International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

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Pinaka is a multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for the Indian Army. The DRDO began developing the Pinaka in the late 1980s as an alternative to Russian-made systems. The Pinaka can fire 12 rockets and is designed to engage targets at a range of up to 40 km. It was used extensively by the Army during the Kargil War.
The Pinaka is named after “Pinaka”, the bow of Lord Shiva.

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The Indian Army Day is celebrated on 15 January every year in India. It is celebrated in recognition of Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa who took over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on January 15, 1949.

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World Bank is one of five institutions created at Breton Woods Conference in 1944. It is part of the United Nations system, but its governance structure is different. Its headquarter are situated at Washington DC, US. World Bank provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.
 It comprises only two institutions viz. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development Association (IDA). In contrast World Bank Group comprises three more viz. International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)

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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.

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The Southern Air Command (SAC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) is headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram. It is on the southwestern side of India. This is one among the seven commands of IAF. This command was started on 19 July 1984 and is relatively new among the other commands.

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TRIPS stands for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. It is an international legal agreement between all the member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The agreement sets down minimum standards for the regulation by national governments of different forms of intellectual property as applied to nationals of other WTO member nations.

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The World Investment Report focuses is an official publication of the UNCTAD (United National Conference in Trade and Development). It reports the trends in foreign direct investment (FDI) worldwide, at the regional and country levels.

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ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights

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The secretariat of the International Chamber of Commerce is located in Paris, France. Founded in 1919, the International Chamber of Commerce represents businesses from more than 130 countries. It plays a significant role in arbitration and has a wide reach in areas involving trade and business law. This international non-governmental organization assists in streamlining international trade rules, thereby promoting economic growth.

Notes:
The correct answer is “5 Permanent & 4 Non-Permanent Members.” In the United Nations Security Council, a decision requires the affirmative votes of at least 9 out of 15 members, which includes all 5 permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and 4 non-permanent members. This structure ensures that both permanent and non-permanent members have a important role in decision-making. Notably, any of the permanent members can veto a substantive resolution, which is a unique feature of the Security Council.