BBC News - How do bonds work?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10093437

• Bonds have a face value (usually what it is sold for initially), however they also have a market value which fluctuates.
• yield.
• is the rate of interest it pays, expressed as a percentage of its market value.
• if you bought a £100m bond with a 5% coupon, your yield would be 5%
• yield of a bond is inversely related to its current price - meaning that if the price of a bond falls, its yield goes up.
• if our bond with a face value of £100m fell to a market price of £90m, the yield would rise to 5.55% (5/90 x 100).
• If the price of our bond rose to £110m then the yield would fall to 4.54%. (5/110 x 100).
• The higher the yield of a bond, the riskier it is seen to be and the greater the chance that a company or government which issued it may not be able to repay the money.

Rôle of militairy in international relations-key points f

Even minor actions by military hv foreign policy consequences. Military is therefore both imp adjunct & component of diplomacy

To fight & conquer in battles is not supreme excellence; it consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting

When military is in power 4 extended period, it behaves as politicians do, with its primary purpose changing to staying in power

With tribal raiders sent by Pak to Kashmir in Oct 1947 Gandhiji said it was right 4 govt 2 save city by rushing troops 2 Srinagar

 International law remains underdeveloped, intll governance is non-existent or weak & inttl society is fundamentally anarchic

V r in a world whr geopoliticl centr of gravty is shiftn 2 Asia. In Asia itself, sevral stratgic rivalres contribute 2 uncertanty

There is an Indian way, an Indian view and an Indian practice in the use and role of force

India has never retained territory taken by force in wars she has fought. Evn som Indian territory taken back frm Pak was retrned

India has never sent troops abroad except 4 UNPKO or at express request of the legitimate government of the country concerned.

India's defence budget has only exceeded 3% of GDP in one year of the last sixty-three

In Indian tradition use of force is legitimate in certain circumstances, to obtain justice, when all other means are exhausted

anti defection law and regulation of political parties

REVIEW OF ANTI DEFECTION LAW

1.      Suggested the need of a stringent anti defection law. It is also suggested that persons elected by one party should not be allowed to change the party for 5 years. A person who changes party can contest only after 5 years.

2.  Anti defection law should be implemented from the municipality level and any elected candidate who violates the same should attract disqualification automatically.

REVIEW OF ANTI DEFECTION LAW 1.      Suggested the need of a stringent anti defection law. It is also suggested that persons elected by one party should not be allowed to change the party for 5 years. A person who changes party can contest only after 5 years. 2.  Anti defection law should be implemented from the municipality level and any elected candidate who violates the same should attract disqualification automatically.

REGULATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES 1.      Power to be given to the Election Commission for deregistering political parties. 2.      Submission of annual statement of expenditure duly audited by the Chartered Accountants approved by the Election Commission and annual statement of expenditure along with the audit observations should be published. 3.      Violence, casteism and communalism should entail cancellation of registration of such political parties. 4.      Restrict multiplicity of political parties. 5.      Suggested to put a curb on the regional parties as they have a debilitating and destabilising effect on government at the national level particularly in an era of coalition politics. 6.  Minimum of 10% votes must be polled to a State level party in that State and All India level party in the central elections; otherwise it should be debarred for the next one election.

FUNDING OF ELECTIONS

1.      State funding of elections with strict vigil on the expenses/ to be extended to independents and upcoming political parties.

2.      All expenditure irrespective of who paid it should be included in the expenditure of the candidate.

3.      Appointment of a News Media Regulator a month before notification for the general election to avoid paid news, paid no news etc. and to ensure equitable representation to all parties in broadcast time, etc. over and above the conduct of free and fair election. Mechanism for 

verification/auditing of return of expenditure and publicity of returns by candidates a system of check and cross check.

CRIMINALISATION OF POLITICS

1.      Adequate and strong constitutional provisions for effective check on criminalisation of politics.

2.      Enhance the punishment for electoral offences.

3.      Establishment of special courts/tribunals to decide election petitions and also cases against candidates to be disposed within 6 months.

4. Sitting members should also be disqualified if charge sheeted for an offence.

5.      Amend section 8 (3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 enhancing the period of disqualification from six years to eleven years.

6. Person with charges of offences punishable for two years or more should not be allowed to contest elections;

7. Omit section 8 (4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and should attract automatic disqualification if a person found guilty.