CLAT 2021 || Passage Based Current Affairs Quiz || 06.07.2020

The UN General Assembly adopted a new voting procedure Friday for the upcoming election of new members of the Security Council aimed at preventing a large gathering and ensuring social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of meeting in the horseshoe-shaped assembly chamber at UN headquarters overlooking New York’s East River, ambassadors from the “A” UN member nations will cast secret ballots at a designated venue during spaced-out time slots.

And they will be voting not only for five non-permanent members of the Security Council to serve two-year terms but for 18 new members of the 54-nation “B” to serve three-year terms. According to the new procedure, the President of the General Assembly will send a letter to all member states at least 10 working days before the first round of secret balloting for the two elections to inform them of the date, venue where ballots should be cast, and other relevant information.

The Security Council election had been scheduled for June 17, but it’s unclear whether that will remain the date. The Security Council has five permanent members —— and 10 members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. Five countries are elected every year. The council is the UN’s most powerful body and winning a seat is a pinnacle of achievement for many countries because it gives them a strong voice on issues of international peace and security ranging from conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Ukraine to the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and Iran, and attacks by extremist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida. This year seven countries are vying for five seats, and there are two hotly contested races. In the group of a Western nation, Canada, Ireland and Norway are battling for two seats, and in Africa, Kenya and Djibouti are competing for one seat. “B” is running unopposed for the Asia-Pacific seat and “C” is running unopposed for the seat for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The UN General Assembly adopted a new voting procedure Friday for the upcoming election of new members of the Security Council aimed at preventing a large gathering and ensuring social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of meeting in the horseshoe-shaped assembly chamber at UN headquarters overlooking New York’s East River, ambassadors from the “A” UN member nations will cast secret ballots at a designated venue during spaced-out time slots.

And they will be voting not only for five non-permanent members of the Security Council to serve two-year terms but for 18 new members of the 54-nation “B” to serve three-year terms. According to the new procedure, the President of the General Assembly will send a letter to all member states at least 10 working days before the first round of secret balloting for the two elections to inform them of the date, venue where ballots should be cast, and other relevant information.

The Security Council election had been scheduled for June 17, but it’s unclear whether that will remain the date. The Security Council has five permanent members —— and 10 members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. Five countries are elected every year. The council is the UN’s most powerful body and winning a seat is a pinnacle of achievement for many countries because it gives them a strong voice on issues of international peace and security ranging from conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Ukraine to the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and Iran, and attacks by extremist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida. This year seven countries are vying for five seats, and there are two hotly contested races. In the group of a Western nation, Canada, Ireland and Norway are battling for two seats, and in Africa, Kenya and Djibouti are competing for one seat. “B” is running unopposed for the Asia-Pacific seat and “C” is running unopposed for the seat for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The UN General Assembly adopted a new voting procedure Friday for the upcoming election of new members of the Security Council aimed at preventing a large gathering and ensuring social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of meeting in the horseshoe-shaped assembly chamber at UN headquarters overlooking New York’s East River, ambassadors from the “A” UN member nations will cast secret ballots at a designated venue during spaced-out time slots.

And they will be voting not only for five non-permanent members of the Security Council to serve two-year terms but for 18 new members of the 54-nation “B” to serve three-year terms. According to the new procedure, the President of the General Assembly will send a letter to all member states at least 10 working days before the first round of secret balloting for the two elections to inform them of the date, venue where ballots should be cast, and other relevant information.

The Security Council election had been scheduled for June 17, but it’s unclear whether that will remain the date. The Security Council has five permanent members —— and 10 members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. Five countries are elected every year. The council is the UN’s most powerful body and winning a seat is a pinnacle of achievement for many countries because it gives them a strong voice on issues of international peace and security ranging from conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Ukraine to the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and Iran, and attacks by extremist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida. This year seven countries are vying for five seats, and there are two hotly contested races. In the group of a Western nation, Canada, Ireland and Norway are battling for two seats, and in Africa, Kenya and Djibouti are competing for one seat. “B” is running unopposed for the Asia-Pacific seat and “C” is running unopposed for the seat for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The UN General Assembly adopted a new voting procedure Friday for the upcoming election of new members of the Security Council aimed at preventing a large gathering and ensuring social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of meeting in the horseshoe-shaped assembly chamber at UN headquarters overlooking New York’s East River, ambassadors from the “A” UN member nations will cast secret ballots at a designated venue during spaced-out time slots.

And they will be voting not only for five non-permanent members of the Security Council to serve two-year terms but for 18 new members of the 54-nation “B” to serve three-year terms. According to the new procedure, the President of the General Assembly will send a letter to all member states at least 10 working days before the first round of secret balloting for the two elections to inform them of the date, venue where ballots should be cast, and other relevant information.

The Security Council election had been scheduled for June 17, but it’s unclear whether that will remain the date. The Security Council has five permanent members —— and 10 members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. Five countries are elected every year. The council is the UN’s most powerful body and winning a seat is a pinnacle of achievement for many countries because it gives them a strong voice on issues of international peace and security ranging from conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Ukraine to the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and Iran, and attacks by extremist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida. This year seven countries are vying for five seats, and there are two hotly contested races. In the group of a Western nation, Canada, Ireland and Norway are battling for two seats, and in Africa, Kenya and Djibouti are competing for one seat. “B” is running unopposed for the Asia-Pacific seat and “C” is running unopposed for the seat for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The UN General Assembly adopted a new voting procedure Friday for the upcoming election of new members of the Security Council aimed at preventing a large gathering and ensuring social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of meeting in the horseshoe-shaped assembly chamber at UN headquarters overlooking New York’s East River, ambassadors from the “A” UN member nations will cast secret ballots at a designated venue during spaced-out time slots.

And they will be voting not only for five non-permanent members of the Security Council to serve two-year terms but for 18 new members of the 54-nation “B” to serve three-year terms. According to the new procedure, the President of the General Assembly will send a letter to all member states at least 10 working days before the first round of secret balloting for the two elections to inform them of the date, venue where ballots should be cast, and other relevant information.

The Security Council election had been scheduled for June 17, but it’s unclear whether that will remain the date. The Security Council has five permanent members —— and 10 members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. Five countries are elected every year. The council is the UN’s most powerful body and winning a seat is a pinnacle of achievement for many countries because it gives them a strong voice on issues of international peace and security ranging from conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Ukraine to the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and Iran, and attacks by extremist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida. This year seven countries are vying for five seats, and there are two hotly contested races. In the group of a Western nation, Canada, Ireland and Norway are battling for two seats, and in Africa, Kenya and Djibouti are competing for one seat. “B” is running unopposed for the Asia-Pacific seat and “C” is running unopposed for the seat for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The UN General Assembly adopted a new voting procedure Friday for the upcoming election of new members of the Security Council aimed at preventing a large gathering and ensuring social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of meeting in the horseshoe-shaped assembly chamber at UN headquarters overlooking New York’s East River, ambassadors from the “A” UN member nations will cast secret ballots at a designated venue during spaced-out time slots.

And they will be voting not only for five non-permanent members of the Security Council to serve two-year terms but for 18 new members of the 54-nation “B” to serve three-year terms. According to the new procedure, the President of the General Assembly will send a letter to all member states at least 10 working days before the first round of secret balloting for the two elections to inform them of the date, venue where ballots should be cast, and other relevant information.

The Security Council election had been scheduled for June 17, but it’s unclear whether that will remain the date. The Security Council has five permanent members —— and 10 members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. Five countries are elected every year. The council is the UN’s most powerful body and winning a seat is a pinnacle of achievement for many countries because it gives them a strong voice on issues of international peace and security ranging from conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Ukraine to the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and Iran, and attacks by extremist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida. This year seven countries are vying for five seats, and there are two hotly contested races. In the group of a Western nation, Canada, Ireland and Norway are battling for two seats, and in Africa, Kenya and Djibouti are competing for one seat. “B” is running unopposed for the Asia-Pacific seat and “C” is running unopposed for the seat for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The USCIRF has downgraded India to the lowest ranking, “countries of particular concern” (CPC) in its 2020 report. The report, released in Washington by the federal government commission that functions as an advisory body, placed India alongside countries, including China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. CPC is a designation by the United States Secretary of State (under authority delegated by the President) of a nation guilty of “particularly severe violations of religious freedom”. India was categorised as a “Tier 2 country” in last year’s listing. This is the first time since 2004 that India has been placed in this category. The Centre reacted sharply to the USCIRF report on Tuesday, terming it “biased and tendentious” and rejected its observations.

“We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report,” official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. “Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own Commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly,” Mr. Srivastava added. In 2005, “A” who was at the time the Chief Minister of Gujarat was censured by the USCIRF. The commission had recommended sanctions against “A” for the 2002 riots and the U.S. government had subsequently cancelled his visa. The USCIRF 2020 report makes a specific mention of “B”, for not taking what it deemed as sufficient action to stop cases of mob lynching in the country, and for referring to migrants as “termites”. In December 2019, the USCIRF had also asked the U.S. government to consider sanctions against “B” and “other principal leadership” over the decision to pass the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Ministry of External Affairs had rejected the USCIRF statement as neither “accurate nor warranted” and questioned the body’s “locus standi” in India’s internal affairs.

The USCIRF has downgraded India to the lowest ranking, “countries of particular concern” (CPC) in its 2020 report. The report, released in Washington by the federal government commission that functions as an advisory body, placed India alongside countries, including China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. CPC is a designation by the United States Secretary of State (under authority delegated by the President) of a nation guilty of “particularly severe violations of religious freedom”. India was categorised as a “Tier 2 country” in last year’s listing. This is the first time since 2004 that India has been placed in this category. The Centre reacted sharply to the USCIRF report on Tuesday, terming it “biased and tendentious” and rejected its observations.

“We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report,” official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. “Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own Commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly,” Mr. Srivastava added. In 2005, “A” who was at the time the Chief Minister of Gujarat was censured by the USCIRF. The commission had recommended sanctions against “A” for the 2002 riots and the U.S. government had subsequently cancelled his visa. The USCIRF 2020 report makes a specific mention of “B”, for not taking what it deemed as sufficient action to stop cases of mob lynching in the country, and for referring to migrants as “termites”. In December 2019, the USCIRF had also asked the U.S. government to consider sanctions against “B” and “other principal leadership” over the decision to pass the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Ministry of External Affairs had rejected the USCIRF statement as neither “accurate nor warranted” and questioned the body’s “locus standi” in India’s internal affairs.

The USCIRF has downgraded India to the lowest ranking, “countries of particular concern” (CPC) in its 2020 report. The report, released in Washington by the federal government commission that functions as an advisory body, placed India alongside countries, including China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. CPC is a designation by the United States Secretary of State (under authority delegated by the President) of a nation guilty of “particularly severe violations of religious freedom”. India was categorised as a “Tier 2 country” in last year’s listing. This is the first time since 2004 that India has been placed in this category. The Centre reacted sharply to the USCIRF report on Tuesday, terming it “biased and tendentious” and rejected its observations.

“We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report,” official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. “Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own Commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly,” Mr. Srivastava added. In 2005, “A” who was at the time the Chief Minister of Gujarat was censured by the USCIRF. The commission had recommended sanctions against “A” for the 2002 riots and the U.S. government had subsequently cancelled his visa. The USCIRF 2020 report makes a specific mention of “B”, for not taking what it deemed as sufficient action to stop cases of mob lynching in the country, and for referring to migrants as “termites”. In December 2019, the USCIRF had also asked the U.S. government to consider sanctions against “B” and “other principal leadership” over the decision to pass the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Ministry of External Affairs had rejected the USCIRF statement as neither “accurate nor warranted” and questioned the body’s “locus standi” in India’s internal affairs.

The USCIRF has downgraded India to the lowest ranking, “countries of particular concern” (CPC) in its 2020 report. The report, released in Washington by the federal government commission that functions as an advisory body, placed India alongside countries, including China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. CPC is a designation by the United States Secretary of State (under authority delegated by the President) of a nation guilty of “particularly severe violations of religious freedom”. India was categorised as a “Tier 2 country” in last year’s listing. This is the first time since 2004 that India has been placed in this category. The Centre reacted sharply to the USCIRF report on Tuesday, terming it “biased and tendentious” and rejected its observations.

“We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report,” official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. “Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own Commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly,” Mr. Srivastava added. In 2005, “A” who was at the time the Chief Minister of Gujarat was censured by the USCIRF. The commission had recommended sanctions against “A” for the 2002 riots and the U.S. government had subsequently cancelled his visa. The USCIRF 2020 report makes a specific mention of “B”, for not taking what it deemed as sufficient action to stop cases of mob lynching in the country, and for referring to migrants as “termites”. In December 2019, the USCIRF had also asked the U.S. government to consider sanctions against “B” and “other principal leadership” over the decision to pass the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Ministry of External Affairs had rejected the USCIRF statement as neither “accurate nor warranted” and questioned the body’s “locus standi” in India’s internal affairs.

The USCIRF has downgraded India to the lowest ranking, “countries of particular concern” (CPC) in its 2020 report. The report, released in Washington by the federal government commission that functions as an advisory body, placed India alongside countries, including China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. CPC is a designation by the United States Secretary of State (under authority delegated by the President) of a nation guilty of “particularly severe violations of religious freedom”. India was categorised as a “Tier 2 country” in last year’s listing. This is the first time since 2004 that India has been placed in this category. The Centre reacted sharply to the USCIRF report on Tuesday, terming it “biased and tendentious” and rejected its observations.

“We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report,” official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. “Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own Commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly,” Mr. Srivastava added. In 2005, “A” who was at the time the Chief Minister of Gujarat was censured by the USCIRF. The commission had recommended sanctions against “A” for the 2002 riots and the U.S. government had subsequently cancelled his visa. The USCIRF 2020 report makes a specific mention of “B”, for not taking what it deemed as sufficient action to stop cases of mob lynching in the country, and for referring to migrants as “termites”. In December 2019, the USCIRF had also asked the U.S. government to consider sanctions against “B” and “other principal leadership” over the decision to pass the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Ministry of External Affairs had rejected the USCIRF statement as neither “accurate nor warranted” and questioned the body’s “locus standi” in India’s internal affairs.