NAMASKAR! A warm welcome to 'World News: an Indian perspective on AKASHVANI. This is 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:

⦁ India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman attends the G7 Finance Ministers' meet in Japan, addresses a seminar on economic policies and welfare.

⦁ Ruling BJP sweeps local body elections in the Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

⦁ Opposition Congress wins Southern Indian state Karnataka Assembly polls.

⦁ Turkiye gears up for Presidential elections on Sunday, Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu are the key opponents.

⦁ India's exports of agricultural and allied products cross four lakh crore rupees mark.

⦁ Indian American Geeta Rao Gupta confirmed as the Ambassador for women's issues in US State Department.

⦁ Cyclonic storm Mocha hits Bangladesh on Saturday.

⦁ Indian Shooter Rhythm Sangwan qualifies ISSF World Cup in Baku with the highest score.

⦁ And, in IPL Lucknow super Giants defeats Sunrisers Hyderabad by 7 wickets.

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G7 MEETING JAPAN

The G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors met in Niigata, Japan joined by the Heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Financial Stability Board. The meeting took place from 11th-13th May.

During the meeting, many issues of global interest were discussed including the Russia-Ukraine war and debt vulnerabilities in developing countries.

  Other issues included strengthening global economic resilience through climate action, global health architecture, economic security as well as financial digitalization and pursuing welfare enhancement by upgrading economic policies.

The group showed renewed commitment and enthusiasm towards free, fair and rules-based multilateral system as well as engagement with international partners through extensive dialogues to advance international cooperation and prosperity for all parties engaged.

The discussions held with Brazil, Comoros, India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore were given due importance in respective issues. G7 members and Finance Ministers of these countries exchanged views on recent global economic developments and major challenges to foster robust and sustainable growth and committed to jointly tackle a range of global economic challenges, fight poverty, and achieve strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive global growth.

It is believed that this will meeting will form the baseline for the upcoming meeting to be held at Hiroshima from May 19th-21st.

Other meetings of G7 under that are simultaneously taking place or are scheduled recently are:

G7 Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting in Sendai; May 12-14, 2023

G7 Education Ministers' Meeting in Toyama and Kanazawa; May 12-15, 2023

G7 Nagasaki Health Ministers' Meeting; May 13-14, 2023.

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MANDAVIYA - GLOBAL HEALTH

Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has stressed on the need for collaborative efforts to ensure global health security. Dr Mandaviya said this while addressing the G7 Health Ministerial meeting on Global Health Architecture in Nagasaki, Japan on saturday. He cautioned against fragmented and siloed efforts in addressing the challenges faced by the world. Dr Mandaviya noted that while multiple global efforts are underway, there is a need to ensure the convergence of ongoing initiatives. The Minister also emphasised the role of digital solutions and the use of technology in ensuring continuity of care amidst multiple challenges posed by the pandemic.

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BANGLADESH CYCLONE

Bangladesh Disaster Management Minister of State Dr. Enamur Rahman has said that the Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Mocha is not turning into a Super Cyclone as the wind speed has decreased. Briefing the media about preparations to tackle the cyclone in Dhaka on Saturday, Enamur Rahman said that the Cox’s Bazar maritime port has been asked to keep hoisting extreme danger signal number 10. Distress Signal number 8 will be hoisted at Chattogram port, said the Minister.  

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that Bangladesh is fully prepared to deal with the cyclone Mocha.

The cyclone is likely to make a landfall near Cox’s Bazar on Sunday between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Cox’s Bazar airport is closed from morning Saturday till Sunday evening.

The government of Bangladesh has launched an intensified evacuation campaign targeting half a million people to be moved to safety from the south eastern coastal areas of Bangladesh near Cox’s bazar as the Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Mocha is nearing the landfall Sunday morning.

Government has set up more than 1600 cyclone shelters and 284 medical teams have been kept ready to attend to any medical emergency during the cyclone.

Army, navy and coast guard have been alerted to deal with any situation arising due to the cyclone. More than 8500 volunteers of Red Cross and others have been working to ask people to move from risky areas to cyclone shelters.

The Rohingya camps at Cox’s bazar where more than 1 million Rohingya refugees are accommodated are especially vulnerable due to temporary housing structures. The Government of Bangladesh along with international agencies are preparing to make sure that the suffering of the people is minimised during the cyclone.

IMD-MOCHA

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday said that  extremely sever cyclonic Storm  Mocha   lying over east central Bay of Bengal is very likely to move north-northeastwards and cross southeast Bangladesh and north Myanmar coasts.

Cyclonic storm may cause light to heavy rainfall at some places in Andaman and Nicobar islands and north eastern region.

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G20

Let's have a quick look at G20 meeting this week

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TURKEY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Ruling for two decades, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is all in for the Presidential elections scheduled for the upcoming Sunday on a war-footing. His main rival in the run-up is Kemal Kilicdaroglu who has garnered support from allies from across the political spectrum who have come together as never before. His focus area is peace and democracy.

On the other hand, Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he had kept Turkey standing tall despite many challenges, including the economy with its rampant inflation and February's catastrophic double earthquakes. Both these issues dominate the election campaign which is being held for both the presidency and parliament.

With each passing day the elections have become more tense and focused as out of the four candidates, Muharrem Ince withdrew on the issues of illegitimate videos doing rounds in social media.

Although Erdogan's party commands strong support, he relies on the backing of the nationalist MHP and other smaller groups in his People's Alliance. His greatest support is mainly from conservative or nationalist Turks, and he is strongly opposing of the West as well as the LGBT community.

These political alliances have become essential under Turkey's political system, as a party needs 7 per cent of the national vote to get into parliament or be part of an alliance that does. Whoever wins the presidency will need to have sufficient support in parliament to back their plans. More than 64 million people are expected to vote at home and abroad on Sunday. To win outright, a candidate will have to secure more than half the vote. If no candidate gets at least 50 per cent plus one vote in the first round, the presidential election will go to a second round on 28 May between the two who received the most votes.

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INDIA G20 YEA

As a prelude to the upcoming Young Entrepreneurs Alliance (YEA) Meet scheduled to take place next month, a delegation led by CII and Young India recently visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from May 09-12 as part of engagements under the ongoing Indian G20 presidency. The delegation was hosted by Prince Fahad bin Mansour bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, President of the Saudi G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance (YEA), and it also engaged with prominent Saudi government authorities including Public Investment Fund (PIF),  Saudi Arabian Oil Group ARAMCO, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), and the Ministries of Investment and Communication and IT. Both sides discussed avenues to connect the fast-growing entrepreneurial and startup sectors of both nations. India, recognised as an IT hub of the world, has developed more than 100 unicorns and 80,000 startups in the last few years, while Saudi Arabia has also witnessed transformational changes with rapid digitization and fast-emerging IT industries.

Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia, Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan, had an interactive discussion with the delegates and shared his views about the growing India-Saudi bilateral ties, highlighting the flourishing bilateral economic ties. Prince Fahad Al Saud also hosted a gala dinner for the delegation.

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QUAD-SECURITY MEET

Senior military commanders from Quad member countries, including India’s chief of defence staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, will meet in Sunnylands in California to attend a high-profile meeting on Indo-Pacific Security from the 15th to 17th of May in a clear indication that the grouping is now taking security cooperation to the next level before the Quad Summit in Sydney on the 24th of May. Among other invitees to the meeting hosted by Admiral John C Aquilino, Commander, US Indo-Pacific Command, are - General Yoshihide Yoshida, chief of Staff, joint staff, Japanese self-defence forces and General Angus Campbell, chief of the defence force, Australia. A vice-admiral rank representative of the UK chief of defence staff is also likely to attend. This is General Chauhan’s first visit to the US.

Quad Malabar naval exercises are scheduled off the coast of Sydney in August this year and the apex meeting of military commanders of this grouping next week is seen as both a game-changer.

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HOTSPOT

In today's hotspot section, we bring you a News Commentary on Highlights of Finance Minister’s Visit to Japan.

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US- INDIAN AMERICAN

Indian American Geeta Rao Gupta has been confirmed by the US Senate as the Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues in the State Department. The department in a tweet friday said it is looking forward to her efforts to promote women's and girls' rights through US foreign policy. Gupta was confirmed by the US Senate by 51 to 47 votes. In a  message, Ms. Gupta said there are many inequities and indignities that women suffer around the world, which hold them back from participating fully in the economy.

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TOMAR - AGRICULTURE

Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that India's exports of agricultural and allied products have crossed four lakh crore rupees. He said, over the years, India has performed well in the agriculture sector and also contributed to global food security with food grain production. Mr Tomar said this while chairing the 8th meeting of Agriculture Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries through video conferencing on Friday. Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China and Pakistan also participated in the meeting. Under the chairmanship of India, SCO member countries adopted the Smart Agriculture project.

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DEHRADUN -SHRI ANN MAHOTSAV

In Uttrakhand, the four-day Shri Anna Mahotsav, Millets festival,  has begun in Dehradun  from Saturday. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated Shri Anna Mahotsav at Hathibarkala. Our correspondent reports that thousands of farmers from across the state are participating in the four-day event.

While addressing the gathering on the occasion of Shri Ann Mahotsav  the Chief Minister said that such events would encourage the cultivation of coarse grains. The Chief Minister said that "Shri Anna" is becoming the medium of all round development in India and now every citizen of the country is also getting associated with it. More than 100 stalls of coarse grains have been set up in the festival.  On this occasion, Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi and many other dignitaries also participated in the programme. It maybe recalled that along with organic farming in the state, the implementation of the National Natural Agriculture Mission scheme is being started in 11 districts of the state from this year itself. For this, the Government of India has also approved the operation of an agricultural mission program of about 796 lakhs on 6 thousand 400 hectares of land.

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SINGH-GREEN ENERGY

Power and New Renewable Energy Minister R. K. Singh on Saturday chaired a meeting on Green Energy Open Access Rules in New Delhi. Green Energy Open Access Rules are a major step towards cutting emissions by 45 per cent in line with the country’s Nationally determined contributions target for 2030. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Singh called upon the industry leaders to set targets for green energy and take advantage of the provisions of Green Energy Open Access Rules to get green power at reasonable rates. He said, this will contribute to a greener and more sustainable environment.

Green Energy Open Access Rules are notified for promoting the generation, purchase and consumption of green energy including the energy from Waste-to-Energy plants. Under the rules, consumers are entitled to demand-supply of green power from Power Distribution Companies. These companies would be obligated to procure and supply green power to eligible consumers.

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KERALA DRUG SEIZE

In a joint operation by the Indian Navy and the  Narcotics Control  Bureau,  approximately 2500 kg of Methamphetamine was seized  from a sea going vessel  off Kerala coast.

The seizure, part of Operation Samudragupt, is worth over 15,000 crore rupees.    

The seizure is said to be the largest of its kind by an Indian agency in terms of monetary value.

Addressing media persons in Kochi this evening, the Deputy Director General (Operations), NCB , Sanjay Kumar Singh said a suspected  Pakistani national has been detained in this connection.

The consignment is believed to have originated from the Death Crescent region, comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.

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UP BY-ELECTIONS

The ruling Bhartiya Janata party clinched landslide victory in urban local body elections in Uttar Pradesh. Party has swept  all the 17 mayor seats in state.

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KARNATAKA ELECTIONS

Congress has won a thumping majority in the Karnataka Assembly Elections. As per the latest data from Election Commission of India, Congress has won 132 seats out of a total 224 Assembly seats, and is leading in 4 constituencies so far. BJP has bagged 63 seats and is leading in 2.  JD(S) has won 19 seats, while others have won 4 seats.

Among the prominent candidates who have emerged victorious on Saturday include Pradesh Congress Committee Chief DK Shivakumar. He has won Kanakpura by a whopping margin of 1,22,392 votes.

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J&K-INFILTRATION

In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, an infiltration bid by terrorists across the Line of Control in the Uri Sector of Baramulla district was foiled by the Indian Army during the early morning hours on Saturday.  According to Defence Spokesperson Srinagar, a group of armed terrorists while attempting to cross the Line of Control were engaged in an exchange of fire with the alert troops resulting in a failed attempt to intrude into Kashmir Valley. A quadcopter flown by the Pakistan Army to aid the terrorists was also spotted across the Line of Control and was fired at, causing it to withdraw. This desperate action by the terrorists, duly abetted by Pakistan Army, is yet another failed attempt to disrupt the G20 Summit and create disturbance in the Valley.

Meanwhile, extensive search operations are underway in the densely forested area. Further details are awaited.

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NEW DNA MAP

Scientists have produced an updated map of all human DNA which could help to transform medical research. The latest version - called the pangenome - is made up of data from 47 people from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe. It is hoped it will lead to new drugs and treatments that work for a much wider range of people.The pangenome consists of 47 separate DNA maps of the people from different ancestries, which can also be combined and compared with new software tools to find important genetic differences.

A pangenome that better reflects the diversity of the human population will enable scientists to better understand how genetic variation influences health and disease and moves us to a future in which genomic medicine benefits everyone. The aim is to develop more effective treatments for more people.

The previous human genome was largely completed in 2003. It is a map of the basic chemical building blocks that make up human DNA. Researchers used it to identify genes involved in diseases so as to develop better treatments. It has led to improved cancer therapies and the development of tests to predict the onset of inherited conditions, such as Huntington's disease.

But this is just the start of an ambitious programme to better represent the diversity of the world's population. The initial aim is to increase the number to 350. After that the scientists plan to increase numbers and diversity further by working with organisations from other countries in what they hope will become phase two of the human genome project.

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ISSF-RHYTHM SANGWAN

Indian shooter Rhythm Sangwan registered the highest-ever score in women’s 25m pistol event when she recorded 595 in the qualification round at the ISSF World Cup in Baku on Saturday. Sangwan bettered the previous best of 594, set by Bulgaria’s Diana Iorgova in 1994. China’s Luna Tao and Germany’s Doreen Vennekamp had also equalled the tally in 2002 and 2023, respectively. The 19-year-old, however, finished eighth in the final with an overall score of 10. Sangwan missed all five shots in the first series and was always playing catch-up. Earlier in the competition, Sangwan had secured a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol event.

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IPL

In IPL Cricket, Lucknow Super Giants defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 7 wickets. Chasing a target of 183 runs, Lucknow Super Giants achieved the target in 19.2 overs. Earlier, opting to bat Sunrisers Hyderabad made 182 for six in stipulated 20 overs.

Another match of the day between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings is underway at Arun Jaitley stedium in new Delhi.

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FPR

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

⦁ Washington Post writes Zelensky to meet Pope Francis at Vatican for first time during Ukraine war.

⦁ The Guardian reports South Africa summons US ambassador over his claims it is arming Russia.

⦁ The Japan Times reports Europe needs stronger line on China ties, ministers urge.

⦁ The Wall Streeet Journal reports Migrants Wait Along Southern Border as New Rules Go Into Effect.

⦁ The Financial Times reports  Israel and militants exchange rocket salvos in worst bout of fighting in a year.

⦁ South China Morning Post says South Africa, US look to ease strain after furore over Russia weapons.

⦁ The Globe and Mail writes Cocoa farmers in Africa and Latin America bear the cost of keeping chocolate cheap.

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REPEAT HEADLINES

⦁ India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman attends the G7 Finance Ministers' meet in Japan, addresses a seminar on economic policies and welfare.

⦁ Ruling BJP sweeps local body elections in the Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

⦁ Opposition Congress wins Southern Indian state Karnataka Assembly polls.

⦁ Turkiye gears up for Presidential elections on Sunday, Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu are the key opponents.

⦁ India's exports of agricultural and allied products cross four lakh crore rupees mark.

⦁ Indian American Geeta Rao Gupta confirmed as the Ambassador for women's issues in US State Department.

⦁ Cyclonic storm Mocha hits Bangladesh on Saturday.

⦁ Indian Shooter Rhythm Sangwan qualifies ISSF World Cup in Baku with the highest score.

⦁ And, in IPL Lucknow super Giants defeats Sunrisers Hyderabad by 7 wickets.

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

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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