 After visiting Vietnam, President of India Ram Nath Kovind was in Australia on his second leg of 2-Nation visit. He met Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Sydney. He became the first Indian President to visit Australia. 5 MoUs were exchanged in the field of disability sector, education, trade-investment, scientific cooperation, agriculture and on higher education focussing on PhD by both the nations. The objective of MoUs is to facilitate bilateral investment flow in both countries. Mr Kovind also unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Parramatta in Sydney. The President addressed the International Business Summit 2018 organized by Australian Financial Review on Australia-India economic engagement. |
| Source- AIR World Service |
 The Embassy of India in Nepal and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)organized an exhibition of construction equipment and technology-ConMac 2018 in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu, Nepal. With more than 200,000 sq ft of display area, the exhibition is poised to be Nepal’s largest exhibition of construction equipment. Nepal’s Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth will inaugurate the event. Ambassador of India to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri will be the Guest of Honour. The exhibition aims to further enhance high level engagements between construction industry of the two countries. |
| Source- DD News |
 The President of India Ram Nath Kovind was on 2 nation Visit to Vietnam and Australia. On first leg he visited Vietnam. India and Vietnam released a Joint Statement after extensive talks between Vietnam President Nguyen Phu Trong and Indian President Ram Nath Kovind. |
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Following the talks, 4 MoU’s were signed between the two nations. The agreements are as follows:
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| Source- DD News |
 Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which lead a military coalition against the Huthi rebels in Yemen, announced USD 500 million in aid to the country on the brink of famine. Saudi Arabia and the UAE will each give USD 250 million in response to the food crisis to support more than 10 million people. Saudi Arabia and the UAE intervened in the Yemen war in 2015 to bolster Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after the Huthis took over the capital Sanaa. |
| Source- AIR World Service |
 The 26th meeting of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM)was held at Versailles(Paris), France. The members have voted for the redefinition of 130 years old “Le grand K – the SI unit of kg” in terms of the fundamental Planck’s constant(h). The new definitions will come into force on 20 May 2019. The definition of kilogram has been changed from being the mass of prototype sanctioned by the 1st CGPM held in Paris in 1889 and deposited at the BIPM to the Planck constant which is a physical constant. Likewise, the definition of meter has been changed to link it to the speed of light. There is a change in the definition of time also. |
| Source: Press Information Bureau |
 The Maldives cabinet has approved to rejoin the Commonwealth, two years after withdrawing from the 53-nation grouping. The announcement was made by New President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Now, the proposal will be sent to Parliament for ratification. The country left the Commonwealth during former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration in October 2016, amid mounting pressure over corruption and deteriorating human rights. |
| Source- AIR World Service |
 French President Emmanuel Macron and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI have inaugurated Morocco’s first high-speed rail line, the first ever such line in Africa. The $2 billion project was launched in September 2011 by the king and Nicolas Sarkozy, then president of France. Known as the LGV, it will connect the economic hubs of Tangier and Casablanca in 2 hours 10 minutes at a speed of up to 320 kph (199 mph) instead of almost 5 hours on a regular train. |
| Source: The New York Times |
 The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously agreed to lift sanctions against Eritrea after nine years. An arms embargo, asset freeze, and travel ban were imposed in 2009 amid claims that Eritrea supported al-Shabab militants in Somalia. Eritrea agreed on a peace deal with Ethiopia following two decades of animosity, while the leader of Eritrea and the UN-backed government in Somalia recently signed a joint cooperation agreement. |
| Source- News On AIR |
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the world’s largest financial technology festival Fintech in Singapore. Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister stated Fintech is a celebration of belief in the spirit of innovation and power of technology. Mr Modi is the first Head of Government to deliver his address at Singapore in the event. About 30 thousand people attended the keynote address of Mr. Modi at this Festival. |
| Source- The Indian Express |
 Palau has become the first country to ban reef toxic sunscreen by 2020 in an attempt to protect its coral reefs after the president of the country signed a bill into law. Palau defines the banned “reef-toxic” sunscreens as containing any one of 10 chemicals, including oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are found in the vast majority of sunscreens sold in the U.S., according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. |
| Source- The Guardian |
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