GKCA Update

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Starred Articles

US confirms re-supplying arms to Israel during the Gaza conflict, Bolivia
declares Israel a terrorist state
World > Israel-Palestine conflict
The United States has confirmed that it resupplied Israel with arms and ammunition during the ongoing
conflict in Gaza. 12 days after the Gaza strip conflict began Israel made a request to withdraw 120mm mortar
rounds and 40mm ammunition for grenade launchers, which was accepted by the US defence department
three days later. However, it was mentioned that Israel had not cited an emergency while requesting the
supplies and the US had agreed to the request in order to rotate its stock. Since the 1990s, the US has kept a
stockpile of arms inside Israel known as the War Reserves Stock Allies-Israel (WRSA-I), which Israel can use in
emergencies. The United States also said that it is committed to the security of Israel which is vital to US
national interests. The defence sale was consistent with those objectives. The news comes soon after the US
condemned an attack on a United Nations (UN) school in Gaza in which 16 Palestinians were killed.
Meanwhile, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that irrespective of a ceasefire, Israel will not
stop its operation in Gaza until the tunnels constructed by Hamas militants to infiltrate Israeli territory have
been destroyed.
Bolivia has declared Israel a terrorist state and refused to abide by a visa exemption treaty with the country in
protest over its offensive in Gaza. The treaty has allowed Israelis to travel freely to Bolivia without a visa since
1972. Bolivia broke off diplomatic relations with Israel in 2009 over a previous military operation in Gaza. In
mid-July, Bolivian President Evo Morales filed a request with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to
prosecute Israel for "crimes against humanity."

Severe Ebola virus disease outbreak in West African countries, 887 dead till
now
World > Ebola Virus disease
A deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus disease has occurred in some West-African countries with 887 deaths
reported by the WHO as of 1 August, 2014. This outbreak is the most severe in recorded history in regard to
both the number of human cases and fatalities and has raised alarm around the world. The outbreak of the
haemorrhagic fever, for which there is no known cure, began in the forests of remote eastern Guinea in
February, but Sierra Leone now has the highest number of cases. Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria are
the 4 countries facing the epidemic with 57 new deaths between July 24 and 27. Sierra Leone declared a health
emergency and called in troops to quarantine Ebola victims on Thursday, joining neighbouring Liberia in
imposing tough controls to contain the spread of the dangerous virus. Various organizations, including the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and the European
Commission have donated funds and mobilized personnel to help counter the outbreak; charities including
Mdecins Sans Frontires, the Red Cross and Samaritan's Purse are also working in the area. World leaders
from the developed countries are holding talks to decide on a response against the threat.







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China bars Kaspersky, Symantec in government offices: Report
World > China
China has excluded United States-based Symantec and Russias Kaspersky Lab from a list of approved anti-virus
software vendors. The report came after China had last week updated a public website that lists technology
vendors whose goods are approved for use by the nations massive central government. It was not
immediately clear if agencies were being advised to avoid other non-Chinese products.
The report is the latest sign that China is intent on promoting the use of domestic information technology
products after leaks from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden raised concerns about
foreign surveillance programs.

Others

Argentina Declared in Default by S&P
World > Argentina
Standard & Poors has declared Argentina in default after the government missed a deadline for paying
interest on $13 billion of restructured bonds.
The South American country failed to get the $539 million payment to bondholders after a U.S. judge ruled
that the money couldnt be distributed unless a group of hedge funds holding defaulted debt also got paid.
Argentina, in default for the second time in 13 years, has about $200 billion in foreign-currency debt, including
$30 billion of restructured bonds, according to S&P.

Only 3,200 tigers left in the wild: WWF report
World > WWF
The World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature, in a report, has revealed that only 3,200 Of the 100,000 tigers that
once roamed in the wild a century ago are left behind. WWF has also offered to assist with the conservation
efforts being carried out by the 13 tiger-range countries - India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam - which in 2010 committed to
securing a doubling of wild tiger population by 2022.
In its report, which coincided with the International Tiger Day, the WWF warned that the largest of all the
Asian big cats could go extinct in the wild primarily due to poaching and habitat loss.

Diarrhoea one of the main reasons for deaths of children below 5 years
India > Diarrhoea
U.T. Khader, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, while launching the Intensified Diarrhoea Control
Fortnight (IDCF) campaign, said that diarrhoea affects close to two lakh children annually in Karnataka due to
consumption of contaminated food and water, lack of sanitation and cleanliness. He also said that world over
diseases linked to childhood diarrhoea continue to be the major reason for the death of children under the age
of five. The campaign aims to reduce child mortality linked to Diarrhoea.





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US Court rules Union Carbide cant be sued for Bhopal chemical plant
contamination
India > Bhopal Gas Tragedy
Victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy witnessed a major set-back following the ruling of an US court in New
York which said that the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) cannot be sued for the ongoing contamination from
the chemical plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. A non-governmental organisation EarthRights International
had filed a lawsuit in New York on behalf of residents of Bhopal saying land and water of the citizens are being
contaminated by waste from the plant. The lawsuit had also added the state of Madhya Pradesh, which owns
the site of the former Bhopal plant, as a defendant and had sought that Madhya Pradesh also cooperate in
clean-up of the site. The judge has said that since UCC cannot be held responsible for the damage, there can
be no court-ordered clean-up and no basis in enjoining Madhya Pradesh.
Background: A poisonous gas leak from the Union Carbide plant killed over 5,000 people on the night of
December 2-3, 1984 and EarthRights said UCC had "largely abandoned" the site, allowing toxic wastes to seep
into the local water supply. According to EarthRights the manager who oversaw the construction of the plant
confirmed that he worked for UCC, not for the Indian subsidiary that officially operated the plant. However,
the judge refused to take this evidence into account and ruled that UCC was not sufficiently involved in the
acts at the plant and that the project manager actually worked for the Indian subsidiary.

Pak used US anti-terror military aid to fight India
World > Pakistan
Ronald Neumann, a former US diplomat and former US Ambassador to Afghanistan, has told lawmakers that
most of the American military aid to Islamabad for counterinsurgency has gone into buying equipment to fight
India. State Department on Terrorism ranks Pakistan as having the highest level of terrorist incidents of any
country in the world. He said that Pakistan is an economy which faces a crisis because of demographic
pressures, adding that Pakistan spends less on education than virtually every country in the world. He added
that on the economic side, in spite of efforts by the US Congress over the last 10 years, the US never had a
single report from USAID to explain what the benefits or impact of the economic aid to Pakistan has been.

ISIS captures Iraqs biggest dam, two towns and an oil field in northern Iraq
World > Iraq
Fighters from the Sunni militant organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have captured Iraqs
biggest dam and seized two small cities, Zumar and Sinjar and an oil field in northern Iraq after driving out
Kurdish forces. Control of the dam could give ISIS the ability to flood major cities. Dozens of resident from the
two religiously mixed towns, near the militant-held city of Mosul, have fled to the northern self-ruled Kurdish
region. ISIS also warned residents in nearby villages along the border with Syria to leave their homes,
suggesting they were planning an assault. ISIS fighters killed 16 Kurdish troops in attacks in northern Iraq, while
30 pro-government forces died battling the jihadists on other frontlines on Saturday, 3
rd
August.

70% of young Gujarati women jobless: Census
India > Census
The census 2011 data shows that nearly 70.33% of the women in Gujarat who are in their prime working age
group of 15 years to 34 years, are of no economic value for their families or state. A large section of these are
literate and are marginal workers. In this age group, only 16.75 lakh of the 1.02 crore women have jobs and are
categorized as 'main workers' - or who contribute to the family's income. There are 1.01 crore non-working
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population in the 15-34 age group in the state - those who do not contribute to the economy - and of these
82.31 lakh are women. Out of these, 55.68 lakh women or 67.65% are engaged in household duties. There are
19.37 lakh women in the 15 - 34 age group who are students, many of them handling domestic responsibilities
too, while there are 3.19 lakh dependents.
The census also reveals that in the general category, of the 19.64 lakh women in the 15-34 age group only 2.83
lakh women work. In the scheduled tribe category, there are 44.15 lakh women in the age group and only 9.19
lakh work and bring in sufficient income into the family.

India, Nepal sign 3 deals; put off power pact
World > India - Nepal
Nepal and India have signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) during the bilateral talks held
between the delegations led by PM Modi and PM Koirala. Under the first agreement, India would provide Rs.
65 million to procure and distribute iodised salt in the rural areas of Nepal. This would be the extension of the
ongoing goiter control project being implemented under India's grant. The two governments also signed MOU
regarding the amendment of Terms of Reference (ToR) of the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project on the
Mahakali river. Under the agreement, the two countries have agreed to move forward works relating to
Pancheshwar Development Authority by declaring Pancheshwar authority regulation. The third agreement
paves the way for cooperation between two national broadcasting television channels - Nepal Television and
Doordarshan.

60 percent of people in the world practicing open defecation live in India
India > Open defecation
A joint report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations International Childrens
Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has estimated that 60 percent of people in the world who practice open defecation
live in India. Upendra Kushwaha, Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation said that the government
has launched Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural
areas, including construction of toilets, with the main objective of eradicating the practice of open defecation
and ensuring clean environment. Open defecation is the cause of several diseases and children are sometimes
the worst affected by this practice. Also, in rural India, defecation in the open because of the absence of
proper toilets in the house, has been linked to several sexual crimes on women in recent times.

Micromax and Xiaomi replace Samsung as largest phone sellers in India and
China respectively
World > Mobile Sales
Xiaomi has surpassed Samsung as Chinas top smartphone maker, thanks to massive growth over the past
year. Xiaomi now holds a 14% share of Chinas smartphone market. A report says that in the second quarter,
Xiaomi shipped 15 million smartphones in China, up from 4.4 million devices, or 240%, in the same period a
year ago.
Indian budget smartphone maker Micromax has ousted Samsung Electronics Co Ltd as the leading brand in all
types of mobile phones in the April-June quarter, grabbing a 16.6 percent market share, a recent research
report showed. In the smartphone segment, Samsung still had the largest market share in terms of shipments,
at 25.3% during the second quarter while Micromax had 19.1%.



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Woman alleges rape and forced religious conversion in Meerut, Uttar
Pradesh
India > Uttar Pradesh
A 20-year old woman has claimed that she was kidnapped, gang-raped and forced into religious conversion by
the chief of her village, Nawab Khan, and five others in the Kharkhadua area in Meerut town of Uttar Pradesh.
The alleged incident has led to tension in the communally sensitive area. The woman's family claims she was
kept in a madrasa in Muzaffarnagar for five days before she finally escaped. Villagers protested outside the
police station demanding the suspension of officers who allegedly did not take any steps when the womans
family complained that she had been kidnapped. The woman had been missing since July 30. The BJPs Uttar
Pradesh Unit has threatened an agitation while the ruling Samajwadi Party has said that some political parties
have tried to give it a communal turn. Based on the womans complaint, Nawab Khan and two women who
allegedly participated in her forced conversion have been arrested. The others are yet to be arrested. This is
one of the several incidents which pin-point Uttar Pradesh as a hotspot of communal riots between the Hindu
and Muslim communities in recent times.

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