Info Nuggets

BRICS

BRICS is the title of an association of leading emerging economies, arising out of the inclusion of South Africa into the BRIC group in 2010. As of 2012, the group’s five members are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

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With the possible exception of Russia, the BRICS members are all developing or newly industrialised countries, but they are distinguished by their large, fast-growing economies and significant influence on regional and global affairs. As of 2012, the five BRICS countries represent almost 3 billion people, with a combined nominal GDP of $13.7 trillion, and an estimated US$4 trillion in combined foreign reserves. Presently, India holds the chair of the BRICS group.

President of the People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao has described the BRICS countries as defenders and promoters of developing countries and a force for world peace.

However, some analysts have highlighted potential divisions and weaknesses in the grouping, such as India and China’s disagreements over Tibetan and border issues, the failure of the BRICS to establish a World Bank-analogue development agency, and disputes between the members over UN Security Council reform.

Extradition treaty

Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties. Where extradition is compelled by laws, such as among sub-national jurisdictions, the concept may be known more generally as rendition.

The consensus in international law is that a state does not have any obligation to surrender an alleged criminal to a foreign state as one principle of sovereignty is that every state has legal authority over the people within its borders. Such absence of international obligation and the desire of the right to demand such criminals of other countries have caused a web of extradition treaties or agreements to evolve; most countries in the world have signed bilateral extradition treaties with most other countries.

Ranji Trophy

The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia. The competition is named after Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji (Jam Sahib of Nawanagar). The competition was launched as “The Cricket Championship of India” following a meeting of the BCCI in July 1934, with the first fixtures taking place in 1934-35. The trophy was donated by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. The first Ranji Championship was won by Bombay after they defeated North India in the final. Mumbai have been the dominant team in the Championship so far, with 39 wins, including 15 back-to-back wins from 1958-59 to 1972-73.