International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

Notes:
The book “Lincoln in the Bardo” has been authored by George Saunders, the Folio prize-winning author. The novel is a tale of death and beyond that captures the grief of Abraham Lincoln over the death of his 11-year-old son Willie while the Civil War raged on in the United States of America (USA). The book draws a parallel line between the lives of Willie’s ghost and a similar uncertain state of Lincoln, after the boy’s death. In simple words, the novel is a confrontation with the mysterious beyond the inevitable death, a question that has haunted humankind, and the way death can bring even the head of a nation to his knees.

Notes:
Japan was the first country in Asia to industrialize on a large scale. Industrialization began in Japan after the fall of the Tokugawa government in 1868. Japan industrialized faster than many European countries.
Japan’s industrialization was prompted by the need to improve the nation’s defenses against foreign threats. Local clans developed industrialization by copying Western examples and using traditional craft skills. Japan’s production included steel, machinery, metal goods, and chemicals, which were produced in quantities large enough for export.
Other Asian countries that have industrialized include: South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong.

Notes:
The Universal Health Coverage Day (UHCD) is observed annually on December 12 to promote the human right to health. The day is the anniversary of the first unanimous United Nations resolution calling for all nations to provide for their citizens affordable, quality health care and is promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Notes:
Peninsula Shield Force is the military side of the Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC, which intends to deter, and respond to, military aggression against any of the GCC member countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Notes:
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. UNEP also has six regional offices and various country offices.

Notes:
The Shatt al-Arab waterway was the main factor in the Iran-Iraq War. The Shatt al-Arab is formed by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The southern end of the river forms the border between Iran and Iraq. The Shatt al-Arab was an important channel for oil exports for both countries. The dispute over the Shatt al-Arab lasted from 1936 until 1975. Iran rejected the demarcation line established in the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of Constantinople of November 1913. Iran wanted the border to run along the thalweg, the deepest point of the navigable channel. The Iran-Iraq War lasted from September 1980 until August 1988. The war was also called the First Persian Gulf War or the Imposed War in Iran.

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:
The most translated document in the world is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The Declaration is a set of principles that outline the fundamental rights and freedoms that are entitled to all human beings. It has been translated into over 500 languages, making it the most translated document in the world. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is considered to be a milestone in the history of human rights and is widely recognized as a fundamental document of international law.

Notes:
Along with New York, Geneva and Nairobi, Vienna is a major Un site which holds the offices of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO, International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. Please note that The VIC (Vienna International center) is an extraterritorial area and is free from local area jurisdiction.

Notes:
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.