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Serious earthquakes in Morocco, which the U.S. Geological Survey calls “uncommon but not unexpected,” have inflicted deaths and significant economic damage before.
The worst in Morocco’s recent history was a 5.8-magnitude earthquake that killed about 12,000 people and injured another 12,000 in March 1960.
The western coastal town of Agadir crumbled under that quake’s force. About a third of its population perished. Restaurants, shops and the central market were leveled. Thousands of people were buried under concrete.
A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck northern Morocco in February 2004, killing about 630 people, injuring hundreds and leaving about 15,000 homeless.
That quake, in the Mediterranean port city of Al Hoceima, toppled mud-brick homes and buried sleeping residents under rubble. In a nearby village, homes were flattened like cardboard boxes.
The next day, dozens of survivors left homeless by the earthquake protested what they said was a lack of government aid. Several people were injured in a clash between protesters and the Moroccan military that day, CNN reported at the time.
Russia sticks to Black Sea grain deal demands, rejects UN offer (Page no. 2)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Russia said it was sticking to its conditions for a return to the Black Sea grain deal which it quit in July.
In particular, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia needed its state agricultural bank – and not a subsidiary of the bank, as proposed by the United Nations – to be reconnected to the international SWIFT bank payments system.
All our conditions are perfectly well known. They do not need interpretation, they are absolutely concrete and all this is absolutely achievable.
Therefore Russia maintains its responsible, clear and consistent position, which has been repeatedly voiced by the president.
The Black Sea deal was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022 to enable Ukraine to export grain by sea despite the war and help ease a global food crisis.
Front Page
India – Middle East Europe Economic corridor unveiled: Journey of dreams and hope (Page no. 3)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Calling it a “beacon of cooperation and innovation” that charts a journey of “shared aspirations and dreams,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, joined by US President Biden, and leaders from Saudi Arabia and Europe, unveiled the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, an ambitious infrastructure project aimed to connect India to Europe via West Asia.
Underlining the “historic agreement,” Modi said: “This will be an effective mode of economic integration between India, West Asia, and Europe, in the time to come.
This will provide a sustainable direction to connectivity and development in the entire world…India does not measure connectivity in terms of regional borders. India’s main priority is to increase connectivity with all regions… Hamara manana hai ki connectivity vibhinna deshon ke beech, aapsi vyapar hi nahi, aapsi vishwas badhane ka bhi source hai. (We believe that connectivity is the source not only for fostering trade but also trust)”.
In a post on X, Modi added: “As history unfolds, may this corridor be a testament to human endeavour and unity across continents.”
G20 becomes G21 as India takes lead i bringing African union to global table (Page no. 3)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The African Union, which represents 55 countries, was admitted as a new member of the G20, three months after India proposed its inclusion.
The idea was floated in June this year, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to G20 leaders to propose that the African Union be given “full membership at the upcoming Delhi Summit of G20, as requested by them”.
The US and France had affirmed their support. In his inaugural address, Modi said: “It was in the spirit of ‘sabka saath’ that India proposed permanent membership for the African Union in the G20. I believe that we all agree on this proposal.”
He then invited the Chairperson of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, to join the other G20 leaders at the high table.
Honoured to welcome the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 Family. This will strengthen the G20 and also strengthen the voice of the Global South.
G20 in New Delhi
PM and Sunak agree to expedite FTA negotiations (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his United Kingdom counterpart, Rishi Sunak, on Saturday discussed negotiations on a UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and agreed that both sides will continue working towards it.
The bilateral meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. This is Modi’s first meeting with Sunak after the latter took over as the UK PM.
A statement issued by the UK government said the leaders had a productive conversation about negotiations on a UK-India Free Trade Agreement. It stated that Sunak reiterated the UK’s ambition to deliver a landmark trade deal that benefits businesses and workers in both countries and grows bilateral trade in both goods and services.
They agreed that ministers and negotiating teams would continue to work at pace towards an FTA.
As per the statement, Sunak congratulated Modi on New Delhi’s consummate presidency of the G20 this year, which has demonstrated “India’s vital global leadership and influence.”
G20 Explained
Sense of the consensus (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
The leaders at India’s showpiece G20 Summit arrived at a joint communique — called the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration — after months of work and, in the last stretch, five sleepless nights of negotiations.
The big sticking point was the Ukraine-Russia conflict, which was addressed in detail in seven paragraphs. This is much more elaborate than the Bali Declaration, which had just two paragraphs.
The consensus at the Bali declaration frayed and broke down within a month of the Summit in November last year, and the last nine months witnessed acrimony on both sides — the G7 grouping on one side and Russia-China bloc on the other.
But, brick-by-brick, through many conversations over countless coffees, and hours of painstaking negotiations, the two sides built a consensus formula, with the help of four diplomats, and guided and led by Sherpa Amitabh Kant, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Data to oil gas to goofs: Seamless sea rail-corridor from India to Europe (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement Saturday that a connectivity corridor spanning India to Europe via West Asia would be launched soon, entails an ambitious project than could leverage railway tracks and shipping corridors to help physically link up a vast stretch of the Eurasian subcontinent, and in the process improving digital connectivity and catalysing trade among countries, including energy products such as green hydrogen.
Officially called the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, it is being positioned as a modern-day Spice Route, and more significantly, as a weighty ideological alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The project involves the laying of a railway link through the Arabian Peninsula that could then link up with shipping passages to India and Europe on both ends of this proposed corridor.
Modi made the announcement flanked by US President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sitting alongside, during the annual Group of 20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi.
G20 in New Delhi
Health declaration: Focus on healthcare, long covid research (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
All three health priorities of India’s G20 presidency find a mention in the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration released. These are building a resilient healthcare system; creating a platform for improving access to medical countermeasures such as vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics across the world; and creating a platform for sharing digital goods between countries.
The declaration states: “(We will) support the WHO-led inclusive consultative process for the development of an interim medical countermeasures coordination mechanism … considering a network of networks approach, leveraging local and regional RnD and manufacturing capacities, and strengthening last mile delivery.”
This consultative process will include voices of low- and middle-income countries. The platform “may be adapted in alignment with” the pandemic treaty.
The declaration states that the G20 will look forward to a successful outcome of the ongoing negotiations for a legally binding convention of agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The pandemic treaty is likely to be presented in the upcoming World Health Assembly.
Member’s agree to triple green energy capacity by 30 (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Marking a major step forward in climate action, the G20 countries on Saturday promised to work towards tripling the global renewable energy capacity by 2030.
If met, this single step could avoid carbon dioxide emissions by seven billion tonnes between now and 2030, according to an assessment by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The G20 countries also committed themselves to making lifestyle changes to curb greenhouse gas emissions, agreeing on a cause being championed by India for the last few years.
Some more contentious climate-related issues, like a commitment to phase-out all fossil fuels, on which there were major differences between the member countries, were left unaddressed.
The G20 Leaders’ Declaration from New Delhi acknowledged that scale of climate action, and its implementation, continued to “remain insufficient”, and recognised that the financial resources now needed to galvanise climate action in order to meet Paris Agreement objectives ran into “trillions of dollars”, not billions.
Commitment to global food security and nutrition for all (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Observing that the rising commodity prices, including food and energy prices, are contributing to cost-of-living pressures, the G20 leaders announced their commitment to global food security and nutrition for all in line with the G20 Deccan High-Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition 2023.
In the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration, the grouping leaders expressed their commitment towards eliminating hunger and malnutrition.
Rising commodity prices, including food and energy prices are contributing to the cost-of-living pressures. Global challenges like poverty and inequality, climate change, pandemics and conflicts disproportionately affect women and children, and the most vulnerable,” noted the preamble of the Declaration.
We highlighted the human suffering and impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security, supply chains, macro-financial stability, inflation and growth, which has complicated the policy environment for countries, especially developing and least developed countries which are still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic disruption which has derailed progress towards the SDGs,” stated the Declaration.
PM Modi launches Global biofuels alliance: 19 countries 12 global bodies agree to join (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
The Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) was formally launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of leaders of a number of partner countries on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
The GBA has been in the works for some time now and is a key initiative and priority under India’s G20 presidency.
The alliance is aimed at facilitating international cooperation and intensifying the use of sustainable biofuels, along with facilitating global biofuels trade and technical support for national biofuel programmes.
The GBA, the effort for which was spearheaded by India, the United States, and Brazil, has been launched with nine initiating members–India, the US, Brazil, Argentina, Bangladesh, Italy, Mauritius, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates–while Canada and Singapore are observer countries. In all, 19 countries and 12 international organisations have already agreed to join the GBA.
Seven of the 19 countries are from the G20, four are among the G20 invitee countries, while eight are neither G20 members nor invitees.
The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, World Economic Forum, International Energy Agency, International Energy Forum, International Renewable Energy Agency, and International Civil Aviation Organization are among the organisations that have agreed to join the alliance. Modi launched the GBA in the presence of leaders from the US, Brazil, the UAE, Singapore, Italy, Argentina, Bangladesh, and Mauritius.
G20 Cosensus on deploying digital public infra for financial inclusion (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
In line with the theme of India’s digital push and the subjects that New Delhi’s top leadership have been talking about throughout the course of the country’s G20 presidency, member nations reached a consensus on deploying digital public infrastructure for financial inclusion, creating a global framework for regulating crypto-assets and endorsing responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).
The New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration stated the G20 countries recognised that safe and trusted deployment of digital public infrastructure (DPI) can “enable service delivery and innovation”.
They added that even while accounting for the potential downfalls of AI, they will “pursue a pro-innovation” approach.
The Indian Express had earlier reported that throughout India’s G20 presidency, it played up the country’s efforts at creating digital public infrastructure and explored other nations’ interests to adopt the underlying technologies that power India’s DPI push, which it brands as the India Stack.