In March, Premier Li Keqiang named semiconductors as the top priority of the 10 industries China wants to foster in its “Made in China 2025” initiative. But China’s ambitions were already clear in 2014 when it launched the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund — better known as the Big Fund — in 2014 with 138 billion yuan ($21.9 billion) in seed capital, which it hoped would turbocharge investment from local governments and the private sector. Source Asian Review
Acting commerce and industry minister Ajmal Hamid Abdul Rahimzai on Tuesday said Afghanistan’s exports increased by 32 per cent in the first eight months of the ongoing fiscal year. Source: The Frontier Post
Israel’s air force commander will lead a delegation to Moscow to share the military’s findings on the Syrian downing of a Russian warplane following Israeli air strikes. Source: Arab News
The United States has once again named Iran as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, accusing it of fueling conflicts and undermining governments throughout the Middle East. Source: Radio Free Europe
