Table of Contents
Egypt’s election last week was democratic only in name.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a former general
Official result is yet to be announced, a landslide victory has been a certainty all along.
Number of opposition candidates were forced to withdraw from the contest
His lone challenger, a late entrant thrust forward to save the government from
embarrassment, was someone who had declared himself a staunch supporter of the Pr
esident’s bid for reelection.
Inflation and the accompanying rise in the cost of borrowing are taking a toll on
ordinary people as well as businesses
If Egypt is to move on from the fire-fighting phase it is gripped by, in his new
term Mr. Sisi must move towards greater transparency and accountability.
Restoration of basic democratic freedoms and respect for the opposition.
As the largest country in the Arab world, Egypt must set an example for the region
Air India
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India.
It is owned by Air India Limited, a government-owned enterprise,
The airline has its hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, alongside several focus cities across India.
Air India is the largest international carrier out of India with an 18.6% market
Over 60 international destinations are served by Air India across four continents.
3 rd largest domestic airline in India in terms of passengers carried (after IndiGo and Jet Airways) with a market share of 13.5% as of July 2017
Founded by J. R. D. Tata as Tata Airlines in 1932;
Subsidiaries Alliance Air and Air India Express
Centre could add a few more changes to make Air India tempting for investors
Civil Aviation Ministry for prospective bidders.
According to this, the Centre will divest 76% of its stake in AI.
100% stake is being offered in its subsidiary Air India Express, and a 50% stake
is on offer in its ground handling operations arm.
Other subsidiaries, such as Alliance Air, Hotel Corporation of India, which owns
Centaur properties in New Delhi and Srinagar, Air India Air Transport Services
and Air India Engineering Services, are not being sold
Given uncertainties over its debt burden, it will not be a surprise if those bold
enough to make a bid for AI find it difficult to offer a lucrative price to the
government.
In 2016-17, the airline suffered a net loss of ₹5,765 crore,
Ttransaction preferably by early 2019-investors will look for the finer details
A rude wake-up call
There must be some safeguards before a motion to impeach a judge is admitted in Parliament
A fearless judge is bedrock of an independent judiciary, as much as an independent judiciary
itself is the foundation on which the rule of law rests.
Fixity of tenure & removal only by impeachment, no doubt, are guarantees for independence.
But in a perception – driven world, the incalculable damage that even a mere admission of an
impeachment motion can cause, and the consequential loss of reputation, that can never be
redeemed, need to be primarily addressed
Discharge of his official duty, a judge is obliged to decide on a variety of matters concerning
the government and the political class.
Eg- public interest litigations involving disclosure norms for contesting candidates;
right of a charge sheeted person to contest elections;electoral disqualifications,
validity of government policies, criminal prosecutions of political leaders, including for owni
ng assets disproportionate to their known sources of income;
Challenges to anti-defection law disqualifications; challenges to action for alleged breach of
privilege motions.
While a corrupt judge should be impeached without doubt,
It must be ensured-large body of independent judges is protected
In the eyes of the international community, executive government also will be shown in a bad
light if the judiciary in the country is not independent and strong.
• Business will not be forthcoming. Tourism will suffer.
• There will be fear and insecurity.
• The rule of law will be a far cry.
• All this will deliver a serious blow to the economy.
After all, there is no reason for any clean government to fear a judiciary that is strong, fearless and independent
Shedding the ‘crisis state’ image
Why Pakistan should view itself as
A ‘trading(व्यापाि) nation’ instead of
A ‘warrior(योद्धा) nation
Pakistan is described around the world as ‘dangerous’, a ‘terrorist incubator’,
and ‘the land of the intolerant’.
Thus, according to Pakistan’s leading dissident, public intellectual
and former diplomat Husain Haqqani, who lives in exile,
It is not difficult to understand the frustration of Pakistanis,
both at home and in the diaspora, over the negative portrayal of their country.
In his new book, Reimagining Pakistan: Transforming a Dysfunctional Nuclear
State, Haqqani explains why an objective analysis cannot ignore some
disconcerting facts about Pakistan’s 70-year history, including
“four fullfledged wars, one alleged genocide, … four direct military coups, …
numerous political assassinations,terrorism, continued external dependence
Prelims Focus Facts-News Analysis
Page-1- After glitch, ISRO trying to restore link with GSAT-6A
Spacecraft built for 10 years goes silent on second day
Prelims Focus Facts-News Analysis
Page-1- CVC wants to keep an eye on private banks
Asks PMO for greater oversight role
Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has urged the
Prime Minister’s Office to bring private sector banks under its watch,
Private sector banks are out of the CVC’s purview but are subjected to statutory audits from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Only one doctor in most primary health centres
According to information provided by the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha recently, of the total 25,650 primary health centres (PHCs) in the country, 15,700 (61.2%) function with one doctor each. As many as 1,974 (7.69%) PHCs do not have even a single doctor.
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