Egypt's highest honour conferred to PM

GS Paper - 2 (International Relations)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the 'Order of the Nile', Egypt's highest honour, by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo. Instituted in 1915, the 'Order of the Nile' is conferred upon heads of states, crown princes, and vice presidents who offer Egypt or humanity invaluable services. This is the 13th highest state honour conferred upon Prime Minister Modi.

Mora about the honour

• The 'Order of the Nile' is a pure gold collar consisting of three-square gold units comprising Pharaonic symbols.
• The first unit resembles the idea of protecting the state against evils, the second one resembles prosperity and happiness brought by the Nile and the third one refers to wealth and endurance.
• The three units are connected to one another by a circular gold flower decorated with turquoise and ruby.
• Hanging from the collar is a hexagonal pendant decorated with flowers of the Pharaonic style, and turquoise and ruby gems.
• In the middle of the pendant, there is a protruding symbol representing the Nile that brings together the North (represented by the Papyrus) and the South (represented by the Lotus).

Flashback

• Over the past nine years, the Prime Minister has been conferred the Companion of the Order of Logohu, the highest civilian award of Papua New Guinea; the Companion of the Order of Fiji; the Ebakl Award by the Republic of Palau; the Order of the Druk Gyalp, the highest civilian decoration by Bhutan.
• Modi has also been conferred with the Legion of Merit by the US Government; the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance by Bahrain; the Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin, the highest honour of the Maldives; the Order of St. Andrew award, the highest civilian honour of Russia.
• Modi has also received the Order of Zayed Award, the highest civilian honour of the United Arab Emirates; the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award, the highest honour of Palestine; the State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan, the highest civilian honour of Afghanistan and the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud, the highest honour of Saudi Arabia awarded to non-Muslim dignitaries.

World Drug Day 2023

GS Paper - 3 (Health and Diseases)

Drug abuse and illicit trafficking continue to pose a significant threat to individuals, families, and communities worldwide. The consequences of drug abuse are far-reaching, leading to deteriorating health, broken relationships, and a loss of productivity. In order to raise essential awareness about the devastating effects of drug abuse, every year 26 June is celebrated as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking or World Drug Day.

Theme

• This year’s theme is “People First: stop stigma and Discrimination, strengthen Prevention”.
• The aim of the United Nations Office On Drug And Crime (UNODC) is to raise awareness about the importance of respecting and empathizing with drug users, providing evidence-based, voluntary services to all, offering alternatives to punishment, prioritising prevention, and leading compassionately.
• UNODC’s campaign for this year also said that it aims to combat stigma and discrimination against people who use drugs by promoting language and attitudes that are respectful and non-judgmental.

History

• The United Nations General Assembly decided on 7 December 1987, to observe 26 June as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
• This was done to support their efforts to make society drug-free.

Wagner Group for leading ‘armed mutiny’

GS Paper - 2 (International Relations)

In a dramatic escalation in tensions between the Kremlin and the mercenary Wagner Group, President Vladimir Putin on 24 June 2023 accused the Yevgeny Prigozhin, the alleged head and owner of the group, of carrying out a “criminal adventuristic campaign” and an “armed mutiny” against the country’s Army.

What is the current situation?

• Quoting a Russian security source, Wagner Group mercenary fighters had taken control of all military facilities in the city of Voronezh, around 500 km south of Moscow.
• Moreover, earlier in the day, Prigozhin had claimed that he had reached inside the Russian army headquarters in Russia’s southern Rostov-on-Don city and that his men were in control of the city’s military sites.
• He later released a video on social media, demanding Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and top general Valery Gerasimov come to meet him at the spot.

What is the Wagner Group?

• The Wagner Group first surfaced during Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Essentially a network of contractors that supply soldiers for hire, the group aren’t registered anywhere and its source of funding remains unknown.
• According to the European Union and US Treasury Department, the organisation is supported by Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian oligarch and a former close ally of President Vladimir Putin — both the Kremlin and Prigozhin have denied the claims of their association. Apart from Ukraine, Wagner Group is reportedly also active in West Asia and several countries in Africa.
• Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict last year, numerous news reports have claimed that the group — consisting of over 50,000 mercenaries in Ukraine, as per the UK Ministry of Defence — has been supporting Russia’s war effort.
• The mercenary organisation played a crucial role in fighting against Ukrainian forces for nearly a year in the bloody Battle of Bakhmut, a small city in Ukraine’s Donetsk province.
• In the last week of May, the Russian Defence Ministry announced that the country had finally captured the city — the ministry and Putin both credited the Wagner Group for its role in the operation.
• The group has been accused of being involved in carrying out murders, mass rape, torture, forced disappearance and dislocation of thousands of people not only in Ukraine but also in Africa. Most recently, it was accused of carrying out massacres, rapes, and torture of civilians in Ukraine’s Bucha that took place in March 2022.

India backs exceeding WTO farm sops limit

GS Paper - 3 (Economy)

India has said the existing global trade rules do not adequately address market failures such as food hoarding and market speculation that drive up food prices and inflation during crises. At a meeting of the Committee on Agriculture, India agreed with the 44-member African Group, which proposed to provide flexibilities to developing countries facing food insecurity crises to subsidise farmers beyond the minimal amount of subsidies allowed at the World Trade Organization (WTO), called ‘de minimis’ in trade parlance.

What

• India agreed that providing some flexibility to developing countries to exceed de minimis limits could be useful during a food insecurity crisis, said a Geneva-based official.
• The de minimis level for India and developing countries is 10% of value of food production and 5% for developed countries.
• India also reiterated its stance on reducing aggregate measurement support beyond de minimis – which, at present, only 32 members are entitled to – before addressing other types of support.
• India, China and South Africa, along with five others, emphasised the urgency of starting text-based negotiations on the need to find a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security as soon as possible due to the limited time remaining before MC13, which is to be held next year.
• The proposal, now supported by two-thirds of WTO members, should serve as the basis for negotiation; they argued and asked those opposing the proposal to refrain from repeating old questions.
• As per the proposal, a permanent solution for public stockholding should account for inflation and also be based on a recent reference price instead of an old one, which is based on 1986-88 prices.
• India’s representative cited the country’s successful efforts to eliminate hunger domestically and provide food assistance to other countries such as Sri Lanka during the food crisis.