GOA

· Government to notify Curtorim as biodiversity heritage site

ð Within the next fifteen days, the state government will notify Curtorim as a biodiversity heritage site (BHS).

INTERNATIONAL

Indian Naval Ships Kirch, Sumitra and Cora Divh entered Trincomalee, Sri Lanka to participate in the sixth edition of SLINEX 2018, a bi-lateral Naval Exercise between India and Sri Lanka, from 07 to 13 September 2018.

SLINEX series of bilateral maritime exercises were initiated in 2005 and since then five successful engagements have been conducted.

SLINEX over the years has helped both the Navies in understanding each other’s procedures and enhanced interoperability.

This edition of the exercise will further strength ties between the two maritime neighbours and contribute towards maritime security in the region.

India and France have signed an implementation agreement on “MOBILISE YOUR CITY” (MYC).

Mobilise Your City (MYC) is part of an international initiative which is supported by the French and the German Governments and was launched at 21^stConference of Parties (COP21) meeting in December, 2015.

Based on a proposal made by AFD in 2015, the European Union has agreed to provide funds of Euro 3.5 million through the AFD to contribute to specific investments and technical assistance components within the Mobilise Your City (MYC) programme in India.

India and Franceinked an agreement to collaborate on Gaganyaan, ISRO’s first human space mission.
ISRO and CNES, the French space agency, will be combining their expertise in fields of space medicine, astronaut health monitoring, life support, radiation protection, space debris protection and personal hygiene systems.
The two space agencies also plan to work on Mars, Venus and asteroids.
India plans to send three humans to space before 2022. It would make India one of the four countries in the world after Russia, US and China to launch a manned space flight.

The country’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thanihas issued a decree allowing a maximum of 100 expatriates (foreigners) to gain permanent residency each year.
Children of Qatari mothers, and skilled expatriates who have lived in the country for more than 20 yearswill be given priority.
Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world with an average income of nearly $124,000 a year.

The advanced AI technology uses deep neural networks for image processing that will enable identification of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.

The new tool based on the deep neural networks will be made available for free to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other “industry partners,” including other technology companies, via a new Content Safety API service.

At the International Court of Justice (ICJ), India has supported Mauritius over its claim on Chagos Islands – home to Diego Garcia, which are under the United Kingdom’s control in the Indian Ocean.
In 1965, the Chagos islands were ‘detached’ from the colony of Mauritius. Then the United Kingdom has leased the largest island of the archipelago – Diego Garcia– to the United States for 50 years. It is now used as a military base.
Mauritius disputes the United Kingdom’s rights over the islands.

NATIONAL

The Brahmaputra was till 1962 the only river in India that had not been bridged along its entire length either for road or railway,

The river, more than 10 km wide in several stretches, now awaits the completion of its fourth and easternmost span — the country’s longest road-rail bridge at 4.94 km — that India’s defence forces and residents of the eastern half of the Northeast have been demanding for almost five decades.

The Bogibeel bridge will usher in a new era of economic development in the region, apart from strengthening national security in the border areas.

Sikkim is all set to be added to the aviation map with the launch of one airline’s daily flights from Kolkata and Guwahati to Pakyong from next month under the government’s regional connectivity scheme, UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik).