1. India Launches Its 2nd IT Corridor In China.
India launched its second "information technology corridor" in China on Sunday to cash in on the burgeoning Chinese software market, which remained elusive despite the presence of top Indian tech firms in the large Asian nation. India`s first IT corridor in China was launched in the Chinese port city of Dalian last December, with a focus on Internet of Things or IOT.
The National Association of Software and Services Companies or NASSCOM has now set up one more digital collaborative opportunities plaza, also known as the SIDCOP platform, in China`s Guiyang to give market access to Indian IT firms in the huge Chinese market, the NASSCOM said in a statement.
Agreements worth $6 million were signed between Indian service providers and Chinese customers at the launch of the corridor by China`s Guiyang municipal government and the NASSCOM, an official of the industry lobby group said.
The pilot projects launched on the SIDCOP platform would be executed over the next year, a NASSCOM statement said.
India`s top IT firms have a big presence in China. The IT corridor at Dalian is expected to provide a gateway for big as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. The Dalian IT corridor was formally launched a few days ago.
While the Dalian corridor`s focus was on IOT or Internet of Things, the Guiyang corridor will focus on big data, said Gagan Sabharwal, senior director, global trade development NASSCOM.
At the launch of the Guiyang IT corridor, India`s ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale said the corridor will promote local offices and help companies from Guiyang to set up software and IT units in India.
Indian company Zeta-V will set up an artificial intelligence-enabled platform for SIDCOP to bring together the IT requirements of Chinese companies, particularly in Guiyang, Mr Bambawale said.
"In this way, we will be marrying together the requirements of Chinese companies with the capabilities of Indian IT service providers. We visualise that these initiatives will give a big impetus to cooperation between India and China in the IT-enabled services sector," he said.
2.Hamburg To Host 2018 Global Wind Summit.
The first edition of the Global Wind Summit will be hosted by Germany from September 25-28, 2018 at Hamburg.
Highlights of the first Global Wind Summit:
1. The Global Wind Summit 2018 will be the biggest meeting point for business, networking and information for the whole of the wind industry – onshore and offshore.
2. The summit combines two conferences ‘WindEnergy Hamburg’ and ‘WindEurope’.
3. WindEurope, in partnership with Wind Energy Hamburg, will host the Global Wind Summit 2018 in the Hamburg Messe.
4. Over 1400 exhibitors will gather for WindEnergy Hamburg, the world’s leading wind energy expo, with an aim to network, do business and maximise visibility before a truly global audience.
5. Over 50 conference sessions by 250 experts of WindEurope will put attendees at the forefront of every aspect of the wind industry in 2018.
6. The event will witness participation from over 100 countries including India, China, the US, Spain and Denmark.
7. It will provide a platform for experts from across the globe to discuss innovative and green technologies for harnessing wind energy making.
8. The conferences will deliberate on the ways to develop new markets, make product competitive in auctions and use wind power for all energy applications.
3. Colombia To Be NATO`s 1st Latin American ‘Gobal Partner’.
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia will next week formally join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, making it the only Latin American nation in the alliance, President Juan Manuel Santos said late on Friday.
Colombia will join as a “global partner”, Santos said, which means it will not necessarily have to take part in military action, and will be fully accredited in Brussels.
The 29-nation NATO alliance reached a partnership agreement with Colombia back in May 2017, just after peace was signed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, an agreement that earned Santos a Nobel Peace Prize.
“Colombia benefits a lot from being an active part of the international community, many of the problems we face are increasingly global and need the support and collaboration of other countries for their solution,” Santos said in a televised address.
Other global partners include Afghanistan, Australia, Iraq, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand and Pakistan.
The partnership with Colombia will cooperate on global security areas like cyber and maritime security, terrorism and links to organized crime, according to NATO’s website.
The announcement came just hours after the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) approved Colombia as a new member.
“Being part of the OECD and NATO improves the image of Colombia and allows us to have much more play on the international stage,” Santos said.
4. PM Leaves On 3-Nation Tour To Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make a brief stopover in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday on his way back from Indonesia during which he will meet his newly elected Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohammad. Modi will leave for a two-nation tour of Indonesia and Singapore tomorrow with an aim to boost ties in several key sectors, including defence and trade.
His first destination will be Indonesia from where he will travel to Singapore on Thursday. “He will also make a brief stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 31 to meet the newly elected Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr Mahathir Mohammad,” the External Affairs Ministry said.
Ninety-two-year-old Mahathir was sworn in as Malaysia’s prime minister on May 10 after leading the opposition alliance to a stunning election victory over the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which had ruled Malaysia since 1957.
During their meeting, Modi and Mahathir are expected to deliberate on ways to deepen bilateral relationship in a range of areas, including trade and investment.
The prime minister’s official engagements in Jakarta and Singapore include bilateral meetings with the leadership of the two countries, delegation level talks, and meetings with the business and Indian communities. In Singapore, Modi will deliver the key-note address at the 17th Shangri-la Dialogue.
“Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, three countries in ASEAN, are strategic Partners of India. Government of India attaches high importance to its relations with the ASEAN region and is committed to deepening its relationship with individual ASEAN member states, within the framework of Government’s Act East Policy,” the ministry said. It said the visit would enable the leaders to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
5. International Day Of UN Peacekeepers: 29 May.
This year, the United Nations celebrates the 70th anniversary of UN peacekeeping, a unique and dynamic instrument developed to help countries torn by conflict create the conditions for lasting peace.
The theme for the 2018 International Day of UN Peacekeepers is “70 Years of Service and Sacrifice.” The Day, 29 May, offers a chance to pay tribute to the contributions of uniformed and civilian personnel to the work of the Organization and to honour more than 3,700 peacekeepers who have lost their lives serving under the UN flag since 1948, including 129 who died last year.
This year, the United Nations celebrates the 70th anniversary of UN peacekeeping, a unique and dynamic instrument developed to help countries torn by conflict create the conditions for lasting peace.
The first UN peacekeeping mission was established on 29 May 1948, when the Security Council authorized the deployment of a small number of UN military observers to the Middle East to form the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
Over seven decades, more than one million men and women have served under the United Nations flag in 71 peacekeeping operations, directly impacting the lives of hundreds of millions of people, protecting the world’s most vulnerable and saving countless lives. Our peacekeepers make immense sacrifices, often serving at great personal risk and under challenging conditions. The families of peacekeepers and their governments share this sacrifice.
6. PM Modi 3-Nation Visit: India & Indonesia Sign 15 MoUs.
India and Indonesia have signed 15 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s visit to Jakarta.
At the end of the delegation level talks led by Prime Minister Modi and President Joko Widodo, the two countries signed MoUs in various fields including, defence, space technology, scientific and technological cooperation, railways, health, medicine, public administration and interaction between think tanks. Both countries also agreed to celebrate 70 years of their diplomatic relations in 2019-20 .
Under Business to Business (B2B) and Government to Business (G2B) the agreements were signed between Kite Museum Ahmedabad and Layang Layang Gujarat to promote and popularise the art of kite designing.
Archaeological Survey of India and Indonesia`s PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan and Ratu Boko have decided to work together on beautifying world cultural heritage of the Prambanan Temple and the Taj Mahal.
The MoU on scholarship cooperation programme was also signed, that would facilitate study and research at IIIT Bangalore.
Prime Minister Modi, who is on a three-nation tour to Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, reached Jakarta last evening.
He began his first official engagement in the Indonesian capital by laying a wreath at the Kalibata National Heroes Cemetery and was then accorded a ceremonial welcome with a guard of honour at the Istana Merdeka-one of the six presidential palaces of Indonesia.
The aim of the visit is to enhance India`s relations and engagements with all the three countries, which forms Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
7. World No Tobacco Day: 31 May.
Every year, on 31 May, WHO and partners mark World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), highlighting the health and other risks associated with tobacco use, and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.
The focus of World No Tobacco Day 2018 is "Tobacco and heart disease." The campaign will increase awareness on the:
link between tobacco and heart and other cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including stroke, which combined are the world’s leading causes of death;
feasible actions and measures that key audiences, including governments and the public, can take to reduce the risks to heart health posed by tobacco.
World No Tobacco Day 2018 coincides with a range of global initiatives and opportunities aimed at addressing the tobacco epidemic and its impact of public health, particularly in causing the death and suffering of millions of people globally. These actions include the WHO-supported Global Hearts and RESOLVE initiatives, which aim to reduce cardiovascular disease deaths and improve care, and the third United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of NCDs , being held in 2018.
8. World’s Largest International Maritime Exercise RIMPAC.
The biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercise, led by the US 3rd fleet, was first held in 1971. This year’s exercise, the 26th RIMPAC, will include first-time participants from Israel, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans.
Last week, the Commander of the US 3rd Fleet hosted the final planning conference (FPC) for the exercise. More than 1,000 personnel from 27 countries participating in RIMPAC 2018 attended the FPC to streamline preparations for the exercise.
The IDF Spokesperson`s Unit confirmed the participation of the Israeli Navy in the exercise: "As part of the efforts to maintain its competence and develop its capabilities, the Navy takes part in international exercises regularly. In the coming weeks, Israel`s naval arm is expected to participate in the RIMPAC exercise, one of the largest exercises in the field of naval warfare."