NAMASKAR! A warm welcome to 'World News: an Indian perspective on AKASHVANI.This is R.S.RAGHU bringing glimpses of the major developments of the day from across the globe. Over the next half an hour, we shall bring to you the latest from the world of politics, economy, sports, entertainment and more.

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THE HEADLINES:

⦁ Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers in Goa discuss multilateral cooperation among member countries to address regional and global issues of common interest.

⦁ India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar says, Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's position as promoter, justifier and spokesperson of terrorism industry called out at the meeting.

⦁ Five soldiers killed in an encounter with terrorists in Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

⦁ Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi to visit France to attend Bastille Day parade as Guest of Honour on 14th of July.

⦁ Serbian President vows to 'disarm' country after mass shootings.

⦁ WHO says, COVID-19 no longer a Global Health Emergency.

⦁ Buddha Purnima being celebrated across the globe.

⦁ And, in Archery, India ends campaign at Asia Cup-World Ranking Tournament in Tashkent with twelve medals including five gold.

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India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) discussed multilateral cooperation among member countries to address regional and global issues of common interest. Addressing a press conference after SCO Foreign Minister's Meeting in Goa, the Indian External Affairs Minister said, the members also discussed the preparations for the upcoming SCO Summit in India in July.

Dr. Jaishankar said, the proposals are aimed at expanding cooperation among the SCO member countries in the areas of trade, technology, commerce, security and socio-cultural ties. He said, it has been meeting's endeavour to create new verticles of cooperation in SCO.

On his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, India's External Affairs Minister said as a promoter, justifier and a spokesperson of the terrorism industry, his position on the menace was called out at the SCO meeting.

Dr. Jaishankar said, Pakistan’s credibility in dealing with terrorism is depleting even faster than their forex reserves. Asked whether there could be talks between India and Pakistan, the External Affairs Minister said, victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators to discuss terrorism.

The two-day meeting of SCO Foreign Ministers got underway in Goa yesterday. Eight nations attended the key meeting. India took over the chairmanship of the SCO grouping in September last year.

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In Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, five soldiers lost their lives in an encounter between security forces and terrorists in Kandi Forest area of Rajouri district today. Our correspondent quoting Defence spokesperson, reports that the terrorists triggered an explosive device in which initially two soldiers lost their lives while four personnel including an officer sustained injuries.  

The injured were evacuated to Command Hospital Udhampur where three soldiers succumbed to the injuries taking the number of casualties to five. Additional teams from the vicinity have been rushed to the site of the encounter. There is likelihood of casualties in terrorist group. Reportedly, the terrorists belong to the same group that ambushed an army truck on April 20 in which at least five soldiers lost their lives  and one other was injured.

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Around three thousand 800 Indians have been evacuated from Sudan under Operation Kaveri. The Indian Embassy in Sudan said there are no more Indians waiting to leave from Port Sudan. Indians have moved out of Port Sudan using five Indian Naval Ships and 17 Indian Air Force aircraft including one from Wadi Sayyidna military airbase.

Meanwhile, The Indian Embassy in Riyadh said that they have closed down the transit facility today which was created at the International Indian School in Jeddah for Sudan evacuees during Operation Kaveri. The facility provided comfort to more than 3500 evacuees and served as the nerve centre for planning their onward movement to India.

Ninety seven persons evacuated from Sudan arrived in Bengaluru today. The first flight arrived from Addis Ababa carrying 18 evacuees, the second flight from Jeddah brought in 53 evacuees and third flight also from Jeddah arrived with 26 evacuees. Up to now, 439 persons hailing from Karnataka have been rescued from Sudan. More from our Correspondent:

The Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority Commissioner Manoj Rajan has informed that extracting Indians stranded in Al-Fashir was one of the most extraordinary tasks. The town is situated 1800 kms west of port Sudan. The Indian Embassy in Sudan mobilised two buses to pick them up from Al-Fashir. The journey till Port Sudan was too challenging and arduous as it passed through the conflict zone. Manoj Rajan has said that those rescued, exhibited grit and courage during the journey. He added that their tremendous resilience and confidence in the Government helped take up the rescue operation. Sudhindra AKASHVANI Bengaluru.

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India's Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will be receiving the first Indian cargo ship at Sittwe Port in Myanmar on 9th of this month. Development of Sittwe port is part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project. Once operationalised, the Sittwe port will enable multi modal transit connectivity with South East Asia. The Port has been developed under a framework agreement between India and Myanmar for the construction and operation of a Multimodal Transit Transport Facility on Kaladan river connecting the Sittwe port in Myanmar with Mizoram. The route is likely to unlock tremendous economic potential for the entire Bay of Bengal peninsula.

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Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will visit France on 14th of July to attend this year’s Bastille Day Parade as Guest of Honour in Paris. The External Affairs Ministry of India said that to mark this important milestone of 25th anniversary of India-France Strategic Partnership, an Indian armed forces contingent will participate in the Parade alongside their French counterparts.

Prime Minister of India said he is looking forward to celebrating 14th of July and India-France strategic partnership with President of France, Emmanuel Macron and the people of France. Mr Modi said this in reply to a tweet by the French President in which Mr Macron said, he is looking forward to Mr Modi's upcoming visit to Paris.

Prime Minister’s visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, and economic cooperation. India and France have a shared vision on peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific and uphold the objectives and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Our correspondent reports that this historic visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of the time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. It will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India’s G20 Presidency.

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In today's hotspot section, we bring you a News Commentary on India-Israel Friendship - Beginning of a New Era of Industrial Research and Development Cooperation.

WN-NEW HOTSPOT -INDIA-ISRAEL FRIENDSHIP

India and Israel are strategic partners.India announced its recognition of Israel on 17th September, 1950. The  political ties are warm and forward-looking. On 11th January, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a telephonic conversation and conveyed his warm congratulations to Mr. Netanyahu for his election as the Prime Minister of Israel for the sixth time and wished him a successful tenure .On the 5th of January 2023 the External Affairs Minister( EAM) congratulated Israel’s   Foreign Minister Eli  Cohen on his  assumption of office. The ministers discussed the events to mark the 30th anniversary of relations between the two countries, which took place in 2022, and the cooperation between Israel and India, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. In a momentous milestone in Science & Technology cooperation between India and Israel, Dr N Kalaiselvi, Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Dr. Daniel Gold, Head of Directorate of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D) signed a Memorandum of Understanding( MoU) in the august presence of Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of Science & Technology, Government of India. Dr N Kalaiselvi, thanked Dr Jitendra Singh for gracing the meeting and his continued support to CSIR. She welcomed the dignitaries and gave an overview of CSIR, showcasing its technological and research prowess as well as the ongoing collaboration and discussions with Israel in Aerospace, Healthcare and Energy. Sharing CSIR’s priority topics she concurred with the interest of collaboration with Israel in high technology areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum and semiconductors and synthetic biology. Acknowledging the ongoing cooperation efforts of CSIR and his team, Dr. Daniel Gold, envisioned that the MoU would be beneficial for the welfare of both the countries. He added that DDR&D welcomes collaboration not only with Research & Development organizations but also with start-ups and companies and venture capitals on both sides. He apprised that AI and photonics are strengths of Israel and welcomed cooperation with CSIR in High Technology sectors which would pave the way for building a better future. In his remarks, Dr Jitendra Singh said that it is a very important year in the Science & Technology  sphere of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi  as India is holding the  G20 presidency, celebrating the International year of Millets, as also India and Israel completed 30 years of successful diplomatic relations. He apprised that CSIR has specialized laboratories in almost all the identified priority sectors .Some of these sectors are the indigenous Hydrogen Fuel Cell bus by CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory( NCL), purple revolution (Lavender cultivation) by CSIR- Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT). He welcomed the technology partnership with Israel and congratulated both sides for their efforts to strengthen the relationship. The MoU will enable cooperation in the industrial R&D programs in mutually agreeable industrial technology fields through implementation of specific projects. The collaboration would encompass some of the key industrial sectors including Healthcare;Aerospace & Electronics Instrumentation; Civil, Infrastructure & Engineering;Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Sustainable Energy including Energy Devices; Ecology, Environment, Earth & Ocean Sciences and Water; Mining, Minerals, Metals & Materials; Agriculture, Nutrition & Biotechnology. The collaboration through the MoU would be steered and the execution monitored by a Joint Steering Committee led by the heads of the CSIR and DDR&D for taking forward mutually beneficial Industrial and technology cooperation. Specific collaboration on Therapeutics between CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) and M/s 101 Therapeutics for conducting clinical trials of a COVID-19 drug having enormous therapeutic potential was briefed; if successful this would prove to be highly appropriate and effective for preparation of future pandemics. The cooperation MoU between CSIR-IICT and M/s 101 Therapeutics was also signed during the meeting. Stressing the successful completion of three decades of diplomatic relations, Mr. Naor Gilon, the Ambassador of Israel , emphasized the close friendly relations between the two nations, which have culminated into a strategic partnership after the complimentary visits of Prime Ministers of both the countries in 2018. The present CSIR-DDR&D cooperation would add another feather and be a milestone for India-Israel relations.

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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic vowed on Friday to launch a large-scale disarmament plan to remove hundreds of thousands of guns from the country, following back-to-back mass shootings in the Balkan country this week. During a live broadcast, Mr Vucic said, they will do an almost complete disarming of Serbia. His statement comes hours after at least eight people were killed and 13 were injured in the latest shooting near Belgrade. An attacker armed with an automatic weapon opened fire from a moving vehicle before fleeing. Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called the shooting a terrorist act. Police in the early hours arrested the suspected gunman following an hours-long manhunt throughout the night in the country's second mass shooting this week. The shooting comes a day after nine people were shot dead at an elementary school in the Serbian capital.  

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The eyes of the world will be on the UK this weekend as King Charles III is crowned at Westminster Abbey in a quintessentially British display of pomp and pageantry. The coronation, which will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury on Saturday, will kickstart three days of celebrations across London and the wider UK, culminating in a public holiday on 8th of May. The service, the first of its kind in 70 years, is largely ceremonial, following the 74-year-old king’s official accession to the throne on 8th of September last year, the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. But while millions are expected to observe the historic occasion, it falls against a challenging economic backdrop for the UK, with many questioning the validity of the event as the country faces its worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Buckingham Palace does not provide an official figure for the cost of the coronation, but estimates put it at between 50 million and 100 million pounds.

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In Bangladesh, a protest meeting was held in Dhaka over the persecution of Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese government on the occasion of the ‘Doppa Day’ symbolising Uyghur cultural identity. The meeting was followed by a demonstration in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka. Representatives of Islamic Movement Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, Islamic Progressive People’s Front and media personalities participated in the programme. ‘Doppa Day’ is observed by the Uyghur Community across the world on May 5 to mark and celebrate their cultural heritage. ‘Doppa’ is the traditional cap, round or square in shape, worn by the Uyghurs which marks their cultural identity.

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India's Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur today said some groups react in a typical pattern whenever any film or research work brings out some chilling and untold stories like The Kerala Story. In a tweet, the Minister alleged that this chaotic ecosystem, which is so angry and desperate, tried to create similar narratives against ‘The Kashmir Files’ to hush up the genocide of Hindus by Pakistan sponsored terrorists in J&K. He said  freedom of expression is very selective for such groups of selective outrage.Mr Thakur said ‘The Kerala Story’ is an eye-opener and it is time to save Kerala and its people from terrorism.

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Sri Lanka is set to unveil its debt restructuring plan later this month. State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitya told reporters today about the government’s plans to reduce taxes and debt to GDP. Mr. Siyambalapitya said that the government will gradually lower taxes over the next five years, once revenue targets have been met. The government has set some difficult targets that are yet to be met, but the Minister is confident that the plan will succeed. He also highlighted the challenges of restructuring domestic debt without hurting financial stability. The announcement comes after the Central Bank's debt restructuring strategy was delayed from April, with the finance minister’s assurance that a strategy is being formulated and will be presented within the month. The International Monetary Fund had approved the 3 billion dollar bridge financing package in March this year after Sri Lanka had obtained financing assurances from its creditors. India was the first creditor nation to give financing assurances in line with IMF standards to restructure Sri Lanka’s debt.

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A two-day "Youth-20 Consultation Programme" conference, organized as a part of G20 under India's Presidency at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Uttarakhand concluded on Friday. The theme of the conference was "Health, Wellness and Sports". The second day of the conference was inaugurated by Union Minister Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar. On the occasion, the delegates discussed youth health, fitness and sports in the conference. About 250 delegates from India and abroad participated in the conference.

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that Covid-19 no longer represents a global health emergency. WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee discussed the pandemic on Thursday at its 15th meeting on Covid-19, and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus concurred that the public health emergency of international concern, declaration should end. The statement is a major step towards ending the pandemic and comes three years after the global health agency first declared its highest level of alert over the virus. The organization declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern in January 2020, about six weeks before characterizing it as a pandemic. During a press conference today, WHO Chief said, for more than a year the pandemic has been on a downward trend. The virus' death rate had dropped from a peak of more than one lakh people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 on 24th of April. Dr Tedros  said, at least seven million people died in the pandemic. He however said, the true figure was likely closer to 20 million deaths - nearly three times the official estimate. He also warned that the virus is evolving and remains a global health threat, but at a lower level of concern.

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Buddha Purnima is being celebrated today. Vaishakh Buddha Purnima is the most sacred day of the year for Buddhists all over the world as it marks the three main events of Lord Buddha’s life- Birth, Enlightenment, and Mahaparinirvana. The day assumes special significance since Buddhism originated in India. Since 1999 it has also been recognized by the United Nations as the UN Day of Vesak. Several programmes have been organised across India to mark the UN Day of Vesak. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted citizens on the occasion. In Bihar, Buddha Purnima is being celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety. Main function has been organized at Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment under pious Bodhi tree.Buddhist monks and devotees of different countries including  Japan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia have come at Bodhgaya to celebrate Buddha Purnima. A special prayer was organized under bodhi tree  this morning in which monks of various countries participated. They prayed for world peace. Buddhists worldwide are also observing the Buddha Purnima with Sri Lanka marking the day as Vesak Full Moon Poya Day.

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At the stock markets, both the Sensex and the Nifty declined 1 percent, each; while the gold continued to trade above 62,000 rupees per ten grams. In the international market, the Brent crude oil futures traded sharply higher. A report from the business desk-  

At the stock markets, the Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange declined 695 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 61,054, today. The Nifty at the National Stock Exchange slipped 187 points, or 1 percent, to end at 18,069.In other global bourses, So, China's Shanghai Composite index fell 0.5 percent and Singapore's Straits Times index shed 0.1 percent but Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.5 percent. Stock markets in Japan and South Korea were closed for a holiday. Over in Europe, London's FTSE-100 had gained 0.5 percent; France's CAC-40 had added 0.6 percent and Germany's DAX had climbed 0.8 percent, in intra-day trade.Global crude oil prices rose, after markets registered dramatic drops on fears of a weakening US economy and slowing Chinese demand. So the Brent crude rose 1 dollar and 88 cents, 74.38 dollars a barrel. The US crude futures added 1 dollar and 89 cents, to 70.45 dollars a barrel. Back Home, gold fell 160 rupees, to 62,040 rupees per ten grams at Delhi's bullion market, today, amid a fall in global gold prices. But silver climbed 650 rupees, to 77,950 rupees per kilo.And. the forex market was closed for a holiday. Arjun Choudhari for World News, All India Radio.

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India's Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and Chief Minister of state of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath launched the Logo, jersey, mascot, torch and anthem of the Khelo India University Games (KIUG)  in Lucknow on Friday. The 3rd edition of the Khelo India University Games will take place from 23rd of May  to 3rd of June. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 25th of May at the Babu Banarasi Das University in Lucknow. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Thakur said, over 4700 athletes from 200 universities across the country will participate in 21 sports disciplines in this event. 

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In a stunning display of skill and precision, the Indian archery men and women teams claimed 5 Gold medals, 5 Silvers and 2 bronze at Asia Cup-World Ranking Tournament in Tashkent.

In the compound women team event, Parneet Kaur, Raginee Markoo and Pragati Defeated Kazakhstan 232- 223 to win gold. In Compound Men team event, team of Amit, Kushal Dalal, Abhishek Verma beat Hong Kong, 233-226 to lift the yellow metal. In the Compound Mixed Team event, Indian team beat Kazakhstan to finish at the top of podium. In the Compound Women individual event, all three medals were claimed by Indians in both men and women categories.

In the Recurve men team event, team of Mrinal Chauhan, Tushar Prabhakar Shelke and Jayanta Talukdar defeated China 5-1 to win gold while, Indian women team won Silver. 

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In Boxing, Asian and Commonwealth games bronze medallist Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg) progressed to the pre-quarter finals of the IBA Men’s World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Friday. In the round of 32 bout, Hussamuddin was facing China’s Lyu Ping.  He will next take on Russia’s Savvin Eduard in the pre-quarterfinal on Sunday.

On Saturday, two Indian boxers will be in action in their round of 32 bout.

The ongoing tournament is witnessing the participation of 538 boxers, including several Olympic medallists, from 107 countries.

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In Tennis, Indian-Australian pair of Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden stormed into the final of Madrid Open in Spain. The two will now take on the Russian pair of Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev, in the final on Saturday. Bopanna and Ebden ousted Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the last four.

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In IPL Cricket, Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets in Jaipur on Friday. Chasing a victory target of 119 runs, Gujarat Titans overhauled the score for the loss of one wicket in 13.5 overs. Earlier, Opting to bat first Rajasthan were bowled out for 118 runs in 17.5 overs.

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The India Meteorological Department, IMD has issued a warning that a cyclonic circulation is likely to develop on Saturday over the Southeast Bay of Bengal. Under its influence, a low-pressure area is expected to form over the same region on Sunday, which may develop into a depression by Monday. The system is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm, moving nearly northwards towards the central Bay of Bengal. IMD said, light to moderate rainfall is expected at most places with isolated heavy rainfall over Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Sunday. It has advised fishermen, small ships and boats not to venture into the Southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas from Sunday onwards.

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Now let us take a look at the major developments around the world, as reported in the Foreign Press.

⦁ The Financial Times writes, US economy adds 253,000 jobs in sign of labour market strength.

⦁ The Wall Street Journal reports, Turkey’s Earthquake Victims Could Decide the Coming Election.

⦁ The Straits Times reports, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to Seoul to resume ‘shuttle diplomacy’ between two countries

⦁ South China Morning Post writes, UK Tories suffer massive blow in first electoral test for PM Rishi Sunak amid ‘dark day for democracy’.

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REPEAT HEADLINES

⦁ Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers in Goa discuss multilateral cooperation among member countries to address regional and global issues of common interest.

⦁ India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar says, Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's position as promoter, justifier and spokesperson of terrorism industry called out at the meeting.

⦁ Five soldiers killed in an encounter with terrorists in Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

⦁ Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi to visit France to attend Bastille Day parade as Guest of Honour on 14th of July.

⦁ Serbian President vows to 'disarm' country after mass shootings.

⦁ WHO says, COVID-19 no longer a Global Health Emergency.

⦁ Buddha Purnima being celebrated across the globe.

⦁ And, in Archery, India ends campaign at Asia Cup-World Ranking Tournament in Tashkent with twelve medals including five gold.

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And now, before we end, let us listen to Mahatma Gandhi's favourite bhajanVaishnav Jan, by artists from SERBIA.

And With That, We End This Bulletin. We'll Be Back At The Same Time Tomorrow With The Next Edition Of World News.

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