CLAT Express – May 2025 Comprehensive Notes

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Colombia Officially Joins China’s Belt and Road Initiative

• First major South-American nation outside the Pacific coast to sign up.

• Formalised at the Latin American Leaders’ Summit, Beijing.

• Strategic implications

  • Gives China proximity to Panama Canal; strengthens presence in Western Hemisphere.

  • Colombia gains access to Chinese finance in infrastructure, energy & trade.

• BRI facts

  • Launched $2013$ by Xi Jinping.

  • Two corridors:
    Silk Road Economic Belt (land) & 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (sea).

  • Flagship projects: CPEC, IMEC, INSTC, China-Myanmar Corridor, etc.

• Indian position: rejects BRI citing sovereignty violation in PoK; promotes INSTC & PGII as alternative.

IMF – India Abstains on $2.3$ bn Pakistan Package

• Facilities approved:
  • Extended Fund Facility $7$ bn (existing)
  • Resilience & Sustainability Facility $1.3$ bn.

• IMF rules allow only “Yes” or “Abstain”.

• Indian objections
  • Pakistan has borrowed $28$ times in $35$ yrs ⇒ “dependency loop”.
  • Concerns over debt sustainability, military-dominated economy, terror‐finance opacity.

• IMF basics
  • Est. $1944$ (Bretton Woods). 190 members. HQ Washington DC.
  • Voting = Basic votes $+$ quota-linked SDRs.

Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal – India urges IAEA Oversight

• Stockpile ≈ $170$ warheads; fastest-growing arsenal outside NPT.

• Historical proliferation (A.Q. Khan network → Iran, DPRK).

• India’s goals: internationalise security risks; project itself as responsible N-state.

• Key regimes
  • MTCR, Australia Group, Wassenaar, IAEA safeguards.

Trump’s 2025 Middle-East Tour (Saudi-Qatar-UAE)

• First US–Syria presidential meet in $25$ yrs with Pres. Ahmed al-Sharaa.

• $600$ bn Saudi commitment:
  • $142$ bn record arms deal (F-35, drones).
  • $14.2$ bn GE turbines, power tech.

• Qatar: $243.5$ bn pledge + $400$ m 747-8 gift. UAE: $200$ bn MoUs.

• US strategy: trade-led stability; carrot-and-stick nuclear offer to Riyadh; push Abraham Accords.

Pakistan-Türkiye-Azerbaijan Nexus

• Türkiye’s arms exports to Pakistan up $103\%$ (2015-19 → 2020-24), now 2ⁿᵈ supplier after China.

• $1.6$ bn JF-17 deal with Baku; alignment on Kashmir, Cyprus, Armenian issues.

• India response: deeper ties with Greece, Cyprus; major defence supplier to Armenia.

NATIONAL & CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES

Supreme Court on Rohingya – “Foreigners” under The Foreigners Act 1946

• Deportation must follow due-process; Articles $14$ & $21$ apply but no right to reside.

• India lacks refugee law (non-signatory to 1951 Convention/1967 Protocol).

• Humanitarian concerns – non-refoulement, statelessness of $0.75$ mn refugees in Cox’s Bazar.

Sikkim @ 50 (Statehood Day – 16 May 1975)

• Former monarchy (Namgyal dynasty). 36ᵗʰ CAA inserted Art $371F$; became 22ⁿᵈ state.

• First 100 % organic state; Kanchenjunga lies inside Sikkim.

Presidential Reference on Timelines for Assent (Art $143$)

• Triggered by SC’s 3-month limit (State of TN v. Governor).

• Questions: separation-of-powers, scope of Art $142$, competence of smaller benches.

• Art $143(1)$ opinions ≠ binding; invoked $15$ times since 1951.

Disqualification of MPs/MLAs – Key Law

• Arts $102/191$, Tenth Schedule, RPA 1951 §8.

• Lily Thomas (2013): instant loss on ≥$2$-yr conviction (overruled §8(4)).

• 91ˢᵗ CAA (2003): merger requires $2/3$ members.

ECONOMY & FINANCE

Bitcoin tops $110\text{ K}$ – GENIUS Act in US Senate

• Stable-coin bill: 1∶1 reserve, AML/KYC, federal moratorium on state AI laws.

• Raises Child-Tax-Credit to $2{,}500$ till 2028; SALT cap $30{,}000$.

India–UK FTA (signed 2025)

• Zero duty on $99\%$ Indian exports; India cuts 85 % tariff lines (auto duty → $10\%$ quota).

• Double-contribution convention to avoid dual social-security.

• Expected bilateral trade >\$100\text{ bn} by 2030.

RBI Surplus Transfer

• Record dividend $\text{₹}2.68\text{ lakh cr}$ for FY-25.
  Contingency Risk Buffer kept $7.5\%$ of balance-sheet per 2019 Jalan ECF.

ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE & BIODIVERSITY

IMO MEPC-83 – First Global Shipping Emission Levy

• Goal: net-zero by $2050$; adopts Singapore hybrid (GHG fuel standard + levy).

• India’s “Bridging Mechanism” influences outcome; rewards zero-carbon fuels.

• Annex VI (MARPOL) amendment process: $6$-mo circulation, $2/3$ vote, tonnage veto <$1/3$.

International Day for Biological Diversity (22 May 2025) – Theme “Harmony with Nature”

• CBD stats: 196 parties; COP-16 Cali (2024) preparing “Nice Ocean Agreements”.

• Kunming-Montreal GBF targets “30×30”, reduce invasive spp $50\%$.

• India’s Bio-diversity Act 2002, 2025 ABS regs:
  • Digital Sequence Information included.
  • Benefit-sharing slabs: $0.2\%$(₹5–50 cr), $0.4\%$(₹50–250 cr), $\ge0.5\%$ (>₹250 cr); at least $5\%$ for cultivated medicinal plants.

UN Ocean Conference 2025 (Nice)

• Theme: “Accelerating action & mobilising all actors”.

• Focus: BBNJ entry-into-force, $30\%$ MPAs, blue-finance.

SCIENCE, TECH & DEFENCE

National Technology Day (11 May) – YANTRA Initiative

• Marks Pokhran-II (1998): Trishul test + Hansa-3 first flight.

• India’s S&T indices
  • GII rank $40$ (2024).
  • Network Readiness $49$ (↑30 since 2019).

Chandra X-ray Observatory – ‘Snake’ structure explained via MeerKAT data.

Operation Sindoor (7 May 2025)

• Tri-service strikes on $9$ terror camps (Muridke, Bahawalpur…).

• Weapons: $\text{SCALP-EG}$ cruise, $\text{HAMMER}$ glide bomb, BrahMos ($290$ km), S-400, Rafale.

• India seeks UNSC-1267 listing of “Resistance Front”.

REPORTS & INDICES

SPORTS & CULTURE

7ᵗʰ Khelo India Youth Games (Bihar 2025)

• 27 sports; mascots Tejo & Dipu.

• Maharashtra wins overall (58G/47S/53B = $158$).

• eSports demo; Sepak Takraw medal debut.

International Booker 2025

• Winner: “Heart Lamp” – Kannada stories by Banu Mushtaq, tr. Deepa Bhasthi; first Kannada & first story collection to win.

Pulitzer 2025 Highlights

• Fiction: “James” – Percival Everett.

• Commentary: Mosab Abu Toha on Gaza.

ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE & BANKING

RRB Consolidation – Phase IV (2025)

• Implements “One State-One RRB”; total RRBs cut from $43\to28$.

• RRB Act 1976 amended: authorised capital cap ₹2,000 cr.

Climate-Finance Taxonomy (MoF draft)

• Classifies activities:
  • Climate Supportive – direct mitigation/adaptation.
  • Climate Transition – hard-to-abate sectors (steel, cement) moving to low-carbon.

• Prevents green-washing; aligns with $\text{Net Zero 2070}$.

SOCIAL INITIATIVES & MISCELLANY

• ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta: Mizoram achieves $98.2\%$ functional literacy; scheme targets FLN + critical life skills.

• Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme 2025: up to ₹1.5 lakh within 7 days; nationwide steering committee (MoRTH Secretary).

• NSAB Reconstituted: ex-RAW chief Alok Joshi as Chair; members from IFS, IPS, armed forces.

• Ideas4LiFE winners: 21 innovations to promote Mission LiFE behaviour change.

• Indo-Pacific Logistics Network (Quad): tabletop at APCSS Honolulu; pooled HADR supply chain.

• Alcatraz Island: US President orders rebuild; former federal prison (1934-63).

Key Formulae / Data Points (LaTeX)

$\text{CRB}<em>{\text{RBI}} = 7.5\% \times \text{Balance Sheet}$ $\text{Benefit Share} = 0.4\% \times \text{Turnover}</em>{(₹50\text{–}250 cr)}$
\text{Bitcoin Increase} > 110\,000\;\text{USD}
$\text{HDI} = \sqrt[3]{\text{LifeExpI} \times \text{EduI} \times \text{GNII}}$