1) India's First Wave-Powered Navigational Buoy Launched in Chennai
•India's first wave-powered navigational buoy, developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), to guide ships in and out of ports, was launched in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The buoy, deployed at Ennore Kamarajar Port, will help ships, moving in and out of the harbour, navigate through a designated channel.
•According to the NIOT, the buoy's beacon, for guiding ships, is powered by wave energy while conventional ones use solar power. The buoy stores energy generated by waves in a battery.
2) India to Become 3rd Largest Economy by 2028- BofA ML Report
•A report by Bank of America-Merrill Lynch has stated that in the next decade, India will overtake Japan to become the third-largest economy. The factors that will enable this are reduced dependency on other nations, financial maturity, and higher income and affordability.
•The report also adds that India is likely to become the world’s fifth largest economy by 2019. As per data available in the report, India is likely to cross Germany and Japan in nominal GDP by 2028, assuming that the nation witnesses a 10% growth every year for the next 10 years.
3) Virtual Nation Asgardia Launched its First Satellite ‘Asgardia-1’ into Space
•The Space Kingdom of Asgardia has launched its first satellite. This so-called ‘virtual nation’ is the pet project of Russian scientist and billionaire Igor Ashurbeyli. In 2016, he proposed a new nation which would be based in space in order to be outside of the control of nations on Earth.
•The Asgardia-1 satellite, which is about the size of a loaf of bread, and contains half a terabyte of data. It was launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia aboard a Cygnus spacecraft on an Orbital ATK Antares rocket.
4) India, US, Japan, Australia Hold First Quad Talks on Indo-Pacific Cooperation
•India, the United States, Japan and Australia held their first official-level talks in Manila, Philippines with a focus on keeping the India-Pacific region "free and open".
•After the meeting, India, Australia and Japan issued separate statements listing the Indo-Pacific as the major area of the deliberations and resolved to expand cooperation to uphold a rules-based order and respect for international law in the strategically important region.
5) China Launches World's First All-Electric Ship
•China has launched world's first all-electric ship that can travel up to 80 km with 2000-tonnes cargo after a two-hour charge.
•The 70.5-metre-long ship, which weighs about 600 tonnes, was launched in Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong Province. The vessel, manufactured by the Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Ltd, is powered by a 26-tonne lithium battery. It can cruise at the top speed of 12.8 km per hour.
6) India’s 1st Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit Begins in Chhattisgarh
•India’s first Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit began in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. The event has been organized by NITI Aayog in partnership with the government of United States of America.
•The event is a part of 8th Global Entrepreneurship Summit being held in India. The summit has been organized mainly with the motive to inspire, nurture and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship in tribal youth.
7) Slovenia’s President Wins Second Term in Runoff Election
•Slovenia’s President Borut Pahor wins Second Term in Runoff Election. He received nearly 53 percent of votes.
•His rival, Marjan Sarec, the former actor and mayor of a small town north received a little more than 47 percent of the vote.
8) Founding Ceremony of International Solar Alliance Held in Germany
•A Curtain Raiser Event for the Founding Ceremony of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held in Bonn, Germany.
•Shri Anand Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy was present at the event from the Indian side.
