Responding to Reporters Without Borders assigning New Delhi a low ranking in its World Press Freedom Index, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India has “the most uncontrollable press.” He accused the index of playing mind games and questioned Afghanistan’s better ranking than India.
A Pakistani local religious cleric was killed after being attacked for making allegedly blasphemous remarks during a PTI function on Sunday. While the police were present at the location, they could not control the large crowds, who dragged and beat the cleric to death.
An Indian civilian prisoner died in a Karachi hospital a week before he was to be released and repatriated. Civil society activists reported that they expected the deceased, Zulfiqar, to enter India with 199 other fishermen to be released by Pakistan on 11 May. Additionally, 631 fishermen and two civilian prisoners are languishing in Pakistani jails despite the completion of their prison terms. Both countries exchange the list of such prisoners on 1 January and 1 July, according to a 2008 agreement. The repatriated prisoners will enter India on 12 May.
Indian Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar attended the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in the UK. His wife, Dr Sudesh Dhankhar, accompanied him to the ceremony attended by around 100 heads of state and government from the world over. The Vice President congratulated the newly crowned King and Queen and hoped that India-UK ties would grow stronger in the years ahead. The 74-year-old King succeeded to the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died last September. The last such ceremony was held to crown Queen Elizabeth in 1953.
No country in the world offers more freedom of expression than India does, Indian Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said while addressing the members of the Indian community in the UK. Dhankhar remarked that there was no curtailment of any democratic value system in the country, and it is blossoming and flourishing like never before. He said he had no qualms in saying that, at the moment, the Indian democracy is functioning at a level unmatched globally.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that the country’s unresolved historical disputes with Japan should not stop the two countries from deepening ties in the face of international crises. During his meeting with Japanese PM Fumio Kishida on Sunday, Yoon said: “Cooperation and coordination between South Korea and Japan are essential not only for the common interests of the two countries but also for world peace and prosperity in the face of the current severe international situation.”
US President Joe Biden’s administration will send weapons worth $500 million to the self-governing island of Taiwan, a source familiar with the plan said on Friday.
The UAE was officially granted ‘dialogue partner’ status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during last week’s foreign ministers meeting in Goa. “The granting of dialogue partner status epitomises the UAE’s consistent efforts to develop and maintain balanced and diversified partnerships with countries and multilateral organisations worldwide,” the Emirati foreign ministry said.
Officials reported early Monday that Russia launched a large-scale round of attacks on Kyiv and across Ukraine, causing devastation and casualties, as Moscow prepares for its 9 May Victory Day celebrations commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany. According to Ukrainian officials, at least five people were injured due to Russian strikes in Kyiv. Russian missiles set fire to a food warehouse in the Black Sea city of Odesa, and explosions have been reported in many other Ukrainian regions.
NATO partners will kick off the three-week-long Exercise Formidable Shield beginning today. The drill is expected to showcase the alliance’s commitment to defending Europe. Formidable Shield utilises NATO command and control architecture to demonstrate alliance interoperability in a live-fire joint and combined integrated air and missile defence environment. Thirteen NATO allies and partner countries will participate in the exercise, together with more than 20 ships, 35 aircraft, and several ground forces. Around 4,000 NATO personnel are expected to take part. The exercise, which will go on until 26 May, is the largest drill that NATO will carry out this year.
An SUV ran over pedestrians in Brownsville, Texas, on Sunday, killing seven and injuring several others. The driver, a male, has been charged with reckless driving and may face further charges, said a lieutenant of the Brownsville Police Department. The incident occurred at a bus stop close to Ozanam Center, a homeless shelter used by migrants. Some of the deceased were migrants. It is currently unknown whether the tragedy was an accident or intentional.