Daily News Analysis – May 8, 2019

Source: The Hindu, Live Mint and Indian Express


FALL ARMYWORM (FAW)

Context: Agriculture scientists and environmentalists predict that the deadly pest, fall armyworm (FAW), could turn out to be a scourge for farmers in the coming crop seasons.

 Essentials

  • Fall Armyworm (FAW) is an insect pest that is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas but now is spreading outside its traditional areas in the past 2-3 years very aggressively.
  • Food and Agriculture Organisation has already declared FAW as a food security threat in Africa.
  • This fearsome insect feeds on more than 80 crop species, including cereals such as maize, rice, sorghum, and also to legumes as well as vegetable crops and cotton.
  • The larva is the damaging stage of the insect.

Why is its eradication extremely difficult?

  • FAW has several characteristics that make eradication extremely difficult.
  • First, being an exotic species, it has no natural enemies in the new environment which is similar to their native tropical and sub-tropical America.
  • It is very mobile. Adult moths can travel 100 km in a night, and individuals can fly over 1000 km in a lifetime.
  • It is very polyphagous – it feeds on, and can reproduce on, many different species of plants. This means that it can rapidly spread across many environments and cropping systems, and isn’t restricted by diet.
  • Being a nocturnal pest, the FAW hides under maize leaves at day time and is difficult to detect.
  • Finally, as the damage caused by FAW is sometimes confused by farmers with damage from other pests, confirmation of initial reports of FAW may at times be slow, allowing FAW to spread from its entry point before action is taken.

 Fall Armyworm in India

  • In India, it was detected for the first time in Karnataka in May 2018 and rapidly spread to other parts of India including all southern states, Maharashtra, Gujarat and even the eastern Indian states.

ROAD ACCIDENTS IN INDIA

Context: Road accidents are the leading cause of death among people in the 5-29 age-group worldwide, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report.

 Essentials

  • Since 2008 we have maintained our dubious distinction of being world number one in road crash deaths.
  • Road crashes have emerged as the single biggest killer of people in India in the age group of 15-45. 
  • In 2015, India became a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety, where we committed to halving road crash deaths by

PIRACY

Context: Five Indian sailors have been abducted by pirates in Nigeria.

 Essentials

  • When a person or group of people attack and rob a ship, this is called piracy.
  • Pirate attacks are largely confined to four major areas:
  • the Horn of Africa: the Gulf of Aden, near Somalia and the southern entrance to the Red Sea;
  • the Gulf of Guinea, near Nigeria and the Niger River delta;
  • the Malacca Strait between Indonesia and Malaysia; and
  • off the Indian subcontinent, particularly between India and Sri Lanka.

  • The level of pirate activity is affected by many factors. Below are some of the physical factors:
  • the weather conditions, e.g. in the Indian Ocean, piracy levels decrease during a monsoon;
  • the height of the waves;
  • the conditions in other areas – if piracy levels decrease in one area because of naval surveillance or poor weather conditions, the level of piracy tends to increase in other areas
  • As a result of increased surveillance in the Gulf of Aden, it is thought that piracy attacks are moving out and towards the Indian Ocean.

The effects of piracy include:

  • A rise in the cost of shipping insurance means a rise in the cost of transport – this makes the goods more expensive for the consumer.
  • Disruption to humanitarian relief responses for the countries of Somalia, Ethiopia, North Sudan, and South Sudan, which are all susceptible to famine.
  • Re-routing south around Africa, rather than cutting through the Suez Canal, costs the ship extra time and fuel. Egypt loses money because Suez Canal fees are lost.
  • Money that could be being spent on education and health has to be spent on patrolling the waters.
  • Pirates often carry out other forms of organised crime. They are able to do this because they have a wide network of contacts and may have corrupt associations with officials.

Somalia and Piracy

  • Many pirates come from Somalia. Reasons are:
  • limited economic opportunities throughout the country
  • it is beside a key commercial shipping route
  • it has a lack of effective government
  • it has difficulties enforcing law and order

Decline of Piracy off the Coast of Somalia – How Did It Happen?

  • The decline in Somali piracy can be largely credited to the four principal ways the international community has used to address the problem:
  • (1) maritime patrols by international naval forces;
  • (2) industry development of a series of “Best Management Practices” (BMPs) for preventing piracy attacks;
  • (3) the increased use of armed security personnel on board ships; and
  • (4) the increase in international prosecutions for the crime of piracy.
  • In southern Somalia, however, Islamist al-Shabaab rebels have been waging a violent campaign to impose Sharia law and serve as a de-facto governing authority.
  • Al-Shabaab, which swore its allegiance to al-Qaeda in early 2012 and is categorized by the EU and United States as a terrorist organization, controls its territories with an iron fist, making it much harder for pirates to exploit the coastline as they do in Puntland.

Eye in the Sky

  • Countries involved in the “Eye in the Sky” operations against piracy by which they jointly carry out air patrols above the Malacca strait: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand

The Djibouti Code of Conduct

  • The Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, also referred to as the Djibouti Code of Conduct, was adopted in January 2009 by the representatives of: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Seychelles, Somalia, the United Republic of Tanzania and Yemen.
  • Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Jordan, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates have since signed bringing the total to 20 countries from the 21 eligible to sign.
  • Since the agreement is not open to accession by any state, overall 21 countries ranging from Yemen to Mozambique are eligible to sign the Code (Graph one shows the states envisioned to participate in the process)

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 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and Piracy

  • The international community also has at its disposal the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
  • The treaty, which came into effect in 1994, is binding for more than 150 nations and the European Union.
  • The United States has yet to ratify the agreement. The Convention governs “all aspects of ocean space,” including the “settlement of disputes relating to ocean matters.”
  • It also makes “piracy a universal crime, and subjects pirates to arrest and prosecution by any nation,
  • The UN convention on the Law of the Sea defines piracy as “all illegal acts of violence or detention … committed for private ends by the crew or passengers of a private ship”.
  • But it says that piracy can take place only “on the high seas” or “outside the jurisdiction of any state”, which excludes the territorial waters of states, including the coastal areas of Somalia.
  • Even, “action permitted on the high seas” does not permit pursuing and boarding a pirate vessel or arresting those on board. To do so needs the further authorisation of the transitional government.

ARCTIC COUNCIL

Context: The U.S. on Monday said it planned to beef up its Arctic presence to keep Russia and China’s “aggressive behaviour” in check in the resource-rich region.

 Essentials

Arctic Sea and Arctic Council

  • Arctic region which has permanently frozen ice is melting at an increasing rate due to global warming and is expected to be ice free by 2060.
  • It is seen as an alternate shipping route to cut time and costs and also circumvent the global choke points.

Arctic Council  

  • The Ottawa Declarationlists the following countries as Members of the Arctic Council: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States.
  • In addition, six organizations representing Arctic indigenous peoples have status as Permanent Participants.
  • Finland is holding the Chairmanship of the Arctic Council from 2017-19.
  • Observer status in the Arctic Council is open to
  • Non-Arctic states,
  • Inter-governmental, inter-parliamentary organisations
  • Global and regional non-governmental organizations that the Council determines can contribute to its work. 
  • Arctic Council Observers primarily contribute through their engagement in the Council at the level of Working Groups.
  • Thirteen Non-Arctic States have been approved as Observers to the Arctic Council:
  • France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Poland, Japan, South Korea, India, China, Singapore.
  • World Wide Fund for Nature-Global Arctic Program (WWF), among others, has observer status under Non-governmental Organizations.
  • Thirteen Intergovernmental and Inter-Parliamentary Organizations have an approved observer status, the most important among them are:
  • International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) 
  • International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 
  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 
  • United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 

What doesn’t Arctic Council do?

  • The Arctic Council is a forum; it has no programming budget.
  • All projects or initiatives are sponsored by one or more Arctic States. Some projects also receive support from other entities.
  • The Arctic Council does not and cannot implement or enforce its guidelines, assessments or recommendations. That responsibility belongs to each individual Arctic State.
  • The Arctic Council’s mandate, as articulated in the Ottawa Declaration, explicitly excludes military security.

US-CHINA TRADE WAR

Context: U.S. market plunges on China trade fight

 Essentials

A quick guide to the US-China trade war

  • US President Donald Trump has complained about China’s trading practices since before he took office in 2016.
  • The US launched an investigation into Chinese trade policies in 2017. It imposed tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Chinese products last year, and Beijing retaliated in kind.
  • After months of hostilities, a breakthrough of sorts came in December 2018. Both countries agreed to halt new trade tariffs to allow for talks.
  • Optimism had grown over the prospect of a deal, but President Trump has now cast doubt over that.
  • He has vowed to hike existing tariffs on Chinese goods and to introduce fresh ones “shortly”.

 What tariffs are in place?

  • So far, the US has imposed three rounds of tariffs on Chinese goods, totalling more than $250bn.
  • The duties range from 10% to 25% and cover a wide range of industrial and consumer items – from handbags to railway equipment.
  • President Trump has threatened tariffs on another $267bn worth of goods – meaning all Chinese imports could be subject to tariffs.
  • The US has also put tariffs on worldwide imports of goods like steel and washing machines, which further affects products from China.
  • Beijing hit back with tariffs on $110bn of US goods, accusing the US of starting “the largest trade war in economic history”.
  • China has targeted products including chemicals, coal and medical equipment with levies that range from 5% to 25%.
  • It has strategically targeted products made in Republican districts, and goods that can be purchased elsewhere, like soybeans.

 Why tariffs?

  • Tariffs, in theory, make US-made products cheaper than imported ones, and encourage consumers to buy American.

 What is the impact so far?

  • Both US and international firms have said they are being harmed.
  • Fears about a further escalation has rattled investors and hit stock markets.
  • The IMF warned a full-blown trade war would weaken the global economy.

PROFESSIONAL WORK VISA H-1B 

Context: The United States administration is proposing a hike in the H-1B visa application fee to increase funding for the expansion of apprentice programmes that train American youths in technology related activities.

 Essentials

H-1B Visa 

  • It is required by foreign professionals;
  • Who want to work in a specialty occupation; and
  • Have been sponsored by an employer to work in the U.S.
  • It is a temporary non-immigrant work visa.
  • The H-1B visa is valid for three years and maybe extended for another three years.
  • The employer may later sponsor the H-1B holder for a green card if they so require.
  • There is a statutory limit of 65,000 visa numbers available for new hires.
  • The employer must take steps to ensure that hiring the foreign worker will not harm U.S. workers.

 Specialty occupation is:

  • One that requires theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge to fully perform the occupation AND
  • Which requires the attainment of a bachelor’s degree or higher in a specific specialty.

TERMS IN NEWS

Proxy Voters

  • Service voters are members of the armed forces of the Union or States, or members of forces to which provisions of the Army Act are applicable, or those who are employed under Government of India and are outside the country.
  • Such voters are entitled to appoint any person as their proxy to cast a vote on their behalf and in their name at the polling station.
  • The proxy must be an ordinary resident of that constituency.
  • He or she need not be a registered voter but must not be disqualified to be registered as a voter.
  • The provision for voting through proxy is valid till the person making the appointment is a service voter.
  • Once appointed, the proxy will continue until his ot her appointment is revoked by the service voter.

Do you know?

  • While the U.S. is India’s largest export destination, India is only the 13th largest for the U.S.

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