UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

  The Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) signed on 13 th   February, 2024 at Abu Dhabi, UAE between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), entered into force with effect from 31 st   August, 2024.  The enforcement of this new BIT with UAE gives continuity of investment protection to investors of both the countries, as the earlier Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) between India and UAE signed in December 2013 expired on 12 th   September, 2024. UAE is the seventh largest with a share of 3% in the total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) received in India, with cumulative investment of approximately $19 Billion from April 2000- June 2024. India also makes 5% of its total Overseas Direct Investments in UAE to the tune of $15.26 Billion from April 2000 - August 2024. India – UAE BIT 2024 is expected to increase the comfort level and boost the confidence of the investors by assuring minimum standard of treatmen

Red Panda Conservation Breeding and Augmentation Programme of Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling has been shortlisted as one of the top three finalists by World Association of Zoos and Aquariums for the 2024 WAZA Conservation & Environmental Sustainability Awards. Winner will be announced at 79 th  WAZA Annual Conference at Tarongo Zoo, Sydney, Australia on 7 th  Nov 2024. Between 2022 and 2024, nine captive-bred red pandas (seven females and two males) were released into Singalila National Park (SNP) in West Bengal. Of the seven released females, three gave birth to five cubs in wild. PNHZP, in collaboration with the Wildlife Wing of the Government of West Bengal, has undertaken several habitat restoration initiatives in Singalila National Park and Darjeeling division. PNHZP is taking several in-house and collaborative research works related to Red Panda with institutions like CCMB, IISER and WII. PNHZP’s conservation efforts are further strengthened by its Bioban

US Department of Justice (DoJ) to investigate the 1921 Tulsa race massacre - The Guardian The Tulsa race massacre, also known as the Tulsa race riot or the Black Wall Street massacre, was a two-day-long white supremacist terrorist massacre that took place between May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of whom had been appointed as deputies and armed by city government officials, attacked black residents and destroyed homes and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event is considered one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history.The attackers burned and destroyed more than 35 square blocks of the neighborhood—at the time, one of the wealthiest black communities in the United States, colloquially known as "Black Wall Street." More than 800 people were admitted to hospitals, and as many as 6,000 black residents of Tulsa were interned in large facilities, many of them for several days. The Oklahoma Bureau of Vital S

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age. These forces and systems include a wide set of forces and systems that shape daily life such as economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies, and political systems. CDC has adopted this definition from the World Health Organization. Social determinants of health (SDOH) have a major impact on people’s health, well-being, and quality of life. Examples of SDOH include: Safe housing, transportation, and neighborhoods Racism, discrimination, and violence Education, job opportunities, and income Access to nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities Polluted air and water Language and literacy skills SDOH also contribute to wide health disparities and inequities. For example, people who don't have access to grocery stores with healthy foods are less likely to have good nutr

The  Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of Republic of Uzbekistan  was signed by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt.  Nirmala Sitharaman and H.E. Mr. Khodjayev Jamshid Abdukhakimovich, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, today, at Tashkent. The BIT between India and Uzbekistan assures appropriate protection to Uzbekistan investors in India and Indian investors in the Republic of Uzbekistan, in light of relevant international precedents and practices. It will increase the comfort level and boost the confidence of investors by assuring a minimum standard of treatment and non-discrimination,  while providing for an independent forum for dispute settlement through arbitration. The BIT also provides for protection to investments from expropriation, provides for transparency, transfers and compensation for losses. However, while providing such investor and investment protection, balance has been maintained w