NAMASKAR! A warm welcome to 'World News: an Indian perspective on All India Radio. This is NAVNEET SINGH 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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THE HEADLINES:

⦁ India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off World’s Longest River Cruise, Ganga Vilas at Varanasi; Says, India has great potential in waterways transport.

⦁ Prime Minister Modi addresses concluding session of Voice of Global South Summit in virtual mode; Says that developing countries want a globalization that does not lead to over concentrated supply chains.

⦁ Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev says, Voice of Global South Summit demonstrates India’s commitment to ‘universal idea of One World, One Family.

⦁ Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of rock'n'roll legend Elvis Presley, passes away.

⦁ And in Hockey World Cup, India win their first match against Spain, 2-nil in Rourkela.

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PM GANGA VILAS LAUNCH  

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the World’s Longest River Cruise-MV Ganga Vilas at Varanasi via video conferencing on Friday. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for several other inland waterways projects worth more than a 1000 thousand crore rupees.

Speaking on the occasion the Prime Minister said that India has great potential in waterways transport since the country has more than 125 rivers and it's also a cheap mode of transportation. He said that development works being done in waterways field by the government will increase Transport, trade and tourism.

Mr Modi said, it will help in making eastern part as the growth engine of the country. Mr Modi said that this is the decade of transformation of infrastructure in the country. Prime Minister highlighted that the Journey of MV Ganga Vilas is not a simple event as this journey is an example of the development in inland waterways system of the country.Wishing a great journey to the Swiss tourists, the Prime minister said  that India has everything that one can imagine and it has many things beyond anyone's imagination.

MV Ganga Vilas will travel around 3,200 km in 51 days to reach Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh, sailing across 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh.

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PM GLOBAL SOUTH

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed that developing countries want a globalization that does not lead to unequal distribution of vaccines or over concentrated supply chains.

Mr. Modi said developing countries desire globalisation that does not create climate or debt crisis but brings prosperity and wellbeing of humanity as a whole. The Prime Minister was addressing concluding session of the Voice of Global South Summit in virtual mode on Friday. He said that over the past two days, the Summit has seen the participation of more than 20 developing countries, which is the largest ever virtual gathering of Global South. He said India G20 presidency will attempt to voice the views of Global South.

Mr Modi announced that India will establish a Global South Centre of Excellence.

This institution will undertake research on development solutions or best practices of any of these countries, which can be scaled up and implemented in other members of the Global South. Prime Minister also said that India has made great strides in space tech and nuclear energy. He said India will launch a Global South Science and Technology initiative to share expertise with other developing nations. He informed that during the Covid pandemic, India's Vaccine Maitri initiative supplied Made in India vaccine to over 100 nations. Mr Modi announced a new Aarogya Maitri Project. Under this project, India will provide essential medical supplies to any developing country affected by natural disasters or humanitarian crisis.

Prime Minister highlighted the need for fundamental reforms of major international organisations to address geopolitical fragmentations. He added that the reforms should focus on giving voice to the concerns of the developing world, and reflect the realities of the 21st Century.

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FOREIGN SECRETARY

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra has said India’s G20 presidency will capture the sentiment and views of the entire developing world. He said that the need for articulating the voice of Global South in international institutions and for reforming them came across clearly during the Voice of Global Summit. Briefing media after the conclusion of the two day Summit, Mr Kwatra said a total of 125 countries participated in this new and unique initiative. These included 29 countries from Latin America and Carribbean, 47 countries from Africa, seven countries from Europe, 31 countries from Asia and 11 countries from Oceania.

The Foreign Secretary said that Voice of Global South Summit came at a time which is particularly difficult for the developing world facing as it is numerous challenges across economic and political domains. He said there was uniform acknowledgement that the agenda of the Summit echoed the priorities, perspectives and concerns of the developing world.

Mr Kwatra said many of the participating leaders and Ministers asked India to carry their voices into the G20 and other international groupings. There was a clear sentiment that the Global South is being adversely impacted by developments that they did not have a role in creating, and do not have a voice as well in how these should be addressed.

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PRADHAN-GLOBAL SOUTH

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that India is hoping to promote active institutional linkage with its partner countries to set up top foreign universities campuses in India. Addressing the voice of youth global south summit on Friday, Mr Pradhan said that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 endeavors to promote India as a global study destination providing premium education at affordable cost .

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HOTSPOT

In today's Hotspot Section, we bring you a News Commentary on Prime Minister Calls for The World to “Respond, Recognize, Respect and Reform”.

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PM - ECONOMIST

Prime Minister Modi has noted that the emerging global environment offers new and diverse opportunities in areas such as digitization, energy, health care and agriculture. Mr Modi said that in order to seize these opportunities, public and private sector need to leverage synergies and think out of the box. He was speaking at a meeting with economists at NITI Aayog in New Delhi on Friday. The deliberations were based on the theme “India’s Growth & Resilience Amidst Global Headwinds”.

Prime Minister applauded the success of the India Digital story, rapid adoption of fintech across the country, and the potential for inclusive growth and development it promises.

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MANDAVIYA - GLOBAL SOUTH SUMMIT

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has said that India is continuously striving to provide high quality and cost-effective healthcare to everyone. He said India has offered Co-WIN platform as a digital public good to any interested country. He was speaking at the Health Ministers’ virtual session of Voice of Global South Summit on Friday. He added that India has offered Co-WIN as a digital public health good to WHO through WHO’s C-TAP initiative. He said it is the need of the hour to focus on long-term measures to build stronger, more resilient health systems that can prevent, prepare for, and respond to future health related challenges.

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AMITABH-THINK20

India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant has said that the presidency of G20 is a major opportunity for India to work with developed and emerging countries to accelerate pace of development in the current geopolitical, energy, food, fertilizer and debt crisis. Speaking at the Think 20 Inception Conference in New Delhi on Friday, Mr. Kant said, G20 had led the economies in many ways in the past and become a major driver of several radical reforms in its long history. Highlighting the achievements made by India in the field of technology especially in the digital sector, Mr. Kant said, digital advancement has helped in providing money directly to the accounts of people.

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UZBEK-GLOBAL SOUTH SUMMIT

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said, the Voice of Global South Summit demonstrates India’s commitment to the ‘universal idea of One World, One Family. ’In his virtual address at the inaugural leaders’ session of ‘Voice of Global South: For human-centric development’, Mr Mirziyoyev said, the event will make a significant contribution to the success of India’s G20 presidency.

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AMIT SHAH VISIT

India's Home Minister Amit Shah has said that a 360 degree security mechanism will be formed to wipe out terrorism from Jammu region adding  that the Rajouri killing case has been handed over to NIA for a thorough probe. He said NIA will also probe all the militancy related incidents that took place in the region in the past one and-a-half years. The Union Minsiter was addressing media persons after chairing a high level security review meeting in Raj Bhawan, Jammu on Friday. The Home Minister said that another decision taken in the security review meeting was that the “security grid of Jammu” will be strengthened on all fronts in a time-bound manner adding that in three-months from now, the security grid will be further strengthened across Jammu. The Home Minister further stated that security agencies in Jammu are alert and are committed to wipe-out terror, its ecosystem, OGW network and zero-in on those who are providing logistic support to terrorism.

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BUDGET SESSION

The Budget Session of Indian Parliament will commence from 31st of this month and the Union Budget is likely to be presented on 1st of February. The session will start with an address by President Droupadi Murmu to the joint sitting of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The Economic Survey will also be tabled in both Houses on the first day of the session. The Budget session which will continue till 6th of April this year has  27 sittings spread over 66 days.

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INDIAN - UN MEDAL  

Over one thousand Indian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) were awarded United Nation medals for their exceptional service. In a tweet, UNMISS said, one thousand 171 Indians have received UN medals for their vital work in Upper Nile, South Sudan. It said, the Indian contingent will be known for its efforts to build and repair critical infrastructure, but also for protecting civilians.

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VETERANS DAY

The 7th Armed Forces Veterans Day will be celebrated on Saturday. The 14th of January is commemorated as Armed Forces Veterans Day as a mark of respect and recognition for the services rendered by Field Marshall KM Cariappa. He was the first  Indian Chief of the Indian Army. He retired from service on 14th January 1953.

SONG-VETERAN  

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SAMUDRAYAAN MISSSION  

India will send three person to six thousand metre below sea level for exploration of resources like minerals under Samudrayaan Mission. Earth Science Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said, a vehicle called MATSYA 6000 will carry  three persons and this mission is expected to be realized in next three years. He said, the vehicle is being designed and developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai. It has an endurance of 12 hours under normal operation and 96 hours in case of emergency for human safety.  

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US-BIDEN PROBE

United States Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to take over the investigation into the Obama-era classified documents found at President Joe Biden’s home and former private office. The special counsel is Robert Hur, who was nominated to be US attorney in Maryland by then-President Donald Trump in 2017 and served in the role until his resignation in 2021. Hur had most recently been working in private practice in Washington, DC. The appointment marks a unique moment in American history with special counsels investigating the current president and his immediate predecessor at the same time. The appointment comes hours after the White House counsel’s office said in a statement that US President Biden’s aides located documents with classified markings at two locations inside his home at Wilmington in Delaware. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the US President said, the documents were in a locked garage and that he was cooperating fully with the Department of Justice.

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BANGLADESH-COAST GUARD

Two Indian Coast Guard Ships arrived at Chattogram on Friday for a six-day visit as part of ongoing close cooperation between the Coast Guards of Bangladesh and India. The ships were given a warm welcome by the Bangladesh Coast Guard.

The ships ICGS Sharuya and ICGS Rajveer, are state-of-the-art indigenously built Indian Coast Guard ships. The visit of these ships is an important part of the defence partnership between India and Bangladesh and the wide-ranging cooperation between the Coast Guards of the two countries. The two ships showcase Indian Coast Guard's will and commitment “To serve and protect” the maritime interests of the nation.

ICGS Shaurya is an Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) designed and built by M/s Goa Shipyard Limited. It operates both Chetak & Advance Light Helicopters and has long-range endurance. The ship’s sustenance and reach coupled with its advanced systems make her a versatile multipurpose platform for fulfilling Coast Guard Charter of duties.

ICGS Rajveer is an Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV) designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders, Kolkata. It is fitted with advanced navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machinery imparting the ship wide-ranging capabilities for search and rescue, maritime law enforcement and marine pollution response operations.

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LISA PRESLEY-DEATH

Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of rock'n'roll legend Elvis Presley, has passed away. She was 54. Lisa Marie, also a singer, was rushed to the hospital on Thursday after being found unresponsive at her home at Calabasas in California, US.

Sharing the devastating news, her mother Priscilla Presley said, Lisa was the most passionate, strong and loving woman she had ever known.

Born in 1968, Lisa Marie went on to follow in her father's footsteps and forged a career in music. The star released three albums, with her 2003 debut studio album selling hundreds of thousands of copies and receiving generally positive reviews.

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SRI LANKA-LICENSES

Sri Lanka plans oil and gas exploration licenses for 900 offshore blocks to foreign firms in a bid to explore energy resources and bring in vital investments to the crisis-hit island.

The new regulations were finalised by the government  and set a framework for companies to sign an expression of interest for exploring offshore assets around the country. Previous attempts by Sri Lanka to start up oil production have mainly focused on the country's northern coast but this time the government has mapped assets surrounding all sides of the island.

Director General of Sri Lanka’s Petroleum Development Authority has said exploration work could start as early as March and any success in the initial exercise will lead to production sharing agreements for gas and oil.

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WORLD NEWS CAPSULE

A report from the business desk-  

At the stock markets, the Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange climbed 303 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 60,261. The Nifty at the National Stock Exchange advanced 98 points, or 0.6 percent, to 17,957.

Among other global stock markets, Asian Markets ended mostly higher. So, China's Shanghai Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index climbed 1 percent, each; South Korea's Kospi index added 0.9 percent and Singapore's Straits Times index advanced 0.8 percent. But Japan's Nikkei-225 index dropped 1.3 percent.

In Europe, key indices, London's FTSE-100 had climbed 0.5 percent; France's CAC-40 had added 0.7 percent and Germany's DAX had gained 0.4 percent, in intra-day trade.

Global crude oil prices rose, on solid signs of demand growth in top oil importer China and expectations of less aggressive interest rate rises in the United States. So, the Brent crude futures rose 53 cents, to 84.56 dollars. The US crude futures gained 55 cents, to 78.94 dollars a barrel.

Back Home, gold rose 121 rupees, to 56,236 rupees per ten grams at Delhi's bullion market, amid strong global cues. But, Silver declined 145 rupees, to 68,729 rupees per kilo.

And At the forex market, the rupee appreciated 23 paise, to 81 rupees and 33 paise, against the dollar. Arjun Chudhary for World News, All India Radio.

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HOCKEY

In the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup, India defeated Spain  2-0  at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela.  Amit Rohidas, the Indian vice-captain scored the first goal and Hardik Singh scored another goal to register easy win for India.

Earlier, England thrashed Wales  5-0  and Australia beat France  8-0 in their first pool match of the tournament. In another match, Argentina  defeated South African 1-0.

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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 New York Times writes, In a First, South Korea Declares Nuclear Weapons a Policy Option.

⦁ Wall Street Journal writes, ConocoPhillips in Talks to Sell Venezuelan Oil in U.S. to Recover Billions It Is Owed.

⦁ The Financial Times writes, Special counsel to investigate files found at Joe Biden’s home and office.

⦁ The Strait Times writes, Germany to drop mask mandate in trains and buses from Feb 2.

⦁ The Global Times writes, China builds world’s first autonomous seaborne drone-carrier.

⦁ The Guardian writes, Health workers in Zimbabwe dismayed as law curbing strikes is passed.

⦁ The Washington Post reports, Sweden finds rare earth deposits that could benefit Western consumers.

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REPEAT HEADLINES

⦁ India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off World’s Longest River Cruise, Ganga Vilas at Varanasi; Says, India has great potential in waterways transport.

⦁ Prime Minister Modi addresses concluding session of Voice of Global South Summit in virtual mode; Says that developing countries want a globalization that does not lead to over concentrated supply chains.

⦁ Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev says, Voice of Global South Summit demonstrates India’s commitment to ‘universal idea of One World, One Family.

⦁ Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of rock'n'roll legend Elvis Presley, passes away.

⦁ And in Hockey World Cup, India win their first match against Spain, 2-nil in Rourkela.

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

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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