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The world-renowned BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi celebrated Ram Navami and Swaminarayan Jayanti with immense devotion and grandeur, marking a landmark moment for cultural and spiritual harmony in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A statement mentioned that devotees from across the region gathered at the temple to participate in a series of devotional and cultural events.

According to Pujya Brahmavihari Swami, the head priest of the temple, a full day of celebrations was organized, beginning with Ram Bhajans from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed by the Shri Ram Janmotsav Aarti at 12 noon.

“The celebrations witnessed a massive turnout of devotees and visitors, united in devotion to Lord Ram and Bhagwan Swaminarayan. This spiritual gathering served as a beacon of peace, unity, and eternal Hindu values, echoing across borders,” the statement read.

One of the highlights of the event was a special cultural presentation by the BAPS on a stage designed to resemble the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. Through music, drama, and storytelling, the young artists brought to life the divine and inspiring life of Lord Ram*, captivating the audience.

The BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi continues to stand as a symbol of interfaith harmony, devotion, and global Hindu pride.

Rama Navami is a Hindu festival which celebrates the birth of Lord Ram — one of the most popularly revered deities in Hinduism.

Lord Ram is also known as the seventh ‘avatar’ of Vishnu.

Ram Navami falls on the ninth day of the ‘Shukla Paksha’ of the lunar cycle of ‘Chaitra’ (March-April) which is the last month in the Hindu calendar.

Ram Navami is also a part of the Chaitra Navaratri festival.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday lamented the lack of a US response to Russia’s refusal to sign “a full, unconditional ceasefire” as two people were killed in Moscow’s latest aerial bombardment.

Russia mounted a “massive” missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight that also wounded seven people, Zelensky said, warning that Moscow was stepping up its aerial barrage of his country.

Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional truce in the more than three-year-long war proposed by the United States but Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to do so.

“We are waiting for the United States to respond — so far there has been no response,” complained Zelensky.

Russia on Sunday claimed the capture of a village in Ukraine’s Sumy region in a rare cross-border advance.

Earlier in the day, Russia “launched a massive nationwide attack on Ukraine using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones”, said Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

Zelensky warned that “the number of Russian air attacks is increasing”, which he said proved that “the pressure on Russia is still insufficient”.

In the capital Kyiv, explosions were heard overnight and a dark plume of smoke rose up from the city early on Sunday morning, AFP journalists saw.

“Preliminarily, one person was killed, and three were wounded, two of them were admitted to hospital,” the head of the city’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, wrote on social media.

City mayor Vitali Klitschko said that “the body of a man killed in an enemy attack was discovered in Darnytsia district. He was on the street, near the epicentre of the explosion. The man’s identity is being established.”

‘Strong action’ needed

A missile strike partially destroyed a building housing state foreign-language broadcasters, the Russian-language Freedom television channel reported, saying that its newsroom had been destroyed.

Emergency services said that during attacks, fires broke out in Kyiv in non-residential buildings, damaging a multi-storey business centre, a furniture factory and warehouses. In the nearby Kyiv region, a man was burnt when an attack sparked a house fire, the head of the military administration said.

The emergency services posted footage of smoke rising from charred debris, a gutted hangar and a large multi-storey administrative building with the roof torn off and windows blown out.

Overnight, Russia attacked Ukraine with 23 cruise and ballistic missiles and 109 drones, the Ukrainian air force said, causing damage to six regions.

The air force said it shot down 13 of the missiles and 40 drones while 54 others caused no damage.

In the southern Kherson region, a drone killed a 59-year-old man, while in the northeastern Kharkiv region near the border with Russia, two were wounded in an attack using guided aerial bombs, regional officials said.

In western Ukraine’s Khmelnytsky region, authorities said air defences destroyed a missile but falling fragments damaged a house and a woman was wounded.

Over the past week, Russia has launched more than 1,460 guided aerial bombs, nearly 670 attack drones, and over 30 missiles of various types on Ukraine, Zelensky said.

On Sunday French President Emmanuel Macron echoed Zelensky’s calls for a stronger response to Russia.

“A ceasefire is needed as soon as possible. And strong action if Russia continues to try to buy time and refuse peace,” Macron said on X in French and Ukrainian, saying that Moscow continued “to murder children and civilians”. 

Cross-border advance

Russia’s defence ministry said troops “liberated” the village of Basivka, close to the border with Russia’s Kursk region, only the second time it has claimed an advance into the region since 2022.

Moscow claimed the capture of another village in Sumy region in early March but Ukraine has not confirmed that Russia has taken territory there, saying it is managing to destroy small Russian assault groups attempting to cross the border.

The latest attacks came two days after a missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rig killed 18 people including nine children on Friday evening.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on Sunday denounced Russia’s “reckless disregard” for human life in using “an explosive weapon with wide area effects”.

Russia on Sunday said it had struck a central artillery base and enterprises involved in producing drones, and hit its targets. 

It accused Ukraine of striking its energy infrastructure including a gas distribution facility in the Voronezh region.

US President Donald Trump is pushing the two sides to agree to a partial ceasefire, but his administration has failed to broker an accord acceptable to both. 

The United States is also seeking a thaw in ties with Russia and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev in an interview with state television said that the next US-Russian contacts could be “already next week”, Russian news agencies reported.

Dmitriev visited Washington last week — becoming the most senior Russian official to do so since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

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French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday called for “strong action” if Russia continued “to refuse peace”, days after a Russian ballistic missile killed nine children in Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown.

Despite US and European efforts to secure peace in Ukraine, Russia continued “to murder children and civilians”, Macron said.

“My thoughts are with the children and all civilian victims of the bloody attacks carried out by Russia, including on April 4 in Kryvyi Rig,” Macron said on X in French and Ukrainian. 

“A ceasefire is needed as soon as possible. And strong action if Russia continues to try to buy time and refuse peace.”

On Friday, a missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rig killed 20 people, including nine children. The youngest victim was a three-year-old boy. The missile struck a residential area near a children’s playground.

Macron said that even though Ukraine accepted US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a complete ceasefire and European countries were also working to secure peace, “Russia is continuing the war with renewed intensity, with no regard for civilians.”

Zelensky said on Sunday that Moscow was increasing its aerial bombardment after Russia mounted a “massive” missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight, killing two people.

“The pressure on Russia is still insufficient,” he added.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday rejected direct negotiations with the United States as “meaningless”, after US President Donald Trump said he would prefer direct talks with the Islamic Republic.

Trump had called last month on Tehran to hold negotiations on its nuclear programme with Washington, but threatened to bomb Iran if diplomacy fails.

On Thursday, the US president said he would prefer to hold “direct talks” with Iran.

“I think it goes faster and you understand the other side a lot better than if you go through intermediaries,” he argued.

But on Sunday, Araghchi said “direct negotiations would be meaningless with a party that constantly threatens to resort to force in violation of the UN Charter and that expresses contradictory positions from its various officials”.

“We remain committed to diplomacy and are ready to try the path of indirect negotiations,” he added, according to a foreign ministry statement.

“Iran keeps itself prepared for all possible or probable events, and just as it is serious in diplomacy and negotiations, it will also be decisive and serious in defending its national interests and sovereignty,” Araghchi said.

On Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was willing to engage in dialogue with the US “on equal footing”.

He also questioned Washington’s sincerity in calling for negotiations, saying “if you want negotiations, then what is the point of threatening?”

Nuclear Programme

Western countries, led by the United States, have for decades accused Tehran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

Iran rejects the allegation and maintains that its nuclear activities exist solely for civilian purposes.

On Saturday Hossein Salami, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said the country was “ready” for war.

“We are not worried about war at all. We will not be the initiators of war, but we are ready for any war,” the official IRNA news agency reported him as saying.

In 2015, Iran reached a landmark deal with the permanent members of the UN Security Council, namely the United States, France, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom, as well as Germany, to regulate its nuclear activities.

The 2015 agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme to guarantee that Tehran could not develop a nuclear weapon.

In 2018, during Trump’s first term in office, the United States withdrew from the agreement and reinstated biting sanctions on Iran.

A year later, Iran began rolling back on its commitments under the agreement and accelerated its nuclear programme.

On Monday, Ali Larijani, a close adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that while Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons, it would “have no choice but to do so” in the event of an attack against it.

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Sri Lanka on Sunday released at least 11 Indian fishermen as a special gesture, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for resolving the vexed fishermen issue with a “humane approach”.

The fishermen issue figured prominently during talks between PM Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Saturday.

“We also discussed issues related to fishermen’s livelihood. We agreed that we should proceed with a humane approach in this matter,” Modi said in his media statement after meeting Dissanayake.

“We also emphasised on immediate release of the fishermen and their boats,” he said.

At least 11 Indian fishermen were released as a special gesture, people familiar with the matter said.

The fishermen issue is a contentious one in ties between the two sides.

There have been several alleged incidents in the past of Sri Lankan Navy personnel using force against Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait which is a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka.

At a media briefing on Saturday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the fishermen issue was discussed in “considerable detail” between the two sides.

“As the prime minister said himself during his remarks, there was an emphasis on the need to adopt a humanitarian and constructive approach to cooperation on these issues because these are ultimately issues that impact the livelihood of fishermen on both sides of the Palk Bay,” he said.

“The prime minister emphasised that at the end of the day, it is a daily issue for the fishermen and that certain actions that have been taken in recent times could be reconsidered,” Misri said.

The foreign secretary said both sides also emphasised the need to intensify the institutional discussions on the issue.

“Both sides are in touch with each other on the possibility of convening the next round of fishermen’s association talks between Sri Lanka and India,” he said.

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Three US aid workers were laid off while in Myanmar helping the rescue and recovery from the country’s massive earthquake, a former senior staffer said, as the Trump administration’s dismantling of foreign aid affects its disaster response.

After travelling to the Southeast Asian nation, the three officials were told late this week they would be let go, Marcia Wong, a former official at the US Agency for International Development, told Reuters.

“This team is working incredibly hard, focused on getting humanitarian aid to those in need. To get news of your imminent termination – how can that not be demoralising?” said Wong, former deputy administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, which oversees Washington’s disease response efforts overseas.

President Donald Trump’s government has pledged at least $9 million to Myanmar after the magnitude-7.7 quake, which has killed more than 3,300. But his administration’s massive cuts to USAID have hindered its ability to respond, while China, Russia, India and other nations have rushed in assistance.

The Trump administration has moved to fire nearly all USAID staff in recent weeks, as billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has slashed funding and dismissed contractors across the federal bureaucracy in what it calls an attack on wasteful spending.

The three USAID workers have been sleeping on the streets in the earthquake zone, Wong said, adding that their terminations would take effect in a few months. Residents have been sleeping outside for fear of aftershocks and further building collapses, 

Wong said she is in contact with the remaining USAID staff and that she heard about the terminations after an all-staff meeting on Friday.

Former USAID staff say most of the people who would have coordinated the response have been let go, while third-party implementing partners have lost contracts.

The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday rejected criticism that Washington was slow to respond to the March 28 earthquake because USAID was dismantled.

Rather, he told reporters in Brussels, Myanmar was not “the easiest place to work”, saying the military government does not like the United States and prevents it from operating in the country as it wants to.

The United Nations has said the junta was limiting humanitarian aid.

Rubio said the US would no longer be the world’s top humanitarian donor, calling on other wealthy nations to step up in assisting Myanmar.

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US tech-billionaire Elon Musk said on Saturday he hoped in future to see complete freedom of trade between the United States and Europe, speaking days after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on trading partners.

Musk, a Trump adviser who has been working to eliminate wasteful US public spending, spoke via video-link at a congress in Florence of Italy’s right-wing, co-ruling League Party.

“At the end of the day, I hope it’s agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally, in my view, to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,” Musk said.

Under Trump’s plans announced on Wednesday, Italy, which has a large trade surplus with the United States, will be subject to a general tariff of 20% along with other European Union countries.

Interviewed by League leader Matteo Salvini, Musk, who has repeatedly expressed support for right-wing parties across Europe, said he also hoped to see greater freedom of movement between Europe and the United States.

“If people wish to work in Europe or wish to work in North America, they should be allowed to do so in my view,” Musk said, adding that this “has certainly been my advice to the president.”

Musk, who has been close in the past to Italy’s rightist Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party, has also expressed support for Salvini’s League.

Both groups have a hard-right agenda based on law-and-order, tax cuts and cracking down on irregular immigration.

Italy’s Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, who is from the League, said earlier on Saturday the government wanted “de-escalation” with the US following Trump’s tariff announcement, and warned against imposing retaliatory tariffs.

Musk last month expressed gratitude to Salvini after the League chief said Italy should pick his Starlink company to obtain a system for satellite communications.

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Jaguar said it is developing its mid to longer-term plans.

Airbus, the world’s largest aeroplane manufacturer has unveiled plans for its new commercial aircraft that will be soaring in the sky next decade. The innovative design features a single-aisle aircraft having foldable wings, which the company is developing under its highly ambitious ‘Wing of Tomorrow’ programme.

Airbus said it was making progress towards designing the wing which has been inspired by albatross – a bird known for its incredible wingspans and long-distance flying abilities, according to a report in news.com.au. The company said it was also studying new composite materials which will make the aircraft lighter and stronger than current options.

The company claims that the foldable wings would give the aircraft a longer wingspan during flight which would increase lift and reduce drag, while still making it compatible with airport gates. In turn, the new aeroplane is expected to be 20-30 per cent more efficient than the current A320neo family and will integrate advanced automation.

“If you’re on an aircraft flying as a passenger, the aircraft will come in to land on the runway and as it turns onto the taxiway, the wings will fold so that a section moves in out of the way so the aircraft can taxi into the terminal and passengers can offload,” said Sue Partridge, head of the Airbus ‘Wing of Tomorrow’ program.

“The aircraft, while it’s taxiing back out to the runway, will unfold those wings and they will of course will lock in place and the aircraft will take off.”

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Airbus is also developing an open-fan engine that operates at the same speed as the ducted fan and hydrogen-powered aircraft. Still, the latter is not expected to be ready for the next-generation single-aisle aircraft that will launch next decade.

“We need to make sure that these technologies come to maturity and that we can bet our design on them, and we are not there yet,” said Bruno Fichefeux, head of future programmes at Airbus.

“Our target would be to introduce an aircraft in the second half of the next decade.”

Notably, Airbus’ rival, Boeing is also developing folding wingtips on the 777X wide-body aircraft for airport gate compatibility purposes. The aircraft is still undergoing flight testing after years of certification delays.

In unleashing global tariffs, President Donald Trump has vowed to remake the world to benefit US workers. One beneficiary could be the country he sees as the primary adversary — China.

Asia’s largest economy promptly slapped identical tariffs on the United States and said it would impose export controls on rare earth elements vital in consumer and medical technology.

But unlike during his first term, this time Trump is targeting not just China but the entire world — including American allies that had increasingly joined Washington’s firm line on Beijing.

Just days before Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs announcement, China moved to revive stalled free-trade talks with Japan and South Korea, both treaty-bound US allies with deep-rooted skepticism about Beijing.

“If Trump’s unilateralism continues, I expect Beijing to court these capitals more aggressively, positioning itself as the steadier economic anchor in the region,” said Lizzi Lee, a fellow on the Chinese economy at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis.

“And let’s not forget the optics. China is very much framing Trump’s tariffs as proof of US decline — resorting to protectionism, bullying allies and retreating from global norms,” she said.

Yun Sun, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, said she had expected China to be “a little more chill” in response to Trump’s tariffs but said Beijing did not appear as worried as during his first term.

“I think the Chinese see this more as opportunity and believe the US is actively undermining itself,” she said.

“There are a number of aggrieved parties that had been solid and loyal allies of the US,” she added. “Now their confidence in the approach that the US is taking around the world is — I wouldn’t say shattered — but at least in doubt.”

– Burying US opening to China –

To be sure, China will likely feel real pain from the US tariffs. It shipped more than $500 billion in goods to the United States last year, with the trade balance far in China’s favor.

Critics of China hailed what they saw as a death knell for a former near-consensus in Washington on the value of integrating the Asian power into the global economy.

“The idea that Communist China could be a responsible member of an international trade regime — the World Trade Organization — which should be premised on equal and fair trade, is a joke,” said Representative Chris Smith, a Republican who for decades has railed against Bill Clinton’s 1994 delinking of China’s trading privileges from human rights.

“Unlike previous presidents, President Trump fully understands the nature and scope of the problem — and the existential threat posed by China — and what needs to be done,” Smith said.

Jacob Stokes, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, noted that China still has a slew of issues with other countries, from territorial disputes with Japan, India and Southeast Asia to concerns in Europe over China’s embrace of Russia in the Ukraine war.

“China has been adept at undermining its own positions, especially with its neighbors, through assertiveness and even aggression,” Stokes said.

– Attention shifts from China –

But Stokes said that former president Joe Biden had been effective in forming coalitions with other countries to put pressure on China, on issues from access to fifth-generation internet networks to security.

“To the extent that Beijing was feeling a little bit isolated at the end of the Biden administration, I think that a lot of that pressure has come off as the locus of disruption is now clearly Washington,” Stokes said.

While both Trump and Biden policymakers have identified China as the top US rival, Lee, of the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Trump fundamentally saw President Xi Jinping “not as a villain, but as a peer — another strongman.”

“For Trump, economic war isn’t about economics or even the stock markets — it’s about the optics of domination and strength,” Lee said.

“And that leaves just enough room for a pivot — if Xi offers the kind of win Trump can brand.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)