Papua New Guinea: It is an island country that lies in the southwestern Pacific. Indonesia to the west, Australia to the south and Solomon Islands to the southeast are the neighbours. Capital: Port Moresby. The islands that constitute Papua New Guinea were settled over a period of 40,000 years by a mixture of peoples who are generally referred to as Melanesians. English is the main language of government and commerce. Linguistically, it is the world’s most diverse country, with more than 800 languages. The majority of Papua New Guinea’s people are at least nominally Christian. It became self-governing on 1 December 1973 and achieved independence on 16 September 1975.The country is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth. The British monarch, represented by a governor-general, is the head of state, and the Prime Minister is the head of government.
JALDOST Airboat: The National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) unveiled the JALDOST airboat. It is an airboat that operates on water. It is designed to remove excess aquatic weed and floating waste from water bodies. It has a closed airtight pontoon type hull to make it inherently
unsinkable. According to NAL, it has a hybrid propulsion system, comprising air propulsion and paddle wheel propulsion. The ability to travel through weed makes JALDOST an ideal platform to collect them and bring them to the shore. A steel mesh belt conveyor system fixed in the front collects the waste. The collected waste falls on the horizontal deck conveyor. After reaching the shore, the collected waste is unloaded by a rear conveyor system to trucks or tractors. NAL has developed two versions of the airboat — JALDOST Mark-1 and an upgraded version JALDOST Mark-2.
Ayush Visa: It is specifically designed for foreign nationals looking to receive medical treatment in India through traditional Indian systems of medicine. This visa aims to cater to those interested in Ayurveda, Yoga, and other traditional forms of therapeutic care and wellness. The introduction of the Ayush Visa category is part of the country’s roadmap for the Heal in India initiative.
Heal in India initiative: It seeks to provide “integrated and holistic treatment” to the world in India and enhance patient mobility for access to world-class, affordable, and quality healthcare services”.
Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA): It was signed between Australia and Japan to bolster security ties against the backdrop of rising Chinese military and economic might. The RAA, Japan’s first with any country, will allow the Australian and Japanese militaries to work seamlessly with each other on defence and humanitarian operations. Japan is Australia’s closest partner in Asia as demonstrated by the special strategic partnership, Australia’s only such partnership. The agreement comes in response to tension over Chinese-claim over Taiwan, which has been rising as President Xi Jinping seeks to assert China’s sovereignty claims over the democratically ruled island.
With its entry into force, the Japan-Australia RAA will facilitate implementation of cooperative activities between the defence forces of the two countries and further promote bilateral security and defence cooperation.
The agreement will also pave the way for an enhanced contribution by Japan and Australia to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.
