Russia to supply hi-tech satellite to Iran

• Russia is set to deliver an advanced satellite system to Iran that will vastly improve its spying capabilities.
• Moscow is preparing to give Iran a Kanopus-V satellite with a high-resolution camera.
• It will allow the Islamic republic to monitor facilities of its adversaries across the West Asia, the newspaper said, citing current and former U.S. and West Asian officials.
• The satellite would be launched in Russia and contain Russian-made hardware.

What is Kanopus V Satellite?

• Kanopus-V 3 and 4 are the third and fourth members of Russia’s Kanopus-V Remote Earth Sensing Satellite carrying a multi-instrument package for high-resolution imaging, colour imaging, and multi-spectral data collection for environmental monitoring, mapping, fire detection, agricultural planning, land use assessments, and urban planning.
• Kanopus builds a constellation of small remote sensing spacecraft, operating alongside the large Resurs satellites that build Russia’s primary civilian Earth observation system, however, both Resurs and Kanopus have some overlap with the military and will be called upon when necessary to deliver data for defence ministry purposes.

China Sri Lanka Friendship Hospital

• President Gotabaya Rajapaksa inaugurated the China-Sri Lanka Friendship Hospital in Polonnaruwa, built with a Chinese grant of $60 million.
• The hospital, located in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province, will specialise in treating kidney ailments, a widely prevalent and recurring concern in the region, especially among farmers.
• For years now, residents of this agriculture-intensive area have been frequently diagnosed with a kidney disorder that the country’s medical experts have identified as Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu), a condition for which causal factors remain unknown.
• The hospital, said to be one of the largest in South Asia for nephrology care, with a capacity of 200 beds, follows China’s earlier grant projects in Sri Lanka, also built as large public spaces, such as the well-known Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo, that Beijing gifted in the 1970s, and the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre, that China-funded during former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s time in office.
• In addition to sanctioning loans and a currency swap facility worth more than $2 billion since the pandemic struck last year, China also announced a $90 million grant to Sri Lanka in October last year, following a request from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, when a high-powered Chinese delegation visited the island nation.
• Meanwhile, the Jaffna Cultural Centre, built with Indian assistance of $11.5 million, whose construction was completed a year ago, awaits inauguration as authorities “iron out” issues over the administrative set-up to run the Centre.
• India’s grant assistance to Sri Lanka totals about $570 million.