NEW DELHI, June 5 (Reuters) - India and the United States have concluded a roadmap for defence industry cooperation for the next few years, the two countries said on Monday, a landmark move expected to bolster New Delhi's defence manufacturing ambitions.

Washington is working to deepen ties with India and sees stronger military-to-military and technology ties with the world's largest democracy as a key counterweight to China's dominance in the region.

VIENTIANE, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Laos' central bank, the Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL), has set up a new department to help increase the flow of foreign currency through the banking system and effectively handle foreign currency reserves.

GENEVA (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo is already in Saudi Arabia. Karim Benzema looks sure to be next. And as the oil-rich kingdom pursues Lionel Messi as well, it is making sure that money continues to flow into the domestic soccer league.

04 June 2023; MEMO: Animal rights activists in Morocco staged a protest in the capital Rabat yesterday calling for an end to the culling of stray cats and dogs by the authorities.

The demonstration came a day after the interior ministry informed local media that it had already taken measures to encourage municipalities to avoid using firearms and poisons to kill stray dogs.

NEW DELHI, June 5 (Reuters) - India and the United States have concluded a roadmap for defence industry cooperation for the next few years, the two countries said on Monday, a landmark move expected to bolster New Delhi's defence manufacturing ambitions.

Washington is working to deepen ties with India and sees stronger military-to-military and technology ties with the world's largest democracy as a key counterweight to China's dominance in the region.

It is also seeking to wean New Delhi away from its traditional dependence on Russia for defence supplies.

YANGON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Six people were injured on Monday in a bomb blast in Myanmar's largest city of Yangon, the Information Team of Myanmar's State Administration Council said.

The explosion occurred at around 12 p.m. local time on Monday at the third floor of a tax office of the Internal Revenue Department in Kyauktada Township in Yangon, it said.

The information team reported that a man came to the third floor of the tax office, left a package near the seats for the public before going downstairs. The package bomb blew off later on.

MANILA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines looks forward to seeing Chinese investments pouring into renewable energy which remains to be the priority sector of the Philippine government, the Department of Trade and Industry said in a statement released over the weekend.

During a recent forum on offshore wind, Philippine Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual expressed hope that the Southeast Asian country would attract more offshore wind power projects, especially from China.

NEBI SALEH, West Bank (AP) — A Palestinian toddler who was shot by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank last week died of his wounds on Monday, Israeli hospital officials said.

Mohammed al-Tamimi was shot in the head last Thursday near his village of Nebi Saleh while riding in a car with his father. He was airlifted to Israel’s Sheba Hospital, which announced the 2-year-old boy’s death.

The Israeli military has said soldiers opened fire after gunmen in the area shot at a nearby Jewish settlement.

BRUSSELS, June 5 (Reuters) - Reinforcements for NATO's peacekeeping force have begun to arrive in Kosovo following last week's unrest in the north of the country, the alliance said on Monday.

Violence flared after Kosovo authorities installed ethnic Albanian mayors in offices in northern municipalities after being elected on a turnout of just 3.5% after Serbs who form a majority in the region boycotted local polls.

The clashes injured 30 members of the NATO peacekeeping force known as KFOR as well as 52 Serb protesters.

05 June 2023; MEMO: Israel has killed more than 1,000 children over five separate wars on the besieged Gaza Strip, a study by human rights groups said yesterday.

The study said that most of the children were murdered by "Israeli warplanes and US products."

NEW YORK (AP) — DNA is all around us — even in the air we breathe. Now scientists have found that air quality monitoring stations — which pull in air to test for pollution — also pick up lots of DNA that can reveal what plants and animals have been in the area.

The method could help solve the tricky challenge of keeping tabs on biodiversity, according to a study published Monday in the journal Current Biology.

05 June 2023; MEMO: The CEO of Open AI, the company behind the popular ChatGPT bot, has refused to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his far-right government's planned judicial overhaul, local media revealed on Sunday.