GUJARAT
- AIIB approves USD 329 mn loan to build roads in Gujarat
- China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved USD 329 million loan to build access roads to 4,000 villages in Gujarat.
- Insufficient road connectivity into these villages limits their ability to access healthcare services, bring their goods to market and access transportation for their children to attend schools, it said.
- This project will construct and upgrade district and farm-to-market roads for the villagers and provide approaches to educational institutions, schools and hospitals.
- China’s SAIC Motor to set up Rs 2,000cr car plant in Gujarat.
- China’s SAIC Motor Corpwill set up a passenger car manufacturing facility at Halolin Panchmahals district of Gujarat with an investment of Rs 2,000 crore.
- The company expects to invest over Rs 2,000 crore in the next five years and begin production from 2019,
- The project will create 1,000 jobs in the state and enable five auto ancillary firms to set up their units in the vicinity, creating more employment avenues.
- SAICMotor plans to bring the MG car brand in India by 2019.
- SAIC is ranked 46th in the Fortune Global 500 list of companies with an annual revenue of over USD 100 billion.
INTERNATIONAL
- North Korea claims successful test of its first intercontinental missile
- North Korea has claimed that it has successfully test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-14 into waters near Sea of Japan. The claim was confirmed by United States. The launch appeared to be North Korea’s most successful missile test since its ballistic missile programme gathered pace in the late 1990s. The successful test also marks North Korea’s the final step in becoming confident and powerful nuclear state that can strike anywhere on Earth.
- Based on missile’s height and trajectory path, US scientists claim that missile could potentially be powerful enough to reach Alaska. The missile had reached an altitude higher and flew longer than any of the North Korea’s previous similar tests. The missile had landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone. US has strongly condemned the launch and added that it will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea. The ICBM testing represents a new escalation of the threat to US and its allies and partners, the region and the world.
- North Korea will be 8th nation in the world to successfully test ICBM. Other countries that have ICBM technology are US, Russia, China, UK, France, Israel and India.
- Gk byte – Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
- An ICBM is a missile launched by a land-based system that is intended to carry nuclear payloads. To qualify as an ICBM, a missile must have a minimum range of 5,500km. The most significant difference between an ICBM and other ballistic missiles is its greater range and speed. It enables countries to strike exceptionally distant targets with minimum warning.
- An intermediate-range ballistic missile(IRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km (1,864–3,418 miles), between a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
Ballistic missile vs. Cruise missile
- A ballistic missile is launched directly into the high layers of the earth’s atmosphere. It travels well outside the atmosphere and then the warhead detaches and falls back to earth. It follows the path of a ball thrown upwards which falls down. Since it depends on gravity to reach its target, it’s called a ballistic missile.
A cruise missile does exactly according to its name. It cruises, over land or over water. Its working is similar to a jet engine powered airplane.
National
- Prime Minister Modi’s Israel Visit: Important Takeaways.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day visit to Israel which is the first by an Indian prime minister to Israel resulted in the signing of seven agreements on areas including space, tech and agriculture. The other prominent takeaways of the visit are the following:
- OCI card
Prime Minister Modi has assured faster facilitation of OCI cards for Jewish Citizens of Indian origin in Israel. He also assured that the OCI card will be given even to those people of Indian origin who had served in the Israeli government’s compulsory army service.
- Air Connectivity
The launch of a new Air India flight connecting India and Israel was announced, the flight is expected to connect Delhi/Mumbai with Tel Aviv.
- Israeli flower named after PM Modi
As a special gesture, a new fast growing Israeli Crysanthumun flower was named “MODI” after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the Indian Premier’s visit to the Danziger flower farm, which is one of the leading floriculture companies of Israel having founded in 1953.
- Strategic partnership
India and Israel have announced that they have elevated their ties to a strategic partnership as India has identified Israel as a major development and technological partner. Both countries have also agreed to combat growing radicalization and terrorism and expand co-operation in cyber security.
- Indian Cultural Centre
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the establishment of an Indian Cultural Centre in Israel to enhance people-to-people contacts between the two countries. Israel’s has also voiced its strong support to promote the practice of yoga by designating June 21 as International Yoga Day.
- Israel India Innovation Initiative Fund (I4F)
The $40 million Israel India Innovation Initiative Fund has been launched as a five-year technology fund with an aim at growing the business relationship between both the countries. The similar type of fund had boosted Israel’s ties with that of the US in the past 40 years.
- India and Israel have signed Total 7 agreements on areas including space, tech and agriculture.
- MoU for setting up of India-Israel Industrial R&D & Technological Innovation Fund (I4F)
- MoU for conservation of water in India
- MoU on State Water Utility Reform in India
- India-Israel Development Cooperation- 3-year work program in Agriculture (2018-2020)
- Plan of cooperation regarding cooperation in atomic clocks
- MoU regarding cooperation in GEO-LEO optical link.
- MoU regarding cooperation in electric propulsion for small satellites.
- Karnataka launches ‘Elevate 100’ scheme for start-ups
- The Karnataka government has launched the ‘Elevate 100’ scheme to identify and nurture innovative start-ups.
- The aim is to identify 100 most innovative start-ups in the state to elevate them to the next level of success.
- The Elevate scheme is the brainchild of the start-up cell, Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology Services (KBITS).
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