NAMASKAR! A warm welcome to 'World News: an Indian perspective on AKASHVANI. This is SAIRA MUJTABA. 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 Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya says, Indian pharmaceutical industry to reach 130 billion dollars by 2030.

⦁ Third Energy Transitions Working Group Meeting under India’s G20 Presidency begins in Mumbai.

⦁ Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande embarks on two-day visit to Egypt.

⦁ National Investigation Agency carries out raids at multiple locations in Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with terror funding case.

⦁ Turkiey heads for election run-off, President Erdogan leads.

⦁ Lahore High Court grants protective bail to former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi in Al-Qadir Trust case.

⦁ Thailand’s opposition parties to form coalition after voters reject

    military-backed government.

⦁ And Sri Lankan President removes Governors of Northern, Eastern and North Western Provinces.

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MANDAVIYA

India's Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said, the Indian pharmaceutical industry is projected to reach a value of 130 billion dollars by 2030. He was interacting with representatives of Japanese Pharma Companies and members of the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, at the Indian Embassy in Tokyo. The Health Minister said, India is recognised as a global pharmaceutical hub, with its industry playing a pivotal role in improving health outcomes worldwide. He stated that the Indian pharmaceutical industry includes a network of 3,000 drug companies and 10 thousand 500 manufacturing units.

Mr. Mandaviya highlighted that India has played a significant role in enhancing global accessibility by providing approximately 60 per cent of the global vaccine supply and 20 to 22 per cent of generic exports. He added that in the battle against the COVID pandemic, India has supplied essential drugs to around 185 countries.

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MUMBAI-G20 ETWG MEETING  

G20 countries have reached broad consensus on all six priorities set by India under its G20 presidency in the Energy Transmission Working Group’s (ETWG) 3rd meeting. Secretary of Power Ministry Alok Kumar has said that the modalities are being discussed and value additions are being done in a draft ministerial communique by the member countries. He was addressing a press conference after the 1st day’s deliberations of the ETWG in Mumbai. The ETWG 3rd Meeting is chaired by Alok Kumar.

The six priority areas India has finalized are Energy transition through addressing technology gaps, Low cost financing for energy transition, Energy Security and diversified supply chains, Energy efficiency, industrial low carbon transitions and responsible consumption, Fuel for Future and Universal access to clean energy & just affordable & inclusive transition pathway. Mr. Kumar reiterated that India has set a target to achieve 50 percent of energy requirements from Renewable Energy by 2030. He also informed that By 2030 India’s nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 14 to 15 thousand Megawatt.

In the Special Address on the opening day Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines Raosaheb Danve stressed the need to give preference to the development and adoption of sustainable energy sources. He also stressed policies that promote conservation and reduce carbon emissions. He said, G20 nations hold a unique responsibility to lead the way towards a sustainable future.

In sideline events, discussions were held on transition from coal to other renewable energy sources, biofuels and mobilising low cost finance for emerging technologies in the power sector. The discussions and progress on the draft Ministerial Communique will be taken forward on the second day of the Meeting. The ETWG 3rd meeting will conclude on the 17th of May. It is expected that agreement and understanding among member countries will help in advancing the cause of global cooperation in clean energy transition.

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HOTSPOT

In today's hotspot section, we bring you a News Commentary on the 3rd Energy Transition Working Group Meeting.

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ARMY CHIEF - EGYPT

Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande has embarked on a two-day visit to Egypt. During the visit, General Manoj Pande will be meeting the Country’s senior military leadership where he will discuss avenues for further enhancing Indo-Egypt defence relations. The Defence Ministry said, he will be visiting various Egyptian Armed Forces establishments and exchanging ideas on issues of mutual interest. The Army Chief will interact with the Commander-in-Chief of Egyptian Armed Forces, Minister of Defence and Military Production, and the Chief of Staff, Egyptian Armed Forces. The Military relations of India with Egypt are on the rise which was evident during India’s 74th Republic Day parade, wherein the Egyptian Armed Forces contingent made their first appearance. The visit of General Manoj Pande will further deepen the bilateral relationships between the two Armies. This visit will also act as a catalyst for closer coordination and cooperation between the two countries on a host of strategic issues.

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DEFENCE-IMPORT BAN

The Defence Ministry has imposed a phased ban on the import of 928 military items to promote self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector. The Ministry on Sunday announced fourth positive indigenisation list in continuation of the first three such lists, which contained a total of 1,238 items. The first three lists were announced in December 2021, March 2022 and August 2022. The fresh list of 928 military items, including line replacement units, sub-systems and spares, will come under a phased import ban between December 2023 and December 2029. In a statement the ministry of Defence said that, the 928 items in the fourth list, with import substitution value of  715 crore rupees, will be procured from Indian industry. It added that of the 1,238 earlier items, 310 have been indigenised so far. It covers items used in fighter planes, trainer aircraft, warships and different types of ammunition. The Ministry said the Defence PSUs will undertake indigenisation of 928 listed items through different routes under 'Make' category and in-house development.

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COAL - IMPORT

The government has said that Coal Ministry is making continuous efforts to develop indigenous manufacturing capabilities in the coal mining sector. It said this will further reduce India’s reliance on the import of high-capacity mining equipment and boost its domestic production. Coal Ministry said these efforts are in line with the objectives of aatmanirbhar bharat promoting Make in India. Currently, Coal India Limited imports High-Capacity equipment such as Electric Rope Shovel, Hydraulic Shovel, Dumpers, Drill and Motor Graders worth around three thousand 500 crore rupees and pays one thousand crore rupees as custom duty. Therefore, the Ministry has planned to phase out imports over the period of next five to six years by encouraging and developing domestic equipment manufacturers’ capabilities. The Ministry said, some of the high-capacity machines are presently under trial procurement from domestic manufacturers.

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JITENDRA - SPACE JOURNEY

India's Atomic Energy and Space Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the last nine years had witnessed a quantum jump in India's Space journey and India now stands at par with countries like the USA which had begun their Space journey several decades before us.

In an interview with a digital outlet on Monday, Dr Singh said Prime Minister Modi has given a special boost to the Space sector and opened it for public-private participation with an increasing number of StartUps. He said, today the situation is such that the premier space organisations like America's NASA are collaborating with Indian Space Research Organisation and even seeking expert inputs from it.

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AMIT SHAH - LAW

Home Minister Amit Shah said that the government has repealed around two thousand irrelevant laws from 2015. Inaugurating the training program on legislative drafting in New Delhi on Monday, Mr Shah said, since the Narendra Modi government came into power, various initiatives have been taken in the field of law. He said, legislative drafting is not a science or an art, it is a skill that must be implemented with spirit. Mr Shah said, the law must be clear and no grey area should be there. He urged the officers of Parliament and State Legislatures that, the law should be drafted in simple and clear words, so there is no point of conflict.  The training Programme is being organised by the Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies in collaboration with Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies. It is aimed at creating an understanding of the principles and practices of legislative drafting among officers of Parliament, State Legislatures and various ministries, statutory bodies and other government departments.

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TOMAR HYDERABAD

India's Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday stressed the Centre and State governments work in coordination for the development of the Agriculture sector. Speaking after inaugurating the Integrated Bio-Control Lab and Golden Jubilee Auditorium in Hyderabad, the Minister said, Agriculture will continue to be a priority sector for the government.  He said, India plays a key role in the welfare of the world in the context of the G20 Presidency and the next 25 years are very crucial for the development of the country. He remarked that the country has now gained strength to achieve whatever it aspires for. Stating that the Agriculture sector is the backbone of the country's economy, he emphasised the need for strengthening the Agriculture and allied sectors. He stressed the use of digital technology to connect labs and land to help increase farm productivity.  

Secretary Agriculture Manoj Ahuja earlier emphasised the need for digital means to take the research to the farms. Stating that farmers themselves are scientists, he asked officials to learn and validate the knowledge of farmers. He said flood-resistant and high-yielding variety seeds should be provided to farmers.

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NIA SEARCHES J&K

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted searches at 13 locations in Indian Union Territory of  Jammu and Kashmir in a terror funding case. The agency raided Budgam, Shopian, Pulwama, Srinagar and Anantnag districts in the case for carrying out terrorist and subversive activities in the state by various proscribed organizations including  Jamaat-e-Islami. Earlier on the 11th of this month, the Central anti-terror agency carried out searches in Budgam and Baramulla districts. The NIA on the 4th of this month also conducted searches at 16 places in Jammu and Kashmir as part of its continuing crackdoon terror funding in the UT in the case related to separatist and secessionist activities of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami. Jamaat-e-Islami has been found carrying out terror funding activities in Jammu and Kashmir, even after being declared an unlawful association under the UA(P) Act on 28th February 2019.

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INDIA - EFTA

India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States have taken significant steps towards a new Trade and Partnership Agreement. In a Ministerial meeting held in Brussels on Monday, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal discussed the modalities of engagement with the representatives of EFTA for working towards a comprehensive new Trade and Partnership Agreement (TEPA).The Ministerial meeting marked a significant milestone in taking forward the negotiations on a TEPA between India and European Free Trade Association. Both sides emphasised the importance of building their discussions on principles of trust and respect for each other's sensitivities to achieve a fair, equitable and balanced agreement. The delegations agreed to ramp up their efforts and continue their discussions at a steady pace, to arrive at a common understanding on critical issues pertaining to TEPA.

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TURKIEY-ELECTIONS

Turkiey's battle for the presidency appears likely to go to a second round after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan failed to secure 50 per cent  of the votes. With 97.95 per cent of votes counted,  Erdogan had 49.34 per cent of votes and his main opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu had 44.99 per cent of votes. The third candidate, Sinan Ogan, received 5.28 per cent of the votes. However, the Candidate needs more than 50 per cent to win in the first round. Kilicdaroglu welcomed the prospect of a runoff vote and said that his party would triumph. Earlier in the count, Erdogan was confident and said that he would secure enough votes to win the election. However, Kilicdaroglu accused Erdogan’s AK Party of demanding recounts and delaying results in opposition strongholds, including Ankara and Istanbul. Turkiey holds elections every five years. More than 1.8 million voters living abroad already cast their votes on the 17th of April and over 65 million people are eligible to vote in the country.

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IMRAN'S WIFE GETS BAIL

Lahore High Court on Monday  granted protective bail to former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi in the Al-Qadir Trust case until the 23rd of May. According to the news report, Bushra Bibi's lawyer Khawaja Haris had requested a 10-day protective bail for her. The High Court accepted the request and approved her bail. Earlier in the day, Imran Khan along with Bushra Bibi appeared before the High Court and filed a plea to get protective bail for his wife. The petitioner requested the Court to approve the protective bail as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which is carrying out the investigation of the case, can arrest her. The former Prime Minister, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, is facing an inquiry from the NAB related to a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which reportedly caused a loss of 50 billion rupees to the national exchequer. They are also accused of getting undue benefit in the form of over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, to establish Al Qadir University.

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THAILAND-ELECTIONS

Thailand's two main opposition parties agreed on Monday to form a ruling coalition after they trounced the military-backed government that has ruled the country for nearly a decade. With more than 99 per cent of votes counted for 500 seats, the progressive Move Forward party is projected to win 151 seats, with populist Pheu Thai in second place with 141 seats. That puts the opposition far ahead of the party of incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.Move Forward, a progressive opposition party said that it was ready to form a government. Its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, told the media he had invited Pheu Thai and four other opposition parties to form an alliance. Pheu Thai later confirmed he had agreed to Pita’s proposal to form an opposition coalition.The Election Commission chair, Ittiporn Boonprakon, said voter turnout was the highest recorded at 75.22 per cent.

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SL-PRESIDENT REMOVES GOVERNORS

Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe removed the Governors of the North, East, and North Western Provinces on Monday. The President's Media Division confirmed that the new Governors would be appointed on Wednesday. Among those sacked were Jeevan Thiagarajah, the Northern Governor, who has been serving in the capacity since October 2021 and Anuradha Yahampath, the Eastern Governor, who was appointed in December 2019. Notably, Admiral of the Fleet, Wasantha Karannagoda, who held the position of Wayamba Governor, has also been removed.

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LANKA-PREMADASA

Sri Lanka’s main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya leader Sajith Premadasa has announced that the Opposition will back the government's proposal to hold the Presidential elections ahead of the scheduled time frame. At the same time, he criticised the government's attempt to manipulate the election process for their oconvenience, calling it a violation of democracy.

Mr. Premadasa emphasised that planning the Presidential elections solely based on the directives of the President or his supporters is fundamentally flawed. He stressed the need for fair and transparent regulations to be put in place to ensure a prompt and democratic election.

Presidential elections in Sri Lanka are scheduled to be held in 2024 and were last held in November 2019. Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the 2019 elections in a landslide victory, defeating his main opponent Sajith Premadasa. However, after the island nation got embroiled in an economic crisis, protesters ousted Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled the country. Ranil Wickremesinghe was then elected the President for the remainder of the term.

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MOCHA CYCLONE-DEATH

In   Myanmar, at least three people have been reported killed, as the powerful cyclone Mocha hit the coastlines of Bangladesh and Myanmar after intensifying into the equivalent of a category-five storm .  It is considered to be a tropical cyclone that has maximum wind speeds of  254 km per hour. Myanmar appears to have borne more direct impact as cyclone flooded streets, blew off roofs, and severed communications in Rakhine state near Sittwe township. According to media reports, Electricity and wireless connections were disrupted across much of the state capital Sittwe, and a telecom tower was brought doby strong winds as the cyclone approached. However, no casualties have been reported in Bangladesh so far.

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BANGLADESH-US

The United States will send a pre-election observer mission to Bangladesh in the coming months, said US Deputy Assistant Secretary Afreen Akhter in Dhaka on Monday. He further said that based on the pre-election observer mission report, the US would make an assessment and decide if it would send an observer team to Bangladesh during the upcoming elections.

The Senior US official led the delegation at the Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) which was held between the 12th and the 13th of May in Dhaka.

Speaking about elections in Bangladesh, Afreen Akhter said that the US government is more focussed on the electoral environment in Bangladesh. She said, the US does not want to make a comment about the participation of any political party in the elections as it is for the political parties themselves to decide on this issue. She further said that the US was not inferring or weighing in with any particular party or candidate, though the US is working to support the electoral environment in Bangladesh.

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NEPAL-BAHADUR RAYAMAJHI

The absconded leader of the Communist Party (UML)  and former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal, Bahadur Rayamajhi, was arrested from Budhanilkantha of Kathmandu on Sunday. Rayamajhi has been arrested for his alleged role in the fraud of millions of rupees by duping Nepali citizens with the promises of sending them to the United States in the cover of Bhutanese refugees.  Earlier, Indrajit Rai, the advisor to former Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, was arrested on the charge of his involvement in the scam.  Police have already made high-profile arrests over their alleged connections to the scam.  So far 13 people have been arrested over the scam.

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WORLD NEWS CAPSULE

Domestic benchmark indices on Monday witnessed gains of almost half a per cent. The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange ended above the 62,300 level while the Nifty at the National Stock Exchange settled nearly the 18,400 mark. Both indices rose amid positive cues from global share markets. A report from the business desk-  

"The Sensex climbed 318 points or 0.51 per cent to finish at 62,346. The Nifty advanced 84 points or 0.46 per cent to close at 18,399. Asian shares inched up on cautious optimism as investors braced for the release of China's policy rate and economic data this week while awaiting a host of US Federal Reserve officials to speak to vindicate market pricing of rate cuts this year. Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 1.7 per cent. China's Shanghai Composite Index jumped 1.2 per cent. South Korea's Kospi index rose 0.16 per cent. Japan's Nikkei-225 climbed 0.8 per cent and Singapore's Straits Times index added 0.2 per cent. European Markets were also trading in positive territory in intra-day trade. Oil prices were steady as the market balanced concerns over the US economy and China’s muted recovery against expectations of a rise in future demand. In intra-day trade, Brent crude was trading at 74 dollars and 36 cents a barrel.Back Home, Gold prices, at Multi Commodity Exchange for June contracts, were trading at around 60,880 rupees per 10 gram. On the other hand, silver was trading at 73,080 rupees per kilogram for July Contracts when reports last came in. And... In the forex market, the rupee closed at 82 rupees and 30 paise against the US dollar. This is Lalima Aneja Dang, for World News, All India Radio."

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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 reports Zelensky visits U.K. after securing new military aid from Paris, Berlin.

⦁ The Guardian reports, Turkiey election goes to runoff after Erdoğan takes first-round lead.

⦁ The Japan Times reports, Biden to hold talks with Kishida ahead of Hiroshima G7 summit.

⦁ South China Morning Post writes, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang urges neighbours to keep their distance from US.

⦁ The Globe and Mail writes, Thousands more evacuated in Northern Alberta as wildfires rage.

⦁ The Wall Streeet Journal reports, George Santos Strikes Deal to Resolve Brazil Criminal Charges.

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REPEAT HEADLINES:

⦁ India's Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya says, Indian pharmaceutical industry to reach 130 billion dollars by 2030.

⦁ Third Energy Transitions Working Group Meeting under India’s G20 Presidency begins in Mumbai.

⦁ Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande embarks on two-day visit to Egypt.

⦁ National Investigation Agency carries out raids at multiple locations in Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with terror funding case.

⦁ Turkiey heads for election run-off, President Erdogan leads.

⦁ Lahore High Court grants protective bail to former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi in Al-Qadir Trust case.

⦁ Thailand’s opposition parties to form coalition after voters reject

    military-backed government.

⦁ And Sri Lankan President removes Governors of Northern, Eastern and North Western Provinces.

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

[(null) -  VAISHNAV JAN TO - NORWAY - ]

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

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