SSB PATRIKA

Friday Students
08 Nov 2024 Version

India’s First Newspaper Specifically Made For Defence Aspirants

Current Affairs SSB Group Discussions Lecturette topics Vocabulary TAT + PPDT Stories

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Germany in political crisis as Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition
falls apart
After Germany’s government coalition collapsed in a dramatic
fashion when Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister
Christian Lindner of the pro-business Free Democrats, Mr. Scholz
said he would lead the country with a minority government, despite
calls from Opposition leaders on Thursday for early elections. The
chancellor said the minority government would be made up of his
Social Democrats and the Greens until early next year — even as the
leader of the biggest Opposition bloc in Parliament, Friedrich Merz
from the centre-right Christian Democrats, called for an immediate
no-confidence vote and new elections. Mr. Scholz stressed again on
Thursday, that he does not want to call a vote of confidence before
January 15. Merz meets Scholz A meeting with Mr. Merz and Mr.
Scholz at the chancellery around noontime on Thursday about a
possible date for the next
election ended after less than an hour with Mr. Merz leaving without commenting on the talks. Later on Thursday,
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier fired Finance Minister Lindner and two other Free Democrats officials who had
resigned — Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann — their certificates of
dismissal. Mr. Steinmeier also appointed Jörg Kukies, an economic adviser to Mr. Scholz, as Finance Minister. Agriculture
Minister Cem Özdemir from the Greens agreed to take on the Research Ministry.

Philippines ‘retakes’ an island in disputed sea in mock

combat
Philippine forces practised retaking an island in the South China Sea on
Wednesday in the first such combat exercise in the disputed waters as Chinese
Navy ships kept watch from a distance, the Philippine military chief said. Gen.
Romeo Brawner Jr., who witnessed the drills from a navy frigate, said the exercise
underscored the readiness of Filipino forces to defend the country’s sovereignty
at all costs. “We are warning our neighbours or whoever or any external forces that
we are capable of defending our islands,” Mr. Brawner told a small group of
presspersons invited to the combat exercises. There were no immediate
comments from Chinese officials, but they have opposed past war drills in the
South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. Delicate fault line The
long-seething territorial disputes that also involve other claimants are a delicate
fault line in the U.S.-China rivalry in Asia and likely will remain a major foreign policy concern for the next American
President. In the drills, a Philippine navy frigate approached Loaita Island, which the Philippines calls Kota Island, while
four speedboats with marines and navy sailors.

Tamils need strong representation in Sri Lankan Parliament,

says Sumanthiran
Regardless of the decisive change in Sri Lanka’s national politics — with the election
of Anura Kumara Dissanayake in September — the country’s Tamil people will need
strong representation in Parliament to assert their rights and longneglected
demands, according to Tamil politician M.A. Sumanthiran. A senior lawyer and two-
time legislator, he is contesting in the November 14 parliamentary elections from the
northern Jana district for the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), a party that has for
decades been the main Tamil voice in the Sri Lakan legislature, including through the
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) that it led since 2001. In the last Parliament [2020-24],
the grouping had 10 MPs, six down from between 2015 and 2019. The grave
economic crisis of 2022, which led to a people’s movement that ousted President
Gotabaya Rajapaksa from office, has substantially altered Sri Lanka’s political and
electoral landscapes. “The ITAK is telling voters that there has been a change at the
Centre, a third force has come to power.

https://youtu.be/FSmy0Goho9g?si=aME3Xyvq58t9ta2N https://t.me/Cadetian_s
1
 SSB PATRIKA
Friday Students
08 Nov 2024 Version

India’s First Newspaper Specifically Made For Defence Aspirants

Current Affairs SSB Group Discussions Lecturette topics Vocabulary TAT + PPDT Stories

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Many consular camps in Canada cancelled: India
MEA says authorities in that country are not providing adequate
security to diplomats and consular sta; Canadian govt. should bring
those who perpetrated violence to justice, it adds.
Holding Canadian authorities responsible for failing to provide “adequate
security” to Indian diplomats and consular staff, India on Thursday said it
was cancelling a number of consullar camps it had planned to help
citizens of Indian origin with their documentation requirements. The
decision comes days after violent clashes broke out between
proKhalistani groups that targeted a temple complex and the Indian-
origin community at a consular camp organised by Indian diplomats in
the Canadian city of Brampton. The incident, which has led to a further
escalation of tensions between India and Canada, was condemned by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called the “cowardly attempts” to
intimidate Indian diplomats “appalling” and slammed the attack on the
Hindu Sabha Temple. “In view of the security agencies conveying their
inability to provide minimum security protection to the community camp organisers, Consulate has decided to
cancel some of the scheduled consular camps,” said a social media post by the Indian Consulate in Toronto. The
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said consular camps in other cities, including one in Vancouver, would go ahead
as scheduled, but that despite specific requests from the Indian High Commission and consulates in Canada,
some of the camps, mainly in the Toronto area were not provided adequate security. The Indian consulate also
shared visuals of two camps at a Sikh Centre and Hindu temple in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where over 600
certificates were processed on Wednesday.

U.S., China must find a way to ‘get along’, Xi tells Trump

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that Beijing and
Washington must find a way to “get along” in a message to U.S. President-
elect Donald Trump, state media reported. Mr. Trump’s crushing
presidential victory ushers in a new era of uncertainty in the U.S. and the
world, and heralds a possible shift in U.S.-China relations, frayed in recent
years by tensions over everything from trade to the status of self-ruled
Taiwan. ‘Stable, healthy tie’ In his first message to Mr. Trump since the
former President secured a second term, Mr. Xi said “history has shown
that China and the United States benefit from cooperation and suffer
from confrontation”, state broadcaster CCTV said. “A stable, healthy and
sustainable China-U.S. relationship is in the common interest of both
countries and is in line with the expectations of the international
community,” Mr. Xi said. He called for Washington
and Beijing to “strengthen dialogue and communication” and “properly manage differences”. The two countries must
“find a correct way... to get along in this new era, to benefit both countries and the world”, Mr. Xi said. Chinese Vice-
President Han Zheng also sent a message to Vice-President elect J.D. Vance, CCTV said. “A stable, healthy and
sustainable China-U.S. relationship is in the common interest of both countries and is in line with the expectations of
the international community,” Mr. Xi said. He called for Washington and Beijing to “strengthen dialogue and
communication” and “properly manage differences”. The two countries must “find a correct way... to get along in this
new era, to benefit both countries and the world”, Mr. Xi said.

Israel inks $5.2-bn pact to buy 25 ‘next-generation’ F-15

fighter jets
Israel’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday it had signed a $5.2- billion
agreement with Boeing to purchase 25 “next-generation” F-15 fighter
jets, financed by U.S. military aid. The deal includes an option for 25 more
aircraft, with deliveries to start in 2031 in batches of four to six jets
annually, the Ministry statement said.

https://youtu.be/FSmy0Goho9g?si=aME3Xyvq58t9ta2N https://t.me/Cadetian_s
2
 SSB PATRIKA
Friday Students
08 Nov 2024 Version

India’s First Newspaper Specifically Made For Defence Aspirants

Current Affairs SSB Group Discussions Lecturette topics Vocabulary TAT + PPDT Stories

NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Chugging along electrification route, Railways may modify and
export old diesel locomotives
As the Indian Railways intensifies its electrification efforts along its network, it
is also finding methods to put its soon-to-be-redundant diesel locomotives to
good use, by repurposing them for exports. Railway PSU RITES chairman Rahul
Mithal told The Hindu that the company, in close collaboration with the design
team in the Railway Ministry, is working on overhaulting diesel locomotives
that still have a service life of 15 to 20 years left, to suit the export
requirements for African countries. RITES has received two orders for
repurposed Indian locomotives from South African mineral and steel plants —
one worth ₹35 crore in the second quarter of the current financial year, and the
other worth ₹50 crore in the third quarter. Second-hand sales Mr. Mithal
quipped, “It is like buying a second-hand car. So even though both orders are
for three locomotives each, the cost varies from order to order, depending on
the horsepower of the locomotive and balance years of life left.”
“African countries are keen to receive the locomotives as the revival of their economy depends on mineral movement, including on
rail networks. It is their lifeline. And because they are secondhand, the cost of locomotives is also lucrative for them,” Mr. Mithal
said. Gauge conversion The challenge now before RITES and the Railway Ministry is to convert Indian locomotives that are
designed to run on a broad gauge network of 1,676 mm to the much smaller Cape Gauge network of 1,067 mm on which trains run
in over 12 African countries, including South Africa. He said RITES would purchase the six best possible locomotives from Indian
Railways and convert them to Cape Gauge. Huge market to tap “This is the first time ever that we will be attempting gauge
conversion for inservice locomotives,” he said.

Do not hesitate to invoke UAPA, Amit Shah tells State police,

Central agencies
The police forces of the States should invoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
(UAPA) without hesitation when required, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday,
adding that a National Counter Terrorism Policy and Strategy will be introduced soon to
fight terrorism, terrorists, and the entire ecosystem supporting them. “The agencies fighting
against terrorism should apply UAPA without hesitation wherever needed and seek
assistance from the NIA [National Investigation Agency] for investigations. NIA has
registered 632 cases, fled chargesheets in 498 cases and secured conviction in 95% cases.
If NIA can achieve this, why cannot the State police do this?” Mr. Shah said, addressing the
NIA’s two-day Anti-Terrorism Conference, 2024, where he also released the Standard
Operating Procedure for UAPA investigations. Fighting terrorism does not merely mean
uncovering a few conspiracies,

Historical temples, lands declared waqf property without

issuing notice: JPC chief
Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf
(Amendment) Bill, 2024, Jagdambika Pal, has said that what is happening in
Karnataka with regard to the Waqf Board claiming ownership of various
properties, including religious institutions, is a matter of concern and he will
place the matter before the JPC. Addressing presspersons after hearing
grievances of farmers and BJP leaders here on Thursday, Mr. Pal said that he
had received memoranda from various groups on even historical temples and
lands that were cultivated for decades being declared as waqf property
without issuing any notice. ‘Mutations changed’ “It is as if a drive is being
carried out in Karnataka. Not only the properties are being claimed as those of
the waqf board but also mutations are being changed, that too without giving
any notices. How is it possible? Who is responsible? Such steps cannot be taken without the involvement of the
administration,” he said. Referring to the State government’s announcement that notices would be withdrawn and that
farmers would not be evicted, Mr. Pal said that while the government had issued the statement, mutations had already
been done in the land records, which was a matter of concern. He had received around 70 representations from various
groups and from the Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, and the fact- finding committee of the
BJP. Their representations would be placed before the JPC and they would be called to appear before the committee to
air their grievances, Mr. Pal said.

https://youtu.be/FSmy0Goho9g?si=aME3Xyvq58t9ta2N https://t.me/Cadetian_s
3
 SSB PATRIKA
Friday Students
08 Nov 2024 Version

India’s First Newspaper Specifically Made For Defence Aspirants

Current Affairs SSB Group Discussions Lecturette topics Vocabulary TAT + PPDT Stories

EDITOR OF THE DAY

India, Pakistan and modifying the Indus Waters Treaty

India’s move to serve formal notice on August 30, 2024, in line with Article XII (3) of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT),
underlines its concerns about meeting ever-increasing domestic water needs in a sustainable manner. The notice is to review
and modify the treaty to address India’s specific concerns relating to altered population demographics, along with agricultural
and other uses apart from the need to accelerate the development of clean energy to meet India’s emission rights. India has
also mentioned in the notice that the impact of persistent cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is impeding smooth
operations of the Treaty, undermining the full utilisation of its rights in the Indus. Article XII, which allows modification in the
treaty from time to time, lays down a very high threshold: ‘a duly ratified treaty concluded for that purpose between the two
Governments’. If one goes by the plea made by India and Pakistan during the Kishenganga arbitral award 2013, it appears
unlikely that Pakistan and India will reach a modification formula that is to their satisfaction.

Divergent approaches India, as the upper riparian, treats optimal utilisation as the object and the purpose of the IWT. This is
opposed to Pakistan’s (the lower riparian) understanding of uninterrupted flow to its side. This divergent approach relating to
the interpretation of the IWT’s purpose is one of the factors responsible for the claims and counterclaims by India and
Pakistan over water use. The Hague based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) did not side with the plea of ecological harm
raised by Pakistan under Article IV (6) of the IWT. It allowed India to build hydropower projects on the Kishanganga. But the
Tribunal has added a caveat: that India has to maintain a minimum nine cubic metre a second flow. India has 33 hydro-power
projects, in either construction or planning phase, along the western tributaries. The use of western rivers for hydro-power
generation is permitted under the IWT but the crucial point is about India maintaining minimum flow.

Challenges in managing resources Ensuring optimum utilisation and maintaining minimum flow would require better
management of the entire Indus Water Basin, resulting in enhanced water resource. Meeting these goals is remote in the given
structure of the IWT, which divides the separation of the Indus Basin into eastern and western waters. India has proprietary
rights in the eastern rivers (Article II, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas) while Pakistan has proprietary rights in the western rivers (Article
III, Indus, Jhelum and Chenab). The idea of partitioning the rivers was driven by historical contingency relating to Partition and
the appeal to the Indian and Pakistani leadership as the only rational strategy. The partitioning of the river basin essentially
severed hydrological relationships between the rivers and their tributaries, which not only made integrated water resources
management elusive but also led to either minimal or no cooperation. Although the IWT does not have a provision relating to
no harm rule, it still binds both the riparians as the rule is a customary international law. The obligation not to cause significant
harm is a due diligence obligation — it amounts to saying that both riparians have to take every appropriate measure to prevent
harm while undertaking a hydropower project or projects on the shared water course having a potential transboundary impact.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), in the Pulp Mills on the Uruguay river case (2010) has identied conducting a
transboundary environmental impact assessment (EIA) as an essential requirement of customary international law for
projects or activities with a potential for transboundary effects. This judgment amounts to saying India and Pakistan will have
to undertake EIA if a project has potential transboundary effects. The ICJ did not identify the core components of an adequate
EIA. The Rule relating to equitable and reasonable utilisation (ERU) of international watercourse, which is enshrined in Article 5,
and the factors and circumstances for consideration to arrive at an ERU in Article 6 of the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention
can guide both the riparians to meet unforeseen circumstances. The ERU may be leaned on to deal with unforeseen effects of
climate change such as depletion of glacial reserves which cause a 30%-40% decrease in the Indus’s water flow. The proposal
to review should consider the provision in Article VII.1c which explicitly provides that if both the parties are in agreement, they
can cooperate in joint engineering projects along the river. Joint projects that are appropriately designed and operated could
offer a chance to mitigate water variability that arises from climate change.

Some suggestions Given the lack of trust between the two parties, renegotiating the treaty to review and make modifications
might prove difficult. A suggestion could be using the IWT’s formal negotiation procedures to arrive at a memorandum of
understanding and other cooperative avenues that address issues as they arise, while using the treaty as a structure to
organise their development of the basin (N. Zawahiri and D. Michel, 2018).

https://youtu.be/FSmy0Goho9g?si=aME3Xyvq58t9ta2N https://t.me/Cadetian_s
4
 SSB PATRIKA
Friday Students
08 Nov 2024 Version

India’s First Newspaper Specifically Made For Defence Aspirants

Current Affairs SSB Group Discussions Lecturette topics Vocabulary TAT + PPDT Stories

Think You Know?

1. Who recently proposed the need for stronger Tamil representation in Sri Lanka’s Parliament?
- A) Anura Kumara Dissanayake
- B) Gotabaya Rajapaksa
- C) M.A. Sumanthiran
- D) Sajith Premadasa

2. What is the reason for India canceling some consular camps in Canada?
- A) High demand for documentation services
- B) Inadequate security provided to Indian diplomats
- C) Lack of coordination with Canadian authorities
- D) Travel restrictions due to diplomatic tensions

3. What did President Xi Jinping emphasize in his recent message to the U.S. following
President-elect Donald Trump's win?
- A) The importance of a competitive relationship
- B) The necessity of increased military spending
- C) The need to find a stable way to "get along"
- D) Supporting U.S. policies in Asia

4. What geopolitical concern is highlighted by the Philippines' recent combat exercises in the
South China Sea?
- A) Taiwan’s independence
- B) Defense of Filipino sovereignty
- C) Economic exploration in disputed waters
- D) Alliance with U.S. forces

5. What directive did Union Home Minister Amit Shah give to State police and Central agencies?
- A) Reduce enforcement of the UAPA
- B) Apply the UAPA without hesitation when needed
- C) Increase coordination with international police agencies
- D) Focus on minor law enforcement policies

6. What is the primary purpose behind Indian Railways’ plan to export modified diesel
locomotives to African countries?
- A) To support electrification in Africa
- B) To repurpose surplus diesel locomotives
- C) To collaborate with African governments on new railway designs
- D) To decrease reliance on diesel fuel

Answers:
1. C) M.A. Sumanthiran
2. B) Inadequate security provided to Indian diplomats
3. C) The need to find a stable way to "get along"
4. B) Defense of Filipino sovereignty
5. B) Apply the UAPA without hesitation when needed
6. B) To repurpose surplus diesel locomotives

https://youtu.be/FSmy0Goho9g?si=aME3Xyvq58t9ta2N https://t.me/Cadetian_s
5
 SSB PATRIKA
Friday Students
08 Nov 2024 Version

India’s First Newspaper Specifically Made For Defence Aspirants

Current Affairs SSB Group Discussions Lecturette topics Vocabulary TAT + PPDT Stories

Trending Vocabulary
Conflagration (महान आग)
Synonyms: Fire, Inferno
Antonym: Small flame
Explanation: Conflagration means a large fire.

Dearth (कमी)
Synonyms: Paucity
Antonym: Adequate supply
Explanation: Dearth means a lack or scarcity.

Diffidence (संकोच)
Synonyms: Bashfulness, Modesty
Antonym: Confidence
Explanation: Diffidence means shyness, reserve, or unassertiveness.

Effervescent (उत्साही)
Synonyms: Cheerful
Antonym: Sad, Gloomy
Explanation: Effervescent means showing high spirits.

Ethereal (स्वर्गीय)
Synonyms: Heavenly, Delicate
Antonym: Earthly, Mundane
Explanation: Ethereal means light, lacking material substance, intangible.

Expunge (मिटाना)
Synonyms: Erase
Antonym: Add to
Explanation: Expunge means to remove.

Guile (छल)
Synonyms: Duplicity
Antonym: Openness, Candor
Explanation: Guile means deceitfulness.

Implausible (अविश्वसनीय)
Synonyms: Unimaginable
Antonym: Believable
Explanation: Implausible means not believable.

Incongruity (असंगति)
Synonyms: Disagreement, Incompatibility
Antonym: Agreement
Explanation: Incongruity means nonconformity.

Insularity (संकीर्णता)
Synonyms: Narrow-mindedness
Antonym: Broad-mindedness
Explanation: Insularity means qualities of an island, narrow-mindedness.

Playlist

https://youtu.be/FSmy0Goho9g?si=aME3Xyvq58t9ta2N https://t.me/Cadetian_s
6