Notes:
The 5th meeting of the BIMSTEC Sub-Group on Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and precursor Chemicals to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal on 23 May 2018. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation of 7 nations of South Asia and South East Asia, including Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal.

Notes:
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar has been honoured with the Swara Mauli title by Shankarcharya Vidyanarsimha Bharati Swami at her residence Prabhu Kunj in Mumbai on May 13, 2018. The veteran singer has several awards to her credit in her over 7-decade-long career, including three National Awards. Mangeshkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the country, in 2001 – the second vocalist, after MS Subbulakshmi to receive the honour.

Notes:
Kalasala Babu (68), the noted Malayalam film-theatre actor, has passed away in Kochi, Kerala on May 14, 2018. He is known for his drama troupe ‘Kalasala’ Kalasala in Tripunithura, which had artists such as Thilakan and Surasu among others. Born to noted Kathakali artiste Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Mohiniyattam exponent Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma, Babu was active in theatre before making his foray into television and cinema. He had acted in various television serials in his career spanning over four decades. He won the hearts of moviegoers through roles in movies like ‘Kastooriman’, ‘Runway’, ‘Lion’, ‘Perumazhakalam’, ‘Two Countries’ and ‘Mallusinghto’ name a few. He has acted in over 60 Malayalam films.

Notes:
Mansoor Ahmed (49), Pakistan’s World Cup-winning hockey goalkeeper, has passed away in Karachi on May 12, 2018. He was known as the 1994 World Cup hero for Pakistan. Mansoor has been a sporting icon in Pakistan, and played a key hand in the team’s win in the 1994 World Cup in Sydney. He was considered the best hockey goalkeeper in the world during his playing days. He has played 338 international matches, participated in three Olympics and various other high-profile events in a career spanning from 1986 to 2000. In addition to being named the world’s best goalkeeper on four occasions, Ahmed was bestowed with a presidential award in 1988 and the Pride of Performance in 1994.

Notes:
China’s first domestically developed aircraft carrier “Type-001A” has recently started sea trials. The aim of trials is to demonstrate the reliability and capability of the ship’s propulsion systems. The 50,000-metric tonne vessel will become the country’s second aircraft carrier, and the first to be entirely built and designed inside of China, when it joins the navy before 2020. Few countries in the world have aircraft carriers. Besides India, the US, Russia, the UK, France, Italy, Thailand and China operate a total of 18 aircraft carriers.

Notes:
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will set up a skill development centre at ‘Bharosa,’ an integrated support centre for distressed women and children in Hyderabad, Telangana. The purpose of the centre is to empower vulnerable and marginalized women by imparting skills training. ‘Bharosa,’ is a state-of-the-art centre set up by the Hyderabad City Police to support women and children who are victims of violence. ‘Bharosa’ provides under one roof, 24X7 services related to police, medical, legal, prosecution, psycho-therapeutic counselling and relief and rehabilitation services in completely private counselling rooms to maintain confidentiality and privacy. The centre is equipped with well-trained staff and modern gadgets, including facilities like video conferencing, so that the victims need not go to the court.

Notes:
The first meeting of the BIMSTEC Working Group on Customs Cooperation was held in New Delhi, India on 10-11 May 2018. Delegates from all the BIMSTEC Member States, i.e., Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand attended the meeting. The meeting reviewed the progress in matters of BIMSTEC customs cooperation and finalized the draft text of the Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters for BIMSTEC Free Trade Area for submission to the 21st Meeting of the BIMSTEC Trade Negotiating Committee.

Notes:
Nandram Das Bairagi (87), the noted Hindi film lyricist, poet and politician, has passed away in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh on May 13, 2018. The multi-faceted personality, who was also MP minister in the Congress government earlier, was born in Manasa on February 10,1931. He was popularly known as Balkavi Bairagi as he wrote some classic poems in his childhood. He wrote lyrics for more than two dozen Hindi films and some like “Tu Chanda Main Chandni” from the film “Reshma aur Shera” are considered classics. He wrote several Hindi poems, among which, “Jhar gaye paat, bisar gayi tehni” is considered a gem by many Hindi poets. Bairagi was a Lok Sabha member between 1984 and 1989 and also a former Rajya Sabha MP.

Notes:
The Rehala Falls is a tourist attraction on the Leh–Manali Highway in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is a Cascade and Punchbowl type of a waterfall located 16 km from Manali on the way to Rohtang Pass. The fall is surrounded by dense forest cover. The best time to visit the waterfall is between the months of March and November.

Notes:
The World Thalassaemia Day (WTD) is observed every year on May 8 to raise awareness about this deadly disease and the importance of blood donation. Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in the blood in which the body produces abnormally low Red Blood Cells (RBCs) which are the protein carriers. The disease causes a number of complications such as bone deformities, heart palpitations, jaundice and delayed puberty, among others. As the disease is inherited, it cannot be cured but can be managed or treated through blood transfusion and bone-marrow cell transplantation if diagnosed at the right time. The 2018 theme is ‘Thalassaemia past, present and future: Documenting progress and patients’ needs worldwide’.