Anatolian fault (NAF)
line, the meeting point of the Eurasian
and Anatolian tectonic plates is known
to be devastating.
· The East Anatolian fault line is the
tectonic boundary between the
Anatolian Plate and the northward-
moving Arabian Plate.
· The Aegean Sea Plate, located in the
eastern Mediterranean Sea is also a
source of seismic activity in the region.
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What makes this one catastrophic in
particular?
· Turkey - Turkey's President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said the earthquake
that hit the area around Gaziantep,
was the country's worst disaster since
Erzincan earthquake, 1939.
· The impact of the earthquake on the
lives of people is worrying.
are facing devastating winter storms that

make it difficult for humanitarian resources
to reach these areas.
What are past examples of notable quakes
in this region?
February 06, 2023 event is thought to be the
largest quake to occur anywhere in Turkey
since 1939, when a 7.8-magnitude
earthquake struck in the northeastern part of
the country. In March 1970, a destructive 7.1-
The Erzincan earthquake measured magnitude earthquake hit western Turkey,
7.8 on the Richter scale, occurred on killing more than 1,000 people and
the North Anatolian Fault Zone destroying more than 8,000 buildings.
(NAFZ), and created a 360-km-long And in August 1999, a devastating 7.4-
surface rupture. magnitude earthquake shook northwestern
It killed about 33,000 people and Turkey, causing more than 17,000 deaths and
displacing more than 250,000 people. It was
caused extreme damage in the
followed by another 7.2 earthquake a few
Erzincan Plain and the Kelkit River months later that killed more than 800
Valley. people. A 6.7-magnitude earthquake also
· Syria - The situation is terrible in Syria, struck eastern Turkey on Jan. 24, 2020.
where quake-related destruction has
taken hold of both government and
opposition-occupied regions as they Publishers
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CSS Times Pakistan Affairs 11
The International Conference on Climate Pakistan has long been considered one of the
Resilient Pakistan, co-hosted by the most vulnerable countries to climate change
Government of Pakistan and the United in the world. While Pakistan is one of the
Nations, took place on 9 January 2023. lowest contributors to climate change, it is
The Conference brought together one of the most impacted countries in the
th
Governments, leaders from the public and world. Pakistan ranked 8 among the top 10
private sectors and civil society to support the disaster vulnerable countries in the Global
people and the Government of Pakistan after Climate Risk Index in 2021 and was hit by
the devastating floods of 2022. It had two both heatwaves and devastating floods in
main objectives: 2022.
1. Present the Resilient Recovery,
Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction
Framework (4RF), which lays out a
multisectoral strategy for rehabilitation
and reconstruction in a climate-
resilient and inclusive manner
2. Secure international support and forge
long-term partnerships for building
Pakistan's climate resilience and
adaptation.
According to the latest report of the Post-

Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), Pakistan
needs at least $16.3 billion for post-flood
rehabilitation and reconstruction. The PDNA
report, released by the representatives of the
government and the international
development institutions, calculated the cost
of floods at $30.1 billion – $14.9 billion in
damages and $15.2 billion in losses.
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The 4RF generational impacts through reduced

The 4RF is a strategic policy document, developmental gains. The framework aims to
prepared in follow-up document to the be a foundation on which the country will
government- led Post Disaster Needs build and strengthen long-term resilience to
Assessment (PDNA) that was prepared with natural hazards and climate change.
the help of global institutions. It will form the Under this plan, Pakistan aimed to arrange 50
basis for the government's comprehensive percent of the $16 billion reconstruction
disaster recovery plans and is a critical expenditures itself, while for the remain
starting point to ensure that transformational amount, it asked for support from the
measures are taken for resilient recovery and international community in the rehabilitation
that the disaster will not have multi- and reconstruction process.
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Feb 2023
institutional weaknesses.
· While the Pakistan economy has been
doing badly for quite some time, the
floods of 2022 caused unprecedented
damage to the country with critical
infrastructure destroyed and millions
displaced.
Outcomes of the Conference

· Pakistan was able to raise
approximately $10 billion in the form
of pledges from states and
international financial institutions to
support its flood recovery efforts.
· The European Union expressed full
solidarity and support for the Pakistan
4RF program in line with its Global
Gateway strategy. What was the impact of Pakistan's 2022
· The conference marked the beginning floods?
of a structured process of support for · In 2019, Pakistan had come to an
Pakistan's recovery with broader long- agreement with the IMF about an EFF
term sustainable development in a worth $6 billion, which was later
resilient manner. increased to $7 billion.
· The participants affirmed their · To this precarious situation, the floods
assistance and support for the of 2022 brought unimaginable
immediate relief efforts for a resilient
economic damage that took Pakistan
recovery, rehabilitation, and
to the brink of disaster.
reconstruction of Pakistan. Breakup of
the pledges made by the countries, · Deemed to be a consequence of
monetary bodies, and the international climate change, the floods inflicted an
organisations: estimated loss of $3 billion on the
What is the crisis in Pakistan? country, and caused over 1,700 deaths.
· Pakistan's economy is in dire straits · The floods derailed any semblance of
with very high inflation, very low economic recovery, and Pakistan failed
foreign exchange reserves, and global to keep the promises it had made to
lenders like the International Monetary the IMF when the EFF was sanctioned.
Fund (IMF) refusing to disperse further · Thus, in November 2022, the IMF
funds. refused to release a pending payment
· This reflects the legacy of uneven and of $1.18 billion due to the
procyclical economic policies in recent government's unwillingness to meet
years aiming to boost growth, but at certain demands including assurances
the expense of rising vulnerabilities from Pakistan on
and lingering structural and
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1. increasing energy rates, o getting concessions from the
2. imposing more taxes, and IMF on the Extended Fund Facility (EFF)
3. artificial control over the established in 2019, and
exchange rate.. o getting help from friendly
nations in the form of long-
term loans or donations.
· Already, Pakistan has turned to friendly
countries and other international aid
for help.
· Help could potentially come from
China, Pakistan's “all-weather friend”.
· At the ICCRP meeting, Pakistan has
received funding pledges from US,
France, Saudi Arabia, China, and Japan,
with the Asian Development Bank and
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
What is the forex crunch that Pakistan is also promising help.
currently in? What is the situation of the people there?
· Currently, the country is in the midst of · As its leaders try to rally global
a severe cash crunch. support and assuage concerns
· Its foreign exchange reserves in the regarding Pakistan's capacity and
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is commitment to its international
depleting to $5.576 billion during the obligations, ordinary citizens have
week ended on Dec 30, 2022. been suffering.
· Along with another $5.8 billion held by · With massive spikes in prices of food
commercial banks, the forex reserves products and other essentials, Pakistan
are just about adequate to pay for 3 recorded an inflation rate of around
weeks of imports to the country. 24.5% in December.
· As Pakistan still reels from the effect of · This number was even higher in rural
the 2022 floods, servicing foreign debt Pakistan, close to 29%, according to
and paying for crucial commodities data from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
such as medicine, food, and energy are (PBS).
among its chief concerns. · Prices of perishable food items have
· According to data released by soared by nearly 56%.
Pakistan's central bank, the reserves · Wheat, a staple in the Pakistani diet,
are less than half of what they were a has seen prices increase by 57%.
year ago and at an 8-year low. · The nation could no longer sustain its
· However, Pakistan is scheduled to pay energy consumption. In a slew of
$8.3 billion to external lenders over the energy-conserving measures,
first three months of 2023. shopping centres were ordered to
· Without any relief, the country is set to close at 8 pm local time, and marriage
default on these payments. halls and restaurants by 10 pm.
What is the solution? · 20% of government employees have
· Currently, Pakistan sits on the verge of been asked to work from home.
economic collapse with its hopes
pinned on
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Feb 2023
Negotiations To Amend
The Indus Waters Treaty
Pakistan a notice to modify the treaty and
wanted to meet to start resolving the long-
running dispute within 90 days.
“Whatever small differences that may come
up, how they can be resolved without the
involvement of any third party since it is a
bilateral treaty. A third party should not be
required.”
India's recent pitch to “modify” and
“amend” the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty
India has asked Pakistan to change the Indus (IWT) without offering any specifics has
Waters Treaty by barring third parties from been viewed with immense concern by
intervening in disputes. New Delhi had served Islamabad. The Indus water is Pakistan's
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Feb 2023
lifeblood as 70% of rural Pakistan depends · India gets right of unrestricted use
on the Indus River and any drastic over the Eastern rivers while Pakistan is
unilateral changes by Delhi will escalate entitled to unrestricted use of the
tensions between India and Pakistan. Western rivers.
· India is under obligation to let flow the
western rivers unrestricted.
· However, since Indus flows from India,
the country is allowed to use 20% of
its water for irrigation, power
generation and transport purposes.
· Both Pakistan and India have the right
to non-consumptive use and rights
of drainage issues and river
conservation aspects.
· Dispute resolution - A Permanent
What is the Indus Waters Treaty? Indus Commission was set up as a
Under the IWT's status quo, Pakistan and bilateral commission to
India are each allotted control over 3 rivers, o Implement and manage the
the Western ones are under Pakistan`s control Treaty
and the Eastern ones are under India's o Solve disputes arising over
authority. Pakistan remains the lower riparian water sharing
state, meaning the more vulnerable of the
· Article 8 of the treaty, both sides are
two, rendering Pakistan's causes for concern
ever-more legitimate. To address this expected to meet at least once a year
vulnerability, the IWT, at present, allocates to discuss bilateral problems.
80% of the total Indus Basin River flows to · After the Uri terror attack in 2016,
Pakistan. Pakistan's major concern remains India had suspended routine bi-annual
how India flagrantly withholds water from talks between the Indus
canals that flow into Pakistan as it did in 1948. Commissioners of the two countries
India previously delayed Pakistan's building of stating that blood and water could
canal systems for the utilisation of Western not flow together.
rivers. · Withdrawal from the treaty - Experts
· Indus Waters Treaty - The Indus suggest that India can exercise the
Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 between
sovereign right of a state under Article
Pakistan and India.
64 of the Vienna Convention to
· It was brokered by the World Bank.
withdraw from any international treaty.
· The treaty administers how river Indus
and its tributaries that flow in both the
countries will be utilised.
· Rights of water usage - The treaty
divides the Indus system into two
segments:
o Eastern Rivers - Sutlej, Beas
and Ravi
o Western rivers - Indus, Chenab
and Jhelum
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Why has India sought to modify the constitute a Court of Arbitration

treaty now? whereas India sought for the
· India's notice - India has given a appointment of a Neutral Expert for
90-day notice to Islamabad for dispute redressal.
discussing, debating, interpreting · On the requests of both India and
and analysing the faultlines of water Pakistan, the World Bank decided to
diplomacy of both countries. appoint a Neutral Expert and a
· Construction of hydel projects - Chairman for the Court of
New Delhi accuses Pakistan's refusal Arbitration.
in implementing the treaty as it · Such parallel consideration of same
repeatedly raises objections to the issues is not provided in any
construction of hydel projects on provisions of the Treaty and it might
the Indian side. lead to the possibility of delivering
o Kishanganga (Neelam in contradictory rulings.
Pakistan) hydroelectric · Article XII (3) of the treaty says that
project (Jhelum) the provisions of this treaty may
o Ratle hydroelectric project from time to time be modified by a
(Chenab) duly ratified treaty concluded for
· Parallel adjudication - that purpose between the two
Pakistan had approached the Governments.
World Bank to
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Feb 2023
What is the dispute redressal mechanism
laid down under the Treaty? Indus Waters Treaty:
· The dispute redressal mechanism
provided under Article 9 of the IWT is
Political and Legal Dimensions
a graded, three level mechanism under By Ijaz Hussain
Commissioner, Neutral Expert and the
Court of Arbitration.
· Commissioner - Whenever India plans
to start a project, under the Indus Water
Treaty, it has to inform Pakistan that it is
planning to build a project.
· If Pakistan oppose it and ask for more
details, it has to be clarified between the
two sides at the level of the Indus
Commissioners.
· Neutral Expert - If it is not resolved,
then the question becomes a difference,
which has to be resolved by the Neutral
Expert.
· It is at this stage that the World Bank
comes into picture.
· Court of Arbitration - If it is not
resolved by the Neutral Expert or that
the issue needs an interpretation of the
Treaty, then that difference becomes a
dispute.
· It then goes to the Court of Arbitration.
Modi`s recent bravado over the Indus Water
Treaty is likely a pre-election sloganeering
stunt. If so, Modi, Mohan Bhagwat, Samant
Goel and Yogi Adityanath are increasingly
desperate for pre-elections, taking India down a
deleterious path. Their whole Sikkim-Ladakh Ijaz Hussain, former dean of Social
misadventure with China backfired and future Sciences and chairman of the
antics over the IWT could escalate Pakistan-
India tensions along the Line of Control. India International Relations Department,
now fears China and the Afghan Taliban, thus Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU),
the back-handed dealing between Taliban Islamabad, has accomplished a
Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob, Stanikzai monumental undertaking with the
and the Indians. India seeks a stumbling publication of Indus Waters Treaty:
Pakistan as a buffer and hedge with the Taliban. Political and Legal Dimensions. The
Pakistan's recent power outages and now a book is timely because although
strategically pre-meditated threat of water Pakistan and India signed the Indus
diversion intensify Pakistan's threat matrix. The Waters Treaty (IWT) in 1960, its
BJP, RSS and Research and Analysis Wing could operation is becoming increasingly
be planning water diversions and cyber hacking complex — a complexity that is only
of Pakistan's power grids to further destabilise added to by the continuing role of the
the country. Therefore, Pakistan must fully
prepare for multi-pronged hybrid warfare, both World Bank in the treaty's dispute
physical and virtual. settlement administration.
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Feb 2023
What lies ahead? 1. Which of the following countries are in

conflict with India on water sharing issue?
· Article XII (3) of the Treaty that India (a) Pakistan
has invoked is not a dispute (b) Bangladesh
redressal mechanism but a (c) Nepal
provision to amend the Treaty. (d) All of them ✓
2. Just after partition, when did India cut off
· An amendment or modification can Pakistan's water supply without notice thus
happen only through a duly creating drought like condition?
ratified Treaty concluded for that (a) February, 1948
purpose between the two (b) March, 1948
governments. (c) April 1948 ✓
(d) May, 1948
· As of now, it is not clear what 3. Indus Water Treaty is primarily a bilateral
happens if Pakistan does not treaty with the World Bank being
respond to India's notice within the (a) Guarantor
90-day period. (b) Signatory ✓
(c) Witness
· India has not spelled out exactly (d) None of them
what it wants modified in the Treaty. 4. On which river Baghliar Dam is being
constructed by Indians, violating the Indus
· But over the last few years, India
Water Treaty?
uses the Indus Waters Treaty as a (a) Jhelum
strategic tool as it has a natural (b) Sutluj
advantage of being the upper (c) Chenab ✓
riparian state (d) Ravi
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CSS Times World Reports 23
Devastating floods that affected one-third of
the country had the greatest impact on the
poor, who were already reeling from a
deepening economic crisis with skyrocketing
food and fuel prices.
About India, the Human Rights Watch in its

World Report 2023 said that Indian
authorities had “intensified and
broadened” their crackdown on activist
groups and the media throughout year 2022.
It also claimed that the current Indian ruling
party (BJP) used abusive and discriminatory
policies to repress minorities.
What are Human Rights?
Human Rights Watch's

World Report
2023
· Human Rights are rights inherent to all
The Human Rights Watch in its World human beings, regardless of race, sex,
Report 2023 (33rd edition) said that nationality, ethnicity, language,
Pakistani authorities intensified their religion, or any other status.
clampdown on media, civil society groups, · These include the right to life and
and opposition activists in 2022, while failing liberty, freedom from slavery and
to protect the rights of minorities and other torture, freedom of opinion and
at-risk groups, Human Rights Watch said in expression, the right to work and
its World Report 2023. education, and many more.
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Feb 2023
What are the World Report 2023's
Findings about Pakistan?
Pakistani authorities harassed and at times
prosecuted human rights defenders and
journalists for criticizing government policies.
Violent attacks on members of the media
increased. The authorities used blasphemy
accusations and an overbroad, colonial-era
sedition law against political opponents and
journalists.
·The National Human Right
Commission (NHRC) of Pakistan
defines Human Rights as Human
rights are rights inherent to all
human beings, regardless of race,
sex, nationality, ethnicity,
language, religion, or any other
status.
What is the Human Rights Watch?
1. Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an
The floods in Pakistan in 2022 killed over
international non-governmental
1,500 people, displaced more than 33 million,
organisation founded in 1978 as
and caused billions of dollars in damage to
“Helsinki Watch,” initially aimed at homes and critical infrastructure. Pakistan is
investigating rights abuses in among the countries most vulnerable to
countries that signed the Helsinki climate change. It faces rates of warming
Accords. considerably above the global average and is
2. Currently, its ambit has expanded to projected to experience more extreme rainfall
about 100 countries worldwide. that could increase the risk of further
3. It is headquartered in New York flooding. The Pakistani government sought
City. global assistance and with other countries
4. Helsinki Accords (1975) was a major successfully urged governments in the Global
diplomatic agreement signed in North to agree to create a compensation
Helsinki, Finland, at the conclusion fund at the climate summit COP27. But it did
not sufficiently prepare and take remedial
of the first Conference on Security
measures to address its own underlying
and Co-operation in Europe (now vulnerabilities.
Organization for Security and Co-
operation in Europe).
5. Primarily an effort to reduce tension
between the Soviet and Western
blocs, they were signed by all the
countries of Europe, the US and
Canada.
6. The agreement made the 35
signatory nations pledge to respect
human rights and fundamental
freedoms.
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Terrorism, Counterterrorism and Law
Enforcement Abuses
Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda,
Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and their
affiliates claimed responsibility for carrying
out suicide bombings and other attacks
against security personnel and civilians that
caused hundreds of deaths and injuries
during the year.
Pakistan law enforcement agencies were
responsible for grave human rights violations,
including detention without charge and
extrajudicial killings. Pakistan failed to enact a
law criminalizing torture, despite Pakistan's
international obligation to do so as a party to
the Convention against Torture.
Pakistan has more than 3831 prisoners on
death row, one of the world's largest
populations facing execution. At least 516
Abuses against Women and Girls
individuals have been executed since Pakistan
Violence against women and girls—including
lifted the moratorium on the death penalty in
rape, murder, acid attacks, domestic violence,
December 2014. Those on death row are
and forced and child marriage—remained
often from the most marginalized sections of
widespread. Human rights defenders estimate
society.
that roughly 1,000 women are killed in so-
In June, Islamabad High Court in a landmark
called honor killings every year.
decision held that, “When there is sufficient
The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, estimates
evidence to conclude that it is, prima facie, a
that 18.9 million girls in Pakistan marry before
case of enforced disappearance then it
the age of 18, and 4.6 million before 15.
becomes an obligation of the State and all its
Married girls are often forced into dangerous
organs to trace the disappeared citizen.”
pregnancies at a young age and pregnancies
However, the government failed to take any
that are too closely spaced. Women from
significant measures to implement the
religious minority communities remain
decision.
particularly vulnerable to forced marriage.
The government did little to stop child and
forced marriages.
In January, Pakistan appointed Justice Ayesha
Malik, the first ever female Supreme Court
judge.
In January, Pakistan's parliament passed a bill
strengthening protections for women in the
workplace against violence and harassment.
The law expanded the definition of the
workplace to encompass both formal and
informal workplaces, bringing it closer to the
definition set out in the 2019 International
Labour Organization (ILO) Violence and
Harassment Convention (C190), which
Pakistan has not ratified.
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CSS Times International Relations 27
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Feb 2023
CSS Times Economy 28
Paris Club
The Paris Club, an informal group of creditor nations, will provide
financial assurances to the International Monetary Fund on Sri Lanka's
debt.
About the economic crisis in Sri Lanka:
The current economic crisis in Sri Lanka is a result of a combination of
factors, including high levels of government debt, a large trade deficit,
weak foreign exchange reserves, and declining economic growth.
What is the Paris Club?
The Paris Club (est. 1956, HQ: Paris (France)) is a group of officials
from major creditor countries whose role is to find coordinated and
sustainable solutions to the payment difficulties experienced by debtor
countries
· Objective: To find sustainable debt-relief solutions for countries
that are unable to repay their bilateral loans.
· Members: 22 permanent members (all are a member of the
OECD)
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CSS Times International Trade 29
The World Economic Forum's annual meeting What about the World Economic Forum
2023 in the Davos, Switzerland was the (WEF)?
largest in history, convening a record number · WEF - The World Economic Forum
of leaders from governments, businesses, and (WEF) is a non-governmental and non-
civil society. profit organisation based in Geneva,
· The impacts from Russia's invasion of Switzerland.
Ukraine have rippled out across the · WEF is known for its annual summit in
world. Davos, Switzerland.
· The theme of the World Economic · Objective - The forum strives to
Forum's 2023 Annual Meeting was demonstrate entrepreneurship in the
“Cooperation in a Fragmented global public interest while upholding
World”. the highest standards of governance.
· Nearly 50 heads of state and · Founder Chairperson - Economist
government came together with Klaus Schwab founded the WEF in
business and society leaders to discuss 1971 and has been its chairperson
solutions to the most pressing since then.
· WEF Partners - The WEF is largely
problems.
funded by its partnering corporations.
· Annual summit - WEF is known for its
annual summit in Davos, Switzerland.
· The theme of this year was
'Cooperation in a Fragmented World'.
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Feb 2023
Major reports published by WEF UN Resolutions Nothing
· Global Competitiveness Report
· Global IT Report But Papers When It Comes
· Global Gender Gap Report To Kashmir Issue: Bilawal
· Global Energy Transition Index
· Global Risk Report
· Global Travel and Tourism Report
What are the key takeaways from the
WEF's 2023 meeting?
· Economy - Major economies such as
the US, the European Union (EU) and
China are seemingly beyond the risk of
a recession now.
· As the richer nations look to focus
inwards, protecting their own workers, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto
energy sufficiency, supply lines, etc., Zardari while sharing his views on
concerns were raised that this policy the Russia-Ukraine conflict said that
the UN resolutions “are nothing
direction would hit developing
more than papers when it comes to
economies. India-Illegally Occupied Jammu and
· A warning has been issued on Kashmir”.
friendshoring (limiting the trade of “The institutional framework had been
key inputs to trusted countries in order undermined. What we would like to
to reduce the supply chain risks). see is a more normative functioning to
· Ukraine - Ukraine kept up its demand solve issues,” the foreign minister said
for more military aid to fight its war during a dialogue session at World
against Russia and more financial aid Economic Forum in Davos, adding that
to rebuild after the war. it was not the Ukraine conflict in which
· Climate - The World Economic Forum, UNSC resolutions were violated.
The foreign minister said that the
supported by more than 45 partners
world was facing other challenges
launched the Giving to Amplify Earth
including climate change. “World
Action (GAEA). needs to work jointly to deal with the
· It is a global initiative to fund public, challenges as no one can deal with the
private and philanthropic partnerships challenges on their own,” he added.
(PPPPs) to help unlock the 3 trillion The foreign minister added that the
dollar of financing needed each year to prevailing disputes which have
reach net zero, reverse nature loss and endangered the world would have
restore biodiversity by 2050. been resolved amicably if the
· Pakistan brought up the issue of a loss international institutions under the UN
and damage fund for the developing framework begin working according to
countries. the needs of the current era.
Loss and Damage (L&D) Fund “We should return to normative
functioning of international institutions
· is a financing mechanism that was
for the resolution of disputes and
agreed in COP27 of UNFCCC to other challenges including climate
compensate the most vulnerable change being faced by the global
countries from climate-linked disasters. community,” Bilawal said.
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“I hope this time around, once we're
building this new world order or new rules
based order, the voice of the global south
and the developing world is included,”
said Bilawal.
Bilawal used the phrase - which has long
featured in the vocabulary of conspiracy
theorists - on Friday during a panel
entitled "A New Helsinki," in reference to
the Helsinki Final Act of 1975.
That was a major diplomatic agreement

signed during the détente era between 35
countries that agreed on issues including
World Economic Forum's Agenda is to
sovereign equality, peaceful settlement of
Create a “New World Order”
disputes and territorial integrity.
Bilawal Bhutto, Pakistan's Minister of
During his remarks, Bilawal said "there's a
Foreign Affairs, openly admitted the WEF's
plan is to creat a “new world order.” lot of discussion about what the new
“Here at WEF…there's a lot of discussion world order will be or how, even in the
about what the new world order will context of a 'new Helsinki'...how do we
be…how do we work towards that new work towards that new normative
normative international order that allows international order that allows us to
us to address our differences and disputes address our differences and disputes as
as the civilized world,” said Bilawal. the civilized world."
“I believe that at the moment we are in
such a hyper partisan, hyper polarized
time that we're not going to be able to
form that new Helsinki today, but going
forward…we must form and improve our
normative and international institutional
order internationally so that we can
address these complaints,” he added.
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Switzerland has become the first WTO member to formally submit its acceptance of the WTO's
new Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, paving the way for the historic agreement for ocean
sustainability to enter into force.
· Acceptance of 2/3rd of WTO members is needed for the agreement to come into effect
· The Agreement was adopted at WTO's conference in Geneva (2022)
· It is the 1st WTO agreement (for the environment) and the 2nd agreement reached at
WTO since its inception.
What will Fisheries subsidies do?
· It will prohibit subsidies from being provided for Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated
(IUU) fishing, fishing in high seas and overfished stocks.
· Transition Period Allowance: Developing Countries and Least Developed Countries
(LDCs) have been allowed a transition period of two yearsfrom the date of entry into force
of this Agreement.
· Fund for developing and least-developed countries: For technical assistance and
capacity building
· Exempted Areas:
o No prohibition if the WTO Member is not carrying out IUU.
o No prohibition on providing subsidies if subsidies are implemented to rebuild the
stock to a biologically sustainable level.
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CSS Times World Population 34
Population Decline in China

China's birth rate last year was just 6.77 births
per 1,000 people, down from a rate of 7.52
births in 2021 and marking the lowest birth
rate on record.
The number of Chinese women of
childbearing age, which the government
defines as aged 25 to 35, fell by about 4
million, Kang said.
The death rate, the highest since 1974 during
the Cultural Revolution, was 7.37 deaths per
1,000 people, which compares with a rate of
7.18 deaths in 2021.
For the first time in six decades, China's

population shrank last year, as deaths
outnumbered births.
The country had 1.41175 billion people at the
end of 2022, according to figures released by
the National Bureau of Statistics, a drop of
850,000.
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What is the recent trend about? How has the Chinese government
By the end of the century, the Chinese responded to the population crisis?
population is expected to shrink by 45%, · Scrapping of one-child policy -
according to the United Nations. Beijing finally abandoned the one-
· Throughout much of recorded human child policy in 2016 and introduced
history, China has boasted the largest the two-child policy.
population in the world. · Introduction of two-child policy -
· The country has witnessed a However, it failed to elicit the desired
population decline, the first decline response which is attributed to high
since 1961 when the country was amid costs of healthcare and education.
a four-year famine following the failed · Introduction of three-child policy -
'Great Leap Forward' campaign. In 2021, a three-child policy was
· For the first time in six decades, deaths rolled out including financial
in the previous year outnumbered inducements for families with three
births. children.
· The fertility rate (average number of · It has pledged to address the
children born to women) is at 1.3, economic factors such as healthcare
meaning that population shrinkage is costs and education expenses, by
inevitable without immigration. cracking down on expensive private
· By 2040, around a quarter of the education companies.
Chinese population is predicted to be According to the UN's latest mid-range
over the age of 65. demographic projections for
· Reasons for this trend - The “one- Pakistan, the country's
child policy” introduced harsh population—currently about 232
measures such as forced abortions and million—will rise to 335 million by
high financial penalties. 2050. This explosive increase,
· There is a growing preference among however, represents the best-case
young Chinese for getting married scenario: Should fertility rates remain
later and choosing to have fewer or no constant, the UN estimates this figure
children. could approach 460 million. Such
soaring population growth, coupled
with youthful demographics, a dismal
education system, high
unemployment, and a troubled
economy, pose great risks for
Pakistan. Predictably, many observers
depict Pakistan's population situation
as a ticking time bomb.
The current population of Pakistan is
232,012,915 as of Monday, February 6,
2023, based on Worldometer elaboration of
the latest United Nations data. Pakistan
2020 population is estimated at
220,892,340 people at mid year according
to UN data.
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Feb 2023
reporting regular calls from their local
government asking when they can expect
a pregnancy.
China's stringent zero-COVID policies that
were in place for three years have caused
further damage to the country's
demographic outlook, population experts
have said.
Local governments have since 2021 rolled
out measures to encourage people to
ONE-CHILD POLICY IMPACT
have more babies, including tax
Much of the demographic downturn is the
result of China's one-child policy imposed deductions, longer maternity leave and
between 1980 and 2015 as well as sky- housing subsidies. President Xi Jinping
high education costs that have put many also said in October the government
Chinese off having more than one child or would enact further supportive policies.
even having any at all. The measures so far, however, have done
The one-child policy and a traditional little to arrest the long-term trend.
preference for boys have also created a
Online searches for baby strollers on
deep gender imbalance. The latest data
China's Baidu search engine dropped 17%
shows China with around 722 million
males compared to 690 million females. in 2022 and are down 41% since 2018,
The imbalance, which is more pronounced while searches for baby bottles are down
in rural areas, has led to fewer families more than a third since 2018. In contrast,
being formed in recent years. searches for elderly care homes surged
The data was the top trending topic on eight-fold last year.
Chinese social media after the figures The reverse is playing out in India, where
were released on Tuesday. One
Google Trends shows a 15% year-on-year
hashtag,"#Is it really important to have
offspring?" had hundreds of millions of increase in searches for baby bottles in
hits. 2022, while searches for cribs rose almost
"The fundamental reason why women do five-fold.
not want to have children lies not in
themselves, but in the failure of society
and men to take up the responsibility of
raising children. For women who give
birth this leads to a serious decline in their
quality of life and spiritual life," posted
one netizen with the username Joyful
Ned.
Chinese netizens have also previously
complained about pressure on newlyweds
to have offspring as soon as possible,
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What will be the impact of shrinking social support as a result of extended life
population on China? expectancy.
On Economy · For children - It will also impose
· Labour availability - There will be fewer constraints on those children
workers able to feed the economy and themselves, who will need to fulfill
spur further economic growth. obligations to their career, provide for
· Shift in manufacturing base - With their own children and support their
wages rising, many factories in the lower
elderly parents simultaneously.
end of the manufacturing spectrum are
· Pension systems - The social pension
already moving out to Southeast Asia
and Bangladesh. systems in China are highly segmented
· Aged population - According to China's and unequally distributed.
National Working Commission on On Politics
Ageing, healthcare spending on the · Status - Failure to live up to the
above-60 population will rise to 26% of expectations of the public could result in
the GDP by 2050. loss of prestige for the government.
On Society · Legitimacy of Communist Party - Any
· For aged population - The large economic decline could have severe
number of aging parents with only one consequences for the Chinese
child to rely on will need emotional and Communist Party.
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CSS Times International Relations 41
The Saga of A 'SPY' Balloon In US Airspace

The US shot down a Chinese 'spy' balloon, days after the surveillance
device was first spotted over American airspace.
What are spy balloons?
· Spy balloons are high-altitude surveillance tools that usually
operate at 80,000-120,000 feet – well above the cruising altitude
of commercial aircraft – to gather intelligence and carry out
other military missions.
· During the cold war, the U.S. military used high-altitude
balloons (Project Genetrix, Project Mogul) to spy on the
Soviet Union.
· Economically viable unlike satellites
· Due to their proximity to Earth's surface, they can take high-
resolution images of the target.
· Disadvantage: Not directly steered, but roughly guided.
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CSS Times Environment 42
European Union Unveils its

'Green Deal Industrial Plan'
To support and expand its green industry, the European Union revealed the “Green
Deal Industrial Plan” that aims to cut red tape and provide massive subsidies.
What is the 'Green Deal Industrial Plan'?
The proposal involves building a simpler regulatory framework, providing faster
access to funds, enhancing skills, and improving the EU's trade network.
· Simpler regulatory framework: The plan seeks to formulate a “Net-Zero
Industry Act”, which will not only simplify rules but also speed up the issuance of
permits for green projects, such as renewable energy generation arrays, carbon capture,
and renewable hydrogen production facilities.
o It also includes a “Critical Raw Materials Act”, which will provide access to
materials like rare earth that are crucial for developing net-zero
· Providing faster access to funds: According to the proposal, state aid rules will
be loosened in order to help the EU's 27 governments with investing in clean
energy projects.
o There is also a provision for setting up a “European Sovereignty Fund” in
the future to “give a structural answer to the investment needs”.
· Enhancing skills: The plan aims to establish “Net-Zero Industry Academies”
that will provide up-skilling and re-skilling programmes in strategic industries.
· Improving the trade network: The plan underlines the importance of open
trade and seeks to further “develop the EU's network of Free Trade
Agreements and other forms of cooperation with partners to support the
green transition.”
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Fukushima
Wastewater Problem
Japan is expected to start flushing 1.25 Following a major earthquake, a 15-metre
million tonnes of wastewater from the tsunami disabled the power supply and
embattled Fukushima nuclear power plant cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi
reactors, causing a nuclear accident
into the Pacific Ocean this year, as part of a beginning on 11 March 2011. All three cores
$76-billion project to decommission the largely melted in the first three days.
facility.
The decision comes more than two years
after the government approved the release of
the water, which will be treated to remove
most radioactive materials but will still
contain tritium, a naturally occurring
radioactive form of hydrogen that is
technically difficult to separate from water.
Japanese officials insist the “treated” water
will not pose a threat to human health or the
marine environment, but the plans face
opposition from fishermen who say it risks Japan's neighbors share the concerns. “There
destroying their livelihoods, almost 12 years should be no discharge until all parties verify
after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake triggered a through scientific means that [it] is safe,”
huge tsunami that killed more than 18,000 Henry Puna, secretary general of the Pacific
people along Japan's north-east coast. Islands Forum, a group of 16 countries, said
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at a recent seminar. The U.S. National · The water will be treated and
Association of Marine Laboratories also diluted so radiation levels are below
opposes the plans, citing “a lack of adequate those set for drinking water.
and accurate scientific data supporting
Japan's assertion of safety.” What are the concerns with this
What is the issue about? move?
· Reactor buildings at the Fukushima · No threshold level - There is no
power plant (Japan) were damaged by known threshold below which
hydrogen explosions caused by an radiation can be considered safe.
earthquake and tsunami in 2011. · Health impacts - Any discharge of
· More than a million tonnes of water radioactive materials will increase
have been used to cool the melted the risk of cancer and other known
reactors. health impacts to those who are
· Currently, the radioactive water is exposed.
treated in a complex filtration process · Effect on marine resource -
that removes most of the radioactive
Experts expect the affected water to
elements, but some remain, including
poison the fish.
tritium - deemed harmful to humans
only in very large doses.
o South Korea banned
· The plant's operator Tokyo Electric seafood imported from
Power Co (TepCo) is running out of around Fukushima from
space, with these tanks expected to fill 2013.
up by 2022. · Presence of radionuclides - TEPCO
· Japan has approved a plan to release hasn't removed tritium from the
the contaminated water from the water. Tritium is easily absorbed by
damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the bodies of living creatures and
the Pacific Ocean. rapidly distributed via blood.
· In 2018, it was reported that there
were other radionuclides including
isotopes of ruthenium and
plutonium in the treated water that
could persist for longer in the
marine creatures and on the
seafloor.
· Reputation - Ultimately, Japan is
also concerned about its reputation.
· In Japan, the nuclear accidents
reduced nuclear power's contribution
to electricity generation from 30%
before 2011 to 5% in 2022. But the
government has articulated plans to
restart older reactors and build new
ones to cut the increasing fossil fuels
cost.
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Quick facts What options do Japan have in
The International Atomic managing the waste water?
Energy Agency (IAEA) · Longer storage - The Japanese
government can store the water
for longer and then discharge it
as tritium's half-life (time it takes
for its quantity to be halved
through radioactive decay) is 12-
13 years.
· The quantity of any other
radioactive isotopes present in
the water will also decrease in
this time so that the water could
be less radioactive at the time of
discharge.
· Tanks in uninhabitable land -
The tanks to hold the water can
be situated in the land around
· It is the world's central the Fukushima facility which was
intergovernmental forum declared to be uninhabitable by
for scientific and technical the Japanese government.
co-operation in the nuclear · Discharge into the sea – In
field. 2020, International Atomic
· The Agency was set up as Energy Agency (IAEA) officials
the world's “Atoms for said the discharge would be
Peace” organization within technically feasible and would
the United Nations family. allow the timeline objective to be
· In 1957, the delegates to achieved.
the First General
Conference decided to
establish the IAEA's
headquarters in Vienna,
Austria.
· It is not a specialised
organisation of United
Nations, however, it reports
to the UN general
assembly and Security
Council.
· Pakistan became a
member of IAEA in 1957..
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CSS Times Astronomy 48
'Green Comet' Appearing close
to Earth after 50,000 years
A green comet is estimated to come closest to Earth, termed the C/2022 E3

(ZTF), the comet was named to refer to those who first spotted it – astronomers
using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) in
the US.
The Green Comet:
· Orbits sun in 50,000 years
· The comet comes from the Oort cloud
· It gets its beautiful green glow from diatomic carbon (pairs of carbon
atoms that are bound together) that is present in the comet's head.
· When the ultraviolet rays of solar radiation fall on the comet, these
molecules emit green light.
· Comet C/2022 E3 is visible in the northern hemisphere and as the sky
gets darkens in the evening, it can be seen below and left to the Plough
constellation handle.
· About comets:
· Comets are frozen rocky or gas-filled objects that are remnants of the
formation of the solar system.
· Due to their composition, characteristics, and the path they move in, they
tend to leave a light “behind them”.
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CSS Times Space & Astronomy 49
Astronomers have discovered 12 new moons around Jupiter, putting the total count at a
record-breaking 92.
· Jupiter and Saturn are loaded with small moons, believed to be fragments of once bigger
moons that collided with one another or with comets or asteroids. The same goes for
Uranus and Neptune, but they're so distant that it makes moon-spotting even harder.
· Uranus has 27 confirmed moons, Neptune 14, Mars two, and Earth one. Venus and Mercury
come up empty.
· Jupiter's newly discovered moons have yet to be named.
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CSS Times International Law 51
Crisis in International Law

In an influential essay written more than What is the issue?
two decades ago, Professor Hilary · While the United Nations Charter has
Charlesworth, who is now a judge at the succeeded in ensuring that the world
International Court of Justice, described doesn't fight another world war, it has
international law as “a discipline of crisis”. failed in stopping inter-state wars.
Not much has changed since then. Just · It is said that year 2023 is going to
further test the limits of international
when the world was recovering from the
law, not just because of Russia's
pain induced by COVID-19, Russia's
ongoing illegal war, but also due to
invasion of Ukraine last year once again other factors that will play out in the
highlighted the 'crisis' dimension of next 12 months and beyond.
international law. One of the underlying
bases of the post-world war international
legal order has been to explicitly outlaw war
through the adoption of the United Nations
(UN) Charter. While the UN Charter has
succeeded in ensuring that the world does
not fight another world war, it has failed in
stopping inter-state wars.
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What is the problem with the international the major powers.
law? · However, even during this period, the
· In an essay written more than two North Atlantic Treaty Organization
decades ago, Professor Hilary bombed Kosovo and the Western
Charlesworth (a judge at the forces invaded Iraq in complete
International Court of Justice) disregard to the U.N. Charter.
described international law as “a What was the 'relative harmony' phase
discipline of crisis”. like?
· Not much has changed since then. Just · The 'relative harmony' phase saw
when the world was recovering from o spread of democracy,
the pain induced by COVID-19, o greater acceptance of universal
Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year human rights, and
once again highlighted the 'crisis' o a global consensus for
dimension of international law. maintaining international rule of
· One of the underlying bases of the law with multilateral institutions
post-world war international legal and independent international
order has been to explicitly outlaw war courts acting as referees.
through the adoption of the United · However, these universal values are
Nations Charter. under threat as we have entered a
· While the U.N. Charter has succeeded multipolar world involving the
in ensuring that the world doesn't fight securitisation of international law.
another world war, it has failed in What is the new ground reality?
stopping inter-state wars. · Today international law faces a new
ground reality
o the dwindling of the 'liberal'
and 'capitalist' West and
o the rise of an 'autocratic' China
and 'expansionist' Russia.
· The meteoric rise of China means that
Beijing is now flexing its muscles,
including by weaponising international
law.
· The Westphalian notion of international
law that championed international rule
of law and territorial integrity of states
What is the geo-economic challenge? is now pitted against Chinese and
· The post-World-War-II world was a Russian versions that game
bipolar one with power competition international law for national interests.
between a 'capitalist' America and a · Under the Chinese and Russian
'communist' Soviet Union. versions, the territorial integrity of
· The end of the Cold War led to the nations and the sovereignty of states
disintegration of the Soviet Union and doesn't quite matter.
the collapse of communism. · As this clash between different visions
· This 'unipolar' moment gave a leg-up of international law sharpens in 2023,
to multilateralism and led to three it will push international law into a
decades of “relative harmony” among deeper crisis.
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What is the populist challenge?
· International law in 2023 will continue
to face challenges from populist and
ethno-nationalist regimes in several
countries.
· Although the leaders of U.S. and Brazil
who supported populist ideas have
demitted office, these ideas are still
found in countries such as Hungary,
Turkey, Poland, and Israel.
· Populists attack the legitimacy of
What is the international economic international law and refer to it as
lawlessness? foreign law, which is inimical to their
· An important fallout of the rise of the national interests.
geo-economic order is the · In the populist scheme of things,
concomitant spread of economic international law is often reduced to a
protectionism. mere law of coordination which is
· The rise of China has set the cat o not aimed at international
among the pigeons in the U.S., which cooperation to develop and
is desperate to ensure its continued espouse common global values,
hegemony. but
· The U.S. is fast backtracking on the o aimed at ensuring a minimal
neoliberal consensus of relationship between countries
interdependence and non- with common ideational
discrimination in international moorings.
economic law that it laboriously built · Populists also attack international
in the last three decades. institutions and international courts for
· For example, the U.S. has vehemently thwarting them from pursuing the
rejected the recent World Trade interests of the 'pure' people they
Organization (WTO) panel reports that claim to represent.
held the U.S.'s protectionist industrial · They enact domestic laws to protect
policies masquerading as national the ethnic identity of the 'pure' people
security objectives illegal. even if these laws undermine
· All these challenges are only going to international law.
become ominous in 2023 leading to · Scholars characterise the crisis in
greater lawlessness in the world international law in different ways.
economy. Regardless of the characterisation, the
fact remains that the liberal
international legal order is under
attack from many sides.
There is a need that the international
community, in 2023, fight back against the
relentless assaults posed by securitisation,
populism, and protectionism on core universal
values that international law enshrines.
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Feb 2023
CSS Times Health & Diseases 56
Minks and Bird u

Bird flu, a virus not known to spread easily jump into mammals quite often, directly
among mammals, led to the culling of 50,000 from infected birds, through the
minks in Spain in October, 2022 when several consumption of bird droppings or
dead mink were discovered on a farm in preying on infected animals.
Galicia in northwestern Spain. Veterinarians
· To know more about classification of
initially blamed the coronavirus. But —tests
revealed that the highly pathogenic avian flu influenza.
virus H5N1 was the culprit. · But mammal-to-mammal
To stop the spread of the dangerous transmission was uncharacteristic of
pathogen, more than 50,000 mink on the the virus until now.
farm were killed. · There was a surge in mortality of
While farm workers themselves were not
infected, the case remains a cause of concern minks (a small carnivorous mammal)
for scientists. in Spain due to H5N1 virus.
· Avian influenza or bird flu refers to the · The findings published indicated that
disease caused by infection with avian (bird) mammal-to-mammal infection is
influenza (flu) Type A viruses.
made easier by at least one mutation
· These viruses naturally spread among
wild aquatic birds worldwide and can in the virus' genome.
infect domestic poultry and other bird · In 2009, swine-origin influenza A
and animal species. (H1N1) virus created a pandemic
· Transmission - Bird flu is known to which is also known as ''Swine flu.
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Feb 2023
CSS Times Health & Diseases 57
trade and marketing systems ... via
contaminated poultry, poultry products and
inanimate objects," according to the UN's
bird flu task force.
The highly contagious H5N1 and H5N8 virus
strains were in turn transmitted to wild birds
via infected farmed birds, explained virologist
Timm Harder. The viruses could then be
transmitted over great distances during bird
Concerns - There is a growing outbreak in migrations.
avian influenzas across the word.
The study indicates the virus H5N1 is
evolving and may be gaining pandemic
potential as its mutation is the same
mutation of H1N1 virus.
Minks could serve as a potential vector for
interspecies transmission among birds,
mammals and humans.
The threat of the evolving H5N1 virus to
humans remains unknown for now. How much damage has the bird flu
How a harmless virus became dangerous outbreak caused?
Waterfowl have long played host to The ongoing avian flu outbreak is considered
influenza viruses, but these early strains the largest observed in Europe to date,
were low in pathogenicity, said Wolfgang according to the European Food Safety
Fiedler, an ornithologist at the Max Planck Authority, an EU agency.
Institute of Animal Behavior. The viruses Between October 2021 and September 2022,
50 million farm birds had to be culled in 37
weren't too contagious or damaging.
countries.
But when these viruses that were harmless
More than 3,800 highly pathogenic bird flu
to wild birds spread to factory poultry farms cases were counted in wild birds. Experts
— where thousands of animals were believe the number of unreported cases is
crammed tight — the disease spread probably much higher.
rapidly and the virus could mutate, Fiedler Until recently, bird flu mainly occurred in fall
explained. and winter.
The result was the highly contagious virus Despite the acute outbreak among birds,
strains H5N1 and H5N8, which likely Harder sees one ray of hope in that the broad
originated on poultry farms in East Asia, spread of the virus could promote immunity
according to the Scientific Task Force on in wild birds. Antibodies have already been
Avian Influenza and Wild Birds established found in live animals.
by the UN. Could avian influenza trigger a human
pandemic?
Farmed ducks likely become infected from Of the 868 known cases of H5N1 infection in
wild birds. Ducks are "kept together with humans worldwide between January 2003 and
pigs, for example," which aided the November 2022, 457 were fatal, according to
mutation process, noted Fiedler. Such the WHO.
animal husbandry methods "make a virus Some highly pathogenic avian influenza
like this insanely happy.” In fact, outbreaks of viruses have an increased potential to cause
these highly pathogenic strains are typically new zoonotic diseases — which are
associated with "intensive domestic poultry transmissible from animals to humans and
production and associated vice versa.
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CSS Times General Science 59
Total Recovery of Ozone Layer

The weakened ozone layer, which is vital to frequently, near the North Pole, should also
protecting life on Earth, is on track to be recover, by 2045 in the Arctic and about 2066
restored to full strength within decades — the in Antarctica.
latest success of a global effort by nations to In the 1970s, scientists first determined that
stop using chemicals that had been chlorofluorocarbons were depleting ozone
destroying the critical layer in the upper high in the atmosphere. By the mid-1980s,
atmosphere. researchers discovered a hole in the ozone
over the Antarctic, sparking an urgent
In a report for the United Nations, scientists international effort to repair it. More than 100
said that China had largely eliminated rogue ozone-depleting compounds were eventually
emissions of one of those chemicals, known banned and phased out.
as CFC-11.
What is ozone layer?
If countries continue to maintain the bans on
· Ozone (O3) is found mainly in the
chlorofluorocarbons and other chemicals,
ozone levels between the polar regions stratosphere between 10 and 50 km
should reach pre-1980 levels by 2040. Ozone from the Earth's surface.
holes, or regions of greater depletion that · It is critical for planetary life, since it
appear regularly near the South Pole and, less absorbs UV rays coming from the Sun.
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Feb 2023
· UV rays are known to cause skin cancer · Chief cause - By the middle of 1980s,
and many other diseases and scientists had figured out that the chief
deformities in plants and animals. cause of ozone depletion was the use
What is ozone hole? of a class of industrial chemicals that
· The problem of depletion of the ozone contained chlorine, bromine or
layer is commonly referred to as the fluorine.
emergence of a 'hole' in the ozone · The most common of these were the
layer. chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) - used
· It is actually just a reduction in extensively in the AC, refrigeration,
concentration of the ozone paints, and furniture industries.
molecules in the stratosphere.
· Even in the normal state, ozone is
present in extremely low
concentrations in the stratosphere.
· Where the 'layer' is supposed to be the
thickest, there are no more than a few
molecules of ozone for every million
air molecules.
· This thinning of the ozone layer over
Antarctica came to be known as the
ozone hole.
· The depletion of the ozone layer was What did the new assessment reveal?
first noticed in the early 1980s. It used · The new assessment revealed that the
to be the biggest environmental threat ozone 'hole' is now expected to be
before climate change came along. completely repaired by 2066.
What is the level of damage to the · If current policies continued to be
ozone layer? implemented, the ozone layer was
Dobson Unit is the measure of the total expected to recover to 1980 values
amount of ozone in a vertical column of air o by 2066 over Antarctica,
above the Earth's surface. o by 2045 over the Arctic, and
· Prior to 1979, scientists had not o by 2040 for the rest of the
observed atmospheric ozone world.
concentrations below 220 Dobson An UN-backed scientific panel has reported
Units. that the ozone layer is expected to be back to
· In the early 1980s, scientists began to where it was in 1980 by 2040 itself.
notice a sharp drop in the · The ozone hole has been steadily
concentration of ozone. improving since 2000, thanks to the
· This drop was much more effective implementation of the
pronounced over the South Pole, Montreal Protocol 1989.
which was later linked to the unique · The Montreal Protocol made possible
meteorological conditions - the successful elimination of harmful
temperature, pressure, wind speed and industrial chemicals, referred to as
direction - that prevail over Antarctica. Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs).
The ozone hole over Antarctica is the biggest This led to the recovery of the ozone
during the months of September, October, and layer.
November.
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2050.
· This is expected to prevent another
0.3 to 0.5 degree Celsius of global
warming by the turn of the century.
Why Montreal Protocol is a precedent
for climate action?
· This is because of the reason that the
success of the Montreal Protocol in
repairing the ozone hole can also be
used to curtail emissions of GHGs to
arrest rapidly rising global
temperatures.
· However, the parallels of elimination
· The assessment has reported that
of ODSs with GHGs are limited.
nearly 99% of the substances banned
What are the limitations?
by the Montreal Protocol have been
· The use of ODSs, though extensive,
eliminated from use, resulting in a slow
was restricted to some specific
but definite recovery of the ozone
layer. industries. Their replacements were
What is the climate change co-benefit readily available.
from the Montreal Protocol? · The impact of banning these ODSs
· Elimination of ODSs has an important was limited to these specific sectors.
climate change co-benefit as well. · But, the case of fossil fuels is very
· These substances also happen to be different. Emission of carbon dioxide
powerful greenhouse gases (GHGs), is inextricably linked to the
several times more dangerous than harnessing of energy.
carbon dioxide. · Almost every economic activity leads
· The report said that global compliance
to carbon dioxide emissions.
to the Montreal Protocol would ensure
· Even the renewable energies have
the avoidance of 0.5 to 1 degree
Celsius of warming by 2050.
considerable carbon footprints right
· This means that if the use of ODSs had now, because their manufacturing,
continued to grow the way it did transport, and operation involves the
before they were banned, the world use of fossil fuels.
would have been 0.5 to 1 degree · The impact of restraining GHG
Celsius warmer than it already is. emissions is not limited to a few
· With this climate change objective in industries or economic sectors, but
mind, the Montreal Protocol was affects the entire economy.
amended in 2016 to extend its · It also has implications for the quality
mandate over hydrofluorocarbons of life, human lifestyles and habits
(HFCs) that have replaced the CFCs in and behaviours.
industrial use. · So, climate change, no doubt, is a far
· Kigali Amendment to the Montreal
more difficult and complex problem
Protocol seeks to eliminate 80-90% of
than dealing with ozone depletion.
the HFCs currently in use by the year
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Feb 2023
CSS Times Science Technology 63
What is Bard, Google's

Answer to 'ChatGPT'
Google has finally decided to start public testing for a new AI chatbot of
its own called Bard.
What is Bard:
· Bard is based on Language Model for Dialogue Application or
LaMDA and Google's own conversational AI chatbot. It is termed
an “experimental conversational AI service.”
· The model is currently a “lightweight” version of LaMDA, and the
one being “requires significantly less computing power,
enabling us to scale to more users, allowing for more feedback.”
· ChatGPT is powered by Microsoft's Azure Cloud services.
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Feb 2023
CSS Times Climate Change 64
Role of Ruminants in Climate Change

Bill Gates has led a new $12m investment in
an Australian company that is aiming to feed
seaweed to cows in order to reduce the
planet-heating emissions that come from
their burps.
Climate tech startup Rumin8 is the first
Australian startup to receive an investment
from Bill Gates.
Based in Perth, Rumin8 produces climate-
friendly supplements that reduce methane
emissions from livestock.
Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which the Breakthrough fund.
Microsoft co-founder created in 2015, has Rumin8 is developing a range of supplements
spearheaded the funding of the Perth-based to feed to cows in order to reduce the
startup, which is called Rumin8. Jeff Bezos, amount of methane, a potent greenhouse
the Amazon founder, and Chinese gas, they belch out. The feed includes red
entrepreneur Jack Ma are also backers of the
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CSS Times Climate Change 66
seaweed and rangeland plants that replicate What is the issue with methane?
“nature's anti-methanogenic compound” and · Global warming - Methane is one of
cut methane output. the main drivers of climate change,
Gaseous ruminants are not often thought of responsible for 30% of the warming
as significant causes of the climate crisis, since preindustrial times, second only to
unlike cars or power plants, but the hoofed carbon dioxide.
beasts can belch out 220lb of methane a year, · Global warming potent - The United
equivalent to burning 900 gallons of gasoline. Nations Environment Programme
reports that over a 20-year period,
How do cows and other animals produce methane is 80 times more potent at
methane? warming than carbon dioxide.
· Ruminants - The word 'ruminant' is · Heat trapping - While carbon dioxide
derived from the Latin word ruminare, remains in the atmosphere for much
to chew again. longer than methane, methane is
· Ruminant species include cows, sheep, roughly 25 times more powerful at
goats, buffaloes, etc., which are trapping heat in the atmosphere.
hooved, grazing herbivores that chew · Ground level ozone - It is also the
cud. primary contributor to the formation of
· Cud-chewing is an adaptation that ground-level ozone, a colourless and
enables many hoofed mammals to highly irritating gas that forms just
above the Earth's surface.
break down the cellulose of plant cell How to mitigate the methane emissions?
walls into nutrients. Livestock sector contributes around 54.6 % of
· Methane production - Stomachs of total agricultural emissions in India adding to
ruminant animals have four global warming.
compartments, one of which, the · Use of sea weeds - The Australian
rumen, helps them to store partially startup, Rumin8 is developing a variety
digested food and let it ferment. of dietary supplements that includes red
· This partially digested and fermented seaweed, to feed to cows in a bid to
reduce the amount of methane emitted
food is regurgitated (brought into the
into the atmosphere.
mouth again) and chewed again to · A 2021 study found that adding
finish the digestive process. seaweed to cow feed can reduce
· As the vegetation ferments in the methane formation in their guts by more
rumen, it generates methane, a potent than 80%.
greenhouse gas that is released mainly · Genetic modification - Researchers are
through burping. trying to find gene-modifying
It is estimated that the ruminant digestive techniques to produce climate-smart
system is responsible for 27% of all methane cow that can curtail methane emissions.
emissions from human activity. · In 2021, New Zealand announced has
that they had started the world's first
genetic programme to address the
challenge of climate change by breeding
sheep that emit lower amounts of
methane.
· Imposition of taxes - In 2022, New
Zealand proposed taxing the
greenhouse gases that farm animals
produce from burping and urinating.
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Feb 2023
CSS Times Solved Current Affairs MCQs 67
CURRENT AFFAIRS
MCQS FOR
COMPETITIVE
EXAMS
January 2023
1) What is the rank of Pakistan in Global review. The nation holds a Power Index score
Firepower index 2023? of 0.1025 with a score of 0.0000 being
considered exceptional in the GFP
(a). 5
assessment.
(b). 4
2) Where does Pakistan stand in the
(c). 7 Henley Passport Index for 2023?
(d). 10 (a). 95
Answer: (b)
(b). 103
(c). 106
(d). 110
Answer: (c)
For 2023, Pakistan is ranked 7 of 145 out of

the countries considered for the annual GFP
review. The nation holds a PwrIndx* score of
0.1694 (a score of 0.0000 is considered Henley & Partners, a worldwide citizenship
'perfect'). Pakistan is a Top 10 world power and residence advice organization located in
according to the GFP index formula. Pakistan London, has announced the Henley Passport
is a noted Top 10 power in regards to total Index for 2023, which is based on unique data
population (effecting overall manpower). given by the International Air Transport
India is ranked 4 of 145 out of the countries Association (IATA).
considered for the annual Global Firepower
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According to the Henley Passport Index for (d). Mozambique
2023, the South Asian country is placed at the Answer: (c)
106th position on the list -- the fourth-worst
in the index -- with visa-free access to only 32
destinations across the world.
The three other countries' passports that rank
lower than Pakistan's are Syria, Iraq, and
Afghanistan.
Some of the war-ravaged countries including
Yemen, Somalia, Palestine, Nepal, North
Korea, and Libya have all been placed above
Pakistan on the list.
3) Turkey is located between President Adama Barrow said on January 18,
(a) Black Sea and Caspian Sea 2023, that Gambia's Vice-President Badara
Alieu Joof died of sickness in India. In 2022,
(b) Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea Joof, 65, was chosen vice president of the
(c) Gulf of Suez and Mediterranean Sea West African country. He was once the
(d) Gulf of Aqaba and Dead Sea education minister. The vice president
Answer: (b) departed Gambia for medical treatment
around three weeks ago.
5) What is the theme of the World
Economic Forum 2023?
(a). Unity for World Health
(b). Cooperation in a Fragmented World
(c). One World One Business Model
(d). Cooperation for World Business Model
Answer: (b)
Turkey is bounded on the north by the Black

Sea, on the northeast by Georgia and
Armenia, on the east by Azerbaijan and Iran,
on the southeast by Iraq and Syria, on the
southwest and west by the Mediterranean
Sea and the Aegean Sea, and on the The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual
northwest by Greece and Bulgaria. Meeting 2023 will be held under the topic
4) Badara Alieu Joof was the vice- 'Cooperation in a Fragmented World,' and will
president of which country? bring together leaders from government,
(a). Guyana business, and civil society to assess the
condition of the world and discuss goals for
(b). Ghana the coming year. The Annual Meeting will
(c). Gambia serve as a forum for productive, forward-
thinking debates and the facilitation of
Monthly
HSM
Feb 2023
solutions through public-private (d). New Zealand
collaboration. Answer: (a)
6) Which institution has released the Ashleigh Gardner, Australia's No. 1 rated all-
“Global Risk Report 2023”? rounder, has closed off a fantastic year by
(a). World Bank winning the Women's Player of the Month
title for December 2022. Gardner beat out
(b). International Monetary Fund England's Charlie Dean and New Zealand
(c). Asian Development Bank starter Suzie Bates for the prized monthly
award following her outstanding individual
(d). World Economic Forum
performance against India last month. With
Answer: (d)
seven wickets, the 25-year-old tied for the
highest in the five-match series against India,
while also scoring 115 runs at an average of
more than 50.
8) The famous footballer Gareth Frank Bale
who took retirement from football
belongs to which country?
(a). France
(b). England
(c). Wales
The World Economic Forum published the (d). Portugal
Global Risks Report 2023. (WEF). According to Answer: (c)
the research, the two most serious hazards
confronting the globe in the next decade are
a failure to reduce climate change and a
failure to adapt to climate change. They are
followed by 'natural calamities and extreme
weather occurrences' and 'biodiversity loss
and ecosystem collapse.
7) Ashleigh Gardner, the ICC Women's
Player of the Month for December 2022,
belongs to which country?
(a). Australia
(b). England
(c). South Africa Gareth Bale, Wales' all-time greatest
goalscorer and Real Madrid's five-time
Champions League winner, has declared his
retirement from football. Bale, one of Britain's
most decorated players, has left Los Angeles
FC midway through his contract, which was
set to end this summer.
9) Name the France football team's
captain, who took retirement from the
game recently.
(a). Hugo Lloris
(b). Kylian Mbappé
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(c). Olivier Jonathan Giroud the 33-year-old has played in 30 T20Is, 27
(d). Antoine Griezmann ODIs, and three Tests for South Africa. He was
Answer: (a) a member of the squads for the 2019 ICC
Men's Cricket World Cup and the 2021 T20
World Cup.
11) As per UNICEF, which country has
achieved over 75 percent decline in under-
5 child mortality rate?
(A) Combodia
(B) Bangladesh
(C) Indonesia
(D) Thailand
Answer: (b)
Hugo Lloris, France's captain, announced his

retirement from international football on
January 9, 2023, at the age of 36. Lloris
captained France to the World Cup title in
2018, having played in four World Cups and
three Euros. The Tottenham Hotspur
goalkeeper guided his country to the World
Cup final in Qatar, where they were defeated
on penalties by Argentina.
10) Dwaine Pretorius, who took retirement
from cricket, recently belongs to which
country? Bangladesh has registered a sharp decline of
(a). Australia over 75 percent in the under-5 child mortality
rate since 1990, as per the recent report
(b). South Africa released by United Nations Children's Fund
(c). New Zealand (UNICEF) on behalf of the United Nations
Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality
(d). England
Estimation (UN IGME).
Answer: (b)
In 1990, the under-5 child mortality rate was
146 per thousand live births which declined
to 86 in 2000 and 27 in 2021.
12) Which country's researchers have
discovered a earth-like exo-planet
classified as 'LHS 475 b'?
(A) USA
(B) Russia
(C) China
(D) Israel
Answer: (a)
The research team from Johns Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory, from
South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius
the United States confirmed an exo-planet
announced his retirement from international
using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope
cricket with immediate effect on, 9 January
for the first time.
2023 according to Cricket South Africa (CSA).
Formally classified as LHS 475 b, the planet is
Since making his international debut in 2016,
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The UK Prime Minister signed a landmark

almost exactly the same size as our own Earth. defence agreement with the Japanese Prime
13) USA announced USD 100 million to Minister at London.
which country for flood recovery and This is regarded as the most significant
reconstruction aid? defence agreement between the two
(A) Sri Lanka countries in more than a century, which
(B) Pakistan allows UK forces to be deployed to Japan. The
(C) Afghanistan UK is the first European country to have a
(D) Nepal Reciprocal Access Agreement with Japan.
Answer: (b) 15) Which country is the host of the Feria
Internacional del Turismo (FITUR)
international tourism trade fair?
(A) India
(B) Spain
(C) UK
(D) France
Answer: (b)
The United States has announced an

additional USD 100 million to Pakistan for its
recovery and reconstruction efforts.
The floods which occurred last year killed as
many as 1,739 and affected 33 million people. Feria Internacional del Turismo or FITUR, the
The funding also includes humanitarian international tourism trade fair was hosted by
assistance to support flood relief and Spain in Madrid. It is one of the world's
recovery efforts in refugee hosting areas. largest international travel exhibitions.
14) Which is the first European country to 16) Chris Hipkins has sworn in as the
have a Reciprocal Access Agreement with Prime Minister of which country?
Japan? (A) France
(A) Germany (B) Australia
(B) UK (C) New Zealand
(C) Italy (D) Brazil
(D) France Answer: (c)
Answer: (b)
Monthly
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Feb 2023
per annum since 2000 has lifted millions of
people out of poverty. It started with a status
of poverty in 1972, became a lower-middle
income country in 2015 and is now on the
way to becoming an upper-middle income
country.
18) For the first time in football history,
which country initiated 'white card' in a
match?
(A) UK
(B) Brazil
(C) Portugal
New Zealand's former minister for COVID-19,
(D) Argentina
Chris Hipkins has been confirmed as the Answer: (c)
country's next prime minister.
Hipkins was the only candidate to replace
Jacinda Ardern, who announced she was
resigning after more than five years as the
Prime Minister. He will have less than nine
months before contesting a general election.
He was appointed health minister in July 2020
before becoming the COVID response
minister at the end of the year.
17) World Bank has appreciated which
country for its transition from poorest to
one of the fastest growing countries?
(A) Vietnam
(B) Indonesia A white card was shown for the first time in a
(C) Bangladesh women's cup quarter-final match between
(D) Nepal Benfica and Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.
Answer: (c) The card was initiated by Portugal to try and
improve ethical value in the sport. It is in
contrast with yellow and red cards which are
used to discipline players for misconduct. The
exact purpose and consequence of the card
are yet to be announced. When a fan fell ill in
the stands, the medical teams from both the
teams rushed to the spot and the card was
shown as an appreciation to the medical
teams for their spirit.
19) Who is the Prime Minister of New
Zealand, who gave the resignation
World Bank (WB) Managing Director Axel van recently?
Trotsenburg lauded Bangladesh as one of the
world's greatest development stories. (a). Helen Clark
The country has moved from being one of (b). Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern
the poorest at its inception to one of the (c). Judith Collins
fastest growing countries of the world. The
country's 6 percent average economic growth (d). Clair Lynne
Answer: (b)
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Feb 2023
Facility/Extended Fund Facility and US$1.4
Billion Under the Resilience and
Sustainability Facility for Bangladesh
United Kingdom joins BioAsia 2023 as
partner country after Spain, Thailand and
South Africa
Former NATO General Petr Pavel defeats
Andrej Babis to become new President of
Czech Republic
China builds new dam in Tibet near Indian
New Zealand Prime Minister made a shocking border
announcement saying that she will resign Senior ISIS Leader Bilal al-Sudani Killed In
from her position. She said “she had no more US Raid in Somalia
in the tank and it's time. The 42-year-old Ukraine's historic city of Odessa included
Ardern claimed she no longer had "enough in in UNESCO's 'Danger List'
Michelle Yeoh becomes first Asian to bag
the tank" after leading the country through
Oscar nomination for Best Actress
the pandemic, the Covid outbreak, and its
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
worst-ever terror incident. Ardern became the will inaugurate the book fair 'Amar Ekushi
world's second prime minister to give birth Boi Mela' on February 1
while in office, following Shaheed Mohtarma Teddy Hobbs, 4, becomes Britain's
Benazir Bhutto 1990. youngest Mensa member
Jeff Zients replaces Ron Klain as White
One Liner Current Affairs MCQs House chief of staff
Jan/Feb 2023 US President Biden nominates Julie Turner
as Special Envoy for Human Rights in
Myanmar Russia sign pact on developing North Korea
nuclear power Children die of malnutrition and other
Ancient castle used by Romans and diseases in Brazil, government declares
Byzantines destroyed in Turkey earthquake medical emergency in Yanomami region
China declares rice bran as staple food due Chris Hipkins becomes 41st Prime Minister
to food shortage of New Zealand, Carmel Sepuloni will be
Sri Lanka celebrated its 75th Independence Deputy Prime Minister
Day As per World Population Review, India has
6th meeting of apex audit institutions of become the most populous country in the
SCO begins in Lucknow world, surpassing China
United Arab Emirates (UAE) announces UNESCO dedicates International Day of
new family law "Federal Personal Status Education to be celebrated on 24 January
Law" for non-Muslim residents to Afghan girls and women
Australia announces decision to remove Vietnam's former Prime Minister and then
British monarchy from its banknotes President Nguyen Xuan Phuc announced
Manuela Roca Boti became the first his resignation
woman Prime Minister of Central African UN General Assembly adopts Indian co-
country Equatorial Guinea sponsored resolution on 'Education for
Adani Group acquires Israel's Haifa port Democracy'
for USD 1.2 billion, Netanyahu calls
"milestone”
IMF Executive Board Approves US$3.3
Publishers
Billion Under the Extended Credit
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Final Magazine - February

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Pakistan’s First Monthly E-Magazine for Civil Services Aspirants

Human Rights Watch's

Role of Ruminants in Climate Change

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· They can even continue for days,

What makes Turkey a hotbed of seismic

are facing devastating winter storms that

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According to the latest report of the Post-

The 4RF generational impacts through reduced

Outcomes of the Conference

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Why has India sought to modify the constitute a Court of Arbitration

What lies ahead? 1. Which of the following countries are in

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About India, the Human Rights Watch in its

Human Rights Watch's

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That was a major diplomatic agreement

Population Decline in China

For the ﬁrst time in six decades, China's

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The Saga of A 'SPY' Balloon In US Airspace

European Union Unveils its

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A green comet is estimated to come closest to Earth, termed the C/2022 E3

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Crisis in International Law

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Minks and Bird u

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Total Recovery of Ozone Layer

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What is Bard, Google's

Role of Ruminants in Climate Change

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For 2023, Pakistan is ranked 7 of 145 out of

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Turkey is bounded on the north by the Black

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