- May 4, 2023
Morning Digest: May 4, 2023
A scuffle broke out between protesting wrestlers and the police at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi, on May 3, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Curfew in eight districts of Manipur, mobile internet services suspended over tribal stir
Curfew was imposed in eight districts of Manipur and mobile internet services were suspended in the entire northeastern state over violence during a tribal agitation on May 3, officials said. Violence broke out during ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ called by All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand of non-tribal Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
A scuffle broke out at Jantar Mantar between the wrestlers, who are protesting against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and personnel of the Delhi Police late on Wednesday. Bajrang Punia, who is among those leading the agitation, told reporters that some wrestlers were sleeping on wooden cots in the rain, when a few policemen “attacked them” with batons.
Ajay Banga becomes World Bank chief unopposed
Indian-American business leader Ajay Banga was on May 3 appointed as the next President of the World Bank, which said it looks forward to working with him on the World Bank Group Evolution process. In February, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. would be nominating Banga, 63, to lead the World Bank because he is “well equipped” to lead the global institution at “this critical moment in history.”
Jaishankar to hold talks with Chinese FM Qin, Lavrov, host Pakistan FM in Goa
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will hold talks with Foreign Ministers of China and Russia, and other counterparts of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on May 4. He will also come face to face with Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the first time since they had a verbal spat at the U.N. Security Council in December. A meeting of SCO FMs will be held on Friday.
Delhi court summons BBC and two others in connection to PM Modi’s documentary
Delhi’s Rohini Court on May 3 issued summons to the BBC, Wikipedia and Internet Archives on a defamation suit filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Binay Kumar Singh, in relation to its recent documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the defamation complaint of Mr. Kumar, who is the State executive committee member of BJP in Jharkhand, the BBC documentaries, titled ‘India: The Modi Question’, has defamed organisations like the RSS, VHP and the BJP.
India to release manual for organ donation, transplantation soon
The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) is working on a transplant manual as a step-by-step guide for the implementation of organ donation and transplantation programmes in hospitals and a standard course for training of transplant coordinators. Both these documents will be completed and released soon, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement on May 3.
IMD predicts cyclone in Bay of Bengal by May 10
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on May 3 said that a cyclone could likely form at the Bay of Bengal by early next week, however its strength, direction and impact on India was yet to gauged. A low-pressure area is usually a pre-cursor to the development of a cyclone, and according to IMD’s calculations, it is expected to take shape on May 7.
Israeli Foreign Minister to visit India next week
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen will be visiting India next week in what is being seen as the build-up to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to New Delhi later this year. Mr. Cohen will be on a three-day visit to India from May 9 to 11 during which he will hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The high-level visits are being seen as a prelude to the much-anticipated visit of Prime Minister Netanyahu to India later this year.
Airfares likely to rise as Go First cancellations reduce capacity: TAAI
No-frills carrier Go First filing for insolvency proceedings and cancelling flights is bad for the airline industry as the move will reduce capacity and could push airfares in certain routes, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) said on May 3. Bogged down by an acute financial crunch due to grounding of more than half of its fleet amid P&W engine supply woes, Go First has cancelled flights for three days starting May 3.
CBI arrests former CMD of Water and Power Consultancy Services and his son on graft charge
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested former Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Limited chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) Rajinder Kumar Gupta and his son for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to known sources of income. The agency has so far seized about ₹38.38 crore in cash, fixed-deposit receipts, keys of bank lockers and details of accounts in various banks.
UN denounces Taliban intimidation, attacks on Afghan media
The Taliban’s intimidation, threats and attacks on Afghan journalists are unacceptable, the UN said on May 3, as it expressed concern for the future of the country’s media. The UN mission in Afghanistan said that although journalists continue to work, they are forced to navigate “unclear and often arbitrary boundaries of reporting against an ever-present threat of repression and closure.”
One killed, five wounded in Israeli air strikes: Gaza Health Ministry
One Palestinian was killed and five wounded in Israeli air strikes on Gaza before dawn on May 3, the territory’s Health Ministry said. The Ministry said the man was 58 and was killed in an air strike north of Gaza City. The Israeli strikes came shortly before Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad announced a truce had been reached after militants fired dozens of rockets at Israel following the death of a hunger striker in Israeli custody.
