KEY STORYLINES
- AFRICA: Suspected rebels from Nigeria’s Islamist militant group Boko Haram attacked a Chinese plant in northern Cameroon near the town of Waza.
- AMERICAS: The Colombian government has reached an agreement with FARC rebels in the fight against drug trafficking and cultivation of illicit crops.
- ASIA: A plane carrying several senior Laotian government officials crashed Saturday morning, killing at least three people, including minister of defense, Douangchay Phichit.
- EUROPE: European issues need to be addressed continually, rather than only ahead of European Parliament elections, said European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic.
- MIDDLE EAST: UNSG Ban Ki-moon condemned rebels for cutting water supplies to the besieged northern Syrian city of Aleppo, calling for services to be restored immediately.
- TECHNOLOGY: Apple and Google’s Motorola Mobility unit have agreed to settle all patent litigation between them over smartphone technology, ending one of the highest-profile lawsuits in technology.
TOP STORY
- India: Delhi, world welcomes Modi as challenges lay ahead
- India’s prime minister-designate Narendra Modi arrived here Saturday to a huge welcome of supporters at the airport after winning a sweeping victory in the general election.
- A congratulatory phone call from President Barack Obama to Modi with an invitation to visit Washington aims to reset US policy towards India.
- Incoming-PM Modi’s biggest challenges will be to revive the economy, curb food inflation and create jobs for the country’s youth.
- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left office Saturday, ending a 10-year run that began with strong economic growth but collapsed amid corruption scandals and political paralysis that he was seen as too aloof to stop.
- After a landslide electoral triumph Friday by the Bharatiya Janata Party of Hindu nationalists, some Muslims here said they were worried that their place in India could become even more tenuous.
- Coverage: BBC, IANS, LAT, NYT, Xinhua
AFRICA
- Algeria: President Bouteflika announced a series of proposed amendments to the constitution to be considered at a national conference in June, including reintroducing two-term presidential limits. (Al-Awsat)
- Cameroon: Suspected rebels from Nigeria’s Islamist militant group Boko Haram attacked a Chinese plant in the northern town of Waza. (Reuters)
- Guinea-Bissau: UNSG Ban Ki-moon called on voters in Guinea-Bissau to continue to show sense of civic duty in Sunday’s presidential run-off, which is expected to bring the country’s transition period to an end. (Xinhua)
- Kenya: The United States condemns ” despicable” terrorist attacks in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, that have killed at least 10 people and left 70 others injured. (Xinhua)
- Nigeria: The country has concluded plans to launch a national policy on renewable energy and energy efficiency to boost power supply in the country. (Xinhua)
AMERICAS
- Brazil: The Brazilian Air Force is in talks to purchase 20 Harpoon missiles manufactured by U.S. company Boeing, including 16 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles designed for attacking ships or above-water submarines, and another four intended for training. (Xinhua)
- Colombia: The government reached an agreement with FARC rebels in the fight against drug trafficking and cultivation of illicit crops, both sides announced. (CNN)
- Cuba: A federal judge in Washington ordered the US military to at least temporarily stop force-feeding a hunger striking prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay naval base. (AP)
- Guatemala: Dozens of war survivors and human rights activists are protesting against a congressional resolution that denies there was any attempt to commit genocide during the country’s bloody 36-year civil war. (AP)
ASIA
- Region: UNSG Ban Ki- moon on Friday voiced his confidence in seeing a successful summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), in an effort to promote peace and development in Asia. (Xinhua)
- Bangladesh: Rescuers called off the search for missing passengers of a sunken ferry in central Bangladesh on Saturday after retrieving 40 bodies, causing anger among relatives of those still unaccounted for. (AP)
- Laos: A plane carrying several senior Laotian government officials crashed Saturday morning, killing at least three people, including minister of defense, Douangchay Phichit. (NYT)
EUROPE
- Region: European issues need to be addressed continually, rather than only ahead of European Parliament elections, said European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic. (Xinhua)
- Region: Slovenia dispatched two helicopters and rescue teams to Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) on Friday after the two countries were attacked by the cyclone Tamara with downpour, strong wind and low temperatures. (Xinhua)
- Bulgaria: Customs and border police have seized 54.737 kg heroin at the Danube Bridge checkpoint near Russe at the border with Romania. (Xinhua)
MIDDLE EAST
- Region: Venezuelan President Maduro pledged to send oil and diesel to the Palestinian Authority, as part of agreements signed with its leader Mahmud Abbas during his visit to Caracas. (AFP)
- Iraq: US Vice President Biden “strongly” urged the government of Iraq to ensure the safety of the civilian population in its “difficult” fight against terrorism. (Xinhua)
- Syria: UNSG Ban Ki-moon condemned rebels yesterday for cutting water supplies to the besieged northern Syrian city of Aleppo, calling for services to be restored immediately. (AFP)
- Syria: The UN Security Council is expected to vote Thursday on a resolution to haul Syria before the International Criminal Court, although Russian and Chinese opposition will likely doom the measure. (AFP)
TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Technology: Apple and Google’s Motorola Mobility unit have agreed to settle all patent litigation between them over smartphone technology, ending one of the highest-profile lawsuits in technology. (Reuters)
WORLD
- Cyclones: Nothing to Report
- Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
- Earthquakes: 113km NE of Grande Anse, Guadeloupe
- Magnitude: 6.0
- Depth: 24.5
- Map
- Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
- Cases: 248 (Guinea, Mali, Liberia, Sierra Leone)
- Deaths: 171 (Guinea, Liberia)
- Sourcing: WHO
- Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
- Cases: Global Number of Cases as of 08MAY: 496 (Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Italy, France, Germany, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, UAE, United Kingdom, Egypt, US, Yemen)
- Deaths: Global Number of Deaths as of 08MAY: 93 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman)
TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (18MAY)
- Guinea Bissau: Run-off election
- India: Anniversary of India’s first nuclear test – 1974
- Sri Lanka: Anniversary of the end of fighting between the Sri Lankan Government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – 2009
END
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