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On 15 November 2020, 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific Ocean region, including China, signed the world's largest trade treaty in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Countries that have joined this trade treaty account for about one-third of the global economy.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, has ten countries in Southeast Asia. Apart from these, South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand have also joined it.

The US is not involved in this trade-treaty and China is leading it, so most economic analysts see it as a growing influence of China in the region.

This treaty is being said to be bigger than the European Union and the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

Previously, the US was also involved in a trade treaty called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but in 2017, shortly after becoming president, Donald Trump had moved the US out of the treaty.

The deal then included 12 countries in the region that also had the support of former US President Barack Obama as they viewed the trade treaty as a response to Chinese-domination.

The negotiations on the RCEP were also underway for the last eight years, which were finally signed on 15 November 2020.

The countries involved in this treaty believe that this will help in improving the situation like the Great Depression caused by the corona virus epidemic.

On this occasion, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nun-Xuan-Fook, describing it as the foundation of the future, said, "Today the RCEP agreement was signed, it is a matter of pride, it is a big step that ASEAN countries are playing a central role in it, And together with the fellow countries, they have established a new relationship that will become stronger in the future. As these countries move towards progress, so will its effect on all countries of the region. ''

According to this new trade treaty, RCEP will abolish customs duties on a variety of goods within the next twenty years. This would include intellectual property, telecommunications, financial services, e-commerce and business services. However, regulations like which country a product originated in may have some effect but in countries that are part of the treaty, there is already agreement on free-trade among many countries.

With this trade treaty, China's influence in the region has deepened.

India not included in RCEP

India is not a part of this treaty. India was also involved in the RCEP at the time of bargaining, but India was separated from it last year. The Government of India had then said that this would lead to a flood of cheap Chinese goods in the country and it would be difficult for small scale manufacturing traders in India to deliver goods at a price that would increase their troubles.

But on 15 November 2020, ASEAN countries who joined the treaty said that 'the gates will remain open for India, if in future India can join RCEP'.

The question arises that what can be the effect on India not being part of this trade group? To understand this, BBC correspondent Faisal Mohammed Ali spoke to India-China business affairs expert Santosh Pai.

He said, "RCEP has a membership of 15 countries. About 30 percent of the world's construction industry is from these countries. In such a situation, such free-trade agreements are very important for India, because India can explore many new possibilities of trade through them. ''

"Like India is inviting many countries to come and invest in the construction industry, so they also attract such agreements, but if India is not in it, then it becomes a question that they should come to India How to get promoted? "

"The second thing is that the buying capacity of consumers in India is increasing, but compared to the international level, it is still very low. If a foreign company has to come and manufacture in India, then also to export it Much care has to be taken because it is consumed in the domestic market of India, it seems a bit difficult. "

At one time India, along with countries like Japan and Australia, wanted to reduce dependence on China. But now those countries are involved in it and India is different from it. What is the reason for this?

To this Santosh Pai said, "How much India can reduce 'dependence on China', it will not be seen in six-seven months, but in five years, it will show its full effect. Only then will know how much India has Seriously it did. The rest of the countries have been trying to reduce their dependence on China for many years, and that is why these countries do not want to stay out of the RCEP because they know that by staying inside it 'Can better reduce dependence on China'. "

He said, "Apart from China, there are many strong countries in RCEP which have excellent work in many fields (like electronics and automobiles). But India's problem is that till last year, India was trying a lot to increase sugar trade more and more. How to increase more and attract Chinese investment more and more?''

India had a target of $ 100 billion in terms of trade with China. But in the last six months, the situation has changed completely due to political reasons. Now the Indian government has started a self-reliance campaign which aims to reduce trade with China and limit Chinese investment as well.

In the end, Pai said, "Even if the 'self-reliance campaign' was taken seriously, it would take years to get its effect. So it would be too early to say anything now.''

The fighting began on 27 September 2020 in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In this battle, Azerbaijan clearly saw victory over Armenia.

Recently, the army of Azerbaijan captured the city of Shusha (it is called Shushi in Armenia) of Nagorno-Karabakh. It was said to be a major strategic victory.

After this, Azerbaijan had its eyes on Stephankiart, the capital of Karabakh.

Many people lost their lives in this fight and many areas have suffered extensive damage. However, after the control of Shusha, Azerbaijan definitely had an edge in the battle of occupation of the capital.

This area is at high altitude, due to which the Armenian army in Karabakh could easily target Azerbaijan with ammunition.

But, in the meantime, Russia intervened and entered into a peace agreement between the two countries and sent peace forces to Stephankiart.

Control of Russia, not Turkey

Earlier everyone felt that Turkey is controlling the game by giving open support to Azerbaijan.

Russia's initiative began on the night of 9 November 2020 when the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia met online and talked about a nine-point agreement to end the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan was winning this battle as it had recaptured several Azeri provinces under Armenia control since 1994.

The three leaders agreed that Armenia's army would retreat from the remaining occupied territories around Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan will be controlled by these.

What will the peace army do?

The peacekeeping forces of Russia will separate the forces on both sides and ensure that the fighting does not start again.

The Russian military will also secure a five-kilometer-wide corridor connecting the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to the main Armenia.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the growing national identity between the two countries became the reason for the Nagorno-Karabakh battle.

Azerbaijan and Armenia, both independent countries, then used the weapons left by the Soviet army to fight.

Armenia was successful in that battle. By the end of 1994, it had gained control of Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding seven Azerbaijan territories.

When people from each other's countries started evacuating from both sides, around one lakh people became refugees.

Azerbaijan's growing power

There has always been tension between the two countries. Minor skirmishes also occurred in between but, on 27 September 2020, Azerbaijan started a war to regain its lost territories.

It became clear very quickly that the balance of military power between the two countries had changed.

Sources of oil and gas found in the Caspian Sea came as a boon for Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan earned a lot of money by selling this oil and gas.

Azerbaijan used these funds to rebuild its economy and some people called the capital 'Baku' as 'Caspian's Dubai'.

However, the government of Azerbaijan also spent large amounts of money in strengthening its army.

He spent billions of dollars over the last several years buying better tanks, ammunition, and especially new technology.

Azerbaijan is the first country in the former Soviet Union to have used drone technology extensively in warfare.

In the opening days of the war on 27 September 2020, Azerbaijan first ended Armenia's air defense system and then used drones to drive out the Armenian army, targeting weapons and personnel.

By deploying troops, Russia is now fully controlling the situation on the ground. There are 2000 paratroopers in this army.

Armenian, Azerbaijan, and Turkish forces cannot do anything that puts the lives of Russian soldiers at risk.

Why did Russia not intervene first?

Armenian Prime Minister Nicole Pashinyan and Vladimir Putin do not have very good relations.

Pashinyan is a successful and popular leader. He became the Prime Minister of Armenia after the revolution for power conversion. The Vladimir Putin government considers such a change to be Western-backed.

Pashinyan opposed Armenia's excessive dependence on Russia and grew closer to Western nations.

After this big defeat to Azerbaijan, their political future seems to be under suspicion. Even the President of Armenia has denied having full knowledge of the agreement.

But, now the agreement has been reached and Russia has taken the entire situation under its control.

Russia wants to maintain balance on both sides. He wants to keep Armenia tied to this security pact but at the same time wants to stop attacks on him. Russia also has a good relationship with Azerbaijan.

Big win for Azerbaijan

This is a big win for Azerbaijan. People on the streets are celebrating victory.

Azerbaijan has not only withdrawn its territory in this victory, but has also ended the waiting of millions of Azerbaijan refugees who have been waiting to return to their homes for 30 years.

In Armenia, there is resentment that Russia should have interfered in this way to reduce the damage. However, they also understand that if the fight now escalates, there will be no Armenian left in Nagorno Karabakh.

It is also visible in this peace deal that the US and the European Union are completely out of it.

Armenia's occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh will end by 1 December 2020. Azerbaijan will be controlled by these. Armenians living here will have to bear the maximum brunt of this war.

It is good news that no more soldiers and common people will be killed. Also, Azeri people who have become refugees will be able to return to their homes.

However, there is no indication about the present or future situation of Nagorno-Karabakh, its administrative or legal or police system. It has been a self-proclaimed republic which no one recognizes.

Nagorno-Karabakh will certainly be controlled by Azerbaijan now.

The biggest question is that those two countries whose hatred for each other has increased more than ever, how will they now be closer to each other than before?

Given the war, the violence and blood shed in it, it is feared that these two neighbors will take years to live like neighbors.

The results of the US presidential election have arrived. Donald Trump has lost the election and the American public has elected Joe Biden as their president.

Donald Trump could not return for his second term of office. But he may have further difficulties after his election defeat.

According to experts, investigations into alleged scandals during his tenure reveal that he may face a difficult financial situation in addition to criminal proceedings after his withdrawal from the presidency.

While on the post of President, a case cannot be prosecuted for official work against him.

"There is a possibility that Donald Trump will be tried for criminal cases," said Bennett Gershman, professor of constitutional law at Pace University, to the BBC Mundo Service.

Professor Bennett Gershman has served as a charger in New York for a decade.

He says, "President Trump may be charged in cases such as bank fraud, tax fraud, money laundering, electoral fraud." Whatever information is coming in the media related to his work is financial.

However, the case is not limited to just that. According to US media reports, Donald Trump may also face huge financial losses. These include large scale private loans and difficulties in their business.

According to the New York Times, Trump has to pay more than $ 300 million over the next four years. At a time when their private investments are not in a very good position.

It may be that the creditors show very little leniency regarding the payment of debt if Trump is not President.

Critics of Donald Trump say that his presidency has become his shield in his legal and financial problems. If all this does not happen then their difficult days may come.

President Trump has been claiming that he has fallen prey to the intrigues of his enemies. He has been falsely accused that he has committed crimes before becoming President and even while in office.

Trump has categorically denied the allegations against him.

He also states that he was successfully acquitted by the Justice Department's investigation into allegations of scams on his administration and impeachment conducted on him earlier this year.

However, all these investigations and procedures took place during the protection the president received from the indictment. The Department of Justice has been repeatedly saying that criminal prosecution cannot be held against the President while in office.

Experts told BBC Mundo that these investigations could be made the basis of legal action against Donald Trump.

"We already know that he may be accused of voter fraud because Trump is described by the US Attorney for Manhattan as an accomplice with Michael Cohen," says Bennett Gershman.

The expert also reminds of the investigation against Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen.

In 2018, Michael Cohen was convicted of electoral malpractices. She was accused of paying money in the 2016 elections to porn actress Storma Daniels, who claimed to have an affair with Donald Trump.

During Michael Cohen's investigation, it was officially reported that a presidential candidate (for which the term "Individual 1" was used) was allegedly associated with criminal activity.

The US media had associated this candidate with Donald Trump. This news was widespread in the American media.

Muller report

Bennett Gershman says he could also face charges of obstructing justice in view of the results of the alleged Müller report.

In 2019, Special Counsel Robert Müller submitted an inquiry report regarding Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential elections.

In that report, Trump was given a clean chit and it was told that there was no strong evidence of any collusion between Trump's propaganda team and Russia.

However, the report did say that Donald Trump made efforts to obstruct the investigation. Trump had also made efforts to remove Muller from his post.

Müller had said at the time that the US Parliament should decide whether to impeach Donald Trump for obstructing justice because the president could not be prosecuted by normal means of justice.

However, then Parliament did not impeach Trump, but months later a impeachment case was conducted against him in a separate case.

Trump was accused of pressurizing Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zalenski, to launch an investigation on his political rival, Joe Biden. However, Trump has consistently denied this.

He was prosecuted in the House of Representatives with a majority of Democrats in December 2019, but in February 2020, the Republicans majority Senate freed him from crime.

Donald Trump is the third US president to face impeachment.

Local and federal charges

As President, Donald Trump can pardon himself for violating federal law. However, such a situation has never happened in the history of America.

However, it has been seen that there is a possibility of criminal cases going on after the President is removed but the next President forgives him.

This happened in 1974 when former US President Richard Nixon resigned after the Watergate scandal.

Gerald Ford, then Vice President in his government, became President and gave him a full pardon.

"There is little chance of federal accusations of Donald Trump because he may have pardoned himself," says Norman Ornstein, an expert at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative political research center.

But, in the event of losing the election, he will not be able to forgive himself.

In such a situation, experts say that it is possible that Donald Trump may resign before the completion of his term on January 20, 2021 and make the current Vice President Mike Pence as President. Mike Pence can then pardon him for federal crimes.

Bennett Gershman points out that there is speculation in the US media that Donald Trump may have to face criminal charges in addition to federal charges.

He is accused of fudging real estate business before becoming president. Local-level cases cannot be pardoned like federal cases.

Experts also say that the administration does not necessarily take any action against Donald Trump even if there is evidence. This can be a political decision.

In the case of the Watergate scandal, the government also decided that prosecuting Richard Nixon would lead to the Watergate scandal. This is not the case, so he was forgiven.

In this regard, Joe Biden said in an interview on August 6, 2020, that if he becomes president, he will neither oppose nor promote criminal proceedings against Donald Trump. He will leave this decision entirely to the Department of Justice.

Bennett Gershman explains that it can take months to years for the trial to begin due to previous litigation.

Experts say that if Donald Trump is found guilty on the charges against him, he could be sentenced to years in prison.

Norman Ornstein feels New York prosecutor will continue his investigation against Donald Trump. At this time, Trump's position is weak and he knows this.

Modi and Trump's friendship was discussed throughout the term, but how does Modi form a relationship with the Biden administration after the 'Houdi Modi' and 'Namaste Trump' campaigns in support of Trump? It remains to be seen. However Joe Biden won the US presidential election defeating US President Donald Trump.

However, it is being said that India and America are important partners. In such a situation, changing the government will not affect relations with India.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the presidential election. Modi has called the victory of Joe Biden spectacular. The Indian Prime Minister also congratulated Kamala Harris and remembered her roots from India. Kamala Harris's mother was from Tamil Nadu.

Congratulating Joe Biden, Modi wrote on Twitter, "Congratulations to @JoeBiden on your stunning victory! As VP, your contribution to strengthen Indo-US relations was significant and invaluable. I look forward to working together once again to take Indo-US relations to greater heights. ''

Congratulating Kamala Harris, Modi wrote on Twitter, "Hearty congratulations @KamalaHarris! Your success is great Your victory not only makes your relatives in India proud but also a moment of pride for all Indian-American citizens. I am confident that with your support and leadership, the vibrant India-US relationship will be strengthened further.

Biden expressed concern over Kashmir and CAA

However, Biden had expressed concern about Kashmir and CAA in his election campaign. Biden released his policy paper during the election campaign. It had raised concerns about human rights in CAA and Kashmir. Joe Biden said that all rights of Kashmiris should be restored.

Biden had said that India should take whatever steps can be taken to restore the rights of Kashmiris. At the same time, Biden also expressed disappointment over India's Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA. Biden also called the National Register of Citizens (NRC) hopeless.

 A policy paper published on Biden's campaign website stated, "India has an old tradition of secularism and multi-racial, multi-religious democracy." In such a situation, these decisions of the government are completely opposite. ''

This policy paper by Joe Biden was published under the title 'Agenda for Muslim-American Communities'. In Biden's policy paper on Kashmir it was said, "To restore the rights of the people of Kashmir, India should take every step." Restrictions on disagreements, stopping peaceful demonstrations, shutting down or slowing down internet service are the weak of democracy. ''

In this paper, along with Kashmir, it was also talked about the Vegar Muslims of China and Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar. Biden's policy paper read, "Muslims of America remain concerned about what is happening in Muslim-majority countries and countries where Muslims have a significant population." I understand his pain. It is shameful to force the Weigar Muslims to stay in surveillance camps in western China. If Biden becomes president of the United States, he will raise his voice against detention camps in Xinjiang. As president, Biden will take some firm steps on this. Everything that has happened and is happening to Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is gruesome. This puts peace and stability at stake. ''

Trump was also shocked

However, US President Donald Trump has also had many such policies that have hurt India. The Trump government had excluded India from the General System of Preferences in its preferential trade policy. Because of this policy, 1930 products going from India to America were saved from paying import duty in America. In the 1970s, the US government adopted this policy with the intention of strengthening the economies of developing countries. Apart from this, Trump's policies on HB1 visa have also been against India.

But the Trump administration was silent on the CAA, NRC and Kashmir. In this case, Pakistan tried to put pressure on the US but it did not affect the Trump administration.

Given the friendship between US President Donald Trump and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it can be said that Biden will prove to be good for India, but will not prove to be good for BJP and Narendra Modi.

In March 2020, there was a dispute over the price of oil in Saudi Arabia and Russia. Saudi Arabia wanted Russia to reduce oil production so that falling international oil prices could be handled. But Russia was not willing to reduce production.

Saudi Arabia also decided to sell production by increasing production and discounting the price of oil, after being irritated by this attitude of Russia. Saudi Arabia took this decision when all the businesses in the world were stalled due to the Kovid 19 epidemic. Both countries were blaming each other for the fall in prices. Russia's state television was blaming Saudi Arabia for the fall in its currency ruble.

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia had also decided to reverse. On April 1, Saudi national oil company Aramco said that it would produce 12 million barrels of oil every day.

This was 26% more production than the agreement with Russia. Saudi Arabia felt that it would prove itself a king in the price war with Russia.

There have been two important changes in the world of oil in the last three years and their impact has been very wide.

The first is that the production of oil in America has increased. This production has increased so much that the United States has become a major oil exporting country from a major oil importer.

The second is the cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia to keep oil prices stable. The United States, Russia and Saudi Arabia are the three largest oil producing countries in the world. America is at number one and the rivalry between Russia and Saudi continues at number two. Cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia has been badly affected in recent times.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC has the highest dominance of Saudi. In March, Saudi Arabia proposed to cut oil production through OPEC due to the huge reduction in oil demand due to Kovid 19.

Russia is not a member of OPEC and refused to go along with the Saudi proposal. After this, a price war on oil was sparked in both countries.

US shale oil is a challenge for both Saudi and Russia. However, the production of shale oil is expensive. But due to the production of shale oil, America became the largest oil producing country from the world's largest oil importer.

Due to the expensive production of shale oil and gas, Russia feels that it cannot challenge its market. Compared to traditional crude oil (which is in Russia and Saudi Arabia), shale oil is extracted from the layers of rocks.

Conventional crude oil escapes to a depth of 6000 feet while shale oil production is complex. In 2018, the US became the world's largest oil producer, surpassing Saudi Arabia. This rise of the US also affected the oil market of Saudi and Russia.

When the epidemic of Kovid 19 came, there was a huge decline in the demands of oil. Given this decline, Saudi Arabia and Russia had to agree to drastic cuts in oil production in OPEC and OPEC Plus. America also had to cut its production by 2 million barrels per day. Although the US and Russia's oil production or export is less, it does not matter as much as Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's economy is dependent on oil and as soon as the oil market is affected, its kingship shakes and fears about the future.

Saudi's oil production and exports are facing a tough challenge from Russia along with the US. First, the US pushed Saudi to number two in terms of oil production and now Russia has brought Saudi to number three. According to the Joint Organization Data Initiative (JODI), Russia has ranked Saudi Arabia at number three in terms of oil production in the month of June.

With this, Russia has become the second largest country in the world in terms of oil production after USA. According to JODI, Russia's oil production stood at 8.788 million barrels per day in June, while Saudi Arabia's was just 7.5 million barrels.

In June, the US topped the terms of oil production. According to JODI, oil production in the US stood at 10.879 million barrels per day in June. Saudi Arabia's oil exports have also been steadily declining. Saudi oil exports fell below 5 million barrels per day in June. According to JODI, its oil exports declined by 17.3% in June as compared to May.

Saudi oil exports in June stood at 4.98 million barrels per day. Saudi oil production was 6.02 barrels per day in May and 10 million barrels in April.

The challenge for Saudi Arabia is now as big as how to reduce the dependence of its economy on oil?

The ambition of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia is to make Saudi stand on the earnings of oil, but nothing like this has happened yet.

Energy expert at the Rice University Baker Institute, Jim Kraen, told the news agency Reuters last year, "Saudi Arabia has an addiction to oil and is still not weak." The Saudi economy is running on oil. GDP rests on oil business.

Arab leaders know that high oil prices are not forever. Four years ago, keeping this in mind, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman introduced 'Vision 2030'.

The goal of this vision was to reduce Saudi economy's dependence on oil. The rest of Saudi's neighbors also know how dangerous it can be to depend on oil. Middle East and North Africa oil revenues have been steadily declining.

According to the International Monetary Fund, in 2012 revenue from oil in these areas was one trillion dollars, which increased to 575 billion dollars in 2019.

This year, Arab countries are estimated to get $ 300 billion from the sale of oil, but it will not be able to meet their expenses. Since the month of March, they have been cutting production, raising taxes and taking loans. Many countries are struggling with the problem of cash.

The future of Saudi does not assure much. There is talk of alternative energy all over the world and its scope is also expanding. In such a situation, the crisis that is dependent on the economies of oil is going to increase. The corona virus epidemic has brought the hollowness of these economies to the surface.

A report by Ristad Energy came out in 2016, stating that the US has 264 billion barrels of oil reserves.

This includes the existing oil reserves, new projects, recently discovered oil deposits and the oil wells that are yet to be discovered.

This report states that the United States has more oil reserves than Russia and Saudi Arabia.

According to Ristad Energy estimates, there are 256 billion barrels of oil in Russia, 212 billion barrels in Saudi, 167 billion barrels in Canada, 143 billion barrels in Iran and 120 billion barrels of oil in Brazil.

In India, the Central Government on Wednesday decided to set up a national recruitment agency to enter all government sector jobs.

The government claims that this agency will bring transformative reforms in the admission process in central government jobs and will also promote transparency.

Under this agency, a Common Eligibility Test i.e. Common Aptitude Test will be conducted which will replace the primary examination to be taken for Railway, Banking and Central Government jobs.

At present, the youth have to face heavy financial pressure and many difficulties to participate in the examinations conducted for different positions.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has praised this decision of the cabinet by tweeting from his official Twitter account.

Modi wrote, "National recruitment agency will prove to be a boon for crores of youth. The Common Eligibility Test will end many exams and will save precious time as well as resources. This will also give a big boost to transparency. ''

What is a common eligibility test?

Every year, two to three crore youth in India take different types of examinations to get jobs in central government and banking sector.

For example, for the jobs in banking sector, youth have to fill the application form several times a year. And each time the youth have to pay fees ranging from three to four hundred rupees to eight-nine hundred rupees.

But the National Recruitment Agency will now conduct a common eligibility test for all such tests.

With the help of this test, screening and examination of candidates at the first level for SSC, RRB and IBPS will be taken.

According to the Press Information Bureau of India, the Common Eligibility Test will be an online test under which graduates, 12th and tenth pass will be able to test youth.

The special thing is that after the start of these exams, the candidates will not have to prepare for different examinations and their different ways.

Because there is no uniformity in the questions asked in SSC, banking and railway exams. In such a situation, youth have to prepare separately for every exam.

How will this exam be done?

To give these exams, the youth had to travel by bus and rail to the examination centers built away from home at an early age.

It is being claimed by the government that the National Recruitment Examination will solve these difficulties of the youth as two centers will be set up in every district for this examination.

Apart from this, the score achieved in this exam will be valid for three years. And there will be no upper age limit in this examination.

What will change with this exam?

Experts in the education sector are believing that this is a reformist step that has been waiting for a long time.

This step of the government is good and its effect will also be long term but it is only the first and very small step towards reform. Much improvement is yet to be done in the field of competition exams to be held for jobs. In the name of competition exams in India, only youth are wasted precious time, money and resources.

The Common Eligibility Test should cover all the competition exams conducted for jobs in India. This will not waste the precious time, money and resources of the youth.

Relief workers in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, are still searching for survivors in the wrecked buildings after the blast. So far, at least 135 people have died and more than 5,000 have been injured in the blast on Tuesday.

The initial blast occurred at 6 pm local time in the Port area of ​​Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. After this there was a fire and there were other small explosions. According to some eyewitnesses, it seemed that there were firecrackers.

In a video posted on social media, smoke was seen emanating from a warehouse. But what happened after that, many people still have not recovered. Suddenly, a terrible explosion, a smog and the whole city fell under it. A fireball rose in the air. It was accompanied by a supersonic and mushroom shaped shockwave, which spread throughout the city.

Due to the terrible explosion of the second one, the buildings in the Port area were completely destroyed. At the same time terrible devastation occurred in many areas of Beirut. Beirut has a population of 2 million. Soon after the explosion, the injured started reaching the hospital and slowly filled the hospital.

George Ketani, head of the Red Cross in Lebanon, said, "What we are witnessing is a great disaster." There are casualties everywhere. ''

Beirut Governor Marvan Abood said that nearly three lakh people have been temporarily homeless. He estimated that the explosion resulted in a total loss of 10-15 billion dollars.

Experts are still trying to find out, but the shockwave that arose after the explosion and the glass broke in the passenger terminal of Beirut International Airport, nine kilometers away, is an indication of its intensity.

The sound of the blast was heard in Cyprus, 200 kilometers from Beirut. According to geologists of the Geological Survey in the US, the explosion was like a 3.3 magnitude earthquake.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun says that 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was kept unsafely in a warehouse in the Port area and that the reason for the explosion is ammonium nitrate.

In 2013, a similar quantity of chemicals arrived at Port Beirut from MV Rosos, a Moldovian cargo ship. The ship encountered a technical problem on its way from Georgia to Mozambique, forcing it to stop at Beirut Port.

At that time the ship was inspected and it was barred from leaving. Its owners then abandoned the ship. This information was given by Shiparrested.com, a newsletter of this industry. The ship's cargo was shifted to a warehouse in the port for security reasons. However, it was said that either it should be disposed of or sold.

Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) is a crystal-like white solid, commonly used as a source of nitrogen in fertilizers for farming. It is also mixed with fuel oil to produce explosives, which are used in the mining and construction industries. The extremists have also used it many times to make bombs.

Experts say that if ammonium nitrate is stored properly, it is safe. But if this substance is kept on the same land for a long time, then it starts deteriorating slowly.

Andrea Sela, professor of chemistry at University College, London, says that the real problem is that over time it slowly soaks up the moisture and eventually turns into a big rock. Because of this it becomes very dangerous. If any kind of fire reaches there, the chemical reaction caused by it is very intense.

Ammonium nitrate is associated with many major industrial accidents. In 1947, a ship carrying 2000 tons of chemicals exploded in Texas, USA, killing 581 people.

President Aun has assured a transparent investigation into the blast.

On Wednesday, he said, "We are committed to conducting an inquiry and as soon as possible, we will bring out the circumstances surrounding this incident." Whoever is responsible for this and those who ignore it, will be punished hard. ''

Prime Minister Hasan Diab has described the circumstances behind the blast as unacceptable.

Port general manager Hassan Koretem and Lebanese customs director general Badri Daher have said that they had warned several times about the danger of storing ammonium nitrate, but were ignored.

Daher said - We asked that it be exported again, but it did not happen. We leave it to the experts and concerned to find out why this happened.

From the documents released on the internet, it seems that the Customs officials had written letters to the judiciary at least six times between 2014 and 2017, so that they can give directions in this regard.

The Lebanese government has ordered the officials monitoring the ammonium nitrate stored in the store at the port to be under house arrest until the investigation is completed.

The new Education Policy-2020 in India has got the approval of the Modi Cabinet. India's Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar gave information about this in a press conference on Wednesday.

Earlier in 1986, the new education policy was implemented. In 1992, some amendments were made to this policy. That is, after 34 years, a new education policy is being implemented once again in India.

The draft was prepared by a committee of experts headed by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan, which was approved by the cabinet headed by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

Many major changes have been made in the new education policy, from school education to higher education.

Highlights of New Education Policy-2020:

In the new education policy, it has been said to keep the medium of instruction in the mother tongue, local or regional language up to the fifth class. It can be extended to class eight or even further. Foreign languages ​​will be studied at secondary level. However, the new education policy also states that no language will be imposed.

100% GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) in school education is targeted for education up to the secondary level by the year 2030.

- Two crore children currently staying away from school will be brought back into the mainstream. For this, development of school infrastructure and new education centers will be established.

- In place of the 10 + 2 structure of the school curriculum, a new curriculum structure of 5 + 3 + 3 + 4 will be implemented for children aged 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 respectively. It has a provision to bring the 3-6-year-old children who have been kept far away under the school curriculum, which has been globally recognized as an important stage for the child's mental development.

- The new system will have 12 years of schooling and three years of Anganwadi with pre-schooling. Under this, three years of pre-primary and first and second classes have been kept for the initial stage studies of the students. The third, fourth and fifth classes are placed in the next stage. After this, the introduction of the subject will be done in middle school ie 6-8 class. All the students will take exams in class III, V and VIII only. The 10th and 12th board exams will continue as before. But keeping in mind the goal of overall development of children, these will be redesigned. A new National Assessment Center 'Parakh' (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for overall development) will be established as a standards-defining body.

- Emphasis will be laid on the basic competency of reading and writing and addition and subtraction (numerical knowledge). Considering the need of basic literacy and numeracy knowledge as the most important and first requirement for learning correctly, 'NEP 2020' laid special emphasis on the establishment of 'A National Mission on Basic Literacy and Numerical Knowledge' by the Ministry of Human Resource Development has gone.

- NCERT will develop a National Curriculum and Educational Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCEFECCE) for children up to the age of 8 years.

- There will be no special distinction between educational streams, extra-curricular activities and vocational education in schools.

- Special emphasis will be given to the education of disadvantaged groups (SEDG) from social and economic perspectives.

- The National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) will be developed by the National Council for Teacher Education by the year 2022, for which consultation will be held with NCERT, SCERT, teachers and specialist organizations of all levels and fields.

- Ministry of Human Resource Development has been renamed as Ministry of Education. This means that Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank will now be called the education minister of the country.

- A target has been set to invest six percent of GDP in education, which is currently 4.43 percent.

- The goal of new education is to provide quality education to every child aged 3-18 by 2030.

- Vocational courses will be started from class VI. Students desirous for this will be given internship from class VI onwards. In addition, music and arts will be promoted. These will be implemented in the course.

- There will be a single regulator for higher education. The Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as a single most important comprehensive body for all higher education except law and medical education.

- HECI will have four independent verticals - National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NERC) for regulation, General Education Council (GEC) for standard determination, Higher Education Grant Council (HEGC) for funding and National Accreditation Council for Accreditation ( NAC).

- There is a target of delivering 50 percent GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) by 2035 in higher education. Currently GER is 26.3 percent as per 2018 statistics. 3.5 crore new seats will be added in higher education.

- For the first time multiple entry and exit systems have been implemented. You can understand it like this. In today's system, if after four years of engineering or six semesters, you are unable to study for any reason, then you have no solution, but in the multiple entry and exit system, one year certificate, two years diploma and three Degree will be obtained after four years. This will be of great benefit to those students whose studies are missed for some reason.

In the new education policy, students will also have the freedom that if they want to skip a course and join the other course, then they can take a break from the first course for a specific time and join the second course.

- Many changes have been made in higher education. There will be a four-year degree program for students who want to do research. Those who want to get into jobs will do a three-year degree program. But those who want to go into research can do PhD directly after a four-year degree program with a one-year MA. They will not need M.Phil.

- The National Research Foundation (NRAF) will be set up as an apex body to conduct research and to promote a strong research culture and research capacity throughout higher education. The main objective of the NRAF will be to enable a culture of research through universities. The NRAF will be governed independently by the government, a board of governors.

- Higher education institutions have to bring more transparency in terms of charging fees.

- Efforts will be made to encourage the qualification of students belonging to SC, ST, OBC and other specific categories. The National Scholarship Portal will be expanded to support, promote and track the progress of students receiving scholarships. Private higher education institutions will be encouraged to offer a large number of free education and scholarships to students here.

- E-courses will be developed in regional languages. A virtual lab is being developed and a National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) is being created.

- As a result of the recent rise in the Corona epidemic and the global Corona epidemic, a broad set of recommendations have been covered to promote online education, making it possible to have the means to obtain traditional and personalized education whenever and wherever possible. In order to ensure the preparation of alternative means of quality education, both the school and higher education will have a dedicated unit aimed at digital infrastructure, digital content and capacity building at MHRD to cater to the needs of e-education. .

- To set up an Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation (IITI), National Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakrit languages, Sanskrit in Higher Educational Institutions for Pali, Persian and Prakrit languages ​​in the new education policy to protect, develop and make them more vibrant for all Indian languages. And it has been recommended to strengthen all the language departments and use mother tongue / vernacular as a medium of instruction in programs of maximum educational institutions.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the historic Hagia Sophia Museum of Istanbul to be converted into a mosque again.

Earlier on Friday, a Turkish court cleared the way to convert the Hagia Sophia Museum into a mosque. The court said in its decision that the Hagia Sophia would no longer be a museum and canceled the 1934 cabinet decision.

This 1500-year-old UNESCO World Heritage was originally a church before the mosque was built and was built as a museum in the 1930s. Turkish President Rechep Tayyip Ardoan promised to make it a mosque again in elections last year.

It is decided to build the first one and a half thousand years old church, then the mosque, then the museum, and then build the mosque again.

Hagia Sophia of Turkey has been one of the largest churches in the world. It was built in the sixth century by the dictates of the Byzantine emperor Justinian.

It comes on the UNESCO World Heritage List of UN cultural affairs. This church was converted into a mosque when the Osmania Sultanate occupied the city of Qustuntuniya (later renamed Istanbul) in 1453.

This Greek style church built in Istanbul is considered a unique piece of architecture that has left its mark on the design of large buildings around the world.

After the defeat of Turkey in the first world war and then the abolition of the Osmania Sultanate there came the rule of Mustafa Kamal Pasha. It was under his rule that in 1934 it was decided to make this mosque (originally Hagia Sophia Church) a museum.

In modern times, Turkish Islamist political parties have long sought to build it a mosque, while secular parties have been opposing the construction of the old church as a mosque. There have also been international reactions to the matter, which are divided on religious and secular grounds.

Greece has opposed this decision, saying that this church is the center of faith for millions of people who believe in Orthodox Christianity. Greece's Minister of Cultural Affairs has called it 'the politics of taking political advantage by inciting religious sentiments'.

The UNESCO Deputy Chief said in an interview to a Greek newspaper that the decision of the future of this church should be on a larger scale in which the international fraternity should also be listened to. This representative of the United Nations says that a letter was written to Turkey about this but did not respond.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the change in the condition of this building will not be right as it has been acting as a bridge between different religious beliefs.

This historic domed building is on the western side of the Bosphorus River in Istanbul, Bosphorus is the river that borders Asia and Europe, Asia towards the east of this river and Europe to the west.

Emperor Justinian ordered the construction of a grand church in 532, in those days Istanbul was known as Constantinople or Qustuntunia, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, also known as the Roman Empire of the East.

Construction materials and engineers were employed from far and wide to build this magnificent building.

It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Turkey.

This church was completed in five years and completed in 537, it became an important center for those who believed in Orthodox Christianity, it also became a symbol of the strength of the Byzantine Empire, important ceremonies like coronation continued in this church.

Hagia Sophia, which means 'holy conscience', has been the headquarters of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly 900 years.

But the dispute over it is not only among Muslims and Christians, it was severely devastated by European Christian attackers in the 13th century and made it to the Catholic Church for some time.

In 1453, Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire, who followed Islam, captured Qustuntunia, changed its name to Istanbul, thus ending the Byzantine Empire forever.

Sultan Mehmed ordered that the Hagia Sophia be repaired and converted into a mosque. In this, Sultan himself joined the prayer of the first Jume. The Ottoman Empire is also known as Sultanate-e-Osmania.

Islamic architects broke most of the Ishayat signs or put a layer of plaster over them. Earlier it was just a dome building but six Islamic style minarets were also erected outside it.

The design of many famous buildings in the world, including the famous blue mosque of Turkey built in the 17th century, is said to be the inspiration of Hagia Sophia.

The Ottoman Empire suffered a severe defeat in the First World War, the empire being divided into several pieces by the conquerors. The current Turkey stands on the foundation of the same demolished Ottoman Empire.

Mustafa Kamal Pasha, called the creator of modern Turkey, declared the country secular and in this context changed the Hagia Sophia from mosque to museum.

Since it was opened to the general public in 1935, it has been one of the major tourist destinations in the world.

The Hagia Sophia, because of its history of about one and a half thousand years, is very important not only for Turkey but also for the people outside it, especially for the Christians in Greece and Muslims around the world.

There have been frequent demonstrations in Turkey against the law made in 1934 under which the Hagia Sophia is prohibited from offering Namaz or any other religious event.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been supportive of these Islamic sentiments and has been calling the Hagia Sophia's decision to make the museum a historic mistake, and has been making consistent efforts to make it a mosque again. As a result, the Hagia Sophia Museum was again converted into a mosque.

Just days after Bhutan protested China's claims on Bhutan's Sakateng Wildlife Sanctuary, China annexed Bhutan's eastern sector to a border dispute.

The border between Bhutan and China is not yet set and so far, the two countries have held talks 24 times to resolve the border dispute. Among these, China had never raised the issue of eastern sector.

In the border dispute with Bhutan, China views India's claim to new territories as a step against India.

At present, there are mainly two countries, one is India and the other is Bhutan, with which China has not been demarcated and has been in dispute for many years. China continues to have tensions along the Line of Control with India in which twenty Indian soldiers have recently died in a violent conflict in Ladakh.

China has a border dispute with Bhutan over the western sector and the eastern sector. Bhutan and China are being negotiated to resolve this dispute in a planned manner.

Former Indian Ambassador to Bhutan, Pawan Verma said that China's latest border dispute with Bhutan could be an attempt to influence India's strategic interests.

Pawan Verma said, "I think this is China's way of putting pressure on Bhutan." China knows where its boundary with Bhutan will be fixed, especially towards the west of Bhutan, where a border junction between China-Bhutan and India is formed, where there is a boundary, India Strategic interests will be affected. ''

In 2017, China and India came face to face with Bhutan's Doklam and there was a 75-day military standoff between the two countries. Even then China tried to take control of Bhutan's Doklam.

Former Indian Ambassador to Bhutan, Indra Pal Khosla said that China is currently in an expansionary mode and is making claims everywhere.

Speaking to BBC Bangla service, Indra Pal Khosla said, "In my view, China is in an expansionary mode, China has laid claim to a part of Bhutan which was not raised till now in the talks between the two countries." Bhutan and China have been negotiated 24 times on the border dispute and this area has never been discussed. China never raised the issue of this area during these years.

"Recently, Russia has claimed Russia's Vladivostok, it seems that China is now in a state when it is not paying attention to any agreement or mutual understanding or agreements in history," he said. He is now in expansionary mode. ''

Bhutan has issued a demarche to China, opposing China's claim over the Sakateng Reserve, generally Bhutan is not vocal about its border disputes and makes little comments. In such a situation, what is the reason for this political step of Bhutan?

Mihir Bhonsle, an analyst with the Observer Research Foundation or ORAF, says Bhutan is feeling scared.

Bhonsle said, "China has created a dispute in the region where Bhutan understands that it has ended the border dispute with China. Bhutan does not usually speak much on border disputes. On one side of Bhutan is China and on the other side is India.

"Bhutan is generally quiet but when China questions the sanctuary of Bhutan, Bhutan has issued a demarche to China, which is a new thing." Bhutan generally does not comment on border disputes. Bhutan has issued a demarche which simply means that Bhutan is feeling threatened.

Mihir Bhonsle believes that the objective of airing the border dispute with Bhutan may be to disturb India.

He said, "Bhutan is the only country in India's neighborhood that has always been with India, while Bhutan has no diplomatic relations with China." China feels that it can stress India by upsetting Bhutan. ''

In Doklam also we saw that China had claimed Bhutan land, after which tensions with India increased. It seems that China wants to give pain to India by twisting Bhutan's hand. ''

In 2017, when China stepped in towards Bhutan, the Indian Army came in the middle. There was 75 days of military tension between India and China in Doklam. Can the latest dispute reach that position?

Pawan Verma said, "It is possible that this dispute will reach a situation like Doklam, but it is not necessarily so." India and Bhutan have a very close relationship. Bhutan also does not have diplomatic relations with China.

"It will be China's effort to put pressure on Bhutan to follow its own footsteps and put pressure on India." But I don't think that will happen. But if there is more pressure on Bhutan, India will have to stand with Bhutan.

Mihir Bhonsle said, "If China's border dispute with Bhutan escalates, then Doklam-like stand-off can happen again." Doklam is a tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan, apart from it Saketeng Sanctuary is very close to the Arunachal border, there may also be a tri-junction area. Tensions may further increase here in future.

Pawan Verma believes that China involved in the border dispute with India is using India's neighboring countries to pressure India. This is a well-known strategy of China.

At the same time, Mihir Bhonsle believes that China's strategic decision may be to put pressure on Bhutan. The dispute with Bhutan right now was not a big deal. Bhutan wanted to use the Global Environment Fund in Sakateng Sanctuary, which China opposed. This indicates that China is trying against India on every possible front.