India, South Korea sign 11 agreements
New Delhi, July 10 : India and South Korea signed 11 agreements, including in the areas of trade, cultural and scientific and technological cooperation, during the visit of South Korean President Moon Jae-in to India.
The two sides signed a joint statement on Early Harvest Package of the upgraded Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the External Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday.
The Early Harvest facilitate ongoing negotiations on upgrading the India-South Korea CEPA, that came into operation in 2010, by identifying key areas for trade liberalisation.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed that is aimed at anti-dumping, subsidy, countervailing and safeguard measures through consultations and exchange of information through establishment of a cooperation committee comprising government officials and domain experts.
Another MoU was signed for the formation of a Future Strategy Group for cooperation in development of cutting edge technologies for commercialization to reap benefits of the 4th Industrial revolution.
Thrust areas include Internet of Things (IOT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Smart Factory, 3D printing, electric vehicles, advance materials and affordable healthcare for the elderly and disabled.
A cultural exchange programme for the period 2018-2022 was signed to deepen cultural and people-to-people relations by providing for institutionalised cooperation in fields of music and dance, theatre, art exhibitions, archives, anthropology, mass media programmes and museum exhibits.
An MoU was signed on similar lines to to facilitate upgrade and expansion of the existing monument in Ayodhya commemorating Princess Suriratna (Queen Hur Hwang-ok), a legendary princess of Ayodhya, who went to Korea in 48 A.D. and married King Kim-Suro.
A large number of Koreans trace their ancestry to this legendary princess and new monument will be a tribute to the shared cultural heritage between the two countries.
Other MoUs signed include cooperation in the areas of scientific and technological research, railway research, biotechnology and bio-economics, ICT and telecommunications, and micro, small and medium enterprises.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Syria says Israeli strikes leave 18 dead in the biggest toll since the war in Gaza began
Masyaf (Syria), Sep 9: The number of people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Syria has risen to 18 with dozens more wounded, Syria's health minister said on Monday — the largest death toll in such an attack since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
One of the sites targeted was a research centre used in the development of weapons, a war monitor said. Syrian officials said civilian sites were targeted.
Israel regularly targets military sites in Syria linked to Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Those strikes have become more frequent as Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israeli forces for the past 11 months against the backdrop of Israel's war against Hamas — a Hezbollah ally — in Gaza.
However, the intensity and death toll of Sunday night's strikes were unusual.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.
Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly since Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to Hezbollah.
Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Syria, damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires, Syrian state news agency SANA said.
Speaking to reporters, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabbash described the strikes as a “brutal and barbaric aggression”. He said the death toll had risen to 18 with nearly 40 wounded.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said 25 were killed, including at least five civilians, while the others included Syrian army soldiers and members of Hezbollah and other Iran-linked armed groups.
One strike targeted a scientific research centre in Masyaf, and others struck sites where “Iranian militias and experts are stationed to develop weapons in Syria”, the observatory said. It said the research centre was reportedly used for developing weapons, including short- and medium-range precision missiles and drones.
Minister of Electricity Mohammad al-Zamel said the strikes had caused “truly significant” damage to water and electricity infrastructure.
“This brutal attack targeted civilian targets, and the martyrs were mostly civilians, as were the wounded,” he said.
Local media also reported strikes around the coastal city of Tartous, which the observatory said were the result of air defense missiles falling.
On Monday afternoon, a charred car remained at the scene of one strike and smoke was still rising from some spots where fires had been put out.
