US imposes sanctions on Turkey over Russia weapons - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

US imposes sanctions on Turkey over Russia weapons.

The US has issued sanctions against its fellow Nato ally Turkey over its deployment of a Russian-made missile defence system acquired last year.

The US says Russia's S-400 surface-to-air missile system is incompatible with Nato technology and a threat to the Euro-Atlantic alliance.

The sanctions announced by the state department on Monday target Turkey's weapons procurement sector.

The move was swiftly condemned by officials in Turkey and Russia.

The US had already kicked Turkey out of its F-35 fighter jet programme over the purchase of the Russian-made missile system.

What is the US objecting to?

"The United States made clear to Turkey at the highest levels and on numerous occasions that its purchase of the S-400 system would endanger the security of US military technology and personnel and provide substantial funds to Russia's defense sector, as well as Russian access to the Turkish armed forces and defense industry," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

"Turkey nevertheless decided to move ahead with the procurement and testing of the S-400, despite the availability of alternative, Nato-interoperable systems to meet its defense requirements," he continued.

"I urge Turkey to resolve the S-400 problem immediately in co-ordination with the United States," he said. "Turkey is a valued ally and an important regional security partner for the United States, and we seek to continue our decades-long history of productive defense-sector co-operation by removing the obstacle of Turkey's S-400 possession as soon as possible."

The sanctions target Turkey's Defence Industries Directorate president Ismail Demir, and three other employees.

They include a ban on US export licences, as well a freeze on any assets that are in US jurisdictions.

What does Turkey say?

Turkey's foreign ministry urged the US "to reconsider this unfair decision as announced today", adding that Turkey "stands ready to address this issue through dialogue and diplomacy in conformity with the spirit of alliance".

The ministry warned that US sanctions "will inevitably negatively impact our relations, and (Turkey) will retaliate in a manner and time it sees appropriate".

Ankara argues that the Russian system was purchased after the US refused to sell US-made Patriot missiles. Turkish officials point to the fact that Greece - another Nato ally - has their own S-300, although that was not purchased directly from Russia.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also condemned the US decision as "another manifestation of an arrogant attitude towards international law.

"A manifestation of illegitimate, unilateral coercive measures that the United States has been using for many years, already decades, left and right," Mr Lavrov continued.

How important is Turkey?

Turkey has the second-largest army in Nato, a 30-member military alliance.

It is one of the US's key allies, and is located in a strategic position, sharing borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran.

It has also played an important role in the Syria conflict, providing arms and military support to some rebel groups.

However, it has seen relations deteriorate with some Nato members and the EU, who have accused Mr Erdogan of adopting an increasingly authoritarian style following a failed coup in 2016.

How does the S-400 work?

1. Long-range surveillance radar tracks objects and relays information to command vehicle, which assesses potential targets

2. Target is identified and command vehicle orders missile launch

3. Launch data are sent to the best placed launch vehicle and it releases surface-to-air missiles

4. Engagement radar helps guide missiles towards target (Source: bbcnews)

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US imposes sanctions on Turkey over Russia weapons.

Coast Guard ship 'Sujit' commissioned in Goa - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Coast Guard ship 'Sujit' commissioned in Goa.

The Indian Coast Guard ship 'Sujeet', the second in the series of 105 metres off-shore patrol vessels, was commissioned in Goa on Tuesday.

The vessel will enhance the Indian Coast Guard's operational capability to discharge multifarious maritime tasks, a spokesman of the Coast Guard said.

It was commissioned at the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in Vasco town by Secretary (defence production) Raj Kumar in the presence of Indian Coast Guard Director General Krishnaswamy Natarajan and others.

The 105 metres OPV (off-shore patrol vessel) has been designed and built indigenously by the GSL, and is fitted with advanced technology, navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machinery, the spokesman said.

The ship is also equipped with an integrated bridge system, integrated platform management system, power management system and high power external fire-fighting.

It is designed to carry one twin engine helicopter and four high speed boats, including two inflatable boats, for boarding operations, search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol, he said.

The ship, on joining the Coast Guard, will be based at Goa, he said.

"The ship will be deployed extensively for EEZ (exclusive economic zone) surveillance and other duties as enshrined in the Coast Guard charter," he said.

"Presently, the Indian Coast Guard has a fleet of 155 ships and 62 aircraft," he said, adding that 35 more ships are at various stages of construction at different Indian shipyards.

Besides, 16 advance light helicopters are under production at the HAL, Bengaluru, which will provide an added strength to the surveillance capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard to deal with the ever-dynamic maritime challenges, he added.

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Coast Guard ship 'Sujit' commissioned in Goa.

ISRO to launch Cartosat-3, 13 commercial nano satellites on Nov 25-Pragnya Ias Academy-News Analysis

ISRO to launch Cartosat-3, 13 commercial nano satellites on Nov 25.

The Cartosat-3 is a "third generation agile advanced satellite" having high resolution imaging capability, it said, adding that the satellite would be placed in an orbit of 509 km at an inclination of 97.5 degree

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would launch its earth imaging and mapping satellite Cartosat-3 along with 13 commercial nano satellites from the US, on November 25, the space agency said.
The satellites would be launched by India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C47into Sun Synchronous Orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The launch is tentatively scheduled at 09:28 hrs IST on November 25, 2019 subject to weather conditions, ISRO said.
The Cartosat-3 is a "third generation agile advanced satellite" having high resolution imaging capability, it said, adding that the satellite would be placed in an orbit of 509 km at an inclination of 97.5 degree.
PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in 'XL' configuration (with 6 solid strap-on motors).
PSLV-C47 would also carry 13 commercial nano satellites from United States of America as part of commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space.
ISRO has said, this would be the 74th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. (Source:ndtv)


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ISRO to launch Cartosat-3, 13 commercial nano satellites on Nov 25.

India ranks 59 on IMD World Talent Ranking Report; Switzerland first.-Pragnya Ias Academy News Analysis-Best Coaching Centre

India ranks 59 on IMD World Talent Ranking Report; Switzerland first.

The Top 10 was completed by Austria (4th), Luxembourg (5th), Norway (6th), Iceland (7th), Finland (8th), the Netherlands (9th) and Singapore (10th)

India has slipped 6 places to 59 rank on a global annual list of 63 countries, due to low quality of life and expenditure on education, according to the latest edition of IMD World Talent Ranking, which was topped by Switzerland.

The ranking, which is based on the performance in three main categories -- investment and development, appeal and readiness, noted that India is also lagging behind fellow BRICs countries - China ranked 42nd on the list, Russia (47th) and South Africa (50th).
India also witnessed one of the sharpest declines among Asian economies owing to low quality of life, negative impact of brain drain, and the low priority of its economy on attracting and retaining talents.
"The drop is a combination of several factors including expenditure on education (per student) and the quality of education which may be linked to the GDP growth," said Jose Caballero is a Senior Economist at the IMD Business School Switzerland and Singapore.
Caballero further said: "There are other issues that have an equally important impact than GDP growth, such as the effectiveness of the health system and women's participation in the labour force".
On India's appeal factor with regard to the recent pollution issues, Caballero said, "Remuneration is an issue but when combined with other factors, exacerbate the status of the country in terms of Appeal".
Switzerland retained its title as the world's top talent hub, while Europe lead the way in fostering the best conditions for competitiveness in a skills-scarce global economy.
Denmark was placed second and Sweden, was in the third place.
The Top 10 was completed by Austria (4th), Luxembourg (5th), Norway (6th), Iceland (7th), Finland (8th), the Netherlands (9th) and Singapore (10th).
The countries at the top of the rankings share strong levels of investment in education and a high quality of life.
Meanwhile, China ranked in the lower half of the index. China (42nd) fell 3 places due to low ranking on government expenditure per student, cost of living index and exposure to particle pollution.
In Asia, Singapore, along with Hong Kong SAR (15th) and Taiwan (20th) lead in terms of talent competitiveness due to the readiness of talent pool.
Singapore rose from 13th to 10th position compared to last year, Hong Kong SAR from 18th to 15th, and Taiwan from 27th to 20th.
"Most leading economies emphasize long-term talent development by focusing on investment and development. This emphasis, however, goes beyond purely academic aspects to encompass the effective implementation of apprenticeships and employee training. Such an approach ensures a consistent alignment between talent demand and supply," said Professor Arturo Bris, Director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center. (Source: The Business Standard)


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India ranks 59 on IMD World Talent Ranking Report; Switzerland first

Steep climb in global nitrous oxide levels: Study - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Steep climb in global nitrous oxide levels: Study.

Global atmospheric levels of nitrous oxide (N2O) increased 10 per cent between 2000-2005 and 2010-2015, according to a new research. The absolute value of the increase was 1.6 TgN per year.

N2O is the third-most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). It has the highest global warming potential among the three — 300 times than CO2.
The research also flagged a discrepancy in the way the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates N2O levels.
Scientists from several institutes in Europe and the United States, including some from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), collaborated for the research. Its results were published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
The authors of the paper brought together N2O emission estimates deduced from three global atmospheric inversion frameworks from 1998 to 2016, themselves based on N2O observational data from global networks.

Within this, IIASA contributed data from the Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS) model.
“We see that the N2O emissions have increased considerably during the past two decades, but especially from 2009 onwards,” Rona Thompson, senior scientist at NILU and lead author of the study, said. She did not offer any reason for the increase post-2009.
“Our estimates show that the emission of N2O has increased faster over the last decade than estimated by the IPCC emission factor approach,” Thompson said.
The panel’s estimates were based on the extent of usage of fertilisers and manure by different countries and a default emission factor — the amount of N2O emitted relative to the amount of nitrogen fertiliser used.
The current research found the estimation factor to be 2.3 (+/- 0.6) per cent — much above IPCC’s default 1.375 per cent.
“The larger emission factor, and the accelerating emission increase found from the inversions suggest that N2O emission may have a non-linear response at global and regional scales with high levels of nitrogen input,” according to a IIASA statement.
Authors of the study recommended using more complex algorithms and region-specific emission factors to estimate N2O.
The main reasons for this dramatic increase in N2O levels since the mid-20th century and especially in the past two decades has been the “production of nitrogen fertilisers, widespread cultivation of nitrogen-fixing crops (such as clover, soybeans, alfalfa, lupins, and peanuts) and the combustion of fossil and biofuels,” according to the authors of the research. (Source: down to earth)


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Steep climb in global nitrous oxide levels: Study

India leads mobile ad fraud in Asia, blockchain can help fix issues: Report -Pragnya Ias Acadamy-News Analysis

India leads mobile ad fraud in Asia, blockchain can help fix issues: Report.

Only 37% respondents are aware of Blockchain and its application to fraud prevention.

India is leading mobile ad fraud in Asia with a rate of 62 per cent as marketers are spending nearly 20 per cent of their advertising budget on ad fraud, a new report said on Monday.
Nine out of 10 marketers said there is scope for improvement in ad fraud prevention methods while 95 per cent respondents felt that lack of penalties and transparency in industry regulations give rise to ad fraud," said the report titled 'Ad Fraud Benchmark Report' from global non-profit organization Mobile Marketing Association.
Major types of ad fraud are cookie stuffing (74 per cent), adware traffic (65 per cent), data fraud (61 per cent) and ad injection (54 per cent).

Only 37 per cent respondents are aware of Blockchain and its application to fraud prevention, said the report published in collaboration with a leading research firm Decision Lab.
"In India, the awareness on ad fraud risks is very low with almost a fifth of the marketers being unclear of their ad fraud budget and majority of them believing that fraudulent activities will only increase," said Moneka Khurana, Country Head, MMA India.
"Marketers must understand the potential of technologies such as Blockchain that can help solve issues related to fraud and create security and transparency in mobile marketing ecosystem," Khurana added. (Source: The Business Standard)


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India leads mobile ad fraud in Asia, blockchain can help fix issues: Report

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Climate change: Investors wants world energy body to support Paris accord.

The signatories said they wanted the IEA to produce what they would consider a "fully transparent" scenario showing how the world could meet the most ambitious Paris accord goals.

Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), faced renewed pressure on Monday to overhaul the organisation's influential projections for fossil fuel demand from investors and scientists concerned about climate change.

Pension funds, insurers and large companies were among 65 signatories of a joint letter to Birol, seen by Reuters, urging him to do more to support the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement to avert catastrophic global warming.
"The year 2020 marks a turning point for the world - the year when we either grasp the challenges and opportunities before us, or continue delaying and obstructing the low-carbon transformation," the letter said.
The letter represented the first coordinated response by investors, scientists and campaigners pushing Birol to rethink the Paris-based organisation's flagship annual outlook since the latest edition was launched on Nov. 13.
Known as the World Energy Outlook, the document, which runs to hundreds of pages, helps shape expectations in financial markets over how quickly the world could transition from a fossil fuel-dominated energy system to cleaner sources of power.
Since the start of this year, various networks of institutional investors, asset owners, scientists and climate advocacy groups have been urging Birol to change the way the report is produced and presented.
These critics argue that a revised approach could help unlock faster investment in renewables and better identify possible risks to the value of oil, gas and coal companies posed by the prospect of rapid action to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The IEA made several changes to the last edition of the outlook, including providing what officials describe as a more "stringent" scenario showing how the world could fully achieve the goals of the Paris agreement than in the previous edition.
In interviews with Reuters this month, Birol and other senior IEA officials argued that the criticism of the outlook was misplaced, saying it was based on misunderstandings of how its scenarios work and what they aim to demonstrate.
Birol also emphasised that the IEA's wide-ranging work on topics from energy efficiency to offshore wind played an important role in boosting international efforts to tackle climate change.
Nevertheless, in the letter, sent on Monday, signatories described the new elements in the latest outlook as "minor improvements" that should not be mistaken for delivering "urgently needed substantial changes."
The signatories said they wanted the IEA to produce what they would consider a "fully transparent" scenario showing how the world could meet the most ambitious Paris accord goals.
That would include reliably limiting the rise in average global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times without banking on early stage technologies to suck carbon from the air, and reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The signatories want their vision for what would qualify as such a scenario to be the centrepiece of the next outlook.
German insurer Allianz, Switzerland's Zurich Insurance Group, and Danish fund PensionDanmark confirmed to Reuters they had signed the letter. Other signatories shown on a copy of the letter seen by Reuters included Unilever, IKEA, Nordea Life & Pension and Ørsted.
Climate scientists based in the United States, Britain and Germany, former U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres and Michelle Bachelet, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, also signed.
In a statement emailed to Reuters on Saturday, the IEA said it received a lot of comments on its work and carefully considered all suggestions.
"As science, technologies, markets, policies, and costs evolve each year, we take those changes into account in our analysis. We will do so again as we prepare for next year's edition of the World Energy Outlook," the IEA said. (Source: The business standard)


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Climate change: Investors wants world energy body to support Paris accord