International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently released a book ‘Matoshree’, authored by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in New Delhi on April 11, 2017. The book ‘Matoshree’ covers the life and times of legendary Devi Ahilyabai Holker who ruled the Holkar Empire spread over the Malwa region from 1767 to 1795. Ahilyabai Holkar was a very able ruler and organizer, highly respected during her lifetime and considered as a saint by people after her death. She is remembered and worshipped by people for her exemplary governance, sense of justice and fairness.

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The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty related to Climate Change. It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997 and came into force in 2005. It extends the 1992 UNFCCC to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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Squadron 25, also known as the Himalayan Eagles, was formed after the Chinese aggression in 1962 to strengthen supply lines to the army in the Northern Sector. The Sino-Indian War took place from October 20 to November 21, 1962. The Chinese won the war.

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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.

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The headquarters of the Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force is located in Shillong, Meghalaya. The Eastern Air Command is one of the five operational commands of the Indian Air Force, and is responsible for the air defense of eastern India and parts of north-eastern India.

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“Mein Kampf” was written by Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany. The book’s title translates to “My Struggle” in English, and it served as Hitler’s autobiographical manifesto and political ideology. Hitler wrote this two-volume work while he was in prison in the early 1920s, and it outlines his beliefs, goals, and views on various subjects, including his virulent anti-Semitism, Aryan supremacy, and his vision for a totalitarian state.

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Veto power is held with five permanent members, which are also called as P5 or Big 5. They are China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States.

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The Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) was launched in the year 2008. It objective was to save wild tigers from extinction. The World Bank Group hosted the GTI Secretariat till and also acted as a convener of the global network to save wild tigers and snow leopards from extinction.

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World Press Freedom Day is observed on May 3 each year. Established by the United Nations in 1993, this day highlights the importance of press freedom and the role of journalism in promoting democracy and human rights. The date commemorates the Windhoek Declaration, which advocates for a free, independent, and pluralistic press.

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The Punjabi Sufi poet of Chisti order, Peer Syed Waris Shah was the author of the book “Hir- Ranjha”. It is the tragic love story of Hir and Ranjha, written in 1766 AD.