News in Short

• Acclaimed artist, architect, sculptor and writer Satish Gujral passed away at the age of 94.
• Gujral was the brother of the late Prime Minister I.K. Gujral and was awarded India’s second-highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, in 1999.
• He won a scholarship to Palacio de Bella Artes, where he studied under the renowned muralist Diego Riviera. He held exhibitions across the world and later also became a famous architect, designing the Belgium Embassy in New Delhi.

• India has proposed setting up of a common electronic platform for all SAARC nations to share expertise and best practices in jointly combating the coronavirus pandemic.
• India made the proposal at a video-conference of senior health officials of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries.
• The SAARC is a regional grouping comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

• Ramanand Sagar's iconic drama series Ramayana, telecast in the 1980s, is set to return to the silver screen as people forced to sit home because of the lockdown in the wake of Covid-19 crisis.
• Television viewership is expected to see a surge during the 21-day lockdown, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.
• Ramayana, aired during 1987-88, was a drama adaptation of Hindu epic of the same name, and is primarily based on Valmiki's Ramayan and Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas.

• Michel Hidalgo, the coach of the great France team that won the 1984 European Championship, has died at the age of 87.
• He is best remembered for his eight years in charge of Les Bleus, which culminated with winning Euro 84 on home soil. It was their first ever major tournament success.
• Hidalgo also enjoyed a richly successful playing career. He played for the great Reims side of the 1950s. Hidalgo went on to win two league titles and two French Cups with Monaco in the early 1960s.

• The U.S. indicted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for drug trafficking, offering a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
• The U.S. also indicted 14 key Maduro associates, including former Vice President Diosdado Cabello, offering $10 million for information leading to their arrests. Charges were filed against the country’s defense minister, chief justice and superintendent of cryptocurrency.
• The charges against Maduro, which also include weapons offenses and narco-terrorism, carry a minimum sentence of at least 50 years.