NAMASKAR! A warm welcome to 'World News: an Indian perspective on All India Radio. This is RENUKA bringing glimpses of the major developments of the day from across the globe. Over the next half an hour, we shall bring to you the latest from the world of politics, economy, sports, entertainment and more.

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HEADLINES:

⦁ Pravasi Bhartiya Convention kicks off in Indore on Sunday.

⦁ The First Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion meeting under India's G20 Presidency set to begin in Kolkata on Monday

⦁ Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to participate in India-US Trade Policy Forum meeting on Monday.

⦁ China lifts covid restrictions for inbound travellers after a gap of 3 years.

⦁ Japan tightens border movements to control chinese flyers as a response to surging covid infections.

⦁ India provides 75 buses to Sri Lanka under the Indian line of Credit.

⦁ India begins the rehabilitation of Sri Lanka's northern railway line through IRCON.

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PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIWAS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally inaugurate the convention tomorrow. He said in a message that he is looking forward to be at Indore tomorrow to mark Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. He said, this is a great opportunity to deepen the connect with Indian diaspora, which has distinguished itself globally.

The three-day Pravasi Bhartiya Divas convention began at Indore this morning. On the first day, Pravasi Bharatiya Youth Conference was inaugurated by Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur. Another important event on Sunday was panel discussion on “Role of Diaspora Youth in Innovations and New Technologies”. Chairing the session, Mr. Thakur said, the Yuva Pravasi Sammelan is not only an effort to connect them to their roots but also to explores new possibilities.

Talking about youth power of India, the Union Minister said, Indian youths have such enthusiasm and passion that they will always make India proud whichever part of the world they go to.

On the sidelines of the Convention, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with his Malaysian counterpart. He said, the Indian diaspora remains a very strong bridge between the two countries.

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GPFI CURTAIN RAISER

The first meeting of the Working Group on Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) gets underway in Kolkata on Monday. The meeting is scheduled to be held from 9 January to 11 January. The visiting delegates will attend the preparatory meet at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town, Kolkata on January 9.

The GPFI member countries, guest countries and international organisations invited by India, will participate in the discussions on the Finance Inclusion agenda under the Indian G20 Presidency  in Kolkata. At the GPFI Plenary sessions on 10-11 January, role of Digital Public Infrastructure for advancing financial inclusion and reducing cost of remittances would be discussed.  Assessing progress made in implementation of G20 High-Level Principles for Digital Financial Inclusion and advancing financing for MSMEs are also on the agenda. The meeting will begin with a Symposium on “Unlocking the potentials of Digital Public Infrastructure for advancing financial inclusion and productivity gains”. An exhibition on “Digital innovations for Financial Inclusion”has also been organized. It will showcase India’s achievements and efforts in advancing digital financial inclusion . It displays the financial system infrastructure, emerging technologies and interactive financial literacy awareness videos. A Jan Bhagidari initiative with a Seminar on Financial Literacy will be organized  on January 10. This will be aimed at educating about 1800 school students on banking, digital payments, insurance, investment, fraud protection and grievance redressal.NISHIT KUMAR FOR WORLD NEWS

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KOLKATA G20

Kolkata is geared up to host the first meeting of the working group of GPFI as a part of finance track under Indian G20 Presidency. A sneak peek into the buzz in the run up to the meeting in the city of joy.

Ahead of the meet social media is abuzz with the bits and bytes all over. From official handles of the G20 to organisers and delegates, everybody is sharing pictures of Kolkata's landmarks and icons. The official Twitter handle of the G20 is also holding a small quiz about the "City of Joy". Images of the iconic sites in Kolkata have been splashed on social media platforms. These include Howrah bridge, Victoria Memorial, tram and the yellow taxi. The city streets, too, have received a makeover, with smooth surfaces and wall graffiti. The City of Joy is geared up for the delegates of G20 to showcase the  culture, food and lifestyle of Bengal. There will be an assortment of Kolkata's street food at the Victoria Memorial Hall complex on January 11.  Delegates will  be taken on excursions to various landmarks , monuments, heritage sites and educational institutions in the city. The visit of delegates will give a fillip to tourism in the city as it showcases its diverse culture, food and heritage. India assumed the presidency of G20 from December 1, 2022 for an year upto November 30, 2023.  Since then meetings have already been held in Udaipur, Mumbai and Bengaluru.NISHIT KUMAR FOR WORLD NEWS

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PIYUSH-US VISIT

India's Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal will embark on a three-day official visit to New York and Washington DC on Monday to participate in India-US Trade Policy Forum. The Minister in his first leg of the visit will interact with CEOs of reputed multinational enterprises, participate in a community event, and join roundtable meetings with business leaders and think-tank. He will also visit industries in New York.

On 11th January, Mr Goyal will attend the 13th Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meeting in Washington DC. He will hold one-to-one meeting with United States Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai before delegation-level talks. The Minister will also have a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo there.

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GANGA VILAS

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the world's longest river cruise 'MV Ganga Vilas' from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on the 13th of this month. The luxury cruise will cover a distance of more than three thousand 200 kilometres across 27 river systems in five States in India and Bangladesh. The MV Ganga Vilas cruise is curated to bring out the best of the country to be showcased to the world. The 51 days cruise is planned with visits to 50 tourist spots including World Heritage Sights, National Parks, river Ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam. The MV Ganga Vilas vessel is 62 meters in length and 12 meters in width. It has three decks and is furnished with all the amenities to provide a memorable and luxurious experience for tourists. The ship is equipped with pollution-free mechanisms and noise control technologies. The maiden voyage of MV Ganga Vilas will witness 32 tourists from Switzerland relishing the Varanasi to Dibrugarh journey. The expected date of arrival of MV Ganga Vilas in Dibrugarh is on the 1st of March, 2023.    

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and  Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has said that the huge untapped potential of river cruise is set to get unlocked with the launch of this service.  Highlighting the need to develop river cruise tourism in the country, the Minister said that the development of this sector would generate employment opportunity in the hinterland. He said the river tourism circuits will be developed and integrated with the existing tourism circuits for maximum exposure and rapid development of this sector in the country.

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HOTSPOT

In today’s HOTSPOT section, we bring you a discussion on India Approves National Green Hydrogen Mission

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HOME - TERRORIST

The Home Ministry of India has designated Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen operative, Asif Maqbool Dar as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Native of Jammu and Kashmir, Dar is currently based in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry said, Dar is one of the leading radical voices on social media and involved in nefariously influencing Kashmiri youth to take up arms against Indian Government and Security Forces.

Dar is also accused in a case investigated by the NIA in relation to conspiracy to undertake violent terrorist act in Jammu and Kashmir and major cities in India on the direction from across the border.

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NEPAL-BEIJING-TRADE

Beijing has reopened two-way trade from the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung port in Nepal, which was shut since the start of the Covid pandemic.

Rasuwagadhi is the oldest trading route between Nepal and China. The goods exported from Nepal are mainly sold in Tibetan cities like Lhasa, Shigatse and Amdo. As per sources from Rasuwagadhi Customs Office, nearly a dozen containers loaded with Nepali produce have crossed the border till Monday this last week since the reopening of two-way trade. Exports of bamboo bundles, bamboo furniture and handicraft materials including copper handicraft materials are taking place from Rasuwagadhi which is the international trade point of Nepal with China.

At present, 14 containers have been importing goods to Nepal daily via the custom point. But still, Beijing has not allowed the movement of people from the border point.

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SRILANKA

High Commissioner of India in Srilanka, Gopal Baglay has handed over the first fleet of 75 buses to Sri Lanka’s Transport minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena. Mr. Gunawardena said the buses were manufactured to suit the condition of roads in rural areas. As many as 500 buses will be supplied to Sri Lanka under an Indian line of Credit.

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GUYANA PRESIDENT

President of Guyana Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali arrived in New Delhi on Saturday night to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. The visiting dignitary left for Indore Sunday morning. He will attend the inaugural session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention on Monday. He will also attend programmes in Agra, Kanpur, Bengaluru, and Mumbai during his week-long visit to India.

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LANKA-RAILWAY

Track rehabilitation work of Sri Lanka’s northern line by IRCON international limited commenced on Sunday. Sri Lanka’s Transport minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena and Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay unveiled a plaque at the ceremonial launch of the rehabilitation project at Medawachchiya in Anuradhapura district. The 128-kilometre-long Maho Omanthai line will be upgraded by the Indian transport infrastructure Miniratna enterprise under an Indian line of credit at a cost of  91.27 Million US Dollars. The project aims at enabling an increase in the maximum train speed to 100 kilometres per hour, thereby improving connectivity to the northern region of the Island nation.

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California storm

In the US, torrential downpours and damaging winds have left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in California without power early on Sunday. More than 5.6 lakh homes have been reported to be still without power in the state.

Forecasters have warned of yet another high intensity of dense, moist tropical air in California on Monday with rain and mountain snow.

A National Weather Service (NWS) weather alert on Saturday warned that the cumulative effect of successive heavy rain storms since late December could bring rivers to record high levels and cause flooding across much of Central California.

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MEXICO ACCIDENT

Two subway trains collided between two stations on Saturday in Mexico, killing at least one person and injuring 57 others. The accident happened on Line 3 of the capital’s Metro system between the Potrero and La Raza stations.

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BANGLADESH-MINORITY

The largest minority organisation of the country Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad completed its march to Dhaka from Chattogram on Saturday. The Oikya Parishad Presidium member Kajal Debnath said that they handed over a memorandum to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after the police stopped the march on the Shahbagh intersection from proceeding further. The memorandum put forward a number of demands including the enactment of the minorities protection act, the formation of a separate ministry for the minority communities and the national commission of minorities. It also demanded that the government should enact laws against discrimination, the interstate property conservation act and properly implement the entrusted property transfer act and the Chattogram Hill Tracts peace accord.

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DHAKA LIT FEST

The last day of the 10th Dhaka Lit Fest on Sunday began on a calmer note with a warmer sun gracing the morning. Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah and British publisher Alexandra Pringle, poet and writer Goutam Guha Roy, and Professor Resa Lewiss were among those who addressed the concluding session.

Right before the closing ceremony, 2022 Booker Prize winner and Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka discussed his Booker-winning novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almedia, with among South Asia's most prolific literary agents, Kanishka Gupta.

This festival officially concluded with a recitation and dance performance, and music performances by Coke Studio Bangla. The lineup for the show included Animes Roy, Pantha Kanai, Rubayat Rehman, Rituraj, Nandita, Sunidhi Nayak, and Boga Taleb.

This year's edition of DLF began amidst much apprehension, with ticket charges drawing doubts on how many people would attend.

Despite occasional lags in communication, the inventiveness with which DLF 2023 was curated showcased how stories run across not just literature and art, but science, technology, business, climate change, music, sports, culinary arts, and more.

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CHINA-QUARANTINE

China has lifted quarantine requirements for inbound travellers from on Sunday, ending almost three years of self-imposed isolation even as the country battles a surge in Covid cases. From Sudnay onwards, inbound travellers to China will no longer be quarantined. Beijing last month began a dramatic dismantling of a hardline virus strategy that had enforced mandatory quarantines and gruelling lockdowns. The containment policy has tanked China's economy and sparked nationwide protests. Since March 2020, all arrivals had been forced to undergo isolation at centralised government facilities. This decreased from three weeks to one week this summer, and to five days in November. Chinese people rushed to plan trips abroad after officials last month announced that quarantine would be dropped, sending inquiries on popular travel websites soaring. But the expected surge in visitors has led over a dozen countries to impose mandatory Covid tests on travellers from the world's most populous nation as it battles its worst-ever outbreak. The outbreak is forecast to worsen as China enters the Lunar New Year holiday this month, during which millions are expected to travel from hard-hit megacities to the countryside to visit vulnerable older relatives. Beijing has called travel curbs imposed by other countries "unacceptable", despite it continuing to largely block foreign tourists and international students from travelling to China.

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JAPAN COVID RESTRICTIONS

Japan began tightening temporary border controls starting from on Monday for people arriving from China in response to the surge in coronavirus infections there. Travellers who arrive via direct flights from mainland China will be required to show proof of a negative test result obtained within 72 hours before departure. Tests upon arrival are being switched in phases from simple antigen tests to more accurate methods, such as PCR screening. Those who test positive will be required to stay at quarantine facilities.

The Japanese government will continue urging airlines to limit direct flights from mainland China to four airports -- Narita, Haneda, Kansai and Chubu. This measure has been in effect since December 30.

Japan's Health Ministry said, 4,895 travellers from China have been tested upon arrival from December 30 to January 5. It said, 408 of them tested positive for the coronavirus.

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JAPAN-BOMB HOAX

On saturday, an airplane flown by Jetstar made an emergency landing in central Japan after receiving an apparent bomb threat from an international caller, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing police sources. Tokyo’s Narita airport received the call at 6:20 a.m. Japan time from a man in Germany speaking in English that he had put a bomb on the aircraft.

The flight was then diverted to Chubu airport. All 136 passengers and six crew members aboard evacuated the aircraft there, informed the airport officials.

At least five people were lightly injured while evacuating the plane via emergency chutes. According to reports, the caller claimed to have placed 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of plastic explosives in the aircraft’s cargo hold and demanded to speak with the “manager” or he would set them off. The authorities found no explosives even after extensive search.

The Chubu airport spokesperson said flights had resumed at the facility following a four-hour suspension and the incident is being investigated.

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GERMANY-TERROR SUSPECT

On sunday, German police detained an Iranian national on suspicion of planning a terror attack in the country, according to the authorities.

The Munster police informed that  the 32-year-old man is believed to have procured unspecified amounts of the toxins cyanide and ricin in preparation for an “Islamist-motivated attack.” The suspect was detained following an investigation by the North Rhine-Westphalia Central Office for the Prosecution of Terrorism, a unit of the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor’s Office. Police retrieved materials during a search of the suspect’s home in the city of Castrop-Rauxel and an investigation is underway, according to the police officials.

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INDIA-SRI LANKA-ODI

After the conclusion of the three-match T20 series, India and Sri Lanka will now shift their focus to ODI cricket. The three-match ODI series will begin from Tuesday. The first match will be played in Guwahati, and the next two matches will take place in Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram on January 12 and 15. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who missed India’s last two bilateral series, will return to lead the team.

Jasprit Bumrah has also been included in the ODI squad. Bumrah was out of cricketing action since September 2022 due to a back injury.

India last played an ODI series against Sri Lanka in July 2021.

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FPR

Now let us take a look at the major developments around the world, as reported in the Foreign Press.

⦁ The Guardian writes The Palestinian foreign minister says Israel has revoked his travel permit, after the hardline Israeli government announced a series of punitive steps against the Palestinians days ago.

⦁ The Washington Post reports  At least 38 people were killed and dozens injured in a bus crash in central Senegal early Sunday, officials said, marking one of the deadliest  accidents in the West African nation in recent years.

⦁ The New York Times writes In Speaker Fight’s Final Hours, ArmTwisting, Flaring Tempers and Calls From Trump

⦁ The Business Recorder writes Imran urges establishment to refrain from political engineering in next elections

⦁ Wall Street Journal  writes Germany Detains Iranian Suspected of Planning Chemical Attack

⦁ The Globe and Mail reports Some Canadians set to return from Mexico’s Mazatlan area as airports reopen.

⦁ A Rohingya community leader called Rohingya majhi has been stabbed to death at Palongkhali camp in Ukhia upazila of Cox’s Bazar, reports Prothom Alo. Two to three unidentified miscreants stabbed Rashid in his shed at the camp around 7.00 pm on Saturday and fled the scene. He was rushed to MSF Hospital at the camp where doctors declared him dead.

⦁ The technical evaluation committee of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission has recommended raising retail electricity prices by 15 percent, reports Daily Star. The weighted average tariff charged per kilowatt hour by different power companies is Tk 7.13. It is being proposed that this should rise to Tk 8.23. Also under consideration by the commission is the question of whether existing government subsidies will remain intact as the tariff is hiked.

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REPEAT HEADLINES

⦁ Pravasi Bhartiya Convention kicks off in Indore on Sunday.

⦁ The First Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion meeting under India's G20 Presidency set to begin in Kolkata on Monday.

⦁ Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to participate in India-US Trade Policy Forum meeting on Monday.

⦁ China lifts covid restrictions for inbound travellers after a gap of 3 years.

⦁ Japan tightens border movements to control chinese flyers as a response to surging covid infections.

⦁ India provides 75 buses to Sri Lanka under the Indian line of Credit.

⦁ India begins the rehabilitation of Sri Lanka's northern railway line through IRCON.

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And now, before we end, let us listen to Mahatma Gandhi's favourite bhajanVaishnav Jan, by artists from AUSTRALIA.

AND WITH THAT, WE END THIS BULLETIN. WE'LL BE BACK AT THE SAME TIME TOMORROW WITH THE NEXT EDITION OF WORLD NEWS.

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