NAMASKAR! A warm welcome to 'World News: an Indian perspective on All India Radio.This is R.S.RAGHU 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:

• Indian cities gear up to host several G20 meetings under country's Presidency; First Infrastructure Working Group meeting of G20 begins in Pune.

• Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi says, technologically advanced soldiers to play a key role in Indian Armed Forces in wake of new fronts of contactless warfare.

• India and UK exchange views on several issues including Afghanistan and Ukraine during Foreign Office consultation meeting.

• International Atomic Energy Agency to increase presence in Ukraine to prevent accident during ongoing conflict.

• Black box of crashed plane in Nepal recovered.

• In FIH World Cup Hockey, Malaysia beat Chile, Netherlands thrash New Zealand, France defeat South Africa in pool fixtures. Match between Argentina and Australia ends in a draw.

• And in Women's Cricket, India beat United Arab Emirates by 122 runs in Under 19 T20 World Cup in South Africa.

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G20 MEETINGS

We begin the World News with our segment, "G20 in India"Under India’s G20 Presidency, the country is hosting a series of meetings in various cities including Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Bhopal and Gandhinagar. For the future, over 200 meetings are scheduled in around 50 cities, kicking off the year with a bang. We have a report:

G20-INFRASTRUCTURE

The first meeting of the G20 Infrastructure Working Group began in Pune on Monday in the presence of Union Minister Narayan Rane. Mr Rane welcomed G20 delegates in Pune and opened the first session of the two-day meeting. He said, the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to make India the fifth largest economy in the world and G20 conference being held in Pune is very important in terms of economic progress of the country. Delegates will undertake a series of official meetings and discuss the 2023 Infrastructure Agenda and visit the Savitribai Phule Pune University for sapling plantation.

The first Think-20 meeting also commenced at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh on Monday. The two-day meeting was inaugurated by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Chouhan said that not only G20, all the countries of the world should come together and discuss the well-being of the entire world. He expressed confidence that this Think 20 meeting will play an important role in this direction. The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has carefully kept the theme of G-20 under India's presidency as One Earth, One Family, One Future.

The meeting focused on Global Governance with LiFE values and well-being-fostering cooperation in framework, finance and technology. In the meeting, more than 300 Ministers, intellectuals and subject experts from India and abroad are brainstorming in various plenary and parallel sessions, round table conferences and group level.

Think20 or T20 is calling for policy brief abstracts from contributors. The last date for submitting abstracts is Tuesday. T20 will offer policy recommendations to the G20 leaders in the form of Policy Briefs. The T20 website states that the Policy Brief must aim to be a crisp research output that outlines the rationale for adopting a particular policy alternative.

Contributors are invited to submit Abstracts of proposed Policy Briefs focused on any of the T20 India Task Forces.

The first Health Working Group meeting under India's G-20 Presidency will be held from the 18th to 20th of January at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. India is currently part of the G-20 Troika comprising Indonesia, India and Brazil, marking the first time that the troika is consisting of three developing and emerging economies. The Health Track of the G-20 India Presidency will comprise four Health Working Group Meetings and one Health Ministerial Meeting. The meeting will be held in different locations across the country including at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, Goa, Hyderabad in Telangana and at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

As part of India’s G-20 presidency, a Business-20 (B-20) inception meeting will be organised at Gandhinagar in Gujarat between the 22nd to 24th of this month.  This will be the first of 15 events that the State is set to organise as part of India's G-20 presidency. The inaugural ceremony of the B-20 inception meeting will be attended by Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Ashwini Vaishnaw, State Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, India's Sherpa to G-20 Amitabh Kant and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran. More than 150 policy-makers, business executives, SCEOs, and senior executives representing enterprises from G-20 countries will take part in the inaugural meeting. Valsa Williams for World News.

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HOTSPOT

In today's Hotspot Section, we bring you an Interview with Dr Manasi Gore, Dept of Economics, Savitribai Phule Pune university on G20 first infrastructure working group meeting.

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PM-AGNIVEERS

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has said technologically advanced soldiers will play a key role in Indian Armed Forces in the wake of the new fronts of contactless warfare and challenges of cyber warfare. He said the current generation of youth especially have this potential, and so the Agniveers will play a leading role in the Armed Forces in the times to come. Mr. Modi said this while addressing through video conferencing, the first batch of Agniveers of the three Services, who have commenced their basic training. He said that New India is filled with renewed vigour, and efforts are underway to modernise the Armed Forces as well as make them Aatmanirbhar. Mr. Modi congratulated the Agniveers on being the pioneers of this path-breaking Agnipath Scheme highlighting that this transformative policy will be a game changer in strengthening Indian Armed Forces and making them future ready for the challenges that lie ahead.

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INDIA FRANCE – EXERCISE

The 21st Edition of the Bilateral Naval Exercise between India and France - Exercise VARUNA  commenced on the Western Seaboard on Monday. The exercise will be conducted till the 20th of this month and will witness advanced air defence exercises, tactical manoeuvres, surface firings, underway replenishment and other maritime operations. The Ministry of Defence in a statement said, the exercise provides an opportunity to learn from each other’s best practices. While the bilateral exercise between the two navies was initiated in 1993, it was christened as ‘VARUNA’ in 2001 and has become a hallmark of India - France's strategic bilateral relationship.

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MEA-INDIA-UK FOC

The 15th India-UK Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) was held today in New Delhi. India and the UK shared a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with the adoption of Roadmap 2030 for Future Relations. India's External Affaris Ministry said, both sides discussed issues like trade and economic cooperation, defence and security, science and technology, people-to-people relationship, health and climate change. The FOC provided an opportunity to review the progress made in the implementation of Roadmap 2030 despite the restrictions imposed by the COVID-pandemic.

The Ministry said, India and the UK exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including - Afghanistan, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, the Commonwealth and the United Nations. The UK appreciated India’s contribution to the UN Security Council in 2021-22 as a non-permanent member and reiterated its support for UNSC reforms. The UK commended India’s priorities as President of G-20 this year as it looked forward to its participation.

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INDIA-TRADE

India's overall exports combining Merchandise and Services in April to December 2022  is estimated to exhibit a positive growth of 16.11 per cent over the same period last year.

Ministry of Commerce and Industry in its data said, the Country's  overall exports during the period are estimated to be 568.57 billion US dollar as against 489.69 billion US dollar over the same period of last year.

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BIRLA-KENYA

Speaker of the Lower House of Indian Parliament Om Birla, who is leading an Indian Parliamentary Delegation to Kenya and Tanzania met Deputy President of Kenya Rigathi Gachagua on Monday. Speaking on this occasion, Mr Birla said that India and Kenya have historically close relations and both the countries have fought against colonialism.  

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WEF-DAVOS

The Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum (WEF) began at Davos in Switzerland on Monday, with heads of state and business leaders focusing on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and economic instability amid climate change. The meeting will continue till the 20th of this month. Under the theme of Cooperation in a Fragmented World, names shaping the global politics and business world are participating in the forum. The meeting will also see attendance by 56 finance ministers, 19 central bank heads, 30 trade ministers, and 35 foreign ministers. It will convene more than 2,700 leaders from 130 countries, including 50 heads of state and government, as multiple crises deepen divisions and fragment the geopolitical landscape. This year will also see the highest-ever business participation at Davos, with more than 1,500 leaders from 700 organizations.

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UKRAINE-IAEA

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi on Monday said, the agency is expanding its presence in Ukraine to provide all possible nuclear safety and security. Taking to Twitter, the IAEA Chief said, the agency is increasing its presence in Ukraine to help prevent a nuclear accident during the ongoing conflict. The IAEA said, the Director General would travel to South Ukraine and Rivne Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) and the Chernobyl site to launch the missions consisting of two IAEA experts at each of the facilities. The UN agency in a statement said, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will be in Ukraine next week to establish a continuous presence of nuclear safety and security experts at all the country's nuclear power facilities, significantly stepping up the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency to help prevent a nuclear accident during the current military conflict.

According to an official statement of IAEA, a new team of three IAEA experts will replace the previous team that had been there for several weeks.

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AFGHANISTAN-MP SHOT

A former female member of Afghanistan's Parliament has been killed by unknown gunmen at her home in Kabul. Police said that former MP Mursal Nabizada and her guard were shot dead and her brother was injured in the attack on Sunday. The security forces have started a serious investigation regarding the case to find the criminals. Ms. Nabizada had been a lawmaker until the Taliban took over as foreign forces withdrew in 2021, when many politicians fled the country. She had been elected as a member of the lower house of parliament in 2018 to represent Kabul.

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NEPAL PLANE CRASH

In Nepal, the black box of the Yeti Airlines aircraft, which crashed a day ago with 68 passengers on board, has been located and retrieved. Nepal saw its worst domestic air disaster on Sunday morning when Yeti Airlines flight NYT 691 from Kathmandu to Pokhara crashed a few minutes before landing at the new international airport. All passengers onboard died in the accident. Our Kathmandu correspondent has the details:

The 24 recovered bodies from the crash site were taken to the Pokhara Institute of Health Sciences for postmortem while 45 bodies of foreigners, deceased from Kathmandu and unidentified bodies were sent to Nepal's capital city. The black box of the crashed Yeti Airlines aircraft was located and retrieved today morning. The Nepal Army brought the black box to Kathmandu and handed it over to the Air Crash Investigation Commission. The black box is a crucial device that helps determine the cause of the crash and contains the flight radar record and cockpit voice recorder. Sweta Singh, For World News, Kathmandu.

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NEPAL-TOURISM

Nepal is witnessing the revival in tourism sector. As per reports, in the year 2022, over thirteeen thousand five hundred trekkers visited the most popular trekking route of Annapurna Circuit as compared to the year 2021 when only two thousand two hundred seventy three tourists visited the place.The Annapurna Circuit is one of the world’s classic long-distance hiking trails, and still one of Nepal’s most popular treks.

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BIHAR-GANGA VILAS CRUISE

World's longest River Cruise MV Ganga Vilas reached Indian city of Patna in Bihar as per schedule. Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India, Sanjay Bandopadhyaya said, there is absolutely no truth in the news that the vessel is stuck in Chhapra. The vessel will continue its onwards journey as per schedule.

World's longest River Cruise is on way to Dibrugarh in Assam through Bangladesh. Thirty two tourists from Switzerland are revelling in the beautiful moments of the journey.

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WORLD NEWS CAPSULE

The Sensex and the Nifty on Monday witnessed modest losses. We have a report:

The Sensex slipped 168 points to settle at 60,093. The Nifty also fell 62 points to finish at 17,895. Among global stock markets, Asian shares ended mixed. China’s Shanghai Composite index gained one per cent and South Korea’s KOSPI rose 0.6 per cent. While Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended flat. On the other hand, Singapore’s Straits Times slipped 0.3 per cent and Japan's NIKKEI-225 declined 1.2 per cent. European shares were up in intra-day trade. Oil prices held near this year's highs as easing COVID restrictions in China raised expectations for a demand recovery in the world's top crude importer. In intra-day trade, Brent crude was trading at 85 dollars per barrel. Back Home, At the Multi Commodity Exchange, Gold futures for February was trading at 56,460 rupees per ten grams. Silver futures for March was trading at 69,440 rupees per kilogram when reports last came in. V.Ravi Kumar for World News, All India Radio.

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FIH HOCKEY

In the FIH Hockey Men's World Cup, Malaysia beat Chile 3-2 at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela this afternoon. In another match, the Netherlands thrashed New Zealand 4-0 at the same venue. Later in the evening, France defeated South Africa 2-1 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The match between Australia and Argentina ended in a 3-3 draw in the same venue.

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WOMEN'S CRICKET

In Women's Cricket, India beat United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 122 runs in the U-19 T20 World Cup at Willowmoore Park in South Africa on Monday to stay on top of Group-D.

Chasing the target of 220 runs set by India, UAE scored 97 runs for the loss of five wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Earlier, put in to bat, India posted 219 runs losing three wickets. India will take on Scotland on Thursday.

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TENNIS

The Australian Open tennis kicked off at Melbourne Park on Monday. Defending champion Rafael Nadal began his campaign by defeating debutante Jack Draper of Britain to reach the second round of Men's Singles. Nadal, bidding for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title, will next face American Mackenzie McDonald for a place in the third round.

In Men's Singles, third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, sixth seed Felix AugerAliassime and seventh seed Daniil Medvedev also registered victiories in the first round.

In Women's Singles, World number one Iga Swiatek made a winning start at the tournament.

The Polish player defeated German Jule Niemeier in straight sets.

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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 Strait Times writes, Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link on track to be operational by end-2026.

• The Global Times writes, Scientists from China, overseas obtain valuable data from Tianwen-1 during Sun outage.

• The Guardian also writes, Italy’s most-wanted mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro arrested.

• The Washington Post reports, Germany’s defense minister resigns after string of blunders.

• Wall Street Journal writes, electric vehicles made up 10 percent of all new cars sold last year.

• The Financial Times writes, Taiwan presidential contender sparks US concerns over China tensions.

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A QUICK LOOK AT THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

• Indian cities gear up to host several G20 meetings under country's Presidency; First Infrastructure Working Group meeting of G20 begins in Pune.

• Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi says, technologically advanced soldiers to play a key role in Indian Armed Forces in wake of new fronts of contactless warfare.

• India and UK exchange views on several issues including Afghanistan and Ukraine during Foreign Office consultation meeting.

• International Atomic Energy Agency to increase presence in Ukraine to prevent accident during ongoing conflict.

• Black box of crashed plane in Nepal recovered.

• In FIH World Cup Hockey, Malaysia beat Chile, Netherlands thrash New Zealand, France defeat South Africa in pool fixtures. Match between Argentina and Australia ends in a draw.

• In Women's Cricket, India beat United Arab Emirates by 122 runs in Under 19 T20 World Cup in South Africa.

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