1. Macedonia signs accord to join NATO
• Macedonia signed an accord to join NATO to become the 30th member of the US-led alliance.
• At a formal signing of the NATO accession protocol, Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov hailed the moment as showing that the country will never walk alone once in the alliance.
• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the admittance of a new member highlighted that all European nations who meet the entrance criteria could join the regional alliance.
• However, Moscow has continually rejected NATO`s position, saying that by taking in Balkan members, the alliance is undermining security in the region.
• The Macedonia-NATO accord follows a deal with Greece ending a 27-year-old dispute over Macedonia`s name. The accord must now be ratified by allied governments.
2. India and Germany
• India and Germany have joined hands for cooperation on Water and Waste Management.
• During the meeting of 3rd Indo-German Working Group for cooperation on water and waste management which concluded in New Delhi, both sides discussed potential cooperation in this area.
• According to an official release, both sides decided to work on developing reference documents for the textile sector, Water Governance, Marine Litter, waste to energy landfill sites, water quality management, training and capacity building of local bodies and Circular Economy.
• During the meeting, Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary in the Environment Ministry Anil Kumar Jain while the German Delegation was headed by Director-General for Water Management and Resource Conservation,Dr. Regina Dube.
3. Nayib Bukele claims victory in El Salvador
• Former mayor of San Salvador, Nayib Bukele has claimed victory in the El Salvador`s presidential election.
• With most votes counted, the former mayor of the capital city had nearly 53 per cent of the vote with his closest rival, Carlos Calleja garnering 32 per cent votes.
• Bukele`s primary opponents -- Carlos Calleja of the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), and Hugo Martinez of the leftist Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation (FMLN) -- recognized the win.
• Politics in El Salvador has been dominated over the past three decades by two main parties - the incumbent left-wing FMLN and the conservative ARENA.
4. Pope Francis lands in Abu Dhabi
• Pope Francis landed in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on a historic visit, becoming the first pontiff to visit the Arabian Peninsula.
• He was received at the airport by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed.
• The Pope is visiting the UAE on the invitation of the Crown Prince to take part in an interfaith Conference.
• An estimated 700 participants from different faith are expected to participate in the Human Fraternity Conference, which includes representatives of the Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh faiths.
• Poojya Brahmvihariji of BAPS, who is spearheading the construction of the Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi is also one of the keynote speakers at the Conference.
5. Russia to abandon nuclear arms treaty in retaliation to US withdrawal from treaty
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, Moscow will abandon a centerpiece nuclear arms treaty but will only deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles if Washington does so.
• US President Donald Trump had accused Moscow of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty by deploying banned missiles.
• The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) was a 1987 arms control agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union.
• Signed in Washington, D.C. by President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on 8 December 1987, the treaty was approved by the United States Senate on 27 May 1988 and ratified by Reagan and Gorbachev on 1 June 1988.
6. “The Future of Rail” Report
• “The Future of Rail” Report has been released by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
• It examines how the role of rail in global transport might be elevated as a means to reduce the energy use and environmental impacts associated with transport.
Key findings from The Future of Rail:
1. Rail is among the most energy efficient modes of transport for freight and passengers – while the rail sector carries 8% of the world’s passengers and 7% of global freight transport, it represents only 2% of total transport energy demand.
2. Today, three-quarters of passenger rail transport activity takes place on electric trains, which is an increase from 60% in 2000 – the rail sector is the only mode of transport that is widely electrified today. This reliance on electricity means that the rail sector is the most energy diverse mode of transport.
3. The regions with the highest share of electric train activity are Europe, Japan and Russia, while North and South America still rely heavily on diesel.
4. Passenger rail is significantly more electrified than freight in almost all regions, and regions with higher reliance on urban rail and high-speed rail are those with the largest share of passenger-kilometres served by electricity.
5. Most conventional rail networks today are located in North America, Europe, China, Russia, India, and Japan. These regions make up about 90% of global passenger movements on conventional rail with India leading at 39%, followed by China at 27%.
6. In contrast, significant investments have been made in high-speed rail and metros. High-speed rail provides an important alternative to aviation while urban rail provides a solution to cities impacted by congestion and air pollution. Growth has been most notable in China, which has overtaken all other countries in terms of network length of both types within a single decade.
Focus on India:
1. India’s railway system has played a fundamental role in the country’s development, transporting people and goods throughout its vast territory, integrating markets and connecting communities.
2. Rail passenger traffic in India has increased by almost 200% since 2000 and freight traffic by 150%, yet latent demand for mobility in India remains huge. In fact, rail activity in India is set to grow more than any other country.
3. Today, the conventional rail system in India comprises a total route length of almost 68000 km. Metro systems exist in 10 Indian cities. A further 600 km of metro lines are planned for the next few years.
4. For now, India does not have any high-speed rail. However, in 2015 India and Japan signed an agreement to develop a high-speed rail line connecting the cities of Ahmedabad and Mumbai, to come into operation in 2023.
5. Seven other high-speed lines are currently under consideration. Once completed, they would connect the four cities that constitute the Golden Quadrilateral (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai) plus other intermediate cities.