<p style=”margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: center;”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><b><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”>Source &ndash; The Hindu</span></span></b></span></span></span></span></p>

<p style=”margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: center;”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><b><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”>GS Paper &ndash; 2</span></span></b></span></span></span></span></p>

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<p style=”margin-bottom:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><b><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”>Context – </span></span></b><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”color:#282828″>President Vladimir Putin&nbsp; proposed a one-year extension without conditions of the last major nuclear arms reduction accord between Russia and the U.S.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p style=”margin-bottom:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><b><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”color:#282828″>WHAT IS NEW START TREATY ?</span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></p>

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<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”color:#282828″>The New START deal was signed in April 2010 but went into force in February 2011</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:#fcfcfc”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;”><span style=”color:black”><span style=”letter-spacing:.4pt”>It is a&nbsp;nuclear arms reduction&nbsp;<em style=”color:#262626; font-weight:bold; font-style:normal”><span style=”color:black”>treaty&nbsp;between the&nbsp;United States&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Russian Federation</span></em>&nbsp;with the formal name of&nbsp;<em style=”color:#262626; font-weight:bold; font-style:normal”><span style=”color:black”>Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><em style=”color:#262626; font-weight:bold; font-style:normal”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:#fcfcfc”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;”><span style=”color:black”><span style=”letter-spacing:.4pt”>Under this treaty , </span></span></span></span></span></span></em><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:#fcfcfc”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;”><span style=”color:black”><span style=”letter-spacing:.4pt”>the number of strategic nuclear missile launchers will be reduced by half</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-bottom:8px; margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:#fcfcfc”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;”><span style=”color:black”><span style=”letter-spacing:.4pt”>It will also limit the number of deployed and non-deployed inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers, submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers, and&nbsp;heavy bombers&nbsp;equipped for nuclear armaments to 800. The number of deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments is limited to 700</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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