Lai Ching-te took office as Taiwan's new president on Monday, facing an angry and deeply suspicious China that believes he is a "separatist", and a fractious parliament with an opposition champing at the bit to challenge him.

Lai was sworn in at the Japanese-colonial-era presidential office in central Taipei, taking over from Tsai Ing-wen, having served as her vice president for the past four years.

Lai will express goodwill towards China in his inauguration speech on Monday morning, and call for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to pursue peace, according to a senior official briefed on the matter.

Lai wore a purple tie, representing a butterfly native to Taiwan, and a yellow pin on his lapel of mustard flowers, a common plant in fields across the island.

The Supreme Court Collegium has approved the proposal for appointment of two Additional Judges, namely Justice Susmita Phukan Khaund and Justice Mitali Thakuria as permanent Judges of the Gauhati High Court.

The Supreme Court Collegium also approved the proposal for the appointment of Mr Justice Rajesh Sekhri, Additional Judge, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, for a fresh term of one year with effect from 29 July 2024.

The recommendation was made by Supreme Court Collegium comprising Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, and Justice BR Gavai.

Malti Joshi, a celebrated writer and recipient of the Padma Shri award, died at the age of 90 on Wednesday. Joshi had been battling cancer for some time and breathed her last at her son Sachchidanand Joshi’s residence in Delhi. Sachchidanand Joshi, a distinguished litterateur, serves as the member secretary of the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA).

Malti Joshi was known for her prolific literary contributions, with over fifty collections of stories in Hindi and Marathi to her credit. Regarded as one of the most prominent Hindi story writers, Joshi’s storytelling style was renowned for its uniqueness and held a special position in the literary realm. Her works have been extensively studied in universities across India, reflecting the impact of her literary endeavors on both readers and scholars. Throughout her career, she authored more than 60 books and was honored with the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2018 for her significant contributions to literature.

Born on June 4, 1934, in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Malti Joshi received her education in Madhya Pradesh and graduated from the Holkar College of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Indore. She pursued her passion for Hindi literature and earned a Master of Arts degree in the same field in 1956.

Saudi Arabia held its first fashion show featuring swimsuit models on Friday, an envelope-pushing step in a country where less than a decade ago women were required to wear body-covering abaya robes. The poolside show featuring the work of Moroccan designer Yasmina Qanzal included mostly one-piece suits in shades of red, beige and blue. Most models had exposed shoulders and some had their midriffs partially visible. "It's true that this country is very conservative but we tried to show elegant swimsuits which represent the Arab world," Qanzal told AFP.

"When we came here, we understood that a swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia is a historic moment, because it is the first time to have such event," she said, adding it was "an honour" to be involved. The show took place on the second day of the inaugural Red Sea Fashion Week at the St Regis Red Sea Resort, situated off Saudi Arabia's western coast. The resort is part of Red Sea Global, one of the so-called giga-projects at the heart of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 social and economic reform programme overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Indian Army has started receiving the Russian AK-203 assault rifles after the deal with Russia saw back-to-back delays, partly due to the war in Ukraine and payment delays. As many as 27,000 rifles have been handed over to the Army so far by the Indo-Russian joint venture established at Korwa in Uttar Pradesh, according to official sources.

“Everything is on track after initial delays, and 27,000 rifles have been given to the Army. Another 8,000 will be handed over in the next two weeks. Indigenisation level achieved is around 25%,” an official in the know said.

A source said that more than 10,000 rifles have been handed over to Units and additional ones are being inspected.

America’s first Black astronaut candidate finally rocketed into space 60 years later, flying with Jeff Bezos’ rocket company on Sunday.

Ed Dwight was an Air Force pilot when President John F Kennedy championed him as a candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps. But he wasn’t picked for the 1963 class.

Dwight, now 90, went through a few minutes of weightlessness with five other passengers aboard the Blue Origin capsule as it skimmed space on a roughly 10-minute flight. He called it “a life changing experience.”

Vietnam has nominated its Public Security Minister To Lam as its new president, state media said on May 18, after his predecessor resigned in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign that has shaken up the country’s political establishment.

The Communist Party's Central Committee had agreed to the nomination of To Lam, a Politburo member, as President, state-run Vietnam News Agency reported. The nomination will likely be approved by Vietnam’s National Assembly during its next session on May 21.

Former President Vo Van Thuong resigned in March after a little over a year in the position. His predecessor had also resigned in 2023 while taking “political responsibility” for corruption scandals during the pandemic.

On the occasion of World Environment Day, Plastic Free River Campaign i.e. “Towards a Plastic Free Future” is being launched on 5th June. This campaign will be run from 16 to 20 May at 63 places located on the banks of Ganga and its 15 tributary rivers flowing in 7 states Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Organized under the joint aegis of Wildlife Institute of India, National Clean Ganga Mission, Ganga Biodiversity Conservation and Water Project and Social Development for Communities Foundation, the campaign aims to make local residents aware of the adverse effects of plastic pollution on rivers and their biodiversity. Along with this, we also have to warn about the effects on human health and ecosystem.

Let us tell you that this campaign will be jointly run by the Ganga Praharis in the area, which is a group of people selected and trained from the local community, along with the members of NMCG and Jalaj Project. Under the campaign, after conducting river bank cleanliness drive in their area, one kg of plastic waste from each site will be sent to the Plastic Waste Segregation and Learning Center of Social Development for Communities Foundation in Dehradun. From where it will be sorted and sent to various institutions to make products like biofuel and tiles.

In an attempt to promote the culture of sustainability and environment protect, the United Arab Emirates Cabinet led by Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, has announced a 10-year Blue Residence Visa for those who are making exceptional contributions to environmental protection.

The Prime Minister on X emphasised the UAE's unwavering devotion to environmental protection, writing, “The sustainability of our economy has become linked to the sustainability of our environment, and our national directions in this area are clear and consistent." He further emphasised UAE's commitment to protect the environment, how the nation is also ready to develop its international technologies, and develop its higher education systems.

With over 500 of its tanks and infantry combat vehicles deployed in Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army has created a record of sorts by setting up two of world's highest tank repair facilities in that area to support its operations there.

The Indian Army has set up two armoured vehicle maintenance and repair facilities near the China border in Nyoma and the DBO Sector in that region to at altitudes of over 14,500 feet in the area, which is the world's highest battlefield for tanks and infantry combat vehicles along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.

A large number of tanks and BMP combat vehicles, along with Indian-made armoured vehicles like the Quick Reaction Fighting Vehicles, have been deployed in Eastern Ladakh after the stand-off between India and China started in April-May 2020, post-Chinese aggression there.