International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

Notes:
The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between c. 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. The poem’s imaginative and allegorical vision of the afterlife is a culmination of the medieval world-view as it had developed in the Western Church. It helped establish the Tuscan dialect, in which it is written, as the standardized Italian language.

Notes:
The Integrated Test Range (ITR) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is located in Balasore, Odisha. It provides safe and reliable launch facilities for performance evaluation of rockets, missiles and air-borne weapon system.

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The SAARC Food Bank was established during the 15th SAARC Summit held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2008. This initiative aimed to address food security issues among member countries by providing a mechanism for food assistance during crises. The food bank is a important step towards regional cooperation in agriculture and food security within South Asia, which is home to a large population facing food scarcity challenges.

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The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights is awarded by South Korea. Established in 2000, it honors individuals and organizations that have made important contributions to the promotion of human rights, particularly in the context of the Gwangju Uprising of 1980, where citizens protested against authoritarian rule. The prize aims to raise awareness of human rights issues globally.

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The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Agreement instructs governments on food safety and animal and plant health measures implementation, in addition to offering instructions on most-favoured-nation treatment and the general elimination of quantitative restrictions under the WTO framework. Commonly known as the SPS Agreement, it was established during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and came into force with the creation of the WTO in early 1995.

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.

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COMESA- Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

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.

Notes:
“A Suitable Boy” is an epic novel of over 1,500 pages, making it one of the longest novels published in a single volume in the English language. The author, Vikram Seth, is a celebrated Indian novelist and poet. Known for his masterful storytelling and keen understanding of human nature, he holds a distinguished place in contemporary English literature.