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 condemns violence by Khalistani extremists in Australia targeting Indian community; Requests Australia to ensure their safety and security.

⦁ First Sustainable Finance Working Group Meeting of G20 under India's Presidency begins at Guwahati in Assam.

⦁ US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, America is expanding cooperation with India to address global challenges.

⦁ Philippines to provide United States with expanded access to its military bases to counter China's aggressive posturing in South China Sea.

⦁ And in Women's Cricket, South Africa clinch T20 Tri-Nation Series beating India in the final by Five wickets in East London.

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MEA KHALISTAN:

India has condemned the instances of violence by Khalistani extremists in Australia. Replying to media queries in New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, the matter has been raised with the Australian authorities. He urged the local authorities to investigate and punish the perpetrators.

The spokesperson further stated that India has requested Australia to ensure the safety and security of members of the Indian community and their properties.

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EVE GUWAHATI G20:

India's Minister of AYUSH and Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal urged the representatives of the G-20 member countries to act collectively to make sustainable lifestyle a mass movement. Addressing the Inaugural Session of the G-20 1st Sustainable Financial Working Group (SFWG) meeting in Guwahati on Thursday, Mr Sonowal said, the world must work for a cleaner and greener society and urged all to cut doon their carbon footprints.

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CHENNAI-G20:

The G20 education working group meeting was held in Chennai on the second and final day. During the meeting, deliberations were held on building capacities, promoting lifelong learning in the context of the future of work, strengthening research and promoting innovation through richer collaboration. The delegates engaged in discussions on bilaterals on education. The guest countries Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and United Arab Emirates also attended the education working group. The delegates attending the G 20 education working group had the opportunity to understand the richness of Indian Culture through a dance drama on Velu Nachiyar, the Queen of Sivaganga. The 40-minute presentation which was co-organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Tamilnadu Tourism department enthralled the audience spellbound.

Meanwhile, the three-day meeting of the G-20 Employment Working Group started in Jodhpur of Rajasthan with a panel discussion on “Exploring strategies for global skills and qualifications harmonisation and developing a framework for common skill taxonomies". This is the first meeting of the Employment Working Group which has the mandate to address priority labour, employment and social issues to further develop strongly sustainable, balanced, inclusive and job-rich growth.

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DOVAL-BLINKEN:

India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Wednesady. Both sides exchanged views on a wide range of global and regional issues of mutual interest and discussed the strengthening of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. In a tweet after the meeting, Mr Blinken said, the United States is expanding cooperation with India to address global challenges. US Deputy Secretary of Defense, Dr. Kathleen Hicks also called on Mr Doval. They discussed a range of topics including India-US defence cooperation and regional security issues. Mr Doval is leading a high-powered delegation to the United States.

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INDIA US:

The United States has supported the development of a fabrication ecosystem in India in the field of semiconductors. It also encouraged joint ventures and partnerships for mature technology nodes and advanced packaging. Both nations have agreed to constitute a task force involving India’s Semiconductor Mission, India Electronics Semiconductor Association and the US Semiconductor Industry Association. The aim is to develop a readiness assessment to identify near term opportunities and facilitate long term development of semiconductor ecosystems. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) with his US counterpart Jake Sullivan at the White House in Washington on Tuesday.

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INDUSTRY-BUDGET REAX:

Industry bodies, investors and common people have hailed the Union Budget 2023-24, calling it progressive, prudent and growth-oriented. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) President Subhrakant Panda said, this year's budget is not only significant to the domestic audience but also a move towards placing India as the world's engine of growth. Talking to AIR News, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) President Sanjiv Bajaj said, in the Union Budget strong focus was on agriculture sector, clean energy, and rationalization of income tax slab. ASSOCHAM President Sumant Sinha said, the announcement made in the budget will improve ease of doing business and help MSME sector. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2023-24 in Parliament on Wednesday. Attractive incentives and rebates in the new income tax regime, a steep hike in capital investments, and the biggest ever outlay in railways were the three big takeaways of Budget.

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HOTSPOT

In today's Hotspot Section, we bring you a news commentary on Growth Centric Budget to Boost Morale and Momentum.

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US-PHILIPPINES

To counter China's aggressive territorial posturing in the South China Sea, the Philippines has agreed to provide the United States with expanded access to its military bases. With this step, US forces will have a greater strategic footing on the southeastern edge of the South China Sea close to self-ruled Taiwan. The newly announced deal will give the US access to four more locations under an Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement dating 2014. It will allow the US to rotate troops to a total of nine bases throughout the Philippines. The US has in recent months, stepped up efforts to expand its Indo-Pacific security options amid rising concerns over China's growing activities in the region.

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LS-FLIGHT-5G:

A total of 10 flights of Air India between India and the United State of America were cancelled last month due to the deployment of 5G mobile services in the USA. This was stated by Minister of State for Civil Aviation General VK Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. He said, the government is aware of the concerns expressed by airlines and manufacturers of aircraft upon the rollout of 5G mobile services in the USA and its potential interference with the aircraft radio altimeters. In another written reply in the Lok Sabha, the Minister said, after four rounds of bidding under UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagarik) scheme, 459 routes have commenced, operationalizing 72 airports including two water aerodromes and nine heliports till the 20th of last month. He said more than 2.16 lakh UDAN flights have been operated and over 1.13 crore passengers have so far availed the benefits of the scheme.

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J&K-IED

Jammu and Kashmir Police achieved a major breakthrough in the Narwal, Jammu blast case by arresting a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, who is also a government employee. A “Perfume IED”, the first of its kind, was recovered from his possession. DG Police, Dilbagh Singh said in a press conference that after 11 days of hard work, a major success was achieved with the arrest of Arif Ahmed. The DGP said, Arif is an active terrorist of the Lashkar-e-Taiba outfit. He was working at the behest of Qasim and his uncle Qamardin, both of them Reasi residents and are presently in Pakistan.

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MYANMAR:

In Myanmar, National Defence and Security Council, NDSC, has decided to extend the country's state of emergency to delay the election. According to reports, military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing submitted a report to council members reflecting on two years of military rule. Hlaing repeated his justification for the coup, citing unfounded allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 general elections in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) had secured a landslide victory. Military-governed Myanmar declared a state of emergency for a year when it took power in 2021 and has since extended it twice for six months each-time.

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MoS SRI LANKA VISIT

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan will be on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka from Friday to participate in the Independence Day celebrations of the island nation. During the visit, the Minister of State will also have separate bilateral interactions with the President and Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka. He will also have an interactive session with prominent members of the Indian diaspora.

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JITENDRA SINGH - SPACE

Atomic Energy and Space Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has said that the Government is taking measures to augment domestic capacity for the future realisation of space tourism. In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Dr Jitendra Singh said, ISRO has also carried out a few feasibility studies for a sub-orbital space tourism mission onboard a liquid propellant stage booster.

Dr. Singh said, through Gaganyaan - India’s maiden human spaceflight programme - ISRO is engaged in the development of various technologies, which are essential building blocks for human space missions. The Minister informed that the objective of the Gaganyaan programme is the demonstration of human spaceflight capability to Low earth orbit. He added, future missions will be taken up after the accomplishment of the Gaganyaan mission.

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SMRITI-HAJ

Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani has informed that the Government, under the Annual Bilateral Agreement with Saudi Arabia for Haj pilgrimage this year, has restored the original Haj quota which stands at one lakh 75 thousand 25. In a written reply to Lok Sabha on Thursday, Ms Irani added that in this direction the Ministry held a number of interactive sessions on Haj management with the stakeholders, including Haj Committees of the States and Union Territories wherein requests for restoration of Haj Quota were received. She said, the quota earmarked for Haj Committee of India under the Annual Bilateral Agreement is meant for pilgrims from various States and Union Territories for Haj this year. The Minister said, the increase in Haj quota has now enabled the government to send more pilgrims from States and UTs for Haj.

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PARLIAMENT ZAMBIA

The Parliamentary delegation from Zambia called on India's President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. Welcoming the delegation to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President said, India and Zambia enjoy strong and cordial relations. She said, the leaders of the Zambian freedom struggle, like the founding father and first President of Zambia, Dr Kenneth Kaunda drew inspiration from the Indian freedom struggle, particularly Mahatma Gandhi.

The President said that in the area of economic cooperation, bilateral trade has been growing steadily. She added it is a matter of satisfaction that India and Zambia share a strong development partnership including India’s four lines of credit, which are being utilised in important fields such as transport, hydro-power, and health. India is one of the leading investors in Zambia.

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EVE. PAR-ADJOURN:

Both Houses of Indian Parliament were adjourned for the day following the opposition parties’ protest over Hindenburg Research’s report on Adani Group and other issues on Thursday. Amid noisy scenes, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi urged protesting members to allow the House to take up discussion on President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament. He said, the House is for discussion and appealed to the members to take part in it. As pandemonium continued, the House was adjourned for the day. In Rajya Sabha, a similar scene was witnessed when the House reassembled after the first adjournment at 2 PM. Congress, TMC, DMK, AAP, Samajwadi Party, Left and other Opposition members started raising slogans over the issue. As the ruckus continued, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the House for the day.

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WORLD NEWS CAPSULE

The Sensex witnessed modest gains while the Nifty observed modest losses amid mixed global cues. The index of the top 30 companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange, Sensex, ended above 59,900 points. The index of the top 50 companies at the National Stock Exchange, closed near the 17,600 level. A report from the business desk:

The Sensex climbed 224 points to finish at 59,932. The Nifty-50 however, fell six points to settle at 17,610. Among global stock markets, Asian shares ended mixed. South Korea’s KOSPI rose 0.8 per cent and Japan's NIKKEI-225 added marginally by 0.2 per cent. On the other hand, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell half a per cent and Singapore’s Straits Times index declined 0.4 per cent. China’s Shanghai Composite index ended almost flat. Oil prices were steady after tumbling in the previous session as a weaker dollar boosted sentiment, though looming sanctions on Russian oil products added uncertainty over supply. In intra-day trade, Brent crude was trading at 82 dollars and 55 cents per barrel. Back Home... At the Multi Commodity Exchange, Gold futures for February was trading at 58,700 rupees per ten grams. Silver futures for March was trading at 72,053 rupees per kilogram when reports last came in. Arjun Choudhary for World News, All India Radio.      

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WOMEN CRICKET-FINAL

In Women's Cricket, South Africa have won the T20 Tri-Nation Series beating India in the final by Five wickets at Buffalo Park in East London on Thursday. Riding on Chloe Tryon's unbeaten 57 runs knock, the hosts overhauled the target of 110 runs in just 18 overs. South Africa scored 113 runs for five wickets in 18 overs.

Earlier, electing to bat first, India had scored 109 for the loss of 4 wickets in stipulated 20 overs. For the visitors, Harleen Deol was the highest scorer who contributed 46 runs off  56 balls.

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IND-NZ T20:

In Men's Cricket, India demolished New Zealand by 168 runs in the deciding third and final T20 international at Ahmedabad on Wednesday. Chasing the target of 235 runs, the visitors were bundled out for a paltry score of 66 runs in 12.1 overs. Earlier, opting to bat, India posted 234 runs for four in stipulated 20 overs. Shubman Gill hit a ton, scoring unbeaten 126 runs on 63 balls, recording his maiden T20 century for India. Rahul Tripathi posted 44 off 22 balls. With the win, India have won the three-match series 2-1.

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WETLANDS DAY:

2nd of February  is the World Wetlands Day. The day is celebrated every year on this day to create awareness about conservation, significance and the role of wetlands in the protection of biodiversity. The theme of World Wetlands Day 2023 is “It's Time for Wetlands Restoration”. With 75 Ramsar sites covering over 13 lakh Hectares, India has the largest number of Wetlands in South Asia. In his Mann Ki Baat last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that now the total number of Ramsar sites in the country has increased to 75. Whereas, before 2014, there were only 26. In her Union Budget presentation in the Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman proposed two schemes to protect Wetlands and Mangroves namely Amrit Dharohar and Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes MISHTI.

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INDIA CONGO SOLAR ALLIANCE

India has welcomed Congo to International Solar Alliance. The External Affairs Ministry said Ambassador of Republic of Congo, Raymond Serge Bale signed the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement in the presence of Joint Secretary (Economic Diplomacy).

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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 Globe and Mail reports, Philippines grants U.S. greater access to bases amid China concerns.

⦁ The New York Times writes, U.S. to Boost Military Role in the Philippines in Push to Counter China.

⦁ CNN BUSINESS report says, China is set to make market-oriented changes to the way initial public offerings are approved.

⦁ Washington Post writes, Canadian Parliament votes unanimously to accept 10,000 Uyghur refugees,  

⦁ Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction of Mass Rapid Transit Line-1 on Thursday, reports Daily Star.

⦁ Sixth edition of Dhaka Art Summit will begin on Friday at National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, reports New Age.

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AVIATION - PRE-COVID LEVEL

Domestic air traffic in India has again picked up pace during the current financial year and is expected to touch around 97 per cent of the pre-covid level. This information was given by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen. (Dr) V. K. Singh in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

He said, India witnessed a double-digit Compound Annual Growth Rate of 14.5 per cent in terms of domestic passenger traffic during the period 2014-15 to 2019-20.  

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REPEAT HEADLINES

⦁ India condemns violence by Khalistani extremists in Australia targeting Indian community; Requests Australia to ensure their safety and security.

⦁ First Sustainable Finance Working Group Meeting of G20 under India's Presidency begins at Guwahati in Assam.

⦁ US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, America is expanding cooperation with India to address global challenges.

⦁ Philippines to provide United States with expanded access to its military bases to counter China's aggressive posturing in South China Sea.

⦁ And in Women's Cricket, South Africa clinch T20 Tri-Nation Series beating India in the final by Five wickets in East London.

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

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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