G20 TOURISM MEET IN SRINAGAR FROM TODAY AMID TIGHT SECURITY

The third G20 tourism working group meeting is set to begin in Srinagar Monday amid elaborate security arrangements. The three-day meeting will see the highest participation of foreign delegates as compared to the two previous meetings, said G20 Chief Coordinator Harshvardhan Shringla.

“We have the highest representation from foreign delegations for the tourism working group meeting in Srinagar, than we have had in the previous working group meetings. Our experience is that in any working group meeting, to get such a large turnout of delegates not only from G20 countries but also from international organisations that are part of the G20 is an incredible process,” Shringla told reporters.

At least 60 foreign delegates will participate in the meeting although not all G20 member countries will be participating in it.

Highlighting the significance of hosting the event in Srinagar, Shringla said, “If you have to do a working group on tourism in India, we have to do it in Srinagar. There is no option.”

This is the first such international event in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019, when it became a Union Territory. The first G20 tourism working group meeting was held in Gujarat and the second in West Bengal.

Sources, meanwhile, said an unprecedented security apparatus has been put in place in Srinagar for the G20 meeting. This includes reinforced CCTV surveillance, anti-drone system, deployment of the elite NSG and elite Marine Commandos and restrictions on civilian movement on key roads.

The J&K administration has dropped Gulmarg from the itinerary for security and logistic reasons. Security has been tightened in other parts of the Valley as well to thwart any militant attempt to disrupt law and order.

PM MODI AT G7 SUMMIT: RAISE VOICE AGAINST UNILATERAL CHANGE IN STATUS QUO

In what is being read as a reference to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region including at the India-China border, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday called for raising voice against “unilateral attempts to change the status quo”.

The remarks came during a session “Toward a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous World” at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, and came a day after the Indian Prime Minister had told Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that New Delhi will do “whatever is possible” to find a solution to the conflict.

Modi’s statement on Sunday referenced his meeting with the Ukrainian President the previous day: “We heard President Zelenskyy today. I also met him yesterday. I do not consider the current situation as an issue of politics or economy. I believe that this is a matter of humanity, a matter of human values. From the very beginning, we have maintained that dialogue and diplomacy is the only way. And we will make every possible effort to contribute, in whatever way India can, for resolving this situation.”

He flagged the impact of the war on food and energy security and ineffectiveness of the UN. He warned that the United Nations and the UN Security Council will remain just a “talk shop” if they do not reflect the realities of the present world.

“It is necessary that all countries respect the UN charter, international law and sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. Raise your voice together against unilateral attempts to change the status quo. India has always been of the opinion that any tension, any dispute should be resolved through peaceful means, through dialogue. And if there is a solution from the law, then it should be accepted. And it was in this spirit that India resolved its land and maritime boundary dispute with Bangladesh.”

Citing Buddha’s influence and teachings, Modi said, “In India, and here in Japan too, Lord Buddha has been followed for thousands of years. There is no such problem in the modern age whose solution we cannot find in the teachings of the Buddha. Buddha had given the solution centuries ago to the war, unrest, and instability that the world is facing today. Lord Buddha has said: Enmity does not calm enmity. Enmity is pacified by affinity.”

AT PAPUA NEW GUINEA, MODI TO HOST SUMMIT WITH PACIFIC ISLAND NATIONS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in Papua New Guinea on the second leg of his three-nation tour. He was accorded a 19-gun salute, a guard of honour and a ceremonial welcome.

As a special gesture, Papua New Guinea PM James Marape received PM Modi at the airport and after a warm hug, bent and touched his feet.

“The Indian community in Papua New Guinea also came in large numbers and showed remarkable affection. Thankful to them for the memorable welcome. I am thankful to PM James Marape for coming to the airport and welcoming me. This is a very special gesture which I will always remember. I look forward to boosting India’s ties with this great nation during my visit,” tweeted PM Modi after his arrival.

PRESIDENT, NOT PM, SHOULD OPEN NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDING: OPPN LEADERS

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders have opposed the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The President should inaugurate the new Parliament House and not the Prime Minister,” Rahul Gandhi yesterday tweeted. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman should inaugurate the new building. “Why should the PM inaugurate Parliament? He is head of the executive, not legislature. We have separation of powers and LS Speaker & RS Chair could have inaugurated,” Owaisi tweeted.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met PM Modi earlier this week and invited him to inaugurate the new building on May 28. Incidentally, the day happens to be the birth anniversary of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar.

“26 November 2023 — Indian Constitution which gifted parliamentary democracy to the nation shall step into 75th year. It would’ve been befitting for the inauguration of new Sansad Bhawan. But it shall be done on May 28 — birthday of Savarkar,” Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray tweeted.

“PM leads the executive organ of the state and Parliament is the legislative organ. It would have been appropriate for Droupadi Murmu as Head of the State to inaugurate the new Parliament. Obsession with self-image and cameras trumps decency and norms when it comes to Modi ji!” CPI general secretary D Raja wrote on Twitter.

The foundation stone of the new Parliament building was laid on December 10, 2020. The new building is a triangular-shaped four-storey affair with a built-up area of 64,500 sq m. The Congress has called the new Parliament building PM Modi’s vanity project.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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'SILLY BALLOON' CHANGED IT ALL: SAYS US PRESIDENT BIDEN ON US-CHINA TIES

US President Joe Biden on Sunday said the Group of Seven nations had agreed to a united approach to China that called for diversifying supply chains to reduce dependence on one country, and hinted that he could speak with China's president soon.

“We're not looking to decouple from China. We're looking to de-risk and diversify our relationship with China," Biden told a press conference, adding that G7 nations were more unified than ever in terms of “resisting economic coercion together and countering harmful practices that hurt our workers." But the US president, speaking after a three-day meeting of G7 leaders, said he expected a thaw in frosty relations with China “very shortly” after strains caused by an incident earlier this year when the United States shot down a Chinese balloon that flew over sensitive military sites. "We should have an open hotline," Biden said.

Biden said he had agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia last year to keep communications open, but everything changed after "this silly balloon that was carrying two freight cars worth of spying equipment." Biden suggested a shift in US-China relations could occur soon, echoing his comment to reporters before his departure.

On the issue of tensions between China and Taiwan, Biden said there was a clear understanding among most of the allies that if China were to act unilaterally against Taiwan, there be a response.

AFTER A PAUSE, DEBT-LIMIT TALKS TO RESUME TODAY AS US DEFAULT DEADLINE NEARS

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet in person today as the govt races against a looming deadline to raise America’s debt limit before federal funds potentially run dry early next month.

The leaders spoke by phone Sunday as the president returned home on Air Force One after the G7 summit in Japan. McCarthy, Republican, told reporters at the Capitol that the call was “productive” and that the on-again, off-again negotiations would resume after it paused on Friday over “serious differences”. Both sides have said progress was being made but that they remain far apart.

McCarthy said after his call with Biden that “I think we can solve some of these problems if he understands what we’re looking at. ” The speaker added, “But I’ve been very clear to him from the very beginning. We have to spend less money than we spent last year. ”

Treasury secretary Janet Yellen said June 1 remains a ‘hard deadline’ for raising the US debt ceiling and warned that the US govt would be unable to pay its bills through the middle of next month if its standoff with Republicans is not resolved.

THE REST

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DELHI ORDINANCE ROW: KEJRIWAL RALLIES SUPPORT TO SAYS DEFEATING BILL IN RS

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday called for opposition unity to take on the BJP as the JD(U) leader met the AAP convenor at his residence in new Delhi and extended “complete support” to him in the ongoing face-off with the Centre over the control of administrative services.

Kejriwal said he would meet leaders of various parties to ensure that any bill brought to replace the recent central ordinance, which virtually negated the May 11 Supreme Court order that ruled in favour of his govt, is not passed in Rajya Sabha and also urged Kumar to reach out to them to rally support on the issue.

If the bill is defeated in Rajya Sabha, it will send out a message that the BJP will lose the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he claimed. “It will be the semi-final of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” the AAP national convenor told reporters outside his residence after meeting Kumar and his deputy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

Addressing a press conference, the BJP’s six MPs from Delhi said Kejriwal was seeking the support of opposition leaders who he once branded as corrupt. “There was a time when Arvind Kejriwal used to carry a list of political leaders and considered them as symbols of corruption. But today he is ready to hug Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav,” BJP leader Manoj Tiwari said. Kejriwal’s priority is not to eliminate corruption, but to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

TOO POPULAR, MUST TAKE AUTOGRAPH: BIDEN TO MODI

US President Joe Biden jokingly complained to PM Narendra Modi how his popularity in the US was causing problems to him. Biden walked up to PM Modi during the Quad meeting in Hiroshima on Saturday and said he was getting deluged by requests from prominent citizens to attend his programme during his state visit to Washington DC next month, claimed Indian officials who were part of the PM entourage.

The exchange came at the Quad Summit that took place on the sidelines of the G7 meet in Hiroshima.

Australian PM Anthony Albanese, too, said he was finding it difficult to accommodate all requests for a community event in Sydney, where PM Modi will speak on Tuesday.

Biden walked up to PM Modi and said, “You are demonstrating that democracies matter…. You are causing me a real problem. Next month we will have dinner for you in Washington. Everyone in the whole country wants to come. I have run out of tickets. You think I am kidding? Ask my team. I am getting phone calls from people I have never heard of before. Everyone from movie actors to relatives. You are too popular.”

NO FORM OR IDENTITY PROOF REQUIRED FOR EXCHANGING RS 2,000 NOTES

No form or requisition slip is required for exchange of Rs 2,000 notes up to a limit of Rs 20,000 at a time as part of exercise to withdraw high-value currency notes from circulation.

In a communication to chief general manager of all its local head offices, State Bank of India informed that the facility of exchange of Rs 2,000 notes by public up to a limit of Rs 20,000 at a time will be allowed without obtaining any requisition slip.

According to sources, one can stand any number of times in queue for exchange of Rs 2,000 notes.

With regard to deposit of such notes in own account, RBI has not specified any limit but it will be subject to compliance with extant KYC norms and other applicable statutory requirements.

‘INDIA CAN BECOME BIGGEST CHIP PRODUCER IN NEXT 5 YRS’

India will become the biggest semiconductor manufacturing destination in the world in the next five years with the Centre ensuring that the right ecosystem is built, with production in India being the cheapest globally, says Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw.

In December 2021, the Centre had announced a $10 bn semiconductor manufacturing plan with a fabrication plant expected to get approval soon.

Vaishnaw described semiconductor manufacturing and its related ecosystem as “very complex”.

“There is a need for 250-odd very special chemicals and gases, and a reliable power supply… If there is a voltage fluctuation for even three seconds, then the whole day’s production will be impacted… and ultra pure water that has to be manufactured,” the minister explained when asked about some of the constituents of the semiconductor ecosystem that will have to be put in place.

However, there are some challenges that will need to be addressed to kick-start and sustain semiconductor manufacturing in India, Vaishnaw said. “When we are creating a new industry, people have a tendency to wait and watch, which is very natural,” he said.

HIGHEST PRETERM BIRTHS IN INDIA: UN REPORT

India has the highest preterm births — babies who are born alive before 37 weeks of the pregnancy — in the world accounting for about 23 per cent of the preterm births worldwide.

Around 30 lakh preterm babies were born in India in 2020, according to a new report titled “Born too soon: Decade of action on preterm birth” by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). India is followed by Pakistan with 9.4 lakh babies getting born before the complete pregnancy.

Almost half (45 per cent) of all preterm births in 2020 occurred in just five countries: India, Pakistan, Nigeria, China and Ethiopia.

“An estimated 13.4 million babies were born preterm in 2020, meaning that 1 in 10 babies worldwide was ‘born too soon’,” reads the report.

Notably, preterm birth remains the fourth leading cause of loss of human capital worldwide at all ages.

TO MARK ONE MONTH OF PROTEST, WRESTLERS TO HOLD MARCH AT INDIA GATE

For almost four weeks, hundreds of wrestlers have been staging a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding action against Wrestling Federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in two cases of sexual harassment. While the Delhi Police has recorded the statements of seven wrestlers, including of a minor, and questioned Singh, no arrest has been made so far.

The wrestlers Sunday held a khap mahapanchayat with farmer and labour unions and declared that they will now hold a candlelight march at India Gate to mark a month of their protest.

ARCHERY WORLD CUP STAGE-2: PARATHAMESH, 19, BEATS WORLD NO.1 TO WIN GOLD; JYOTHI-OJAS WIN THE MIXED TEAM TITLE

Compound archery is not part of the Olympics, but winning two gold medals at a World Cup augurs well for India’s prospects at the Asian Games later this year.

Teenager Parathamesh Jawkar got the better of World No. 1 Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands to clinch the gold in the men’s individual competition at the World Cup – Stage 2 in Shanghai on Saturday, while Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Deotale pocketed the mixed team title by, beating the top-seeded Koreans. The Indian duo had also emerged on top at the previous World Cup stage in Antalya, Turkey, as well.

It was the feat of youngster Prathamesh which has given India a good vibe for the future. He had upstaged Koreans Kim Jongho and Choi Yonghee earlier in the competition before beating the Dutch stalwart 149-148 in a high-scoring final. The 19-year-old dropped just one point from 15 arrows against the two-time former world champion. That Schloesser dropped only a couple of points himself attests to the high level both finalists maintained.

IPL MATCHES 69 & 70: RCB KNCOKED OUT; MI MAKE IT TO TOP 4

Cameron Green's (100 off 47) magnificent maiden hundred and Rohit Sharma's half century (56 off 37) powered Mumbai Indians to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their concluding league match of IPL 2023, at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, yesterday.

Mumbai knocked off the target of 201 with 12 balls and eight wickets to spare.

Earlier, unheralded Uttarakhand pacer Akash Madhwal nailed his yorkers consistently at the death as Mumbai Indians restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 200 for 5.

In the second match yesterday, Shubman Gill reaffirmed his status as Virat Kohli's heir apparent with a magnificent hundred as Gujarat Titans knocked Royal Challengers Bangalore out of IPL 2023 with a six-wicket win, allowing Mumbai Indians to sneak through as the fourth team in the play-offs, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.

After Kohli scored a 61-ball 101 to steer Royal Challengers Bangalore to a healthy 197/5, it looked like the best effort on the day but Gill, who is touted to be the next big thing in Indian cricket, showed his class with a magnificent century in the run chase.

Gill smashed an unbeaten 104 off 52 balls, hitting Wayne Parnell for a six to finish off the match in grand style. Like Kohli, this was Gill's second successive hundred.

FINAL STANDINGS BEFORE PLAY-OFFS

Team / Points / NRR

Gujarat Titans  20  0.809

Chennai Super Kings 17  0.652

Lucknow Super Giants  17  0.284

Mumbai Indians  16  -0.044

Rajasthan Royals  14  0.148

Royal Challengers Bangalore 14  0.135

PLAY-OFFS SCHEDULE

23 May - Qualifier 1, CSK vs GT, in Chennai

24 May - Eliminator, LSG vs MI, in Chennai

26 MAY - Qualifier 2, in Ahmedabad

28 MAY - Final, in Ahmedabad

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy. - Martin Luther King

OFF TRACK

"The Jewish people have observed their 5758th year as a people." The teacher informed his class. "Consider that the Chinese have observed only their 4695th. What does this mean to you?"

After a reflective pause, Little Johnny volunteered, "Well for one thing, the Jews had to do without Chinese food for 1063 years.