{InfoMedia} WAD: The year ahead 2013

Topic Covered:

• Germany Election;
• Growth Rate;
• IPCC Report on Climate Change;
• Where to born in Twenty-13.

{Education} Article: India's rank in UHNWI, Quality of Living and City Infrasture

Ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWIs) are individuals or families who have, by one definition, at least US$30 million in investable assets, or with a disposable income of more than US$20 million. The exact dividing lines depend on how a bank wishes to segment its market; for example, the term "very high net worth individuals" can refer to those with assets between $5 million and $50 million, with ultra high net worth individuals only those with above $50 million.

{Education} Article: Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index 2012

• India's image on tackling corruption has not improved with Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (wiki link included)  placing it at 94th rank out of 176 nations this year.
• Though India was ranked at 95th position last year, the international watchdog said it has started evaluating the positions through a different formula beginning this year and hence this cannot be compared to last year's ranking.
• However, the last year's rank of 95 would be 96 if it is calculated using the new methodology which implies there was a "slight improvement" in the index.
• This year, India has a score of 36 out of 100 on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean) which is a result of an average of 10 studies including World Bank's Country Performance and Institutional Assessment and Global Insight Country Risk Ratings.
• India was ranked 72 among 180 countries for the first time in 2007 and since then the country's rankings have been showing a decline. While India was placed at 87 in 2010, the position was 95 in 2011.
• This year, India is ranked below neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka (79) and China (80), while Afghanistan, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh fared much worse than India when it came to corruption in public sector undertakings.
• Denmark is placed at the top spot with a score of 90 while Finland and New Zealand follow very closely. Countries that occupy the bottom ranks in the index are Myanmar, Sudan Afghanistan, Somalia and North Korea.

Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index

{Education} IRA: Terrorist attacks mapped around the world

Key Findings:

• Of total 158 countries the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) cover in their inaugural global terrorism index, only 31 have had no attacks in the ten years to 2011. 
• Yet although attacks are distributed widely around the world, the majority are concentrated in just a handful of countries.
• From 2002 to 2011, North America was the region least likely to suffer from terrorism
• While more terrorist attacks are being recorded, the number of fatalities has declined by 25% since 2007.
• Iraq ranks first based on a five-year weighted average of the number of incidents, deaths, injuries and estimated property damage. It has suffered from the most attacks, including 11 of the world's worst 20. Indeed, Iraqis comprised one third of deaths from terrorism between 2002 and 2011. But while the number of incidents there have climbed since 2007, deaths have actually declined. 
• Other terrorist hotspots include Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. 
• The worst attack over the period was in Nepal, where 518 people died and 216 were injured. If there is any small cause for comfort, it is that terrorist incidents have plateaued since their peak in 2008.
• For more detail on the 500 biggest incidents see IEP's map here.

{Education} Analysis: An examination of 31 nations founded or reconstituted since 1990

• Not all new countries are really new. Some are born almost fully formed and others have to start from nothing. South Sudan is the most extreme example of that. 
• An examination of more than a dozen key indicators in the 31 nations founded or reconstituted since 1990 shows just how steep a climb South Sudan faces. 
• The above graphic shows the progress made by new countries using 6 key indicators (GDP per capita, life expectancy, under 5 mortality, press freedom, corruption perception, and debt as percentage of GDP).

Oil and gas dependency in 2035

{Infographic} US Presidential Election - 2012

{IR&A} 50th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis and the superpower tech race

Fifty years ago the US and USSR averted a nuclear clash during the Cuban missile crisis; but the emergency had profound repercussions for each nation’s computing and communications industries.

The Cuban missile crisis of 16-28 October 1962 was a pivotal point in the Cold War. The close brush with nuclear conflict changed both the nature of the stand-off, the economic and technological strategies behind it, and even the way they used technology to communicate. The Cold War was originally a military stand-off, but it became an economic and technical race.

Behind the historic headlines, though, there is another aspect to the confrontation. A number of technological achievements and aspirations had a bearing on the outcome of the crisis; and the crisis itself influenced the technological development of the superpowers in subsequent decades, particularly in the areas of computing and communications. Understanding these aspects is to understand how the Cuban missile crisis links directly with the collapse of the Soviet empire from 1989.

Click on the Infographic for an expanded view.

International Organization: Seoul Nuclear Security Summit Communique and India's commitment

Seoul Nuclear Security Summit Communique: At this Seoul Summit, we agree that we will make every possible effort to achieve further progress in the following important areas.

• ·         Global Nuclear Security Architecture: We recognize the importance of multilateral instruments that address nuclear security, such as the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), as amended, and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). We therefore encourage the universal adherence to these Conventions. We urge states in a position to do so to accelerate their domestic approval of the 2005 Amendment to the CPPNM, seeking to bring the Amendment into force by 2014. Further, We recognize the contributions since the 2010 Summit of international initiatives and processes such as the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) and Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, within their respective mandates and memberships. We welcome the wider participation in the GICNT and the Global Partnership and value its extension beyond 2012.
• ·         Role of the IAEA: We reaffirm the essential responsibility and central role of the IAEA in strengthening the international nuclear security framework, and recognize the value of the IAEA Nuclear Security Plan 2010-2013.
• ·         Nuclear Materials: Recognizing that highly enriched uranium (HEU) and separated plutonium require special precautions, we encourage States to consider the safe, secure and timely removal and disposition of nuclear materials from facilities no longer using them, as appropriate, and consistent with national security considerations and development objectives. We also encourage States to take measures to minimize the use of HEU, including through the conversion of reactors from highly enriched to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel, where technically and economically feasible, taking into account the need for assured supplies of medical isotopes, and encourage States in a position to do so, by the end of 2013, to announce voluntary specific actions intended to minimize the use of HEU.
• ·         Radioactive Sources: Taking into account that radioactive sources are widely used and can be vulnerable to malicious acts, we urge States to secure these materials, while bearing in mind their uses in industrial, medical, agricultural and research applications. In addition, we encourage continued national efforts and international cooperation to recover lost, missing or stolen sources and to maintain control over disused sources.
• ·         Nuclear Security and Safety: Acknowledging that safety measures and security measures have in common the aim of protecting human life and health and the environment, we welcome the convening of the High Level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security initiated by the UN Secretary-General, held in New York on 22 September 2011. Noting that the security of nuclear and other radioactive materials also includes spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, we encourage States to consider establishing appropriate plans for the management of these materials.
• ·         Transportation Security: Recognizing the importance of a national layered defense against the loss or theft of nuclear and other radioactive materials while transpotation from country to countru, we encourage the establishment of effective national nuclear material inventory management and domestic tracking mechanisms, where required, that enable States to take appropriate measures to recover lost and stolen materials.
• ·         Combating Illicit Trafficking: We underscore the need to develop national capabilities to prevent, detect, respond to and prosecute illicit nuclear trafficking. Noting that several countries have passed export control laws to regulate nuclear transfers, we encourage further utilization of legal, intelligence and financial tools to effectively prosecute offenses, as appropriate and consistent with national laws. In addition, we encourage States to participate in the IAEA Illicit Trafficking Database program and to provide necessary information relating to nuclear and other radioactive materials outside of regulatory control.
• ·         Nuclear Forensics: We recognize that nuclear forensics can be an effective tool in determining the origin of detected nuclear and other radioactive materials and in providing evidence for the prosecution of acts of illicit trafficking and malicious uses.
• ·         Nuclear Security Culture: Recognizing that investment in human capacity building is fundamental to promoting and sustaining a strong nuclear security culture, we encourage States to share best practices and build national capabilities, including through bilateral and multilateral cooperation. We also encourage States to promote human resource development through education and training. In this regard, we welcome the establishment of Centers of Excellence and other nuclear security training and support centers since the Washington Summit, and encourage the establishment of new centers.
• ·         Information Security: We recognize the importance of preventing non-state actors from obtaining information, technology or expertise required to acquire or use nuclear materials for malicious purposes, or to disrupt information technology based control systems at nuclear facilities. We therefore encourage States to enhance cyber security measures.
• ·         International Cooperation: We encourage all States to enhance their physical protection of and accounting system for nuclear materials, emergency preparedness and response capabilities and relevant legal and regulatory framework. In particular, we welcome the intent by the IAEA to continue to lead efforts to assist States, upon request.
• ·         We will continue to make voluntary and substantive efforts toward strengthening nuclear security and implementing political commitments made in this regard. The next Nuclear Security Summit will be held in [the Netherlands] in 2014.

Nuclear Security Summit National Progress Report India

• ·         International Legal Instruments: India is party to all the 13 universal instruments accepted as benchmarks for a State’s commitment to combat international terrorism. India is party to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and is amongst the few countries which have also ratified the 2005 amendment to the Convention. India is also Party to the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.
• ·         International Atomic Energy Agency: India is a member of the IAEA Commission on Nuclear Safety Standards and the Advisory Group on Nuclear Security. India has actively contributed to IAEA’s Action Plans on Nuclear Security, including third plan for 2010-2013. India as a partner to the IAEA-US Regional Radiological Security Partnership (RRSP) has been organizing international training courses in India under the aegis of the IAEA. India offered assistance through the IAEA for search and recovery of orphan radioactive sources in countries which were unable to effectively deal with them and had sought such assistance. India commends the Agency’s efforts to develop a Nuclear Security Information Portal and its efforts in developing a comprehensive set of guidance documents under the Nuclear Security Series. India is a participant in the IAEA’s Illicit Trafficking Database (ITDB), which was established in 1995 and disseminates information on confirmed reports about illicit trafficking and other unauthorized activities and events involving nuclear radioactive materials to the States. India has been supportive of the 2003 IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources and voluntarily adopted its provisions. Conclusion of Practical Arrangements between GCNEP and the IAEA would reinforce India’s cooperation with the Agency.
• ·         UN and other mechanisms: Since 2002, India has piloted a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly on measures to prevent terrorists gaining access to Weapons of Mass Destruction. India is also a party to Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism and has participated in its working groups on nuclear detection, nuclear forensics and response and mitigation. We also cooperate with the Interpol’s Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism Prevention Unit and the World Customs Organization.
• ·         National legal framework: The Indian Atomic Energy Act 1962 provides the legal framework for securing nuclear materials and facilities. In June 2005, India enacted the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005. India has adhered to NSG Guidelines and has expressed interest in full membership of the NSG and other international export control regimes. The Government has introduced a bill in Parliament for the establishment of an independent Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority which will also enhance oversight of nuclear security and strengthen synergy between safety and security.
• ·         Reducing Nuclear Material: With regard to minimization of use of civilian HEU, the enriched uranium based fuel in the APSARA reactor was placed in a safeguarded facility in December 2010. APSARA will use indigenous fuel which is not high enriched uranium. However, there is a growing demand for large-scale production of isotopes for a range of applications- healthcare, industry, food and agriculture. India’s three stage nuclear programme is based on a closed nuclear fuel cycle, the principle of ‘reprocess-to-reuse’ and ensuring control over nuclear material at all stages. We have recently developed an Advanced Heavy Water Reactor based on Low Enriched Uranium and Thorium with new safety and proliferation-resistant features.
• ·         International Cooperation: India has close cooperation with the IAEA’s Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT). India has signed tripartite Agreements with IAEA and Sri Lanka and Namibia to donate our indigenously developed Cobalt teletherapy machine (Bhabhatron II) to these two countries as a step towards affordable treatment of Cancer. A similar machine was donated to Vietnam in 2008.
• ·         Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP): At the first Nuclear Security Summit, India announced that it would establish a Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership. To begin with, the Centre will consist of four Schools dealing with Advanced Nuclear Energy System Studies, Nuclear Security, Radiation Safety, and the application of Radioisotopes and Radiation Technology in the areas of healthcare, agriculture and food. The Centre will carry out research and development in radiation monitoring including development of detectors and nuclear emergency management. We are interested in development and conduct of courses in association with interested countries and the IAEA.
• ·         Nuclear Security Summit Process: India supports implementation of the Washington Summit Communiqué and Work Plan. India contributed to the NSS process, including by hosting a meeting of the Sherpas in New Delhi 16-17 January 2012.

Photic News: U.S. Nuclear Power Status

Photic News : World leadership election in 2012

International and Bilateral Issues:

Policy won't change, asserts North Korea

• North Korea warned the world on Friday to expect no policy changes under Kim Jong-Un
• The tough statement came a day after the Communist nation ended 13 days of mourning for Kim
  

Photic News : Eurozone and World Timeline - 2011

Photic News : 15 Global Challenges

UPSCpedia: Geograpedia - NATO

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949.
• The NATO headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium
• After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the organization became drawn into the Breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s which resulted in NATO's first military operations in Bosnia from 1991 to 1995 and later Yugoslavia in 1999.
  

UNITED NATION: Envirnoment Issue

U.N. conference to deal with carbon reductions

• Amid fresh warnings of climate-related disasters in the future, delegates from about 190 countries were gathering in Durban for a two-week conference beginning on Monday. They hope to break deadlocks on how to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.
• Hopes were scrapped for an overall treaty governing global carbon emissions after the collapse of talks at a climate summit in Copenhagen two years ago.
• The “big bang” approach has been replaced by incremental efforts to build new institutions to help shift the global economy from carbon-intensive energy generation, industries and transportation to more climate-friendly technologies.
• But an underlying division between rich and poor countries on the future of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol has stymied the negotiators.

SOUTH ASIA: Pakistan (Dialogue)

Snakes and charmers

• US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Pakistan that keeping snakes in one’s backyard and hoping that they will only bite the neighbours is not a sensible policy. Clinton was talking about the Haqqani network and other militant groups long nurtured by the Pakistan army and the ISI to bleed the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
• Clinton warned the Pakistan army that if it does not go after the snakes, the US might have to do it unilaterally