ADB projects India’s GDP growth at 7 % this year
Asian Development Bank recently released Asia
Development Outlook report 2024 .
The report has forecasted India’s economic
growth to be 7 % for 2023-24 , which is expected to increase to 7.2 % for the
year 2025-26 .
The other major points in the report are :
●
Inflation – The report expects inflation to be 4.6% this
year , which is expected to be 4.5 % in years to come .
●
Export is likely to be muted this
year however it will pick up in 2025-26 with higher industry and infrastructure
investment .
Need a simpler tariff policy to boost manufacturing , says
ADB
India needs to take efforts to simplify it’s
tariff policy to enhance its trade competivetivenes and redress its. ‘ limited
‘ integration with global value chain ,the ADB said.
Apple charges hacking alert wording after India. ‘pressure ‘
Apple Inc.
has changed the words used for warning iPhone users about any cyber
attack.
The attack now uses words like “ state backed attackers “ , “
mercenary “ hackers etc in its email alerts .
Such alerts will come in 91 countries .
However no users in any country has reported
receiving such alerts ..
Sound and stable sino Indian relations in the interest of
both sides
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview
with US based magazine Newsweek commented on China after a very long time .
He called for the two sides to “ urgently
address prolonged situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our
bilateral interaction can be put behind us “ . “ I hope and believe that
through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at diplomatic and
military levels , we will be able to restore and sustain peace and
tranquility in our borders . “ the PM had added .
On Thursday Chinese MFA spokesperson Mao Ning
said in a media briefing that Mr. Modi’s comment has been “noted “ and that “
sound and stable Serve the common interest of both sides and is conducive to
peace and development of the region .”
Ms Mao added however that the
boundary question did not “ represent the entirety of China – India relations “
.
What did the PM’s opinion on China mean ?
Many has said that the PM’s comment on China
as “ highly significant “ . It is being assumed that the PM is doing groundwork
for a stable Indo China relation in his third term.
PM Modi
has avoided giving any comment on China for a long time . EAM S.
Jaishankar generally comments on issues related to China . The recent one was
in which China had called Arunachal Pradesh its own territory ..
In a first in 40 years , India film to compete for Cannes
award
Indian Filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s All we imagine as a light became the first Indian movie in 40 years to compete for Prestigious Palme d’Or
award .
The film is about Prabha , a nurse who
received a gift from her estranged husband that throws her life in disarray .
Cannes Film festivals is organized every year
in Cannes ,France . Film and documentaries across the globe is nominated for
award .
Palme d Or is the award given to best Film
Science
Crafted
at home , NexCAR19 takes India to next level of cancer care
NexCAR19 is a cancer drug used for the
treatment of cancer using CAR T cell therapy .
The drug is developed by a startup Immune ACT
.
The Indian drug regulator CDSCO gave its
approval for the therapy in October 2023
. The drug will be produced in India .
Chimeric A
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell (CAR T ) involved genetically modifying patients’ T
cell , to fight malignant tumor cells .
T cell are a type of white blood cell
developed from the stem cell in the bone marrow and are a vital part of the
immune system , defending the body from infections .
NexCAR19 is intended for the treatment of
Lymphomas and Leukemia.One of the main features of it is its cost effectiveness
.
It is expected to be 90 % cheaper than current
alternatives .
ISRO’s.
‘zero orbital debris ‘ milestone
ISRO has said that it’s PSLV – C58 / XPoSAT
mission has practically left zero debris in earth orbit .
PSLV used in the mission was transformed into
a type of station called the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module 3 ( POEM 3 )
before it was left to enter earth’s atmosphere instead of orbit . Thus leaving
no debris behind .
With the rise of number of satellites in the
orbit around the earth , space debris has become a pressing issue .
Spece Debris
World
Israel on alert after Iranian threat as Gaza war grinds
on
Israel was on alert on Thursday after Iran
threatened its reprisal over a strike in Israel , this month that killed two
Iranian generals.
US also warned of the risk of an attack by
Iran or its allies group .
Joe Biden in a statement pledged “ Ironclad “
support for Israel .
Israel President Netanyahu in a statement said
that he was preparing scenarios for military challenges from areas other than
Gaza .
Russia called both sides for restraint .
Russia also warned it’s citizens to refrain from traveling to Israel .
Lindy Cameroon, UK cyber security Czar , to be the next
high commissioner to India
Head of UK cyber security center Lindy
Cameroon has been appointed bas British High Commissioner to India , the UK
government announced on April 11 .
Ms Lindy will replace Alex Ellis.
FTA talks
Her Portfolio will involve India – UK free
trade agreement which has been canceled for now because of elections in India .
It is expected that FTA negotiations will resume just after elections . The UK
is also increasing its presence in the Indo -Pacific .
Biden to host Japan , Philippines leaders in bid to
counter China
US President Joe Biden is bringing together
the Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Junior and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida
in Washington.
The three leaders for the first time in a trilateral
summit will try to counter China’s military assertiveness in the South China
Sea .
The leaders are expected to announce that
their coastguard will hold joint petrol in Indo Pacific this year .
Japanese astronaut to be the first non American to set
foot on moon
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on a
state visit to the USA .
On Wednesday in a press conference with Mr
Kishida , US President Joe Biden announced that two Japanese astronaut will
join Artemis mission and one will
become first non American ever to land on moon .
Artemis
3 mission is
set to be launched in 2026 . Under the mission astronauts will land on the moon
for the first time since the Apollo mission by the US in 1969 .
China meanwhile has said that it seeks to put
first human into space by 2030.