MINSK I: Ukraine and the Russian-backed separatists agreed a 12-point ceasefire deal in the Belarusian capital in September 2014. Its provisions included prisoner exchanges, deliveries of humanitarian aid and the withdrawal of heavy weapons, five months into a conflict that had by then killed more than 2,600 people – a toll that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says has since risen to around 15,000. The agreement quickly broke down, with violations by both sides.
MINSK II: Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the leaders of two pro-Russian separatist regions signed a 13-point agreement in February 2015. The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, gathered in Minsk at the same time, issued a declaration of support for the deal.
UNCLOS: The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982 is an international agreement that establishes the legal framework for marine and maritime activities. It is also known as Law of the Sea. It divides marine areas into five main zones namely- Internal Waters, Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the High Seas. It is the only international convention which stipulates a framework for state jurisdiction in maritime spaces. It provides a different legal status to different maritime zones. It provides the backbone for offshore governance by coastal states and those navigating the oceans.
Security Contracts (Regulation) Act: was passed in 1956 by Parliament and it came into force in February 1957. An act to prevent undesirable transactions in securities by regulating the business of dealing therein, by providing for certain other matters connected therewith. This Act may be called the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956. It extends to the whole of India.
GOBAR DHAN: The ministry of Jal Shakti has launched the GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) – DHAN scheme. The scheme is being implemented as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the “Gobar-Dhan (Bio-CNG) Plant” in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore. The plant is in line with PM Modi’s vision of creating “garbage-free cities” under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. The Mission is being implemented under the overarching principles of “waste to wealth” and “circular economy” for maximizing resource recovery – both of which are exemplified in the Indore Bio-CNG plant.
Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope: located near Pune is an array of thirty fully steerable parabolic radio telescopes of 45-metre diameter, observing at metre wavelengths. It is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. NCRA used GMRT to map distribution of atomic hydrogen gas from the galaxy hosting a fast radio burst (FRB) for the first time. FRBs are extremely bright radio pulses from distant galaxies that last for only a few milliseconds.
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