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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on the sidelines of the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Panaji, on May 4, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Jaishankar discusses LAC with Qin; holds talks with Lavrov, no talks with Bilawal Bhutto
The unresolved three-year old military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remained the “focus” of India-China talks as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang here on May 4, and held a “detailed” discussion on bilateral ties. This is the second time the two Ministers have held talks this year, as Mr. Qin had previously attended the G-20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Delhi in March.
DRDO scientist arrested in Pune for providing secret information to Pakistani intelligence operative
A scientist working for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) here has been arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for providing confidential information to a Pakistani agent, officials said. An offense under relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act has been registered with Kalachowki unit of the ATS in Mumbai and further probe is on, he added.
Many killed in Manipur riots; State government issues shoot-at-sight order
The Manipur government on May 4 issued a shoot-at-sight order in “extreme cases”, as escalating ethnic violence following a tribal solidarity march displaced more than 9,000 people in the State. There was no official confirmation of the number of people killed or injured in the violence, but Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh admitted that “some precious lives were lost”.
Kamala Harris meets with tech CEOs about artificial intelligence risks
Vice President Kamala Harris met on May 4 with the heads of Google, Microsoft and two other companies developing artificial intelligence as the Biden administration rolls out initiatives meant to ensure the rapidly evolving technology improves lives without putting people’s rights and safety at risk.
After Dantewada attack, roads being combed for IEDs in Chhattisgarh
A week after ten security personnel were killed in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada, a massive exercise is being undertaken to comb newly constructed roads for the presence of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), a senior government official said. The April 26 incident on the Aranpur road in Dantewada, where ten District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel of the Chhattisgarh police were killed, was the first of its kind in the region in the past five years.
Biden issues order setting path for sanctions in Sudan
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on May 4 setting the path to sanction individuals involved in the recent violence in Sudan that’s left hundreds dead and thrown the African nation into chaos. Sudan’s fighting broke out April 15 between two commanders who just 18 months earlier jointly orchestrated a military coup to derail the nation’s transition to democracy.
Delhi witnesses rare fog in the hottest month of the year, 3rd coldest May morning since 1901
Delhi saw an unusual episode of shallow fog on May 4 morning much to the bemusement of its residents, who are used to a less-happening, sultry weather this time of the year. Delhi is experiencing an unexpected pattern with cloudy skies, sporadic rain, and cool weather, which officials attribute to back-to-back western disturbances affecting northwest India.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is here to stay, and countries need to manage it alongside other infectious diseases, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) issuing an updated ‘COVID-19 Global Strategic Preparedness, Readiness and Response Plan (SPRP) 2023-2025’ earlier this week. The latest update is WHO’s fourth strategic plan for COVID-19. The document is a guide for countries on how to manage COVID-19 over the next two years in the transition from an emergency phase to a longer-term, sustained response.
Calcutta High Court stays move to take part of Amartya Sen’s Shantiniketan land
Calcutta High Court on May 4 gave an interim stay against a move by Visva Bharati to take away a part of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s property — Pratichi — at Shantiniketan. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen moved the Calcutta High Court, seeking relief as the university had passed an order directing the petitioner to vacate 0.13 acres (5,500 sq ft) of land at his ancestral Santiniketan residence by May 6, even as an appeal for a stay on possible eviction was fixed for hearing on May 15, 2023 at a court in Suri in Birbhum district of West Bengal.
Russia says U.S. masterminded drone attack on Kremlin
Russia on Thursday accused the U.S. of masterminding a drone attack on the Kremlin and said sabotage attacks by Ukraine behind Russian lines had reached “unprecedented momentum”. The Kremlin has said Ukraine carried out the attack with two drones aiming to kill President Vladimir Putin — a charge which Kyiv has denied. “Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
President Droupadi Murmu rejects mercy petition of man convicted for raping, killing 4-year-old girl
President Droupadi Murmu has rejected the mercy petition of a man convicted for raping and stoning to death a four-year-old girl in Maharashtra in 2008, according to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. While upholding the death penalty awarded to the convict, the top court had said that the rape of a minor girl was “a monstrous burial of her dignity in darkness.” The court had referred to the sequence of events in the case and said that the convict, who was a neighbour, lured the girl, raped her and then battered her to death using two heavy stones.
Go First cancels all flights till May 9; suspends bookings till May 15
Budget airline Go First on Thursday extended flight cancellations until May 9 and informed the DGCA that it would not be taking any further bookings till May 15 on a day the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) reserved its judgment on the airline’s plea for insolvency proceedings and an interim moratorium on lessors re-possessing its planes. The airline’s CEO, Kaushik Khona, who was present at the NCLT hearing in Delhi told The Hindu that the total refunds for tickets booked directly through the airline amounted to “₹30-40 lakh”, in addition to which there were refunds for tickets bought through travel agents and web portals.
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