Daily Mains Practice Questions 01-03-2023

KEY POINTS

·        The new deal, labelled the “Windsor framework”, seeks to address the disruptions to trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was agreed as part of Brexit.

·        Under the Protocol, Northern Ireland would remain a part of the EU’s single market for goods and operate under EU customs rules.

·        Under the new deal, free trade will be preserved by setting up green and red lanes. In theory this would lead to better availability of British goods in Northern Ireland markets, including medicines and some foods.

·        Of concern is the ‘Stormont brake’, an emergency measure that would allow Northern Ireland’s devolved government to expediently halt any new EU laws from being imposed on the province.

·        Nevertheless, as a pragmatic compromise with the EU, this post-Brexit agreement perhaps has gone the farthest of any such plan by the U.K.

·        Conservatives to arrive at a formula that could work on the ground while upholding London’s obligations under the withdrawal agreement.

·        Even more than the specifics of how potential wrinkles on the Irish front are ironed out, the close cooperation that led to the Windsor framework will be heralded as the start of a positive phase.

KEY POINTS

·        The death of Kashmiri Pandit and bank guard Sanjay Sharma at the hands of terrorist gunmen in Pulwama is yet another murder in a series of attacks on the minority community in the Valley.

·        While the murder could be a deliberate ploy by terrorists to strike fear into the minority community in the area, it also signals the failure of security agencies to adequately protect the poor residents.

·        The modus operandi of the radical elements who are targeting civilians has always been clear  the attacks are meant to invite state retaliation and repression, in turn fomenting discontent and disaffection to garner more recruits to the cause.

·        But this does little to mitigate the fear that has gripped Pandits in the Valley and Pulwama in particular.

·        But the repeated attacks on the minority community suggest otherwise  radical sections have sought to utilise the disaffection in the Valley to foment polarisation.

·        Only an effective government by elected representatives of the people of the Valley can do more to rebuild trust between the administration and the citizenry.

·        This will help isolate the radical sections and ease the workload of the security forces in Kashmir.

·        Restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and working towards the conduct of Assembly elections are now a clear imperative.

KEY POINTS

·        A group of 16 countries has launched a gallant effort to fight the problem of climate change  an existential threat to human civilisation at the United Nations (UN).

·        Small Island Developing (SID) states such as Vanuatu are most vulnerable to rising temperatures and sea levels.

·        As part of climate justice, there is a long-standing demand for climate reparations, that is, the rich countries that have historically caused maximum greenhouse gas emissions.

·        At COP-27, while it was agreed to establish a “loss and damage” fund to financially assist vulnerable developing countries, there is little clarity on which countries will provide the funding.

·        Moreover, the connection between funding and the historical responsibility of developed countries in emissions is yet to be determined.

·        In this regard, the ICJ’s answer to the second question can predictably elaborate on the legal principles that might help the operationalisation of the ‘loss and damage’ fund.

·        ITLOS has been requested to determine the specific obligations of the countries under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea about preventing, controlling, and reducing pollution of the marine environment.

·        Developed countries and groupings like the G-20 should support these laudable initiatives of the SID states.

Q. 3 ) ICJ adress the issue

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