International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

Notes:
The book “Welcome to Nowhere” has been authored by acclaimed children’s writer Elizabeth Laird. This is a book about war and its consequences. Through book, author tells the story of 12-year-old Omar, his parents and four siblings, all of who are caught in the crossfire as civil war rages over Syria. Laird references real-life events and gives you great characters, heartwarming moments and even occasional humour.

Notes:
The book “Jobless Clueless Reckless” has been authored by Revathi Suresh. It’s a novel about teenagers that gives an insight into what happens in the minds and lives of teenagers in an upper middle class, urban society.

Notes:
The headquarters of OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of Organization (IPHRC) are at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. IPHRC seeks to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Muslim world through provision of objective and neutral views on many human rights issues, in accordance with international rules and in consonance with Islamic principles. The IPHRC is an expert body with advisory capacity established by Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as the principal organ working independently in the area of human rights. The IPHRC has the power to monitor human rights within the member states and facilitates the integration of human rights into all OIC mandates. It also aids in the promotion of political, civil, and economic rights in all member states.

Notes:
The Dag Hammarskjöld Library is a library on the grounds of the headquarters of the United Nations. It located in the Turtle Bay/East Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, in New York City.

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ADB is multilateral lending agency based in Manila, Philippines. It is dedicated to reduce poverty in Asia and the Pacific region through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.
ADB has 67 members – 48 from the Asia-Pacific region including India and is collectively owned by these 67 members. The non Asia pacific region members are only developed countries.

Notes:
The correct answer is “Single Euro Payment Area” (SEPA). SEPA is an initiative by the European Union aimed at simplifying bank transfers denominated in euros. It allows for seamless electronic payments across member states, treating them as domestic transactions. Established in 2008, SEPA enhances efficiency and reduces costs for consumers and businesses, promoting financial integration within the Eurozone.

Notes:
Nuclear Suppliers Group was formed by  seven countries viz. Canada, West Germany, France, Japan, the USSR, the United Kingdom, and the United States in response to the ‘Smiling Buddha’ (Pokharan-I) of India in 1974. It was clear from this adventure of India that certain non-weapons specific nuclear technology could be readily turned to weapons development, since it was alleged that India used the Canada sourced material to make bomb. The objective of the NSG was to reduce nuclear proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that may be applicable to nuclear weapon development and by improving safeguards and protection on existing materials.

Notes:
International Bill of Human Rights consists of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted in 1948),
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) with its two Optional Protocols and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966).
The two covenants entered into force in 1976, after a sufficient number of countries had ratified them.

Notes:
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) developed the Transnationality Index (TNI). The TNI is used to rank multinational corporations. It is calculated as the average of three ratios:

1. The ratio of foreign assets to total assets
2. The ratio of foreign sales to total sales
3. The ratio of foreign employment to total employment

The TNI has been used since 1990 to rank the world’s 100 largest non-financial TNCs. It can be used for comparative analysis with similar surveys conducted in other countries.

The TNI has shown that the average index value for developing economies’ TNCs has increased over time.

Notes:
Nabhadasa belonged to the Ramanandi tradition and his book “Bhaktamala” , written in the late 16th century, contains accounts of approx 600 saints viz. Ramanuja, Madhva, Ramananda, Nimbarka, etc. In it, each saint is depicted in a few lines of verse.